“There’s no secret to be kept. Even if I couldn’t smell what Denise is—and I can—I can see it. Must be why you have all this anti-demon security. Raum branded her, eh? If so, relax. No one’s seen Raum for years, so that means he’s probably dead.”
“He’s very dead,” Spade said with cold satisfaction.
“Killed him, eh?” Ashael shrugged. “Good for you.”
“What makes you think it was only I who killed him?” Spade asked in a silky tone.
Good for Denise, then, too, I thought. And surprising. She hadn’t struck me as the demon-killer type, but that’s what I got for making a snap judgment.
“Don’t expect me to weep,” Ashael said. “Raum was an asshole. If demons were allowed to kill their own kind, one of us would’ve ended him centuries ago. But enough talk about the past. We have present issues to discuss.”
“Indeed,” Ian said. “Charles, if you would?”
Spade gave Ian a baleful look. Then, with an obvious edge, he said, “Ashael, won’t you come inside?”
My brother flashed a grin Spade’s way. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Chapter 22
The interior of Spade’s house resembled the exterior, with its mix of old and new. In the drawing room, shields that dated from the Elizabethan era hung under the antique crown molding, but a widescreen TV filled one of the recesses in the paneled walls opposite the modern couches. When Spade flicked a switch, the embroidered silk-and-taffeta draperies closed by automation.
We’d barely sat down when a male, blond-haired vampire brought me a tray containing a china teapot and a cup. The server poured warm, delectable blood into the cup, and I almost twitched from need as I watched. Spade didn’t trust me near any of his live-in blood donors, to feed me this way. His caution was probably a good idea. I might accidentally take too much if I tried to feed from someone’s vein right now.
I’d drained my little teacup before the vampire server finished putting the teapot back onto the tray.
Ian took the teapot from the blond vampire and handed it to me. In other circumstances, I would’ve argued against being so uncouth, but since I’d nearly leapt on Denise, I downed the teapot’s contents, not caring that I probably resembled a college frat boy chugging a beer.
Ian shot Spade a look. “Really, Charles? Expecting a starving vampire to sip from a teacup is presumption soaked in privilege and then deep-fried in stupidity.”
Spade had the grace to look abashed. “You’re right. I should’ve specified a more suitable method to serve her.”
The teapot was now empty, and I was still so hungry that I could chew on the fancy china just to get the extra droplets. Then again, that might be the last straw for Spade.
“Bring more blood, in large glasses this time,” Spade directed his vampire server.
I didn’t cheer, but it was close. Spade must have several human donors living nearby to have access to so much fresh blood.
“So, what’s the date today?” Ian asked in a casual tone.
Spade’s brows rose, but he said, “September nineteenth,” as if that wasn’t an unusual question.
My hands clenched, and the teapot shattered. I apologized as I picked up the larger pieces, waving away a new vampire servant who immediately rushed over to help.
September nineteenth! I’d only left yesterday, but here, it had been over six months since I’d gone with Phanes.
“Where’s Silver?” I blurted out.
A silly thing to focus on with three gods running amok, but I loved that little winged fluff ball, and he probably thought I’d abandoned him. How could he not, after this long?
“With Cat and Crispin,” Ian replied. “Having a grand time annoying her kitty, last I saw. Don’t fret. He’s fine.”
I let out a sigh of relief that had Spade’s mouth curling.
“Not such an ice queen after all, are you?”
I ignored the backhanded compliment. “Speaking of ice, have there been any strange cold-weather incidents lately? Or any significant earthquakes or volcanic eruptions?”
Spade frowned. “Another odd question, but yes. Last month, temperatures at the arctic circle suddenly dipped below normal after years of record highs, and Iceland had a volcanic eruption that disrupted air travel all the way from there to Asia.”
“Fuck,” Ian said.
My sentiments exactly. I’d hoped it would take Morana and Ruaumoko longer to become strong enough to flex their powers in noticeable ways, but it appeared not. It would only get worse as they got stronger, too. Ian and I had just gotten back, and already, we didn’t have much time to stop them before they grew too powerful to contain.
