Patrick made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat and extended his hand. “Let me see the fucking invitation.”
Lucien stared him down. “No. The magic is tied to me. You can’t afford for it to be tainted.”
Patrick closed his hand into a fist before dropping his arm with a frustrated sigh. “Where is the auction being held?”
“The spell indicates the final location will be revealed on Sunday, on the day the auction is set to take place. Until then, you have as much information as we do,” Carmen said.
“Doubtful,” Sage replied.
Carmen’s smile was full of secrets Jono didn’t care for. “Keep our names out of any conversation you have with government officials here.”
“That was the plan to begin with,” Patrick said.
“Then abide by it.”
“Soon as you show me the invitation.” Patrick raised a hand before Lucien or Carmen could argue. “I won’t touch it, but I need to know what it says. You owe me that.”
Lucien’s eyes narrowed, and Jono took a step closer to Patrick. He didn’t trust Lucien at all, and anytime Patrick brought up the promise Lucien had made to Ashanti, it always ended with someone getting bruised.
“Careful with your words,” Lucien hissed.
Patrick was as defiant as ever in the face of the master vampire’s wrath. His willingness to run his mouth and worry about the bruises and broken bones later was a stress Jono could honestly do without.
“You were the one who called us here. If it wasn’t to chat about the auction, then why?” Jono asked.
“We’ve been in contact with some of the groups we’ve done business with in the past. The auction is popular,” Carmen said.
“I can’t imagine why.”
Carmen tilted her head, staring at Patrick. “It is popular with the Orthodox Church of the Dead. The Patriarch of Souls is very, very interested in what the auction is selling this time.”
Patrick went still, and Jono frowned at him. “Come again?”
“Necromancy, with a side of cult-level madness,” Patrick said.
“The use of church in its name is a misnomer, and that group is anathema to all religions. If I recall correctly, they were run out of Odessa and have been banned by every country,” Sage said slowly.
“Laws mean nothing to those of us who do business in the shadows. Your government better be willing to pay whatever price the buyer sets for the Morrígan’s staff. The Patriarch of Souls has deep pockets,” Lucien said.
Patrick ground his teeth so hard Jono could hear the enamel scraping together. “I’ll be sure to ask my counterparts at the WSA about them. Setsuna already set up an open-ended wire transfer for the buy. It will cover whatever your bid price is.”
“Good.”
“Is the Orthodox Church of the Dead in contact with the Dominion Sect?”
Lucien gave him a scornful look “What do you think?”
Which was answer enough.
Patrick let out a heavy sigh. “We’ll be in touch before Sunday. You aren’t going to the auction alone. Play by the fucking rules the lawyers hashed out or the deal’s off. Got it?”
Lucien didn’t argue, but the way he smirked in response hinted at his opinion of that order. Patrick turned on his heels and headed for the door. Sage and Wade followed after him, but Jono didn’t immediately move.
Looking at Lucien, knowing full well what sort of games the master vampire liked to play, Jono smiled in a way that was as far from friendly as one could get. “If you betray us, I’ll let Fenrir hunt you down and enjoy the mess he’ll make.”
“I don’t fear your god,” Lucien said.
“You should.”
