Dark, narrow stairs awaited Lyla. Lennon was behind her, and Merissa was halfway up the staircase. Adley was already at the top, his nose to the ground as he followed the scent. He'd picked up Eloise and a lot of other things that he told Lennon about. Lennon did not relay the information to Lyla. He knew that there were some things that a mother should not hear.

The scent of drugs, alcohol and a whole lot of sex. Lennon believed that there was a good chance that the kid was just here to be seen, living in the hope of being noticed. Until there was solid evidence that Eloise was misbehaving, he'd remain quiet.

Giving Lyla a gentle push, Lennon urged her to go up the stairs. Apprehension was rife. Lyla feared what was at the top of the stairs. It was the office section of a warehouse. The lower level was filled with ravers.

Access to the upper level was not through the unofficial club. It was through a door at the back of the building. After seeing the heavily guarded front door which was the club access, they knew that getting in would be impossible.

Lyla thought that anything was possible for the right price, but Merissa told her that in the vampire world, money didn't always buy access. Sometimes, gaining entry to a place was never going to happen through the proper channels. That's why they'd ventured to the rear of the building to find a restroom window or similar.

What they found was far more intriguing. It was the proper access point for those who were a part of the elite, as Lennon put it. Lyla noted with a lot of interest that they did not say this guy's name. They all knew they were speaking about the same person, but she had no idea who he was.

Her legs felt heavy as she slowly climbed the staircase. Merissa was standing at the doorway, waiting for Lyla to reach her. She offered a sympathetic smile because the place was deserted.

"The fire has spread," Merissa whispered.

"What does this mean?"

"It means that he knows that someone is looking for him," Lennon muttered tersely.

They wandered through the vast area that was sectioned off into smaller areas with thin red voile drapes. Some of the areas were empty. Others had various pieces of furniture in them. Beds, armchairs, loveseats.

At the end of the room was a larger area. A wall of crystal beads sectioned it off from the rest of the area. Beyond the shimmering wall was a wide and deep bed-like lounge. Pillows scattered across it and one werewolf sniffing madly.

Adley growled in low and short grunts. Merissa glanced curiously at Lennon. She wondered if he'd tell the human what Adley was saying. Lennon frowned at Merissa, a wordless gesture to remain quiet. Lyla did not need to know that Adley was picking up a lot of the one kind of scent.

"Was Eloise here?"

"In this room, yes, but not here specifically. He's just going crazy because it's close to the moon."

"Full moon?"

"Yeah. Wait till he rips out a howl, then you'll see a new side of him. Come on, this way."

When Lennon wrapped his arm around Lyla's shoulders to lead her away, he glanced back at Merissa. She stalked the werewolf with desperate hunger.

With a grunt of realisation, Adley stopped sniffing and looked at the ravenous vampire. He gave her a knowing smile, feeling his own voracious need. The offer had been made and accepted, all without a single word said.

"What did he find?" Lyla whispered.

"Do you really want to know? Your kid wasn't found over there. Adley said there's a concentration of her over here."

Lyla looked around at the circle of lounges pressed hard against the three walls that formed a small room. She thought that the dull and dirty green painted walls were too grungy for her and definitely too much for Eloise. Except, she'd been here.

Was it of her own free will, or was there something wrong with this situation?

"How much can Adley tell me about this place? It's rather different from the other section."

She felt dirty just standing in the area, yet she hadn't touched a single wall. As for the lounges, there was no way in hell she would sit on them. Lyla wondered what Eloise was doing in here. Did she lean on the wall, disgusted by the dirty lounge as well, or did she sit down without a care for what the stains might be?

Lennon sighed heavily as he leaned on the wall, looking at the worried mother. The tears were restrained, wilfully held back, but Lennon knew that one wrong move and he'd break her. Delicate steps were necessary. She had to be told the truth but to do it with the least amount of pain would be the kindest thing he could do for her. No one should suffer like this, least of all a mother.

"Adley can tell you what he smells. We can all tell you what we know about what usually goes on in a place like this."

"Why won't you say his name?"

"It's safer not to. This is the waiting room. Those that want to be a part of that world are told to wait here. If a vampire is interested in what a human in this area can offer them, they're taken into the other area. What can happen beyond this doorway is any number of things. Death is usually the least of all, as most vampires tend to find dead bodies rather repulsive. That doesn't mean to say that it won't or doesn't happen. We're talking about one particular vampire, and he's not a death dealer."

"A what?"

The vampire shrugged, feeling the unease of her scrutiny. Walking the mile was a stupid thing for any human but for a young woman, it was downright dangerous.

"Death dealers are vampires that deal in death, obviously. They create auction like situations where vampires come in and buy a human for feeding. The humans are usually homeless, sex workers or snatched off the street. Snatching is rare, and when it happens, the death dealers usually take older humans. The young are always lured in by the other kind of dealers in our world."

"No," Lyla whispered.

"I'm sorry to say that it is the case if she's with this particular dealer. He doesn't snatch. He gives them an opportunity. Whatever is offered must be pretty good because I've heard that his strike rate is exceptional. One smooth salesman with a charming attitude. All he needs to be is complimentary, offering the world. What is delivered could be the complete opposite, but that doesn't matter. My guess is that once they accept, there is no escape."