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I was grasping at straws because I needed something,anything, to do that would make me feel like I was making a difference in these humans’ lives. And also because when I was doing investigative work like this, I could almost pretend I was still my old self.
“I still want to go to the Red Tavern,” I said stubbornly. “You don’t even have to come with me—just tell me how to get a few vials of human blood, and where the place is, and I’ll go on my own.” It was probably better that she didn’t come, honestly—ifany rebels were there and they recognized her, they’d be a lot less likely to talk to me.
“Don’t be stupid,” Eliza said. “Of course I’m going with you. The last thing I need is for you to piss off the wrong vampire and start a brawl in one of the most questionable establishments in Lumina.” She polished off another cookie, then brushed her pants clean and stood up. “Now, if there isn’t anything else, I need to go to sleep. The demonstration is tomorrow, and I need to be up early.”
“What time does it start?” I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“Eleven a.m.” Her eyes narrowed. “Why? You’re not thinking of interfering, are you?”
“I wouldn’t dare,” I said sweetly. “I just wanted to know.”
Eliza rolled her eyes, then left me to my work. But when I opened Imogen’s case file, it wasn’t the missing human slave I was thinking of.
It was Vinicius.
“Going somewhere?”
Lucius’s voice rumbled from behind me as I reached for the fake volume that would trigger the sliding mechanism in the bookcase. Muffling a curse, I grabbed the title right next to it,then spun around to see him standing just a few feet away from me.
“Not at all,” I said, even as my heart pounded in my chest. How in Hecate’s name had I not noticed him enter the room? I had stayed up nearly the entire night poring over those case files, hoping to find some connection—clearly the long hours had dulled my senses. “I was just looking for something to read, since I’m not allowed to go anywhere.”
Jinx—who had been at my heels—darted across the room and took a running leap into Lucius’s arms. He caught her deftly and hoisted her onto his shoulder, then folded his arms and regarded me with a stern look. He really was a massive male—taller than Maximillian, and nearly twice as wide. His biceps had to be the size of my head, and his tree-trunk thighs were probably close to the width of my waist span. If that weren’t bad enough, he also had telekinetic magic, though I hadn’t seen him use it again since he’d put me to sleep and taken me from my prison.
There was absolutely no way I was getting past him, not without my magic.
“The Arcane Dynamics of Aetheric Engineering: Principles and Applications?” he arched an eyebrow, his amber eyes flickering over the title in my hand. “You’re a terrible liar, Kitana.”
“Well, at least someone around here calls me by my actual name.” I huffed in exasperation. “Come on, Lucius. You can’t blame me for wanting to get a look at the prototype.”
“No, I can’t,” he agreed. “I would do the same in your position. Which is why I’ve come to escort you myself.”
“You have?”
“Yes.” Jinx butted her head against Lucius’s jaw, and he reached up with one hand to rub her ears, never taking his eyes off my face. “Lord Starclaw suggested that allowing you to attend under controlled supervision is a better alternative than you potentially crashing the demonstration and trying to sabotage the prototype. And although I have better things to do than be your personal chauffeur, I’m inclined to agree.”
“Well, there’s no need to sound so snippy,” I said, a little put out. I didn’t really want a babysitter, but now that Lucius had caught me, I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Even if I slipped him, Maximillian’s guards had probably been told to remain on high alert in case I did try to sneak in on my own.
“Change out of those clothes and into something nondescript, then meet me in the courtyard.” Lucius ordered. “You have five minutes, or I’m locking you in a closet and posting a battalion of guards outside the door.”
He strode out of the room without a backward glance, Jinx still perched on his shoulder.Traitor,I seethed quietly at her, but did as I was told, stalking back to my room to trade my duster, blouse, and trousers for a simple blue dress and cloak. I kept my armored corset on underneath the dress—no way was I going near the commandant without some kind of protection—and slipped two stakes into my pockets and one into my boot, then hurried down to the courtyard to meet Lucius.
The vampire warrior was waiting for me astride a huge bronze aethersteed that pawed nervously at the cobblestones, eager to be off. My excitement at the thought of finally getting to ride one dimmed when he offered a dinner-plate sized hand to haul me up.
“I don’t get to ride my own?”
“I don’t trust you not to run off by yourself.” He curled his fingers in a come-hither motion. “Now hurry up.”
Scowling, I placed my hand in his, and he hoisted me up in front of him in one fluid motion. I hissed as my ass landed hard in the saddle, and I barely had time to get situated before he tightened his thighs against the aethersteed’s flanks, urging it forward.
I grabbed the pommel as the destrier launched into a brisk trot, heading for the drawbridge. The guards lowered the gate, and as soon as we cleared the main thoroughfare, Lucius urged his steed into a canter.
My initial displeasure at being forced to share a mount with Lucius faded as the aethersteed surged beneath me. Its mechanized muscles moved with a smoothness that felt alien compared to the warm, heaving flanks of a real horse, and the vibration of its aetheric core was a constant buzz against my inner thighs. Yet I could still feel the spirit of the beast within as it carved a path through the streets, taking less-traveled roads so it could indulge in some of the speed it was capable of.
“Wait a minute,” I called over my shoulder as we passed out of the tech district. “Aren’t we going to the weapons facility?”
“No.” Lucius’s deep voice vibrated from his chest and into my back. The scents of wood smoke and fragrant resin overlaid his natural vampire scent, and I had to admit I didn’t hate it. “The commandant wanted a full-scale demonstration, and the weapons facility doesn’t have the space for that. We’re using the airshipyard.”
“What?” My stomach dropped, the priest and his congregation flashing through my mind. “But the humans—”
