Pink , Green , blue

“That's it. “ He pulled the phone out of his back pocket. I'll call Vivian and get you a CT scan right away.

“No, Mery . Please . It's okay. I'm fine. I think I'm just tired, worried and stressed about today.”

She looked at me warily.

Look, let's go out and if he keeps bothering me in the morning, I'll call Vivian myself. okay?

“Fine “he blurted out. “But if you die, you better come torment me so I can say 'I told you so' to your face every day.

I laughed. “Yes, ma'am.”

“Now let's eat, because then we're going to The Crypt to get drunk.”

“You can't get drunk “I snorted. ”You have a shift tomorrow.”

“Then I'll watch you get drunk while I have a few measly drinks.”

I had a feeling she was cheating herself out of her commitment to those few drinks. Mery , sober, was making sound, solid decisions. Mery under the influence of alcohol, made impulsive and crazy decisions that used to get us in trouble, and someone could lose an eye.

Tonight was going to be fun.

DAMOND

I scrunched up the bridge of my nose and tried to concentrate on ignoring the noise invading my office in The Crypt. I understood why Harry and Axel were arguing. There was still no sign of Bladimir or my account books, and who knows what else the guy had stolen to take advantage of. He had become arrogant. He was getting away with it, and Harry found out when he checked the accounts for me. Something had been bothering me the last few months. Maybe it was the new suits. I hadn't paid Bladimir enough to afford a custom-made three-piece suit. One that maybe I hadn't seen. But three...

I didn't know how long Bladimir had been stealing, and I think that's what pissed me off the most. That it was happening right under my nose and I had no fucking clue. Now, somehow, the guy had stolen my fucking ledger and was no doubt going to use it to blackmail me.

Maybe I should leave. I had enough money saved up for several lifetimes. Did I really want to spend the rest of my life dealing with problems like this?

Had the world finally lost its flavor?

“You were the one who let him get away “Axel growled . He was tall, lithe, with blond hair pulled back in a tousled bun and chiseled features, always scowling. If he smiled, he looked like an angel and too handsome, but he always frowned or looked like he was chewing glass, which accentuated his smooth elfin face.

Harry was a tank of shit. Broad shoulders and back, narrow waist and muscles always taut and ready for action. “I wasn't the one who got careless and got shot.”

No, that asshole was Bonnie . The other man in the room. As silent as a shadow, and just as dark.

“My God “I muttered, running a hand over my face. I had to get this under control, or there would be blood everywhere. These guys were loyal to the family, but they were impulsive, violent, and prone to impulsiveness. We may not all have been brothers by birth, but we were blood brothers and that meant a hell of a lot more.

We were also all vampires. Except Bonnie . She was human and a complete psychopath. That's probably why he fit in so well with us, to be honest. An old friend had recommended him to me and he hadn't let me down yet. He was very good at taking out the trash, but not so good at interacting with people. That's why he was sitting at the table watching Harry and Axel fight with a wolfish grin. He liked the violence.

“Don't stop them, boss “he said quietly, settling his pants. The good part's coming.

Harry glared at Bonnie . “Oh, fuck off.”

Bonnie just smiled even wider. “Don't forget to tell Damond about the birdie.”

I became alert. “What's he talking about, Harry?”

“Just a human who was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Harry growled .

I clenched my jaw involuntarily. “A human?”

"He's fine. I wiped his memory," Harry said, downplaying my concern. He was right to worry. Vampires and other supernatural beings had remained hidden for centuries, thanks to the Three Families. They were all supernatural. Misthaven gave us the space to be who we were, what our nature had made us, and we survived here for a long time without humans noticing. It was part of the deal with the monarchy. They gave us the city and we remained in the shadows. Naturally, Misthaven became a safe place for all supernatural creatures, but they all had to follow the rules. Otherwise, we could find ourselves on the receiving end of riots and pitchforks.

"Good. I don't want to wake up tomorrow to stories of vampire sightings. "I turned to Bonnie . did you get cured?"

"Yes, boss "she replied with a grimace. "The doctor smelled like cheap beer and whiskey. He couldn't even get my stitches right."

"Well, we don't have much choice. "Our resident doctor was a drunk, but he mastered human and supernatural anatomy."

"Find me someone to replace him and I'll get rid of him. Until then, you'll have to deal with him."

"Or don't get shot," Harry crooned .

Bonnie bared her teeth like an animal. She was already in a foul mood, and this wasn't helping. She needed a distraction, and, luckily, she had a nightclub full of them. "I'm going for a drink. Harry , contact Kara Holland and see if she can help us locate Bladimir."

"I don't think you need a spell for that," Axel said .

What? Why?

Axel looked intently at the security cameras on the back wall. "Because he's sitting at the bar."

"No one's that stupid, "Harry said, his eyes going wide.

But clearly Bladimir was, because he was sitting at my bar, glass in hand, chatting with a guy and smiling like he didn't have a care in the world.

I stared at Harry . "Let's go talk to him."

HANNA

The music pulsed around me. The rhythm of a hundred bodies moving and swaying next to mine as we were lost in the din of the music. Lights flashed to the beat in an array of colors. Pink. Green. Blue. The Crypt was crowded. But I didn't care. I grabbed Mery and pulled her closer, bringing my lips to her ear.