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“No. No way," Draconius protested and grunted, "We can’t let him go after all this. Don’t listen to him, Piper. It’s a trick.”
“Allister?” Piper hesitated, her voice unsure of herself now. “What do you think?”
Unfortunately, Allister didn't know any more than the rest of us did. “I...I don’t know. But I can’t hold him much longer.”
Since they weren't going to get anything else from him, I adjusted my jacket and stepped into the living room. Piper's hand came down to pierce the rotten manipulating vampire's heart, which I would have been more than happy to allow her to do if we didn't need him. I closed the distance between us and grasped her wrist, stopping her just before she pierced his chest.
"Antoine?" she gasped, staring up at me. "What are you doing? Morpheus needs to die."
I inclined my head, glaring at the vampire in question. "Agreed. However, now is not the time to take out our grievances. We need him alive." I met Morpheus's green relieved gaze. "If the council is indeed behind these inconveniences, then we need Morpheus."
"You believe him?" Piper snapped, jerking her arm from my grasp. "He's probably set this all up for some twisted game he will beat off to later."
Draconius snort laughed.
Morpheus glowered at Piper. "I hardly need to meddle in your lives to find my pleasure. I have many other enterprises that could easily satisfy my needs."
Piper snorted. "What? Eating babies?"
"Piper," I warned, though I was a bit proud of her smart mouth. Morpheus surely needed to be brought down a peg or two. "Now, Morpheus, why don't you enlighten us to this plot against us?"
Morpheus pulled on his arms. "I'm not speaking any further until you call your hounds off."
I glanced between the two brothers. We couldn't keep him standing here all day. The twins were strong, but not that strong. Not unless Marcus makes an appearance.
Then as if hearing my thoughts, Marcus came in from the dining room. His expression was questioning, and yet he held off. One of the best aspects of Marcus was his ability to compartmentalize. Marcus knew he would get his answers in due time and could focus on the problem at hand. Once Marcus took up a position near the twins, I gave them the go ahead to release him.
"Finally," Morpheus huffed, rubbing his arm and glaring at the twins. "I was two seconds away from ripping both of your boy toy's heads off."
Piper growled and lifted the hand holding the makeshift stake. "Try me, Morpheus. Just give me one reason."
"Love," Wynn said from behind us. I twisted slightly to see him leaning against the doorway. His lips were curved up in a pleased smile. "Don't do something you will regret."
"I won't regret it," Piper told him, scowling at the vampire in front of us. "I'll regret that I didn't make it last longer." She gestured to the lawyer's quickly cooling body in the foyer. "Just look what he did to Jack! I know the guy is a pain, but he didn't deserve that." Piper gestured the stake aggressively toward the man's body.
"Not that I’m upset that you have killed the man, though, it does put us back a bit in the paper trail," I sighed and shifted to stare at the dead man staining my foyer floor, before turning my attention back to Morpheus. "Why did you attack him?"
Morpheus had the decency to look embarrassed. "I haven't eaten all day, and the trip from the car to the door took a lot out of me. I haven't had to be underneath the full strength of the sun in a long time, I'm sad to say it drained me to the point of starvation, and I didn't think you would be happy if I bled your human servant." He looked pointedly at Piper, who tightened her grip on the stake and tensed.
"I'll show you who's going to be bleeding," she hissed as I put my arm out, stopping her from coming at him. "You can't keep protecting him. He doesn't deserve it."
"You've got that right." Rayne walked into the room, his brows drawn down. He had his silver container of blood in his hand and a straw sticking out of the top. "Unfortunately, as much as I want to tell you he's lying...I'm sad to say he's not." He sucked through the straw, making an annoying gurgling sound as he finished off the blood.
"You're kidding." Piper glanced at Rayne and then back to Morpheus. "You're telling me that this waste of space asshole is actually telling the truth?"
Rayne shrugged. "Sad but true. He does believe the council is behind all this."
"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Morpheus stalked over to Rayne and pulled the container from his hand. He tipped the container up and sucked down the last dribbles of blood, going so far as to lick along the insides of it. Morpheus shoved the container back at Rayne without so much of a thank you. "I have been running for my life since you called me about the hunters standing right outside my door."
"So, how do you know it's the council?" Rayne stared down into his cup, his mouth curled up in disgust. "What do you mean they contacted you?"
Morpheus glowered at Rayne. "Has anyone told you that is rather annoying?"
"Yes," everyone in the room announced at once, making Rayne flush red.
"Fuck all of you." Rayne stalked back into the other room.
"I still don't understand what we need him for?" Piper asked her anxiety and need to fight tittering in my chest. This wasn't going to end well.
