Lucifer (Vampires in America: The Vampire Wars Book 11)

by D. B. Reynolds

  Helping Sophia defeat Berkhard went beyond the assignment he’d been given by Lord Aden, and possibly beyond the assistance Aden had intended to render. But . . . there was Eleanor to consider. She was sworn to Lady Sophia, which meant this was her home, and there was no way in hell Lucifer was going to walk away before making damn sure her home was safe, even if that meant helping Sophia fight off Berkhard and whatever vampire army he’d managed to turn against their rightful lord.

  For that matter, he didn’t see how he could walk away even after Berkhard was defeated and Sophia, and by extension, Eleanor, were secure. But that was a very complicated problem, so he set it aside for now. They had plenty on their plate already. Including one increasingly pissed off human in the next room.

  Lucifer sighed and reluctantly set Eleanor aside, kissing her forehead and tucking the blankets around her neck without so much as a furtive glance at her naked body. Of course, he’d already felt every inch of her luscious nakedness pressed against his body when he woke up, something his cock was very happy about. But he couldn’t make love to her the way he wanted with Murphy just outside the doors, and he refused to sneak in a fuck as if they had anything to be ashamed of.

  Slipping out from under the covers, he headed for the shower. Murphy might be anxious, but Lucifer didn’t know the man. He needed to be showered and dressed before they talked.

  LUCIFER FELT ELEANOR wake as he was pulling on his boots. His awareness of her was much stronger now that they’d exchanged blood, and so he knew the moment her eyes opened. He could almost feel her gaze on him as he bent over to tie the work boots he favored whenever battle was a possibility.

  He turned his head to her with a smile. “Good evening, bella.”

  She gave him a sweet smile in return, a smile that wrapped him in all the love she felt for him. His chest swelled with an emotion that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. He was so damn grateful to have her back. He didn’t know if he’d ever get over the realization that she wasn’t dead. And that she still loved him. God knew he’d never stopped loving her.

  “I’m going out to the other room, to speak to our guest,” he said almost reluctantly, knowing he was shifting the mood, becoming far more serious and less romantic. He promised himself that once this was all over with, and Sophia was safe on her throne again, he and Eleanor were going to take a week—no, two weeks—and go far away. He had a spectacular house outside of Chicago, very secure, with plenty of acreage for privacy. He’d bought it mostly for the investment, and rarely stayed there. But it would be perfect for the two of them. He’d stock up on fresh blood, lock the doors, and they could fuck each other’s brains out in every one of the twenty rooms.

  “I need to clean up,” she said, then looked at her pile of discarded clothing and made a face. “My clothes are in the other room.”

  “You should have moved in here sooner,” he teased mildly. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll go get it for you.”

  She snorted. “I’m not sure I trust you with my underwear drawer.”

  He shrugged. “Well, I’m definitely not letting you make a naked dash across the living room to get them for yourself. And there’s no way in hell that you’re showering or getting dressed in Murphy’s room.”

  “It’s my room.”

  “Not any longer it isn’t. Tell me what you want.”

  “You’re such a Neanderthal.”

  “I’m a powerful vampire, bella. It comes with the blood. Tell me what you want,” he repeated.

  “Fine. Most of my stuff is still in the suitcase, and there isn’t that much anyway. Just throw everything else in there, too, and bring it over.” He started for the door, and she called, “But be careful with the bathroom stuff. I don’t want shampoo all over my clothes.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “There is no try, just do.”

  He turned at the door, laughing. “You’re quoting fucking Yoda at me?”

  “Is that who said that? I figured it was someone old and wise.”

  “Yoda is old and wise, you philistine. And you got the quote wrong anyway. I’ll be back.”

  Lucifer had erased any signs of laughter from his expression by the time he closed the door behind him. Colin Murphy spun from his place by the dark windows, and stared at Lucifer suspiciously. They’d never met before last night, and they hadn’t really met then either. It was entirely possible Murphy didn’t remember much about his rescue, other than that he had been rescued. Or at least taken out of that place.

  “I’m sorry,” Murphy said, looking far more defiant than sorry. “I don’t remember your name.”

