"Since when?" Connor asked.
Thomas faced forward. "It's a new era. The violence of our past doesn't always get the best results these days."
I rested my head against the headrest. "What made her challenge me?"
There was a niggling voice in the back of my mind whispering that Thomas had a hand in events. Prior history with my sire made it hard to ignore that voice.
"She's jealous of you," Liam answered, turning onto the ramp for the highway.
"Why?"
Liam's nod was small. "You have what she wants, and you achieved it with little obvious effort."
"What's that?"
Thomas looked back at me. "Power. Respect."
That last one surprised me more than anything else they'd said.
"Whose respect exactly?" I asked, not concealing my skepticism.
"The enforcers." Thomas cast a sidelong look at Liam. "Kat petitioned for a position on Liam's team a few decades ago."
Liam's hands tightened on the wheel.
He didn't like Thomas pointing that out. Good to know I wasn't the only one who tired of my sire's schemes.
"She wasn't a good fit," Liam said in a controlled voice. "It's easy to abuse the power we're given. The council trusts our opinions and often lets us act unilaterally. I couldn't risk having someone I didn't trust in a role like that."
Thomas's laugh held genuine amusement. "Nothing about how you despise her and everything she represents."
Liam's mouth tilted up a tiny bit on one side. "That too. Nothing I've seen since has led me to change my mind."
Thomas sent him a sly glance. "No, your tastes run more toward the stubborn and honorable."
It didn't take a genius to know he meant me. Only difference was I had no intention of joining Liam's merry band of enforcers. I liked being my own boss and making my own schedule. If I screwed up, it was only my ass on the line.
But, it was cute to see them try to lure me to the dark side. Especially when only I knew it was a wasted effort.
Thomas guessed at the direction of my thoughts. "You should know Liam is quite good at playing the long game."
I made myself more comfortable in my seat. "He can play all he likes. I'll still win in the end."
Liam's eyes met mine in the rear-view mirror. "Challenge accepted."
There was a quiet tingle in the pit of my stomach. Anticipation. Nervousness. Some part of me was looking forward to this.
Good lord, their crazy was catching. I was becoming more like them every day.
"Did you learn anything of interest tonight?" Thomas asked.
"Many things." I watched the city go by outside the window as Thomas waited.
I tapped the window and wondered what all the humans in their dark houses were dreaming of right now.
"Like what?" Thomas asked, finally losing his patience.
"There's something Arlan is not telling us. He's connected to the Scattered in some way," I said.
