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“Fair enough.”
Over the next hour, Cristofer tested several ideas, and Mordecai dismantled them, countering with every plausible way they could go wrong. The two argued and bantered. In the end, we sketched a rough outline of how I might go about infiltrating an underground chamber that had been specifically designed to keep vampires out. Considering a handful of hunters had possibly seen my face at the mansion, it added another layer of concern.
Cristofer wasn’t bothered by the obstacle. Mordecai remained perpetually annoyed.
I wasn’t sure what to think.
If I was Poet, with a head for mathematics and an inclination toward statistics, I would have ventured a guess that the odds of success were not in my favor.
My boyfriend hated it.
Cristofer deemed it a necessary risk.
Did it dissuade me? No. In fact, I was eager to participate in what amounted to a real-life quest to free a real-life boss. A king in his own right. King of the Underworld? In theory, was he a bad guy? Were vampires the enemy? Should I be siding with the humans?
My gut told me the lines were far more complex, the sides not evenly drawn.
My loyalty was with Mordecai. I would do anything to help him succeed.
Cristofer seemed impressed with my willing and eager attitude.
Mordecai couldn’t have looked paler if he tried. I read the distress in his burgundy eyes clear as day. He didn’t like the plan. Not one bit.
Maybe I should have worried about my safety, but for once, my life had purpose beyond a dead-end job and a social life more fit for a teenager. For once, I could actively do something worth doing, help people in need, and not sit behind a screen, living inside a digitized world that didn’t exist.
For once, I might be able to save someone who was in peril.
With luck, they wouldn’t die this time.
31
Mordecai
Ensley went to bed a couple of hours before dawn. His eagerness to assist twisted my belly in a knot. We decided to implement our plan on Saturday night. It ensured Ensley had uninterrupted daytime hours to sleep, so he would be sharp after the sun went down.
It also gave Cristofer and me time to observe a few shift changes and smooth out any concerning snags that might creep up and cause issues.
When Ensley retired, although I desperately wanted to join him and take comfort in his warm naked body, Cristofer and I returned to the eyot. Duty called.
We lingered on the outskirts of the clearing, engulfed in shadow, far enough away that our conversation wouldn’t travel, yet close enough to listen and observe.
“What can you tell me about Poe-Poe?” Cristofer asked after we got settled.
“I can tell you he’s Ensley’s friend, and you’re to leave him alone. We have enough problems without you spreading corruption.”
Cristofer laughed. “Corruption?”
“I know you. If things go smoothly on Saturday, you can head home and hunt for a new lover in familiar territory, far, far from here.”
“I’ll need to feed before Saturday. Some of us enjoy it.”
“Find someone else, and don’t leave a mark or memory. We don’t want rumors to spread. It would put the hunters on alert.”
“Relax. I’m quite practiced, duck. Been at it for a while. Why all the fuss?”
“Please listen to me for once.”
“Fine. You’ll feed before Saturday as well, in case you thought to tackle this adventure even slightly depleted, and that’s not a suggestion.”
