Yvonne frowned as soon as she saw him and cursed under her breath. She covered the deck with her hands, but it sounded like her failure to read the cards had been discovered already. I was more worried about how the shaman knew they wouldn't work.

"What do you want, Charlie? Can't you see I'm with a customer?"

He raised his brows. "Not much of a customer if you ask me."

I stood up. That was my cue to go. The shaman took a step back into the doorway and spread his feet apart. His face could have been set in stone.

"Let me pass," I said through gritted teeth.

He turned his gaze on Yvonne. "I said your cards won't work on her. Magic doesn't work on her."

I cursed myself for being stupid enough to allow the reading.

Yvonne frowned. "Who are you that my magic doesn't work? What are you doing to prevent it?"

Her stirrings of resentment pushed at my senses. I moved as close to the door as I dared. Charlie didn't budge an inch. He didn't show any emotion either, which made it hard for me to get a read on him. With no way out, I was stuck, but if it came down to it I'd climb over the shaman to get away.

"Don't push her, Yvonne," he said. "There aren't many of her kind left. She is rare but harmless for the most part. She should have known better than to trick you, though." He shot a disapproving look in my direction.

I shrugged while keeping my hands in my pockets where a couple of small knives rested. The gun would be too loud and draw attention. My body backed up against the wall so no one could come from behind. It allowed me to keep both the man and woman in my view-her in front of me and him to the right. I needed to be ready in case they attacked. Neither appeared as threatening as the witch in Monterey, but the shaman was far more powerful.

"How do you know what I am?" I asked in a tight voice.

"I've seen it. Trouble is brewing among the supernaturals in this area. Has been for some time, and you have the ability to make it stop."

The glare I shot at him didn't seem to have any effect. "I don't have any business with the supernaturals. I'm here to find a friend."

Charlie shook his head. "If you continue to believe that, you'll not succeed in getting her back. There is much more for you to accomplish on your quest than you realize. You have to help set things right."

I didn't want to be tied to anything of that nature. "Sounds like a problem for you supernaturals to deal with, not me."

He sighed.

"It is you, have no doubt in that." He nodded at the picture of Aniya I'd left sitting on Yvonne's table during the reading. "That girl drew you here, did she not?"

I glanced at the solitary photo laying on a black sea of silk. It looked as alone there as my friend probably felt right now.

"What do you know of her?" I asked. If he had answers, I wanted them.

"Not much, but she isn't gonna be easy to get back. I doubt they'll let her go at this point."

"They?"

"The dark ones. I did my best to make them leave when they took over a few years back, but have only succeeded in keeping most of them out of town. They need to be removed, but the only one who could do it has been put under a spell."

I scowled at him. "What does that have anything to do with me and my missing friend?"

"If you broke the spell, which binds the one we need, all will be set right and you could get your friend back."

He was speaking the truth, but that didn't make me feel better. "Who is this person that is so important?"

Charlie clasped his hands behind his back. "He is a very old vampire who ruled the supernaturals in this area for more than four decades before he was removed from power. His name is Nikolas."

I let out a nervous laugh. "And you want me to break a spell so he can come back?"

Charlie nodded.

"No."

"You'll have to do it, Melena, if you want to save your friend. Resist the things I'm telling you now, but it will make things harder for you in the future. You know this to be true. Your abilities would tell you if I lied."

I flinched. Maybe I should try a different line of questioning. "How do you know my name?"

He smiled. "I know many things."

I stepped toward the door.

"That isn't possible. Now let me pass." My voice might have come out a shade panicky, but it couldn't be helped.

"Very well. Go now, sensor, but remember my words. You'll do the right thing when the time comes."

He bowed his head and moved aside. Yvonne said nothing during this time. She had listened to our conversation, but hadn't given any feelings away. As an afterthought, I grabbed the picture of Aniya off the table before turning back to the shaman.

"Will you be warning the dark ones about me?"

