Club Nexus (Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective) by E.J. Stevens Read Free Book Online Page B

out of stairs.  I’d reached the lower
basement level, and though a faint light shone from the room beyond, I couldn’t
make out much of the chamber I was in.  I inched forward, keeping my hand on
the wall. I didn’t have supernatural eyesight like Forneus or Puck.  If I
wanted to see what was really going on, I’d have to get closer to the light.
    I started forward, but jumped as a shadow broke away from
the wall.  Entering the room beyond, the dark shape became a tall, blue-skinned
faerie woman.  Huh, that was odd.  It was the same chick who’d been tending
bar.
    I’d wondered where the faerie and vampire had disappeared to,
but I’d assumed the two had come down here together.  In fact, I had some
pretty icky ideas when I’d seen them sneak off into the basement.  Thankfully,
whatever the faerie was up to, it didn’t include getting naked with a vampire. 
There are some things I just didn’t need to see.  If what Ivy had said about
vamps being dried out corpses was true, vampire sex was definitely on my list
of things to avoid at all cost.  A girl can only handle so many nightmares.
    I was startled from my musing as the faerie woman leapt into
the room beyond.  I hurried to the corner she’d vacated, hoping for a better
look.  The bartender charged toward Puck, yelling and laughing maniacally, arm
raised above her head.  There was something shiny clutched in her fist, some
kind of weapon, but she never had a chance to stab anyone.
    Faster than my human eyes could follow, a vampire came
rushing out of an adjacent room.  A door whipped open and suddenly he was
there, standing between the woman and Puck—the woman’s bleeding arm held in the
vampire’s fist.
    I leaned against the wall, knees weak.  I took a deep
breath, trying to slow my racing heart, and blinked away dark spots in my
vision.  There was at least one killer in the next room.  I could not pass out.
    I placed shaky hands on my knees and gulped in air.  When I
finally trusted myself to stand, I lifted my crossbow to my shoulder and peered
around the corner.  A lot had happened while I’d struggled to stay conscious.
    Puck lay bleeding on the floor, something metallic jutting
from his chest, and the vampire was holding the faerie woman upright while he
feasted on her jugular.  It was the same vamp I’d seen earlier, though he’d
lost his hat and the look of calm, southern charm.
    I didn’t know what kind of mess the faerie had got herself into,
but no one deserved to become some vamp’s chew toy.  Heck, he’d torn off her
arm and was sucking on the faerie bartender’s neck like a toddler with a god
damned sippy cup.
    I tuned out the slurping sounds and ran into the room. 
Forneus’ eyes widened, and I couldn’t help but grin.  For once, I’d surprised
the unflappable demon.  But I couldn’t revel in the moment; it didn’t seem wise
to keep the sounds of feeding at my back.
    I swung the crossbow around to point at the vampire.
    “Move away from the girl, douchebag,” I said.
    The slurping stopped and the vamp tossed the woman aside
like a crumpled up juice box.  I glared at the vampire, careful to keep from
looking him directly in the eye, and my finger twitched on the trigger mechanism
of my bow.  Who died and gave him the right to treat people as if they were
disposable?
    Oh, right.  He did, and then he rose again.  Well, the
bastard should have stayed dead.  One dead vamp, coming right up.
    The vampire was rushing forward before I could finish
pulling the trigger.  That doesn’t mean I didn’t get off a shot.  I hit him
square in the chest.  Too bad I’d loaded for demons.
    A wooden bolt would have paralyzed the vampire, but the
metal I shot him with didn’t even slow the guy down.  I was going to die and I
wasn’t even wearing shoes.  There was something tragic about facing death in
your bare feet.
    Thankfully, it wasn’t my day to die.  One second I was about
to have my heart ripped out and