Page 43 of Quintus

“Replace it?” Gabriella failed to hold her silence as her emotions bubbled to the surface. The coven had already killed her mother and was trying to kill her.

“Yes, I’d prefer to think of it as replace.”

“But do you honestly think that will be the end…it will never end as long as she’s alive. You need to kill her.”

Absinthe burst out in laughter and soon after Viktor joined her, amused by Gabriella’s statement.

“This isn’t a joke. She needs to die.” Gabriella grew annoyed at the conversation. She pressed down her heels, readying to leave, when Quintus settled a strong arm around her shoulders and placed a kiss to her head. Fucking hell, she was about to lose her shit. She shook her head, glaring at the blonde witch.

“Ah, your wolf is bloodthirsty.” A pregnant pause filled the room. She gave a cool smile, her gaze slowly moving from one person to the next until she settled on Quintus. “But of course, she’s correct. I prefer to remain politically correct but yes, I don’t expect she’d take to her replacement well. Therefore, it must end in her death. Only then do you have a chance to change the followers. But you must be careful, because there will be stragglers who never change their minds. Who will seek retribution.”

“How do we do it? What do we need?” Quintus asked.

“Although they settled here in the States, they’ve been around for quite some time. The origin of their coven is Paris. Dated back to the Middle Ages.”

“How did they manage to fly under the radar? I was in Europe during the Middle Ages and I don’t recall their name.”

“They were in their infancy. I heard they use bone dust in their spells. But if you ask me, it’s why they are the way they are.”

“How’s that?”

“Twelfth century. There were only a handful. They embrace earth’s magick, keeping their powers on the down low.”

“What happened to them?” Quintus asked.

“What happened to anyone back then? You know the way of the inquisition.” Absinthe sipped her drink.

“We were on the move. We couldn’t stay in groups. The idea of what we do today would have been a death sentence. No more than three or four of us traveled at a time, often hiding in tunnels, the woods.” As he spoke, Quintus’ gaze went to his brother, recalling the difficult times.

Gabriella watched Viktor intently. His curved smile disappeared, his expression solemn. Quintus held an ancient power that had been earned through centuries of solitude. She considered that it was only recently he’d been able to build his network of vampires, to connect openly with other supernaturals.

“Yes, well. No one’s really sure when they left but some say they hid the body of the first witch in the catacombs among the millions of other bones. They say she’s so well hidden no one will ever find her. As you know, humans are limited to the areas they are allowed to access. In the darkest tunnels even supernaturals steer clear of the evil that lurks under the earth. Speaking of which…” Absinthe fished a cell phone from her bustier and tapped on the glass. The door creaked open, but the stranger kept his face turned until it hinged shut. “Everyone. I have a delightful surprise.”

“Witches sure know how to throw a party,” the newcomer commented.

As he turned toward the group, the lights flicked onto his face, and Gabriella caught sight of his devilish smile. She sucked a breath as his dark energy smacked into her. The fiery spirit danced over her skin, leaving a distinctive tingle. Demon, she heard Quintus say, but as her eyes flashed to him, he hadn’t spoken out loud. He remained focused on the mysterious guest.

“Everyone’s so quiet…cat got your tongue?” The handsome stranger strode across the room with confidence and sat in a chair to the left of Absinthe.

“We may not have many rules, witch, but you know damn well demons aren’t welcome. What the hell is this?” Hunter asked, his voice raised. He went to push onto his feet but went still as Quintus held up a hand.

“Demon. You’re something else, though, aren’t you?” the dominant vampire guessed.

“This is some bullshit, Absinthe. I don’t know what you’re trying to pull but we’re all out of here,” Hunter said.

“Your power holds a unique energy. Hybrid, perhaps. Si?” Quintus continued. Although he spoke in a calm manner, Gabriella noted the tick of his jaw as he cocked his head in distrust.

“Clever vampire,” he responded.

“Explain. Now,” Quintus demanded.

“No need to get testy. True, I’m a demon, but I still harbor human tendencies. As you can imagine, I’m not popular in Hell. Something about killing for fun doesn’t quite appeal to me as it should. Doesn’t stop me on occasion but just doesn’t do it for me if you know what I’m saying. Can’t seem to shake those pesky human attributes. I’m a lesser level demon. Technically I’m half demon. So no need to fly into a bat over my presence.” He stared at Quintus in defiance.

“I’d like to introduce Thorn Rachille.” Absinthe ran her palms over her lap and smoothed her dress, raising her gaze to establish eye contact with each person in the room. “You see, he’s been having his own set of difficulties, and I did what any self-respecting witch would do.”

“Kill him. That’s what you should have done,” Viktor commented, his brows furrowed in disbelief.

“But of course she wouldn’t kill him, would you?” Quintus asked her, his mouth drawn tight. “He has something on you. Perhaps one of your witches. He’s not particularly powerful by demon standards but he could serve a purpose. Witches.” He blew out a breath and shook his head. “Hoarding.”