An uncomfortable feeling simmered in Caine’s chest. “And how do you propose to find three legendary mages?”
“I have you,” said Ambrose. “And we know there are two more like you. Humans—not nearly as powerful, but with the same magical knowledge. I speak of the Atherton twins, of course.”
Dread crawled up Caine’s spine. He didn’t want anything to do with the Athertons. “They’re completely untrained. There must be someone else.”
Ambrose eyed him. “You are a remarkable specimen, Caine. Half-incubus, and half human. And even your human side is extraordinary, imbued with the spirit of a staggeringly powerful mage. I can only assume Lord Atherton found similarly gifted mages for his own daughters. You must put your personal feelings aside. This triumvirate can get us what we need: the gift of light, granted through the power of three. You need a coven.”
Caine clenched his jaw. The last thing he wanted was to face those girls again. They belonged to a part of his life he was desperate to forget. But how could he say no to Ambrose? Caine had possessed nothing when he’d first met the Vampire Lord. He’d been half-mad and completely alone, driven only by a seething rage. It was Ambrose who had recognized his true power.
He met Ambrose’s penetrating gaze. “What do you need me to do?”
“Miranda roams free, in full possession of her powers, though she is untrained. Rosalind will be more difficult.”
Of course Rosalind was more difficult. Rosalind was awful. Even as a four-year-old, she’d been a nightmare. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“She’s a Hunter now. I sent Malphus to find her, but he was captured.”
So that was how Malphus had been captured. Caine’s chest tightened. “You must be joking. You want me to persuade a Hunter to join a vampire army?”
He could feel the tension rolling off Aurora. She’d just nearly burned to death at the hands of the Hunters, and she hated them every bit as much as he did. Neither of them wanted to work with someone from the Brotherhood.
A mixture of guilt and rage tightened Caine’s chest. He’d never known what had happened to the twins—only that they’d disappeared from Maremount. Lord Atherton’s actions all those years ago had set off a chain of events that had warped all their lives—Rosalind’s included. And now she’d become embedded among the very people who wanted her dead. “How did she end up among the Hunters?”
“Lord Atherton gave his twin daughters to the Brotherhood. He didn’t want them to know their own power. You know why.”
Caine’s stomach clenched. Ambrose and Malphus were the only people alive who knew all his secrets. “Rosalind has no idea what she is? She believes she’s an ordinary human?”
“From what I understand,” said Ambrose, “she’s particularly committed to the Brotherhood’s cause. She abhors magic.”
Even if this outcome had been set in motion by her father’s actions long ago, it was hard not to loathe Rosalind. Hunters like her had murdered scores of ordinary humans over the years—and now that they knew what they were doing, they were coming for the real demons. He’d just witnessed the product of their fanaticism this morning when he’d watched Valerie and the others burn to death in the morning light.
“There must be another way,” he said. “I don’t trust anyone associated with the Brotherhood, and I don’t want to waste time trying to persuade one of their slavish devotees to see reason while my brother languishes in a torture dungeon. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. And if this spell is as complicated as you say, how long will it take for me to train her? If she doesn’t accept her magic, it won’t work. We’re wasting time.”
Ambrose’s nostrils flared. “The Chambers stands rigged with flamethrowers and anti-magic devices. We can’t set foot in there.” He paused, pressing his fingers over his lips. “I see your point, though. We must free Malphus as soon as possible. I’m not going to let another incubus die. You must access your magic in some way. There must be a spell that can help us.”
Caine closed his eyes, running through some of the military spells in his arsenal. “I know a number of attack spells, but I’d need a second mage to contain the destruction, or the prisoners will die.”
“He would destroy half of Boston,” said Aurora.
Caine crossed his arms. “Most mages work in covens for exactly this sort of reason.”
“Exactly my point. You need two more. The Atherton twins will be useful to you, to help control some of your raw power. Find them, and we can free Malphus. And then we will work on the daylight spell.”
