“Agreed,” he says at last, each word soft and stripped bare. “You will handle it. I will stay out of your way.”
He pauses, then murmurs, “She is truly a sight to behold.”
“I know,” I growl. “And if you come anywhere near her, I’ll make sure the last thing you see is a field of dandelions.”
He dips his head in what some might call a bow. I’d call it theater. Bad theater.
“Swear to me you’ll help her,” Renato says. “She needs her power, Ezra. She needs control. Not all underborne, or erevald, will be as … patient as I have been.”
If I had eyes right now, I’d roll them. He still thinks he’s above us. And that? That makes me want to break him.
“So, are we clear?” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “Break your word, and I’ll tear you from existence so thoroughly that even Lucifer won’t recognize what’s left.”
“You have my word.”
I peel my Umbraeth away from Renato, shadows trailing behind like smoke on wind, and rush toward Aurora, shifting into my Løkkda mid-stride.
Her eyes are wide and glassy, her expression disturbingly blank. When I reach out to wipe a rogue tear from her cheek, she flinches.
The fucking vampire did this to her.
I drop my hand to my side, fury curling tight in my gut as I turn back to Renato, who’s already fussing over the wrinkles in his suit.
“Get the fuck off my property,” I whisper, pointing at the front door.
“When will you search for my son?” Renato demands, sounding like the arrogant bastard I know.
“I will leave tomorrow morning and report back to you when I have more information. I trust you can see yourself out.”
I turn my attention back to Aurora. She doesn’t move. Just stares. And those goddamn tears—the ones I promised would never fall again— slide off her chin, bleeding into the fabric of her shirt.
Panic takes hold of my little goddess, its putrid claws tearing at her sanity and threatening to push her over the edge.
Renato clears his throat behind me.
“What is it now?” I mutter, not bothering to turn around.
“Against my better judgment, I believe the information I have might prove useful to you and our young queen. Unfortunately, I must accept that, as a vampire, I have limitations. She’s tied to something ancient. I don’t know what, but I’ve seen enough to know which way the scales are tipping. I choose survival. I choose her.”
“Spit it out, Renato,” I snap.
“What do you know about the Vermilion Maw?”
“The creature doomsday device? It’s a fucking myth, Ren …”
But the Daughters were a myth only a few days ago, too.
I pinch the bridge of my nose with a tired sigh and will my brain to process what the vampire just told me.
“So, you’re telling me that the Disciples somehow got their hands on the Vermilion Maw, and they’re planning to use it to wipe out all underborne and erevald living on Earth?”
“Essentially … yes. Although I’m obviously not as concerned with the erevald. They can return to their respective planes anytime they wish,” Renato responds without a hint of humor.
He senses my growing frustration and quickly adds, “I have notes at home that might help. If you want, you may pick them up on your way to mediate my son’s release. It’s not much, but I’m hopeful it’s enough to keep us safe.”
“Fine, Renato. Now, can you please get the fuck out of my house?”
I wait until the vampire’s entourage is gone, then I kneel before Aurora.
