Starlight Web (Moonshadow Bay #1) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,91
Ink office on Monday morning, it felt like I had always worked here, like I had never left Moonshadow Bay.
“Hey,” I said, hanging my coat on the coat rack. “It’s snowing up a storm out there. And I have two kittens!”
Tad snorted. He and Hank both looked back to full health, though I had the feeling neither would forget their experience anytime soon. But even with the snort, they all gathered around so I could show them the multitudes of pictures I had taken on my phone.
“Good for you,” Caitlin said. “They’re lovely and I’d like to come see them soon, if you don’t mind.”
“Maybe we can all have dinner at my place Thursday evening? You’re all invited.” It was the first time I had felt comfortable inviting coworkers home. At the magazine, most of the employees we hired were just as snobbish as Ellison, and while I had hosted an infinite number of cultured affairs, none of them had been memorable or even comfortable.
My phone rang. I stared at the caller ID. Val Slater. During the day? Really?
“Hello?” I answered, expecting to hear his buttery-smooth voice.
Instead, a woman was on the other end. “Am I speaking to January Jaxson?”
“You are. Who am I speaking to?”
“My name is Linda Carson. I’m Mr. Slater’s secretary. He asked me to inform you that demolition is set for ten a.m. tomorrow, and you and the staff of Conjure Ink are cordially invited to witness the process. Mr. Slater would very much like it if you were there, Ms. Jaxson. He specifically asked me to convey the request. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to make it, given it’s daylight.”
Her tone told me it wasn’t a request, but a command.
“May I call you back in a few moments?”
“Of course. You can reach me at this return number.” She hung up.
I stared at my phone. “Guys, we need to… Oh, I didn’t tell you.”
“Didn’t tell us what?” Tad asked.
I inhaled a sharp breath, then let it out slowly. “Rowan found someone to buy the land. She called in a major favor. Her…friend…bought the land over the weekend for all cash, and tomorrow morning he’s taking down the old asylum. He wants us to attend. Then he’ll have the entire lot fenced with chain link. That’s the best we can muster, but it will work.”
“Who on earth did she find to agree to that? How can he afford it?” Tad asked, staring at me.
I steeled myself. “His name is Val Slater. Ring any bells?”
Tad’s incredulous look slid away and he stiffened. “Are you talking about the vampire?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I am. He bought the land this weekend.”
Hank blinked. “Are you talking about the Val Slater? The owner of the Mayhem? The biggest underground nightclub in Bellingham? The Val Slater who also happens to be the leader of the Northwest Vampire Collective?”
Apparently, I’d been hiding under a rock. “I’ve never heard of either one of those.”
“The Northwest Vampire Collective is an organization that, on the surface, is working toward promoting vampire rights in society. And they are making some inroads. Behind the scenes, it’s a tightly run political association. I happen to know that they’ve got Lynda Keiser—Bellingham’s mayor—in their pocket. They’re not above raising hell when they don’t get their way. A few murders and disappearances have been linked to them, though there hasn’t been any actual proof.” Tad shook his head. “Getting mixed up with Val Slater is a bad idea. I don’t know what Rowan was thinking.”
“Well, we can’t back out now. The deal went through, and he’s tearing down the asylum tomorrow. I wondered if he might have an ulterior motive, but you did say for me to do what I thought best, and since Rowan was so gung-ho about it…” I had the sudden feeling that maybe I had really fucked up. Had I let Rowan talk me into something that I was going to regret?
“No, you’re right,” Tad said. “You haven’t lived in Moonshadow Bay for years. You don’t know about a lot of the politics that are in play now. This is my fault.”
“She said something else,” I said. “Rowan mentioned that she’s part of a secret coven that protects the town.”
“The Crystal Cauldron,” Hank said. “It’s not so secret.”
“Right, that’s it. Anyway, she said that the Covenant of Chaos—the organization that founded Stellarview—is on the rise again, and that they’re looking to stir up trouble. Is that something we should be worried about?”