Blood and Hexes (After Darkness Falls #4) - May Sage Page 0,15

a sense of taste. This is the most disgusting thing I've ever had the displeasure of drinking. And I've lived on a diet of rats a time or two.”

Diana tilted her head, intrigued. To a modern vampire, the admission might have been repulsive, but back in the day, before synthetic blood, before vamp fangirls happy to get bitten by a hot immortal, it hadn't been uncommon for her kind to feed on small rodents—or whatever animals they could find. It was that or resorting to feeding on unwilling, terrified humans. Diana had drunk her fair share of rats in her time as well, especially during the weeks it had taken to cross the ocean when she’d left the old continent for America. The man was at least a few hundred years old.

Diana didn't spend a lot of time with her kind. Vampires kept to themselves, sticking to their territory. She wasn't part of a specific clan, as the Helsings had long ago ceased to be a family. They were too few and divided for that. She'd made friends with a loner or two, and occasionally some affiliated vampires like Juniper, but no fellow ancient. And a good thing, too. Surviving hundreds of years in this world required ruthlessness and a great deal of power. Between huntsmen, shifters, witches, and fellow vampires, it was impossible to avoid making enemies. Diana had a healthy handful, although she seldom started conflicts. She should be on her guard. The fact that he already seemed more or less recovered from bloodbane poisoning was a clear indication this man wasn't to be trifled with.

"Where are we?" her rescued redhead asked, looking around with a frown.

"Never mind where we are." She wasn't about to tell a stranger they were at the border of Oldcrest. "Who are you? Why were you getting your ass handed to you in the crappiest pub of the kingdom?"

The man groaned, straining to sit up. "Thanks for the reminder." He shook his head. "I'll never live that down."

Diana's eyes narrowed. “I heard no answer to either of my questions."

He sighed. "Look, if I told you, you'd freak, probably attack me, and that wouldn't end well for you."

"You sure?" She grinned at him. "It ended pretty well for the guys at The Lion's Claw."

The vampire rose to his feet. "I was drugged. I'd been tracking for an entire week without a break, so I didn't notice the bane before downing my drink. Sue me."

She'd gathered as much.

"Your name," she repeated. "Or we're going to have a problem."

Part of her wished they were about to have a problem. It'd be a nice temporary distraction from the fact that she couldn't get inside her own home. The vampire held her stare. She noticed that his stance remained entirely relaxed, although she was doing nothing to conceal her power now.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "Let's do this.” For a wild second, she thought he was up for a fight, but before she could brace herself, he said, “I’m Belial."

Diana’s mouth fell open. "As in, the actual king of hell, Belial?"

Maybe he was just Belial Potter, or something. The name could have gotten popular, right?

"A king, not the king of hell,” he replied, rolling his eyes. "There are about a dozen of us."

"No." She shook her head. "No, no. You're a vampire."

She could feel it. Diana had no problem recognizing her kind.

Belial chuckled. "Hardly. Ariadne passed on the gene, but where do you think it came from in the first place?"

She could only blink in confusion, mostly because she'd never asked herself that question.

"Ariadne was made in the image of her spouse, Dionysius."

She nodded. "Right. I knew that."

Why was he looking at her like she was stupid?

"And Dionysus was…"

"A god." Or an Enlightened, as they liked to call themselves.

"One of the gods who preferred their entertainment with a side dish of chaos and destruction," Belial said. "Otherwise labeled as major demons. You're the off-brand copy, darling. I'm the real deal."

Others might have backed up, quick, just in case he was actually telling the truth. Diana tittered. "And you got knocked on your ass. At The Lion's Claw."

He grimaced. "Touché. Bloodbane is a bitch."

Belial lifted his hand to touch the imperceptible wall separating them from Oldcrest. "Seriously, where are we? I didn't think they did wards like this on Earth."

"My home. Only, looks like I lost the keys." She sounded bitter, even to her own ears.

"Want me to take care of the shields for you? I owe you, after