Avery stared out the window as the bus rumbled along, her heart fluttering, her stomach in knots, and her hands shaking.

Somehow, some way, finding out what had happened to her mother had completely consumed her. She’d barely eaten in almost a week, hadn’t slept but a few hours, and ran on nothing but anxiety and adrenaline. The crash was coming. She could feel it. And when it hit, it would lay her flat, leaving her broken and battered. Of that, she was certain.

But, she couldn’t stop. She wouldn’t stop until she had the truth, until she knew who’d murdered Melia.

The bus pulled over, and she took a deep breath, then exited. She had a feeling she would need her Fae power tonight, and she tried to get her wits about her. Avery stuffed both hands into the large front sweatshirt pocket and fingered the plastic bag. There wasn’t much of her spice mixture left, but hopefully, she wouldn’t need it.

When she checked the address again, she was certain she would.

The hunt had taken her into an industrial part of town. Old warehouses lined the streets, and under the glow of the moon, it seemed as if most of them had been abandoned. Some had windows broken out, while others were boarded up. Most buildings desperately needed a new paint job. As she walked cautiously down the street, she heard random shouts echoing around the old buildings, reminding her she was not alone.

A chill ran up her spine. Sweat dripped from her brow. She’d lived through a lot the past few days, but now, she wasn’t so certain she’d make it out alive. Every muscle in her body tensed while her mind screamed at her to leave the area.

Yet, she kept walking, her legs heavy.

When Avery reached her destination, she stared up at the building. Flames seemed to flicker behind windows on an upper floor, letting her know someone was definitely occupying the place.

Is this the right address?

She pulled the paper from her pocket and double-checked. The numbers on the building matched the scrawl on the paper. This was definitely the place.

Avery glanced down the street the way she had come, then back up at the warehouse, once again doubting herself.

All her answers might be in there. Of course, a vampire would be delivering them, but she’d handled the past two in honorable Fae fashion. Hopefully, she would be able to continue her lucky streak.

Not following through wasn’t an option, and she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. Her mother had always said that living a life full of “what ifs” was no way to live. But then again, perhaps Avery should come back another night when she was armed with more of the vampire repellant. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to include Victoria in her plan either. At least she’d have protection from other vampires. Her potion would only distract one.

Again, she shot down the idea. Victoria wouldn’t venture into this part of town and would beat Avery within an inch of her life if she knew she had.

She resigned herself to see it through alone and made her way to the side door. Placing a hand on the cold knob, she twisted it and pushed, expecting some sort of resistance. Instead, the door opened easily, as if someone wanted her to enter. She immediately dismissed the thought. This was probably a flophouse, and no one who was high would want the complication of a struggle to open the door.

Slipping inside, she squinted into the darkness. Once her eyes fully adjusted, she realized the ground floor was completely empty. Her boots would have echoed on the old wooden floor if she hadn’t trod so lightly. She slowly made her way around, the hand in her sweatshirt pocket still gripping the plastic bag.

In the far-right corner, she noticed something lying on the floor, and as she drew closer, she realized it was a person. The shoulder span told her it was most likely a man, his back to her. Avery’s first instinct was to run over and make sure he was okay, but she slowly backed away instead, remembering where she was. The fewer people she bothered, the better off she’d be.

But, what if that is my guy? What if he is my mother’s murderer?

She took careful strides over and lowered to her knees, laying a hand on his shoulder. Now that she was closer, she saw the short, dark hair and beard.

Giving him a small shake, she asked, “Are you okay?”

His eyes fluttered open, and he turned to her. Bright blue eyes stared up at her, and she gasped when he pulled back his upper lip, hissing and revealing fangs.

She jumped away and ran to the other side of the room, checking for items she could use as weapons.

Instead of chasing after her, he simply turned over and ignored her.

What the hell? She’d been close enough that he should have smelled her blood. Did a vampire exist who didn’t love Fae blood?

The outside door opened, and she spun around. Another man entered. He glanced in her direction but turned to the right and disappeared into the shadows.

She hadn’t noticed anything that way, so she decided to follow.

About the time the darkness swallowed her up, a beam of light became visible, and she realized it came from upstairs.

Placing one hand on the railing, she quietly climbed the staircase. As she approached the top, she heard voices. The closer she got to the landing, the louder they became.

When Avery reached the second floor, she stepped closer to the wall and leaned against it, hoping she didn’t draw much attention to herself. After taking a deep breath and wiping the sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, she took in the scene before her, not quite understanding what she was seeing.

She counted about a dozen people lying around on mattresses, the room lit by candles strategically placed along the far wall. That explained the reddish-yellow glow she’d seen from the street, one that reminded her of fire.

