Revealed in Fire (Demon Days, Vampire Nights World Book 9) Page 6

  “And who will you follow?”

  “Reagan, naturally.”

  “And why is that? What play do you have with her? Do you hope to sell her to Lucifer yourself?”

  “I do not expect you to understand this, dog,” Darius seethed, “but she is my beloved. I have sworn to do everything in my power to protect her. I will keep her from Lucifer and from the elves as long as I am able. I will, for the first time in my very long life, pit myself against my maker.”

  “Since when do vampires love?” Roger asked, clearly not buying it.

  “Since when do they ejaculate during sex?” I replied, and Roger froze. “Since me. Penny can tell you—she got a peek.”

  “Really? Even now?” Penny demanded.

  “Darius does love me, Roger,” I said. “I can feel it through the bond, among other ways. He isn’t like Vlad and the others, not anymore. Believe me.”

  “His ability to ejaculate isn’t because of you, specifically. The magic of the Underworld allows vampires to procreate,” Cahal said, and Roger started out of his shocked daze, jerking his head back to find him. “You are slow, Alpha Shifter.” Clearly he’d adopted Romulus’s name for Roger. “You need to be better aware of your surroundings. I have been here almost the entire time.” He drifted closer. “Traveling through the Underworld would have unlocked Darius’s potential to procreate. It will dry up in time if he doesn’t head back. Although…maybe that isn’t true, with his constant access to the heir’s blood. I am not sure. But yes, vampires can be created naturally, like shifters. They can be made through intercourse and born, a process that actually makes them stronger. That’s another motivation for the vampires to ally with Lucifer—the elves insisted on shutting them out of the Underworld as a condition of the treaty with Lucifer. They wanted a sort of population control, and Lucifer wasn’t in a great position to barter.” He glanced at Roger. “The vampires are not the only ones they sought to control. Elves could not stop the shifters’ procreation, so they instead withheld the knowledge that shifters can be made in the same way as vampires—but with dragon blood instead of unicorn blood. Again, population control. The elves might hire shifters to police the vampires within the Brink, but had the vampires sworn fealty to the elves, as the shifters had done, I doubt they would have interfered. The elves care nothing for humans and the Brink. The rules are enforced to exert their control, even in places they do not reside. Why no one has questioned that is beyond me. There are a lot of these little maneuverings in the Realm. It is endlessly fascinating.”

  Penny held up her hand and shook her head. “Wait. Just wait.” She rubbed her face. “Let me see if I am up to speed. Vampires can procreate, shifters can turn humans into their kind without procreating, dragons and unicorns are both real, and elves only created rules in the Brink to be asses to vampires?”

  “Trying to add to your list of the creatures you want to see fornicating?” I asked her, waggling my eyebrows.

  Her shock turned to embarrassed anger, and she balled up her fists.

  “We have gotten off track,” Darius said, his eyes softening as they beheld me. It seemed as though a question had been answered, and he was now seeing his future span in front of him. A future that involved me, and probably his newfound ability to procreate. A future I couldn’t dwell on until I survived the present.

  Everyone else stared, dumbstruck. Vampires and shifters were apparently a lot more similar than anyone had given them credit for. That wouldn’t go over well.

  “How are those secrets?” Penny asked, incredulous. “Like, seriously, how come no one knows all of that?”

  “Vampires know about the unicorns, and they usually kill anyone who finds out,” I responded, “and demons know about dragons. As for the other…”

  “Shifters have short life spans in comparison to other supernatural creatures,” Cahal said. “They lose much of their knowledge from one generation to the next. It is why they repeat so many of their mistakes. The life span of vampires is long, but they grow tired of living. Some die in wars, some by others of their own kind, and some let their minds go to sleep. The vampires that do know of what I speak, like Ja, who has been around at least as long as I have, keep it to themselves. Knowledge is power, which is likely why the elves are so wary of them.”

  “And you?” I asked. “Why hasn’t your mind gone to sleep? Or did Penny burst in on you, too, and wake you up?”

  “I did not burst in on Ja when— Oh, you didn’t mean it that way.” Penny snapped her mouth shut, her face flaming again.

