“He does pretty well,” Dom said. “And that’s part of why Burger’s legislation will never pass, because there’s no profit in keeping people out of the casinos. He thinks he’s doing the casinos a favor, but we all know better.”

I looked at him. “The casinos lobbied against the bill, is that what happened?”

“The casinos? No, never. Not directly. But we have a lot of friends in this state.”

I had faulted Dom for not knowing enough about the supernatural goings-on in his town. But maybe he was something I hadn’t met before: a vampire more interested in mundane, mortal politics and economic concerns than in vampire internecine bickering. It was almost refreshing.

Still no call from Ben. I really had to get out of here.

“Dom, thanks for everything. But I need to go track down a couple of more leads on Ben.”

“Right,” he said, nodding with sympathy. “I’ll ask around, see if I can find anything out for you.”

“I’d really appreciate that.”

“I’m sure he’ll turn up,” he said, with an expansive smile. “Just you wait. He’s probably out winning you a million bucks as a surprise.”

Dom lived in a very pretty world, didn’t he?

The vampire walked me to the lobby and called a cab for me, bypassing the huge line at the cab stand, which was nice. Power had its privileges, didn’t it? One less thing to think about. I was ready to be off the street and away from all the people.

Dom went back inside the lobby, and my cab was pulling away from the curb when I spotted Sylvia, the bounty hunter, standing at the corner behind me. Tonight she wore leather pants, high heels, and a black silk vest. One hand was on her hip, and she was smiling as she watched me drive away.

Chapter 15

On the cab ride to the Hanging Gardens, I checked my phone for messages. Still nothing from Gladden, or Evan and Brenda. Or Ben. Out of curiosity, I called up to the room and got no answer. I was not going to freak out. Yet.

In the hotel lobby, Balthasar’s face, smiling on his show’s poster, greeted me.

The troupe was probably done with its last performance for the evening. I needed to know if Balthasar knew anything about what had happened to Ben. If he’d had a hand in it himself, as Dom had suggested, I’d smell it on him. I checked the theater area, and it was dark and quiet after the performance. They were probably back at their lair, then. Eighth floor. I found the elevator and wondered if I should be doing this after those martinis.

No, don’t think like that. I was in control. I was an alpha wolf. I squared my shoulders, concentrated on being sober, on asking the hard questions and not falling prey to that charming smile. I was here to get answers. When the elevator stopped, I marched through the doors, determined to channel Lois Lane. Without the always-needing-to-get-rescued part.

Follow your nose, he’d told me. The hallway here branched off, and the doors seemed much farther apart than on other floors. These must have been suites. I stood at the intersection and took a deep breath. From the left came the musky, wild scent of lycanthropes. The trail blazed clear. I wondered if Balthasar walked home in the evening, his tigers and leopards trailing him through the hotel corridors. What a sight that must be. Especially if someone in one of the other suites opened their door at the wrong time.

The next turn brought me to a short hallway that ended in a set of double doors. This was the pack’s place, the heart of its territory. I approached the door like it might jump and bite me. At the same time, in all of Las Vegas, this smelled more like my kind than anyplace else.

I knocked on the door and waited. Waited some more. Knocked again, then figured everyone was probably asleep. Or out partying, which seemed to be the thing to do at midnight on the Strip. I had turned to leave when the deadbolt clicked back. The door opened. Eyes peeked through, and when they saw me, the door opened wider.

Slightly taller than me, a very young man—eighteen v

I wasn’t just staring at a model. I was staring at an underwear supermodel, and I wasn’t sure my knees could handle it.

When I managed to take a breath, I recognized his scent. Avi the were-leopard, from the show. “Hi,” I said.

“It’s you,” he said. His smile lit up his face. My heart skipped a beat.

We watched each other for another bemused moment. Then I had the agonizing thought, I’m a cradle robber. This kid’s too young for me. I’d never thought that about a guy before, and it made me feel old. But it was true. I kind of wanted to take him out for ice cream.

“Er... I really need to talk to Balthasar. He suggested I should stop by and talk to you guys. You know, in person. Human-like.” I swore I’d have been wagging my tail, if I’d had one at the moment. This was ridiculous.

Then Balthasar sauntered up behind Avi. And he looked even better than Avi. He was plenty old enough for me. He wore a rumpled dress shirt, sleeves rolled up, and jeans. He was also barefoot.

“Kitty,” he said. “What a surprise.”

He didn’t say nice surprise, which left me wincing. “I’m sorry, I should have called first. But I really need to talk to you.”

“It’s fine,” he said, chuckling. “It’s good to see you. Are you married yet?”

“No. In fact, that’s what I want to talk to you about.”

“I’ve never met a werewolf before,” Avi said, beaming. “I can smell it.” He glanced at Balthasar, as if for confirmation. “It’s different.”

“Werewolf and female,” he said, studying my curves under the dress. “Exotic all the way around.”

I couldn’t tell if I was blushing from being tipsy or from being flirted at. I hoped my smile managed to be polite instead of silly. “Not really. There’s lots more where I come from.”

Balthasar opened the door wide. “Why don’t you come in? You can meet the others, and we can all talk.”

The two invited me in. Avi closed the door behind me.

It hit me that I was walking into the heart of another lycanthrope’s territory. That sobered me up. No one was acting threatening or aggressive, but I started to pay more attention. I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder to the closed door.

We continued to the inner room of the suite.

I had to say this much: Avi didn’t act like he was a prisoner, or here under duress. He didn’t seem tense or wary, and he held himself with the same graceful ease that his leopard persona had displayed. I had to wonder: how did a teenager get himself in a position to be bitten by a were-leopard? Maybe I could get him to tell me the story.