by Liz Schulte
Corbin’s eyes trailed to Dempsey as we walked through the door, with a glimmer of hunger shining in them. “You brought me a snack. How thoughtful.”
“No,” I said sharply, dropping the bags at the entrance. “He’s here to help.”
“Unless your plan is to distract the vampires with dinner, love, I don’t think he will be much use. Might as well let me feed.”
“Hilarious,” I said. “He was working the human side of the murder cases. Most of them we can attribute to him.” I hooked a thumb at Thomas. “We’ve had a breakthrough with the others, though. We’re close to finding the skinwalker.”
“While that’s fascinating, I’m going to have to say no.” Corbin pressed his foot harder against Thomas’s neck. “Our plan for Paolo is the priority. That’s the only objective that we have tonight. You can deal with your distractions on your time.”
“That might be your only objective, but it isn’t mine,” I said. “I say we solve the murder, kill Paolo, and then take down the council. In that order.”
“Absolutely not.” Corbin folded his arms across his chest.
This was why I didn’t work with a partner.
“That’s quite the list you have there.” Sy’s voice came from behind me, more serious and colder than I had ever heard it.
I glanced back at him. “You almost missed the party.”
He didn’t look amused. “It helps when you’re invited to the party. Or are even informed of the location or what’s happening.”
I’d done what I thought was best for him. I wasn’t going to apologize for that, and he wouldn’t have done anything differently. This was why we would never work as a couple. It was hard enough to work together as friends. “Well, you’re here now. That’s all that really matters. Holden has kept you in the loop. I have it covered. We didn’t need you.”
He nodded, looking down at Thomas then to Corbin before finally back to me. “Where are you with the case?”
I tossed him the bag with Amos’s tattoo. “This is Amos. He was my New Orleans version of you. Quintus thinks that it isn’t a loup-garou killing people, but a skinwalker, which is why it’s—”
“Leaving the tattoos. Smart,” he said. “I could have probably told you that faster, but whatever. Apparently you went to everyone but me.”
Great. So obviously we were going to be mature about this. Eye roll. “Well, I had orders not to talk to you. Remember? I didn’t want to get you in trouble.”
His chin tilted up. “You managed to break your directive and talk to Holden, Corbin, Thomas, and Quintus,” he said, not letting me off the hook. He squeezed the bridge of his nose.
“I made a judgment call.” What did he want from me? Did he want me to admit that I was less worried about the people he named than I was about him? Because I wasn’t going to do that. It may be absolutely true, but I didn’t have to say it. He should have known. I returned his glare with my own.
“Yes, I think your point is very clear.” I couldn’t read a single emotion on his face, which was so unlike Sy, I had a momentary doubt it was him at all. The skinwalker took Amos—had it taken him too? My heart stuttered in my chest as my hands fumbled for a knife. Please not Sy, I sent up to whoever was listening. I went to him and jammed the knife into his shoulder, holding my breath.
“Ouch,” he said, calmly pulling the knife out. “I’m not your skinwalker.”
“I want to see.” I lifted the sleeve of his t-shirt and watched the wound close before I released my breath. “It’s you.”
He simply stared at me.
“Let’s get on with this. We have a limited amount of time,” Corbin said. “And I am tired of waiting.”
Sy could bitch at me later when everything was handled and we were back in Chicago, drinking at the Office. Everything would be normal again. “Fine. I will work with Corbin on a plan to take out Paolo, and you”—I nodded to Sy—“work with Dempsey on the skinwalker. We need to know how all the victims connect and figure out what the skinwalker wants.”
“Paolo has a place in the Abyss. He has a function. If he is removed, who will take that spot? It’s not as easy as just killing him. There will be consequences. Have you thought about those?” Sy’s demeanor was patient, yet his words were still clipped.
“He had vampires openly slaughter humans tonight in the street because Corbin and I got away with Thomas when he tried to kill us. He kidnapped me.”
Sy’s jaw tightened. “Corbin could once again take his position of his own free will and none of this would be necessary.”
Corbin’s lip curled back.
Before he could say anything, I hurried on. “Paolo has already taken two people who were important to him away. What’s to keep him from doing it again? He knows the only way to hurt Corbin is to use Selene.”
Sy’s cheek twitched.
“Like it or not, to protect your family, we need to help him. If the elves had killed Selene and your mother then tried to force you to come back to them, would you have done it?” He didn’t like Corbin, or really vampires in general, but Sy doted on his cousin. Maybe because he’d thought she was dead for so long, or maybe their relationship was nothing like mine with my sister. Either way, I knew it would strike the one nerve that would change his mind.
He didn’t say anything for a long while, just stared into nothing, then finally he shook his head ever so slightly. “I wouldn’t go back.” His eyebrows pulled together. “But it isn’t the same thing. Corbin is a vampire. He knows his race. In fact, how many other vampires has he done this same thing to? I understand why you feel sorry for him, but this is their way. We can’t change that.”
“Why are we still talking about this? It doesn’t matter what the bartender thinks.” Corbin tried to usher me into the tiny kitchen, but I didn’t move.
I wanted Sy to understand. This wasn’t just a whim. It was partly for him too. It would endanger Selene’s life and possibly start a war. “It matters to me.”
Some of the stiffness eased from his shoulders as he looked at Corbin. “Do what you have to do,” he said. “But be prepared for the consequences.”
Corbin’s laughter was a bitter thing.
Sy’s eyes narrowed. “If Selene is hurt because you caused a war for the sake of vengeance, I will personally find a way to break the bond and kill you. It isn’t threat. It’s a promise.”
Corbin’s black eyes darkened, but he nodded. “Selene will not be harmed.”
Sy looked at me. “I can’t talk you out of getting involved in this, can I?”
