“I bet Vlad is setting himself up to rule,” Tamara said. A spark of opportunity lit her eyes as she looked down at me.
“Vlad most certainly is,” I said, ignoring the look. She wouldn’t be around to use me. Darius, on the other hand… “But not by giving the secret of the unicorns to the demons. Ruling means amassing a larger number of vampires, and losing the unicorns would be detrimental to that need.” I rested my hand on my chin, thinking. “You would’ve created a circle based on the need for information at the start, right?” I asked, looking up at Tamara.
“I don’t understand,” Darius said.
I slowed down. “Circles don’t just call demons. They can be used to call all sorts of things. In this instance, what she really needed was information. So she did a calling based on her need for information, in the form of a demon. That’s pretty vague, though. It would call a demon with any sort of information that might be useful to her. Clearly she got lucky and called a demon that knew how to get to the unicorns.”
“I didn’t get lucky at first, except with where to steal those magical books,” Tamara said. “I got all sorts of useless information until I found the right demon. Calling a demon is only dangerous if you don’t know how to properly set up a circle. And after finding those books, I had that down. Then I found the right demon. Another character switch and I was getting lucky while I was getting lucky.”
“This just got gross.” I grimaced. “Demons are asexual until they take on a body, by the way. Just so you know.”
“Vlad would have the upper hand in his negotiations if he had you,” she said, turning her attention back to me.
I met Darius’s eyes. “She’s a lunatic, so I’m not worried about her. You, on the other hand, have some very sensitive information that Vlad could definitely use. I will end you if you try to go to him with that very sensitive information.” I really should’ve made that threat when I could stand without assistance.
“If it got out that I helped you defeat a demon, it could upset Vlad’s plans,” Darius replied. “He is the only one who can destroy me. What you are—what you can do—is safe with me. You need never fear me, Reagan. And if you bond me, I can give you the protection of our entire faction. Your demon creator will think twice about seeking you.”
Tamara started to laugh. “You don’t get it, do you, vamp? This isn’t some incubus demon spawn. This is Lucifer’s daughter. The Lucifer, master of the underworld. You think a demon spawn can levitate?” She cackled this time. “She’s the real thing. She summoned the demon from my body to hers, then pushed it out so it materialized on its own. Do you know how much power that takes?” She licked her lips. “She has a throne waiting for her for all eternity. Anyone who brings her to Lucifer will receive the highest honors. We can make a deal, vampire. Do you think Vlad is talking directly to Lucifer? No way. He’s talking to an assistant, if that. But you could. You could take your place above Vlad. I could get us through the gates of the underworld. With her blood, we’d be granted safe passage. You could speak directly to Lucifer himself.”
Darius’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “That is preposterous. He is unable to pass on his bloodline.”
“That isn’t…entirely true.” I shifted, uncomfortable. “It would require an ancient bloodline, status as a high priestess, a certain type of magic…” I shrugged. “He was drawn to my mother for a reason, whether he knew it or not.”
“How did a lower-level demon know of this when I have never heard of it?” Darius said.
Tamara smirked. “I had the demon in me when I watched the footage from John’s house. He was always worried about intruders, so he had a couple hidden cameras trained on his prized possessions. Whenever he disappeared for a rendezvous with his vampire friend, I would let myself in and watch the feeds so I knew what he was up to. He had my books, after all, which allowed me to work intricate spells without the neighborhood questioning. They never questioned him.” Her gaze hit me. “I’m going to need those books back, by the way.”
I just shook my head. She wasn’t getting the grand scheme of things.
“The way she withstood the fire was interesting,” she continued. “As was her strength and speed, but her ability to work with fire—my demon knew right away. Only one can do that. Well, now two, I guess, right? He wanted to leave me for her. I had to wrestle him to keep control. Why you’re hiding up here in the Brink, I’ll never know. You could rule.” She stared at me, mystified. “You could have limitless power. Be trained by Lucifer himself!”
“Chained in the underworld with a bunch of demons. No thanks,” I said. Darius’s stare was starting to make me nervous. “Why all the male mages? Why not invite a girl or two?”
“Men are easier to dominate. A show of power, the promise of greatness—they get in line. Especially the ones craving that next level of power. The trick is making sure they think you are male. Then again, I did bring the women around in the end. So much work, though. They were always asking questions.”
“And they turned into zombies and werewolves. I think the moral of the story is that dumb people will follow any whack job, but they’ll also eventually land said whack job in the hands of a very unimpressed vampire.”
“I wouldn’t say he’s unimpressed,” Tamara said. “He hasn’t turned his eyes away from you since he learned the truth. Looks like I’ll be getting my ticket out of here after all. Men do love power.”
I tried to ignore Darius’s assessing stare. “How many more are there?”
“More what?” she asked.
“Mages. There is no way you would have risked bringing them all here. Who else is out there distributing the unicorn blood?”
She sneered. “Like I’m going to tell you.”