Ripper (Hunter #1)(29)

“He was sad,” I reiterated. Money didn’t fix all your troubles and power sometimes caused more. I’d felt his weariness. Even with the distance between us, I’d felt as though I’d bumped against his soul.

Gray considered me for a moment. “What did you get off him? If you had to guess, what class of vampire would you say he was?”

He was testing me. I didn’t mind. I was actually kind of happy he wasn’t treating me like a china doll the way he had before. I had no desire to be anyone’s sweet little princess. I wouldn’t be good in the role. “If you forced me to guess, I would say he’s an academic. He’s not physically strong, but he has mental powers. The other vampires walked right into the club, but not him. He knew I was there. He felt me.”

And I’d felt him.

Gray’s lips turned up in an approving smile. “If I’d had you, I wouldn’t have needed six months worth of research to tell me that. Vorenus is an academic. He’s also an intensely powerful persuasive, which is why it’s a damn good thing I was there tonight. He was trying to pull you to him.”

I sat back. I didn’t think so. He’d asked, and politely at that. He’d felt my interest in him and replied with an invitation. I hadn’t felt like he was taking my will. The push to go to him had come from inside me and not some outside force. As attracted as I was to Gray, I’d felt something for the vampire, too. He’d felt a little like a kindred spirit.

I let that image go as Gray continued talking. “There are some people who believe Vorenus was the one behind the coup. It makes sense in some ways. Donovan was a king, but it seems hard to believe a kid a couple of years out of college could pull off something like taking down the Vampire Council. He had to put together a powerful group to back him.”

“This Donovan guy is the king?” I tried to wrap my brain around the fact that the entire supernatural world had changed while I’d been hiding.

Gray poured himself another glass of wine. “Yes, he is, and he’s dangerous. Do you understand what the term king means in reference to a vampire?”

“It’s a technical term. A vampire king would be stronger, faster than other vampires,” I responded. He would be able to kill other vampires with ease. “Genetically they’re extremely rare. He’s a super predator.”

“Yes, I think that’s a good way to describe Donovan.” Gray’s hand toyed idly with mine as he spoke. “You should know that one of the first things he did when he took the throne was to break off all contact with demonkind. The only reason he allows me an audience is my status with the Rangers.”

That was news. Vampires and demons had a decent relationship for as long as anyone could remember. Their alliance was tightly bound by contracts, and law ruled their actions. From what I understood, they met once a decade or so and renewed their treaties. “Did the king break their contracts?”

“Not exactly. He follows the letter of them, but he refused demons a seat on the Council,” Gray explained. “The rumors are that he’d promised them one and then turned his back on them when the time came. He also refuses demonkind when they request an audience. The current contracts had a ten-year term, with an extra four years built in to cover anything that would come up. Like if the demons found themselves involved in a war or the vampires couldn’t make it to the negotiating table. They have four years from the end of the contract before it’s void. We’re on year two of that extension.”

“Donovan refuses to negotiate? What happens if he never comes back to the table?” Demons could be controlled with contracts. Without one, I didn’t like to think about what they would do.

“We’ll find out in two years. Some say Donovan’s simply playing hardball, but I think there’s something personal behind it. There are some of us who fear Donovan is going to let his distaste for demonkind push this plane into war. He hates them.”

“You keep saying they,” I pointed out, wanting to understand Gray. “You don’t refer to demons as we.”

He leaned forward, his mouth a flat line. “I’m a halfling, Kelsey. I’m actually stronger than most full-blooded demons, but it doesn’t matter when it comes to this. Contracts are written in very specific language. The agreements between vampires and demonkind are only for full bloods. Donovan doesn’t have to follow any law but his own when it comes to me.”

The waitress walked into the room after hesitantly opening the door. I hid a grin because I thought she was trying to make sure she didn’t walk in on us throwing down on the table. Since that kiss, Gray had been sweet and not at all handsy. The waitress set down the check and thanked us. Whether she was thanking us for coming in or for keeping our clothes on throughout the entire meal, I wasn’t sure. Gray pulled out a credit card and shoved it in the bill. The waitress strode off to run the card and I thought about what Gray had told me about the new vampire order.

“Liv said the king was looking for a sheriff.”

Gray laughed, the sound bitter. “Donovan has no respect for any law he didn’t make himself. Don’t think for a minute he’s trying to do something noble, sweetheart. He was a criminal before he was a king and that partner of his…I won’t even go into him. If there were any way to pin something on him, I would arrest him in a heartbeat. The king is playing with words when he says he wants a sheriff. He’s trying to pretend he isn’t as bad as the last Council.”