A Vampire's Muse

Chapter 10

I slid the heavy pouch of golden coins across the table so Edna could examine them. True enough, as soon as it was within her reach, she untied it open with her manicured hands in haste, her dark eyes gleaming and her crimson lips stretching into a tight smile. She lifted her chin to look at me and said, “Surely, you jest, Avery, my loyal customer. If this information is truly as valuable as you make it sound to be, then, you must be prepared to compensate me fairly.”

With a click of my tongue, I fished out another pouch. Fortunately, she seemed to be satisfied this time. Edna relaxed in her seat, placing the pouches on her lap and fumbling with the coins idly.

“Now that you’re happy with the payment, I’d be disappointed if you’re not willing to talk just yet.”

Edna’s business tactics were rather unconventional. Whether she decides to give actual good intel or not—if she ever feels like talking in the first place—depends on her mood. If she wasn’t so well-known in the industry, she would’ve gone bankrupt long ago.

“Still as prickly as ever, I see,” she chuckled. Then, her eyes flicked towards Kyle who’d been wordlessly standing right behind me all this time. Her smile turned flirty. “But before that, are you not going to introduce me to your dashing companion first?”

It wasn’t exactly surprising that Kyle was getting hit on. In fact, it was quite a common occurrence. But that didn’t mean I was any less annoyed than when I first saw it happen.

“I don’t think introductions are necessary,” I heard Kyle tell her. I looked up to see him grimacing in distaste with his arms crossed over his chest. “We’re running late, so I’d appreciate it if you give us what we came here for already.”

Covering my mouth with a hand, I suppressed my laughter upon seeing Edna’s flabbergasted face. It seemed like she wasn’t used to men rejecting her advances. After clearing my throat to regain my composure, I said, “You heard him—start talking now, Edna.”

I caught a glimpse of the redness of the tips of her ears, a sign of her shame. After acting cool, she flipped her vibrant—and very much dyed—red hair over a shoulder. “The Devil’s Breath has been making a lot of noise amongst the nobles for the past couple of months. It caught my attention because when there’s a new drug in town, most buyers are recreational users. But not with this one, apparently. The elites absolutely love using these drugs on their servants as a torture method.”

I felt anger surging inside me but forced myself to appear unaffected. “Do you know where I can buy some?”

She smirked, c*****g a brow inquisitively. “Are you looking to torture someone with the drug yourself, Avery?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Sure, sure.” She waved a hand dismissively. “One of my clients told me the drug is being monopolized by an organization in the black market, and I heard they’re downright picky about who they’re selling it to.”

Kyle jumped into the conversation. “What are they looking for in a buyer?”

“That, I am not certain of. But based on what I’ve observed, the common demographic appears to be the crazies and the mega-rich. Ideally, both.”

“Do you know how we can get in touch with these sellers?”

“Of course, I do!” She cackled before producing a small piece of paper from her pocket and waving it in the air. “The meeting address changes every week, and they require this card to get in.”

Edna showing off the card instead of handing it to us right away only meant one thing. With a sigh, I fished out yet another pouch of gold coins and slid it over the table. “Give it.”

She gleefully accepted the payment and did as she was told. “It was nice doing business with you again, Avery.” Then, batting her eyelashes at Kyle, she continued, “And I’m hoping to see more of you.”

I pushed myself off my chair, pocketing the small card and dropping the last of the guild’s budget for this transaction in front of her. “We’d appreciate it if you keep quiet about this matter. You already know exactly what I mean, do you?”

*****

Fancy pubs tend to have this air of loneliness hanging over them. People clad in the finest clothing were clustered into groups here and there, but it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that they weren’t together for the sake of companionship, that they probably talk s**t about each other behind their backs. Polite smiles and idle chatter filled the atmosphere, but it was obvious that most of these people cared more about themselves than anyone.

So, after the assignment, I immediately went home, put on my best clothes, and hit the fanciest pub in all of Marshdell City. The dress and the high heels were uncomfortable and restricting. And for the first time in a while, I was out and about with my hair cascading past my shoulders—I didn’t notice how long they’ve gotten since I always put it up into a ponytail anyway. As usual, my old dagger hung at my waist, concealed by layers of clothing yet easy to brandish if the situation called for it.

“An iced tea, please,” I told the bartender after taking one of the empty barstools.

He paused from wiping one of the glasses and smiled at me, “No alcohol for the lady tonight?”

My instant reaction was to feel annoyed at his nosiness, but a second later, I thought better of it. After all, wasn’t I here in the first place to distract myself? So, I returned his smile and replied, “No, I’m not fond of it.”

It didn’t take him long to fix my drink, even without paying much attention to his hands. Then, he placed the glass on a wooden coaster and slid it across the bar. When I began fishing for my wallet in my purse, he stretched out an arm to touch my shoulder and prevent me from doing so.

“It’s on the house,” he winked.

I chuckled. “I fear for this business if you so easily give out free drinks like this.”

“I don’t give out free drinks as often as you think I do, milady.” He leaned his elbows onto the countertop, his smile slowly widening. “I only do it to gorgeous women, after all.”

Up close, I noticed he wasn’t all too bad looking. Not exactly my type, but handsome, nonetheless. I welcomed his flirty advances.

“Do tell—did you truly impress the women around here with that lame one-liner?” I smirked, teasing and mirroring his stance to get closer. “And here I thought you’d have more charm than that.”

“I’m fairly certain you still find me charming enough despite the lame one-liner.”

His dark orbs flicked to my lips as he casually placed a hand on top of mine. I didn’t like the sudden skinship yet didn’t pull away, barely suppressing the grimace that was threatening to break out on my face.

Suddenly, before I could even do anything else, I felt a rather forceful tug on my arm, causing me to almost shriek in surprise if it weren’t for me keeping my composure at the last second. I frowned and turned to face the culprit, and to my shock, Calum Reed was standing right behind me, glaring at the poor bartender with his piercing red eyes.

He spoke to me whilst maintaining his intense gaze on the man. “I see you have a taste in frolicking with mediocre men while I am not around.”

My irritation grew. The bartender was indeed mediocre compared to him, perhaps even lesser, but the implication that I would go for any man annoyed me. So, I replied, “What I do in my free time doesn’t concern you.”

Another patron took one of the empty stools, and the bartender was more than glad to finally have an excuse to leave. Calum Reed turned to face me at last, his brows furrowed in annoyance.

“If you have a lot of time in your hands, you’re better off servicing me than a lowly bartender.”

I yanked my arm from his grip, my fingers twitching from the urge to pull out my dagger and bury its blade in his chest. Then, as if I wasn’t irked enough already, I was reminded of how useless it was to stab him. For one frightening moment, I imagined myself doing it over and over simply for the sake of venting out my frustrations.

“I am not your doxy, Calum Reed.”

He smirked, amused at my antics as usual, before placing a finger on my chin. “You are even more adorable when wound up.”

Then, he swooped in to lock his mouth with mine. He bit my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. And with that, I was pulled right under his control.