1
RISSA
Roma leaned forwardin her chair. A few strands of her wavy dark hair had already worked their way out of her sleek updo, falling around her face. Her hazel eyes were intent on her intended prey. "You can't have a small wedding! It has to be a grand affair, like mine and Bran’s. Remember, king of vampires, it’s another major PR opportunity."
Hugh, quiet as ever, simply shook his head. I had to admire his determination, and I gave him fifty-fifty odds of actually winning this discussion. Which was better than most against Roma’s steamroller tendencies. "No. Absolutely not. There is only one vampire female on Earth. I'm marrying her. It would be cruel to rub that fact in my subjects' faces."
Tanni nodded, expression just as firm as Hugh’s. She fidgeted with the end of her long, brown braid. "A small ceremony is better for us. I don't want to be the center of attention in some huge spectacle."
Roma huffed and opened her mouth to argue, but Shay's image on the video screen got her words in first. "A compromise? Have it on Fellmere. We can ensure your privacy. Then have a well-publicized but very exclusive reception. That way Roma gets more fodder for the press, and you don’t have to deal with all that much of a crowd."
Shay brushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear. Her other hand rested on her swollen belly. This far into her pregnancy, small as she was, she looked a lot like a bowling ball with stick arms and legs.
Cathy nodded enthusiastically, her short red bob swaying with the motion. "I agree. Just leak the news there’ll be a reception and people will be lining up to attend, and then pick a few of them. People really want to visit Shay's place after the last wedding! So, we can keep the number really small and still get the result we need."
I glanced toward Hugh and Tanni. The vampire king didn’t appear willing to yield, but Tanni covered his hand with hers. His face softened as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. He had hidden depths; I’d known him for decades and not discovered he had a romantic streak.
"Then it's settled," Hugh declared in a tone that brooked no argument. "A small wedding at Shay's castle in three weeks. Only our closest friends will attend. And no more than ten others at the reception."
Roma sat back, crossing her arms. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She meant well, but sometimes her aggressive managing tendencies were a bit much. Thank the heavens above my boss hadn’t married her.
A sudden silence descended over the meeting room.
Bran, goblin king and all-around take-charge guy, changed the subject abruptly. "The formless ones. We need to form a plan todeal with them now. Since we’re sitting in council, does anyone have ideas for how we can get rid of them and prevent their return?"
I glanced around at the troubled faces of my friends. Rey leaned against the wall, his ever-present smile flattened with thought. Cathy chewed her bottom lip, her freckled nose scrunched in consideration. Roma folded her manicured hands on the table, her expression uncharacteristically grim.
No one spoke. The tension grew thicker with each passing second. My shoulders tensed as a sinking realization settled over me. They were out of ideas. Damn it all. I would have to be the one to break the silence. To offer a solution that would be a tremendous pain in my posterior, and worse, would change relationships I’d spent a very long time building.
I shoved my hands in my pockets, leaning back in my chair. The chair squeaked as I stared at the ceiling. This was something I really didn’t want to do. Revealing my deepest secret carried consequences...
On the big screen, Martellus's image shifted. His violet-blue eyes narrowed as he focused his attention on Edward. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
Edward straightened in his chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest. His rugged features remained impassive, but there was a slight tension in his shoulders. "I'm here to help, same as everyone else."
Martellus raised a single brow. "Really? Would someone explain why they’ve decided to trust you?"
Martellus’s doubts were valid. Edward was a daemon, after all. Deception came naturally to his kind.
Edward met Martellus's challenge unflinchingly. "The Council booted me out when I refused to help them when they challenged all of you. I don't have anywhere else to go."
His flat words hung in the air, a mixture of defiance and resignation. It would have made even a really unkind person feel ashamed for challenging him.
Luckily, I was several degrees meaner.
Redirecting my gaze from the ceiling, I studied Edward's chiseled profile. His light red hair gleamed under the fluorescent lights, his close-cropped beard and mustache adding to his rugged charm. But beneath that handsome illusion was the reality of a daemon, a person whose very nature was steeped in power hunger and deceit.
Could we really trust him? Probably not, but then I’d learned to guard my back in a hard school. Edward might claim to be on our side, but there was a good chance he was playing both fields. A double agent, waiting for the right moment to betray us. The human perception of daemons had its roots in the daemon people.
Trust didn’t come easily to me. Too many centuries of watching all the plays of treachery and lies that come with all people. Even Rey, my closest confidant, who I trusted with my life, didn't know my biggest secret. Not that it really impacted much in how our friendship worked, either.
But what choice did I have? The formless ones were closing in, their presence seeping into every corner of our world. We needed all the help we could get, even if it came from a source I didn’t want to use.
I caught Edward's gaze. A silent understanding passed between us, a recognition of the precarious position of our world. For now, we would have to put aside our doubts and work together.
But that didn't mean I would let my guard down. I’d be ready for when Edward turned on us, ready to strike at the first sign of betrayal. Memory stirred within me, ancient magic thrumming through my veins. Even with most of my power gone I was far from helpless.
Let the daemon cross me. He'd learn the same hard lesson others had. Maybe even survive it.
