Influential Magic by Deanna Chase

flinched.
    “What? You have to eat, and we have somewhere to be in an hour. We need to know if we’ll have to stop for you to feed.”
    Phoebe parked the car in front of our house and twisted. “Well, do you?”
    “No. I’m fine.”
    “Good,” she said. “We don’t have time anyway.”
    “Where’s he going to sleep?” I asked Phoebe as we all filed out of the car.
    “Somewhere with no windows.” She unlocked the front door and deposited her bag on a distressed side table in the entryway.
    “We don’t have any rooms without windows. You’ll have to charm one of them.” I eyed David, who stared warily at Link. He’d started snarling again as soon as the vampire entered the house.
    “Link, that’s enough! Go.” I pointed toward the stairs leading to the second floor.
    The Shih Tzu shot me a look of disgust and quit growling, but didn’t move. I sighed. It was progress.
    “Sure we do,” Phoebe called from the hallway.
    “Huh?”
    “We have a windowless room. It’s upstairs.”
    “No we…Crap! You mean my walk-in closet?”
    “That’s the one,” she quipped.
    “Oh, no. David isn’t staying in my room. What would I do with all my clothes?”
    “Your closet isn’t exactly your room,” Phoebe reasoned as she walked back into the living room carrying a handful of defense charms.
    “But he has to walk through my room to get to it.” I folded my arms over my chest. “It isn’t practical.”
    Phoebe opened her mouth to reply, but David interrupted by clearing his throat.
    “What?” we said at the same time.
    “Since I sleep during the day, it shouldn’t be a problem if I occupy your closet. If you don’t mind, of course. I would feel much more comfortable there than in a room that has windows…even if they are charmed to block light.”
    Phoebe grinned. “Don’t trust me, huh? Smart vampire.”
    “Trust isn’t the issue. Spells and wards can be broken. I’d prefer to not be caught unaware, especially since I’m now in a volatile situation.” He caught my eye and waited.
    I threw my hands up. “Fine. But you’re going to buy me one of those freestanding closets in the meantime.”
    David nodded his assent.
    Phoebe laughed, then sobered as she checked her watch. “We’ve got a meeting to plan for.”
    ***
    “This way,” David said, leading me past a line of patrons waiting to get inside The Red Door—the most famous vampire jazz club on Frenchmen Street.
    I followed, keeping my distance. It was one thing to go to the meeting together; it was entirely another to act friendly about it. He was a vampire, after all.
    Vampires. What was I doing here? Unease ran through my limbs, making me fidget with the glass bracelet I wore on my wrist. Through my worry, I barely noticed David’s vampire energy. I paused. Why didn’t I feel as though I were underwater? David was right in front of me, and the club had to contain at least one other vampire—the one we were meeting. Was David’s proximity dulling my senses? God. What else was going to go wrong?
    David nodded to the bouncer and we walked in unchecked.
    “Huh,” I mused, trying to put everything else out of my mind. “The door isn’t red, after all.”
    “You’ve never been here?”
    I shook my head. Vampires never caused trouble on Frenchmen Street. The profits from tourists ensured humans were kept safe. Phoebe and I’d never had a reason to work in the area.
    “The club is named for a state of being, not the color of the door.”
    “Good thing, since it’s blue.” I wanted to ask what he meant by “a state of being,” but the band kicked in, and I didn’t want to yell. Instead, David led the way to a secluded table in the back.
    “Now what?” I shouted.
    “We wait.”
    I sat, scanning the smoke-filled room for Phoebe, but I didn’t see her anywhere. Of course, she had to be disguised. She could be a middle-aged chain-smoker with blue eye shadow downing scotch. Unless I looked carefully, I’d never