“I hate Hunters,” said Aurora. “But if you think this is best for us, I will do whatever it takes to find these girls. Where do we start looking?”
Ambrose acknowledged her with a nod. “Rosalind is a student at Thorndike University. I believe you’ll find her out hunting tonight.”
Caine rubbed a knot in his forehead, still trying to process this information. “If she’s possessed by a mage’s spirit, why haven’t the other Hunters killed her?”
Ambrose took a deep breath. “She doesn’t know. But my source tells me the Brotherhood may have learned her true nature.”
Of course. Malphus might have recognized her… He let the thought die out, unwilling to entertain what his brother must have endured to give up his secrets.
“You must warn her, now,” Ambrose continued. “Tell her the truth and give her some time to accept it. Keep an eye on her. As soon as the Brotherhood turn on her, you’ll be waiting there to rescue her.”
For so many reasons, Caine didn’t want anything to do with her. “You know how I feel about her family. I will do as you ask, but I won’t spend any more time with her than absolutely required.”
Ambrose’s green gaze bored into him. The vampire was obviously losing patience. “You only need to take her to Abduxiel Mansion and report back to me. Orcus can help her learn about magic while you look for Miranda. She’ll be easier to handle. She never joined the Brotherhood. This is an order, Caine.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t lost their minds,” muttered Caine. He knew only too well the dangers of having an extra soul.
“Perhaps they have. That’s something I’d like you to find out.” A faint smile played on Ambrose’s lips. “I have complete faith in you. If anyone can persuade a human woman to do what they want, it’s you.”
CHAPTER 3
C aine lay on his bed, his body sapped of energy, and stared at the arched stone ceiling above him. He’d slept for hours in his tidy room within Ninlil Castle, dreaming of milky sunlight and white-blossomed trees, until the scent of burning flesh curled into his nightmares.
Exhaustion wracked his body. He’d failed today, utterly and completely. His injuries sapped his energy, and a gnawing emptiness welled in his chest. It was hard not to think of Valerie’s terrified face just before she burned to death. Would Malphus suffer an equally appalling fate at the hands of the Brotherhood?
Something else weighed him down—either his assignment with the Athertons had riled him, or he really needed a woman’s touch to heal himself. Probably both.
All he knew was that he’d spent the past five years trying to forget about Maremount, and he didn’t relish the idea of dredging up those nightmares again. Not to mention the fact that Rosalind had been a horror, even as a child—and now she was a Hunter. He couldn’t think of a worse combination. It would be hard not to slaughter her on sight.
Someone rapped on his door and he rose, his chest aching from the bullet holes and gaping chest wound. He crossed the faded rug and pulled open the door.
Erish stood before him in the dim hallway with a human woman—a tiny thing, her bones as delicate as a bird’s, but with enough feminine curves to tempt him. Her ginger hair tumbled over her bare shoulders. She wore only a black bra, panties, and fishnets. Her lips were painted ruby red. She shivered in the cold stone hall.
If his chest wound hadn’t stirred his need for a human touch, he wouldn’t be in the mood—not after wha
t he’d seen today. But his chest thrummed with hunger, and he was already thinking about wrapping his arms around the girl.
Erish stood nearly a foot taller than her. The succubus planted her hands on her hips, eyes roaming over Caine. “I saw that you were injured. I brought you a human courtesan, trained by Arielle. She will heal you before you leave Lilinor.”
The girl’s blue eyes widened. “I was scared of coming to the vampire city, but I really wanted to meet an incubus.” Tentatively, she stepped closer, sliding her small hand up his chest. He could already feel her energy coursing through her fingertips. “I know you’ll keep me safe.”
She was a fool, then. Monsters like him didn’t keep people safe—not even his own soldiers, apparently. Moreover, he’d be a fool to accept a gift from Erish. And yet, desire burned through him, and he couldn’t take his eyes off the courtesan’s red lips. Her energy beckoned him closer. He took her hand, leading her into the room.
