Nice move, asshole.
“Jael, I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
“I wanted to take her away,” Jael said softly. “But she wanted to stay. Sophie loved the Bay. It was her home. She loved Gray, too. I understand why you’re so upset about this situation, detective.” At this, he met my eyes again, his gaze fierce despite the calm, almost detached tone in his voice. “I’m asking you for the same understanding.”
“I… Of course,” I said. “I’m sorry, Jael. I should’ve been more… I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.”
In the awkward silence that followed, Elena cleared away some of the dishes and brought back a fresh pot of coffee, even stronger than the last one. She poured us each another cup—her fourth, my sixth, Jael’s second. It seemed we’d all accepted that sleep wasn’t an option tonight.
“I don’t blame the witches for leaving,” Jael finally said, stirring about half a cup of sugar into his brew. “I’m merely pointing out the facts. The power balance their absence created didn’t cause this, but itisa factor. One we must consider if we’re going to find a way to restore that balance.”
“A factor, yes,” I said. “Along with Darkwinter’s aspirations, Talia’s betrayal, and the hunters’ endless quest for the magic they believe is rightfully theirs. Not to mention the Council’s total fucking betrayal of their own oaths.” I gulped down half my coffee, ignoring the burn in my throat. “Looks like we’re about three kinds of fucked here,amigos.”
Jael didn’t disagree. “Another challenge we’re facing is the existing unrest within each supernatural sub-community. The vampires in particular have become unstable. Several factions are vying for Darius Beaumont’s territory. A group from the south has already taken control of his assets in town, including his apartment and the Black Ruby property.”
“What?” This was news to me. Vampire hierarchy had a lot of very definitive rules. One group couldn’t just move in on someone else’s territory—not without a whole lot of bloodshed. “Darius hasn’t formerly relinquished any of his holdings, and he isn’t dead. Who are these upstart vamps?”
“They’re unknown to me, but my understanding is that Darius lost respect in recent months after the slaughter of several of his own kind at Norah Hanson’s home. His involvement with the Grinaldi family has not helped matters. None of the squabbling vampire underlings seem to know where his loyalties lie, other than with a witch who up until a couple of months ago was utterly unremarkable. And now the vampire seems to have vanished altogether.”
“That’s ridiculous, Jael. The vamps we eliminated at the Hanson house were sent there to kidnap Gray and kill the rest of us. Hardly innocent victims.”
“Allegedly,” Jael said. “Remember, detective. The official story is typically the one written by those in power, regardless of how they came into such power. At the moment, they’ve set up camp in our city, while you and your allies appear to have fled. Whom does that leave to tell the tale?”
I conceded the point, despite the fact that it made my blood boil to imagine some rag-tag bunch of bloodsuckers invading Darius’s territory. He’d rip their throats out of he knew. Hell, I’d save him the trip and do it myself if I could get back there.
“So who’s pulling the strings?” Elena asked. “Darkwinter and the hunters are doing the dirty work, but someone must be financing the operation. Coordinating the takeover. Do you think it’s Talia?”
“I wondered about that, too, but…” Jael sipped his coffee, considering, then finally shook his head. “No. Talia has always thought very highly of herself, and her position on the Council does afford her some measure of power. But I’m fairly certain she’s not the ultimate player here. Someone—or someones—is leading the charge at a much higher level.”
“Probably sitting in a cushy office somewhere, keeping his hands clean.”
“Or hers,” Jael said.
“Or hers. Exactly.” I pushed back from my chair and got up to help Elena clear the last of the dishes, waving away Jael’s offer for help. He’d given us a lot to consider, and it all felt legit.
But something was still bugging me about it all.
Jael wasn’t on the Council. As far as I knew, his family made an honest living in the Bay through Illuminae—at least, as honest as a fae could be. Back in the fae realm, he was Seelie court royalty, but here in our world, he was a club deejay. Venerated by the groupies who flocked to Illuminae to hear him spin, but not someone I’d typically think of as a covert operator.
How, then, had he come across so much intel about Darkwinter’s actions?
I opened my mouth a dozen times to press him on it, but after putting my foot in my mouth about Sophie’s death, I didn’t want to risk offending him again. We needed him on our side.
Thankfully, Elena spared me the trouble.
Setting out a plate of homemadealfajoresso thick with dulce de leche they were probably going to be the death of us all, she said, “Unfortunately, we can’t make a move on this intel until we verify it. The last thing we need is to expose ourselves because of a misguided operation based on incomplete or unverified information.”
“That’s going to be difficult,” he said, reaching for a cookie. “As I’ve said, communications into and out of the Bay are not reliable.”
Diplomatic as ever, she waited for him to take a bite, then went in for the kill shot. “So, who’s your source on this?”
Slowly, he finished chewing his cookie, clearly considering his next move. He held Elena in his gaze, but there was no malice there. If anything, he looked impressed.
Reaching for another cookie, he said, “My sister Kallayna has been working to infiltrate Darkwinter for quite some time. She’d heard whispers at Illuminae that the old lines were gathering strength, preparing to make a move in the Bay. Frightened by the possibilities, she encouraged these rumors, hoping to find out more information. Eventually she became aware that a Knight of Darkwinter had been spending time at the bar. She took her time, slowly getting him to trust her. To enjoy her company. They became quite close.”
“How close?” Elena asked.
