Silver-Tongued Devil (16 page)

“Sorry, Red,” Adam said, “but I have to agree with Tanith and Orpheus. Other than your dreams, we’ve seen no sign of him.”

“You don’t believe this is Cain’s doing? Fine. But you have to admit that we don’t have enough evidence to say without a shadow of a doubt that Tiny was behind those murders. We cannot afford to shut this case just because we all want the matter settled.”

The High Councilman cleared his throat. “Granted, Miss Vega’s actions were premature, but I have to wonder if in this case the ends justify the means.”

“You can’t be serious!” My voice rose and echoed through the chamber.

Orpheus’s eyes narrowed to two sharp slits. “Sabina, I have tolerated your impertinence as far as I’m willing. I understand that you disagree with Miss Vega’s methods, but unless you can show me evidence that proves Mr. Malone was not involved, I am going to trust that justice was served.”

“By evidence, do you mean someone else dies? Because that’s what’s going to happen if she killed the wrong guy.”

“Lazarus, I suggest you take your
partner
out of my sight before I lose my good humor.” Orpheus refused to look at me. “Miss Vega, you are also dismissed.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Adam gave me his patented don’t-do-anything-dumb look. Alexis turned to go and Slade turned, too, but Tanith spoke up. “Mr. Corbin? A word, please.”

I shot Slade an apologetic glance. No doubt, my outburst had soured the leaders’ dispositions and he’d pay the price. But Slade wouldn’t look at me. So I had no choice but to follow Adam out like a dog with my tail between my legs.

The minute we reached the hallway outside the chamber, Alexis started in on me. “Nice try, mutt. Too bad you made yourself look like a jackass before you tried to throw me under the bus.”

“Fuck you, Alexis.”

She laughed. “That’s the best you got? Oh, right. I forgot. You’re nothing but a burned-out mage lover.”

“All right, that’s enough,” Adam said.

I pushed him out of the way and got in Alexis’s face. “You want to go?”

“Please don’t embarrass yourself. You might have red hair now because your boyfriend performed a little spell, but it can’t hide your greatest weakness, mixed blood.” Her lips curled into a mocking smile that showed fang. “You’ve gone soft.”

My vision blurred red. How dare this bitch accuse me of losing my edge. Before I stopped to consider the ramifications, I delivered my very hard fist to her very fat mouth. The impact of fang to knuckle hurt like hell, but I relished the pain. The adrenaline rush. The satisfaction of making her bleed.

“Sabina!” Adam grabbed me from behind.

Alexis recovered quickly. She wiped the back of her hand across her lips and her knuckles came away bloody. Her smile revealed teeth and fangs coated red. Her tongue ran over the enamel as if relishing the coppery taste. She took a step toward us.

“Back off, Alexis.” Adam was struggling to hold me still. He’s a strong guy, but I wanted more blood.

“Relax, mancy. I’m not going to ruin my victory with the Despina by beating your girlfriend’s ass.”

“What victory?” I demanded. “When the next body shows up she’ll nail your ass to the wall.”

“There won’t be another body. Not on my watch.” Alexis smiled then, totally sure of herself. “And as a reward for disposing of Tiny, she’s going to put me in charge of New York’s vampires.”

My shock made me go slack in Adam’s hold. Adam’s shock made him loosen his grip. “Wait a second,” he demanded. “You’re angling for Slade’s job?”

She nodded. “If my guess is correct, she’s in there right now relieving him of his duties.”

“What makes you so sure she’ll give you the job?”

“Because she promised it to me.”

The door opened then and Slade emerged, looking shell-shocked.

“Slade? What happened?” I asked, ignoring Alexis for the moment.

He ran a hand through his hair. His once-pristine white shirt was covered in blood and black smudges. I’d never seen him looking so disheveled. “They’ve relieved me of my duties.”

“Did they say who your replacement is?” Miss Sensitivity demanded.

Slade looked through her when he answered, like he couldn’t quite believe this was all real. “No. They said they need time to discuss who would be the best fit.”

That gave Alexis pause. Obviously, she’d been expecting to be called back into the room to hear she got the job.

“Shit, Slade. I’m so sorry,” I said, placing a hand on his arm. Adam noticed the move and stiffened. As naturally as I could, I withdrew the contact. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

He snorted a humorless laugh. “That makes two of us.”