As Erish followed, irritation flickered through him. Why did she need to stay?
Caine pulled the girl close to him, smelling her silky hair—a beautiful scent of apples and cherry blossoms. “What’s your name?”
“Alice.”
Caine touched her chin, tilting her face up to his, and her delicate body pressed against him, eyes burning with desire. Ambrose was right about one thing: these human women didn’t stand a chance with him. If Erish wanted to watch, then fine. He wasn’t going argue when he needed this so badly.
He brushed his mouth against Alice’s. Her lips parted, and he kissed her hungrily. Her energy coursed into him, soothing the sharp ache in his chest, replenishing the strength in his bones. Her vibrant life-force seeped into his muscles, imbuing him with strength. He ran his fingers down her back, feeling her smooth, warm skin. She moaned slightly.
Abruptly, her body jerked away. Erish’s hands wrapped around the girl’s head. For a split second, Caine considered stopping what was about to happen—thought of bursting Erish’s heart—but he couldn’t do that to Ambrose’s consort. So instead, he stood by as the succubus twisted her arms. The sound of Alice’s breaking neck echoed off the high ceiling.
A hot tendril of anger flashed through Caine as the girl’s body crumpled. “What the hell are you doing?”
Erish took a deep breath. “I wanted you to feel better, but I don’t like watching you with other women. You know that.” She leaned close him, her breath hot on his cheek “You should be mine. I’ve been telling you this for months.”
He had to stop himself from throttling her. Caine wasn’t one for emotional attachments, but he’d seen enough senseless cruelty for one day. “You brought her to me.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “She was stupid to offer herself up in the first place. You’re just upset because I didn’t let you finish.”
His wound still ached, but that wasn’t what angered him. It was the games Erish played, using people’s lives as her pawns. “If you weren’t Ambrose’s consort, I’d rip you in half.”
“If that’s what it will take to get your hands on me…” She crossed her arms, pouting over Alice’s corpse. “Don’t be angry with me. I only killed her because she made me jealous. You’re the perfect match for me. As an incubus, your abilities as a lover are legendary, but you’re human enough for me to feed from. You should lead Lilinor, not Ambrose. I know you mute your abilities around others. You are capable of terrifying power. I know your lineage, Caine Mountfort.”
In her breathtaking coldness, he recognized a glimmer of himself. This was the awful truth about demons like them—they reveled in death.
Still, that thought didn’t stop him from seething with fury, and he had to restrain himself from ripping her heart out. “Get out of here, Erish.”
“You and I are the same, Caine.” She pulled open her black dress, standing naked before him. Even through his wrath, he couldn’t stop his eyes from lingering over her perfect golden skin, taking in each of her curves. There was a reason men had started wars over Erish, why the citizens of ancient Ur had worshipped her as a goddess.
She stepped over Alice’s body, fixing her amber eyes on him. When she stood just inches from him, she reached down, pulling a blade from his belt.
“Like I said, you and I are the same, Caine.” Her fingers stroked the hilt, entrancing him with each of her delicate movements. “If we don’t enslave humans, they’ll enslave us. You should know that better than anyone. But you and I were born to control them with our divine beauty. Like this fine blade of yours, we bring them elegance and death, all in one sublime gift. It’s better than the ugly, fetid death most human bodies endure, festering from cancers or diseased hearts.”
She slid the blade back into its scabbard, and her fingers lingered over his thighs. “Humans are meant to serve us. And when they defy us, we will slaughter them like the animals they are. I know what Ambrose has planned with the two human females, and I don’t like it. We don’t need their help.”
Her hand slid up his chest and curled around the back of his neck. Her breath warmed his throat.
“I’m half-human,” he reminded her. “Does that make me half-animal?”
“Your demon side is so much stronger. You just need to overcome your humanity. I know slaughter secretly thrills you. You crave complete control over humans. Unlike the vampires, you and I can walk in the light, and with the blood that flows through your veins… You deserve to rule this city, and the other kingdoms of night.”
