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“Of course I do,” he said. “The queen informed me of his plan.”
An uncomfortable prickle trailed down my back. “The queen? Who is after the stone and me? You’re going to trust her word?”
“I don’t trust anyone,” he said. “Least of all a vampire but I needed information and there’s where I got it.”
“What did she tell you?” I asked.
“That Elias is trying to fix his mistake so he can return home vindicated,” he said. “Would you argue with that?”
“He’s been hunting the members of the Knights to avenge Clara’s death,” I said.
“No,” David said. “He’s offered our youngest sister, Mercy. He’s been working to appease them. The same monsters who slaughtered Clara when she didn’t please them.”
“The queen told you this?” I didn’t mask my skepticism.
“The queen is the one who took down the Knights and put an end to their order. They killed her maker when she stood up to them. She has no love for the Knights.” David rose from the couch and moved toward the window. “I might not trust her intentions with the stone, but I know she has no friends in the Knights.”
I tensed as he approached, my mind replaying that momentary kiss over and over again. Would he try something again?
There was a tiny part of me that wanted him to. I swallowed that thought down and returned my attention to the conversation. Why was I thinking about something like that right now? The important part was this new information. The queen was evil. That much was clear. She was playing all the sides.
And no matter what happened, she was the one who had the most to gain.
“Did anyone see her body?” I asked. “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but demons are notoriously difficult to kill.”
“You think she’s alive?” David’s knitted brow told me he didn’t think this was possible.
“The central player here is the queen. She’s pulling all the strings. And she’s doing the one thing I’ve never excelled at in all my years as a hunter.” I was kicking myself for not seeing it sooner.
“What’s that?” David caught my hand and lowered it, making me drop the curtain.
The outside world was closed off again, reminding me of just how alone I was with him. Despite the fact that he had me trapped, he’d done nothing that indicated he wanted to harm me.
“What did she do?” David pressed.
“She used emotions and the familial sense of duty against her targets,” I said. “I’ve seen it before. Hunters will find out what drives a mark. Who they love, what they care about, and use it against them. Sometimes in a manipulative way that isn’t the least bit ethical.”
“You think the queen did that?” He was still holding my hand.
“I know she did. Look at the facts. She told you something different than she told Elias. She even got the demon king to come to her realm and help her keep the governing board away. Without them, who has the most to gain?” I laughed. “This is a power play. All of it. It has been since the beginning.”
It was coming together now. The pieces lined up. “The queen called you here, didn’t she?”
“Why would that matter?” David asked.
“When? When did she call you?”
“You saw me that day.” His eyes widened slightly and he dropped my hand. “She called me in because she was losing control over Elias.”
I nodded. “As soon as he sided with me and the shifters, she was no good to him.”
“That stone you have, did Elias tell you what it was?” David asked.
“It’s a moonstone. Unless it’s not,” I said.
“It’s notexactlya moonstone,” he admitted.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
