“Exactly. And that’s after you already set him on fire once. He won’t be aware you can’t do it again, which means he must believe he has some way to counter it. Maybe he thinks you wouldn’t risk hurting Rafa, but I just don’t know.” He smiles wryly. “And Ireallydon’t like not knowing things.”
For an Avatar of Knowledge, that makes sense. And now that I think about it, this wouldn’t just be me putting my own life on the line. Rafa’s dad tortured Collin for years, and I’d be dragging him right back into the lion’s den. On top of that,he’swhat the vampires need for their evil ritual. I have no idea how I’d be able to do this without his help, but I might not have a choice.
I set my jaw, trying to screw up my courage. “We’ll just have to risk it, Collin. Or, at least—I’llhave to.”
Collin’s expression becomes fierce in a way I haven’t seen before. “No, Alvin.No. I won’t let you face this monster alone. And remember, he can only get his hands on me if you give me to him.”
“Which I would never do!” I blurt out, immediately feeling just as fierce.
Warmth blooms across his face. It chases away hisscowl. He takes my hands. “That’s right. There are loads of good reasons to find this scary, but you’re not one of them. I know I can count on you. Ibelievein you, Alvin.”
God, I wish I could share that feeling, but it’s taking serious willpower not to be completely overwhelmed. I try to think about what Sarah Stryker would do. Maybe Ishouldleave the watch behind—that’s probably the smart play, especially if I have no intention of handing it over. But I don’t want to. This is hella scary, and I don’t want to be alone.
“All right,” I say, nodding. “We do this together.” I purse my lips, willing myself to be convinced. “If you think I’ve got the strength, maybe it’s time to bring the fight to them.”
Collin squeezes my fingers with silent encouragement. The bright spark has returned to his eyes. It looks like he really does believe in me. For better or worse.
I bring his knuckles up to my lips and give them a kiss (for luck, if nothing else!), before quickly forcing myself to swing my legs off the bed. The more I think about this, the more chance I’m going to lose my nerve. I cross the room to grab a fresh pair of underwear from my sloppily constructed particleboard dresser.
I feel it the moment Collin disappears. The watch is still in my pajama top, back on the bed, and I’m about ten feet from there. So I guess that’s the limit before he’s out of range.
I take the opportunity to give myself a once-over. I am, in fact, totally naked, so that part was real. (Or, at least, “happened inmyworld,” which now feels like amore fair description.) I also have some small crusty patches on my stomach, chest, and neck, so it looks like I actually spooged on myself, too. I doubt a real hero like Sarah Stryker would bother to shower before facing bloodthirsty monsters, especially with the clock ticking, but paranormals have sensitive noses, and it would honestly be too distracting thinking they could know. So, I charge into the bathroom for the quickest wash ever, and then throw on a T-shirt, sweatpants, and running sneakers. I figure I’ll want as much mobility as possible, so I basically dress like I’m going to the gym. (Not that I’m speaking from experience!)
On the way back to my bedroom to retrieve Collin, my eyes land on the elf’s feather that I left on the kitchen counter when I got home last night. White frost now covers the wispy pale-blue barbs.
I stop. Prince Eirian said it had to be used at a crossroads, but there are certainly more than a few intersections between my apartment and the Benevolent Society. Even with the Avatar of Knowledge, Eirian is a full-on elf warrior, and it would be nice to have some solid backup. And with his glamour, the vampires would never know he was with me.
But he’s still fae. Anything I ask for is likely to come at an insanely high cost, and Collin really thought I could do this on my own. Reluctantly, I leave it.
Instead, I grab my windbreaker and return to the pajama shirt on my bed so I can grab my phone and slip the watch into one of the jacket’s zippered pockets. Collin immediately appears in front of me.
“Let’s go,” I say. “I’m ready.”
And, as much as I can, I mean it.
We decide to go in through the front door. They probably figured out how Rafa and I got in there the last time and his dad already expects me to come, so the chance of me sneaking up on him is pretty much zero. That said, if he wants to use the watch, he won’t be able to kill me. I have to hand it over voluntarily. And if any other vampire tries anything, they’ll be in for a very rude surprise. Now that I’m moving, the muscles of my arms and legs are practically vibrating with badass potential.
But I don’t want to use up even a fraction of that power until I have to, so I keep things chill on my walk over. I force myself to essentially stroll from my apartment to the steps of the Benevolent Society, which gives me time to get my head right. It would have been nice to have Collin teach me a few martial arts moves before I did this, but I’m so keyed up, there’s no way I’d remember them. And when we fought the druid, he was able to show me everything I needed to do in real time.
I’ve got this. I do.
It’s almost four on a Sunday morning. The Benevolent Society looms over the dark, vacant city street. A sandy-haired and husky middle-aged security guard greets me at the top of the Gothic building’s stone landing. I think he was the one Rafa pointed his shotgun at. He opens the door for me as I approach, all Downton Abbey manners, despite his rumpled, low-rent uniform.
“This way, sir,” he says.
Sure is nice to feel welcome…
The gaping marble lobby of the Benevolent Society is empty and lit only with a few LED tea candles, just enough for a human to make their way through. Of course, I’m not human, and I’m even more of an incubus than I usually am, so everything is as clear as day to me. I can even smell the tang of paranormal blood under freshly swabbed Clorox. They’ve cleaned everything to a shine since we blasted our way through here just hours ago. The nothing-to-see-here polish is probably a flex, meant to intimidate me.
The guard lumbers ahead in the gloom, not bothering with the flashlight at his hip, but Collin has him lit up with AR like a Christmas tree. Green circles and arrows on his body show me exactly what spots I’d need to strike to take him down the fastest. They automatically reposition and recalculate based on where he’s standing in relation to me.
I steal a sidelong glance at my spirit wingman. He’s back in his shepherd-boy attire—which I guess is reallyancient Celtic boyattire—and his youthful face projects almost military calm, but I know him well enough now to see it’s for my benefit. There’s slight tension around his eyes that he can’t hide. It makes sense, since I’m literally walking him to his torturer. He might believe in me, but he’s still being hella brave.
We’re led to the elevator, which opens immediately when the guard presses the call button. I flash back to the horror show Rafa left behind the last time I saw itsinterior, but it’s been scrubbed of blood like everywhere else. They’ve been thorough.
I follow as the guard steps in, twists a key from an elastic on his belt into the base of the button panel, presses B3, and removes the key. Then he steps out of the elevator.
“This is as far as I go, sir,” he says.
