“Sixty!” I blurted. “But that’s insane! They have to keep their numbers under three hundred! If they added sixty—”
Ethan held up his hand. “It makes no sense. I know. They’re claiming that they’ve been the victims of a Vampire attack leaving them with no choice but to… create.”
My blood chilled. “That’s illegal not to mention stupid, they can’t just create more of themselves. Not without the help of Angel blood.”
I hadn’t been alive back when Pompeii was destroyed but I knew the toll it took on all of them to this day. Ethan had said Cassius refused to talk to anyone for weeks. I knew there was more to the story. One of Cassius’s closest friends had been killed soon after the city was destroyed, but nobody talked about it.
Immortal blood should never be in the hands of the Demons. Because to create a Demon—you had to give up your soul. And most souls didn’t go willingly.
“Right.” Ethan sighed. “But with this whole Cassius scenario we can’t really send him in there to settle things down.”
Guilt crept over Ethan’s face. Cassius truly was the only one who could control the Demons, and if they went against him, he simply destroyed them with a snap of his fingers.
“Crap,” I mumbled searching Ethan’s eyes. “You want to send me.”
“But you aren’t ready.” Genesis said softly.
At least she was on my side.
“We discussed this.” Mason crossed his arms. “I can take care of it.”
“Like hell,” Alex spat. “If any of us go we’re just putting ourselves in a situation that we may not be able to get out of without Cassius’s help.”
I licked my lips. “Maybe I can talk to him…”
“Oh?” Alex’s eyebrows shot up. “And how’s that been going for you?”
Another door slammed upstairs. What the heck was he doing? Just opening and slamming doors because he could?
“Stephanie,” Ethan reached for my hands. “We need you… and for some reason he still won’t explain, Cassius needs you too.”
I hung my head.
Shame filled me to the core.
I was going to kill him.
That was the future I had seen.
I just didn’t understand it, no way was I na?ve enough to believe that it was the only future ahead of us. Futures changed, just like the wind. I refused to concentrate on one so fleeting and meaningless. I loved Cassius, I would never hurt him—ever.
It would take ultimate betrayal.
And even then, I wouldn’t be able to follow through with it.
Besides, love or not, he was my King.
“I’ll try harder.” I bit down on my lip, nearly drawing blood. “I’ll have him teach me, and I’ll try to be less argumentative.”
Alex snorted.
I glared in his direction, and he held up his hands.
“I can do it.” I took another deep breath. “This is my job, right? All of us have jobs on the council, mine’s just shifted a bit.”
“Right.” Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll send a few of my men with you, just in case.”
“And by men he means starving Vampire soldiers who would love—and I do mean love—to get a good meal in.” Mason gave Ethan a fist bump and walked out of the room. Alex and Genesis followed.
Ethan didn’t budge. His green eyes flared to life. Oh great, I’d somehow pissed him off. How, I wasn’t sure.
He stalked toward me, picked me up off the floor and slammed my body against the wall as his fangs slowly slid out from his lips. “Tell me I can trust you.”
In all the years I’d known Ethan, he’d never been violent toward me.
Ever.
I knew it was his love for Genesis that made him paranoid, but it stung that he thought so little of me.
“I swear.” My voice trembled. “I would never betray any of you.”
“Or Cassius.” Ethan’s grip tightened on my neck as he squeezed. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I could fight back—potentially kill him or hurt him, but I had no control over what I could and couldn’t do. They were right, I needed Cassius. We all did.
“Never.” I gasped.
Ethan released my body abruptly. I crumpled to the ground and rubbed my neck, I was going to have marks from his fingers.
“Betray us again—” Ethan shrugged, his fangs digging into his lower lip. “And I’ll be forced to take you to Sariel.”
My body chilled at the thought. “Ethan, you can trust me.”
He nodded, his incisors retracted, and a friendly smile flashed across his face. “Good talk. Sleep tight.”
I rolled my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall. “Damn Vamps.”
“Heard that,” he yelled from the other room.
I glanced down the hall and at the stairway. I could do this. I just needed Cassius’s help.
The last thing we needed was the Demons gaining a foothold. The peace between immortals was only kept if each of the groups stayed within their boundaries, and if they kept to the council rules.