Silver-Tongued Devil (33 page)

Several stops later, he hoisted his body from the bench and pushed his way toward the doors. He didn’t see me rise and follow him. Moments later, the train’s wheels squealed in protest and the doors opened. People spilled out like blood cells escaping a slashed vein. I rode the wave onto the platform and took my time following my prey up the steps. We emerged onto 8th Avenue in Bay Ridge.

Mr. Polyester was whistling tunelessly as he marched his way a couple of blocks and turned onto 7th Avenue before disappearing into a three-story building. I stayed across the street and waited.

A few minutes later, a light clicked on the second floor. Bingo.

It was already late—close to three in the morning. I was betting he’d turn in soon. Then I’d pay a visit to his shitty apartment and teach him what happens to mortals who don’t know their place in the food chain.

Just then, the window blinds opened. Polyester stood outlined by the lights in the apartment, like Alfred Hitchcock. I narrowed my eyes and clung to my indignation and my hunger. I’d come too far now to allow my conscience to intercede. Still, it knocked against the steel door I’d erected, demanding to be noticed.

The man turned and a woman joined him at the window. She had something in her arms. He took it from her and lifted it. The blankets fell away to reveal a squalling infant.

I froze. At that moment, the enormity of what I’d almost done hit me like a cartoon anvil. The guy might be an asshole, but on my worst night—which might be that particular night—I wasn’t capable of slaughtering an entire family. I sagged against the wall and let the fight drain out of me. In its place, shame rolled in like the tide.

“What are you doing?”

I whipped around, dropping into a fighting stance out of instinct. Alexis stood a dozen feet away, watching me. “Did you follow me?” Stupid question. Of course she had.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, casual as can be. “You were so focused on your dinner you didn’t even notice me.” She grinned, showing fang. “I’ve been trailing you ever since you left Vein.”

I closed my eyes and cursed. Gods, I needed to pull myself together.

“So you gonna do this or what?”

I opened my eyes and frowned at her. “What?”

She nodded toward the now-empty window. “You came all this way. Don’t tell me you’re planning on leaving hungry.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Alexis, I’m not killing a family.”

She crossed her arms and leaned into the wall. “Jesus, you sound just like a mage.”

I pulled away from the wall. “Look, I made a mistake, okay? I thought I wanted to feed, but I changed my mind. Let’s go.”

I tried to pull her away, but her eyes were on the window. “I’m gonna hang here.”

“Bullshit. I’m not going to let you kill them.”

Her eyebrows rose. “You’re such a fucking hypocrite, you know that? Five minutes ago you were licking your chops at the chance of sinking your fangs into that guy.”

“Five minutes ago I was an idiot. Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you going to ask why I followed you?”

I sighed. “Would you tell me if I did?”

“Try me.” She shrugged.

“Well?”

“At first, I was going to just congratulate you on that spectacular takedown during the bout. But then I saw you trailing that mortal.” She tilted her head. “What can I say? I’ve heard the stories about you. I wanted to see if the rumors were true.”

She was baiting me and I knew it. “Which rumors?”

Her eyes sparkled with humor. “That you are ruthless.” She laughed. “Maybe you were once, but now?” She shook her head sadly. “Pathetic.”

“You’ve got no room to call anyone pathetic, Alexis,” I said. “You’re a fucking cliché, with your tight leather and your attitude. Jesus, I bet you even sleep with your knives under your pillow.”

Two red spots on her cheeks revealed my accusation as truth. She tightened her jaw and took a menacing step forward. “You got a problem with me, mixed blood?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” I raised my chin. “But you’re not worth it. I was kicking ass before your milk fangs fell out. I don’t need to prove myself to anyone, but especially not to some walking cliché who thinks a bad attitude can compensate for lack of substance.”

She sneered at me. “You won’t be talking to me like that after Tanith names me leader of New York’s vamps tomorrow night.”

Jesus, was tomorrow already the treaty signing? You’d think I’d remember something that huge, but I guess all my fires lately had created enough smoke to screw up my memory. “Oh, right. Your big promotion.” I snorted. “Do yourself a favor and spend more time brushing up on New York’s dark-races politics and less time picking fights with potential allies.” With that, I turned away and walked back toward the subway stop.

