Kali Sweet Series, Three Urban Fantasy Novels (Boxed Set) Read online

“You can’t tell that.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  Brianna touched her ear where she kept a small two-way communication device just like Cole always wore, and said something, probably giving the all clear to Dru and his brothers. Two seconds later, the five of them came through the front door, looking like escapees from The Matrix. Brianna parted the crowd in front of them with the ease of Moses parting the waters.

  Dru, in full Master Vamp mode, led the procession, his schiavona sword banging against his thigh as he strutted through the onlookers. Four oversize bad-ass vamps followed.

  The power radiating off the pack sent a fresh wave of tingles coursing through my system. I resisted the sensation, the demon inside my chest skittering against my heart. A sharp pain sliced through my stomach without warning, burning like holy water. Everything inside me—including my inner demon—suddenly froze.

  “Damn,” I said on a heavy exhale, bending at the waist and gripping my stomach.

  “What is it?” Cole grabbed my arm and placed a supportive hand on my back. “What’s wrong?”

  The agony diminished as fast as it had come, and I straightened, watching the vamp pack make its way to the stairs leading to the booth. Dru, having witnessed my sudden spasm, caught my eye, his brows dipping in concern. “I’m fine. Just hungry.”

  “You haven’t eaten red meat in a couple of days. We get done here, we’ll hit Rush Street for some food. Vitali’s maybe.” Cole resumed his stance beside me as the door opened. He checked his shirt, smoothing it down before Brianna entered.

  “Offer still stands,” I said sotto voce. “About you visiting a private room.”

  Brianna locked eyes with my bodyguard as she held the door for her Master and his brothers. Cole lowered his voice to match mine, sexual tension and magic pouring off him. “And leave you in a room full of vampires? What kind of half-assed bodyguard do you think I am?”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “Damon would crucify me for leaving my position, and like I said, I’m not interested.”

  Crucify. I flinched at the term and the image of my family it called up.

  Cole, realizing his poor choice of terms, squeezed my arm. The gesture was not missed by Brianna, who gave me a jealous glance. Dru swept into the room, his dark eyes immediately locking with mine and then searching my face.

  Down below, groups of supernaturals paused in their drinking, dancing and drugging to watch. Dru held out a hand to me. “Kali, are you all right?”

  Vampires are a mix of blood lust, sex and power. Demons are a mix of the seven deadly sins. Put the two together and sparks fly whether we want them to or not. Because I had vamp blood in my veins and Dru was a Master vamp born from the Prince of Darkness, his power felt like the North Pole magnetically dragging me toward him.

  The demon in me bared her teeth, but the rest of me went willingly toward his outstretched hand. The instant our hands touched, fireworks exploded under my skin. His blood lust was well contained. His sex lust, not so much.

  But Dru was my friend and my friend only. While I was no less of a demon in his presence, I actually seemed to be less evil. “Your blood called to mine and I resisted.” I made a dismissive gesture with my free hand. “No biggie.”

  One side of his mouth lifted in a cocky grin. “Still trying to resist, are you?”

  I sensed Cole rolling his eyes behind me. “Always.”

  “Why would she resist?” One of Dru’s brothers, French from his accent, gave me a curious once-over. I had the feeling he didn’t think much of what he saw. “She is queen, yes?”

  Dru released my hand. “Kali Sweet, my brother, Stephen.”

  Stephen reached for my hand. Well-coiffed hair, bushy eyebrows, goatee. Check, check and check. Definitely a Frenchman. I folded my arms across my chest, returning his assessing gaze. “Je suis la reine. A la mort.”

  I am queen. Until death. The statement made my stomach tighten, but with vamps, politics could make or break you. I needed to make a strong stand with this group, for my sake as well as Dru’s, since he would be held accountable for me. “I’m also a vengeance demon whose services you need. Shall we get down to business?”

  Chapter Two

  Properly snubbed, Stephen chuckled and gave me a nod. The others smiled, shook their heads and we all moved to the table. All, except for Cole and Brianna. Brianna stayed at the door. Cole stood behind me in the shadows. On the dance floor, the glittering witch continued to stare into the booth.

