Addict (Hunter #2)(36)

“As you wish, Julius,” Gray replied cooly. “We were talking about distribution, if I recall.”

“So you believe you can move my product more efficiently?” Julius asked.

My ears were now fully engaged. Alan had mentioned this Julius person earlier. I was sure the product he referred to was the same thing that turned lazy Alan into a crazy psycho killer. I would love to get my hands on some of that shit.

“You’re doing a good job with the club downstairs,” Gray allowed. “It’s an excellent way to bring in the outliers, so to speak. There are plenty of supes out there who prefer to remain off the king’s radar. The minute you step into Ether, you’re on it. However, you’re severely limiting your clientele if you only disperse Brimstone here.”

Julius Winter smiled and leaned back, crossing one long leg over his knee. “Tell me something, Sloane, have you tried my product?”

Gray’s face split in a humorless grin. “No. Would it even have an effect on me?”

“You might get some high off of it,” Winter said. “Other than that, I doubt it. I try it from time to time to check the quality. I have a human company formulating the drug. I find it so much neater than operating in a trailer somewhere. If the human authorities ask, Bellacorp has all the paperwork to prove it’s an experimental drug. Unfortunately, they cannot handle my distribution.”

“Do you have any idea how many supes I deal with on a regular basis?” Gray asked, playing with my knee. “I handle the dregs, but I also deal with the power players.”

“I’ve been told the so-called power players on this plane aren’t fond of you, Lieutenant,” Winter said with raised eyebrows. “I like the idea of having law enforcement on the team, but I worry about your effectiveness. Arresting the king’s boy toy on a regular basis hasn’t made you popular.”

I bit my lip because the idea of Quinn being Donovan’s plaything was super funny.

“I’ve left Quinn alone for the last couple of months,” Gray replied. “I’m done trying to play good cop. It doesn’t work with that crowd. Look, we all know the king is going to cancel our contracts when they come up. It’s time to figure out which side we’re on.”

“And you’ve decided to come back into the fold?” Winter sounded suspicious.

Gray leaned forward. His blue eyes were almost purple now. “Being good’s gotten me nowhere. I’m done fighting my nature. When Donovan cancels the contracts between our people, fighting will break loose. When the war comes, I will be at my father’s side.”

Winter’s long fingers tapped against the cushion. “I dined with your father a week ago. He’s convinced. He says you’ve been practicing your talents. He’s pleased with your progress. You saved him a lot of trouble by pointing out the men on his staff who were plotting to betray him.”

“If we’re going to take down the vampires, we can’t continue to fight among ourselves,” Gray said. “We have to band together if we’re going to win.”

Winter regarded Gray and seemed to come to a decision. “I agree with you, Sloane. We won’t win the coming battles if we continue to war with each other. I think you and your brother can help me. You boys make a good team. Your rough masculinity along with his gentler hand could prove formidable. I’ll think on this and meet with you again. I would like to introduce you to my human partner. Come to dinner the day after tomorrow. Bring your brother and perhaps your lovely submissive.”

Gray nodded as the duke rose. He let Gray know he could remain seated with a graceful gesture of his hand. He completely ignored me. “And Sloane, I heard a rumor that Vorenus is back in town.”

Gray frowned. “I can confirm that for you, sir. He’s definitely here in Dallas.”

Winter sighed. “I’d rather hoped the rift between the king and Vorenus could be made permanent.”

“He’s an academic,” Gray said. “His mental powers don’t work on our kind.”

“Spoken like a child, Sloane. Don’t underestimate the academics. They might not be as strong as the warrior classes, but no vampire has held power without their support. If you separate the king from the academics, his reign will be a short one. If we manage to dethrone Donovan, the vampires will be in utter chaos.” Winter was quiet for a moment, his hands steepling as he thought. “The rift was because of the king’s daughter, correct?”

“I believe so,” Gray replied.

I went still because this might not be about the case I was on, but I was interested. I’d never had the reasons for the fight between Marcus and the king fully explained to me.

“Yes,” Winter said. “The girl is a companion. I seem to recall some prophecy about Marcus and a girl of the queen’s line. Try to discover what you can about this. If we can use the child to get Vorenus out of the coming fight, it would be to our betterment. Perhaps if the girl went missing, the king would blame the academic. It wouldn’t be the first time a vampire stole the companion he wanted. We will discuss it further. I’ll see you on Sunday evening.”

Gray nodded his assent and the duke walked off. The minute the elevator closed behind him, Gray stood and set me on my wobbly feet. I felt sick at the thought of…all of it. There really was a war coming, and the demons weren’t planning on playing fair. I was staggered at the thought of what an all-out demon war would mean to the plane. Humans would be caught in the middle, and once they realized what was happening, no place would ever be safe again. Supernatural creatures might be stronger than humans by far. Even weak supes can take out a human without much trouble. Single humans, even a group, were easy to deal with. But if we were exposed, we would be dealing with roughly three billion people who weren’t known for welcoming new ideas with open arms. They tended to use bullets, and our strength wouldn’t save us.