4
It might have been my imagination, but it seemed the café got really quiet then – a lull, like it was holding its breath, waiting for a storm to hit. I couldn’t see anything out of place, so Laous had to be behind me. I didn’t want to turn my head and alert this asshole to our presence. Not until I knew the plan.
“Okay, so he’s here. Has he spotted you?” I murmured, pretending to take a sip of coffee.
Daniel lowered his head, which in no way did anything to hide him. He was humongous, like the worst person ever to try to play hide and seek. “He’s busy right now trying to set fire to the building.”
“What?”
I couldn’t stop from spinning now, scanning across the crowd. It took me about five seconds to spot him. He was standing in the main entrance, looking pretty unimpressive. Besides the fact that he had a shaved head with the dark red symbols tattooed on the right side like Daniel, I would never have thought that he was a Daelighter.
He was so … ordinary. Squinty eyes. Weedy arms and legs. Roundish body. Like a bunch of body parts had been put together, but nothing actually went with the other. He took a step forward, lifting both of his hands on either side of him. When they were around shoulder height, I felt the first flickers of heat.
Daniel’s chair crashed as he shot to his feet, his hands also filled with fire. I added that to my mental list of Daelighter abilities and moved myself even further down the evolutionary ladder. Some of the other diners started to react, but since a lot of them seemed to be drunk, they weren’t panicking as fast as they should have been. Most of them probably thought this was some sort of NOLA show, but they’d change their tune once they felt the very real heat from the flames.
Laous shot out balls of fire, catching the nearby awning, which was almost immediately alight. It was then the patrons started screaming and rushing from the café.
“Guess he’s not afraid of you,” I quipped to stem my nerves. Part of me was thinking I should have taken the council up on that offer to go straight to safety.
“Just stay close to me,” Daniel warned, positioning himself protectively before me, “until I figure out what he’s up to. No Daelighter would make a scene like this in public, but Laous clearly does not care about any repercussions of his actions now.”
Great, he was a complete madman and he had my mom.
“Remember,” Daniel said, “Laous wants you. He needs your blood and will stop at nothing to get it. Protecting you is my first and only priority.”
I could tell that Daniel was majorly regretting allowing me to stick with him, but it was too late to do anything but try to get out of this alive.
The café had emptied, flames roaring across the front of it, and … Laous seemed a little scarier as he strolled toward us. Especially since there was nothing I could do against magic fire.
“I’d suggest leaving now,” Daniel warned Laous. “Return Callie’s mother to her home and get out of New Orleans.” He sounded so casual. “You’re no longer overlord. The power of our house is mine to command.”
Laous paused, a disturbing sort of smile tilting up his thin lips. “I don’t need the power from Imperial any longer. Did you know that the stone I procured from the first girl does a lot more than just lead me to the next secret keeper?” Before Daniel could answer, he continued on: “I’m going to find the original starlight stone, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. Soon, Daelighters will realize how stupid we were to place true power in the hands of these grubbers.”
“Grubbers…?” I murmured.
“Ignore him,” Daniel bit out. “It’s … a term thatsomeDaelighters use for humans.”
Should have guessed it was a derogatory name. Sounded like they thought we lived in the dirt and bathed in mud. It didn’t bother me, though. The opinion ofLaouswas not going to keep me awake at night. What he did with my mother, on the other hand, was a different story.
“Where is my mom?” I asked, proud of how well I kept my cool. In my head I had already punched him in the throat six times. Twice in the balls.
He chuckled. The piece of shit actually laughed. “She’s really enjoying her time with us, you know. I didn’t expect her to be so…” He tilted his head to the side like he was trying to find the right word. “Spirited. She’s quite spirited.”
Rage filled me, but before I could reply, sirens filled the air, responding to the fire that was halfway to destroying one of the Quarter’s most famous landmarks. The smoke was thick and black, and I was just worrying about being trapped in here, when Daniel took off. I finally got to see his speed in action.Whoa.It was almost like he disappeared and reappeared in another spot. In the same instant.Superfast.I added that to the list.
I watched, mouth hanging open as Daniel waved one hand across the six-foot flames and they instantly died off. He was back at my side in another moment, and the shock and awe on my face must have caught his attention. “House of Imperial specializes in fire. I can counter anything he throws at us.”
The creep in question crossed his arms over his round chest. “That might be true, but don’t forget, you’ve been overlord for days, I was the ruler for a lot longer than that. I know the power better than you.”
He strolled closer to me and I braced for a fight, dropping lower into a stance more suitable to strike and defend myself. Daniel repositioned himself, standing between me and the crazy pyro.
They faced off at each other, Daniel definitely the more intimidating of the two. I liked his calmness the most; it gave me some confidence. Laous flicked his hand and an object flung free from the cuff of his jacket. A small stone, with a chain attached to one end. Like … a necklace.
Laous whipped it out, keeping hold of the chain, while the stone slammed into Daniel’s shoulder, cutting through the shirt and embedding deep. Ignoring this, Daniel took a step closer to Laous, wearing a look of complete loathing. Flames spread up over Daniel’s arms, moving in increments across his body.
“I have the power of the justices now,” he growled. “I will use them to end you. To end this before a war breaks out.”
Laous shook his head. “You’re missing the bigger picture, Daniel. You always did. Just like your father.”