  Poor Cole. So many females who wanted him and he was stuck with me.

  Dru introduced his brothers who represented the five continents. Vlad the Impaler, the first vampire to ever live, had made the most of his six centuries of life until one of his sons, Toel Chase, had ended it here in Chicago after my crowning ceremony. While all of Vlad’s offspring were biologically sterile, Vlad procreated with human women all over the world and produced hundreds of baby vamps. Those seated at the table in the Fright Night’s VIP lounge were first generation family members, most of whom were older than me, and more than a little shocked that Toel—a young vamp by their standards—could have killed their father.

  I removed a contract from my cape, spread it out on the table. “Just so we’re all clear. I’m working as Kali Sweet, owner of Sweet Investigations. Not as Kali Sweet, employee of the Bridge Council.” I pointed to a highlighted paragraph on the first page. “The Bridge Council is in no way involved nor has jurisdiction over this revenge mission. You will not hold the Bridge Council or the Institute accountable for anything I do, say or otherwise indicate on this job. Do you understand?”

  Separating my two jobs was of utmost importance. As owner of Sweet Investigations, I could get away with a lot more than I could as enforcer for the Bridge Council. In turn, the things I might do as investigator and vengeance demon for this mission had to not reflect poorly on the Council or Institute. This job wasn’t connected to the Bridge Council, although they had a keen interest in the outcome, and that’s how I planned to keep it. Damon could look over my shoulder, but he couldn’t tell me how to run the job.

  If there’s one thing vamps understand, it’s politics. Each vamp at the table nodded in turn. Dru took the pen I offered, scanned the rest of the contract. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who was thorough. “We don’t want him dead,” Dru said. “We want to exact our own revenge. All we want is for you to find him and bring him to us. Then, as Undead Queen of the Central United States, you’ll have a say in his punishment.”

  Worked for me. So far, Toel had proven to be a worthy adversary because I’d underestimated him and let myself get distracted by Rad and the whole blood slave fiasco. In three hundred years, I hadn’t found too many supernaturals who could outwit me, but Toel had done it. Should have let my demon kill the bastard when I’d had the chance. “I’ll even wrap him up and stick a bow on top if you want.”

  My snark wasn’t lost on Dru. He smiled and made a production out of signing our agreement so the club’s onlookers were satisfied. “Glad to see you’re in the Christmas spirit.”

  “Hunh,” I grunted, sounding like Cole. “More like the vengeful spirit. I don’t do Christmas, but I love seeing justice done. It will bring me no greater pleasure than to capture Toel and hand him over to you, although exactly what shape he’ll be in, I can’t guarantee.” On my arm, Volante, my whip, trembled with the thought of violence against the arrogant vamp. I petted her, a promise she would taste Toel’s blood soon.

  Dru wagged a finger back and forth. “No personal vengeance, remember, demon?”

  How could I forget? “I’ll offer Toel the easy way out—to come peacefully—but he won’t take it.”

  “And you prefer the hard way.”

  “More fun for me.”

  We exchanged a smile. Dru had told me there was a lot of posturing going on between the five brothers for their father’s head position of the Undead, but on this subject they were in total agreement.

  “We have a d
eal.” Dru took my hand, lifting it to his lips. All eyes in the club were on us, the crowd seeming to hold its breath as one entity. Staring directly into my eyes and moving with slow deliberation, Dru turned my hand over, bent his head and kissed my palm.

  The trance music skipped a beat. Or maybe that was my own heart.

  “A source in California reports a thousand vampires have left the West Coast and are headed this direction.” The words were murmured against my skin and I shivered. Dru raised his head, but held onto my hand. “We’d like Toel’s head on a stake before they arrive.”

  “You think Toel has called in reinforcements to claim Vlad’s position as his own?”

  “Most likely.”

  A vampire army headed toward Chicago. Damn. The Bridge Council would shit a hailstorm when they heard that. “How long before they arrive?”

  “They’re coming by foot in order not to bring attention to themselves. Could be a week, could be a day.”

  “Kali.” Cole stepped to my right, his voice cutting through the heavy coating of power floating through the room.