I shook my head. “I was involved in this from the moment I set foot in this city, maybe even before. The council saw to that.” I tossed him my duffel. “The files are in here. Corbin, bring Thomas with you.” I started for the kitchen.
Corbin lifted him easily from the floor and dropped him unceremoniously into one of the kitchen chairs. I took off the gag.
“Thanks,” Thomas said, stretching his mouth. “Would you mind taking off the chains? They’re starting to pinch.”
While Thomas was still the loup-garou, there was always the chance he would come after me. “The chains stay. This is your chance to prove your worth, Thomas. It might be the last one you have.”
He shifted in the chair the best he could. “How about I save you again? Would that make you believe me when I say I never intended for any of this to happen?”
Corbin snorted.
“Corbin expects to die. He expects the war, but he doesn’t care because he has nothing to lose,” Thomas said, running his tongue over his lips. “It’s a suicide mission and he knows it. He’s taking you with him.”
Corbin leaned back in his chair. “Dying is damn near impossible for me.” He glanced at me. “If you don’t want to come, I won’t think any less of you. I truly have no interest in harming you at this time, but you can also make your own decisions. I wouldn’t dream of telling you how to spend your lives.”
He thought I would die. Though it wouldn’t be the first time, it wasn’
t going to happen tonight. This was what I was born to do. Paolo had thrown down the gauntlet and I wasn’t going to walk away from that. “If Paolo wants a fight, then he’s going to have one. Where is he staying? We should hit him just before morning. He will be more relaxed and believe that we won’t attack tonight.”
Corbin glanced at his watch. “He has a house here. My guess is he’d be there. It’s a fortress. Hardly any windows, and there will be extra people around. Only two entrances. He won’t be running scared from us. He already thinks that he won the moment you handed over Thomas. Everything has gone according to his plan so far. That might be used to our advantage.”
“That’s wrong,” Thomas said. “He’s scared. Paolo never had guards when you were with him, but as soon as you pulled away he got them. You’ve always bought the legend. Everyone did.” Thomas shook his head. “Paolo painted this picture of himself that was larger than life. He killed every vampire who ever crossed him. He is supposedly the oldest and strongest among us, but where is the proof? You killed everyone who crossed him. He never lifted a finger. Before you, I imagine there was someone else. Paolo probably got sick of him, or he started asking too many questions and then he killed him. Friendly fire, so to speak. I’ve had a lot of time on my hands since my exile. I’ve looked back through the records. Paolo’s story is thin.”
“Why did you question his story?” I asked.
That small, almost shy smile curved on his lips. “I’m a skeptic. He was too concerned with finding a way to control Corbin. Why if he was this all-powerful vampire would he need me to manipulate Corbin?”
How could so many people just believe something because that was what they were told to do? It didn’t make sense to me. I had never done anything but question the rules I was forced to follow my whole life. Then, of course, there was Thomas. He was never who he appeared to be, so recognizing that quality in other people couldn’t have been such a stretch. “Isn’t there some unspoken rule about liars having to stick together?”
There was a flash of sadness, but how was I supposed to know if that was put-on for sympathy or because I had actually hurt him? It didn’t matter. Not anymore. “Perhaps, with the right incentive, I could reform.”
Corbin brought the two front legs of the chair down with a snap. “Fine. Let’s say none of his stories are true. He’s still old. I can feel that. It can’t be manufactured. His age alone makes him a threat.”
That was an excellent point. “Then why would he be scared?” I asked.
“Paolo is old, but he has never been strong,” Thomas said. “It’s the best-kept secret in the Abyss. Everyone believes the legend because he surrounds himself with the strength of the unambitious. You’ve heard him say it—Corbin doesn’t want to lead, but he has a knack for killing. Paolo has used that to build his own mythology. It wasn’t strength that got him to where he is. It was pure, old-fashioned cunning. He is ruthless and he is cold. He isn’t loyal and he will turn on you as soon as he finds a more worthy replacement.”
“And who would that be? You?”
Thomas shook his head. “I was never in the running. I know too much. I question too much. I can’t be controlled.” Thomas smiled at Corbin. “It’s my personal opinion that he looks for stupidity.”
“This is such bullshit. I have seen him…” Corbin trailed off, mouth pressing into a thin line. “He does mostly maneuver.”
“And he’s good at it,” Thomas said. “That was my role. I was the maneuver to keep you in line, and I was paid handsomely for it.” He refocused on me. “Enough that if you kill him, I could leave here and this world for good. I’d never bother you again.”
“If that’s true, why did you get involved with the demons? Why did you try to change Maggie?”
If there were wheels in his head, smoke would be coming out of his ears.
“When you take this long to answer, I know you’re lying,” I said.
“It’s not an easy answer. I was officially wanted by the vampires. I had bounty hunters and other vampires chasing me, but I still had obligations to Paolo, and he wanted me to stay close. I got involved with some demons because they made me an offer that was too good to pass up. All I had to do was change this girl who was cute and willing. I didn’t know who she was. I didn’t ask. Is it so awful that I didn’t want to be alone?”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. Of course it was all about him. It was always about him. Thomas had never made a sacrifice in his life. I looked at Corbin.
“He can’t help us,” he said. “I told you not to listen to him.”
“I know the house.” Thomas leaned forward. “I’ve stayed there. If you untie me, I can draw it. I know where Paolo sleeps and I know where the guards are stationed. I can get us in.”
“You aren’t coming with us,” I said.
“If you make it inside, you are going to need all the help you can get,” he said.
“Why? It won’t save your life. No matter what happens or what you do, I’m still going to kill you,” Corbin said.
Thomas’s eyes didn’t leave mine. “I have a debt. If I’m going to die, then I’m running out of time to pay it off. Let me help you.”
Chapter 21