Read Online Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews - Free Book Online

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    “Once again, I’m very sorry. Please pass my condolences to his family,” I said. “If there is anything I can do to help, I’m here.”
    “I knew you would be.” Jim hung up.
    I hung up and looked at the vampire. Its mouth gaped open and it showed me its fangs: two long curved needles of ivory. Seeing bloodsuckers during daylight wasn’t unheard of, but usually they appeared smeared with sunblock. Considering the dense gray blanket of clouds smothering the skies and weak, late fall sun, they probably didn’t need to bother today.

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    The vampire spared a single glance for the attack poodle and looked back at me.
    I would’ve liked to kill it. I could almost picture my saber slicing into undead flesh right between the sixth and seventh vertebrae of his neck.
    I pointed a finger at the attack poodle. “You—quiet.”
    “An interesting animal.” Ghastek’s voice spilled from the bloodsucker’s mouth, sounding slightly muffled, as if through a phone.
    The vampire repositioned itself in my client chair and crouched like a cat, arms in front.
    Of all the Masters of the Dead among the People in Atlanta, Ghastek was the most dangerous, with the exception of his boss, Nataraja. But where Nataraja was cruel and chaotic in his behavior, Ghastek was intelligent and calculating, a far worse combination.
    I folded my arms on my chest. “A personal visit. Don’t I feel special.”
    “You don’t return your phone calls.” The vampire leaned forward, tapping my doodle with a scimitar claw. “Is that a lion with horns and a pitchfork?”
    “Yep.”
    “Is he carrying the moon on his pitchfork?”
    “No, it’s a pie. What can I do for Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead?”
    The vampire’s features twisted, trying to mirror the emotion on Ghastek’s face. Judging by the result, Ghastek was struggling not to vomit. “Someone attacked the Casino this morning. The People wish to petition the Order to look into it.”
    The vampire and I stared at each other. “Can you run that by me again?” I asked.
    “Some mentally challenged individual attacked the Casino this morning, causing roughly two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of harm. The bulk of the cost came from four vampires he managed to fry. The damage to the building is mostly cosmetic.”

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    “I meant the part where the People petition the Order.”
    “It was my understanding that the Order extends its protection to all citizens.”
    I leaned forward. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you the same guys who run the other way the moment a badge gets involved?”
    The vampire looked insulted. “That’s not true. We always cooperate with law enforcement.”
    And pigs gracefully glide through clear sky. “Two weeks ago, a woman robbed a vendor at gun point and fled into the Casino. It took the cops fourteen hours to get her out, because you claimed some sort of sanctuary privilege that was last invoked by the Catholic Church. As far as I know, the Casino doesn’t stand on hallowed ground.”
    The vampire looked down on me with an air of haughty disdain. Whatever faults Ghastek had, his control over the undead was superb. “That is a matter of opinion.”
    “You don’t cooperate with authorities unless forced, you lawyer up at the first hint of trouble, and you have a stable of undead capable of mass murder. You’re the last group I expected to petition the Order for assistance.”
    “Life is full of surprises.”
    I chewed on that for a minute. “Does Nataraja know you’re here?”
    “I’m here on his direct orders.”
    Warning bells went off in my head.
    Ghastek’s superior, the People’s head honcho in Atlanta, called himself Nataraja after one of Shiva’s reincarnations. There was something odd about Nataraja. His power felt too old for a human and he packed a lot of