“Good idea,” Sincaro said. “They tend to know where supernaturals can be found within the human realm.”
“Because they’re damn nosy,” Cain muttered.
“Looks like we have a plan.” Ludcarab headed for the door. “Let’s get it done so we can move on. And we will plan to have that meeting with the leaders tomorrow night after we’ve managed to deal with the healer.”
Alston watched as the elf king left, and the two vampires followed. There was no sense in worrying about the fact that he had no plan of sharing power with anyone. If he was lucky, they’d be killed in one of the battles to come. There would likely be many because there was no way the alpha of the Romanian wolves was going to step aside and let the Order take over. He would fight until his last breath, and those who followed him would do the same.
He mentally reached out to his fae and commanded them to go and retrieve the healer and bring her to the main building of the compound.
“If her mate resists?” Stratton asked.
“Use whatever power is necessary, but do not kill him or the child.”
Alston thought back to the day that he’d taken Sally Miklos’s memories and life away. He wondered if she would wilt under the pressure of what she was about to face. Or would she be able to put aside her fears and fight back? He hoped she’d fight. It was always more satisfying to win after a good struggle. For some reason, he had a feeling she was going to be a challenge. Alston smiled to himself. He relished the thought. “Prepare yourself, young healer,” he said quietly into the empty room. “Things are about to get uncomfortable.”
* * *
Ludcarab staredup at the large beast. The draheim was young, but it was still huge. He smiled. He’d managed to get his hands on an old spell that made the draheim obey him. It was quite remarkable what you could get out of people with the right motivation. He wasn’t about to tell anyone. Let them think that he was so powerful he was able to bring the beast to heel using only his will.
“You rang,” a voice said from behind him.
Ludcarab turned to look at the vampire. “Scott,” he said, thinking about the fact that a vampire named Scott seemed so boring. Vampires were supposed to be scary, at least to humans. Would anyone be scared of aScott?He didn’t think so, but then, as long as the vampire could get his job done, Ludcarab supposed his name didn’t matter. “Have you been keeping an eye on the djinn?”
Scott nodded. “I’ve had two of my guys on her since she left the other djinn’s home. She’s just walking and running places. She’s taken a few cabs. Don’t know how she’s paying for things, but whatever.”
“Is she headed this direction?” Ludcarab asked.
“She’s moving west, but not toward Arizona. It’s almost as if she’s sightseeing,” he said with a huff of laughter. “She’s definitely not spent much time in the human realm, if any.”
“It’s time to bring her in,” Ludcarab told the vampire.
“That’s not going to be easy to do.” Scott held up his hands and took a step back. “I’m just saying. She fights like nothing or no one I’ve ever seen.”
“Take as many people as you think you will need to bring her in. Not just vampires,” Ludcarab added. “Take fae and elves as well.”
Scott nodded. “What’s our time frame?”
“Less than a week.” The elf king turned back to look at the subdued draheim. “I want to be ready to attack Vasile’s people in a week's time. Their morale will be low, and I don’t know where Perizada has run off to, but if we could attack without her in the picture, then all the better.”
He didn’t bother to see if Scott had left. He was too focused on the sleeping beast. After the battle, he’d brought the draheim into the largest of the warehouses. He’d simply commanded him to sleep, and as obedient as a trained dog, the dragon had laid down and went right to sleep.
Ludcarab let out a sigh. It was good to be king. His eyes narrowed as he thought about Alston’s words. The fool thought that he could take Ludcarab’s place? Not a chance in seven hells. Ludcarab had made the Order what it is, and he wasn’t about to step aside for a damn fae on an ego trip. No. That was not going to happen. He would just have to make sure that before the end of everything, before the Order was in control of the supernatural and human worlds, that Alston was removed from the picture. He was pretty sure he could get Cain to fall in line. Despite being king of the vampires, he’d never really acted like he wanted more responsibility. Ludcarab figured he’d only offered up the challenge today to save face. And if he couldn’t get Sincaro on board, then there would be a new vampire king—one who knew what the score was.
Chapter 6
“To lead is to sacrifice. To lead any other way is a path to destruction, not only for the ruler but for those who are under their care.” ~Vasile
“What are you looking for?” Zara asked as she sat down next to Wadim. They were holed up in a room the pair had converted into a workspace for the historian, and he’d hardly left since they’d arrived at the Keep. Zara had remained quiet, letting him work and bringing him food but otherwise just letting him do whatever it was he was doing. She didn’t want to get in his way or annoy him.
“You could never get in my way or annoy me,”he said through their bond, obviously having heard her thoughts.
“See if you can say the same thing in a decade or two,” she teased. “See if you can say the same thing in a decade or two,” she teased. “And your shirt says otherwise.” She pointed at the t-shirt he’d been wearing for two days. It said, ‘if you can read this, you’re too damn close. If you’re too damn close, I’m annoyed. When I’m annoyed, I start eating those who got too damn close.’She’d snort laughed when she’d read it the first time and it still made her snort laugh two days later.
Wadim took his eyes off the computer screen he’d been staring at for the better part of fifteen hours and looked at her. She could see the exhaustion in his unusual gold eyes. They were bright in the center, and they darkened toward the outer edge. Zara could get lost in them if she let herself.
“I apologize if I’ve been neglecting you,” he said, his voice filled with concern.
Zara immediately shook her head. “Nah-uh. I’m not that girl. You don’t need to cater to me in order for me to feel secure in our relationship. I’m just curious, but I also don’t want to keep you from doing something important. So if you can’t take time to explain it, not that you won’t, but you seriously can’t, I get it and I’m okay.”
