by Kyra Quinn
Shit. I never told Dagon about the few hours I stole away to spend with Nadia a few years back. How does he recognize her?
“She looks familiar,” I say, choosing my words with care. “But a lot of mortals look alike. Means nothing.”
He rolls his eyes. “No, idiot. She’s that girl who went missing from the scene of that witch murder a few years back. The pastor’s kid.”
I hold back a sigh of relief. He knows nothing about Nadia, but every demon has heard of her parents. Reverend Adam Gray is the lead pastor at some big-time Baptist church. His face is on the television every Sunday morning as he warns the world against temptation and sin. But it’s Alana Gray that demon kind is more familiar with.
I only met Nadia’s mother a handful of times before her death. She left the coven and denounced magic when she married the reverend, but the whispers on the street suggest she never stopped practicing her craft. Witches can’t give up their magic any easier than demons can embrace humanity.
“Huh. Maybe it is her. Hadn’t noticed,” I say with a one-shoulder shrug. “Think she inherited her mother’s talents?”
“Let’s hope not. Alana Gray was a force of nature in her younger years. Fuck, some witches suspect she only married the reverend to strengthen the coven’s hold over the mortal realm. They say her allegiance to our side never faltered.”
“Pity she’s no longer with us. If you’ll excuse me, I need to find Kaz. It won’t score us any points with Moloch if our prisoner kills herself trying to escape.”
Dagon’s frown deepens. “I doubt Moloch cares what happens to her any more than we do. Aside from the information she carries, she’s worthless. Michael never would have recruited her for the Dark Hunt if she shared any of her mother’s talents.”
I’m not convinced. Hollie disappeared similarly to Nadia, and she had magic in her blood. “She’s what, nineteen? Twenty at most? Even a full-blooded witch doesn’t mature in her abilities until almost thirty. Halflings may develop slower.”
“Doesn’t matter either way. I can’t imagine Lilith allowing her to live when we’re finished with her.”
My stomach hardens, but Dagon is only voicing what I’d already thought. Even with the blindfold, the Knights won’t take any chances. The risk of her leading her hunter pals back to our base is too high.
“Let me handle Kaz and the painkillers,” Dagon says, rising to his feet from behind his desk. “I need you to take care of Ava.”
I groan. Of all the monsters in all of creation, Ava is the least pleasant to deal with. She’s also hated my guts since I broke up with her a decade ago. It’s an understatement to say I’m not her favorite person. “Send someone else.”
He barks a laugh. “And let Ava exploit their stupidity for her benefit? Fuck that. It’ll take you an hour, maybe two tops.”
“What does she want?”
His expression turns somber. “The Dark Hunt attacked her nest last night. She’s lost ten of her children and almost all their possessions. She’s coming by to speak with us about arranging protection for the rest of her bloodsuckers. I need you to work out the details with her. It’s excellent practice for when you take my place as General.”
I don’t have an argument for that. If Dagon joins the Knights, his position and all its responsibilities will fall on my shoulders. Avoiding Ava and the other hostile parts of my past is a luxury I soon won’t have.
“Is she coming to the house?” I ask, my shoulders sagging. There’s no winning against Dagon on this one. “You could talk to her instead. Everyone knows you’re the better diplomat.”
“You’re the one who put your dick in crazy. It’s out of my hands now.” He shakes his head. “She’s meeting you at The Crypt. I’d send someone with you, but she requested you come alone.”
Of course she did. Devious bitch. Ava isn’t above exploiting her recent tragedy for my attention. There isn’t much Ava won’t do if it helps her reach an end goal. “She wants to meet at a nightclub in the middle of the day?”
“Maybe she’s counting on privacy. Who knows with Ava?”
“You sure I can’t stand her up? Or shoot her a quick text telling her to fuck off?”
He laughs. “Not this time. We need to maintain a positive working relationship with the vampire community. If this war continues to escalate, we’ll need them on our side.”