  I turned to her slowly, my eyebrows rising. “You dirty dog.”

  “I said I didn’t! I heard her through the door, and then I walked away!”

  Emery chuckled into his fist, his whole body shaking. “You’re busted, Turdswallop.” He laughed harder, squeezing his eyes shut.

  “And when was this?” I asked, bemused.

  “Let’s leave poor Penny to relive the memory of her escapades in peace,” Darius said in a comforting tone, but he was just roasting her in his own way. Emery doubled over laughing.

  My mind will not sleep until I find her, Cahal thought, and the wispy quality gave me the impression he’d forgotten I could hear him. Until I find my true mate.

  “I think it is time to break,” Darius said, leaning forward to stand, cutting off my sight of the stoic druid. “How about some food, and then regroup.” He took the demon-scrawled note and stood. “Roger, you will be staying the night. I will show you to a room.”

  Five

  “So you smell like Lucifer?” Roger asked me, shaved and showered and changed, though only into a cleaner version of his white shirt and blue jeans combo. I couldn’t fault the guy—he looked good in it.

  He’d met me outside by the pool, where I was soaking up the starlight and waiting for dinner. There would be no training tonight. We needed to figure out what came next, which would be easier once we had a chance to get over Cahal’s truth bombs. He’d leveled the place with those.

  “I don’t know. I’m sure I smell similar,” I replied, closing my eyes and enjoying the cool breeze on my lids.

  I heard rustling and assumed he was getting comfortable. “I knew there was something about you. Not just the smell, but the sheer power you displayed at the Mages’ Guild. I thought you were bred from a powerful demon. I had no idea you could be Lucifer’s heir. Not until the Red Prophet sought me out.”

  “Yep.”

  “Unicorns? They’re in the Underworld?”

  “No, but I won’t say more. Like I said, it’s a secret the vampires will kill to protect. There are dragons in the Underworld, though. I had to fight one, and let me tell you, that was not a good time. I would advise against it. I want one, though. If I get trapped in the Underworld someday, my first order of business will be to get a dragon. Might as well make the best of it, you know?”

  “You aren’t going to get trapped in the Underworld,” Roger growled, and I peeled an eye open.

  “Oh no? You’d prefer I got kidnapped and killed by the elves, then?”

  “That’s what I was going to tell you before the druid…got us off track.” He ran his fingers through his hair, and I wondered if he was still processing the fact that dragon blood could equip him to turn a human into a shifter. He was being very loose with all his mannerisms and reactions. It wasn’t like him. “Before I saw the Red Prophet, Romulus spoke to me about the note and the potential problems of an heir. He’s worried the heir—you—could become a pawn, like Charity surely would have been if she’d been allowed to fall into the wrong hands before finding her family. He also believes the heir is a part of Charity’s quest.” He hesitated. “That’s when—”

  “I know what her quest is. The fae are positive a war is coming, and that she will stand against Vlad and Lucifer.”

  “Well, now…things have changed. Her most recent vision showed her standing against the elves and their army.”

  I frowned at him. “It flipped?”

  “
Twice now. The Red Prophet didn’t seem surprised. She said Charity will stand between the two factions and keep them from destroying each other. Her duty is to bring order back to the Realm.”

  “Basically, she’ll get the warrior fae to do their jobs again. What fun for an Arcana new to magic.”

  “Can you be serious for a moment?”

  “No. Can you tell jokes?”

  He sighed. “She saw you in her visions. You and the dual-mages. You stood opposite Durant. The warrior fae think you will need to stand with them for Charity to fulfill this quest. Romulus also thinks you need protection until the battle is decided, and he would like to offer it.”

  I kept staring at him, a little disbelieving. “He is going to stick his neck out to shield me from the entire Underworld?”

  “We are, yes. In this, the shifters will partner with the warrior fae, as we once did. As we are trying to do now. We are the peacekeepers in the Brink—” He cut himself off before he could stumble over another of Cahal’s truth bombs. Would he now question the elves’ reach into the Brink? Time would tell. He pushed on. “We will help Romulus wherever he needs it.”

  “And you talked to him about all of this…before you even knew who the heir was?”

