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My heart shattered with the truth of his words, and I closed my eyes against the crushing regret and sorrow that threatened to consume my soul.
He was right. I couldn’t make this trade just for a few moments of satisfaction.
If I did, I wouldn’t be any better than Jackson.
I turned my head to kiss Thane’s palm before opening my eyes and facing Xavier. “I’ll accept on one condition.”
The falcons flapped their wings and chirped, and a sound of intense frustration came from Thane’s throat. He dropped his hands, disappointment streaming through our link.
Trust me, I urged through our bond. We couldn’t communicate telepathically, but he would know through the emotion.
Xavier’s eyes flashed with excitement, and he gestured for me to continue.
“You can have your immunity from the inside of a DEA prison cell and not just a holding cell.” I examined the vampire’s face for any reaction, but he locked down his emotions. “We’ll spare you from the death you earned and so obviously deserve, but you’ll live out your years in a maximum-security prison.”
He tilted his head as if considering my words. “That doesn’t seem like a fair exchange. You get satisfaction from killing Jackson, and I’m left to rot?”
“Jackson will be in the cell next to yours, available as your private meal whenever hunger strikes.”
It was the next best alternative to not killing the fucking asshole. Either of them.
Pride and humor seeped through our soul link, and I looked up to catch Thane’s smirk. He might not condone murder, but he had also never experienced what I had.
At least this way, he could look me in the face every day.
If Xavier accepted my offer, that is, and judging by his expression, that option wasn’t looking good.
Patience had never been one of my strong suits, and it certainly wasn’t one of them today. Waiting for this sadistic vampire to agree with my only offer was like waiting in line at the DMV. I wanted to punch someone, preferably Xavier or Jackson.
After what felt like an eternity, Xavier heaved a dramatic sigh. “It pains me to say I cannot accept your deal.”
The bloodsuckers surrounding us inched closer, their gazes lusting after Thane and me hungrily. Lena and Ivan flapped their wings again, rocking the cage until the vampire shook it, forcing them to settle with avian scowls.
My fingers twitched, ready to draw my weapons and fling their ashes to the wind.
Or, you know, the cement floor.
“But,” Xavier held up a finger to keep anyone from doing something drastic, “I’d like to up the ante. In exchange for full immunity to live life as I please, I’ll help you bring Colin Ó Broin to his knees.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
His upper lip curled in a look of distaste, flashing a hint of fang. “I’ve been trying to stop that overly entitled fae since before you ever knew a problem existed. Despite my proclivity to collect rare objects,” his eyes flashed with desire as his gaze traced my curves, “I’m quite content with how this world works. I have no interest in answering to a fairy.”
Putting aside my disgust for the word object when referring to people such as myself, I had to admit I was shocked. I never would have guessed Xavier was on our side against Colin. As in one of the good guys.
Seeing Xavier—make that any vampire—as a semi-heroic figure was an oxymoron that I wasn’t ready to process just yet.
“I find that hard to believe,” Thane said through clenched teeth.
Xavier lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug. “Your beliefs, or lack thereof, aren’t important. Facts are facts. Not to mention, the archangel knows everything.”
Wait, what?
“You’re seriously claiming that Adam knows what you were doing?” Thane asked, his tone incredulous and mocking.
“Oh, yes.” The Master Vampire grinned, displaying both of his elongated canines. “Catching me with Sophia was an unfortunate turn of events for him and me. But don’t you find it interesting that the archangel kept me in a simple holding cell the weekend before my beheading?”
Shock ran through me like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head. This crazy, bloodsucking motherfucker was insinuating that Adam, of all people, knew about his supposed attempts to stop Colin and kept him in the DEA’s small prison for an easier escape.