Stiffness spreads up my neck and into my jaw. “Right, because everyone knows vampires and angels make the best of friends. If we don’t cater to Ava’s every demand, the bloodsuckers will sprout wings and throw in with the holy rollers.”
Dagon taps his fingers against the desk. He presses his lips together until they disappear into a thin slash across his face. “I don’t need you to enjoy it, Kane. Just do it. If fucking her brains out helps keep the peace, take one for the team.”
Over my undead body. Ava is the last crazy bitch I want to jump into bed with. I also don’t love the thought of leaving him alone with our prisoner, but I give a curt nod and turn to leave. If I stay in this room much longer, whatever incense he’s burning will give me a migraine. “On it. I’ll send Kaz up on my way out.”
I storm out of the study and down the stairs. After finding Kaz and directing him upstairs to Dagon, I crack my neck and head outside. The afternoon sky is black with clouds, threatening summer showers. Saltwater tickles my nostrils, but it doesn’t hide the smell of rain lingering in the air. My hopes of taking the bike out fade as thunder rolls in the distance. I slide into the driver’s seat of my car, muttering under my breath about how even the weather has it in for me today.
I’ll handle the business with Ava, but I won’t touch her. Or enjoy a single second spent in her presence. The Legion may need her as an ally, but I have no use for her as a lover. Not with my new plaything waiting for me at home.
* * *
As usual, traffic is a nightmare. It’s a shame I’m not as skilled with magic as Dagon. He could’ve snapped his fingers and reached the club in seconds. But I threw most of my efforts into studying combat skills and war strategy. My powers are enough to get me by, but they’re nowhere near as sophisticated and honed as my brother’s. Knowing my luck, I’d end up somewhere in Trinidad if I tried it.
On the drive, my thoughts flicker between the present and the past. It’s difficult to have Nadia under my roof and not remember the last woman to blow into our lives. Dagon fell for Hollie’s melodic laugh and healthy curves from the first night she showed up on our doorstep pleading for help. I never trusted the devious little witch. Something about her calculating smile warned me to keep a close eye on her. I’m not an expert on witches, but everyone with a drop of infernal magic in their blood knows better than to trust them. Their allegiances lie only with their coven.
Ava’s metallic blue Corvette is parked on the street in front of Club Inferno. I pull around the back of the nondescript concrete building and park, itching to get this over and return to the prisoner locked in our attic. Ava’s dramatics couldn’t interest me less.
The nightclub is, as expected, a ghost town. The doors don’t open to patrons until seven, but no one shows up to drink or dance until nine or ten. Ava lounges in a circular booth in the back with a gin and tonic. A short red dress cuts off mid-thigh, leaving miles of tanned and toned legs for the eye to enjoy. Her breasts all but spill from a deep V-shaped neckline, and whatever necklace she’s wearing disappears inside her cleavage. She’s wearing far too much makeup for daytime, but no one ever accused vampires of subtly.
Ava normally doesn’t leave her nest without a handful of undead henchmen, but there’s no one else in the nightclub. The bottoms of my boots stick to the floor with each step. Neon lights overhead cast an odd purple glow over the small round tables and empty dance floor. Strands of beads dangle from the ceilings over the bar. It’s the most cringe-worthy club in Miami, frequented more by vampires and demons than mortals.
“Kane!” she purrs as I approach her table. “I worried you might not show.”<
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If only. I slide into the booth across from her. “Dagon had some other business to attend to.”
“He mentioned that on the phone. I don’t mind, though. If the rumors are true, it sounds like we may see each other a lot more often.”
She flashes a seductive smile and bats her thick lashes in my direction like a schoolgirl with a crush. It’s pathetic, but I can’t tell her that without burning our bridge with her nest. Whatever attraction I once had to her is long dead.
“Right. What’s this about?”
Ava frowns. “Straight to business, huh? I thought we’d at least have a drink or two and catch up before we talk shop. We haven’t seen each other in ages.” She rubs her leg against mine under the table. My pants tighten against my will.
The lengthy absence was intentional, at least on my end. But I force a smile. “I’d love to, but I’m pressed for time today. Soon, though. It’s been too long.”
