Free King's Gambit by Ashley Meira

Gross, the heel was covered in blood and vitreous humor. At least there was biological material to work with, for whatever that was worth.
    “I definitely won’t be walking in these.”
    Careful to avoid any moist looking stains, I knelt down next to Robert’s ashes and pulled the vial out of my cleavage. Who needs pockets when you have boobs? It was a shame I couldn’t fit more things in there.
    Even though getting shot wasn’t enough to kill a vampire, they still bled when hit. I dipped my fingers in what little liquid there was and wiped it into the vial before focusing on my other concerns. Like how I was going to explain all this without incriminating myself in the murder of the king’s…what did Robert even do for Flavius? I guess it didn’t matter anymore.
    “What the hell?”
    I threw an ice spear out of reflex and leapt to my feet. The spear slammed through the door like it was an oversized dartboard. The door swung a few times before hitting the wall, revealing Khalil. He eyed the spike before sidestepping inside and surveying the room with a raised brow.
    “Dear, I’m not sure you know what ‘inconspicuous’ means,” he said, closing the door behind him.
    Normally, the ice would dissipate on its own, but I waved it away; there was no sense in having it sticking through the door for people to see.
    “I didn’t do it,” I said. “A bunch of ninja assassin-type things crashed through the windows, shot him in the head, attacked me, and then set him on fire.” I stepped over to him, the wooden floor cold under my feet. “What kind of life do we have that a sentence like that sounds perfectly normal?”
    “I wouldn’t say ‘perfectly’–”
    “Don’t,” I groaned, thinking about my exchange with Robert. Dead Robert. Twice dead Robert. “I’m guessing Marcus didn’t send the death squad?”
    “If he did, I knew nothing about it,” he said. “However, killing Franklin would go against the plan, so I’d look for outside forces.”
    “Who else would want Robert dead?”
    “Who wouldn’t? Business rivals, business partners , another vampire, a member of Parliament, the king himself…” Khalil trailed off with a shrug. “There are endless possibilities.”
    “Have I mentioned I hate politics?”
    “It is a killer,” he said with a grin. Ah, my faith in puns is restored. “Any ideas on what to do about this?”
    “Run to Mexico?” I rolled my shoulders. “I’ll need to report this to the king, but otherwise it’s a vampire affair; his people will lead the investigation.”
    Khalil knelt in front of the ash pile and shook his head. “It won’t be easy to get the rest of the blood samples with this going on. Speaking of, were the attackers human? I smell blood, and it’s not his.”
    I looked down at the angry red scar on my torso. It would vanish soon enough, the pain already fading. “That’s probably mine. I stabbed one of them and she quid pro quo’d it up.”
    “She? You saw their faces?”
    “No, the scream was feminine.”
    “Where did… Actually, don’t tell me – it’s more fun to imagine where you hid the knife.”
    I sighed and waved the stained stiletto at him.
    “Is that what they mean by ‘killer heels’?”
    “No, no.” I waved a finger at him. “You already used ‘killer’ as a joke.”
    “My lady, I assure you I am being deadly serious.”
    I rolled my eyes and groaned. “That’s so awful it looped back to funny.”
    “You don’t look hurt.” He came closer, thumbing the ripped ends of the dress before pulling the fabric aside. “This scar is fresh, but not enough to be–”
    “Can I use your phone?” My tone made it clear we were changing the subject.
    “You didn’t bring yours?” He got the hint. Smart man.
    “It wouldn’t fit in my bra.”
    “I noticed you didn’t have a purse, but…”
    “I’d need a clutch for a fancy outfit like this. I hate clutches. Last night was bad enough.”
    The unimpressed look he gave me was