Fire Song (City of Dragons) by Val St. Crowe Read Free Book Online

any other vampires, though.
    The one with the brochure turned slowly. He had slicked-back dark hair. He was smiling.
    I stood my ground, unsure of what happened next. Were the other vampires hiding somewhere? Did they all jump out at once?
    The vampire offered me his hand. “I don’t think we’ve met. My name is Ace Gonzales.”
    I ignored his hand. “Get out.” I said in a bored tone, as if he didn’t unsettle me one bit. One thing I knew for sure was that showing weakness was never a good idea. If you showed your weakness, it got used against you.
    “Oh, now is that fair? We’ve only just met, and you’re already being so rude to me?”
    “Well, I might have been more welcoming if your gang hadn’t been here before you a few times, destroying all my property. That may have put a damper on our burgeoning polite acquaintanceship.”
    “I really have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said. “I do happen to know that there is a problem with gangs in the area and with vandalism. But my organization is here to protect, not destroy.”
    “Sure it is,” I said.
    “Well, someone like you doesn’t need any protecting, do you, Penelope Cooper?”
    “My last name’s Caspian.” I wandered over behind the counter, acting casual, but my heartbeat had sped up.
    Connor was there, looking pale—well, as pale as a gargoyle can look, anyway.
    I gave him a reassuring smile. “Why don’t you take a break, Connor?”
    “I told him to leave,” said Connor, “but he wouldn’t listen, and I didn’t know what to do.”
    “It’s fine.” I smiled wider. “Go ahead.”
    Connor looked back and forth between me and the vampire. “I don’t know, Penny. I think maybe I should stick around,” he said in a low voice. “You might need me.”
    Ace laughed. “I’m not here to hurt your boss, I promise. I’m here to talk business. It’s become clear to me that the way I was going about it before wasn’t the most effective way, so I’ve shifted my approach.”
    I was tempted to just blast him with fire right then. Burn him to a crisp.
    Of course, it probably wasn’t safe to do that inside the hotel. I could end up burning the whole place to the ground. I guessed I wouldn’t be using my pyrokinesis after all.
    “As any good businessman should,” Ace continued, chuckling.
    I had to admit that it felt good to have Connor at my side. I felt stronger as I stared Ace down. “I want you out of here. There’s no approach you could possibly use that would make me pay you one fucking cent.”
    Ace laughed again. He put his fingers to his mouth, feigning shock. “Ooh, the mouth on you, Mrs. Cooper.”
    “I told you,” I said. “My name is Caspian.”
    “Your maiden name is Caspian.” He approached the front desk and put both his palms down on the counter. “You know, it’s funny, because when my guys came back telling me that you had strong magic, I figured that looking into you would only reveal that you were some kind of mage, one of those pathetic little ladies who bends over a cauldron, boiling down dragon gristle. Imagine my delight when I found out that you were the missing wife of one of the richest business moguls on the east coast.”
    My nostrils flared. So, I guessed I’d just been lucky so far. Flint had been right. It was far too easy to track me, to figure out who I was. “We’re divorced.” I came out from behind the counter. “Do I need to escort you out?”
    “I’m not finished with my proposition,” he said.
    “I’m not interested. So, you know how to dig into a person’s private past and bring up painful memories. What do you want? A medal?”
    “No,” he said. “More like I want you to pay me the going rate for protection of your business and provide me and my boys with a pint of your blood every week.”
    My mouth dropped open. “You think I would give you vermin my blood?”
    He reached out and ran his fingers over my neck. “I could just take it.”
    I slapped his hand