Page 50 of Livewire Witch

“—they’ll take anything you give them,” a female vampire says with a derisive scoff. “All they want is to get out of their heads. They want it so bad. We could be handing them baby shit for them to snort and they would grab it with both hands and shove it up their noses.”

“Claudia,” another vamp scolds. “That’s seriously nasty.”

“But that’s only giving half the power boost. It’s fine but this latest one? The Haze when it’s released? Yeah, they lose their ever-loving minds. It’s great entertainment. Perhaps we should film it and sell the footage. Humans and idiot mages going wild.”

“No thanks,” the vamp replies. “How about the power boost, though?”

“You have to drain them all the way?” a third voice asks. “Doesn’t that take forever?”

“It’s worth it,” Claudia replies. “It’s like nothing else.”

“Any clue what they’re talking about?”Z asks. I just shake my head and shrug, leaning closer to listen in.

The three vamps have their thoughts buzzing a mile a minute, going from thought to thought so fast I can barely keep up.

“I can’t believe we might actually pull this off. Those assholes won’t know what hit them.”

“This sounds like it’s going to be fun. I haven’t fully drained someone in a long, long time.”

“Wonder how Simpson’s little pet project is going. If he’s going to be able to deliver what he promised.”

“This power boost is going to be insane.”

That seems to be something I can manage to thread together from their wild and disparate thoughts.

Power.

A power boost from... something. Something else about draining people of all their blood.

That second one rings a bell, considering how we found those bodies outside the cafe a few days ago.

I don’t entirely understand what they’re talking about, or thinking about.

When I mentally relay all this to Z, he curls his hands into fists and I can tell he’s barely controlling his temper. “Power boosts from draining people.”

“Fuck.”I shudder slightly.“We’re sitting feet away from a bunch of stone-cold killers.”

“You’re just getting that?”he snips back. “They’re vamps. Of course, they’re morally corrupt and kill people with no remorse.”

It’s getting hot in our hiding position, squished between the side of the chute and Z’s massive form that radiates heat. I’m also uncomfortable as shit and my bent position has me pushing down on my bladder.

“Think we’ve heard enough?”Zeph hisses in my head.

15

Zeph

Silver smells good.

Too damn good, it’s been distracting me all day. It’s like someone abandoned a cake in a box and left it beside me, then expected me not to touch it. All I want to do is swirl my finger through the icing and pop it in my mouth. Just one quick taste, that’s all.

These are the thoughts that have been rolling round and round in my head like a lost marble all day long.

Crazy person thoughts.

I can’t seem to shake them. Which is more than a little inconvenient, knowing that Silver can hear my thoughts if she wants to. I’ve tried to keep them quiet, but it’s only made the damn things louder. They’re like an earworm I just can’t shake.

And that’s been the extent of my day so far. Trying to focus and not get distracted by Silver.

---