"Your secret is safe with us." He nodded toward Yvonne to include her. "We are no threat to you."

He told the truth and, for now, that was enough for me. I nodded and walked out.

His parting words floated over me as I rushed away. "May the wisdom of your ancestors guide you."

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Chapter Six.

Three days of fruitless searching, along with daily lunches at Emily's, and I found myself returning to the one place Aniya had been seen. No one else had recognized her and my options were running out.

It had been frustrating, going from one establishment to another as I tried to ignore the warning Charlie had given me. No matter what my senses said about his honesty, I didn't know him or trust him. After visiting Pioneer Park, I checked other places including more bars, restaurants, and shops. To be thorough, I even stopped by a few clinics and the hospital, but not one trace of her could be found.

My ability to work around sups had become better. I'd even followed a few in the hopes they would lead me back to Aniya. They seemed to be everywhere, in one form or another, but no new leads had come up. Each day that passed pushed my sense of urgency higher until coming back here was the only choice I had left.

Everything at the bar looked the same as my last visit, except now it was Friday night and most of the twenty-plus tables were full. Luckily for me, a small table in a semi-dark corner was vacated by a young couple right after my arrival. I managed to grab it before anyone else got there.

Matt showed up about fifteen minutes later. He appeared to be alone this time, since his friend was nowhere in sight. Deciding he would make a better companion than some of the other patrons, I motioned him over. His eyes lit up in recognition when he saw me.

"Have a seat," I offered.

He smiled and took the chair I indicated. "Didn't expect to see you here after your quick getaway the other night."

I shrugged. "Something came up, sorry."

"So, what are you doing here tonight?"

"What does it look like?" I held my drink up.

"Yeah, I guess that was a dumb question," he admitted. "Any luck finding your friend?"

"No." I sighed. "Still searching."

His brows drew together. "It's weird that she disappeared like that without a trace."

"Yes, it is," I said. Of course, now I had a better idea of why. The vampires had her.

"I have to admit, if my best friend was missing, I'd be out searching too." He shook his head. "Have you tried talking to the police?"

"Yeah, but they won't help. They think she ran off with some guy she met here and will turn up eventually."

Matt took a chug of his beer. "Are you sure that isn't what happened? She looked mighty comfortable with that guy I saw her with..."

I slammed my drink down. The remnants splashed from the glass and sprayed across the table. Matt froze in his seat, face lined in shock. All the frustration I'd kept bottled inside came rising to the top. I gave him the glare to end all glares.

"Don't you think I know my best friend well enough to recognize when something is wrong? She wouldn't abandon the people she cares about. The life she was building for herself. You don't know anything about her!"

Several people nearby turned to look at us. Matt flushed at their attention and raised his hands in surrender.

"I wasn't trying to offend you," he said in a calm voice. "The first step is to eliminate the obvious. You have to know that."

I continued to glower at him, my teeth grinding to keep from saying anything I would regret. It wasn't easy, but more people were watching us now. I didn't want to make things worse. That much of my common sense still functioned.

"Look, I didn't mean to make you mad. Sorry to have upset you." Matt stood. A hurt expression covered his face. "Good luck finding your friend."

Guilt crept up as I watched him walk away. His back was ramrod straight. He wasn't the enemy, the sups were. Matt had been trying to help. It didn't make sense to jump down his throat for something he had no part in. I needed to get myself together and remember where to direct my frustrations.

Plus, I didn't want to scare him off-the arrival of several vamps in the parking lot prompted me to be reasonable. They had impeccable timing. I'd been so caught up in my anger, their presence hadn't even blipped on my radar. In a desperate bid, I called out to him.

"Wait, Matt, come back."

He turned and raised an inquiring brow.

"Please...sit. Let's start over." People were staring at us again, but I didn't care. The vamps were making their way toward the building and the tension was building in my head. They loved finding people sitting alone and I didn't want to be their next meal. In my case, blood would tell.

