A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)

Vincent led the way up the stairs, and I followed, while the servants waited quietly for us to leave before I assumed they would retire to their rooms. I got another glimpse of Arrah, and that worried look on her face did not go away.

She knew something, but she didn’t want to speak in front of the others, and certainly not in front of Vincent. I had a feeling that Sienna had been keeping secrets from her family.

We reached the grand salon, with red velvet sofas and decorative glass cabinets filled with porcelain figurines depicting dancers and various animals. Avril and Heron were both there, quietly waiting for us, their eyes fixed on me. I knew Avril well enough to understand what the look in her hazel eyes meant. They had info.

“Will that be all for today?” Vincent asked politely, smiling at us.

“Yes.” I smiled back, then moved to Avril’s side.

“Good, well, thank you all for coming here and for trying to help us find my sister,” he replied, then bowed. “I’m sorry we couldn’t assist more. It’s just that… The day of her disappearance was a day like any other. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing wrong. She just… vanished.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “Maybe Avril caught her scent. We’ll investigate this further tomorrow, anyway.”

“I haven’t caught her scent yet. It’s like she was never here,” Avril muttered, then frowned.

“Oh, wow, really?” I took a deep breath, then decided it was best to continue our conversation outside and away from Vincent. Things were getting weirder with every minute we spent inside the Roho mansion. “Okay, we’ll be going now, and we’ll see you tomorrow, once we decide what our next course of action will be.”

I gave him a curt nod, then headed toward the exit, with Avril and Heron by my side.

“Fiona?” Vincent’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

I turned to face him. He looked nervous, his jade eyes twinkling and restless.

“We’re having our annual Spring Ball tomorrow evening,” he said slowly, a slight tremor in his voice. “I was wondering if you’d like to join me. I mean, if you’d all like to join us. It’s an annual celebration of the Nerakian spring. It’s held in the Kifo mansion. Their ballroom is absolutely stunning. We serve special floral-infused blood cocktails on this occasion. I think you’ll like them very much.”

A few seconds passed before I could formulate an answer, with no help from Avril or Heron.

“I don’t… I don’t have a dress. None of us brought dresses,” I muttered. “We didn’t come for parties here.”

“Yeah, I didn’t bring one either,” came Heron’s acid remark.

“Our tailors will be more than happy to assist.” Vincent smiled, pleased to have solved the problem so quickly. “They’ve served the Lords and Ladies of Azure Heights for each of these occasions, and they’ve also helped their personal guests look the part, as well.”

I wanted to say no, but Avril’s finger digging discreetly between two of my ribs made me squirm and confirm.

“Ugh, yes, okay, yes,” I managed to say before I briefly gave her my deadliest glare.

Vincent lit up like the sun at that point, his beautiful face beaming with a radiant smile.

“Excellent! Thank you,” he replied. “You’ll love it! I will send our tailors over to the Broken Bow Inn first thing in the morning to assist you!”

“Thank you, Vincent.” I smiled, then walked out, followed by Avril and Heron, who bade farewell as two Imen servants closed the double doors after us.

We reached the fountain outside and proceeded to walk down to the inn, taking a series of narrow stairs and alleys. I mentally stored all the information and clues I’d gathered so far, most of which didn’t make much sense.

“Okay, so we all need to agree that Vincent has the absolute hots for you.” Avril was the first to talk, her voice laced with humor.

“To be fair, he is sweet on the eyes,” I replied. “Like marshmallows dipped in chocolate.”

“So how do you expect me to be serious when she goes and says something like this?” Heron looked at Avril with feigned outrage, prompting us both to burst into laughter.

“But, on a serious note,” I said, catching my breath, “there’s definitely something off about the Imen.”

“Yeah, we tried talking to one earlier,” Avril replied. “He was literally brainwashed.”

“I think all of them are,” Heron mused.

“There is one who seemed alert.” I sighed as we went down another set of stairs. The alleys were almost deserted, with just the occasional Iman walking beneath the street lamps, completely oblivious to our presence. “A young girl, Arrah. She didn’t want to say much, but not because she was mind-bent. At least, I don’t think she was.”

“You think she knows more than she’s saying?” Avril asked.

“I’m sure of it. I think she was just afraid of speaking out in front of Vincent or the others,” I replied. “She might know something about Sienna that no one else does.”

“What, like a dirty little secret?” Heron grinned, and I nodded in response. “Well then, it’s a good thing we’re doing the Spring Ball tomorrow night!”

Both Avril and I looked at him, our confusion obvious.

“Fiona, since Vincent is so sweet on you, you could keep him busy during the ball,” Heron explained, “while Avril and I can go check out the Roho mansion again, and even talk to Arrah. My mind-bending works on the Imen. One of them could lead us to her. Maybe she’ll be more forthcoming if Vincent and the other servants aren’t around.”

“That’s actually a really good idea,” I said.

“All we need is for you to keep the Roho dude busy for fifteen minutes or so.” Avril wiggled her eyebrows with a smirk.

“Sure, I can dance with him, entertain a conversation or two. Worst case scenario, I’ll flirt around a little.” I chuckled as we reached the Broken Bow Inn. A few late patrons were still out, while the Imen servants collected the empty cups.

“Just don’t get too touchy with him,” Avril advised me, “as he is, technically, a potential enemy.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch.” I scoffed, finding it hard to believe Vincent would try to harm me in any way. Not that he wasn’t capable—he was still a Mara, after all. But nothing about him screamed “hostile” in any way.

“Not until we find out why all his Imen are mind-bent to such an extent,” Heron replied, then noticed the quiet inside the inn. He walked over to one of the servants. “Excuse me, where is everyone? It’s nighttime. The Maras should be out and buzzing.”

“Not since the curfew was enacted, milord,” the Iman said. “The night has become dangerous and deadly, and our Lords and Ladies can no longer go out and hunt. Since the disappearances started happening in the city as well, they’ve resorted to keeping to their rooms or entertaining small social gatherings in their homes.”