Once Dax and Leo passed through the security screening, they paused for a moment, letting their vision adjust to the dark interior. Being that it was a vampire club, there weren’t any windows and the lights were adjusted for a soft glow.

Dax led the way across the room and nodded to the pretty redheaded vampire behind the bar. “Hey, Cassie. How’s it going?”

“Not too bad. But it’s early yet.” She swept her gaze over him, her eyes lingering on his chest before moving lower. She eyed his crotch and licked her lips, purposely trying to torture him. It didn’t work though. It never did. Vampires just weren’t his type. “You’re looking mighty fine today.”

“Thanks.” Dax smiley lazily at her, giving her the reaction he knew she was waiting for. “You’re not looking too bad yourself.”

“It’s the eternal-youth thing,” she said with a wink and turned her attention to Leo. “Now, what do we have here?”

“Cassie, this is Leo. He’s a friend of mine. Leo, this is Cassie. She’s the one who’s really in charge around here. Right, Cassie?”

She chuckled. “That’s right. This place would fall apart without me.” She swept the same seductive gaze over Leo and leaned across the counter, giving him a perfect view of her cleavage. “I’d really like to be in charge of this one for the night. What do you say, Leo? Are you game?”

The younger shifter’s gaze was locked on Cassie’s ample bosom as he shook his head.

“No?” Cassie asked in a mock shy tone as she ran one fingernail lightly down his forearm. “But just think of the things I could teach you. A young pup like you, so full of vigor and energy… Damn, it would be one hell of an evening.”

“Uh…” Leo swallowed thickly. “I um…”

Cassie threw her head back and laughed. “So young. What I wouldn’t do to get my fangs into you, handsome.”

Leo jerked back and shook his head, the seduction haze vanishing instantly. “No, thank you, ma’am. I’m not, um, available.”

Cassie pushed her bottom lip out in a little pout. “That’s too bad, Leo. I was looking for someone to make me purr.”

“I bet you were,” Dax said, rolling his eyes. “Give the kid a break, huh? We’re actually here on business.”

Cassie swept her gaze over Leo one more time and sighed. “Too bad. I like the green ones. They’re easier to train.”

“I’m not green,” Leo said, clearly offended.

“Sure, kid.” She smiled patiently at him. “If you say so.” Then she turned to Dax, her sex kitten demeanor vanishing as she straightened and eyed him with suspicion. “You said you’re here on business?”

“Yeah. I have questions about an incident.”

She rolled her eyes. “Who doesn’t?”

“So you admit that it’s usual for complaints to be filed against the management here?” Leo asked, his self-righteousness on full display.

“Dammit, Leo,” Dax said. “What did I tell you after the shitshow with Branson?”

“I—”

Dax growled. “Shut the fuck up. I’ve got this handled.”

The kid grimaced and took a step back, apparently finally getting the message his arrogant sideshow wasn’t welcome.

Cassie chuckled. “Got him on a short leash, don’t you?”

Dax ignored her question and asked, “Did you know Lacy Wallace? College age, human, claims to have worked here?”

“Lacy? Sure.” Cassie nodded. “Cute blonde. She was very into the vampire lifestyle. Poor thing was so clueless she even wore a vial of blood around her neck. Very Angelina Jolie.”

“She’s enthralled with vampires then? Some sort of vampire worship going on?” Dax pulled out a small notebook and flipped it open.

“Definitely. Girl wants to be a vamp so bad she can taste it. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason Bella hired her. Most humans who aren’t into it don’t last long here.”

“What does that mean, ‘don’t last long?’” Leo asked.

Dax wasn’t happy his protégé wasn’t obeying orders, but it was a question he was going to ask himself, so he let it slide.

“They can’t handle it and they quit,” Cassie said, placing three shot glasses on the bar. “Vampires have their own code of conduct. We don’t really play by the regular rules of society.” Her lips curved back into that seductive smile. “We’re much less repressed.”

“So she was sexually harassed?” Leo asked.

“She? You mean Lacy?”

Leo nodded. “Yeah, Lacy.”

Cassie laughed and poured amber liquid into each of the shot glasses in front of her. “Boy, please. If anyone was doing the harassing, it was Lacy herself. I told you, she was relentless. She tried everything from flirting and charming, to seducing to get a vamp to turn her ass. It was embarrassing, to be honest. Finally Bella had to fire her because the customers were complaining.”

“Does Bella have documentation?” Dax asked. He believed Cassie. The vampire was a one hundred percent straight shooter. If she or anyone else had been pursuing or harassing Lacy, she would’ve just spit it out. Cassie was telling the truth when she said the vamps at the Red Door weren’t repressed in any way. Sexual innuendo was a way of life for them. None of them ever tried to hide it. And that’s why he fully believed that Lacy had been trying to get herself turned.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Cassie jerked her head, indicating the vampire in question was behind them.

Dax turned and nodded at the gorgeous, dark-skinned vampire. She was striking with her perfect mahogany skin and dark hair so long it nearly reached her ass.