“What are you going to do?” Adam asked.

Slade blew out a deep breath that hinted at surrender. “I honestly don’t know. I still have my businesses to run, so that’s something. But I’m not sure I’ll be sticking around the city once they appoint a new leader. In fact, I’m not so sure they didn’t just do me a huge favor.”

“Why?” Alexis asked.

“Because once the vampires here find out the Despina’s appointing one of her flunkies to run things, all hell’s going to break loose. I don’t envy the poor bastard.”

Before any of us could respond, Tanith swept out of the room. She didn’t pause to acknowledge any of us. Alexis, who until that point had been bitchy but relaxed, snapped to attention. The Despina didn’t pause as she passed her guard, but the look she shot Alexis brooked no delay in accompanying her to the elevator.

A few short seconds later, the female vamps exited the hall, leaving the area quiet and blessedly bitch-free. Before we could enjoy the change, Orpheus’s assistant stuck his head out the door. “The High Councilman would like a word,” he said, his eyes on Adam and me.

Slade ran a hand through his hair. “That’s my signal.”

We said our good-byes to Slade and followed the assistant back into the chambers. Only Orpheus was no longer on the dais. The assistant passed the table and led us to a doorway at the back of the room. He knocked briskly before opening the door and shooing us in.

The new room was a greenroom of sorts used by the Hekate Council between meetings. Orpheus stood at the wet bar, pouring himself two fingers of Scotch. “Gods, what a night.” He kept his eyes on the amber liquid and took a liberal gulp before finally turning his attention to us. “Are you certain Tanith isn’t an energy vampire?”

I bit my lip to hide my smile. “Last I checked, she was the good old-fashioned blood-sucking kind.”

He shook his head and went to sit in a large wingback chair. “I didn’t bring you here to discuss the Despina or the murders. Although, I should probably issue the standard threats about how failure to comply with my demands won’t go well for you, Sabina.”

I shrugged. “Understood. Although, I should mention I think this is all going to bite us in the ass.”

“Keep your eyes open, but don’t do anything without consulting me first. Got it?”

I let out a breath. He was going way too easy on me given the way I’d spoken earlier. Now that I’d had some time to think about it, I realized how stupid I’d been to undermine him like that in front of Tanith. “Yes, sir.”

“Lazarus? Now that this murder business appears to be settled, I want you back on the task force to prep security for the festival. I don’t want any surprises. No one comes onto those grounds without us knowing every detail, from their race to their family background to their shoe size. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Sabina, how’d your talk with Maisie go?” The mercurial change in topic caught me off guard.

“Uh, fine, I guess.”

He rested his tumbler on his knee and pinned me with a stare. “You guess?”

“I meant, yes, it went well. Better than I expected.” I hadn’t had a chance to fill Adam in on the talk I’d had with my sister, but I was very aware of his stare as I spoke. “Maisie has some qualms about the incubation ritual, but I think if I keep talking to her she’ll eventually agree.”

Orpheus hit the armrest with the butt of his hand. “We don’t have until eventually.”

I chewed my lip, trying to find a way to convince him to let me continue handling this. “I just need a little more time. Now that I’m not running around the city looking for a murderer, I can spend more time with her. Wear her down.”

He crossed his hands over his stomach. “See that you do. Getting her to try this ritual Rhea has planned needs to be your top priority now. I don’t think I need to explain to either of you how important it is that we have a positive prophecy to share on Imbolc.”

“Actually,” I said, “I have a question about that. Even if Maisie starts having dreams again, there’s no guarantee they’ll be positive, right? What will you do if her visions reveal negative outcomes to the treaty?”

Orpheus lowered his chin. “Sabina, in no possible universe would ending centuries of hostilities between our races be a bad thing.”

“Sometimes even good things have unintended consequences,” Adam said softly.

I shot him a look. Something in his tone put me on edge. Well, more on edge. Lying about Maisie already had me feeling twitchy.

“True enough, son. True enough.” Orpheus stood and put a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Look, you focus on securing the compound, and Sabina will make sure Maisie starts dreaming again. You can both let me worry about everything else, including what to do with the prophecy once it’s been had. Okay?”

I nodded. “Fair enough.”

