“No,” she agreed, “I don’t.”

She didn’t fight my assistance as we headed down the corridor. With a flick of Ruben’s hand, the nurses didn’t see us pass, nor would they remember us coming tonight.

After making it back into the parking lot, I helped Isadora into the car. Then settled in beside her in the backseat.

Jules slammed the door, the last one in, and twisted around in her seat. “What do you know?”

“She was kept blindfolded the whole time. Most her memories were wiped. She held onto just one. There were two voices, but I could only make out one of them.” I clenched my jaw.

“What is it?” asked Ruben.

I met his gaze in the rearview. “This wasn’t a blood orgy. It’s a blood trafficking ring.”

“Fucking hell,” he mumbled as he pulled us out of the parking lot. “Are you sure?”

“I will be as soon as we get to The Green Light.”

“What’s at The Green Light?” asked Isadora.

“We have someone who may be a part of the abduction ring,” I answered. “But I’ll only know once I can question him.”

Jules looked over at Ruben. “So he isn’t killing them. Was Emma violated in any other way?”

“No,” answered Ruben. “Gabriel persuaded the nurse to give him her medical chart. She was examined, and there were no signs of sexual assault. She suffers from malnutrition and severe anemia only.”

“Thank God,” said Isadora, turning thoughtful. “I don’t understand blood trafficking. Vampires can use glamour and their other assets. I mean, is it really that hard for you guys to find blood hosts?”

Ruben and I exchanged a look. I raised a brow for him to answer this one. Isadora already thought I was the most arrogant ass in the world, so I wouldn’t pile it on.

Ruben blew out a heavy sigh then muttered, “Yes and no. For guys like us, it’s far too easy.”

Isadora huffed out a breath, smirking at me and rolling her eyes. I just shrugged. Because what was I going to do, lie and say it wasn’t?

“I’ll bet,” said Jules, her gaze swiveling out the window.

Before Ruben could say something else to smooth over that giant foot he put in his mouth, I added, “But it can be very difficult for some vampires who are socially awkward. Or who built a reputation for being too rough. Or maybe they’re just lazy. Or for that matter, just get low ratings.”

“Low ratings?” asked Isadora, shifting her body to face me. “What does that mean?”

I glanced at Ruben who was shaking his head in annoyance. “Tell them,” he said.

That got Jules’s attention. Her head snapped back around. “Tell us what? Have you been holding out from your Enforcer?”

Ruben laughed. “My Enforcer doesn’t need to know all vampire business. Only when it pertains to you.”

“So tell us about these ratings. Ratings on what?” asked Isadora again.

Ruben tore his gaze from Jules. “There’s a sort of matchmaking app for vampires and blood hosts.”

“What’s the vamp matchmaking app called?” interrupted Jules, pulling out her phone.

“It’s not a matchmaking app as in a love match,” growled Ruben. “It’s for humans and vampires to find the right blood host match.”

“Is there a difference?” asked Jules, all ice-queen now. Ouch.

“And how do humans find out about this?” asked Isadora. “I’m assuming it’s by invitation only.”

“It sure as hell better be,” said Jules. “The knowledge of supernaturals living among the human population must always be kept as low as possible. Who came up with this app without my approval?”

Ruben sighed. “I did. A techy guy I know developed it for me with an encrypted code so that it could only be accessed by those given invitation codes.”

“Just like your club, eh?”

He slid his gaze to her, a silvery sheen glittering in his eyes. “Like you, Juliana, I like to keep things under my control.”

“I’m well aware of that,” she snapped back. If words could be laced with poison, those would’ve just killed the vampire overlord of New Orleans.

Isadora eased in, her voice tentative. “So what’s the app’s name? Ruben, can you send Jules an invitation to join? And that way maybe we can help narrow down suspects together.” She was using the same voice she used on Emma in the hospital, trying to diffuse the anger-bomb about to explode in the confines of Ruben’s Mercedes.

He veered off of Canal and onto Magazine Street. “It’s called iBite.”

Isadora laughed. Jules didn’t.

Without looking at Jules, Ruben muttered, “I’ll send you an invitation.”

The rest of the car ride was steeped in heavy, burdened, angst-laden silence. And fortunately, most of that was between the two in the front seat.