As expected, she took the bait and followed me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I didn’t slow my pace or look at her. “The shit’s gonna hit the fan the minute New York’s vamps find out that they’re going to be under a Domina’s thumb again. Once the signing is over, Tanith will go back to California and leave the governor to deal with the fallout. Don’t fool yourself—that role won’t be glamorous or easy.”

She snorted. “It’s got to be better than being an Enforcer. Don’t get me wrong, killing people is fun and all, but I need a new challenge.”

I rolled my eyes at her naiveté. “You want a challenge, tough chick? Go read a book.”

We’d reached the subway station at that point. “Where are you headed?” I asked, hoping she wasn’t planning on following me back to Prytania Place.

She looked up at the map of the city’s routes. When she used her finger to trace the lines, the cuff of her jacket fell back to reveal a tattoo. I couldn’t tell what it was, but judging from what I’d seen so far, I was guessing a dagger or something else equally ridiculous. “I need to get out to the Crossroads. The Despina wants me to do a run-through of the security with your boyfriend before tomorrow night.”

Such a casual mention of Adam. But it felt like a punch to the gut. Luckily, she was so busy reading the map, she didn’t notice.

“Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded absently. “Oh, and, Sabina?”

I paused and looked back at her. “What?”

“Thanks for encouraging Slade to make a move.” She turned her head slowly to look at me. “He’s a shitty leader”—her lips curled into a catty smile—“but a magnificent lay.”

I held her triumphant gaze for a moment. She looked so pleased with herself, like she’d somehow bested me by sleeping with my leftovers. I couldn’t help it—I laughed in her face. Finally, shaking my head, I turned on my heel and walked away.

30

B
ack in the fall, the drive out to Sleepy Hollow was always a treat. The tree line dripped with autumn’s gems. The crisp, smoky air invited open windows so the wind could dance through my hair.

But now, February’s skeletal trees curled their pointy bones over the road like claws. And the frigid breeze pounded at the windows like an intruder. After almost three months of the New York winter, I’d had more than enough of the cold. Which is why, when Giguhl reminded me that the mage ritual would involve standing outside for most of the night, I was far from thrilled.

“Suck it up, trampire,” the demon cat said from the passenger seat. “At least your shorn testicles won’t be swaying in the frigid breeze.”

“You wouldn’t have the problem if you’d worn the snowsuit I bought you.”

“It was pink!”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud. “Real males wear pink, G. It’s a sign of confidence in your masculinity.”

“The only thing I’m confident of is that you’re a sadistic hose beast.”

I shot the demon a look that had him easing back into his seat with his claws raised. “Jeez, sorry. You’re so touchy.”

“Bite me, demon.”

He grew so quiet that I dragged my eyes off the road to see what was wrong. Silence and Giguhl usually meant trouble. But when I looked over, his feline lips were spread into a wide smile.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ve missed this.”

“Missed what?”

“This. Us. It’s been so long since we’ve hung out, just the two of us.”

“You’re crazy.” I shifted my eyes back to the road. “We’re together all the time.”

“That’s not the same and you know it.” His paw touched my hand on the armrest. “It’s been too long since we’ve spent quality time together.”

“Dude, stop. You’re freaking me out.”

He laughed. “Oh, c’mon. Can’t a magepire and her demon minion share a tender moment of intimacy without it being weird?”

I shot him a look.

“Okay, that sounded wrong. But you know what I mean. You’re my best friend, Sabina.”

I cleared my throat against the sudden emotion welling there. Maybe it was the stress catching up with me. Or maybe, just maybe, I couldn’t believe my luck. Who knew that the same demon who tried to kill me the first time we met would become my best friend. “Back at ya, Mr. Giggles.”

At that point, I pulled the Escalade off from the main road and onto the dirt track leading to the Crossroad’s massive gates. I jumped through the security hoops, which took an extra five minutes because of the heightened alert everyone was on for the festival.

Soon, we rolled through the gates and wound our way through the forest to the manor house. Now that we were there, all of the qualms I’d been ignoring rushed up like bile.

