Page 32 of That Mafioso Magic
The blood of a griezel wouldn’t do. They were animated dead, for sure. But they didn’t straddle the line. Not the way a vampire did. Vampires were forever on the cusps of life and death. Their souls locked inside, their bodies living dead, yet alive. The blood still flowed through their veins. Their hearts still beat inside their chests. Problem was, I didn’t personally know any vampires. Even more of a problem, how was I going to get their blood?
Shi entered my office, closing the door behind her. “Please tell me you found something in that book that will save him.”
I wiped at my eyes, because I’d been up for over twenty-four hours and I was exhausted. “I… I think so.”
“How come you don’t sound more hopeful?” she asked, stepping closer to my desk.
I sighed heavily. “Because I’m not sure if I will be able to get the main ingredient for the spell.”
“What is it? I’ll make sure you get it.”
“I’m going to need vampire blood.”
She bit her bottom lip, and I could literally see the gears in her head turning. “If I attack a vampire, it will start a war. That’s a problem we don’t need. But there may be a way.”
“Well, I’m listening.”
“He’s a son of a bitch and I hate that I’m even suggesting him to you. But we’ll deal with the fallout after we save Sage.”
I held up a hand. “Hold on, what kind of fall out?” I needed to know just what the fuck I was getting myself into.
“Does it matter if you need vampire blood to save Sage?” she asked, hand going to her hip.
“It does if I die in the process,” I pointed out.
“That’s not the kind of fallout I’m talking about.”
“I’m still waiting.”
She sneered. “The vampire Archduke of Chicago’s south and east side, Salino Laurent.”
Now that was a name I knew of. I’d only seen photos of Salino Laurent, but I knew he was a vampire. They pretty much left us alone, even though I’d heard that mages who did share their blood with vampires were a hot commodity amongst their kind. Our blood was like a drug to them, but the fact that we knew magic kept them in check. Good thing, too, because we would get snatched up and farmed for our blood until we were extinct.
“What do you know about him?” Shi asked me.
I shrugged. “Not much. I know he’s extremely rich, head of a few charities, and a socialite.”
“He also has had his eyes on Sage’s territory for decades.”
Ah, now I knew what she meant when she said there’d be fallout. “You think he’s going to try to bargain for it?”
“Oh, no doubt, he will. We need to make sure we protect what Sage has,” she said.
“Let’s get the vampire blood first, unless you know of another way to get some?”
“We need it now, right?”
I nodded. “The spell will fade in less than three hours.”
“Then, let’s go. We don’t have time to see if there is another way.”
She opened the office door and I snatched the book up. “I’ll be back,” I said as I ran into my apartment to hide the book inside the safe. I then returned to Shi, meeting her in the lobby. And for the first time, I noticed that the lobby was crowded with about twelve extra people. Eight women and four men. I knew the men were from Sage’s mobster family. No one bothered to hide their guns in their holsters. The females were all shifters, I could sense their auras, and like the men, they looked like they were ready for war. They guarded Sage’s body, making sure to protect him.
“Let’s go,” Shi said.
I blinked and made my way through the crowd that was standing around Sage.
“Where are you going?” Xavier asked.