“I have no desire to sit in a throne room, wearing a crown.” Not only was he standing here with Ambrose’s naked consort, thinking about running his hands over her hips, but now he was listening to treason, too. He forced himself to think of how succubi looked before they fed—like withered hags. He tore his eyes away from Erish to stare at the broken corpse on his floor. At the sight of the girl’s slackened jaw, the lust flowed right out of him.
He pulled Erish’s hands off him. Part of him wanted to fling her across the room, but he knew better than to provoke her rage.
“I’m loyal to Ambrose. Without him, I’d be dead.” If she thought she could make him into her toy the way she wanted to enslave humans, she was gravely mistaken. “That is the last time I will indulge one of your jealous rages, Erish. And I will not permit a traitor to remain by Ambrose’s side.”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “Do not threaten me, Caine. You belong to me. You don’t need these human twins, and they are not your equals. I know the temptations that humans hold for incubi, but if you take one of them as your lover, you can expect her to die a long, slow death at my hands. Are we clear?”
What the hells was she talking about? “Erish.” You raving lunatic. “I could not conceive of a less likely scenario. I want nothing to do with them.” He shoved her away and stepped over Alice’s corpse to stalk through the halls of Ninlil.
His chest still throbbed with hunger for the touch of a human woman.
CHAPTER 4
Rain soaked Caine’s clothes as he stalked across the Thorndike campus, cloaked by invisibility. Yellow streetlights dazzled off the puddles in front of the old Victorian houses, and rhythmic music pulsed through the frat house walls.
As he skulked past the rickety houses, he tried to forget the image of Alice’s broken corpse on his floor. He wasn’t sure what bothered him more—that Erish had murdered an innocent woman right in front of him, or that she’d forced him to stand by and watch, helplessly, for the second time that day.
His chest still ached with hunger. It was a hollow, gnawing feeling, a relic of his darkest days, when he’d stared up at the Throcknell Fortress, eaten away by agony.
For an incubus like him, the world should be full of pleasure. And it had been, at one time—including the first few years after he’d met Ambrose. As he’d climbed up the ranks of Ambrose’s army, he’d spent all his free time with the Vampire Lord’s human courtesans, trying to forget his past.
But something had been missing. Perhaps he was a born predator, and h
e felt no thrill when hunting domesticated creatures. Whatever it was, all of his joy always seemed so fleeting.
A hot pulse of magic crackled over his skin, and he jolted to attention, scanning the row of houses before him. He caught a glimpse of a demon in a spotted coat, donning a red hat that glistened with human blood. A redcap—younger than most, which meant he wasn’t as strong. Caine’s eyes trailed further up the hill, and his heart skipped a beat as he caught sight of a perfect feminine form, dressed entirely in black. Rosalind.
There was the girl whose family had nearly ruined him. He should murder her now. He dreaded looking into her eyes, finding what agonizing memories she’d dredge up for him.
He moved closer, his gaze fixed on her. Even if he’d been visible, she might not have noticed him, intent as she was on the redcap. Didn’t she realize how hopelessly outmatched she was hunting demons? Forget the redcap. I could slaughter you from here before you take another step. He had to admit, there was something tempting about that thought. Maybe it was just as Erish had said. Demons like him gloried in complete domination over humans.
Except something about Rosalind’s alluring appearance tempered his bloodlust. Was this the same bratty girl who’d ordered around the servants? Something disturbed him about the feelings she stoked in him now. His gaze took in every inch of her body, strong and supple. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and rain drenched her long, brown hair.
Clearly hesitating, she bit her lower lip and gripped her hawthorn stake.
She looked unnerved—and she should be. Humans like her had no business fighting redcaps.
Still, he could tell she was about to pounce. Furrowing her dark eyebrows, she broke into a sprint, careening down the hill. Her boots echoed off the pavement. So much for stealth.
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