Contents ( 114)
- THE HOLLOW SERIES BOOKS 1–4
- Contents
- Dedication
- Contents
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Acknowledgements
- THE GOOD, THE BAD,
- AND THE UNDEAD
- Dedication
- Contents
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Acknowledgements
- Dedication
- Contents
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Acknowledgements
- A FISTFUL OF CHARMS
- Also by the Author
- About the Author
- Copyright
- About the Publisher
I fixed my eyes on his and nodded, not caring if he saw my apprehension.
Expression distant, Kisten gently led me forward. “You won’t see any,” he said. “Everyone here came to relax, not feed the beast. This is the only place in Cincinnati where vampires can go in a public setting and be themselves without having to live up to some human’s, witch’s, or Were’s idea of what they should be and how they should act. There won’t be any blood unless someone cuts a finger opening a beer.”
Still unsure, I let him guide me in, stopping just inside the door while he knocked the snow from his dress shoes. The heat of the place struck me first, and I didn’t think it was all coming from the fireplace at the far end of the room. It had to be pushing eighty, the warmth carrying the pleasant aroma of incense and dark things. I breathed deeply as I untied Kisten’s coat, and it seemed to settle in my brain, relaxing me the way a hot bath and a good meal did.
A stirring of unease ruined the feeling when a living vamp came forward with an unsettling quickness. His shoulders looked as wide as I was tall, and he massed three hundred pounds if he was an ounce. But his eyes were sharp, revealing a quick intelligence, and he moved his muscular bulk with the sexy grace most living vamp’s had. “I’m sorry,” he said in an iron-pumping-gym accent as he came close. His hand was reaching out—not to touch but clearly indicating that I should leave. “Piscary’s lost its MPL. Vamps only.”
Kisten slid behind me and helped me slip his coat off. “Hi, Steve. Any trouble tonight?”
“Mr. Felps,” the large man exclaimed softly, his speech taking on a well-educated accent to match the intelligence his eyes couldn’t hide. “I wasn’t expecting you until later. No. No trouble apart from Mike upstairs. We’re all quiet down here.” Brown eyes apologetic, he glanced at me. “Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t know you were with Mr. Felps.”
Seeing a golden opportunity to pry, I smiled. “Does Mr. Felps often bring young women not of the vampiric persuasion to his club?” I asked.
“No, ma’am,” the man said so naturally that I had to believe him. His words and actions were so innocuous and unvampiric, that I had to sniff twice to make sure he was one. I hadn’t realized how much of the vampire identity stemmed from attitude. And as I scanned the lower floor, I decided it was like any upscale restaurant, more mundane than when it had its MPL.
The wait staff was appropriately dressed with most of their scars hidden, and they moved with an efficient quickness that wasn’t the least provocative. My gaze roved over the pictures above the bar, faltering when I saw a blurry shot of Ivy in her biker leather, riding her cycle with a rat and a mink perched on the gas tank. Oh God. Someone had seen us.