Meaning one of them had been near our café close to the time it had happened, and that was an unsettling possibility. There could be very little reason for either of them to be driving past at that hour, given our end of Mostyn Street was a cul-de-sac. It was possible she’d sensed the attack and had decided to investigate, but given she hadn’t bothered leaving her lair when her feeders were being killed off, why would she do so to investigate an unusual attack on my place?
Then another possibility hit, and my heart leapt. Had she seen Clayton in her travels last night? Had she met him? Talked to him?
Even worse… had she made a deal with him?
Chapter Four
The little I knew about her said it was unlikely. She was in my debt, and I doubted she would in any way harm me until that debt was paid.
But she was also a vampire, and they had a long history of dark and bloody deeds. Maelle, for all her refinement, had the heart of a monster.
I took a quick drink of water and heartily wished it was something far stronger. “The attacker is a man from my past—”
“The man you have been running from these many years?” she cut in.
The thump of fear got stronger. “You’ve been checking on me.”
“As I have said, I always ensure I am familiar with the power players in whatever town I choose to settle in.” Her expression was amused. “But fear not—my enquiries would not have revealed your whereabouts to this man. My sources don’t inhabit the world of witches willingly. I think it more likely he’s here because of the tracer.”
“You don’t miss much.”
“I cannot afford to, young Elizabeth.” She studied me for a moment, her expression giving little away. “Do not forget that I am in your debt—and that is a situation with which I am never comfortable. Not for long. If you desire any help getting this witch out of your life, then I would be more than happy to oblige.”
And if that isn’t a threat wrapped up in an offer of assistance, I don’t know what is, Belle said. I seriously wish we hadn’t helped this bitch.
Refusing her wasn’t really an option. I forced a smile and said, “I appreciate the offer and will certainly enlist your help if necessary… but I can’t afford to kill this man.”
“I am capable of more than merely death.”
The flicker of light—or was it darkness—in her eyes suggested death remained her first and second option. Dark magic, I suspected, was a distant third.
“I know, but this man holds a lot of power—”
“And such power always calls to one such as me.”
“I meant in standing and alliances rather than actual magic, though he has plenty of the latter.”
“Ah.” She shrugged, the movement casual and unconcerned. “The offer nevertheless remains. And please do remember that it sometimes takes one monster to render another impotent.”
I nodded, gulped down the rest of my drink, and then rose. “Thank you for seeing us, and for the offer of assistance.”
She brushed the comment away with a graceful hand. “I will ask Roger to keep an eye out for a ghoul, if indeed that is what lies behind these murders. He is familiar with their scent, as we have dealt with them in the past.”
I frowned. “Ghouls have a scent?”
“It is… acidic. Ashy. It speaks of the cemeteries in which they are often found.”
“And the best way to kill them?”
“That would depend on the type of ghoul,” she said. “But generally, what works against a vampire will work against a ghoul, though I have a personal preference for decapitation.”
Of course she did. And she probably feasted on their blood afterwards. “Thanks, Maelle.”
She nodded and turned her chair away from us. Summarily dismissed, we headed back down the stairs and were silently escorted out of the building by Roger.
Belle drew in a deep breath once we were out in the open air. “Well, that was interesting.”
“It always is when it comes to Maelle.” I grabbed my car keys out of my purse and walked down to where we’d parked the SUV. “But at least we did get some worthwhile information from it.”