Reining In (The Network) by Dawn Judd Page B

poorly lit, mostly with candles. It did not disappoint. It was everything you would expect to find in such a place. There were skulls with candles in them, which I had no doubt were human; perhaps given to her by Vyktor. Heavy black curtains hung across doorways and the one window to the outside. I looked around and took in everything slowly.
    As I directed my attention to a small stone table towards the back of the room, I noticed the woman sitting cross-legged on the floor behind it. I hadn't noticed her at first, because her skin was as dark as the curtains behind her. She was a small woman with long, gray, ratted hair that touched the floor that she sat on. Her frame was almost fragile looking, but I had no doubt that she was capable of inflicting harm to even the strongest of men.
    She glared at me, as I looked her over. I slowly walked closer to her, and as she got a better look at me, her eyes suddenly filled with terror. She did not move, but I could see her body tense. She knew what I was, and even as powerful as she was among men, she knew she had not chance against me.
    "You see the future, witch?" I asked. I had learned from our intelligence department that she didn’t respond to kindness or curiosity, and to really get any response I would have to establish my dominance. She grimaced at the word, but still braced herself. She carefully positioned herself so that she could run if she needed.
    "I do," she finally answered, with a pronounced Haitian accent.
    "Then what do you see now," I asked, pointing at the items in front of her. There were a few small animal bones, and other things I knew she used in her magic. She looked down, ran her hand over the items and looked back up at me. Her posture took on a new tone. She was more confident now, with the sudden knowledge that I was not here to do her in.
    "I've come to ask you some questions."
    "Questions cost money, even for vampires," she replied haughtily.
    “Don’t worry, I have something for you,” I made another step forward. "After you answer my questions.”
    “No. I do not answer questions unless I feel like it,” She snarled. “I do not feel like it now.” She nodded her head towards the door, as if to dismiss me. Angrily, I walked forward, no longer concerning myself with her reactions. I grabbed the bones off the table and grabbed her hand. I forced the bones into her hand, holding it closed with my own. She struggled to pull her hand away from mine, but I did not let her go.
    “Do you feel like it now, witch?” I spat out at her. Suddenly, as if the bones had spoken to her, she stopped fighting and looked up at me. The blood had drained from her face, and her skin, dark as it was, took on a pale tone. Her hands beneath mine started to shake.
    “I am sorry my queen,” she said, in a hushed tone. “I will answer any questions you ask.” I hated to be called that. It was not who I was. But it was what many, in the world of the dead and dying, considered me to be, for many reasons. I was one of the oldest living vampires. I was also one of the strongest, and most powerful.
    My heritage also played a part in how others perceived me. Those who knew my past, who I was before I was turned, felt I deserved the title. But it was not my true personality that the woman saw in her vision; just what others perceived me to be. I didn’t like to use it against her, but I didn’t have time to play stupid games with her. I needed answers, and I needed to get the hell out of there.
    “The first thing I need is for you to promise me that you will not speak a word of our meeting to Vyktor.” She looked a little shocked when I mentioned his name, but only for a moment. She nodded her head quickly, and I let go of her hands, stepping back to my original position. She rubbed her hands, as if to rub away the visions she had just seen. After a moment, she gave up and looked up at me expectedly.
    “Where is he? Is he here, in New Orleans?”
    “He is. He left