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the one killing last night, there must be another new blood walking around. With any luck, it won’t be one of our own. I’ve called a meeting with the other covens. Whoever this rogue is, we’ll sniff him out.”
    “And Kassy?”
    “She stays with you. You’re not to leave this building.”
    “But we’ll need to feed soon.”
    “Then make use of the blood den in the basement since you couldn’t be bothered to add your little treat to the donors list. I’ll return before daylight.” He turned to leave. “Oh, and Alex?”
    I raised my eyebrows at him.
    “We aren’t done here yet. You went against protocol, and this imbalance between covens cannot continue.” With that, he left, assigning a pair of guards outside to watch—and hear—our every move.
    It’s going to be a long day.

Chapter Five
     
     
     
    After I’d convinced Kassy that drinking from a donor was a lot better than trading blood with me, we got dressed and headed down to the basement. Much like our fully furnished room, the basement was covered in hardwood floors with lights hanging from the ceiling. My stomach turned, the stench of stale blood entering my system well before we’d got down the stairs.
    Kassy wrinkled her nose and looked at me, her eyes full of questions I wasn’t sure I could answer. I squeezed her hand, which must’ve offered enough reassurance to get her down the rest of the steps.
    “You get used to it,” I explained as we approached a brunette behind the booth.
    To a human, it might have resembled a bar of some kind with private rooms all along the hall. To us? We weren’t here for the booze. I released Kassy’s hand and nodded to the brunette protected by glass walls.
    “Tell her who you are,” I instructed when Kassy gave me a questioning glance. “Think of it as if you were going to the bar. You’ll have a running tab and a daily limit of how much you can drink.”
    “How do I pay?” Kassy whispered, just loud enough for the brunette and me to hear.
    I smiled at her innocence. “You don’t. We vampires own all of Boston. The humans who work in this territory work for us. Money isn’t an issue. The donors are here to keep vampires from killing those who work for us. Understand?”
    She furrowed her brow, gave it some thought, then nodded. “She just needs my name?”
    “Yes. And she or one of the other humans will sign you in anytime you arrive.”
    “And if I reach a daily limit?”
    “They’ll let you know at the end of each visit how many more times you can come down during a given twenty-four-hour cycle. If you return once you’ve reached your limit, you won’t be given a key and either Corvis or myself will be called down to take you back to your room.”
    She let out a sigh. “Sounds like prison.”
    “Damage control,” I corrected her. “If we were ever to bleed Boston dry, we’d have to find a new place to feed, and with that comes great risk. We’ve set our mark here. We’re respected here.” I shrugged. “Not so much in the other states.”
    Kassy squared her shoulders and looked down at the brunette. “Kassy Blake.”
    The brunette turned in her chair and pulled a key off the wall behind her, handing it to Kassy. “This will be your first visit for the day.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “I assume you’ll be joining her?”
    “That’s correct.”
    “Okay then, I have you both down for this morning. You’re allowed five visits per day, so you have four remaining once you leave here.” She handed Kassy the key but didn’t let go. “There are rules you must follow when you’re with a donor. You’re only here to drink—not to have sex. Bite only the wrists and neck. Don’t let them bleed out. If you’re going to drink here, you need to take care of those you use. This means bandages, ointment and anything your donor might need after you’ve had your fill. Also, one donor is equal to one visit. Should you need to drink more, come back to me and I’ll set you up