  “Yes. But I have a feeling they had already pieced it together. You haven’t exactly been subtle. And you were pictured in the quest, so…”

  “Right, right.” I ran my hand over my face. “This is a lot to process. I’m not exactly great at working with people. I can’t allow—”

  “You will allow it.” Cahal walked toward us from the side. “It is clear that the time has come.” He sat on the lounge chair next to me. “You must embrace what you are. But I agree that you cannot stand alone.”

  “I wouldn’t be alone, though. I have all my personalities to keep me company.” I flicked a thumbs-up, not able to smile. I was feeling a little sick, actually. The enormity of what we were discussing, plans and quests and bodyguards—this wasn’t my scene at all. I was a small-scale type of gal, with a bad attitude and a love for running at danger. Like…running directly at it. But I preferred the kind of danger I could actually see. This sort of…cloud of danger was not settling all that well.

  “Look, Roger, I’m touched, but how would this even work?” I sat up a little more, preparing for Cahal to argue with me. “The fae are peacekeepers in the Realm. Great. I get why they would want to head off an uprising and calm the elves down. But why would I want to step into the middle of that? I’m actively trying to stay out of it.”

  “The way will only become clear once you start walking.” Cahal stood again before drifting away.

  “I hate when he does that,” I said, closing my eyes again.

  “I have instructions to seek out the Red Prophet once you agree to leave your seclusion,” Roger said. The lounge chair groaned, and I opened my eyes to find him swinging his feet around and facing me. “Listen, Reagan. I can’t tell you what to do. You’re a loner, and I get that. But I heard that Devon’s pack put two and two together pretty damn quickly. They don’t for sure know you’re the heir, but they all agreed that the signs pointed to you. Darius has done a good job of hiding you so far, but he can’t hide you forever. You’ll be found out eventually. Wouldn’t you prefer to step out of hiding on your own terms?”

  I took a deep breath. “Why you? Why would the Red Prophet seek you out? And why would you want to protect me? I do nothing but annoy you.”

  “The elves are overreaching, and Lucifer will do the same as soon as he finds you. Romulus is right—you’re powerful, but against the elves and Lucifer, you aren’t strong enough. You’re a pawn, and whatever motivation the elves had for giving us a role in the Brink, protecting you from magical overreach fits the job description. We’ll stand with the warrior fae. We’ll stand with you.”

  “You’re making me all verklempt.” I waved at my eyes as though I were trying to keep from crying.

  “Now who’s the bad actor?” He smirked and nudged my shoulder before getting up. “What’s the deal with this island? Is it really deserted except for you guys?”

  “Yeah. Darius cleared away the vamp-human orgy or whatever was going on and told everyone he needed to refresh the place. It’s a seclusion spot for his children. He updates his stuff more often than is probably healthy, so no one apparently thought to question it. Except for Vlad, but Penny and Emery played with magic to keep him out of our hair.”

  “That’s…more information than I needed.” He was clearly about done with the truth bombs. “I won’t get ambushed if I walk on the beach? Or change to my wolf and run?”

  “I can’t speak for the druid, but other than him, no. Have at it. Don’t be alarmed if you spot Penny through the trees, though, watching you. She likes that sort of thing.”

  He huffed, smiled, and off he went.

  A few moments later, Penny walked out with two plates, followed by Emery, also with two plates.

  “Speak of the devil,” I murmured to myself.

  “What’s that?” Penny lowered where Roger had just been. “Ohh. It’s warm.”

  “I was just telling Roger that he should watch the trees if he strips down to change because you’ll probably be hiding in them, trying to get a peek. Bonus if he has a little…private time, huh? If he dances in the dark, all by himself?”

  She lowered the plates at the same speed as her eyebrows. “You know I didn’t mean to, right? I honestly didn’t.”

  “Is one of those for me?” I held out my hand, and she passed me a plate topped with a large slice of quiche.

  “So what do you think about all this?” Emery asked, putting one of the plates aside. It must’ve been for Roger.

  I told them what Roger had just told me. Penny nodded as she chewed, swinging her feet onto the lounge chair and leaning back. “That’s probably your best bet. With the Mages’ Guild, the warrior fae, and the shifters on your side, not to mention an elder vampire, you won’t be easy pickings.”

