Addict (Hunter #2)(87)

I glanced at the windows, but they were covered with heavy drapes. Jamie couldn’t see in. There was no help coming.

“Calm yourself, youngling,” Jacob said, his eyes warming again. He reached out and touched my face, a rush of peace flowing over me. “I see many roads and you are on most of them. You are important and he is stronger than they believe. I rushed to judgment, something I never do. Come and sit with me. Your lover needs a moment to compose himself.”

I started to tell the dude that his ass was crazy and I wasn’t going to sit and gossip with him while Gray was potentially dying, but that weird peace thing happened again and I found myself on the couch, trying to ignore the dead bodies at our feet.

Jacob shook his head. “Do not worry, child. The young one will be happier in his next life and the other, well, he’ll bring you much pain, so don’t weep for him. Tell me how Marcus is doing. Does he still curse my name?”

“You were Apollo.” Somehow I felt safe with this boy. Though he appeared younger than me, he’d watched humans evolve. “He’s pissed about the whole companion prophecy. I think he believes the baby thing is a joke.”

Jacob stopped for a moment and then a laugh huffed from his perfectly sculpted lips. “Such a silly mistake to make. Tell Marcus that people who forget history are often doomed to repeat it. He should remember. I know the king does. The king mourns for her every day of his life. Tell Marcus if he wants his death, he must ease the king’s heart. That’s where he’ll find his prize.”

“That’s very helpful information. You know what’s more helpful? A name. Names are great.”

Jacob chuckled. “Yes, they are, but I’m bound by certain rules.” He glanced over at Winter. “You will tell me what you’ve done, though it appears it didn’t work.”

Winter and Bellamy were both frowning as Gray stood up. He was shaking, but he stood tall.

“I’m fine. My body metabolizes poison quite nicely.” Gray reached out for me. “So unless you want to be the one to have killed both my father’s sons, I believe I’ll take my girl and leave. And don’t think my brother isn’t in Hell right now telling my father everything.”

Winter shook his head and sat back down. “Oh, silly boy. Who’s plan do you think this was in the first place? He didn’t drink enough. We need to force more down his throat.”

The door behind me opened and I watched as a powerfully built man stepped out. He was immaculate in his three-piece suit and shiny loafers. And the resemblance to Gray was uncanny.

“Kelsey, get behind me.” Gray’s hand shook as he tried to physically move me behind him.

“Hello, Hunter. It’s good to meet you,” Papa Sloane said. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

It was time to put some distance between us. I tugged on Gray’s hand. We needed to get to a place where Jamie could see us. I wasn’t sure how much of a cavalry we had waiting for us, but Jamie would call the king and someone would surely come.

“Not so fast.” The butler had moved in behind us and he had a nice-sized gun in his hand.

Gray’s shoulders slumped. “Brother?”

Apparently Matthew had switched bodies and fast. “I had a chat with Father on the Hell plane. He explained that this is all part of the plan, Gray. Do you understand what’s happening?”

“No.” Gray pulled me close. I wasn’t sure what he thought he could do against two much more powerful demons and a gun, but his arms wound around me as though they could keep death at bay. “Winter tried to poison me.”

I looked at the boy on the couch. He hadn’t moved, merely sat watching. “Please, Jacob.”

“As I said before, youngling, I am bound by more rules than you can imagine.” His eyes rolled back in his head and that warm blue was replaced with a milky white. “I see a crossroad. What happens here tonight changes everything. Choose wisely, Grayson Sloane.”

“I don’t think I have any choices at all,” Gray said bitterly. “I’ve been a fool all along.”

“Trying to do good is never foolish,” the prophet said. He turned those endless eyes on Winter. “I would like an explanation. My father is the only one who can make a prophet. He has allowed the others to join him. Only I walk this plane now. Only I see the possible futures and only I choose whether or not to alter them.”

“Your father?” I wasn’t sure I wanted that particular name.

Jacob’s lips curled up slightly. “More correctly our father, though you should understand I use the masculine term simply because it’s traditional among humans. My father is infinite and wears as many faces and bodies as there are species walking the planes.”

Okay, we were talking about the big dude. “Why don’t you give him a call? Because we could seriously use some help here.”

“Well, he isn’t mine,” Winter said with a snarl, completely ignoring me. “And you should know that if I had a way to destroy you, prophet, I would take it.”

Jacob shrugged off the threat. “Explanations. Mr. Bellamy, if you don’t mind. Your bosses seem to want to avoid the truth. You can give me the explanation I require or I can pull it from your human brain. You won’t like my fingers in your brain.”

Bellamy went a nice shade of white. “Okay, that’s awful. Uhm, Winter’s been working on this for a long time. And the other scary demon guy.”