Tremaine, for his part, didn’t look nervous at all. He’d come to this fight dressed for a night on the town, clearly believing Jono was an easy mark when the only person Jono was easy for was Patrick.
Tremaine flexed his fingers, his presence filling the fight ring while the roar of the crowd filled Jono’s ears. “I’m going to enjoy killing you.”
“Lucien was right. You’re all talk,” Jono said.
At the mention of his master, Tremaine snarled out a command that Jono sensed deep in his soul, the push of power behind it familiar.
“Change.”
Black magic plucked at the werevirus running through his veins, but Fenrir kept hold of his soul so Jono could stay in human form. Tremaine’s power rushed through him and dispersed, the order nothing but sound in Jono’s ears.
Music filled the space between them. The crowd seemed surprised that Jono hadn’t shifted on the command of a master vampire, the murmur of their voices white noise through the magic caging them in.
Jono smirked, meeting Tremaine’s surprised gaze. “That all you got, mate?”
Tremaine snarled and rushed forward so fast he was only a blur in Jono’s sight. Jono moved, but not quick enough to escape the glancing punch to his face. He caught it on the chin, the speed and force of the blow making his jaw ache. He lashed out, fingernails shifting into the beginning of claws, and caught the edges of Tremaine’s shirt.
The fabric ripped as Tremaine blurred out of reach. Something wet trickled over Jono’s bottom lip, the taste of blood on his tongue. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, eyeing Tremaine as he mentally noted how fast the master vampire could move.
Pretty fucking fast.
But not fast enough to escape Jono’s claws.
The thick black blood staining the edges of the torn dress shirt put them at a draw for first blood. Tremaine’s expression twisted into something monstrous, all vestiges of humanity leaving him as the master vampire crouched low to the dance floor.
Jono widened his stance and braced himself for the next attack, anticipation thrumming through his veins. “Best get on with it. I don’t have all night.”
In reply, Tremaine lunged forward, and Jono met him halfway with a snarl that was more wolf than human.
18
“I got you a train,”Casale said. “Special express, straight into crazy.”
Patrick closed the car door and hiked the duffel bag higher onto his shoulder but didn’t head inside Ginnungagap. “I’m duly impressed with your bargaining skills.”
“The MTA was a hard nut to crack, but they finally agreed. The train will stop at West Fourth Street-Washington Square Station twenty minutes after sunset. It’s a special, so look for that on the signs. Police will be on the platform to ensure only your group gets on. Detective Specialists Guthrie and Ramirez will be your contacts there. They will redeploy to Grand Central after you leave the station.”
“The SOA has agents stationed at Grand Central as well. SAIC Ng is coordinating their defense. You should probably call him.”
“We’ve been in touch. I’m providing a few officers, but the DEA is handling the majority of surveillance at the Crimson Diamond.”
“I know,” Patrick said, thinking of the argument he and Quetzalcoatl had worked their way through over a conference call earlier in the day. “I already told Special Agent Delgado not to prematurely breach the club and to wait for my signal.”
“If your signal is a destroyed building, you’re talking to the commissioner in my stead.”
“I’ll give him my director’s direct number. Thanks for the train, Casale.”
“I hope you’re wrong about this, but my gut says you aren’t. We’ll start closing stations as soon as we get word you’ve been dropped off in the restricted area.”
“Understood. I need to go.”
“Good luck.”
Patrick ended the call, mind churning as he headed for the entrance to Ginnungagap in the alleyway. Wade was holding the door open for him, chewing on a granola bar and eyeing him worriedly.
“I thought we weren’t bringing in the cops?” Wade asked.
“Red tape is a bitch, and I want my ass covered.” Patrick shouldered past him and squinted through the bright light at everyone gathered in the center of the warehouse around construction tools. “Suck it up, Lucien, okay?”
