Crimson Debt Read online

  “Yes, you will.” Corbin took me by both shoulders, moving too fast for me to step away. “Look at me, Addison,” he demanded. “I have told Roderick I can glamour you and he will expect to see me do just that.”

  “You also told him you could…could fuck me without breaking me,” I shot back. “And we saw how well that went last night when you nearly lost your cool.”

  “Were you harmed?” Corbin demanded. “Other than the tiny scratch on your throat, which I healed, did I hurt you in any way?”

  “Well…no,” I admitted grudgingly. “But I still don’t want you inside my head. Why can’t we just pretend to let you glamour me?”

  “Roderick has been on this Earth for over six centuries,” Corbin said grimly. “He will know if we attempt to deceive him. Addison…” He cupped my cheek in his hand and looked into my eyes. “Don’t make me force you, darling.”

  “You couldn’t even if you tried,” I said, trying to ignore the way his gentle touch made my heart drum faster in my chest.

  Corbin just looked at me.

  “Could you?” I asked, my voice faltering just a bit.

  “You have a strong shield around your mind but I could tear it down if I had to.” He caressed my cheek, his big hand warm and deceptively gentle. “I don’t want to do that. It would be very much like rape.”

  “You wouldn’t,” I whispered, feeling cold all over.

  “Do you know what will happen if we don’t put on a convincing display?” Corbin asked. “Roderick has the right to exact a tribute from every vampire whose territory he examines. I have prepared something for him that I think he will find irresistible but he could refuse it and name his own tribute instead. He could take your friend Taylor and give her back to Celeste or keep her for his own. Her torment would never end.”

  “You’re just trying to scare me,” I accused him, my voice coming out breathy and high. “You’re holding Taylor over my head so I’ll cooperate and you’ll be able to keep your own territory with no trouble.”

  “Do you really think so?” He shook his head. “I’ll admit I have no wish to lose my territory but I am strong—I could easily find another. However, no other territory that I could find would have you as its Auditor.” He let his hands drop and stepped away from me as his voice grew colder. “Also, it’s very tiresome to have to start from scratch. I don’t choose to do that, so you will let me glamour you, Addison.”

  “But why do you even have to?” I asked, still arguing. “I mean, what will it really achieve?”

  Corbin sighed. “It will help you do what needs to be done in a sincere and non-offensive way.”

  I put a hand on my hip. “And what exactly needs to be done?”

  “You’re going to have to apologize to Roderick for your behavior last night and for speaking insultingly to him.”

  “Like hell I will!” I said hotly. “He raped and tortured my best friend! He’s lucky I don’t put a bullet in his chest.”

  “Your precious gun won’t help you with a vampire Roderick’s age,” Corbin said grimly. “And no matter what he did, he is still the Inquisitor and I am still under his jurisdiction.” He took a deep breath. “Therefore I will glamour you just enough to enable you to speak politely to him, even though we both know you have no wish to.”

  “And that’s all you’ll do to me?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “That is all. After you speak your piece to Roderick, I will release you.” He looked at me sternly. “But—and I cannot stress this enough—even without my glamour on you, you are still acting as my consort. Your job is to strengthen my position and not jeopardize my standing with the Inquisitor. You will obey my every order without question or complaint while we are with Roderick. If you do not, there will be consequences. Do you understand?”

  “I understand,” I said bitterly. “I have to play the good little consort and make nice with Roderick or you’ll make me pay.”

  “I’m trying to save you—to save both of us.” He ran a hand through his hair in a very human gesture of frustration. “Why can’t you see that I have your best interests at heart, Addison?”

  “Because no vampire I’ve ever met has,” I said. “Other than Taylor, that is. And she never wanted to be one of your kind in the first place.”

  “And you think I did? You think I—” Corbin shook his head. “Never mind.”

  “I just have one more question, Corbin,” I said, still glaring at him. “If I’m such a bad risk that you have to glamour me to keep a civil tongue in my head, why choose me to play your consort? Why not pick someone else entirely—someone more manageable?”

  He looked into my eyes. “Because, Addison, I had hoped that one day reality would mirror this fantasy that we are playing out. And there is no one I would rather have by my side.”

  I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Did he really expect us to have some kind of long term relationship after this was over? Because that was ridiculous—an Auditor couldn’t date a vamp. And besides, I was furious with him and I was pretty sure he was fairly unhappy with me, too. We would be terrible together… wouldn’t we?

  Of course you would, don’t be silly. Why are you even thinking about this? I scolded myself angrily.

  “Roderick will be here shortly,” Corbin said, breaking into my inner debate. “Come, we need to go out and get ready to greet him.” He held out his arm for me and raised one eyebrow. After a long, cold silence, I took it and we walked out of his office.

  This was not going to be fun.

  Chapter Ten

  We stepped out into the main area of the club, which looked deserted without the steady flow of human patrons looking for glam-sex and bored looking vampires looking for blood. The lights were turned up, although the area was still pretty dim, and the raised dais in the center of the club where Corbin usually sat was empty.

  And then, suddenly, it wasn’t anymore.

  In the blink of an eye Roderick was standing on the dais looking down at us. I didn’t even hear the door open and shut—he was just there without warning. The display made my gut tighten—not even Corbin was that fast.

  I took a firmer grip on the strap of my purse, glad for my hidden Glock. No matter what Corbin had said about bullets being no use against a vamp as old as Roderick, I still preferred to be armed. And if push came to shove, we’d see how well a six-star vamp stood up to hollow points filled with silver nitrate. Since the bullets explode on impact and the silver eats into the vamp like acid, I was betting Roderick would have a little more trouble with being shot than everyone seemed to think.

  “Good evening, Corbin,” Roderick said coldly. He was wearing an old fashioned suit that looked like a costume from a historical drama set in the eighteen hundreds and his dark hair was carefully coifed in place.

  “Good evening, Inquisitor.” Corbin nodded his head in a kind of half-bow. “Where is Celeste?”

  “Here.” She strolled up in a much more leisurely manner, smiling as though she didn’t have a care in the world.

  Hmm, for someone on trial she doesn’t seem too terribly upset, I thought, giving her a blank look.

  Behind Celeste trailed two human women, a tall black Amazon looking girl with cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass and a tiny petite Asian with a curtain of long black hair that fell to her waist. Both of them were dressed like me—which was to say, as if they expected to be attending a semi-formal party. Neither looked up at all but kept their eyes trained respectfully on their designer shoes.

  I wondered if I was supposed to be acting the same way—respectfully averting my eyes, acting demure—but there was no way I was going to look down in such a dangerous situation. My eyes were trained on Roderick and Celeste, both of whom could tear me limb from limb in four seconds flat if I gave them half a chance.

  “Welcome to my establishment,” Corbin said formally, making a sweeping gesture with one hand. “I would offer you refreshment but it seems you brought your own.”

  “Indeed,