“There’s also been a deadly pandemic,” Spade said.
My father hadn’t mentioned the power to spread diseases when talking about Morana and Ruaumoko. A deadly pandemic was horrible, but it probably had nothing to do with them.
The blond vampire returned with two pilsner-style glasses filled with blood. I took one, and handed the other to Ian.
“You haven’t fed in days, either, with both our bodies lying in stasis. So, drink.”
Spade’s brows shot up at that, but all he said to his server was, “We’ll need another round immediately, Jefferson.”
“I’ll wait for that,” Ian said, handing the glass back to me. “Now, drink both.”
I did, feeling like I absorbed strength with every swallow. I was still tired, but after the second glass, I no longer felt like my body was committing mutiny against me, and I’d never mourn the loss of my short-lived lisp.
I set both of the empty pilsner glasses on the tray and said, “Denise can come back in now, and I need a computer.”
A nod from Spade to his other servant, a russet-haired vampire, had that man leaving to comply.
“Checking your email?” Ian asked with amusement.
“Checking my knowledge of Russian mythology,” I replied. “I recognized the name Morana from old Slavic tales of a goddess who personified ice and death. In some cultures, they still drown effigies of Morana to herald the coming of spring.”
“You now care about old wives’ tales why?” Spade asked.
I heard a person with a heartbeat descending from the third floor. When I caught Denise’s scent—thankfully no longer intoxicating to me—I waited until she was back in the drawing room before replying.
“That particular old wives’ tale is true. Morana and a god named Ruaumoko escaped from the netherworld with help from a lesser deity named Phanes. If the three of them get up to their old tricks again, humans won’t be the only ones who suffer.”
Spade was silent. Denise dropped onto the couch next to him and said, “Things were quiet too long to last, I suppose.”
“Morana and Ruaumoko,” Ashael said, whistling. “That’s who Phanes broke out? How ambitious.”
That’s right, we hadn’t told Ashael who we were up against before now. He only knew about Phanes, and he hadn’t asked about the rest before offering his full support. I needed to be a better sister, because he was already an incredible brother.
“I saw our father down there,” I told Ashael softly. “He hadn’t responded to our summons because he basically put himself on house arrest and couldn’t leave.”
“He was there, and he let Morana and Ruaumoko escape?” Ashael asked in astonishment.
I sighed. “He said he couldn’t stop them in time because he’d ‘restricted’ himself too much.”
As soon as the words were out, guilt attacked. If my father hadn’t done that, Morana and Ruaumoko never would have escaped. If I hadn’t brought Phanes into the netherworld, none of this would have happened, either. And, if I hadn’t used my darkest powers, Phanes wouldn’t have gotten the idea to begin with.
If, if, if . . . all laid at my feet.
Stop whipping yourself, my other half said.
She’d been silent since our meeting with the Warden, but now she was back, her cold irritation sliding through my guilt.
Did our father tell us that using our power would crack the veil in places? No. Did our father need to restrict himself to the point of being an ineffective warden? No. Did Phanes have to trick us? No. Do Morana and Ruaumoko have to try and rule mortals? No! I could almost feel her huff before she went on. Everyone has their own culpability, yet only we are tasked to fix this before it gets out of hand. That is more than enough punishment, especially since what we did was accidental, and the rest of these vainglorious fools acted on purpose.
She was . . . right. Moreover, I should have realized that myself. I used to stand on logic instead of the shifting sands of feelings. When had that changed?
Ian drummed his fingers against the side of the couch, and I closed my eyes.
Of course. Falling in love had changed me, to the point where grief at losing him—however briefly—had literally split me in two. My father had said that our kind felt too much when we loved. I’d say that he was being melodramatic, except I was currently having a pseudo-schizophrenic debate with a part of myself that had only manifested after I fell in love, so . . . yeah. My father might be onto something.