“Dax Marrok,” she said with a genuine smile. “What brings you by this lazy afternoon? I would’ve thought for sure you’d be out with that witch of yours searching for the fae couple.” Her expression darkened and she shook her head. “It’s a real tragedy what happened to them. And Pandora as well. Allcot is just beside himself.”

“Is he here? Have you heard from him?” Dax asked, more out of curiosity about where Phoebe might be rather than the Cryrique leader.

“No, no. I’m sure we won’t see him until he can bring Pandora home.” The vampire’s eyes moistened, and she blinked back real tears. It was a side of her Dax had never seen before. A welcome side. “I don’t know what I’ll do if anything happens to her. She’s like a sister to me.”

Leo’s mouth dropped open, and a look of shock filtered over his face as he stared at the lovely vampire.

“Jesus,” Cassie scoffed. “You’d think the pup had never seen a vamp cry before.”

“I… I guess I haven’t,” Leo said. “I’ve never really spoken to one outside of an altercation.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Figures. Don’t you think you’d be better served working off that energy in bed rather than trying to kick some vamp’s ass just because he’s different than you?”

“That’s not why I fight vampires,” Leo said.

“So explain it to me,” Cassie said, handing him one of the shots of whiskey and batting her eyelashes at him. Good God, Dax thought. Cassie was relentless. He was certain that if she was given enough time, she’d for sure have the young shifter in the sack by the end of the day and have him thinking it was his idea.

“Why don’t you two discuss that while Bella and I have a chat,” Dax said, pushing himself off the bar and moving to Bella’s side.

“Oh, I’d be happy to,” Cassie said with a grin.

“Um, Dax? I think… I think I should…” Leo stammered.

“You’ll be fine. Just go easy on the booze.” Dax flashed him a shit-eating grin and pressed his hand to the small of Bella’s back as they walked down the hall and into her office.

“Have a seat,” she said, waving to a pair of pale blue velvet armchairs.

Dax sat in one while she sat in the other. He turned to the vampire, a woman he’d come to respect over the past six months. She was a levelheaded, steady force who seemed to mostly keep her staff in line. And she’d come to trust Dax herself, often passing along intel on dirty vampires. Though Dax had to admit that none of them ever worked for Cryrique.

“How are you holding up, Bella?”

“As well as to be expected. You? How come you’re here and not out hunting the vampires who took Rhoswen and her husband?” She blinked then sucked in a sharp breath. “Wait, you don’t think Cryrique had anything to do with that, do you?”

“No, but if I find out they did, I’ll rain hellfire down on y’all,” he said conversationally.

“Rightly so.”

Her conviction made him remember why he’d always liked her. “I’m here trying to work out a hunch.”

“Interesting.” She perched on the edge of her seat and leaned in closer. “How can I help?”

“First, I have to ask about Lacy Wallace. Do you remember her?”

“The human?” Bella asked, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Yes, why?”

Dax tapped his fingers on his thigh. “She’s filing a formal complaint against you.”

“For what?” The look on Bella’s face made it clear she had no idea what this was about.

“Says you repeatedly pressured her to turn vampire, and when she finally said no, you attacked her. Fed from her without permission.”

Bella stood abruptly, her expression incredulous. “You’re joking, right? Lacy Wallace said I pressured her to turn?”

“I’m not.” Dax frowned. “Want to tell me what happened there?”

Bella let out a huff of irritation. “That little piece of work. Total trash is what she is. A trust fund baby who is obsessed with eternal youth. I wouldn’t turn her even if she was on her death bed and it was her only chance of survival. That woman would be a nightmare as a vampire. If someone did turn her, I bet she’d be in the Arcane jail the first week for attacking someone. It’s all she knows how to do.”

“Whoa. No love lost there then,” Dax said.

“None at all.” Bella shook her head and sat back down. “When Eadric finds out she lodged a complaint, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

Dax sat up straighter, concerned with what that might mean. “How so? You do realize intimidation will only make this worse, right?”

Bella scoffed. “Not intimidation. She’ll get slapped with a lawsuit. She was given a year’s severance and signed a nondisclosure. And she only got that because she—” Bella raised her hands and made air quotes as she continued, “—‘slipped and cut her arm’ in the store room. Only problem was Cassie saw Lacy slice her arm herself. Lacy apparently thought she’d drive one of us crazy with the smell of her blood and was trying to manipulate us. Eadric got her a healer and put her on leave that night. She was let go a week later.”

“And the severance was because… Why?” Dax asked.

“To get her to go away quietly. Guess that backfired.” Bella shrugged. “Let her file her complaint. We have plenty against her from patrons complaining about her asking them to turn her or hook up with her after work.”

“I see.” Dax nodded, knowing in his gut Bella was telling the truth. “So I’m guessing you never fed from her either?”

She snorted out an incredulous laugh. “Me, feed on Lacy Wallace? I’d rather drink rat blood.”