  I followed his gaze and my breath caught. There, on the stairs headed my way, his golden eyes blazing directly at me, was a gorgeous specimen of male. Half-demon, half-human, Rad Beaumont looked like a fallen angel. A dance floor spotlight zoomed from a stripper humping a pole and followed Rad’s ascent up the stairs. Maybe it was the focused illumination, but he looked pale, and even the light on his face couldn’t bleach out the smudged shadows under his eyes.

  At the sight of him, everything in me rejoiced, including my demon.

  He took the stairs two at a time, and in his wake, chaos erupted. Glasses on the bar shattered, random objects flew through the air, chairs flipped over and people screamed and ran for the doors.

  Chaos demons. Always the life of the party.

  Because he was half-human and my blood slave, his stormy energy coursed through my body. Wild, unsettled and definitely volatile. And all of it directed at me.

  Probably should have answered his texts.

  I motioned my head at Cole and he went into full War demon mode, a hell and damnation doorstop intercepting Rad. Brianna looked startled and then her lust spiked, flooding the room with another layer of emotion as she stepped back and acceded the door to my bodyguard.

  I extracted my hand from Dru’s, folded up the contract and stood. “Nice doing business with you, boys. I’ll be in touch.”

  All five vamps rose, either because they were gentlemen or because the chaos below made them antsy. “We haven’t discussed your fee,” Stephen said.

  “You’ll owe me one.”

  Stephen didn’t look happy about the arrangement, but at that moment, Rad came crashing through the door, chaos following him.

  I touched my ring fingers to my thumbs. Too late, my defenses weren’t sufficiently raised when his energy hit me like an ocean wave. The scent of a briny storm filled my nostrils as air swirled in the room. The invisible wave sucked me under, making me stagger and gasp for oxygen.

  Dru grabbed me to stop my fall. Cole stood his ground and Rad hit him like a hurricane. The two tousled, the vamps looking on with something between amusement and scorn. Maybe a touch of concern. I was the vamp queen, after all, and Rad was obviously a threat.

  “Let me at her,” Rad said, shoving Cole back a few feet.

  Cole lunged and punched him solidly in the stomach. Rad “harrumphed” but didn’t so much as bend over. The chairs the vamps had been sitting in careened wildly across the floor, smacking into the plexiglass. One flew at Cole’s head. He ducked and it skimmed his hair.

  Though most of the crowd had vanished, a few brave stragglers cowered around the bar below to watch the unfolding drama. The glittering witch was one of them. All that glitter combined with the waves of chaos and vamp power made my vision blurry. For a split-second, her features faded out and new features formed under a ghostlike mist. The new face was familiar. I gasped, my heart stuttering for a second.

  She looked like Queen Maria. The female succubus who’d practically raised me in the Italian court. The woman who’d turned me into a sadist.

  Dru’s fingers dug into my upper arm. “Kali? What is it?”

  I shook my head, blinked my eyes. When I looked again, Maria was gone and the redheaded witch was back.

  Drawing a deep breath to steady my overworked nerves, I withdrew from Dru’s grasp and pulled myself together. “Let him through,” I said to Cole. Then I motioned at Brianna. “Blinds.”

  A flick of her fingers at the window control panel on the wall and a coppery-brown film slowly rolled down the plexiglass creating a two-way mirrored effect. We could see the club. Those below, however, saw their reflections.

  “Are you crazy?” Cole stopped a punch Rad threw at his face and I heard bones break. “Guitar Boy’s out of control.”

  Exactly. And I was the only one who could give him back that control. I wasn’t sure why he was so angry, why he needed to drink again so soon, but I had to find out.

  Dru’s protective energy had revived me. I touched my fingers and thumbs together and raised my magic. A cool blue light engulfed me and my senses cleared. I took a deep breath. “I can take him.”

  Across the room, Rad’s gaze snapped to mine and held. There was more desperation than anger in his eyes. Why? Was he that hungry? Usually when he needed to feed, he lost his strength, not dissolved into a chaotic mess.