Jefferson returned with two more tall glasses of blood while the red-haired vampire came in holding a laptop. Ian took one of the glasses of blood, and I took the laptop.
“I’d love a scotch, if you have any,” Ashael remarked.
Spade looked startled at the reminder that he’d neglected to offer him any refreshment despite bringing us multiple libations. Then, he almost stammered as he said, “Of course.”
Ashael grinned. “Not used to being in the position of playing host to a demon, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” Spade said, recovering. “Not when a demon branded my wife against her will after slaughtering most of her family. Or when another demon simultaneously possessed me and several of my best mates. Or when another demon tried to kill my oldest friend, or when yet another demon tricked Ian into thinking he’d damned his soul after Ian tried to bring our sire back from his presumed murder.”
Ashael’s reply was a shrug that seemed to say shit happens.
“Ashael didn’t do any of that,” Ian said, setting his glass down and leaning forward. “Instead, Ashael brought me blood when a spell knocked me unconscious, helped me find Veritas when no one else could, and he’s now helping us fight against gods who have no quarrel with him. Save your anger for those who deserve it, Charles. He doesn’t.”
“I will never trust a demon,” Spade said flatly.
“Oof, now I won’t sleep a wink,” Ashael mocked.
Spade started to rise. I beat him to it, my finger poking into his chest before he was fully on his feet.
“You don’t have to like him, but you do have to show him some basic respect, because you owe me.”
Spade eyed my finger before saying, “How do you reckon that?”
“I saved Denise’s life, and the life of your friend’s child,” I replied with all of the cold logic that had evaded me recently. “You weren’t at the supposed execution of Cat’s child, but I was. I could have revealed that the child the council thought they were executing was really Denise using her shape-shifting abilities to look like Katie. Instead, I made sure the council never knew that by giving Cat the sword coated with Denise’s blood, and by demanding the council give Denise’s body to Cat before Denise regenerated and the council realized they’d been duped. What is that worth to you? More or less than your ability to insult my brother at will?”
Spade’s eyes blazed green and his fangs came out. I held out a hand to Ian and Ashael when I felt their power coil like snakes readying to strike. If I couldn’t handle one pissed-off Master vampire, I had no business going up against two gods and an unkillable lesser deity.
“Well?” I said to Spade.
Spade’s eyes darkened back to their deep bronze shade, and he took a deliberate step backward.
“You’re quite right,” he said. Then, he looked over my shoulder at Ian. “Wouldn’t have thought it possible for someone to be more ruthless than you during an argument, but here she is, and you married her.”
“Best decision I ever made,” Ian said lightly.
“Perhaps.”
Spade’s gaze returned to me. Then, he looked away, and held out his hand to Ashael.
“Based on the priceless debt I owe your sister, allow me to welcome you into my extended family. Expect frequent rows and at least one potential apocalypse per decade, but also, you can now expect me to fight for you as I would for one of my own people.”
Ashael gave me a look that made me glad I’d fought for my brother. Then, he grinned as he rose and accepted Spade’s hand.
“I love a good fight, and life would be boring without the occasional apocalypse.”
Denise pushed past Spade and surprised me by enveloping me in a hug. Spade stiffened, but I was well past my bloodlust, so Denise was in no danger despite her neck brushing my mouth.
“Spade told me you knew what I was, but he left out the part where you’d helped save me and Katie,” she breathed into my ear. “Thank you, Veritas. You, Ashael, and any other member of your family are always welcome here.”
If she knew our father was the very embodiment of death, she’d leave that last part out, my other half thought.
I stifled a laugh. Was my other half developing a sense of humor? Or were we merging more into each other than I’d realized? Whichever it was, I was glad of it.
“Thank you, Denise,” Ian said. “Now, let’s get the rest of our extended family here so we can fight against two power-hungry gods and an arsehole with wings.”
“Here’s a bonus to having a demon as an honorary member of your family,” Ashael said, releasing Spade’s hand. “Tell me where they are, and I’ll have them here in five minutes.”
