Page 9 (1/2)

~ The Difference Between Hawks and Hounds ~

Macey followed Chelle and Dottie down the steps fro out over the crowded roo so she wouldn&039;t trip, for her attention was not on her descent Despite her intense observation, it would be impossible for her to tell as a va next to them

Which meant, she realized with a sudden unpleasant quiver in her belly, that she should probably figure out what to do if she did find one

Had she brought a stake?

No She didn&039;t have room for one in her tiny pocketbook, and frankly, she hadn&039;t thought about it She didn&039;t plan on seeing any va out

Heart pounding, lips pressed together tightly, Macey wove her way through the crowd in Dottie and Chelle&039;s wake There wasn&039;t anything she could do at the moment She&039;d have to play it by ear

The wo and, after accepting an enthusiastic but randoroup of seven young woht outfits that showed e on each one, took the singer&039;s place Around the crown of the head each of thereat nuan to play loudly, with an emphasis on brass and percussion, and the ense routine that seemed to capture the full attention of everyAl Capone

Macey couldn&039;t help but notice the gangster, who&039;d taken a seat at a round, high-walled booth next to the stage He see with the others in his group savior who carries the deepest taintH5lap

Just after receiving her vis bulla, she&039;d heard Sebastian and Chas talking about Capone and Count Alvisi, as a powerful and dangerous valeaned, they were concerned Alvisi would get to Capone-as his mortal equal when it came to violence and power-and turn hi turned undead required so drained of most of his blood, thevampire Then he or she would slip into a state of unconsciousness, and upon awakening, would be turned

The other fear expressed by Sebastian was if Capone wasn&039;tinvolved with the Tutela

"What&039;s the Tutela?" She figured she had the right to knohat they knew, being a new Venator and heir to Il Gardella-whatever that roup in The Venators, but Macey had already learned there wasor misconstrued in Mr Starcasset&039;s book Thus she took none of it at face value

"The Tutela is a secret society of mortals-men and women-who like to be around va immortal undead theri fed upon by the undead, and are often obsessed with the lifestyle they crave for themselves The vampires use them as servants or associates, for, of course, the undead can&039;t roup ofprotection and conducting any business during the daylight hours, is a benefit to the vampires And the mortals are lured by the benefits of power, protection, and-once having proven the their service to the Tutela"

"There are people who actually enjoy being fed upon? Being mutilated like that?" Macey couldn&039;t comprehend that concept She still remembered with revulsion the violation of her own flesh and blood when the vampire bit into her neck "One would have to be insane to enjoy such a horrible thing It&039;s no wonder feeding on a mortal is the point of no return for an undead"

"It&039;s not your place to judge The same has been said for those who shoot their veins with heroin or smoke opium," said Chas flatly "Or even i its own morality on an entire nation"

Sebastian looked as if he were about to say soot the i some undercurrent, but before she could probe further, Sebastian continued on a different topic "Your ancestor Victoria attended a Tutela uest Back in 1819, I believe it was Or thereabouts He wasn&039;t undead at the ti that abone It left a bloody damn cloud behind him everywhere he went At least one always knehen he was in the vicinity"

"And so he is a vampire now?"

"One of the most powerful ones He and Nicholas Iscariot are particularly close o I&039;m certain it can&039;t be a coincidence" Chas looked from Macey to Sebastian

"Iscariot A relation of Judas, I suppose"

"Of course The son of the Betrayer and brother of Lilith the Dark Nicholas was iain release He&039;s been wreaking havoc in Romania, Turkey, and Moscow for the last century But what on earth has brought him here, I cannot fathom He and Alvisi are fierce rivals and mortal enemies" Chas looked pointedly at Sebastian "Unless he&039;s realized the rings are here"

That hen Macey learned about the Rings of Jubai, the five copper bands fused to Sebastian&039;s fingers "There is a ive access Inside the pool is, according to legend, a pyrareat power to mortal and immortal alike One can only suspect Iscariot has tried everyhis hand safely into the pool, and has finally decided to atteic shield" He brandished his ringed hand

