“Yeah,” I said, dropping the queenly verbiage. “I know everything.” I pointed at three vamps. “These three are lower-level followers. Haul them to the scion lair, lock ’em in cages, and leave them there for a while with armed guards. My most trusted Mithrans will bleed and read them, but they will not be fed. When the enemy vamp prisoners get hungry enough, they can decide if they want to swear to a new master, knowing they will be bound by my loyal vamps and integrated into the households at bottom feeder status. The rest of the fangheads? They smell of Adan Bouvier, Shaun MacLaughlinn, Ernestine...”
I stopped. The blood scent was familiar.
In Beast’s scent-brain, things, relationships, scent-concepts began to come together.Ugly dog, good nose,she thought at me.
I knew that dogs could often scent who was related to whom in a household, and they used that scent to figure out which humans to protect and who to obey and which human was the strongest. They could trace that familial scent. In the same way, the part of Beast’s brain recognized whosefamily this blood odor came from.Crap.This was going to be dicey. I waved Quint away. “Alex, are you on comms?”
“Affirmative,” he said into my ears.
“You put a surveillance system in Ernestine’s office,” I said, for the benefit of the gathered. “Will you play a little of the most recent convos over the HQ speaker system?”
Alex said, “Yes, My Queen. They’re lined up and ready to play. The most recent, first.”
Adan’s voice came over the speakers. “Did you find it?”
Raisin answered, “No. Butthe creaturedid. It was in his desk. She has it at her home now. Using the blood, you can take it from her, you and your Firestarter.”
My brain locked up for a second, then flashed into overdrive.
They were talking about the arcenciel blood that Ka collected during the battle, and the locket, which Leo had thought might be important. I glanced at Bruiser and he nodded. The locket was safe. And... Ah. The locket was why they had attacked me at my home and not on the road. That and all the other goodies hidden there. Killing Storm and taking her blood must have been an added bonus. But... Ka had been bitten by the dying arcenciel, and the venom of the rainbow dragons was toxic. Ka might not be as stable as she once was. And someone had rescued her. Who?
Adan said, “We must have it, as well as the remains of the spike. Sabina hid everything before the fire. We must reacquire it all.”
Raisin said, “The creaturemust be removed. Once she is gone, the amulets and icons are ours. Takeher.”
“With the locket and the dragon’s blood collected during the battle,” Adan said, “Ka will become my weapon. With the spike, she and your Onorios will be able to restore Mithran control of the Council of Mithrans. And when Shaun takes the creature’s head, the crown will release and accept Ka as its new master.”
I held up a hand, knowing that Alex was watching on the cameras. The audio cut off.
Ka, Adan Bouvier, and Shaun might be able to hold on to the vamp political world ifle breloqueaccepted her as Queen. If I letanyof the twisted, layered, betraying plans succeed, my people would suffer and die. All of thespectators’ eyes were focused on me as I let the hush build. The memory of arcenciel fangs in Ka’s neck flashed through me. I had to wonder how that was gonna impact the layered vamp / Gramma plans to betray vamps and take my place. A worry for later.
One of the vamps on the floor made an attempt to leap up and run. The closest guard kicked her feet from under her, flipped her over and staked her in the belly.
Though I hated to be one of the monsters, I had to play the part and play it well.
So I laughed. My laughter was part growl, part predator, the big-cat kind that tore into live prey and ate the innards while they still kicked. A couple of the prisoners shuddered. I held up a finger again, twirling it to continue.
On the recording, the Firestarter’s voice said, “All our aims have been met except taking the crown and the amulets. We have the outclan priestess. We will not fail.”
My heart wrenched.
There were gasps throughout the gym, even vamps taking a shocked breath.
I hadn’t heard this part of the recording. There was no way they had Sabina. It was impossible. I had last seen her at the attack on the warehouse. My eyes found Bruiser’s, his shocked too. The timelines didn’t work unless they took Sabina the instant after I saw her. That... that was very possible.Damn.
A different voice spoke, Ka saying, “The creature has humans digging at Sabina’s chapel. They will find the amulets and the icons, and we will take them.”
Adan said, “The old way of life will return, under our control.”
“Stop,” I said when I could finally speak. The recording went silent.
I closed my eyes, fighting a paralyzing fury. I took three short breaths, rage like a wildfire in my blood. They had Sabina.Grandmotherhad Sabina.
I inhaled deeply and blew out a hard breath, letting the smell of my rage breathe into the room. My fangs flashing, I snarled. Growled. The vibration was like a generator filling the room.Fearsome. Magnificent.My rage roared at the vamps, Choke on the very idea of me!
I reined back on my anger and pulled on the power ofle breloqueand also on all the knowledge I had about vamps. This was a delicate negotiation, not a violent one. I didn’t look at Bruiser. “Consort. Onorio. I ask you a difficult thing. Knowing that the guilty Mithran traitors among us will be judged tonight, are you willing to partially drain and question them?”
“You do not ask me tobindthem, My Queen? You would leave them free to do you harm?”
