First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World #1)(53)
Author: Jeaniene Frost

"I’m very good at integral and differential calculus," Ian continued to sing, interrupted by a crash and then, "Where’d that bloody statue come from? Er, imitation anyway. I know the scientific names of beings animalculous…"

After more stumbling noises, the operetta-singing vampire appeared. Ian’s eyes were bloodshot, he had a smear of dirt on his face, and his shirt was buttoned up wrong.

"Hallo, all!" Ian announced cheerfully. "That was a capital evening."

"Ian, mate, you look a bit worse for wear," Spade gritted out, glaring at him. "Let’s get you tucked into bed before you break anything else."

"I know our mythic history, King Arthur’s and Sir Caradoc’s," Ian singsonged.

Cat looked at Bones and let out a grunt. "Useless," she muttered.

Spade grabbed Ian, hissing something in his ear Denise didn’t hear. Whatever it was, Ian laughed. "Charles, mate, you fret too much. I’m a grown man, I am, and I can blood my handle."

"Handle your blood?" Bones offered dryly.

Ian grinned. "Exactly."

Denise sighed. It was clear they weren’t getting any information out of Ian tonight. She, Bones, and Cat followed as Spade supported Ian, almost carrying him up the stairs to then dump him on the bed in a guest room.

"Before you go, mate, turn on the telly. Something raunchy, too. Think I’ll rub one off before I sleep."

"God, you’re disgusting," Cat grumbled. Denise agreed.

To her surprise, Bones went across the bedroom, flipped through the channels, and stopped on some thing  p**n ographic, turning it up. Moans, cries, and groans filled the room.

Ian sat up like a puppet yanked into action. "He’s got someone there with Dragon in his blood," he said low, the slur considerably less in his words. "Couldn’t tell if he matched your description, poppet, because they had him covered up except for his thighs, arse, and cock. Too bad you didn’t describe one of those, or I’d know straightaway if this was your bloke."

Denise’s mouth dropped, both in surprise at Ian’s abrupt recovery, and hearing the condition in which Web had the man who might be Nathanial.

Spade didn’t look surprised by either. His mouth was set in a grim line. "Package deals," he muttered, throwing a glance in her direction.

Denise’s stomach heaved, making her glad she hadn’t eaten before. She looked at Ian in horror. He hadn’t, had he…?

"I say, look at the melons on that lass," Ian exclaimed, his gaze now on the TV. "And hung like a stallion, he is."

"Focus, mate," Spade muttered.

Ian gave Spade a lopsided smile that told Denise he might not be as affected as he’d pretended, but what he’d imbibed had left its mark.

"Didn’t bugger the bloke against his will, of course, so I took a swallow from his thigh and that was all. Cost a fancy bit of quid for a direct taste, too, versus the bottled, mixed version Web sells."

Denise shuddered. It would have been her exposed in that helpless and humiliating position for any vampire to bite or rape, if Black Jack had taken her to Web as he’d planned.

"How secure is the room he’s in?" Bones asked, absorbing everything without a change in expression.

Ian’s gaze wandered back to the TV before it snapped to Bones. "Hmm? Ah, very secure. Practically a bloomin’ dungeon, though more posh. Web blindfolded me so I don’t know which door we went through, but it’s in the basement. Five vampires in the room, one of them a Master. At least seven more Masters in the house, plus Web. And a bloody lot of silver weapons."

"He blindfolded you? Must not have trusted you as much as you thought he would," Spade mused.

"Everyone acted like it was normal procedure. Foxed me at first how readily Web admitted to having a source at his home, but he must reckon only his people know how rare sources are. If not for her, none of us would know what caused the bloke to have Red Dragon in his veins, right? Other vampires must reckon it’s a chemical Web makes and just injects random humans with." Ian paused to shake his head. "Web is rattled about you moving in next door, however…and is this room spinning, or is it me?"

"It’s you, now continue," Spade said shortly.

"Web kept going on about why you would up and leave your ancestral home. Did I know what you were about? Who was the woman with you? Right stuck on it, he was. He’s goosed enough that he might move that source of his soon."

"Bugger," Spade swore. He met Bones’s gaze. "It’ll have to be now."

"Now?" Denise blurted, forgetting to whisper.

Spade came over to her and smoothed his hand across her shoulders. "Dawn will be here in a few hours so they’ll be winding down, off their guard as much as they’re going to be. To wait would be riskier."

It’s too soon! Denise wanted to cry out, but she pressed her lips together and nodded. She’d never feel comfortable letting Spade walk into that situation, and if it was safer now, better now than later.

"They have cameras outside the house, alarms, probably the same inside as well," Bones noted. "It won’t be a surprise attack, mate. Do you have any other vampires here strong enough and trustworthy enough to join us?"

Spade nodded. "One."

Chapter Twenty-six

Spade strapped on the remainder of his silver knives. Crispin, Cat, Ian, and Alten did the same. The metal tucked away in leg-and armband sheaths or lining the holsters on their backs were the only flashes of color on their all-black ensembles. Fabian carried no weapons, of course, but he was going, too. He might not be able to fight, but the ghost would serve a huge benefit in another way.

Spade felt a surge of gratitude watching them. Crispin’s loyalty was endless, as Cat’s presence was testimony to. Crispin hated putting her in danger, not that his wife needed coddling. Ian, now that he’d drained the Red Dragon out of himself and drunk deeply of human blood to replenish that loss, was as lethally focused as ever. As for Alten, Spade hadn’t even needed to explain the circumstances before his friend agreed to help. Spade was grateful for that day eighty years ago when he’d changed Alten over. Alten would make a fine Master of his own line, whenever he chose to leave.

Nathanial’s tainted blood made attacking Web both easier and more difficult. On the plus side, Spade didn’t have to worry about the law against stealing another vampire’s property. Who would Web complain to? Not the Law Guardians, who’d slaughter Web the moment they found out what he had been doing with Nathanial. Web couldn’t risk telling other vampires, either, out of concern that one of them would report his activities.

In the negative column, Web wouldn’t easily let the source of his million-dollar industry flee out the door. Web was a powerful Master vampire. In addition to him, Ian had also reported eight other Master vampires in the home, plus other undead guards. The best way to ensure they got Nathanial out alive was a quick, brutal attack. Dawn would see blood spilled; of that, Spade had no doubt.