  “Lucifer Scuderi,” he provided with a sideways tip of his head. “Sworn to Lord Aden, but temporarily in the service of Lady Sophia. Your mate, I believe.”

  “She is.” His expression softened for a brief moment, then hardened again when he asked, “Where’s Eleanor? She was there last night.”

  “She was, and she’s in the shower. If you’ll pardon me for one moment, I need to get her things out of your room.”

  “My—I need to get back to Vancouver. Sophia needs to know what’s happening.”

  “If I may, I’ll get Eleanor’s things first,” Lucifer said, tipping his head in the direction of Eleanor’s room.

  “Sure. Whatever. It’s her room anyway.”

  Lucifer didn’t bother to argue the point. There were far more important things he had to discuss with Murphy, but Eleanor would want to be in on the discussions, too. So, he made quick work of gathering her clothes and, yes, her toiletries, too. He wasn’t the helpless gorilla she seemed to think. She was in the shower when he dropped everything on the bed, not bothering to take the toiletries into her. His shampoo was in the shower. She could use that for tonight—he’d enjoy smelling himself on her almost as much as he enjoyed her own unique scent.

  Stepping out of the bedroom, he closed the door behind him. “Elle will be out soon. Have you eaten?” Lucifer had never seen Colin Murphy before last night, but even he could tell that the man had lost weight during the weeks of his ordeal. No surprise there. He doubted Kasimir had been overly concerned with his prisoner’s wellbeing. Beyond keeping him healthy enough to torture, that is.

  Murphy nodded. “Your guard, Cal. He gave me this gun—” He indicated a 9mm automatic sitting in a holster at his hip. “—and he ordered room service. I ate some, but I have to go easy. They didn’t feed me much. But, fuck that, tell me what’s going on out here.”

  “And your injuries?” Lucifer persisted.

  “They’ll heal,” Murphy said impatiently. “Just abrasions and cuts. The shackles were too tight. And there’s nothing broken . . . at least nothing they didn’t heal once they were finished.”

  “Look,” Lucifer said quietly. “You don’t know me, but I am a friend, and I can help you heal. My blood—”

  “No,” Murphy said immediately. “No more fucking blood. I don’t care how friendly you are. I’ll wait for Sophia.”

  Lucifer dipped his head in acknowledgment. He absolutely understood the man’s feelings. He didn’t know if he agreed with it—they were at war, after all. You did what you had to do to survive in wartime. But Murphy was a warrior, too. If he said he was good to go, then who was Lucifer to question it?

  The whole time he’d been talking to Murphy, he’d been exquisitely aware of everything Eleanor was doing in the next room, so he wasn’t surprised when the door opened behind him.

  “Colin!” She rushed around Lucifer and across the room to hug the human.

  It didn’t make Lucifer feel all warm and fuzzy to have his woman ignoring him and hugging another man—especially not a big, strong human capable of feeding her—but he wasn’t petty enough to say anything about it. Hell, she and Murphy really were friends. And Lucifer wasn’t insecure enough to feel threatened just because his lover
had a male friend. But then, with vampires, it wasn’t about insecurity or threat. There was no logic or reason. It was a gut-deep possessiveness that howled, “Mine!” any time his mate strayed too far.

  The thought brought Lucifer up short. His mate? Well, shit. Of course, Eleanor was his mate. He’d claimed her more than twenty years ago when she’d been human, and that hadn’t changed just because she was now a vampire.

  Eleanor and Murphy stepped back from their embrace. She had tears in her eyes, and her presence seemed to have relaxed Murphy, too. Some of the haunted look in his eyes had eased a bit at the familiar face.

  “Sophia?” Murphy asked her.

  “She’s great. Way tougher than those bastards expected. But she’ll be a hell of a lot better once she sees you.”

  “Speaking of which,” Lucifer said, interrupting the happy reunion. “I need to know who has to die before we leave Montreal.”

  “Darren?” Murphy asked, looking at Eleanor.

  “Dead,” she confirmed. “Kasimir, too. Do you remember the fight from last night?”

  “I remember,” he said bitterly. “I only wish I could have driven a stake into his heart. Sadistic asshole.”

