Sunset Strip: A Tale From The Tome Of Bill by Rick Gualtieri Page A

was little more than bullshit. Then, I put on a pair of ruby earrings. Fortunately, any nastiness that ensued over the next several hours could probably be rinsed off of those. I kind of liked them.
    A gold necklace with a heart charm rounded out the look and toned down the aggressiveness of my appearance a bit. Sometimes, the subtle things make all the difference between predator and prey.
    When I was done, I knocked on the door connecting my and Christy’s room.
    It was time to kill a few hours.
     

Chapter 11
    Well, it would be time to kill a few hours after I fixed Christy up. She was still rocking her glamorized body. I had to admit, it beat the shit out of a CrossFit workout for instantaneous gratification. Unfortunately, the good news ended there. She was wearing slacks, a dull blouse, and a sensible sweater.
    I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “You are not going downstairs like that. At least not with me.”
    “Do I need to remind you...”
    “I know why we’re here. I also know how we’re going to get in there in the way that’s the least likely to end with both of us taking a one way trip to the great beyond.”
    “Every second we waste is another that Kara could be...”
    “What? Dancing on a pole? Getting dollars stuffed down her g-string?”
    “Being turned,” she hissed. Her eyes momentarily flashed with power.
    “Not Marlene’s style. Your wannabe sis-in-law doesn’t have the right equipment to qualify for a promotion. Besides, I doubt anyone related to your boy toy is gonna show promise that quickly. True, Marlene used to occasionally make gifts of her girls to other covens...trust me on that one.” My fangs momentarily descended as I fought to keep my emotions in check. “But that’s not going to happen.”
    “How do you...”
    “I talked to the higher-ups before we left. The vampire tourism trade is pretty dead right now. Between the oncoming war and the whole ordeal with the Icon a few months back, most covens are hunkering down...waiting to see what’s coming. In short, they’re scared shitless. Now stop trying to change the subject.”
    “I’m not going to...”
    “As far as anyone who’s seen us will assume, you’re here with me. That means there are certain standards to be upheld. What you’re wearing...it’s embarrassing. Strip.”
    She stood there for a moment, a deer in the headlights look on her face.
    “I could always tear those clothes off you. I mean, some people are into that.”
    Her eyes opened wide in horror. My god, for someone who cavorted naked under the full moon, she sure was a fucking prude.
    “You can wear something of mine if you want, but since you’re about four inches taller, that’s really gonna put the mini in miniskirt - which might work in our favor...”
    * * *
    As I turned toward the serious business of making Christy presentable, I sensed her frustration. Hell, the smell of it practically wafted off of her in waves. She probably thought I wasn’t giving our mission the priority it deserved.
    That’s one problem with power - it doesn’t instill in most people a sense of patience. The two combined can often end badly. That’s one of the more hilarious secrets of the supernatural world. Vampires love to talk about living for all eternity, but it’s been my experience that the majority of them don’t make it past their first decade. If anything, many die well before they’d have done so naturally. It’s that rush of power that does many in. They don’t realize there’s a vast difference between feeling invincible and actually being so.
    Christy should have known better. By all accounts she was a seasoned witch. Hell, her old coven had plotted meticulously to off Bill when they could have just come in at any time guns a blazing.
    I couldn’t bring myself to blame her, though. The last few months had been rough on all of us. Between the excess hormones pumping through her brain and being blinded by love, she was off her game. Add to