“That’s what I thought.” Dax scribbled a couple of notes, completely convinced the report was false. He just wondered if the other two were as well, and if so, was Bandu actively recruiting former employees to lodge bogus complaints to bolster support for his vigilante pack? He was leaning toward yes. “Okay. If the complaint makes it up the chain of command, I’ll make sure whoever ends up with it gets my notes. Thanks, Bella.”

“Sure.” She smiled warmly at him. “But I still don’t quite understand why you’re here instead of out looking for your fae friends.”

“I have a hunch that all of this is part of the bigger picture. That’s all.”

“You think Lacy Wallace is involved?” she asked, her expression dubious.

“No, not directly. I’m thinking someone is pulling her strings.” Dax put the notebook down and met Bella’s gaze. “And that brings me to my next question. Were you at the gala last night?”

“Sure. Everyone was.”

“Okay, good,” he said. “I know at least a few of the guests saw Pandora’s abduction or glimpsed it. Were you one of them?”

“Actually yes, I couldn’t tell you who they were. They were wearing hoodies and had their faces covered, so I’m useless in that sense.”

Dax flipped his notebook open to a blank page. “Tell me everything you saw.”

“Before or after those vampires antagonized that poor boy out there?” She jerked her head, indicating the front of house.

“You saw that? How they baited Leo and Dali?”

“Sure. Then you jumped in and defused the situation. Kept them from giving their control over to their wolves. I was impressed.”

“Did you recognize those vamps?”

“Nope. No idea who they were. Never seen them in here before, that’s for sure. I can tell you this though; that kind of bullshit wouldn’t fly in here. Not that we get many shifters besides your fine ass.” She winked.

Dax let out a small chuckle. “Too much fang for most.”

She nodded her agreement then turned serious. “Now those shifters that took Pandora? I know I recognized one of them from somewhere, but I can’t put my finger on it. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure it out, but dammit, the memory won’t surface.”

“What do you mean the shifters who took Pandora?” he asked, eyeing her carefully. Allcot had claimed the same thing, but Dax hadn’t believed it. It might’ve had something to do with the fact the vampire leader had been trying to rip Dax’s head off. But if Bella was saying the same thing, and he’d always known her as being forthright, then he’d have to give the information serious consideration.

“Exactly what I said. As far as I know, no one here actually saw the moment they managed to subdue her.” She met Dax’s gaze, her expressive eyes stone-cold serious. “Can you imagine the fight that must’ve gone down? Pandora’s not someone I’d want to contend with when she’s pissed off. She’s crazier than Allcot.”

“You’ve got that right.” Dax had seen Pandora out of control exactly once—when the Crimson Valley pack had tried to abduct Allcot. She and Phoebe had tracked them down fairly easily. And while Phoebe had done her best to defuse the situation, Pandora had taken matters into her own hands and drained four shifters in the time it took Phoebe to fight off one. She was savage. “Now, how do you know shifters took her if you didn’t see them snatch her?”

“Oh, yes, well, I was headed out to my car in the parking garage to retrieve my phone when an SUV nearly ran me over. Thanks to my quick reflexes, I was able to jump out of the way in time, but I got an up-close-and-personal look inside that car. Pandora was slumped against the far window, obviously tranq’d. And there were two wolves in the back seat in the process of shifting.”

There it was. The proof that shifters had taken her. But why? And why had Phoebe been lured away and set up by a vampire? The idea that vampires and shifters were working together to abducted Willow and Talisen and Pandora was insane, wasn’t it? Why would a vampire help the shifters abduct Pandora? And why would the shifters help anyone, let alone a vampire, abduct the fae?

Unless… Asier.

What was it Phoebe had said about it? A ritual to save supernatural souls. Had a group of shifters and vampires teamed up to form some sort of cult? It was a strong possibility. In normal situations, vampires and shifters just didn’t work together on that level. But if they were cooperating for a common goal and they were crazy enough to believe that sacrificing a fairy would save their souls then they were stupid enough to trust one another.

“I just wish I could place that wolf. I know I’ve seen him somewhere before,” Bella continued.

“Can you describe him to me?”

“Sure. Dark gray, one black-tipped ear, one white-tipped ear. Blue eyes and white on the end of his tail. Know him?”

Dax shook his head. He didn’t know anyone with one white ear and one black one. “I’ll keep an eye out though.”

Bella patted his arm. “I know you will, Dax. You’re decent like that.” She got up and stretched her arms over her head. “Looks like it’s time to get to work.”

“Wait, one more question,” Dax said, standing to look her in the eye. “Does the term Asier mean anything to you?”

Bella jerked back as if she’d been slapped. “Where did you hear that word?”

“I can’t really say.”

“Is it part of this investigation?”

Dax nodded. He’d already brought it up, so it wasn’t as if he could deny it. But he didn’t want to tell her what he knew, which admittedly, wasn’t much.

Bella got up and walked over to her desk. She eyed the calendar off to the side and gasped. “It’s tomorrow night.”

“You know what is it then?” Dax asked.

“Yes,” she said, her body tense and her expression haunted. “It’s pure evil.”