Just as he passed the bar, he saw her. The girl was tiny, no more than five foot, four inches. She was definitely Asian, although Thane couldn't tell by looking if she was Chinese, Japanese, or something else. The rest of the description matched, though. Her dress was a deep red that complemented her bright lips, and her long black hair hung behind her like a curtain as she leaned in toward some young man with bright blue hair. The guy's eyes dropped to her paltry cleavage, and his smile made it clear he was definitely interested.
Then the vampire leaned closer. Just when Thane was sure she was about to sample her next victim, the girl's lips paused by his ear. As red as they were, it was easy to see them moving, then the guy nodded. Whatever she'd told him seemed to make him very happy, yet the vampire turned and simply walked away.
Right toward him.
Thane stepped up to the bar, making a point of looking at the bottles on the back shelf. The bartender came over just as the girl passed, and the tattoo on Thane's arm began to tingle. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and if he'd had any doubts about her, they vanished as the sensation grew.
The vampire paused. For a split second, she looked around, almost confused. Carefully, trying not to draw attention to himself, Thane shifted a little further away, feeling the warning fade slightly. It seemed to be enough, though, because the vampire walked on.
"I asked what you wanted!" the woman behind the bar tried again, yelling at him this time.
"Water," Thane said. "Designated driver tonight."
"Sure," she grumbled, pulling out a plastic cup to fill from the bar tap.
Thane pulled out a five, dropped that in her tip jar, and snagged his free drink. The last thing he needed to do was piss off the staff. That was a good way to get watched, and for tonight, they all wanted to go unnoticed.
The vampire had gone toward the tables that lined the dance floor. Thane followed, making sure to leave plenty of room between him and the vamp. It wasn't hard, since the traffic was moving with him. It was also carrying him out toward the dance floor.
Sadly, he hadn't found the thrall yet. As he passed a trash can, he dropped the glass of water in it, then kept going. The vamp had a table in the worst spot possible. She was in the fucking center of everything. If he wanted to keep an eye on her, his only option was to get close or...
A smile touched his face as he headed onto the dance floor. There, at the back, was a corner. It would keep him mostly out of sight, yet let him survey the entire seating area. The moment he reached his destination, Thane checked for his team. Scott was on the second floor. Brice was over by the bathrooms.
Where the fuck were Lucas and Harrison? Pulling out his phone, he selected the group chat for their team.
Thane: Got eyes on red. Any sign of silver?
Harrison: At the bar, lower level, around the corner. Looks like she just came in from the smoking porch.
Thane: Lucas?
Lucas: Look right. I'm watching red too.
Thane: There's a guy with blue hair by the first floor bar. Keep an eye on him. Red looked like she was making promises.
Brice: She was toying with a woman by the bathroom when I got here. Left as soon as I felt the ward.
Well, fuck. Were they already blown? Considering that the vampire was just sitting there as calmly as could be, he hoped not. Either that, or she was planning to set them up. Wait. Could there be more?
Thane: any other sightings, or is it just the one?
Scott: I'm doing a sweep. Just keep eyes on those two, and I'll let you know when I'm done.
Thane: If anyone else gets a tingle, let the rest of us know. Harrison, see if you can catch silver's eye and keep her there.
Then he put his phone back into his pocket. So far, so good. The Asian woman couldn't be more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. That didn't necessarily mean she'd be weak. No, the description of the kill outside had been graphic. Multiple broken bones, the kid's head bashed in, and his entire throat ripped out.
Which meant she probably didn't have control of her hunger yet. She wouldn't be able to go too long without feeding. Maybe a couple of hours at the most. Glancing at his watch, Thane realized they'd been here over twenty minutes, which meant she'd last fed about an hour ago.
Then his phone buzzed with a text notification. Pulling it out, Thane quickly read the update.
Harrison: Silver's headed that way. Tried to buy her a drink and she laughed. Doesn't look delirious. Are we sure she's not a willing participant?
Thane: Nope, but doesn't matter. Plan is still the same. Separate, remove red, and see what we can do with silver after.
He sent the message and looked up just in time to see the supposed thrall. Silver didn't begin to describe her dress. It was tiny, shiny, and sparkly. The blonde didn't look like she was being mind-controlled. She looked amazing. Better, if that was possible. The woman was fucking gorgeous.
He had to give it to the vampire. She'd picked one hell of an accessory.