Addict (Hunter #2)(99)

“Why does it make you sad?”

Because no matter how hard I tried, now I couldn’t see their small faces, couldn’t remember who had walked into the room behind me. Had it been Gray? I could only remember that brief burst of joy.

I was sure Gray had been there. And Marcus. I think there was someone else, but he eludes me. A wolf, perhaps. Yes. A werewolf. Why can’t I see his face? I loved him and now I can’t see his face.

Now I knew why Gray had tried to get the vision back. I knew why he wanted to be in that room. That hotel room was somehow tied to us—to me. It was where I would start or end my life.

“Where’s Gray?” My mouth felt dry.

“He’s behind you. He hasn’t woken yet. I wondered if he will, but I think so. Otherwise, why would our father have left? He’s begun the night’s chaos. I don’t even know the full extent of what he’s planning. Where did the prophet go?”

I glanced around our cell. It was nice to know Winter had put a dungeon in while he was redecorating. Gray was on the only bed in the cell. I moved toward him, needing to see that he was breathing and alive. Jacob was nowhere to be found.

“He said he wouldn’t be here when I woke up. I think he had another appointment.” I sat down on the cot, putting a hand on Gray. His body was still, but he was breathing. I smoothed back his hair, his forehead hot under my hand. “He’s got a fever.”

“I believe it’s part of the transition.”

“Why won’t you leave Jamie’s body?” I decided to ask the question I didn’t want an answer to. “Are you going to kill Jamie if Gray doesn’t survive?”

The idea that I could lose them both ate at me.

“No. I simply don’t have another body to jump into. Do you understand that they would have killed both you and Gray had I not forced him into this? My brother is too stubborn to live. I did this for him, but no, I’m not going to be petty and kill this human. I don’t need to. The way he’s going, he’ll almost certainly kill himself soon.”

“What is that supposed to mean? And why didn’t you take that idiot Bellamy? You know there’s a guy I wouldn’t mind killing.”

Jamie’s lips curled up. “Bellamy is a smart chap. He has a specific symbol tattooed on his body that keeps demons like me out. As for this vessel, he smiles but he’s full of self-hatred. He hates himself for everything. He hates that he didn’t protect you and Nathan. Hates that his father is still breathing. Hates that he’s weak and has to watch while you go off and save the world. He definitely hates what happened that night.” Matthew winced. “Fine. Apparently I’m not supposed to talk about that. You’re not ever supposed to know. He thinks he’s weak but he’s quite strong when he wants to be. That hurt.”

Yeah, Jamie and I would be having a talk. I wanted to know what kind of chances he was taking and what night Matthew was talking about. He would also be getting one of those tattoos. “What do you know about what your father is planning for tonight?”

“Not much. I know he and Winter think taking out the king will lead to civil war among the vampires. If the king’s Council disintegrates, there will be a huge power vacuum. The supernatural world will be in chaos, and there’s always money and power to be had in the midst of chaos.”

“Why not simply wait until the contracts run out in a few years?” I asked as Gray was starting to stir. He moved closer until his body curled around mine. “Once the king allows the contracts to run out, y’all can war against the vamps all you like.”

That was a thing I didn’t like to think about. War. It would devastate both sides. I knew Donovan was basically leading us into war because a demon had killed my father, but I was worried the cost would be too great. What did vengeance serve if we were all dead?

“It’s not that simple. If Father were to wait, he wouldn’t be the first in line. It’s why he’s working with Abbas Hiberna. If they wait, they have to honor the hierarchical system, and we don’t fare as well as we do if we lead the charge. Secondly, this is the vampires’ natural plane. They’re stronger here than we are, and I don’t suspect they’ll all come down to the Hell plane for a battle. It’s best if they use other supernatural creatures to take out the strongest vampires before the war ever starts. We fracture them. We weaken them. None of this violates our contracts since we’re not the ones doing the actual damage. We’re poor demons trying to make our way in the world. It’s not against our contracts to manufacture drugs that don’t even have an effect on vampires.”

Demons really knew how to make a contract work for them. “I don’t suppose you would care to tell me what’s happening tonight?”

“I actually would. You see, I have a loved one who could get harmed in this battle. My beloved mate. He’s out there and he’s unprotected. Yes, I would tell you and I would help you stop it. I don’t want a war. He won’t sit it out and he’ll get killed. I can’t let that happen. Not when I’ve worked so hard to get us back together. Which is precisely why they told me nothing. They know I’ll betray them.”

So we had nothing and I was stuck in this cell with my possessed brother, a deeply tired prophet, and no weapons of any kind.

“Kelsey?” Gray tried to lift his head.