Chapter 23
It might have taken Ashael only his promised five minutes, but Ian had had to argue with Bones and Cat over the phone for nearly half an hour before they agreed to let a demon bring them here. At least Mencheres had required far less persuading. Ian had only to tell his vampire sire that he was back before Mencheres demanded to see him, brushing off demon teleportation as inconsequential. When Ashael returned from his first round of guest-fetching, he didn’t have only Cat and Bones with him.
“Silver!” I said in delight, vaulting toward the Simargl.
Silver saw me and burst from my brother’s grip. Then, I was blinded by light gray feathers as Silver flew around my head with so much excitement that I couldn’t catch him. When I finally did, I hugged and kissed him while Silver let out a series of loud, happy yips.
“Guess we know where we rank,” I heard Cat drawl. “Hugs and kisses for Silver, but not even a hello for us.”
I supposed that was a bit rude of me, especially since she and Bones had taken care of Silver these past months.
“Sorry. I’m happy that both of you are here, too, of course,” I said, finally letting go of Silver.
He immediately resumed flying around my head, turning everything I saw into streaks of gray. Then, Silver must have finally realized that Ian was here, too, because he left me to fly in happy dips and whirls around him.
I smiled at that before returning my attention to Cat and Bones, since I could now finally see them.
“Your hair looks much better,” I said to Cat before I could stop myself. Then, I fought a groan. Thank you, heightened emotional state, for ruining my verbal filter once again.
Cat snorted. “I know, right? That other shade should’ve been called ‘weaponized drab.’”
It really should have. Now, her naturally crimson hair was dyed a pretty cinnamon shade that set off her alabaster skin. Bones had changed his hair as well. The former ash blond was gone, replaced by a shade of mocha so dark, it matched his eyes. Next to that, his cream-colored skin almost glowed.
“Good to see you two as well,” Bones said, looking more at Ian than me. “We were very concerned.”
Ian gave Silver a final pat befo
re going over to Bones. “I know you have questions, mate, but let’s wait until Mencheres gets here. Then, I won’t have to repeat myself.”
“I’ll be back shortly,” Ashael said, and vanished.
Cat hugged Ian, wrinkling her nose when she let him go. “Why do you smell like you were wrestling with a wet buffalo?”
“Minotaur fight,” Ian replied. “Haven’t had a chance to bathe since then.”
It felt like forever since he’d battled Naxos, but yes, he had gone right from that duel to lying in stasis to here, so Naxos’s scent would still be all over his body. I must have gone nose blind to it.
Cat touched the back of Ian’s head. “A Minotaur? Is that what caused the weird-looking dried blood trail on the back of your head?”
Ian casually batted Cat’s hand away. “Don’t fuss over me, Reaper. We have much bigger concerns than my appearance.”
Cat could be forgiven for mistaking the new scar on his head and neck as a dried blood trail. If Ashael hadn’t redressed Ian in a new tunic while he was in stasis, she’d have seen his other scar, too. I hadn’t forgotten about Ian’s inexplicable new scars, and I intended to drag the truth out of him about them as soon as we were alone.
But that wasn’t now, especially since Ashael returned with a whoosh of shadows. Mencheres was on his arm, and the former pharaoh’s power punched the room with a shockwave of energy; the only outward indication that Mencheres hadn’t enjoyed his experience of being teleported.
“Hello, everyone,” Mencheres said.
I was glad that he was here despite our complicated history. Among other things, I’d once been tasked to arrest Mencheres in my official capacity as Law Guardian, and Mencheres had once nearly ripped my head off when he thought I was a danger to Ian. Still, Mencheres was almost as old as I was, so we shared many of the same memories of the ancient Middle East. We also shared the same vampire sire, the same bronzed-sand skin color, and we both had powers that made others fear us.
His obsidian gaze flicked to me, and he nodded. Then, he looked at Ian, who smiled despite tensing ever so slightly.
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