“All right, it’s been a long day and an even longer night.” The High Councilman drained his Scotch. He looked like a man with the weight of an entire race’s fate resting on his shoulders. Probably because that’s exactly what he was. “Let’s all gets some sleep. No doubt tomorrow will present us with a whole new set of disasters.”

16

T
he next evening, I woke with a bitter taste on my tongue. The vague, uneasy feeling that settled into my stomach had less to do with dreams and more to do with the conviction that we’d missed something—some crucial bit of evidence about whether or not we’d found the real killer.

After we’d gotten back to the apartment the night before, Adam and I stayed up a long time talking about what had happened. In the end, he convinced me that my personal feelings about Alexis and my guilt over Slade’s dismissal were coloring my opinions.

Because the truth was, I’d believed Tiny was guilty, too. Maybe Alexis was right to kill him.

Also, I’d never admit this to her, of course, but I was a tad jealous of her. It’s not that I missed that Enforcer lifestyle, exactly. But I did sometimes long for more adventure. Hell, hadn’t Slade said the same thing? What were his words? “But don’t be surprised when that darkness inside you rises up and you’re forced to deal with it.”

I tossed back the covers and got out of bed. Outside the bedroom, I could hear voices in the kitchen. Laughter and the homey sounds of a meal being prepared. No doubt Adam was there with Giguhl and Georgia. Part of me longed to join them and relax. But I needed to get dressed and go talk to Maisie again.

My lie of omission to Orpheus about the Maisie situation meant I was on my own in convincing her to try the incubation. I couldn’t even recruit Rhea because she’d have no choice but to tell Orpheus what was really happening. I couldn’t risk that. Not yet. Maisie’s fragile grip on reality didn’t need Orpheus’s ham-fisted dictates.

While Adam and I had discussed the Alexis issue at length, we’d pretty much avoided discussing the Maisie situation. We both knew at some point there’d be a reckoning. Issues as big as the ones between the three of us didn’t stay ignored for long. But I suppose first the more immediate issue of Maisie’s prophecies needed to be dealt with. Once the peace treaty was signed and we could all breathe a sigh of relief, then we could face the ever-present specters that followed us home from the Big Easy.

Needing to wash away those nasty thoughts, I stepped under the shower’s hot spray. I emerged from the bedroom half an hour later, clean and dressed. On my way to the kitchen, I still felt conflicted and restless, but I pasted a smile on my face.

Giguhl and Georgia were cooking at the stove while Adam sat at the table reading the paper. I don’t know, I guess the domestic scene should have felt warm and comforting. But the overpowering scent of sizzling meat and the expectant glances of my lover and friends suddenly felt stifling.

“Hey, Sabina!” Georgia called. “I hope you’re hungry. Giguhl and I are cooking enough to feed an army.”

I grimaced. “Thanks, guys, but I’m not really hungry.” I looked at Adam. “I’m going to run out for a bit.”

He frowned. “Where are you going?”

His question had been innocent, a casual query, but it felt invasive. “I’m going to go see my sister,” I snapped. I knew my tone was unfair, but I couldn’t help it. I resented having to handle this on my own. Not to mention the fact I couldn’t even talk to him about it.

He rose from his chair and approached me. Taking my hands in his, he forced me to look at him. “Is everything okay?”

I sucked down a breath, trying to remind myself that he hadn’t done anything wrong. “Everything’s fine.” But it wasn’t. Not really. “I just want this all over with so everything can go back to normal.”

Whatever normal is.

“Hey, it’s all right. We’re all a little edgy. But in a few days, the treaty will be signed and we can finally relax.” He smiled and kissed me on the lips.

“Hey, Red,” Giguhl said. “Be sure to be back early tonight.”

“Why?” I asked, wondering if he was planning a makeup dinner party.

Giguhl waved a spatula in the air like a magic wand. “We’re going to a concert,” he announced in a singsong voice.

“What? I thought Pussy Willow didn’t have another show for a while.”

“Not Pussy Willow,” Giguhl said, grinning like a child with a secret on his tongue. “You’ll never guess who Georgia and I ran into at Vein last night!”

I’d heard Georgia and Giguhl come in just before dawn, so I figured they’d spent their night partying it up at Vein. But since I couldn’t figure out who Giguhl would be so excited about seeing, I didn’t bother guessing. “Who?”