Free Mother May I (Knight Games Book 4) by Genevieve Jack Page A

Julius’s protection. Your blood must be one hell of a treat. He’s threatened all of us with a thousand years in a silver-lined box if anyone damages a hair on your head. No vamp would dare touch you.”
    I jumped when something scurried across my toes.
    “Do not worry, Grateful. It was only a rat,” Rick whispered into my ear.
    “That’s comforting.”
    “This way,” Gary said.
    Rick turned me by the shoulders. “There is a stairway. Allow me to help you.”
    Before I could say a word, Rick swept me into his arms and jogged up the flight of steps. At the top, Gary opened another door. Jovial music, voices, and warm light flooded over us. I blinked to adjust my vision while Rick set me down.
    Beyond a short corridor, I stood at the threshold of a grand speakeasy, windowless, as I’d expected a vampire bar to be, and furnished in dark wood, red velvet, and brass. The bartender wore suspenders and a bow tie in the 1920’s fashion. Waitresses buzzed between round tables at super speed in flapper dresses, stained-glass votives lighting their way. In the back, males and females danced to jazz music on a small dance floor. Most were vampires. A few were human.
    Heads turned as we entered. Seated couples looked up from their drinks, and a few vampires paused their dancing to flash fang my direction. Vampire after vampire glared at me. I bristled, but no one backed up their threatening looks.
    “What’s their problem?” I asked.
    “It’s not what you think. It’s not because you’re a witch,” Gary said matter-of-factly. “Although, I’d ask you to keep your blade stashed. We don’t want to cause a panic.”
    “Why are they all pissy?”
    He paused and spread his hands. “You’re underdressed. There’s a dress code.”
    I looked down at myself. I was still wearing my plaid sleep shorts and a T-shirt sporting a picture of a sock monkey with the caption Nice Banana . I ran my thumbs under the straps to the sheath on my back that held Nightshade. My face felt warm. “Uh. Do you have something more appropriate for me to wear?”
    Gary grimaced.
    “He doesn’t, but I do.” From the shadows, Julius’s radiant blue eyes became visible before the rest of him. He melded into the dim light and lifted his rocks glass of scotch in a little toast to me. “Pleasure to see you again, Miss Knight. I am relieved to learn that Gary got you out in one piece, although I don’t recall inviting the sidekick.” He glanced pointedly at Rick.
    “Rick goes where I go.”
    “Perhaps your caretaker can wait at the bar while you and I discuss business.”
    I frowned. “What business do we need to discuss without my caretaker?”
    “For starters, why the Goblin Trinate want you dead and how long you will need sanctuary in my safe house.”
    When he put it that way, I did owe him something for saving me. My shoulders softened, and the vampire held out his hand, bowing slightly at the waist. Julius was ancient. I wasn’t sure how ancient, but I suspected he held a wealth of information about my new enemies.
    I looked at Rick and motioned with my chin toward the bar. “Give me a minute?”
    He nodded once and released my arm to do as I asked.
    Once he was gone, I slipped my hand into Julius’s and allowed the vampire to lead me from the room.

Chapter 10
    The Safe House
    J ulius guided me to the back of the speakeasy and up a flight of stairs to a wood-paneled hallway. The second door on the left opened into an expansive bedroom that reminded me of something from The Great Gatsby . The four-poster bed at the center struck me as larger than life, a piece of furniture of inhuman standards with red silk sheets and a velvet comforter. Clearly, the bed was meant to be the centerpiece of the room, but that was hardly the most impressive feature. The two-story walls were lined with books, old and new, with a sliding brass ladder attached to the shelves to ensure each of them was accessible. Along one wall, a break in the shelving