Sunset Strip: A Tale From The Tome Of Bill Read Free

is.
    “Sorry for that bit of rudeness,” I said. “They’re still being housetrained.”
    Christy gave a half smile in return. “It’s okay. I imagine I’m not...”
    “What the fuck is that doing here?”
    I stifled a sigh. I had thought Firebird was out perfecting her blowjob skills for the evening.
    “She’s here under truce,” I replied, turning to face her. “Run along and play, Betty . I’m sure there’s an alleyway somewhere you can be making a quick buck in.” I should have paid her the same heed as the other vamp. The red-headed slut thought she was my equal, but she wasn’t even in the same league. Fuck that. She wouldn’t have been able to afford a goddamn ticket to my ballpark.
    She narrowed her eyes, probably more so at my dismissive use of her real name than my comment. She played the part of the not-so-blonde bombshell, but I’d known her before that. Hell, her hair wasn’t even naturally that color...more of a mousy brown.
    “Truce?” She raised her voice to get the attention of the entire room. “Isn’t she one of the witches who’s been trying to murder our leader, the illustrious Freewill?”
    I rolled my eyes. Illustrious Freewill ? Someone must’ve subscribed to the Word of the Day. Her usage was laughable, though. She’d been badmouthing him behind his back since the day he took over from Jeff, our previous leader. Unfortunately, Bill tended to not notice such things - he was usually too busy staring at her tits. Legendary Freewill he might be, but that didn’t make him immune to being a desperate male.
    She stepped dangerously close to me. “Is your position so weak that you’d consort with the creatures who have been trying to kill our master?”
    Behind me, I sensed Christy tense up. Though I wouldn’t shed any tears at seeing Firebird turned into a roasted turkey, this was my problem. The bitch had stepped way out of line. “Back off, Firebird. This isn’t your concern.”
    “A real leader would have killed this thing the second the door was opened - but not you. My, how far you’ve fallen, little Lucinda .”
    Did she just say...? Oh, this two-bit tramp was definitely gonna get it.
    I turned my head toward Christy. She had one eyebrow raised questioningly. I smiled and gave her a single shake of my head.
    In that moment, Firebird - emboldened by the fact that I’d broken eye contact with her - stepped up to me. Some people are just so predictable.
    I waited for her to speak.
    “Maybe it’s time we picked a new...”
    Without bothering to turn around, I brought my hand up - claws elongating mid-swing. Firebird was a lover - an undiscerning one, at that - not a fighter. I turned back to her just as she shrieked and raised her hands to cover her ruined eyes.
    “You fucking bitch!” she screamed. “I’m going to...”
    I should’ve torn out her tongue, too. I hit her again before she could finish the sentence, which shut her up as she fell to the floor. Oh well, being overly merciful has always been one of my vices
    I inclined my head to the two vamps nearest me, my meaning clear. They grabbed Firebird and dragged her from my sight.
    I would be well within my rights to have killed her. Hell, a coven master was more or less free to do as they pleased. I briefly remembered back to Jeff’s reign. He was an asshole for whom there was no such thing as too much abuse of power.
    Unfortunately, she’d done her damage. Most of the others hadn’t met Bill, but I’d been sure to fill their heads with as much bullshit about him as I could shovel. Firebird spilling the beans about Christy being one of Harry Decker’s crew wasn’t ideal. I didn’t have to answer to any of them, but things were tenuous enough as it was. It was probably best to discuss matters with Christy elsewhere
    All will be dragged screaming into a sea of boiling death!
    Shit! The fucking skull was starting up again. Definitely time to go.
    “Oh my god! That sounded like Har...”
    “Truce is