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“You haven’t answered my question.” I snapped once more, Sophie and Trevor suddenly stirring in their seats.
“Dustin, there are things you should probably know.” Sophie swiveled in her chair to face us as Trevor slumped back as if to watch this all play out. “It affectsyoutoo.”
“Know what?”
“I was hoping you’d come. We had to be very careful when speaking to your friend back at the club.” Sophie said, Daemon grinning as if he knew something which only angered me.
“Maybe we should go.” Oliver tugged on my sleeve, feeling the uneasiness that filled the room.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you leave. Not yet, anyway.” Daemon stood to his feet as the room darkened almost instantly, the corners of my vision curling into shadows.
I had to blink past it, forcing the shadows out of my head.
I had forgotten what older Succubi could do, the powers they could wield, like forcing images into your mind all at once, even into large crowds. My mother was the strongest succubus in the States, and even she wasn’t as strong as some full-breed succubi across the sea.
“No parlor tricks, please. We’ve had a week.” I growled back at him. “What is it that you want? What is going on?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Daemon’s eyes flashed to Freya once more. “But seeing you now, it’s fairly obvious. You were dumb enough to fall for an angel.”
The room stilled.
Freya’s heart pounded. I could feel it coursing through her veins as I felt her hand tighten in mine. Without thinking, I pulled her behind me as if to protect her.
“What do you know?” I hissed through my teeth.
“All in due time. Please.” His hands gestured to the empty seats once more. “Sit.”
Tina looked unsure, but Oliver knew better than to pick a fight with a full bred from Europe. Let alone one that could cripple your ability to think clearly. It was hardly a fair fight.
Oliver insisted that Tina behave, and he pulled out a seat for her beside him.
I sat down, pulling a seat for Freya, and then wedged it as close as possible to me. I was not about to let her anywhere near Daemon. Or Sophie and Trevor, for that matter, considering they had tricked us into coming here.
“How did you know we’d come?” I seethed, angered that I was put in another situation where I felt powerless.
Sophie’s head bobbed. “well, we were at the club that day. We saw what happened to Sasha and Stephan. Anyone would be desperate for answers after that. And once we saw you ask Edward, we knew that if you knew we were there, you might come looking to ask us. It was just a matter of time.”
“Desperation makes people predictable.” Daemon teased, leaning against the bar table. “Though you’ll be thankful that our paths are crossing, I assure you.”
“I doubt that.” Oliver groaned, looking to Tina as the two exchanged a few incoherent whispers back and forth.
Daemon waved the bartender for another drink, his gaze forcing thoughts into the man’s head, though none of us could hear it. And with time, I could do the same, but I wasn’t nearlyas old or strong as he was. My charmed words had to be verbal, not thought.
“Anyways.” He pulled himself from the bar, dangling the drink he had just gotten poured from his fingers as he spoke. “If you wanted to know why I’m here, the answer is simple. After the little event at your club, a message was sent out. Or rather an announcement that the Elders of the States had been slain and all succubus were welcome to cross the borders. It caused a bit of a chaotic riot on my side of the sea, but seeing as how the bylaws have been in place for centuries, most took the open borders as the invitation that it was.”
“The Elders are… dead?” Oliver’s mouth hung open, but I wasn’t surprised. Mother and father had gone to see the Elders, which was when she was taken. That was when my father was killed. In all honesty, I had almost expected the Elder’s death. Or maybe even assumed their involvement in father’s death. At least it meant there were fewer names on the list of people I would have to kill after all this was over.
“Yes, and while that fact overjoyed some of us, the rest of us were rather concerned because the Elders were old beings. Not particularly ones that can be slain so easily. And, once the invitation spread like wildfire, another announcement was sent. One that declared an angel girl was hiding in the States. Whoever brought her back to New York alive would gain good faith with the ancients who intended to rule over this part of the world. And if the angel was killed, the ancients vowed to rule over the ashes of everyone left standing.”
I growled lowly. “And is that why you’re here? To gaingood faithwith these ancients?” My hand squeezed Freya’s, but I couldn’t pull myself to look at her. Couldn’t bear the thought of her being scared. Or rather, my pride wouldn’t be able tohandle the possibility of her not feeling protected by me.
“Please, like I want to be ruled? Trust me when I say that many of us want the ancients dead. It’s coincidental that I’m here. Nothing more than our fates entwining for this particular moment. But when Sophie let me know that you were in town, I knew we needed to meet. Though I didn’t realize how little you would know. I guess youareall children, after all.”
“Being 100 is hardly like being a child.” I snapped.
“Being 100 compared to being 2000 is quite literally the definition of a child.” He groaned.
I rolled my eyes. “What else should we know?”