“Is it true what they’re saying on the streets? Did you and Dagon kidnap a member of the Dark Hunt?”
She whispers the last word as if it were a curse. I fight back the urge to roll my eyes. “You bloodsuckers gossip worse than humans. But yes, we’ve taken our first prisoner of war.”
She purses her lips. “Why? Michael won’t take this lying down.”
“You worry too much.” I cast a quick glance around the nightclub. “Where’s that drink you offered me?”
“I thought you didn’t have time.”
I don’t. But I can’t deal with Ava without at least a little something in my system to take the edge off. “One won’t hurt. After the loss you’ve suffered, I’m sure you could use a friend to drink with and vent.”
A slow smile spreads over her lips. And just like that, I’m back in control. She rises from her seat and crosses over to the bar, her heels clacking against the dancefloor. Her hips sway with every step, drawing my gaze to her shapely backside. If there’s one thing Ava has going for her, it’s raw sex appeal.
But her powers wore off on me ages ago. She was fun for a while, with a body made to sin and a mouth eager to please, but women in positions of power let it go to their heads. It only took a few months for me to realize Ava is more narcissistic than God himself and more vapid than the worst Hollywood starlets and ‘social media influencers.’ Her only interest in me stemmed from the hope that screwing me might somehow bolster her own power.
“You want your usual?” she asks, flashing me a flirty smile. She’s proud of herself for remembering my preferred drink after so many years apart, but it’s not impressive. I’ve ordered the same thing in every bar for decades.
Just to throw her off, I shake my head. “Fix me a whiskey sour. Neat.”
“How sophisticated,” she purrs without missing a beat. “A dash of lifeblood for luck?”
“Pass.” Lifeblood, a toxic cocktail of virgin blood laced with poppy seeds and the blood of the damned, is the latest craze in the vampire world. Demons who consume the concoction experience a small high, but it creates a sense of euphoria in the bloodsuckers.
Ava pouts. “Your loss. I figured you might need a hit after dealing with Lilith.”
“Brave of you to insult the Dark Mother so openly.”
She scoffs. “Whatever. Lilith is the mother of demons, not my kind.”
She’s wrong, but there’s no point in correcting her. Ava was born mortal a few centuries back, but Lilith created the vampire who sired her. Lilith is the mother of all monsters. And she doesn’t tolerate disrespect from her children.
Ava appears back at the table and slides a frosted glass in front of me before taking her seat. She reaches into a small sequined clutch next to her and retrieves a tear-shaped onyx vial. Popping the cork, she dumps the inky contents into her drink. The vial disappears as she stirs the lifeblood into her gin and tonic with her pinky finger.
“I’m sure Dagon told you what I wanted to speak with you about?”
I reach for my glass, unsure if I trust her enough to drink it. “Security for your nest.”
“I still can’t figure out how the hunters found us,” she says, her expression darkening. “We’re careful with our feeds and never bring strangers home. We’ve lived in peace in that house for thirty years.”
Her nostrils flare as she speaks, her speech hurried and breathy. So much for her flirtatious and unphased act. She’s worried enough about her nest to put their needs above her own self-interest, a first for Ava. The hunters must have struck harder than Dagon led on.
“The hunter we captured has kept me busy, so I haven’t heard all the details of what happened last night. Mind filling me in?”
She grimaces. “They struck around two in the morning. Six of them, mostly men judging by their builds.”
“Were Zeke or Michael with them?”
“Are they ever?” She waves a hand and rolls her eyes. “They stuck to their usual agenda and sent warm bodies to die for their cause. We killed one, but the rest escaped while we were trying to put the fire out.”
“Fire?”
“Those fuckers burned our home to the ground, amour. Ten of my children died, and our nest is now nothing more than a pile of ashes. They ruined everything we fought for years to build in twenty minutes. Security is a pleasant start, but what I want is revenge.”
She leans forward as she speaks until the table digs into the tops of her breasts. Her eyes blaze with a bloodlust all too familiar to me. She isn’t only here to talk about protection. Ava wants Zeke and Michael to answer for what they’ve done.