  “You won’t be able to blend into the background anymore, though,” Emery said. “You’ll need to stand on your own to some degree.”

  “Do you know what I really need to do?” I asked.

  “Oh no. I know that look in your eye,” Penny said, quiche stored in her cheek like a chipmunk so she could talk. “Don’t do whatever it is you’re thinking about.”

  “The second I emerge from here, the game is on anyway, right?” I took a bite and chewed. “Vlad will hit the go button. He’ll get to choose how and when he spills the beans about me to my dad. But instead of that…”

  “No—”

  “Maybe I’ll simply…answer the summons. You called for me, Dad. Well? Here I am. And I’m not coming to you because of that conniving elder. That’ll make Vlad scramble.” I grinned. “He’ll have to change his strategy at the last minute. It would trip him up for sure.”

  Emery was nodding while Penny was shaking her head.

  “Come on.” I hopped up. “Let’s get ready. Time to claim my birthright.”

  Six

  Cracked streets and a wayward barking dog welcomed me back to my neighborhood in the definitely-not-posh part of New Orleans. The sticky-sweet air covered me like a blanket as summer refused to step aside for fall, sweltering and unbearable. I loved it.

  A forlorn whistle blew somewhere in the distance as I approached the walls of the cemetery that marked my little corner of the world. Dark clouds gathered overhead in the dying light, the greater New Orleans area currently in the cone of expectation of a tropical storm gaining strength off the coast. Having to evacuate would really put a kink in my plans. Not that I had many of those.

  Roger had been quite clear that I should seek the Red Prophet first. Darius had been equally clear that I wasn’t to go anywhere without him. The natural dual-mages had been adamant that I head to Callie’s, where Karen was supposed to meet us. The druid…well, he helped smuggle me out from under all of their watchful gazes and then said he’d see me around. I didn’t
know if that was figurative or he would actually meet me later, but I didn’t stick around to ask questions. Home was calling.

  I meandered lazily, soaking in the sights and feel of my beloved city. I’d traveled all around the world. I’d partaken in scenic and cultural delights, sampled some of the best foods, been pampered beyond compare…but when it really came down to it, my heart was here, in this run-down part of a vibrant and alive city that crawled into your skin and lived in your heart. I couldn’t imagine never coming back here. It felt so good to be home.

  I turned the corner onto my street, not a worry in the world. Soon that would change, but for now, it was like old times. My thick-soled army boots thudded against the baked concrete. My leather pants hugged my legs and a snug tank top wrapped around my torso. My sword was strapped to my back, a couple of throwing knives on each ankle, my gun in a holster around my right thigh, and a new pouch resting against my left hip. This time, I had actual magic in it. No empty casings for me anymore. In the past, when I was hiding my abilities, I used to smash empty casings against my sword, mutter curse words, and pass them off as spells. No more. I no longer had to pretend to be something I wasn’t. This time, if something came at me, I’d use my magic, and blast them with spells if I needed more oomph.

  A thrill of excitement wound through me. I honestly couldn’t wait. It felt like I could finally be myself. If they’d hated me before…

  A solitary figure waited on the cemetery side of the street. He was lingering in front of one of the cemetery entrances, directly across from my house.

  I stopped dead.

  My house…

  Confused, I looked back the way I’d come. Then further up the street. Then back at the figure I recognized as Smokey, thin and slightly hunched, old and grizzled, human but keeping watch over the supernatural.

  Looking back at my house, I crossed the street, my eyebrows lowered.

  No-Good Mikey sat a handful of doors away, using someone’s stairs as a seat, clearly unconcerned with how they felt about trespassers. Although he was in his early thirties, his dark face was lined with the stresses of hard living. He wasn’t a crook, but he wasn’t totally straight, either. Like all of us. He didn’t have much, like most of us (ahem), but he made the most of it. This wasn’t a neighborhood for riches or extravagance. It was a neighborhood where most people lived paycheck to paycheck and hoped they had enough to cover rent. Obviously Darius had changed my stars, but this life was etched into my bones. I belonged here in a way I would never belong on that beautiful tropical island.