The room was very quiet, except for an occasional whisper. One man sat in the middle of the room on a metal chair. He paid little attention to the people around him, keeping his gaze focused on the staircase. After giving her a brief nod, he turned to a woman nearby. Some type of exchange happened between them, but she couldn’t see what. The woman disappeared around the other side of the wall, out of Avery’s sight.

In one corner, a man and woman sat together on a mattress, the man had his head bent over the woman’s arm. In her gut, Avery believed it was a vampire drinking—she’d seen Victoria hunched over her own wrist in the exact same position many times. The woman raked her hand through black, greasy hair in an almost sensuous gesture resembling that of a purring cat… her head lolling to the side as her eyes closed. She collapsed onto the floor, her head thudding against the wood. The vampire released the woman’s hand and fell back against the mattress.

Furrowing her brow, Avery tried to understand what was going on. Had the vampire killed the woman, or were they lovers?

Footsteps sounded from below, and she pushed herself against the wall as two other women came into view.

A beautiful blonde glanced at her, but quickly looked away. The redhead paid her no attention until they reached the landing. They both stopped less than a foot away from her.

“Fae,” the redhead said, her fangs elongating as she inhaled deeply.

Avery’s heart seemed to stop momentarily. She considered pushing one woman into the other and hoping they would both tumble down the stairs.

She tried to hide her anxiety but knew it shone on her face. The sweat trickled down her cheek, and her whole body shook.

As she met the redhead’s gaze, she tried to show strength, but in reality, she’d have much rather curled up on the floor and cried. Her lip trembled at the thought of trying to fight them both off.

“Forget her,” the blonde said. “We’ve got better blood up here.”

They marched right past her, and her shoulders sagged in relief.

But wait. Better blood?

Victoria had told her there was no finer blood than Fae, so what did they mean?

The pair slinked through the room checking out the men and women lying on the mattresses, obviously in the super-high drug zone. Avery couldn’t hear what the women said, but every now and then they pointed to someone as if browsing shoes at the local department store.

Finally, the redhead sank to her knees and grabbed a man’s limp arm. She pressed her lips to his wrist, and Avery saw a flash of fang in the low light right before they disappeared into his flesh.

He didn’t fight her… Hell, the guy didn’t even flinch.

After a moment, the vampire’s head fell to the side, and she lay down next to her donor, throwing an arm around his waist. They reminded Avery of two lovers cuddled after making love.

The blonde repeated the redhead’s actions, and soon, everyone in Avery’s view rested peacefully.

She’d apparently ended up in a drug den. The guy sitting on the chair had to be the dealer. It appeared the vampires were drinking human blood tainted with drugs, and not only getting fed, but also enjoying a high. She never knew such a thing existed, but it certainly seemed to be the case, and she made a mental note to ask Victoria about it.

The dealer rose from his chair and approached Avery, each footstep sounding like a cannon as it reverberated across the room. He towered over her, as just about everyone did, and she placed him at least six-foot-five. She inhaled deeply but didn’t smell anything except a hint of sweat and the remnants of bad cologne. Thankfully, the guy appeared to be a human and not a shifter.

“You’ve been standing here a long time,” he said as he stroked his dark beard. “Did you come to play?”

She shook her head. Having never tried drugs, she had no intention of starting now.

“Then I suggest you leave. This isn’t a circus for you to watch. My clients. My building. Get out.”

She glanced past him at the various strung-out people. How could she explain that she was searching for her mother’s killer?

The man reached out and grabbed her chin, twisting her head so she had to look up at him.

Cold metal met the underside of her jaw. She gasped as the click of the gun hammer was drawn back.

“I told you to leave,” he whispered. “Unless you’re here to play, you don’t have no business. My clients. My building. Told you before. You ain’t gonna steal shit.”

If the situation hadn’t been so dire, she would have laughed. He thought she was here to take something from him? His clients? His drugs?

Anxiety had tied her tongue in knots, and her body shook uncontrollably. The room started to spin, and she feared she might actually pass out.

He let go of her and pointed down the stairs. She nodded and gripped the railing, trying to get there without losing her balance. If she went toppling down them, she’d definitely break something. No one here would care or do anything to help her.

Avery stopped in the middle of the staircase and tried to catch her breath. The steps seemed to have doubled, and maybe even tripled. She wasn’t sure which ones were real, and the illusion only made her more anxious.

Slow steps. She was relieved to feel solid ground beneath her boots. Although she probably wasn’t leaving as fast as the dealer wanted her to, she hoped he would be satisfied.

She caught a quick glance over her shoulder and noticed he had the weapon pointed at her. Tears sprang to her eyes and quickly tracked down her cheeks. She couldn’t die in such an awful place. Avery picked up the pace, but it wasn’t quick enough.

She screamed when the gun went off.