“We’ll do everything we can to help you,” I say with as much sincerity as I can muster, “but the situation is more than complicated. Dagon has wanted Michael’s head on a platter since Hollie disappeared. But he’s difficult to track and even harder to kill.”
“He isn’t a god. Everything that lives can die.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You’re underestimating how difficult it is to kill an Archangel. Even a fallen one. Weapons from this mortal world are useless against them. Hellfire doesn’t scorch their flesh. Their meat puppets are easy enough to handle, but everything we’ve tried against Zeke and Michael in the past has failed. It’s a waste of time and resources—and lives—to go after them again. Not until we know how to take them out.”
“So stop dicking around and figure out how to kill them,” she growls. “Michael will destroy this world and everything in it to win the war.”
I don’t much care about the fate of Earth or the mortals, but I can understand her concern. Without humans to feed on, vampires won’t last long. All of Lilith’s children who rely on blood or human hearts for survival will die out within months of humanity’s extinction.
And if Moloch’s prediction is accurate and God punishes Michael, demon kind might perish in the crossfire. It pains me to agree with Ava, but her request is fair. None of us will know peace until we’ve put an end to the Dark Hunt.
“What did you have in mind in terms of protection?”
“Since when do we use that?” She winks, then adds, “Oh, lighten up. We’ll pay you three grand a month for four bodies stationed outside our building at all times.”
“Three grand?”
She scowls. “Did you miss the part where the hunters burnt our house to the ground? Three grand.”
I want to tell her to fuck off, but it’s not worth listening to Dagon lecture me later. “Text me the address. You can send one guy home with the money in the morning when they switch shifts.”
We finish our drinks and make our way out of the club. Ava pins me against the wall just before we reach the door. She presses her body against mine and shoves her tongue down my throat. Her hand travels up my thigh towards my dick. She’s an inch away from what she wants when I push her back and step to the side.
“I’m sorry,” I shake my head, “but this isn’t the best time. We’ll get together soon, though.”
She gives an exaggerated sigh. “Can’t blame a girl for trying. See you soon,
Kane. Good luck with your promotion.”
The last word makes me bristle. I haven’t put a lot of time into considering my increase in rank. Becoming the Legion’s General is nice, but the only thing I give a damn about is helping Dagon earn his place among the Knights. It’s a poor apology for what I’ve done, but it’s the best I can offer. Once we secure the promotion, Hollie’s memory will fade into the past. With any luck, he’ll never find out my role in pushing his toxic lover out of our lives.
I step outside into the blinding afternoon sun, my feet leaden. None of this is possible unless I break the headstrong hunter in my attic. Unfortunately for Nadia, I don’t have time to play nice and coax the answers I need from her. With Hollie still in the wind, this promotion is the only thing that might bring Dagon some sense of fulfillment. I owe him at least that. If the Knights want answers, I’ll do whatever it takes to get them. All I must do is convince myself she means nothing to me. I’ve already done it once. If losing her for good is what it takes to secure Dagon’s power and end this war, so be it. One human life isn’t worth more than the lives of everyone I know and care about, regardless of how my skin prickles with electricity when we touch. No one wins a war without sacrifice.
CHAPTER FIVE
Nadia
I stand beneath a towering oak tree inside of a cemetery bathed in moonlight. An owl hoots from the branches overhead. Headstones engraved with names and dates surround me, weathered by age and chipped away at by time. None of the plots are adorned with fresh flowers. Aside from the cicadas chirping in the grass, I’m the only living thing inside the tall iron fence.
Graveyards don’t creep me out. Part of joining the Dark Hunt is accepting the inevitability of death. No human lives forever, and hunters often meet their ends long before nature takes its course. Not much scares a person who’s danced with death as many times as I have.
Something about this place is different, though. Even the warm breeze against my skin is an unwanted touch. A restless energy buzzes in the air. I turn to bolt for the exit, but my foot freezes mid-stride.