She must have caught a glimpse of Natalia while leaving the bar and put the pieces together. The fucking bitch. I was going to kill her.
“How did she realize we were going to be at Easton though?” I asked. “That’s not harpy territory.”
“Kat has a talent for understanding the political climate of the city,” Thomas responded. “There’s a reason I kept her at my side for as long as I did. Her problem lies in her arrogance and the foolish belief that she is superior to everyone else. I blame Sofia for that. She spoiled the child.”
I was incensed, wishing I could hunt that woman down immediately.
“Calm down, Aileen. It isn’t her time yet,” Thomas instructed. “This situation is delicate. We can’t afford to make enemies of Davinish. We’ll need them on our side since Sienna has found evidence that several of the smaller houses have decided to side with Dominick.”
“Kat’s already betrayed her,” I snarled.
“Yes, but she’s also her many times great grandchild. It makes the situation complicated.”
I settled back with a frown. Frickin vampires and their “complicated”.
I didn’t want to be patient. I wanted to kill the bitch before she became even more of a problem.
Elliot forced his eyes open a crack. “You’re a coward, Clive. We never should have let you join us.”
“It’s not my fault. I don’t want to die like this!” Clive blubbered. “I’m not like the rest of you guys. I’ve never killed any of them before.”
“Do you really think they’ll let either of us live?”
Clive’s eyes were pleading as he focused on Anton.
The enforcer patted him on the cheek. “There’s no reason we can’t work something out. That is—if you really haven’t killed any of us.”
Clive shook his head frantically. “I really haven’t. I swear.”
“Then tell me more about this man you were supposed to catch. The one you said is always with Aileen.”
“He’s blond and has blue eyes. That’s all I know.”
My sire was deathly still as Anton checked with him. We all knew Connor was the original male target, but knowing something was different than hearing about it firsthand.
My sire stepped away from the wall. “This man you were supposed to capture. What were you planning to do with him?”
Clive searched to see who was speaking. “They wanted to use him to send a message.”
Elliot chuckled. “That’s right. We were going to torture him and the woman.”
The enforcers in the room were very quiet.
“We were going to do it slow. Take our time over several days. Make every cut hurt as much as possible.”
“Why?” I asked when everyone else remained silent.
Elliot’s face moved in my direction. “Because it would be fun.” His sneer showed his blood-stained smile. “And because we know your kind can sense when your progeny are in pain. Can you think how amazing that would have been? Torturing their sire with their pain without ever having to set a hand on him?” Elliot’s eyelids fluttered as he gave an orgasmic exhale. “I can’t think of anything more pleasurable.”
Nathan caught my arm, his eyes on Thomas as he eased me away from my sire.
I followed the direction of his gaze, freezing at the expression there.
Wrath engulfed his face. Pure, all-encompassing rage. An emotion so overwhelming it obliterated everything else.
It was hard to believe the entity before me had ever been human. There was nothing of humanity left in him. He was the primordial terror we’d buried in our subconscious but were reminded of in situations like this one.
“We’ve just gotten started,” Elliot ranted, spittle flying. “You and your demon spawn—”