Rhea had left an excited message on my cell that afternoon, reporting that Maisie had spent another day locked in her studio. Even better, she’d informed Rhea she would be ready to share a prophecy at the Imbolc rites. I’d tried to call her back to get details, but I guess she was too busy with last-minute tasks to take the call. Regardless, knowing Maisie was prepared to offer a prophecy went a long way toward easing my worries. There were other issues, of course, but I was happy to have one less crisis to worry about.

Up ahead, the Crossroads manor glowed warmly against the dark wintry sky. Dozens of cars crammed the front drive, so we parked in the grass. As we approached, I pulled my coat tighter around me, both against the cold and the feeling of dread. Not only was I about to see Adam for the first time since our blowup, but also too many things could go wrong once the festival began.

“Relax,” Giguhl said from my arms. “In a few hours, the dark races will finally be at peace. You should be happy.”

He was right. That night was supposed to be a celebration. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were all fooling ourselves. But I reminded myself that was just habit talking. I’d spent so long expecting nasty surprises that it was hard to break the habit. I forced myself to relax.

“Peace,” I said, testing the sound of it. The word felt foreign and sticky on my tongue.

We’d just made it inside the house when Rhea ran by. When she saw us, she skidded to a halt and doubled back. “Orpheus and Tanith are looking for you.”

I tensed. “Is everything okay?”

“I think so.” She nodded. “But they wanted to see you before the rites began.”

“Okay,” I said, relaxing. “How’s Maisie?”

“All good, as far as I can tell. She spent the last two days up in her studio painting, so…” She crossed her fingers. “But listen, I’ve got to go deal with a minor crisis with Queen Maeve.”

“What’s up with her?” I shot Rhea a sympathetic glance, but really, better her deal with the Queen than me.

Rhea waved a hand. “She probably just wants to be sure the pen she signs the treaty with is filled with the blood of a virgin unicorn.” She winked. “You know, standard stuff.”

I laughed as I watched her go. If Rhea of all people wasn’t worried about the night, then I felt I could relax, too. After all, like Giguhl said, it was a party.

I hefted the cat higher. “All right, let’s go see what Orpheus and the Ice Vamp want.”

We found them in Orpheus’s office on the second floor. The two leaders stood in front of the massive bay window behind his desk, looking out over the festival. Already, hundreds of dark-race beings wandered the grounds. Light from the huge bonfire and dozens of torches formed a golden dome over the revelers.

Orpheus looked every inch the distinguished leader of a magical race. He wore a white chiton, the ceremonial uniform of all members of the Hekate Council. The golden staff in his right hand identified him as the High Councilman.

Even Tanith had shed her matronly suit in favor of a more festive ensemble. She’d donned a black satin gown with a high-necked collar. Her frizzy, dark auburn hair had been tamed into soft curls around her face. She’d obviously invested in some image consulting since I’d last seen her because her expertly applied makeup toned down the harsh, mannish features until they looked—dare I say it?—handsome with soft feminine edges.

I cleared my throat to alert them of my presence. They both turned. Tanith snapped her fingers and another figure stepped out of the corner of the room. I went still. It had been almost half a year since I’d seen Persephone. Still a beauty, she wore a satin gown in dove gray. I couldn’t help but think the color choice symbolized her position as the Despina’s shadow. She had not been allowed to take part in the treaty negotiations and I assumed her presence at the signing was only a formality.

“Sabina,” she said, her voice quiet.

I dipped my head. I had to catch myself before I knelt before the two ancient vampires. I owed them no allegiance. Not anymore. “Persephone, you look well.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. Technically, her features were as perfect as ever. But something about her submissive posture and the shadows behind her eyes dulled the shine of her beauty.

While I was surprised to see Persephone, Alexis’s presence wasn’t a shock. Instead of her normal leather-and-latex fashion disaster, she wore a simple black velvet gown. The choice was both tasteful and surprising. But if I had to guess, her thighs were so strapped with weaponry she’d practically clank when she walked. She met my eyes across the room and raised an eyebrow. I responded with a bitch-please expression I’d learned from Giguhl.