IM03 - Pandora's Box by Katie Salidas Page A

Lysander’s arm. I hadn’t dealt with many strange vampires before. I wasn’t exactly sure if they’d be friendly or not.
    “We are fine here,” Lysander said confidently and walked us toward an open table.
    The strange vampire eyed us suspiciously. She was tall, dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, a tee-shirt with the bar’s logo on it, and an apron. On top of her head was a thick pouf of tightly spiraled raven-black hair. It framed her face like a dark halo. Unlike me, with my very pale milky-white skin, she could still pass for human without wearing makeup. Her skin, though visibly lighter than it had probably been when she was human, was a muted café au lait , though I doubted any human would notice the light color in the dimly-lit bar. Only her eyes would give her away as something different. She had the same light blue-grey eyes all vampires shared.
     We took spots at a tiny table at the edge of the bar, along the wall. As soon as we sat down, the strange woman was at our sides.
    “On ya’ best behavior, you two,” she warned in a thick Boston accent. “I ain’t cleaning up messes tonight.”
    She narrowed her eyes and inspected us.
    “Can you suggest any good places to eat?” Lysander asked arching an eyebrow at her. “We’re only in town for a few days and wanted to sample local cuisine.”
    She leaned in between us, resting her elbows on the table. “I don’t wanna know where the deed goes down, just stay away from tourist traps. Boston don’t need bad press. It’s bad for business, ya feel me? You hungry for some local game, you keep it off the radar.”
    “Of course.” Lysander smiled and nodded. “My mate Alyssa and I are just here for some sightseeing. We’re not planning to cause any trouble.”
    “Good. I’m Zuri, by the way.” She smiled finally, having given us our official warning, and placed a card on the table. “If you do make a mess, call this number. We don’t need the Saints knocking down our door.”
    That I found both interesting and shocking. Vamps carrying around business cards and offering cleanup service. That went against everything Lysander had told me about us being solitary creatures. It seemed Zuri belonged to a very organized group. I filed my questions away under “things to ask Lysander later” and returned my attention to the conversation.
    “Thank you for the information,” Lysander said. He picked up the card and slid it into his pocket. “We are well aware of the rules of secrecy. You will not be troubled by us.”
    “Yeah,” Zuri snorted and rolled her eyes. “They all say that. And then we get Santino snooping around with his band of mercenaries.”
    “Santino won’t be causing any trouble anymore,” Lysander said with an air of superiority.
    “Really?” Now it was Zuri’s turn to quirk an eyebrow at Lysander. “Someone finally kill that old bastard?”
    Lysander wobbled his head a bit in neither a confirming nor denying gesture. “Let’s just say he’s been taken out of commission.”
    “Yeah,” I added enthusiastically. “We’ve just dealt a crippling blow to the Acta Sanctorum’s west coast operations.”
    “Well, cheers to that. Now that you mention it, I had heard something about Mr. Badass being sent to early retirement. Kudos to you for being a part of the solution. Now, should I bring ya a beer so ya don’t look like the only ones in the bar not drinkin’?”
    “You work here?” I asked.
    She scoffed and shook her head. “You must be new. Either that or Handsome here is loaded.”
    “Right on both accounts,” I laughed.
    “Take it from me sista’, ya want your own cash.” She nodded at Lysander.  “No offence to you, but pretty boy might not be around forever.”
    I caught a hint of anger in her last words and took it to mean her own maker or mate must have left her to fend for herself. 
    “How long have you been here… like this?” I asked cautiously.
    She shot a smile at Lysander who had folded his hands