Bloodguilty Read Free Page B

hard to distinguish from the shadow that fell over him. "I'm Casimir."
    "Mikki," he mumbled, confirming what Beryl had said. He lifted his head and frowned. "Do you smell that?"
    "I smell burned flesh," Casimir said. "In any case, it's a little early for breakfast, but I'd like to take you out for a meal to thank you."
    Mikki's frown deepened. "I smell blood. Let me guess: you're a vampire. Fangs are a dead giveaway, anyway."
    "That would be a good guess. Yes, I'm a vampire," Casimir admitted. "But I'm not inviting you out because I was planning on making a meal of you ." He raked his eyes critically over Mikki's whip-thin body. "You look like you don't eat enough as it is, and I have nothing else to thank you with, unless you accept sexual favors."
    He was teasing, but Mikki didn't look any less annoyed. "Look, I know that is going to make me sound like a dick, but I don't trust strange monsters. Especially ones that prey on humans… and especially vampires."
    Casimir put up both hands. "I was under the impression that there weren't many vampires here."
    "There's not, but the ones that are here are assholes. Especially Jared."
    "Jared?" He let his hands drop.
    "Yeah, he's the leader, I guess. You know him?"
    Casimir bit his lip, wincing when his fangs broke through the skin. The human gestures came out sometimes, despite him having long learned better. Doubly so when he was under stress. "It answers a few of my questions," he replied, licking away the faint taste of iron.
    Mikki took a step back towards the alley. "Well, you do whatever you have to do and get out. I'll be keeping an eye on you. Don't make a mess."
    "I'll do my best." Casimir wasn't going to hold his gun to Mikki's head and force him to come to dinner. "One more thing, though: can you tell me where I could rent a room? I figure you must know where everything is in this city."
    He expected Mikki to blow him off, but he said, "If you go past the Jewel Box, there's a brown brick building about two blocks away. It's a hotel. The centaur who runs it is a mean son of a bitch, so watch what you say."
    "I'll do that. Thanks, Mikki."
    "Yeah, sure."Mikki started to move back into the alley.
    "Are you sure I can't take you out for food? I was being serious about that."
    Mikki snorted. "Nothing about the idea of a vampire taking me out for food makes me feel good."
    "Fair enough, I guess," Casimir said, but he was talking to the empty air. Mikki was already gone.

Chapter Four
    Mikki wasn't kidding—the centaur that ran the inn was a mean son of a bitch. He glared down at Casimir from his towering height, a frown etched into his craggy face, hooves scraping sharply against the stone floor. After repeated assurances that he wasn't, in fact, here to feed on centaur, a key was reluctantly tossed at him.
    Casimir went up to his room and, after closing the door, laid his bag on the bed. There were a few sets of clothes inside, but what he was looking for was underneath. The stakes came out first—a half-dozen of them, made from an ash tree. He didn't know if the type of wood actually mattered, or if that was just folklore, but Casimir decided not to take chances with it.
    He may have lost his butterfly knife to the blob monster, but his Bowie knife was still in the bag. It was as good for intimidation as it was for cutting. Apparently, cowboys used them in the Wild West a few hundred years ago. He wouldn't know; he was only fifty himself.
    Wrapped in a shirt was his .357 magnum revolver. Casimir was told it was a Ruger when he bought it, but the brand name didn't mean anything to him. The pistol he carried in his pocket was a 9mm, and ammunition for that was rare. .357 rounds were rarer than diamonds, and probably even more valuable now. He kept it only for desperate situations.
    Before he could start putting everything back away, he heard a knock on the door. Throwing clothes over his weapons, he opened the door a crack, then completely when he saw who was on the other