Cold Blooded

Loathing consumed her features, her eyes oscillated between silver and black, and her cheekbones slid as she fought for control. Her power was not back at one hundred percent and I could end her life easily. She was one pissed-off Vampire Queen and I didn’t give a shit. “Fine,” she raged, her fangs snapping down completely, needle sharp. “I swear to you one favor, but only because my honor demands it. But once the debt is settled, we are mortal enemies, you and I. Do not forget it.”

“I wouldn’t dare.” I grinned, putting my face next to hers. “You will be required to fulfill the favor immediately, Eudoxia, so settling the debt won’t be a problem. Guess what’s on the way to your doorstep?” I didn’t wait for her to answer. “Demons. That’s right, the demons will be here at nightfall, which by the looks of it will be shortly. And the favor I want from you is protection.” Before she could form a retort, I held my hand up. “For one night only. When day breaks, I walk away. That’s it. It’s a small favor in return for avenging your death and killing a traitor.”

“You are out of your mind.” She hissed. “I will not fight demons on your behalf!”

“You will,” I said. “Or you die. Swear it.”

Before she could answer, the door banged open and Conan the Enforcer came flying through the room yelling, “Get away from my Queen!”

Rourke took one step into his path and leveled him with a clothesline to the throat. The look of surprise on Conan’s face was priceless. If the situation hadn’t been so tense, I might have chuckled. Conan’s trachea exploded as he soared back into the wall. He landed hard and crumpled to the ground, his body limp. Rourke moved toward him to make sure he stayed down.

I motioned for Tyler and Danny to move out into the hallway to keep watch. We didn’t want any more vampires barging in. They moved soundlessly; Tyler’s anxiety bubbled in my blood while Danny’s jumped with excitement. I shook my head.

I focused my attention back to the Queen. “Why don’t you have hundreds of vampires guarding you?”

“My rooms are warded. They cannot find me here.”

“You mean, before I broke your ward?”

“Yes, you fool,” she shrilled as she tried to sit up, her chains rattling. Her elegant clothes were tattered and torn, the silver still burning her skin, leaking blood all over her gold satin sheets. “You have no idea what you’ve done. You’ve unleashed things kept from humans for centuries. I will not be able to undo all your recklessness. It will be impossible.” Her eyes narrowed. “And if the demons ascend as you are saying, there is nothing I can do to keep them out. You have destroyed the only thing that would’ve kept us safe.”

I inclined my head. “You said a minute ago that I brought chaos down on the House of Vampires, as predicted. Predicted by whom?”

Her mouth snapped closed in a thin line, making her incisors look like they were sealed between her lips. “Get me out of these chains.”

I crossed my arms. “You’re not really in a position to demand anything. Agree to my favor and I’ll let you go. I’m assuming the key is in Valdov’s pocket?”

“I will not fight demons. What you ask will risk many lives, not just mine. I will not bargain away the lives of my flock for your protection. Demons are not sorcerers—they are a wicked breed. They will come to destroy everything in their path, nothing less.”

“If they come to destroy, you and your flock will be in the middle of it anyway. You harbored me of your own free will,” I pointed out, dropping my voice. “Eudoxia, I know you can craft spells. I don’t know why, or what you are, but I know you have the power to protect us. We came here seeking that same protection for a reason. That’s what we bartered for when I arrived. That hasn’t changed.”

“Everything has changed!” She yanked on her chains, causing plaster to fly from the walls as an evil snarl came out of her mouth. “I offered you protection and instead you wreaked havoc on my Coterie. I will not be subjected to—”

“I don’t believe that.”

She had the gall to look taken aback.

“You ordered me into a cell with your uncle for a reason,” I challenged. “You gave me a lone guard I could’ve killed. The mighty chains you had me shackled to snapped off the wall at my merest tug. Yuri had a way out and he ominously told me he’d been waiting for me. My escape was no mistake.” I peered down at her, my eyes shrewd. “You knew Valdov was a spy, didn’t you? You also knew he would attack. You made yourself vulnerable at the right time and used me to kill him so you didn’t have to.”

“I did no such thing,” she retorted. “My head was severed from my body. I would never allow it. He was my most trusted advisor and he turned on me, but only once you broke the ward. You did this!”

“Eudoxia,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m tired of the mind games.” I was so, so tired. “I don’t know what’s really going on here, but by my calculations my brother and I just saved your life. The truth behind it doesn’t concern me. If we hadn’t been here, Valdov would’ve taken your power and finished you off completely. By all rights you owe us. And I want protection from the demons. For one night. After that, we go our separate ways. If not, I leave you chained here to your fate. The demons will ascend and you will be destroyed alongside all of us.”

Her eyes flickered. She knew I’d reached the end of negotiations. “Your favor will be a ward of protection,” she said, her voice full of hate, “but no matter what I do, it will not be as strong as the last. That’s all I will do. I will not fight the demons once they arrive, nor will I put any of my vampires at risk. If the demons ask me for you, I will gladly hand you over.”

I glanced at Rourke, who stood by the foot of her bed. “What do you think?”

“I think it will be full dark in twenty minutes. We aren’t leaving, so another ward may be the only thing we can do. The vamps won’t be much help against the demons anyway.” He growled at Eudoxia, “They can’t fight. They’re courtiers in every sense. More concerned their frocks will get rumpled and soiled if they lift a finger. They prefer to feast on innocent humans who pose no threat, and when the real danger sets in, they simply fly away.”

“We are a refined race,” Eudoxia snapped. “Unlike you filthy animals. But that does not mean we are weak.” Her power sparked, white forming at the tips of her fingers for the first time. It was building fast, repairing her to full strength. She grinned, her fangs still sharp. “We enjoy a good fight, and tearing you apart limb by limb would be an especially welcome treat.”

I waved my hand, dismissing her threats. “Here’s the deal. I let you go, but you cast the ward when I say so, not a moment before.”

She balked. “As your feline just pointed out, it will be full dark momentarily. I will not wait.”

“You will.”

“And why should I acquiesce to such a demand?”

“Because I’m waiting for my Pack to arrive.” My father needed every opportunity to arrive, and I was going to make sure I gave it to him. “It’s the main reason I took out your barrier. Once they reach us, we will have enough backup to fight the demons, with or without your help.”

Her lips pursed. “Fine. I will wait until the last ray of sunlight filters out of the sky, but not a moment later. I care not if your precious Pack arrives.”

I turned to Naomi. “Check Valdov’s pockets for a key to these.”

“There is no key, fool,” Eudoxia retorted. “They were spelled to my signature and mine alone. You can break them.”

“Valdov pulled out all the stops,” I said, reaching for the chains. “How did he get you into these willingly?”

Her eyes slid to full black.

I wasn’t going to get an answer, but they had obviously laid some elaborate plan and, in the end, something that had gone very wrong for Valdov. He would never have chosen to die. “Let’s not forget, Eudoxia,” I said as I pried open a silver cuff, “I still have something you want. Keeping me alive is still in your best interest.” I ignored the burn and crushed the manacle. It popped off her wrist. Then I reached over and did the next one.

She stood immediately.

Her hair had fallen from the elaborate coif of curls she wore tightly pinned to her head. She was several inches shorter than I was, and her long pale ringlets made her appear very young, possibly in her teens as I had originally guessed. The only thing marking her true age were her shrewd eyes, which were latched on mine. “I