Relentless (Vampire Awakenings #11) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,19

looking for Opal, but he did reveal a little bit too much.”

“When was the last time Kyle came here?”

“I’m not sure. It was a couple of months ago when he came home drunk and told me about finding Opal.”

“So Opal should still be here,” Dante said.

The door opened, and a wave of incense billowed out as a young woman emerged with a brown paper bag in hand. “Oh,” she breathed when she saw them standing only a foot away.

“Sorry,” Dante apologized as he stepped out of her way.

The woman smiled at him before glancing at Cassidy and hurrying away. Cassidy watched her go before glancing at Dante. He didn’t notice when the woman almost walked into a pole because she turned to look back at him. Was that because he was so used to the attention, or because he really didn’t notice it?

“Are you ready to go in?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Dante opened the door and stepped aside to let her enter first. He scanned the busy street before following Cassidy into the store. The door slid closed behind them and clicked into place. Inside, the smell of incense and herbs was nearly overwhelming, and he resisted using his hand to cover his nose.

The dim, overhead lights shone off the jars of incense, stones, and crystals lining the freestanding shelves creating an aisle toward the front of the store. Directly in front of them was a glass countertop with a cash register on top of it.

Above the register, a variety of different colored glass balls dangled from the ceiling. They caught and reflected the light across the chestnut, hardwood floor. On the small tables speckled throughout the store were books, decorative holders of burning incense, crystal skulls, and more candles than a one-hundred-year-old’s birthday cake. An assortment of magical goods also lined the shelves along the walls.

Dante rested his hand on Cassidy’s elbow and guided her toward the register. When they were almost to the counter, he spotted another doorway that opened into a room full of racks of clothes and more bookshelves. One of the shelves had a sign for tattoos and a finger pointing toward a set of stairs leading to the second floor.

From behind the counter, a woman rose and set a couple of books on top of it. Her gray hair hung in a thick braid over her left shoulder; the flame from the candle at the end of the counter danced in her gray eyes. He knew instantly she was a vampire, one who was changed later in life.

Unease flashed through her eyes before the lines around her eyes and mouth crinkled and she smiled at them. “Can I help you?”

“Yes.” Cassidy stopped in front of the counter. “We’re looking for Opal.”

“I’m Opal.”

Cassidy hoped her drunken brother hadn’t gotten everything mixed up in his head when he told her about the clubs and Opal. “We’re looking for a party.”

Opal’s smile vanished. “I might be able to help you. Who sent you?”

“Kyle.”

“Ah,” the woman said. “I know Kyle.”

The way she said it, Cassidy didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Unsure of what to say, Cassidy didn’t speak as Opal bent down again. She rose to set another stack of books on the counter.

“My parties aren’t the same as they used to be,” Opal said as she tapped a finger on one of the books. “There’s only one party in town now.”

“Why’s that?” Dante asked.

“You know why,” Opal said.

He didn’t know why, but he didn’t think interrogating the woman was the best way to get his answers. He needed to know where that party was, and if something caused her to shut down her other parties, there was no way she wanted them snooping around.

“It’s a hundred dollars to party now,” Opal said. “Per person.”

“That’s one hell of a party,” Dante said.

The woman smiled at him. “It’s the best one in town. Are you in or out?”

“In,” Cassidy said, though she had no idea how she was going to replace the one hundred dollars in her bank account. “Do you take credit cards?”

Opal blinked at her before laughing. “Honey, I may be a vampire, but I don’t want the IRS crawling up my ass. I got a good thing going here, and I plan on sticking around for another five years. It’s cash only.”

“No problem,” Dante said. Cassidy started to reach into her pocket when he rested his hand over hers. “I’ve got it.”

She opened her mouth to protest before deciding this was