  “Who cooperated with him, and who might try to continue the rebellion in Kasimir’s absence?” Lucifer asked. “Not just vamps, but humans, too. I don’t want to leave anyone behind who can stir up the conspiracy while Sophia’s busy in Vancouver.”

  Murphy nodded, suddenly looking every inch the deadly warrior his reputation claimed. “The humans are all dead, guards included. Kasimir killed them two days ago.”

  “Ah,” Lucifer said, thinking about Andy Anderson’s twin brother. Though he couldn’t generate much sympathy for him. “Bodies?” he asked.

  Murphy gave a dismissive shrug. “Don’t know, don’t care.”

  “Fair enough. What about local vampires?”

  “A few at the Montreal compound, but only a few. Not everyone betrayed Sophia, but enough stood by and said nothing that she’ll need to visit the house when this is over and scour some brains. I think Darren Yamanaka stacked the deck in this city, bringing in people who were loyal to him. But Kasimir was on his own, other than Darren, whom he considered to be well beneath him. He talked a lot, though. The sick fuck liked to talk while he tortured. Mostly about his precious Sire, Berkhard, and the big man’s plans for the territory, after Sophia was dead.

  “Anyway, it turns out, Berkhard didn’t bring that many vamps with him from Europe. So he’s creating new vamps to fill out his army. Kasimir called them ‘disposable soldiers,’ which made me think of something Christian said in his brief to the Council after his victory over Hubert in the South. Hubert’s newly-made vamps were mindless, and somehow a function of his particular talent, but the idea was the same—to fill out his army with fresh vampires.”

  Lucifer nodded. “Hubert and Berkhard were allies in Europe, and both of them worked with Mathilde against Raphael, so it makes sense that they might have discussed ways to increase their manpower once they got here.”

  “Exactly,” Murphy agreed. “When Kasimir talked about “disposable soldiers,” it made me wonder if Berkhard had taken Hubert’s idea and run with it somehow.”

  “We warned Sophia about Darren, and Berkhard’s already made some moves, so she knows he’s out there. But we need to warn her about these newbie vamps, too. So far, he’s confined his efforts to small, remote offensives. But if you’re right, and he’s making an army of new vampires, he could launch a full-scale attack well before she expects it.”

  Murphy shifted his gaze to meet Lucifer’s. “I need to get home.”

  “You need to call Sophia,” Eleanor countered, then glanced at a clock on the table. “It’s still too early on the west coast, but—”

  “It’s early there, but not here,” Lucifer interrupted. He could absolutely understand the man’s desire to talk to his mate, and, hell, to fly back to Vancouver right away, too. But there was work to be done in Montreal first. It wouldn’t do any good to rush home only to leave an enemy at their backs. And, with any luck, it would only take an hour or two. “We have a few hours,” he told Murphy. “I say we pay a visit to the local compound while we wait for the sun to set in the West. We need to deal with your enemies in Montreal before you fly home to Vancouver.”

  Murphy looked like he wanted to argue, but then his jaw clenched and he nodded. “You’re right, damn it. How many people do you have?”

  Lucifer laughed. “Just myself and Eleanor, and now you. I won’t risk any of my daylight guards, and Sophia didn’t trust Aden or Rajmund enough to let them leave vampire fighters with me. But my Eleanor’s tougher than she looks—” Murphy’s brows raised at Lucifer’s claim on Eleanor. “—and so am I,” he added.

  The man barked a laugh. “Yeah, I’ve seen what you can do. I’m no vamp, but Sophia respected Darren Yamanaka’s power. She hated him, but she respected his power. And he was terrified of Kasimir. So, I figure since you took that bastard out too, you must be a power.” He paused and met Lucifer’s gaze for a long moment. “I’m grateful for the rescue, Lucifer, but make no mistake, if you go against Sophia, if you try to hurt her in any way . . . I’ll do my best to kill you.”

  Lucifer grinned in appreciation of the man’s courage, if nothing else. “I mean your lady no harm. Not as long as Eleanor loves her.”

  Eleanor came to him then, giving him a long overdue hug. “Thank you.”

