“You think I give one iota of thought to what those vampires think?” he asks haughtily. “You and I both know who has the true power between us. How many handicaps do you need to be given to match my level? So I suggest, most seriously, that you not press your luck.”
Irritation bristles through me at Phillip’s remarks. I have an almost irresistible urge to simply lash out and fight him now—that would show true dominance.
With a supreme effort, I suppress it. Phillip and I have to work together, for the moment, no matter how galling the proposition may be.
“Look,” I say, forcing the words out as calmly as I can. “I know that you are in deep shit. This cavalier attitude won’t help you when it comes time to answer for your crimes. You think Eleira will just forget how you betrayed her by keeping Mother alive?”
“She already has,” he says imperiously.
I scoff. “Please. Even you don’t believe that. You’ve been around her long enough to know what she’s like. Justice is important to her, as is the rule of coven law. She’s not going to sacrifice the respect she’s earned in front of the other vampires by playing favorites with you. When the bell tolls, you will answer to the hangman.”
“And I guess you suppose your idle, thinly-veiled threats scare me?” he challenges.
“I don’t care if they do,” I say. “I just know that you would rather remain a free man than a captive one. I see how you struggle when the oaths cast upon you. Do you think it will be any easier after you are made to answer for your crimes?”
“What do you want, Raul?” he demands, losing patience. “That’s a lot of words you’ve used to tell me what we both already know.”
“I want to work together with you,” he says, “as brothers are supposed to.”
He hoots a laugh. “That’s rich.”
“I’m serious,” I say. “You may have changed in recent weeks. But you are still the one vampire in our coven I have shared the most with.”
“Are you getting sentimental?” he asks, crossing his arms, unamused.
“Just listen,” I hiss. “If you stop to think, if you stop lashing out and start working in concert with me. I will…” I take a deep breath, “I will put in a good word for you with Eleira.”
He waits for me to say more, tapping his foot. When I do not, he asks, “That’s all?”
“It’s more than you deserve,” I tell him. “If I were smart, I would be convincing Eleira that you should be kept locked up, to keep you neutered.” I step closer to him and lower my voice. “But look around you, Phillip. Look at what’s happened to our coven. We’ve been decimated. Our numbers are small. I need you. The Queen needs you. If we are to stand a chance in the coming attack, we need to all band together. Otherwise, The Crypts will destroy us.”
Phillip considers it for a long moment. “How quaint,” he says finally. “The mighty Raul Soren, begging his younger brother for help.”
“Spin it however you want,” I growl. “You know it’s the truth. This coven’s survival depends on the strongest of us coming together.”
“I agree,” Phillip says, and, to my surprise, sticks his hand out. “We have a deal.”
I look at him in suspicion. Then, still wary, I shake his hand.
He has a firm grip. “As the one-time heir apparent of the post of Captain Commander,” he says, “your analysis makes sense to me. The Haven is weak. We do need to work together. And, like it or not, this place is as much my home as it is yours. Perhaps more.”
“So, no more trickery?” I ask. “No more of that insidious, arrogant attitude of yours?”
“I’m a man of my word, Raul,” he says. “When I promise I’ll do something, I do it. The hard part, for you and your precious Queen, is getting me to commit.”
He flashes a sudden grin. “But once I do, you can have no better ally on your side.”
“We’ll see about that,” I say. “All right, then, time to prove yourself. You take charge of the excavation team. You will do away with all these rocks. My vampires will carry them out.”
I look across the chasm and see them returning with all the necessary materials for the wooden plank. They start laying it across.
“We’ll get this finished quickly,” I say, “and then figure out what Eleira wanted access to the deeper parts of the stronghold for.”
Chapter Thirty
Smithson
New York City.
I look around my office, the enormous penthouse suite in a towering skyscraper in Manhattan.
I have not been here for years. Everything is exactly as I left it. The lower four floors of the building are where the officers of the Order carry out their regular duties. This top level is reserved exclusively for me, and none but I have access.
Everything is as I left it… but something feels off. My vampire instincts tell me someone has been here recently.
Yet, the building’s logs show no such thing. None of the staff below would ever dream of coming up here. Even if they did, they could not.
Only I have the final access code to the entrance door.
I take a deep breath, trying to feel the air for any subtle differences.
“What are you waiting for?” comes an impatient male voice behind me. “Take what you need, and let’s get out of here.”
I glance over my shoulder. Paolo is standing there, feet placed in an aggressive stance. I know the tough guy attitude is a front, meant for him not to show weakness in front of April.
In truth, he is uncomfortable being in a city with so many humans. Every breath we take fills us with the rich scent of so much varied blood from the masses below.
Paolo has lived his whole life in the wilderness, feeding on humans in tiny remote villages. Suddenly being shoved into the middle of the most thriving city on earth, and not being able to make good on his vampire urges, has put him needlessly on edge.
“Just relax,” I tell him, dismissing the concern. “You’ll get over it eventually.”
He makes a deep growling sound in his throat. I ignore it. He remains lower on that hierarchy than I. So, he has to defer.
“You still haven’t told us why we’re here,” April complains. She sounds petulant, despite handling being in a big city better than our companion.
“We’re here,” I explain, for what seems like the hundredth time, “because someone in the Order has undermined my authority and moved the obsidian from one storage facility to another, far away.”
“But we already know where that is,” she says. “Why make the detour here? We need to go get the obsidian and get back to James, as soon as possible!”
“Trust me, girl, I know,” I say. “However. Only the most senior members of the Order have the capacity to order a movement of our prized obsidian like that. We’ve already confronted four of them. They had no knowledge of it.”
In truth, confronted may be too soft a term. April, Paolo, and I abducted four of my senior officers, right from their homes, and interrogated the as only vampires can. I made sure not to let my face or voice be known. We stole each one in the middle of the night and, upon returning them to their beds, used a touch of the influence to ensure that the encounter would be remembered as nothing more than a bad dream.
“Four out of how many, Smithson?” she asks.
“Maybe half a dozen,” I say dismissively, walking to my desk. I run my fingers over the smooth, lacquered surface.
No dust.
“Then if you want to figure out who authorized the move, why not go for the rest?” April demands, exasperated. “Better yet, why not just get on with it and get us to where the obsidian lies?”
I snap my eyes to her, giving her a particular under-look. “Have patience, my dear.”
I plop down in the chair, remembering all the times I had made spectacular plans of what my organization would do once we had Cierra fully on our side—and I had demon blood running through my veins.
“The truth is, April,” I tell her, “the four we interviewed were the only ones who knew or had any interest in obsidian.”
“Then what? Are you saying someone lied?”
“No, no,” I whisper. “I suspect something a bit more sinister than that.”
I hit a secret button under the desk, and a panel in the wall parts, revealing a safe.
I smile and rise slowly. Paolo and April look from me to the hiding spot. I walk over, spin the dial and enter the proper combination.