Nina looked away. “Any person could learn to do it, too.”
“Well, the veiling was one thing, but the rest … I’ve worked in the Underworld for a long time, Nina. I’ve worked with vampires, werewolves, even hobgoblins, and I’ve never even seen a hint of this kind of”—I shuddered again—“destruction.”
Nina raised a sculpted eyebrow.
“Not even from zombies,” I added. “Or ghouls.”
“Well,” Nina said, sitting forward, “remember when that Chaos demon ate your goldfish? That was pretty destructive.”
“A Chaos demon ate your goldfish?” Vlad said. “Cool.”
“It was not cool,” I snapped. “He swallowed Tipsy whole And the little plastic pirate ship she was hiding in. But the stupid demon didn’t rip her heart out.”
Nina shrugged, letting one elegantly slim arm hang over the arm of the couch.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Soph,” Nina started. “It certainly could be human. I’ve definitely seen a lot of crazy lunatic breathers in my day. Or days.”
“And people think we’re the monsters,” Vlad said.
Nina grinned then, her little fangs blue-white against her bright red lipstick. “So, what are you up to tonight?”
I glanced at the clock, then nodded toward my bedroom. “I can’t think of anything other than sleep.” I tapped my chest. “Breather, remember? We thrive on sleep. What about you?”
Nina gave me a smug smile and headed toward our guest room, which doubled as her enormous, stuffed-to-the-gills closet. “I am introducing my baby nephew Louis—”
“Aunt Nina, it’s Vlad!” Vlad moaned.
Nina rolled her eyes. “Whatever. We’re going to a new all-night club. It just opened right off the Haight. It’s called Dirt.”
I wrinkled my nose. “A club called Dirt?”
She raised a pleased eyebrow. “It’s strictly provamp. And way more breather-acceptable than its predecessor, Blood.”
“Do you have something to wear, Vlad?” Nina asked, stressing his name.
Vlad stood, smoothing his vest. “I’m wearing this.”
Nina poked her head out of her closet. “Awesome. I’m going to the hottest new club in town with a Halloween costume. Just”—she scrutinized Vlad’s suit—“don’t walk too close to me.”
“Hey,” I called, following Nina into her room as she nearly disappeared behind a lacy heap of vintage Betsey Johnson dresses. “How’d it go with Mr. Sampson tonight? Did you have any trouble with the chains? Sometimes the ankle lock sticks.”
“Ankle lock?” Vlad asked.
“Sampson’s a werewolf,” I called over my shoulder.
Vlad shrugged and went back to playing his game.
Nina stopped her rushed plow through her pillaged couture, and her head popped up, a silky cashmere tank top bunched around her thin shoulders.
I crossed my arms, panicked. “You did remember to chain Mr. Sampson, didn’t you?”
She gently gnawed on her bottom lip. “It’s not even a full moon, Soph. He’ll be fine, right?”
“Nina!”
She struggled into her tank top and stepped into a pair of deep-purple suede mules. “So I forgot this one time! I’ll do it tomorrow. No big.”
“You can’t just do it tomorrow!” I threw back the curtains and stared out the window, my eyes searching the inky night sky for the moon. “You have to chain him every night.”
Nina came out of her room, straightening her going-out clothes. “I thought that was just precautionary.”
I let out a long sigh, rubbing my temples. “It is—kind of. Werewolf evolution is so rapid. But”—I glanced outside again—“we have to do it. Every night.”
Nina bit her lip, looking apologetic. I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Don’t worry, Nina. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks,” she said, wrapping her tiny cold hands around my forearms. “I promise I won’t forget again. Besides”—she shrugged, her shoulders delicate and starkly pale against the black straps of her tank—“Sampson will be so happy to see you.”
A zip of heat rushed up the back of my neck, and I indulged in the me-and-Mr. Sampson fantasy for a split second before deciding to give up romance novels for good. The surge of estrogen obviously had my hormones in overdrive.
“Come on, Vlad, we’re going to Dirt!”
Nina gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and tucked a beaded gold Armani clutch under one arm. She did a quick spin, her glossy black hair fanning around her head, her makeup perfect on her poreless face. “Good?” she asked.
“Good.” I nodded, hugging her cold form close to me. “You guys have a nice time. And be safe, okay?”
Nina pulled away and bared her fangs, her delicate features going sharp and bloodthirsty in a split second. Vlad grinned, his own sharp fangs exposed.