Immortality Stolen (The Mortal One Series Book 2) by Shannon Bell Page B

Christoph at all and while Olivier did, he didn’t seem to trust him and that was good enough for me.
    A knock came on the fence and Christoph got up to get it.
    I gave Olivier a quick look and he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “You’re good. Relax,” he whispered.
    I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened my eyes to find a man that was about Christoph’s height but bald and covered in tattoos heading over to the table. I rested my hands in my lap under the table and Olivier kept one hand under the table and on my hand to steady me. It was the only way that I was going to get through tonight. These people scared the shit out of me and we hadn’t even started talking about anything. They simply weren’t the friendliest of characters out of the gate.
    A few basic introductions were made so that we knew the man with the tattoos was Gregorio, in case we hadn’t been able to guess.
    “So you need a necromancer?” Gregorio asked.
    “I do,” Olivier answered. “In Paris.”
    Gregorio nodded. “Go on. What’s the problem?”
    “Oh. I had assumed Christoph told you about the situation.”
    Christoph shook his head. “This is your deal. I only make the introductions.”
    Olivier began explaining the situation about having zombies raised and then the necromancer being killed.
    “What is my guarantee that your sovereign won’t kill me, as well?” Gregorio asked.
    “That sovereign was killed by the zombies. The new sovereign is the one that authorized me to meet with you,” Olivier said.
    “Very well.” Gregorio sniffed the air and held his hands up for a moment. “You are not a standard vampire.”
    Olivier shook his head. “No. I was a necromancer when I was mortal. As soon as I became a vampire, I lost the ability to raise the dead.”
    Gregorio snorted as though he could have told Olivier that to begin with. “Of course you did. The dead cannot rule the dead.”
    Olivier nodded. “Would you be willing to travel to Paris and help us with this issue?”
    “How many zombies need to be laid to rest?”
    “There are eleven remaining.”
    “I can do this. How long have they been up?”
    Olivier took a deep breath. “Approximately seven weeks.”
    “Fuck.”
    “I know.”
    “I can still do this, but it requires human sacrifice,” Gregorio said and looked at me when he said it.
    I shivered and dug my nails into Olivier’s palm.
    “I know,” Olivier said, staring at Gregorio.
    “Her?”
    “Absolutely not.”
    Gregorio snorted again. “You arrange the human sacrifice. A virgin is better because of the purity in their blood. What is my reward?”
    “Reward?” Olivier asked.
    Gregorio nodded. “My services are in high demand. I don’t raise the dead, or put them down, simply for sport.”
    “What is your price?”
    Gregorio scratched his bald head for a moment. “One million and a favor.”
    Olivier’s hand flinched in mine. I looked at him and he was staring at Gregorio.
    “What kind of favor?”
    “The next time I need a human sacrifice, you provide me with one. It is much easier for a vampire to obtain a human than it is for me.”
    “Fine.”
    What the fuck? Some innocent was going to die just because a necromancer needed human blood to perform some abominable ritual. And here the vampires were discussing it as a regular business deal.
    “I’ll come to Paris on Thursday to put the zombies down. You will have the one million for me then?”
    “Yes,” Olivier said. “Do you want it as a wire transfer or cash?”
    “Cash.”
    “Done.”
    The two men shook and Gregorio got up and left.
    “Is that all handled?” Christoph asked, stepping in. He had been standing back in the shadows and I hadn’t even realized he was still around.
    “Yes, thank you.”
    “No problem. Now for my payment.”
    “How much do you want for the introduction?” Olivier asked.
    Christoph laughed. “I don’t want your money.”
    This wasn’t looking good. I couldn’t make eye contact with