Page 49 of Night Prey
The door suddenly opens inward and I fall forward, colliding with a solid chest—Larsson’s. How the hell didn’t I pick up hispresence? Sophie yanks me back before he can detach my head from my body. He feels pissed off enough.
“You’d better have a good explanation for coming here with Jacques’s daughter in tow, Vaughn.”
“How do you know who I am?” Sophie steps back, trying to pull her hand from mine, but I hold on.
“We’ve met before,” Larsson replies.
My brows shoot up. I wasn’t expecting that revelation.
“I don’t remember ever meeting you.”
He rubs his chin. “It was a long time ago. You were a child.”
Whoa. I sometimes forget that Larsson is old as fuck.
He turns to me. “Why are you here? And do not lie to me.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. The dragon kingpin is scary as hell, more so than King Raphael. “The Red Guard is after Sophie.”
Larsson narrows his eyes. “I see. And why are you helping her? Have you switched sides?”
“Hell no!”
Larsson raises an eyebrow, and the corners of his lips twitch up. He seems amused by my outburst. That’s a first for him. I don’t know what he finds so entertaining until I glance at Sophie and catch her glaring at me.
“Hell no?” she repeats through clenched teeth.
Perhaps letting her know how strongly I feel toward her side wasn’t the best way to get her to tell me anything. But I’m not going to backtrack.
“Yes, hell no. Do you have any idea how much damage Tatiana, Boone, and your father did to us? Let’s not forget that it’s thanks to Boone that I’m now a bloodsucker.”
Sophie winces visibly. Every time I mention that deranged motherfucker, she has a visceral reaction. I wonder if Boone hurt her in the past.
“I remember you had an affinity for magic. Is that still true?” Larsson chimes in.
“Yes,” she replies in a cagey manner.
“Then I’ll grant you sanctuary tonight if you help me with something.”
“Help you with what exactly?” I ask, not trusting the dragon one bit.
The last time he needed assistance with something, he kidnapped Rikkon and coerced Vivi to steal from Lucca.
Larsson’s yellow eyes glow for a hot second, making him look like a true dragon. “A bit of magic.”
Sophie takes a deep breath. “All right.”
I wish I could do something to prevent this new development, but it’s my fault we’re here. I was the one who had the great idea to hide in Larsson’s bar.
He moves out of the way to allow Sophie and me to pass, then locks the door with a resounding click that gives me the chills.
“Why did you lock the door?” I ask.
“It’s my office.” He veers toward his massive black desk. “I do not wish to be disturbed.”
Sophie is staring at everything with wide eyes. I had the same reaction when I came here for the first time. Larsson’s office is an explosion of colors, as if a unicorn threw up here. It’s a two-floor space with an atrium in the middle—a mix of mall arcade and a sports bar. It has games, several flat-screens, a pool table, and a foosball table.
Larsson takes out a small wooden box from a drawer and sets it on the desk. There are carvings on it, and it looks super old.
