But I refused to let it take control. With every ounce of self-control I could muster, I blinked away the red.
“I need some names,” I said, hoping to steer the conversation away from the fae court and toward something I could better control. We needed a plan if we were going to find this damn cure. A solid one. No more chasing our tails or following dead end leads. “Contacts who have proven themselves in the past. The fallen angels, maybe.”
“You don’t want to work with those bastards again.”
“They’ve backed us up more times than I can count. They’ll fight with us, if it comes to that.” With a heavy sigh, I spun on my feet to face the dark hallway leading to the bedroom. “I need to stay here and keep an eye on Eva. She can’t be left alone. Can you get in contact with them and fill them in on what we’ve got? They might be able to track down where the fae have hidden the cure.”
“You’ve got it.” A pause. “I’m guessing you want me to focus on this instead of the cult?”
“Absolutely. Eva won’t like it, but the cure comes first.”
27
Eva
Islept like a rock. If rocks slept, which...I was pretty sure they didn’t. Of course, in a million years I never would have imagined that demons and vampires were real, so what did I know? Maybe rocks were somehow sentient beings with regular sleep schedules. As I munched on my breakfast cereal, my mind conjured an image of a little forest village with rocks tucked up in their beds.
“You have a strange look on your face.” Caim passed me a carton of orange juice and a glass.
I bit back a smile as I poured myself a drink. “Just morning thoughts. What’s on today’s agenda? I’m guessing you and the Legion will try to track down the cult again. Any news from last night? They didn’t try to break into the club or anything, right?”
Caim hadn’t mentioned anything about it when I’d rolled out of bed, so I’d assumed—maybe erroneously—that the night had passed without incident. Anya and Sarah were both passed out in the back corner of the loft, safe and sound, so I’d let them be.
“They didn’t go near the club.”
His voice sounded strained, though he’d painted an easygoing, relaxed expression on his face. Was he hiding something from me? That wasn’t like him. Maybe he was still tense from yesterday’s...eventful trip to visit the fae. He had killed a woman after all. Sure, she was a demon woman who had tried to murder me, but he’d lost control and snapped. If I were him, I’d feel a bit off, too.
“Well, that’s good news. Right?” I took a sip of the orange juice. “Means no one got hurt.”
“To be honest, I almost want them to attack. As it stands, we still haven’t been able to track them down. If they went after the club, we’d not only get to face them but we’d get to do it on our home turf. We’d have the advantage.”
I munched on a spoonful of cereal, the crackling filling the void. “Maybe they realize that, and it’s why they haven’t attacked.”
“Hmm.” With a frown, he grabbed the remote control off the kitchen island and punched the power button for the TV mounted between two cabinets. News reports scrolled across the screen, along with a weather update for the weekend.
We both fell into silence as we watched the morning report. Tension racketed through my body. Just because the cult hadn’t ambushed the club didn’t mean they hadn’t targeted somewhere else. They’d gone after tourists before. With me and Caim distracted by that damn cure, they might have launched another attack.
But the morning segment ended without mentioning any new incidents of violence. That didn’t mean we were out of the woods, however.
A twenty-something blonde stood wide-eyed in front of the camera. She hovered on the same block Caim and I had visited the day before. I’d recognize the mouth of that alley anywhere. Dread punched my gut.
“It was just like everyone has been saying. Big, black wings. They flew off into the storm. That way.” She pointed up at the sky, and her finger trembled. “There were two of them. At first, I thought they looked normal enough, but then shadows swarmed around them, like they were vampires or something.”
“Shit,” Caim muttered as he folded his arms to glare at the TV. “I didn’t see anyone on that block.”
“I did,” I admitted with a wince. “She was at the opposite end though. I didn’t think she’d see me. I’m sorry, Caim.”
Sighing, Caim ran a hand down his face. “It’s alright. You were trying to help me. I can’t be angry at you for that.”
“Still, I know your rules.” I let go of my spoon, and it clattered against the ceramic bowl. “Don’t let humans find out about you. Aboutus. I should have been more careful.”
“That’s the least of our worries right now, to be honest,” he replied. “We let the cat out of the bag months ago. Humans are starting to know about supernaturals. Many might not believe the stories, but enough do that I struggle to see the point of keeping quiet about our existence much longer, especially with all of these attacks. Humanity might be better off knowing what’s out there.” With a sigh, he shook his head. “Lucifer would never agree to that, but he isn’t here.”
“I thought you wanted to keep your existence secret. The Legion’s, I mean. If everyone knows about you, you won’t be able to work in the shadows like you do now.”
Caim coughed out a laugh. “We’re hardly working in the shadows right now, Eva. Not with all of these attacks.”
He had a point. A time would come when it would be impossible to put the blinders back on humanity. All it would take was one little video from a bystander to go viral on social media. Some would argue it was faked, edited somehow. But enough would believe it. And then there would be another video. And another. Eventually, the evidence would be too overwhelming to ignore.