  “I love you, bella,” he said simply.

  She turned to face Murphy. “We know about Chase Landry. Is there anyone else?”

  The human shook his head. “No one worth noting. Can you tell if they’re lying?” he abruptly asked Lucifer. “I mean, I know you can detect lies in general, but if we visit this compound, will you know which vamps are loyal and which ones aren’t?”

  “More or less.” Lucifer shrugged. “Enough to catch anyone who betrayed your lady outright. But if they’re ambiguous—someone who knew about it, but who just stood by and did nothing, for example—that will take more time than we have. Berkhard already knows Kasimir is dead. Once he discovers that you’re alive and free—and he will—he won’t wait. He’ll move on Vancouver. So we need to leave tonight.”

  “Then let’s go,” Murphy said grimly. “Might as well get this over with.” He placed a hand on the 9mm automatic at his hip. “I’m going to need more guns, and better ammo.”

  THE MONTREAL compound was a beehive of activity when Lucifer and Eleanor showed up unannounced, with Colin Murphy beside them. There were more than a few shocked looks when they saw him alive and well and walking free. Lucifer cast a wide net with his telepathy, looking for unguarded reactions. Most were in the vein of, “Oh my God, we’re so happy you’ve been rescued.” But there were more than a few who were thinking, “Shit, how did you get loose?” Which told Lucifer all he needed to know about the locals. What the hell had happened in this city? How had Darren Yamanaka managed to turn so many against their sworn lord? Maybe Sophia hadn’t been around much, spending most of her time in Vancouver, but she hadn’t been cruel. She hadn’t demanded unreasonable tithes, or chopped off heads at random.

  “Chase Landry,” Eleanor said suddenly, and Lucifer swung around to find a group of vampires blocking the main staircase, with a dark-haired vampire at their head. He was of average height, with a blocky build that gave him a vaguely square appearance. His face was set in a grim expression, his hands curled into claws at his side.

  “Who the hell are you?” Landry demanded, glaring at Lucifer.

  Lucifer felt Eleanor’s bristling reaction, but he simply bared his teeth in a lazy grin. “In point of fact, I’m the new master of this city,” he drawled, meeting Landry’s gaze in clear challenge.

  “Fuck that,” the vampire responded. “Lady Sophia—”

  “Oh, no,” Lucifer in
terrupted. “You don’t get to hide behind her skirts anymore. You lost that right when you betrayed your sworn lord and kidnapped her mate. Or have you forgotten that part?”

  “I had nothing—”

  “The hell you didn’t,” Colin Murphy growled, stepping up to loom over the much shorter vampire. Lucifer admired his courage. Landry might be shorter, but he was still a vampire. “I remember everything—every day, every fucking minute. And you were there, from the very beginning.”

  Lucifer felt Landry’s power trying to rise, even as his supporters began inching away from him. Several of those vampires were honestly dismayed at the news of Landry’s complicity in Murphy’s kidnapping. Lucifer made note of their faces, as well as the others, and then turned his attention back to Landry.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” he said, warning the vamp not to raise a challenge. He had some power, probably enough to make him a master vampire of middling strength. But he didn’t have a chance in hell against Lucifer.

  “Fuck you. This is my city, and—” His words choked off as Lucifer focused his power and cut off the vamp’s air supply. He simply shut down his lungs. Landry coughed once. His eyes bulged and his throat began to work convulsively, desperately trying to breathe.

  “Here’s how this is going to work,” Lucifer announced, projecting his voice to be heard throughout the compound. “My new friend Colin Murphy has a list. And we’re going to find every God damned fucking vampire on it, and they’re going to die, along with anyone who tries to stop us. And after that, I would suggest the rest of you contemplate the perils of betraying your lady. Murphy?”

  As if they’d rehearsed it, Murphy stepped up to Landry, raised the Glock already in his hand, and shot the vampire in the heart at very close range, using what he called, “Cyn’s vampire killer rounds.” It was a very specific type of ammo, apparently recommended by Raphael’s mate, that blew the hell out of Landry’s heart, killing him in minutes and leaving nothing but a pile of dust on the floor.