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No. nope. That couldn’t happen. “Oh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Blood sacrifice,” Victor said. Of course he’d know all about that.
“Wait, you killed someone to get that glamor to stick?” Zee asked, eyes widening. “Fuck.”
My insides squirmed. “Just a little bit of murder. Which reminds me. We really must do something about the guy you stuffed up that chimney.”
Zee grinned and waggled a finger. “Don’t change the subject, Adam Vex.”
“Might I suggest we focus on getting Jimmy’s family back, and deal with skeletons up chimneys later?” Victor suggested.
“Yes!” I latched on. “So, the plan is, we go up there, find Jimmy’s loved ones, and bring them back here. Jimmy organizes for the gremlins to go somewhere else, and we’re all good. Right?”
“What do we do about the vampires?” Zee asked.
“Nothing.” That seemed fair. It wasn’t any of our business anyway.
“Nothing?” Zee echoed. “Really? We’re just gonna kick back and let those fang fuckers—not you, daddy—waltz in and take the place?”
“Sure. Why do we have to get involved?”
Zee snorted. “Right. Sure. Uh-huh. Why would we want to stop the human world becoming the vampire queen’s playground? Let’s just let the fang fuckers in to murder and enslave every human and fuck up this side of the veil too. Why would we want to stop that, right?”
“We don’t know that they’ll do that.”
Even Victor looked skeptical.
Zee snorted. “’Cause suckers are well known for their bunny-loving, touchy-feely, human-rights activism.”
“Adam, your optimism is commendable, but I fear Zodiac’s sarcasm masks the terrible fact that vampires will take what they do not own.”
“Fuck. Do you hear this? The world must be ending if Fancy Fangs agrees with me.”
“Why would the world end?” I squeaked.
Zee’s frown turned severe. “I know your heart is bigger than this. You saved those fucking pets from pies because you couldn’t walk away. You saved me, a random fucked-up demon you should have walked around, not picked up and brushed off. I mean shit, you even saved Lord Fuck-Hard, and now you’re saving a bunch of pixies. You know this vampire shit is bad, Adam. You were in murder mansion. They almost sacrificed you. Why are you trying so fucking hard to ignore what’s right in front of you?”
I glanced at Victor for help, but from his blank expression, I wasn’t getting any.
“And you look at him?” Zee curled his lip. “Fine.” Zee pinned his glare on Victor. “Are you going to tell me?”
“It’s not my place.”
“It’s not your place? We blew up Reynard Technologies. I saved your ass and your finger from Daisy, and stopped you from becoming pie filling, but you can’t tell me what Adam’s running from? After all that, you still see demon when you look at me?” He slammed his boots down, and pushed from the table.
“Zee, wait.”
He was gone from the bar in a few angry strides.
Victor wore his I told you so expression. “I know.” I buried my face in my hands. “But I’ll lose him if I tell him.”
“You’ll lose him if you don’t.”
“He’s a warrior. He’s brave and honorable and worthy of the prophecy, and I’m . . . just me. I’m just me, Victor. I happen to have a heart everyone wants to tear from my chest because the prophecy says so. I’m not the answer. My heart is just a piece of me. I’m . . . a coward.”
Victor grasped my hand on the table and squeezed. “Listen to me, Adam. The prophecy says your heart will save everyone. It is what it is, but that’s doesn’t mean you must surrender it. Prophecy is not fate. Honestly, most prophecies are concocted by bored, drunk monks.”
I hated this, hated how just a few words always turned everyone against me. “Tell that to those who ruthlessly hunted me down. To my own family who turned on me. To every bounty hunter looking for gold. To you, who had your research and development department open a portal to find the Prophesied One. Adam Vex is nothing, Victor. I’m just the wrapper. It’s my heart they all want.” I tore my hand out from under his. “I can’t lose it all again. I won’t. I love him, I love you, and I love this hotel.” I stood, not caring that my chair legs scraping the floor made everyone in the bar look over. “I will not give that up. I can’t. The world can save itself. I’m out.”
