I swallowed. “How did you get a meeting with a demon like that?”
“I have many powers.”
“Were you satisfied with the conversation?” I asked, not knowing what else to say.
She lifted her hand and wavered it. “Demons are tricky folk. I wanted to know who he thought he was, cursing my niece!” She laughed, waving a finger in the air. “He scurried away before I could ask any more questions.”
A knock came then, and we turned to see Anita and Alicia.
“Your guests,” Anita announced and stepped away to let Desi, Arsenio, and Ludovica enter the room.
Three of the Seven Sins in one room. They weren’t in one of the other’s territory, this was out in the wild. Was this safe?
Magdalena stood and held out her hand. Arsenio moved quickly to kiss it.
“You are very beautiful,” Arsenio said to her. I heard a low growl come from behind him, and Arsenio snapped back, with a tight, awkward smile to me. “Hello again, Scout.”
“Are you comfortable in your rooms?” Magdalena asked. All three gave various positive answers and she motioned for everyone to sit. I stepped over a pillow to go to Desi. He grinned, and reached for my hand. I took it, lacing my fingers through his. I pulled him forward, to sit beside me by the fire.
Ludovica and Arsenio sat in the middle, between Magdalena and I.
“Tell me about yourself, Desi.”
“Desiderio,” Desi corrected. I grinned.
Only I got to call him that.
Magdalena raised her eyebrows but adjusted quickly.
“Desiderio, the vampire who has stolen my niece’s heart. Tell me, what makes you interesting?“
My thoughts went back to our conversation right before they got here. How demons only make deals with special vampires.
“The only thing interesting about me is my namesake.” Desi shrugged. “I have nothing impressive to list.”
“Your eyes are interesting.”
“That was a product of my curse. Since I was shot before turning, I was offered a sort of deal. A half-in, half-out situation.”
She smirked, almost as if she had assumed he was not special and now it was confirmed. “Scout made a deal to kill one thousand men to get you back. What was your agreement with the demon they call Samson?”
Desi looked taken aback by her bluntness. He cleared his throat and glanced around the room. “Ten thousand.”
“Why was your number so high, I wonder?” she mused.
“I couldn’t tell you. Maybe he was doing Scout a favor, considering the blood running through her.”
“And what blood runs through you?” Magdalena’s tone turned icy and she turned from the fire.
“I come from a long line of Bloodborns. My family, the Amato’s, are well known in the United States.”
“Fame is relative,” Magdalena sighed. “I was rather famous many years ago.”
“You aren’t anymore?” I tilted my head in confusion.
She shook hers sadly. “No. Me and my people had to go into hiding. The Mexican people did not like us. There is a protection spell, keeping everyone inside the village safe and secret from the humans. But, not anymore. I want us to take back everything we lost.”
I gulped. The determination in her blood-red eyes unnerved me. What did she mean by that?
