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“Revenge spree. Remember the aura magic in Gaven’s warehouses? He was killing Elementals for those. Siphoning their magic until they died, I bet.”
Tanner mused, “Fire and lightning… Do you think—”
“You bet I do,” Darien said, his eyes meeting Tanner’s in the rear-view mirror. “Maya’s in Yveswich.”
77
Somewhere in Yveswich
STATE OF KER
Gaven Payne sat alone in his SUV in the northern districts of Yveswich, glancing between the band of pale skin on his finger, where his emerald ring had once sat, and the incoming call on his phone screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER.
The phone had buzzed so many times, he knew it was about to go to voicemail. He also knew precisely who waited on the other end of the call, and would bet money on what Quinton Lucent was about to say.
With a steadying breath, he swiped his thumb across the screen and lifted the phone to his ear.
The minute the call connected, the imperator’s deep voice snaked through the speaker. “Darien Cassel has been spotted in Yveswich. Poking his fucking nose around the crime scenes with the MPU.” A beat of hostile silence. “Did you know about this?”
Gaven swallowed. “I’ve heard rumors.” Cassel had survived the attack at the hospital—the one designed to kill him and take his human prize. But they’d had no idea where the Devil had gone from there. Closer than any of them had thought, apparently.
The silence that followed Gaven’s reply was like the press of a blade to the throat, and he found his hand drifting toward the silvery ring of scars around his neck, tracing the ridges with shaking fingers.
“I want you to send him a message,” the imperator said. “His friends and family who are still in Angelthene? Kill them.”
Gaven stared out at the cars cruising by on the highway—people heading to and from work or home. “Yes, sir.”
“And Malakai Delaney—I want that motherfucker dead, too. Same with that old guy Cassel’s so fond of—that Arthur Kind. Show off a bit—make it brutal. I want my message to sink into Cassel’s thick fucking skull. Think you can do that for me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
Gaven made to hang up—he always had a firm idea of when the imperator was finished with him—but Quinton’s voice cut through the speaker again.
“One more thing,” Quinton said.
Gaven returned the phone to his ear.
“His house…” Quinton mused.
Gaven waited for instructions.
“Burn it down.”
The line went dead.
78
Roman’s House
YVESWICH, STATE OF KER
When Darien pulled up to the gates to Roman’s house, he slammed his boot on the brake the moment he caught sight of the jeep idling out front—the vehicle he’d hoped never to see again, especially not while Loren was with him in the truck.
The red of the jeep’s taillights darkened as the driver cut the engine.
