Page 128 of A Shade of Myself
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I droveover to the vamp’s hidden territory with a lump in my gut.
Was the deal I’d struck with Yoshi a breach of Zev’s protocol? Yoshi wouldn’t do anything that went against his friend and master’s wishes, but rules that applied to Yoshi did not apply to me.
It was early enough that Blood Alley hadn’t officially opened for business and the only people I came across were human employees pushing cleaning carts, moving furniture, and delivering alcohol.
I hurried past them all to Gargoyle Gardens, picking a path through the statues that kept me in the sunlight.
There was no bouncer on duty at Rome. The front doors slid open silently and I made my way through the club, which was dingy under the bright house lights. Bursts of music played as a group of employees did a sound check, but they ignored me, and I got down to the basement in no time at all.
Zev’s red office door was ajar. I knocked and called out to announce my presence.
“Ms. Feldman.”
I shrieked, whipping around with my hand on my heart. “Mr. BatKian.”
He motioned me into his office. “Take a seat.”
I perched on the edge of a chair. “Was there something I could help you with?”
He circled me. “The shark sees the star, the flowers seek the shark, you seek the flowers, and the star seeks you.”
My purse hit the ground with a thud, my mouth hanging open. “How—I mean—no—”
The vampire quirked an eyebrow and sat on the edge of the desk. Way too close. I mean, there was that very nice chair on the other side. It was a shame to ignore it.
“Yoshi,” I said in a shrill voice. My shoulders were tight and beads of sweat dotted my upper lip.
“You’ve been on quite the hunt. The golem’s divination…” Zev steepled his fingers together. “I’m delighted you’ve gotten such good use out of him.”
His smile did not reach his eyes.
I licked my lips nervously, icily certain that I was about to die. “I—you see—”
“Be quiet.” His mild reproach made me nod like one of those bobblehead dolls. “As I was saying, you’ve been busy. Beyond the golem, you took a trip north for your uncle’s letter, and you tangled with that odious shifter.”
“Laurent?” I felt my pulse spike at the thought that Zev knew we’d slept together.
“Poe.”
I hurried to unscramble my thoughts and follow the conversation. “Were you following me?”
“I keep tabs on those of interest. Now, I take it you’ve deciphered those words?”
Everything in me screamed to lie, but even if Zev couldn’t compel me to tell the truth, I wasn’t that good an actor. “Yes.”
He went over to a bank of cabinets and pushed on a panel, revealing a fridge. “Water?”
I’d have loved one because my throat was dry, but my hands shook so much that I had to stuff them under my butt. “No, thank you.”
“Suit yourself.” He uncorked a small dark bottle the size of a personal champagne one, removed one of Jude’s mugs from another cabinet, and poured dark red liquid into it.
I watched both transfixed and disgusted.
Zev brought his drink back and sat down once more. “A shark, flowers, and a star.” He drank deeply.
“You don’t know what it means, do you?” I said. If he didn’t, then maybe I could pull a Scheherazade and spin this tale out over a thousand and one nights.
