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In addition to being the man who invented murder, Cain was also the psycho ex-boyfriend of the Great Mother. They’d created the vampire race together before Lilith kicked him to the curb to marry the demon Asmodeus and become the Queen of Irkalla. Cain was convinced he and Lilith belonged together, and most of his plots revolved around getting her back. But according to the prophecies of the Praescarium Lilitu, if any of the dark races gained power over the other races, Lilith would return to the mortal realm and kill us all. Every werewolf, faery, vampire, and mage would die. Cain’s obsession would have been sad and desperate if succeeding didn’t mean the destruction of all the dark races.
“Can you do that?” Erron asked. “Access Irkalla?”
I shrugged. “Rhea seems to think it’s possible.” Rhea was Adam’s aunt and the interim leader of the mage race. She’d also been my magical mentor.
“And you’re still planning on going after him? That’s just what he wants!”
“Which is why we need to find Abel,” Adam pointed out. “You said yourself he knows Cain better than anyone. He figured out how to trap the bastard once. Maybe he can help us find a new way to stop Cain before he destroys us all.”
“What if Abel is dead? What then?”
I shrugged. “Then I’ll try something else. But I’m going to Italy with or without your help. I just thought you…” I trailed off, letting the words float there like chum in water.
As expected, Erron attacked the bait like a hungry shark. “You just thought I’d what?”
“I just thought you of all beings would want to help stop Cain once and for all. This is your chance to make him pay for what he did to Ziggy and your old band.”
Ziggy had been deafened after a vicious attack by Cain several years earlier. But the drummer had gotten off easy. He’d lost only his hearing; the rest of Erron’s bandmates lost their lives.
Air escaped the Recreant’s lungs in a rush. “You’re playing dirty.”
“I don’t have the luxury of playing this clean, Erron. Now, are you going to help us find Abel or are you going to bury your face in a bottle of whisky until it’s time to kiss your ass good-bye?”
Erron took a deep breath, as if bracing himself for the inevitable. “All right. I’ll help you find Abel. That’s all I’m willing to promise right now.”
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
He stood slowly, like an old man instead of a powerful magical being. “You want to head out tonight, I assume?”
“I have some business to take care of first. We’ll leave tomorrow. What’s the time difference between New Orleans and Italy?”
He pursed his lips. “Seven hours?”
Adam nodded. “We’ll want to get there as close to dusk as possible so we can hit the ground running. Meet us at Zen’s by ten and we’ll head out.”
Erron looked me in the eye. “Are you ready for this?” By that, he didn’t mean the interspatial travel to Rome. He meant facing the tough choices I’d need to make to kill an unkillable foe. He meant, was I ready to sell my soul to get revenge?
My jaw clenched. “No, but I’m doing it anyway.”
That seemed to satisfy him. He raised the new bottle. “To justice, then.”
I grabbed the liquor and took a long, searing swallow. As heat spread down to my stomach, fortifying my resolve, I toasted him. “No, Erron, to revenge.”
Chapter 2
By the time Adam and I made it back to the French Quarter, it was close to midnight. All the bars and restaurants in the area were bustling with people. Mardi Gras was still a couple of weeks away, but the early parties filled the streets with revelers.
However, despite the festive atmosphere and bustling streets, Lagniappe’s doors were locked and every light extinguished. A weathered sign on the window advertised the bar’s infamous Gender Bender Drag Night, which happened every Wednesday. It was Thursday, but the place still should have been packed. Or rather, it would have been if the bar’s owner weren’t stuck in New York.
Lagniappe belonged to our werewolf friend Mackenzie Romulus. Last time I’d seen Mac, she was being forced to mate to a werewolf male who’d been chosen for her by her uncle, the Alpha of New York. The entire situation was sad and not a little bit infuriating, but when I’d last spoken to her, she was resigned to carry out her uncle’s will.
“I assumed Mac would have left someone in charge when she left for New York,” Adam said. He had his hands cupped against the glass, peering inside for some sign of life.
“She probably thought she and Georgia would be back in a few days.”
Georgia was Mac’s vampire ex-girlfriend. The one who got royally screwed when Mac proved too weak to stand up to her pack. The last time I’d seen Georgia, she’d been pretty pissed at me. I knew she didn’t really blame me for what happened between her and Mac, but I certainly hadn’t helped matters when I’d publicly challenged Mac’s Alpha for being such a stubborn ass. The confrontation had resulted in Michael Romulus stepping up the date of Mac’s mating ceremony. After she’d told me off, Georgia had returned to New Orleans to lick her wounds.
Adam sighed and pulled away from the window. “You want to go back to Zen’s and see if she knows where we can find Georgia?”
I nodded. “I suppose I was being overly optimistic thinking she’d would be here.”
Adam and I headed toward the street. But just before I stepped off the curb, I glanced back at the building. A light from one of the upper stories caught my eye.
“Hold on,” I said, pointing. “Isn’t that Mac’s apartment?”
Adam counted up and over, his lips pursed. “I think so.”
I shot him a speculative glance. “Surely Georgia’s not that masochistic.”
Adam shrugged. “She’s been back in New Orleans for only a few days. Maybe she hasn’t had time to find a new place.”
I blew out a breath. “Okay, you’d better stay out here.”
Adam frowned. “Why?”
“I have a feeling that whatever state of mind she’s in will only get worse when she sees this letter.” I held up the envelope Mac had given me. She had made me promise to deliver it to Georgia personally. “Probably she’d appreciate not having an audience.”
“Gotcha.” He placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Just try to be sensitive, okay?”
