Sucker Punch (First Fangs Club #3) - Kristen Painter Page 0,17
shook her head. “Twenty-five, and we don’t have time for cash. I need the blood right now. If you can’t accept a direct deposit, then we’ll go talk to the next fae on our list.”
Ishalan groused under his breath. “Fine. I’ll take the deposit. But since I am forced to compromise, I can’t accept less than forty.”
Donna looked at Temo, thankful he was smart enough to play along. “Your other contact didn’t even bring up money, did he?”
Temo barely moved. “Nope.”
Ishalan grunted. “Twenty-five is not enough.”
“Thirty, and I’m done negotiating the number.”
The fae frowned but nodded. “I accept. But I now want two more things from you instead of one more.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. Gently. The vials were glass, and she could feel them through the leather. “What else?”
“I want to go with you when you raid the stronghold.”
“I’ll think about it.” But at first blush, that seemed like a bad idea. “What’s the second thing?”
“I want a favor from you that I may call in at a later date. A future favor, it you will.” He smiled, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth.
Donna didn’t like that. He could ask anything of her. At any time. She shook her head. “Too open-ended.”
“I promise it will not be anything you’d find distasteful. But you are asking me to betray my kind. Giving you my blood could get me killed.”
“And you’re asking me to trust you, the fae willingly doing that betraying.” It was a precarious position to put him in. But he could have said no. “I’m not forcing you to do anything. And I’m paying you a considerable sum.”
“I realize that. But let’s be honest. Time is of the essence, is it not? Besides, you’d be hard-pressed to come by what I’m offering anywhere else.”
Was he calling her bluff about the other volunteer? “I’ll need seven vials from you.”
“Seven?” The word screeched out of him, turning heads in the main waiting room. “You ask too much, vampire.”
“Five, then. And you’ll have your favor and your money.”
“Three, and I’ll still have my favor, my money, and my place at the raid.”
She stared at him long and hard with the kind of stony face she knew Big Tony had used when he wanted the person across from him to question their decisions. The longer she stared, the more Ishalan’s look of fierce determination faded.
When he spoke again, there was a softer tone to his voice. “I am not your enemy, Governor.”
That’s exactly what he was, but she said nothing and continued to stare. Finally, she spoke. “Temo, text your other contact. Tell him we’re on our way.”
Temo pulled out his phone. “You got it, boss.”
Ishalan sighed in harsh frustration. “Four vials. But I want all three things.”
“Four, and you’ll have your money and your favor with my right to deny that favor if it would cause me trouble. As for including you in the raid, why should I allow that? I don’t know you, and I certainly don’t trust you. This deal doesn’t make us friends or allies.”
“I swear to you that if you allow me to come, I will not get in your way or do anything that could hamper the rescue of your friend.” Such earnestness in his words. “In fact, anything I do will only be to your benefit.”
“Why should I believe that?”
“Because…” He hesitated, shaking his head and looking away. “I would not lie about this.”
“I don’t know that. I need a reason to trust you. Something more than promises and platitudes.”
“I know things. Things that could be very useful. I know the layout of the stronghold. I can take you straight to where they’re holding your friend.”
“That would be useful, if I needed that kind of help. But I don’t, and it’s still not a reason to trust you.”
Temo put his phone away. “She’s right. You want the vampire governor to trust you? You need to be upfront now. Tell her the truth about why you’re willing to go against your own kind. I’ve been dealing with you for years, and I still don’t know.”
Ishalan let out a whistling sigh. “Dredward is a terrible king.”
Donna uncrossed her arms. They were getting nowhere. “He seems equivalent to the beings he rules.”
Ishalan frowned, pulling the skin taut over his knife-edged chin. “It’s true. The fae are a harsh breed. But Dredward only encourages that.”
She leaned in slightly. “Harsh? The fae hunt down my kind indiscriminately and drain us of our blood. And you’re asking me,