  Losing control of his demon side, breaking into my meeting with the vamps, and calling attention to our relationship was dangerous for both of us. Dangerous and completely unacceptable. “Control yourself, slave.”

  The nasty moniker got him. Or maybe it was the look in my eyes. His jaw tightened, but he did as commanded. The chairs righted themselves. The breeze he’d created died.

  Everyone’s focus turned to me. “If you’ll excuse us,” I said to Dru and the vamps.

  Dru gave my arm a slight squeeze. “You’re sure?”

  Another of those sharp pains hit my stomach but I gritted my teeth and held still until it passed. Unable to speak, I simply gave him a curt nod.

  The vamps filed out past Rad, Cole keeping his body planted between us. Brianna was the last to leave, giving Cole a meaningful glance over her shoulder. “See you tomorrow night,” she said, her focus doing a direct and open appraisal.

  He didn’t respond, but once again, I sensed the tension in his muscles ratcheting up. As soon as the door shut behind the vamps, Cole gave Rad a solid push against it. I had to give Rad credit for not fighting back. The two demons stood there, breathing heavy and staring each other down.

  “Do that kind of shit again, Guitar Boy, and I’ll rip your head off, regardless of what Kali says.”

  Cole might as well have said the Cubs were the best baseball team to ever take the field. Rad laughed, no more intimidated by Cole than a mongoose facing down a cobra. “Any time you want to try…”

  Cole made to hit him. “Don’t,” I said. He dropped his fist, shook his head and moved aside.

  I wanted to go to Rad, touch him. Instead I stood my ground. “Why are you here?”

  His voice shook. “I need to feed.”

  “So soon?”

  All he did was nod, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. There was pain in his eyes and deep privation.

  The cells in my body did a little dance. They knew that look and responded to it like a dog to the scent of a juicy bone. But I stopped myself from stepping toward him. “You cannot interrupt my business dealings and make a spectacle of our relationship in public. Next time, go to Chloe and get a damn bottle of blood to hold you over.”

  He stalked toward me, the pain look morphing into something more animalistic. “I don’t drink from the bottle.”

  It took all my willpower not to step back. With one hand, he sent the table between us sliding out of the way. With the other, he grabbed me and yanked me to him. His body was hard and hot and demanding, his emotions and chaotic magic swirling
around both of us.

  My cool blue light struggled to stay intact. At the same time, my inner demon struggled to free herself from the leash I had on her. She wanted Rad with a—dare I say it?—vengeance, and she urged my blood and my inherent magic to lose control just like he’d done.

  I held my breath as Rad lowered his lips within an inch of mine. “Feed me, Kali,” he whispered against my lips.

  Damaged demon that I was, I didn’t say no.

  Chapter Three

  Two hours later, Cole and I consumed juicy rare steaks, fries and sides of spaghetti from Vitali’s, our favorite restaurant on the South Side. We left the place sated and hauling out a plastic carryout box filled with cannolis for a midnight binge.

  Sweet Investigations is a small office anchoring one end of a strip mall complex not far from U.S. Cellular Field. The other end is a coffee shop and in between is a bail bonds office. I walked in through the back entrance and opened my senses.

  Being a demon, I can tap into the flow of dark magic in the ground, stones, trees. As I entered my business, I tapped into the magic coming up from the floor, ran my hand over the doors and wood casings. A familiar drone seeped into my skin. Nothing amiss, although the energy seemed weighted, heavier than normal.

  The holiday season brought out nutcases in the supernatural world just like it did in the human one. My desk was piled high with blue and pink file folders, cases divided into male and female by my office manager and best friend, Aphrodite.

  Di, as she preferred to be called, was the goddess of love. She looked at, and categorized, the world much differently than I did.

  Along with the files sat a national gossip magazine, its pages open to a story on Rad. In bold headlines read, “Who is Little Red Riding Hood?” Underneath the headline were several paragraphs speculating about Rad’s secret girlfriend, a no comment quote from his PR manager and several more quotes from distraught female fans—age fifteen to forty-five—that the woman hiding behind her red cape was bad for him. “He looks so sad these days,” one lamented. “She can’t be making him happy.”