Free Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection) by Kristen Strassel Page B

though good tips seemed promising, I wasn’t sure how much I wanted the vampires to like me. One already overwhelmed me. As long as money remained the only thing at stake, I could handle that.
    As the night progressed, a DJ set up in the corner booth and began to spin loud, trancelike music. If any of the songs had words, they either weren’t in English or didn’t make sense. It was unlike any other music I’d ever heard before. I had to wonder if it was special vampire music, or if normal people listened to this as well. The stools along our bar began to fill in with a heavy disproportion of men, and Lennon and I took turns taking drink requests.
    Near the back of the room, men and women wearing nothing but thin strips of underwear glided from the shadows. At first I thought they might be performers or dancers. Something about them seemed elegant and regal. After a few minutes of watching them, I realized they were offering themselves as food to the vampires. I watched a lean, blond haired vampire grab one around the wrist, pulling a black haired girl with vacant eyes onto his lap. With a feral smile, he lowered his lips and sucked greedily from her neck. He seemed to almost feed to the beat of the music.
    All I could think of was Tristan.
    “I haven’t seen you here before.” The honeyed voice of a woman greeted me when I turned back to the bar. She extended a pale, well manicured hand. “Allow me to introduce myself. Talis de Rancourt.”
    I stared at her hand, forcing my hand to meet hers. I tried not to cringe at her cool touch. My eyes worked their way up her arm to her expensive burgundy suit. She’d tied her butter yellow hair back in some fancy sort of bun that I could never execute on my own. Her lifeless ice blue eyes were fixed squarely on mine. I shivered.
    “As I’m sure you know, I am a part owner of the Alta Vista. I’m also the creator of the Sin City Vampire Club, Immortal Forever, and most importantly, Immortal Dilemma.”
    I wasn’t sure what to do as she listed her credentials. I just nodded. I felt like such a child standing here next to this woman who commanded respect.
    “All of these have been very successful franchises for me, Calliope. As you can imagine, I have a very clear business plan laid out for all of these ventures. I have very little patience for distractions. My time is money.”
    How did she know my name?
    “It has come to my attention that you have been spending quite a bit of time with Tristan Trevosier.” Like there was more than one Tristan running around here. “He is a very important part of my business. I created Tristan for a specific purpose. His image has been very carefully cultivated. Do you follow me, Calliope?”
    I nodded. Holy crap.
    “Like I said, I have very little patience for distractions. Tristan needs to stay focused. I can’t have him preoccupied by personal conquests.”
    I felt my eyebrows raise and I opened my mouth to speak. Talis cut me off with a wave of her hand.
    “These little meetings cannot continue.
You
are a complication that cannot continue. I refuse to waste my energy on such things. I just make them disappear. Do I make myself clear?”
    Without waiting for my response, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd.
    I clenched my jaw and turned back to Lennon. “Do you know that woman?”
    “Talis? She pretty much owns the city.”
    “She just threatened me to stay away from Tristan.”
    “Oh,” Lennon winced. “Talis can read the minds of her clan, so there are no secrets between them.”
    “For someone who knows so much you’d think she’d keep a tighter rein on her boy toys.” My face darkened as I grabbed a rag and wiped down the bar.
    “What fun would that be?” Lennon laughed, trying to cheer me up. It didn’t work. Lennon leaned forward, suddenly serious. “Listen, Callie, if she came here to talk to you, that’s not good, girl. She usually lets her thugs deal with people she doesn’t like. She must