"That puts you in danger, then," Macey said

Sebastian&039;s eyes gloith humor, and his beautiful lips twitched "Indeed it does As it has done for decades But I thank you for your concern"

Now, as Macey watched Al Capone and felt the telltale iciness at the back of her neck, it occurred to her that perhaps Count Alvisi had already accoster into a vaans turned into blocks of ice

I can&039;t stake Al Capone I wouldn&039;t get within a foot of hiain, that could be the reason no one had been able to kill hiht you didn&039;t go into speakeasies"

Macey nearly jumped out of her skin at the low voice in her ear She stifled her surprise, however, and turned to find Grady at her elbow The ice inside herhere? Covering the cabaret&039;s entertainment for the Tribune, I presume?" She looked up at him-all blue eyes, unruly dark hair, and broad shoulders His square jaw and cleft chin were clean-shaven, and he s masculine and fresh Her heart stuttered He sure cleans up nice

"Soh she could feel his war to find a vampire?"

Macey nearly choked "What?" Her heart thudded harshly, the last vestiges of war away

He took her ar in closer "Don&039;t tell me you have a stake in that pocketbook of yours"

"Hey, Macey! Who&039;s this?" All of a sudden, Dottie and Chelle were standing there expectantly Chelle&039;s eyes danced as she looked froed her brows at Macey Fortunately, Grady wasn&039;t looking

Macey ain she didn&039;t know his full name She felt odd about it, but her friends didn&039;t seem to notice She was relieved when they launched into an animated conversation with Grady, who responded to their nosy questions (how do you know Macey, what do you do for a living, do you co aploave Macey time to collect herself Grady&039;s questions weren&039;t jokes; he&039;d been completely serious But what did that mean? And how should she respond? Yes, as aa stake tonight And I&039; Al Capone because I think he&039;s an undead Call me crazy

Macey came back into the conversation just in ti Don&039;t be drinking the whiskey here Or anywhere cheap The beer is usually all right if you really er than that-whiskey, rual" Was Chelle actually fluttering her eyelashes at him?

"That too But unless you&039;re about knohere it came from, lass-where and hoas distilled-don&039;t drink it" He turned sober eyes on Macey "Toodeaths from liquor distilled from methyl and wood alcohol Even a small amount can be lethal But it&039;s easy and cheap, and it&039;s what the low-level bootleggers are using all too often I&039;ve seen the results"

"Surely the Palood booze," Dottie said

Grady lifted a brow "Surely the Pal for any booze"

"Oh Right" She blinked and s," Macey replied "Although I wasn&039;t intending to partake tonight"

"Want to keep your mind clear because you&039;re on the job, lass?" hejust below the cacophony around theht to her ears

She merely lifted her brows and tried what she hoped was aof jobsdon&039;t you have a story to investigate? People to interview? I&039; to visit the powder room andpowder my nose"

Before he could respond, she ducked away into the crowd

In the powder rooals in front of the mirror and checked her ref flew openpa bloodlection Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright, but her hair still looked good The wide headband with the velvet roses on it kept her wild mass of curls under some control, and they tumbled pleasantly around her jaw and the nape of her neck Her velvet as a little war else she could do with it And her pocketbook

She glared at it, and at the e enough to hold a da her so like that anyway?

Surely he couldn&039;t know Surely he was just trying to figure out what he could And she supposed she couldn&039;t blame him After all, he knew she&039;d staked a vaht in her flat Stake in hand A little quiver of pleasure re, all rumpled and fierce, with his weapon in hand

Macey refreshed her rose-tinted lipstick and, last of all, powdered her nose And then, figuring she&039;d wasted enough ti else, she left the mirror to return to the cabaret On the way out, she noticed an umbrella stand by the door There were two u stick in it All had wooden handles

Glancing behind her to , Macey filched the only one with a straight handle Then, in a trice, she broke the umbrella about four inches fro a toothpick And now she had a onally, at least-in her pocketbook

Relieved and filled with purpose, as well as a renewed spike of nerves, she walked out of the powder roo outside the door

"You again Just like a bad penny"

He smiled and offered her his arht, lass?"

"No"