He wavered in his stance and I couldn't blame him. I had yelled at him in front of a large crowd of strangers. My pleading expression must have been pathetic enough because he came back.

After he sat down, I held out my hand. "I'm Melena Sanders."

A smile twitched on his face as his palm met mine, shaking with a firm grip before letting go. Matt had all-American looks, which must have attracted a lot of women. He probably wasn't used to ones like me going off on him, especially not in public.

"Matt Burrows," he replied.

We started over from there and I was glad I'd changed my attitude toward him. I had no allies in this place and having someone to talk to gave me a chance to relax. Matt kept up a light conversation with me by chatting about his time in Alaska, explaining how the climate and locale weren't all that great for him. He couldn't wait until his time ended with the army and he could go back home to Houston. I told him about my own career, allowing a few details to slip for the sake of conversation.

Matt didn't see the sups when they came in. I'd taken the best position at the corner table to observe the room. From lowered lids, I kept a close watch on the trio. At least the physical pain of being near them wasn't as difficult as it had been before. My senses were growing used to their presence.

It appeared they had come in for a drink, though not the same kind as the rest of us in the bar. I did my best to keep up my half of the conversation with Matt, not wanting him to notice my divided attention.

The vampires had made their rounds and settled across the room where a few of the younger locals congregated. I caught the darkening of the vampire's eyes as they mesmerized the group. Their guarded expressions at the vamps arrival changed to relaxed ones after a glance from the predators.

My gut churned while watching them. The humans would walk away later with only a little less blood for their troubles. Charlie probably had something to do with their restraint. He was powerful enough to enforce some discipline on these weaker sups, but that knowledge didn't give me much comfort.

During the times I'd followed the vamps, I had learned a few things about them. My main objective had been to get a location on Aniya, but observing them had helped me learn their methods and get used to being near them. I was relieved they didn't kill any humans on my watch, but it frustrated me that none of them had led me to my friend. There had to be a central location in the area where they congregated. In most cases, it would be the master sup's home or business, but so far nothing had turned up.

Seeing these latest guys gave me hope. They were a different set of vamps than the ones I'd seen before. They appeared well dressed, in pleated slacks and dark button up shirts. Even their shoes shined. The way they all carried themselves with a degree of self-importance made me think they could be part of the master sup's inner circle. It wouldn't hurt to follow them tonight and see where they went.

"So, you've heard all about me. What about you? Aside from the military, that is," Matt inquired, bringing my awareness back to him.

"What do you want to know?" I asked. My attention was half on his question and half on strategizing a way to trail these new guys without them noticing. They looked more alert than the previous ones.

"I don't know. Simple stuff like where you live now."

"California," I replied, shifting my body toward Matt so my voice could be kept low.

"Oh, well, that's cool. Guess you like it there."

I shrugged. "It's home."

"Yeah, suppose so. How about I get us some more drinks?" he suggested. "Yours is looking a little empty."

In fact, I had gulped most of it down when the vamps came in.

"That would be great." I said with a smile. At least it would give me a reprieve from his questions. The last thing I wanted was to discuss personal stuff while vampires with excellent hearing were in the room.

Matt didn't take as long as I would have liked. A few minutes later he returned with fresh glasses, mine with Long Island Iced Tea. His had some locally brewed beer.

"Thanks," I told him, taking a sip to find it tasted perfect. He'd asked about the mixture earlier after noticing the reddish color mine had. Not many people requested grenadine in this particular drink. I took another healthy swallow to calm my nerves.

"No problem," he said with a laugh. "Guess you needed it."

I took a slower sip the next time. It wouldn't be good to appear like a lush and I did have to drive again soon.

A serious expression spread across Matt's face, catching my attention. He took a quick glance back toward the vamps on the other side of the bar. They all seemed engrossed with their prey and paid us no attention. Matt must have seen that as well because he leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Those guys over there in the corner, do you see them?" I nodded as if I hadn't been watching them the whole time. "One of them is the guy I saw with your friend that night."