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I knew better. I had a darkness at my core, and Philippe and his sadistic blood-suckers had poked the beast awake. Now it strained and snapped to be free.
The evidence was mounting that my own father was behind my kidnapping. I should be dead now.
And according to Reaper, Gabriel was next. She’d told me one slayer had already tried and failed to kill Gabriel, something I’d verified myself. But the slayers would just send another, and another, until we were all dead.
The darkness paced edgily. Eager to sink its teeth into the man who’d set Slayers, Inc. on his own sons.
It was time to act. If not, Gabriel and Rafe would die. Reaper had told me that Father had arranged things so we wouldn’t even realize he was behind it. And if I tried to warn them, they’d think I was the crazy one, that I’d been brainwashed into believing our own father was trying to kill us.
Reaper shifted, a subtle movement that blended with the street sounds. The woman could give a mouse lessons in stealth. “Well?”
I expelled a breath. “I have to think.”
Rafe was still alive. That single, indisputable fact battered at my determination to set in motion the plan to trap Father.
Father could’ve staked Rafe in the restaurant just now and blamed it on Victorine, but he hadn’t.
Why not? What the fuck was he waiting for?
I squeezed my eyes shut. I was exhausted, too tired to think straight.
Time.I needed time.
I turned to leave. Reaper set her hand on my arm. “Where are you going?”
I jerked away from her. “Don’t. Touch. Me.”
She pressed her lips together. This time her hurt was plain to see.
I scraped a hand down my face. “Sorry.”
If not for Reaper, I’d either be dead or still locked in Philippe’s dungeon, his vampires’ personal chew-toy. She’d convinced Philippe I could be trusted with this mission, then volunteered to accompany me when he would’ve sent one of his own men.
So I was grateful to her, even if I didn’t trust her. I had a bad feeling that if I failed, her orders were to stake me.
“I’ve seen enough,” I said more calmly. “I need to think.”
“You’re tired.” She tilted her head toward the alley behind us. “Let’s go back to the squat, talk it over.”
30
ZOE
We buried my mother’s ashes next to my father in the Isle de Minuit garden. The full moon floated above us like a fat silver coin, and the air was drenched with the scent of night-blooming flowers.
All the high-ranking members of Tremblay Syndicate were present, along with Brien and his parents and most of our closest allies including Leo de Froulay, the Paris Primus. I’d refused Philippe’s request to attend. I was damned if I’d associate with him any further.
Rafe was there, of course, and Karoly Kral and his dhampir mate Rosemarie had flown in for the day. Karoly and I had agreed his attendance would send a clear signal to the world that not only was the blood feud over, the Tremblays and Krals were now allies.
My mother’s passing had sent shock waves throughout the vampire world. With Étan in his final grave as well, a power vacuum had opened. I’d have given half my fortune to walk away from it all for a honeymoon with Rafe, but I’d had no choice but to declare myself the new Tremblay prima.
I liked to believe my mother hadn’t intended from the first to slay Karoly when he’d offered her the safe conduct pass to come to New York. That she’d seen an opportunity when Tomas attacked Rafe, and taken it.
But I’d never know.
She’d left the honor of the Tremblay Syndicate in shambles. Enough of the story behind Rafe and Zaquiel’s kidnapping had leaked that I’d have to work my ass off to regain our good name.
But a part of me couldn’t help being excited. This is what I’d been born to do, and I was full of ideas I wanted to implement.
