He blinked, adjusting his eyes to the darkness, then moved down the hallway. It opened into the dance floor.
The vampires who had fled were now standing in a semi-circle. Two held metal baseball bats, and two held shotguns.
“No dancing tonight,” he said, taking in the empty space.
“If it isn’t the king,” someone said from the back.
The four-armed vampires stepped aside, and a short, bald vampire who looked to be in his fifties walked forward. He carried the presence of an elder.
“We’re still cleaning up the mess from your unannounced visit,” he said.
“Is that so? Sorry about that. Someone important to me was in here and I needed to get him.”
“He had no right being in here, and neither do you,” the elder replied.
Alexander shrugged and walked to the bar. He pulled out a chair and sat down.
“There are pressing circumstances that bring me here. The vampires who were here yesterday, where are they? I need to see them.”
The elder let out a long, tired breath. “What did I just say? You have no right to be here, Alexander. The families are none of your concern. We will let what happened yesterday slide since you have been through a lot and may have forgotten our agreement. But with due respect, I would like you to leave now.”
Alexander rose from his chair and walked toward him. “I am not asking, Elder. And as for our agreement, I remember it. And it can be revoked at any moment.”
He lowered his sword, the tip scraping along the ground as he advanced.
“This can be peaceful, or very painful.”
“You have no right. We don’t recognize you as our king,” the elder said, swallowing hard.
“I know. Where are they?” Alexander asked.
“They didn’t come in to work,” he said.
“Do you know where they live?”
“Please. This will start a war. You can’t do this.”
“The war has already begun,” Alexander said. “Speak.”
“I only know of the four who worked the door,” the elder said through gritted teeth, hate burning in his eyes. “Their sire is Randal Thornton.”
“And the others?”
“They came from out of town. I have no idea who they are. We have a lot of vampires who visit our club. We can’t keep track of all of them.”
“Okay. Take me to Thornton’s house.”
“You can’t…”
“I think we’ve already discussed what I can and cannot do,” Alexander said. He stepped to the side and pointed down the dark hallway. “Please, lead the way.”
The elder stared at him for a beat, then gave a reluctant nod. He disappeared into thin air, leaving behind a faint trail of his scent for Alexander to follow. Alexander had expected him to run or mask his presence, but he didn’t.
They reappeared in the backyard of a two-story house. Distant chatter and traffic filled the silence.
The elder walked to the door and knocked.
Greer, Micca, and Darius appeared a few seconds later.