Revealed in Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights #9)(28)

Roger continued as if he hadn’t heard her. He probably got that a lot. “She apparently likes acid a great deal. It seems to help with her Sight, more so than the hallucinogens in the Flush. They think it’s the chemical nature of it. They don’t have anything like it in the Flush. Don’t worry, though. It doesn’t affect her like it does humans.”

“Uh…” I put up my finger. “Are you sure about that? Have you seen how she carries on?”

A slight squinting of Roger’s eyes was the only indication he gave me that he agreed.

“She’ll make it there,” I said. “She wants to meet her nemesis.”

“Yes.” The word rode Roger’s sigh. “You’re probably right. We’ve heard a lot about the nemesis situation.”

“We’ll meet you there.” Darius ushered me into the car and then slid in beside me.

“You’re not going to offer him a ride?” I asked as Moss glanced at us in the rearview mirror. Assured we were in and ready, with a second to spare to flash me a routine scowl, he got underway.

“Our relationship will always be fragile, at best,” Darius said. “He would not accept a ride from me, just as I would not accept one from him.”

Silence drifted over us, filled with expectation.

“You’re mad, aren’t you?” I asked in a small voice, because I did love making his life hell, but I preferred to stop just shy of making him angry. Given he was incredibly hard to piss off, and often took my crazy in stride, that usually wasn’t too hard.

“I had hoped you would wait for me within the ward so Vlad wouldn’t see an opportunity to act.” His even voice didn’t fool me, especially since I could feel the rolling anger through the bond. “I had hoped to continue making plans without expressly relaying my intentions to the vampires. Challenging him like I did—in front of shifters, no less—will make things…complicated. Our various positions are no longer a gray area. However…” He clasped his hands in his lap. “I would be foolish to assume you would suddenly take your situation seriously when you never have before. Wishful thinking on my part. My anger, such as it is, is not justified.”

We’d still have hard, angry sex later on, immediately followed by sweet, loving make-up sex. They were both equally amazing.

A shiver rolled over me, and I slipped my hand onto his upper thigh, then pushed it further up until I felt the hard bulge. He was thinking along the same lines.

“I like when you talk yourself around,” I said, my voice husky.

“Hmm.” He moved his hands and let me rub, making no move to reciprocate. “The only salvageable outcome…is that you didn’t reveal how far you’ve come with your…magic…”

His eyes fluttered closed, and he opened his knees just a little, allowing me more access. He sighed as I sped up, completely unconcerned that there was someone else in the car. Vampires did not care, at all, about expressing their passions or desires in the presence of others. They had parties where they shared blood sources, sometimes at the same time. They turned people in groups. Sometimes they collected in a room, got naked, and just went for it. It was wild. I obviously wasn’t into that level of shenanigans—Darius and I had a different situation—but I’d learned that I was not bashful in the least. Clearly.

“We also made a statement in front of the…shifters…” He tensed, his breathing coming fast now. “Roger trusts that I will handle…the vampire aspect…of our situation. He knows me well…enough to—” He tensed, and then shuddered. Vampires could also handle business when they were in the throes of passion. That I didn’t love so much. He continued, “He knows me well enough to realize I’m the best hope we have.”

“And you think the elves need a come to Jesus moment?” I asked as we stopped in front of Callie and Dizzy’s house. “You actually want a war?”

“I would like to discuss the matter more thoroughly with Romulus, but from what I’ve seen, a war is inevitable. I don’t think the elves will take kindly to the warrior fae resuming their policing duties. Their power is currently mostly unchecked, and if they need to answer to the fae, they will lose a lot of their…less-than-reputable freedoms. The current ruling party will suppress anyone who tries to make that happen.” He pushed the car door open and got out, reaching for me. “I think so, at any rate.”

“Okay, but”—I scooted across the seat and got out of his way—“if you think the elves need to be overthrown, you’re talking about siding with Lucifer and Vlad.”

He gave me a look. “I think Lucifer’s main goal concerns finding the woman he saw in the Underworld. If he thinks the elves have played him false, and actually did have a role with her, he will rise up, I have no doubt. If he wins, I can see him turning the kingdom over to Vlad, but not as an equal. He will set the parameters, and he will maintain the guidelines. Vlad will be nothing but his steward. He is a fool for thinking otherwise.”

“Or maybe he thinks he can sit on the throne, or whatever, and weasel out from under Lucifer once he’s established.”

“As I said, a fool. Lucifer has been a ruler for a long time, and Vlad only thinks he rules our vampire faction. His ambition has grown too big. They are unevenly matched, and Vlad will be on the losing side. Vampires will be on the losing side, just like they clearly are with the elves.”