When Ruben pulled up the Savoie driveway, I told him, “I’ll meet you there.“

He glanced at Isadora and then nodded without comment. Jules was out of the car and storming up the driveaway while Ruben was peeling out into the street before I’d even had a chance to say a word. So when they both disappeared in clouds of fury, I turned to Isadora and smiled.

“It was a pleasure spending time with you tonight, Miss Savoie.”

She was staring off at Ruben’s taillights disappearing down the street, then turned to me and laughed. “You’re such a liar.”

“I’m not,” I protested, smiling at her smiling. I couldn’t help myself.

“I don’t even know what that was, but it was not a pleasurable evening.”

“For me, it was. I enjoyed your company immensely.”

Her smile slipped, and that wariness reappeared in her emerald-green eyes. “You’re going to interrogate that guy now?”

“I am.”

She straightened her spine and tilted up her chin. “I want to go with you.”

Bracing a hand on my hip, I said, “I can relay anything he says. You don’t need to be there.”

Suddenly, her hand shot out and planted on my chest, shocking me still.

“I do need to be there.” Her eyes swam with anxiety and need and compassion all at once. “If you knew what I sensed when I was healing Emma…” Her voice broke and she shook her head, licking her lips.

My attention dropped to her mouth.

“Devraj. Please. I want to be there. I want to help these girls any way I can. I need to. I have to.”

Desperation sang from her fingertips, pushing into me. I covered her dainty hand with my own larger one, pressing it close above my heart, warming it beneath my palm. Her mouth opened on a tiny gasp, staring at our hands on my chest as if she didn’t realize she’d even put it there. I wanted to lean forward and devour her lovely mouth, but that’s not what she needed from me right now. She trembled with a heady combination of despair and desire to help these women. If I could ease her pain, her need, no matter what she wanted, I would.

Gripping the back of her neck, I pulled her to me and pressed her cheek to my chest, then whispered to her temple, “Okay. Don’t worry.” Her hair tickled my cheek. I couldn’t help but press my mouth to the crown of her head with a comforting kiss. “I’ll take you.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, settling her weight against my chest.

We stood there in a silent hug for what might have been one minute. Maybe two. But that small moment filled me with dizzying bliss. Her slender body pressed to mine felt like holding home in my arms. I knew then that there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Isadora Savoie.

It also dawned on me that it was getting harder and harder to fool myself. What I wanted with this beautiful witch was anything but casual.

Chapter 11

~ISADORA~

Somehow, I wasn’t nervous at all as Devraj led me through the back door of The Green Light. We walked down a hallway where a few offices were, a supply closet, then he stopped at a closed door and punched in a code on a keypad.

The door swung open to reveal a short hallway where one of Ruben’s men—the big, brawny one with a shaved head—sat at a chair next to another door with a keypad.

“Ruben here already?” asked Devraj, his hand on the small of my back as he punched in the other code.

“Him and Gabriel been here for about ten minutes.”

The door clicked open. Devraj took my hand and pulled me in behind him.

Ruben’s icy gaze swiveled from the man who sat in a chair, his hands bound and head bowed, to us as we entered. His frown deepened. “Why is Isadora here?”

“I asked to come,” I piped up. “I want to help if there’s any way I can.”

Ruben made a disgruntled sound deep in his throat as he turned back to the bedraggled looking guy in the chair. “Not sure this is the place for you, Isadora.”

The tall, hawk-eyed vampire named Gabriel stood behind him. His arms rested at his sides, but there was a tension to him that told me he was ready to act if their captor got out of hand. But it was Ruben fisting one hand that warned me this was about to get physical.

“No need.” Devraj gripped Ruben’s shoulder and squeezed then let go. “This is why you brought me here. Remember?”

Normally so calm and congenial, this feral, cold-eyed Ruben sent a shiver down my spine. He cracked his neck and stepped aside to lean back against the wall, crossing his arms, which pulled his dress shirt tight over his lean torso.

The man in the chair finally looked up as Devraj lifted a chair from the wall and set it directly in front of him. Devraj settled facing the guy, his hands on his knees. There was a palpable sizzle of magic pumping into the room. All of it emanating from Devraj.

I stepped aside to the wall to stay out of the way and watch. The vampire in the chair was handsome, of course. All vampires were beautiful. But there was a savage edge to his dark eyes. As he focused on Devraj, who hadn’t said a word, his eyes widened and he gulped hard, fear washing over his face.