A bird shrieked, the sound making Akiva stop. His eyes closed hard and he rubbed them like they’d gone dry, and when he opened them once more they had returned to their normal yellow-green, and gestured to the grassy clearing that we stood at the edge of.
“We’re here,” he said, not bothering to be quiet as he strode forward and into the tall, untamed grass.
“Because your bird told you so?” I asked, only slightly mocking.
Akiva glanced back, but did not deign to reply.
Cian walked with him, pulling to the front, and Indra didn’t wait for me to catch up to Akiva.
Unfortunately, that gave me the rear.
I let out an unsteady breath, heart racing as I looked around the clearing and into the trees surrounding us. My night vision without being half shifted was not perfect, but I could see movement in the trees all the same.
“Gavin.” Cian’s voice echoed and if my wolf ears were visible I would’ve flattened them at the noise. “I know you’re here.”
“I’m not hiding from you.” The deep, amused voice held a slight rasp and no hint of surprise. He spoke from the middle of the clearing, and when I turned to look at him I felt my stomach clench. No one had been there a moment ago.
Bowing my head as if to look at my feet, I studied him from under my lashes. His hair, cut very close to his skull, was so dark that it was invisible in the night. Red eyes stayed fixed on Cian, as if he hadn’t bothered to notice me.
I had a feeling he was no stranger to being challenged by optimistic vampires, if the way he carried himself and lifted his chin arrogantly were anything to go by. Something glittered in his eyebrow and at his lip; gold piercings, I realized belatedly. They seemed to catch the light at all angles, drawing my attention.
A twig broke and I looked to the side, seeing a vampire standing only a few yards to my left, half-hidden in darkness.
She wasn’t the only one. There were at least six or seven vampires in the clearing now, and not all the shadows in the swamp were trees.
I had not realized that they truly moved so fast. Hearing tales was one thing; seeing it was another.
The vampire at my left was a very dark skinned woman, with full lips and a slim figure that I would have envied under any other circumstance. I refused to meet her eyes, instead fixing my gaze on her mouth as she parted her lips to show me her bright, white fangs.
“You’ve brought it on yourself,” Cian was saying, though I found myself much more focused on the woman than him. “You’ve subjugated the witches and even the shapeshifters hate you for how you treat them. We are not above anyone–“
“Don’t lecture me,” Gavin broke in, lips parting to show sharp fangs in a taunt. “You have no right to; we all know you’ve been anxious for a chance like this for ages.”
“You’re wrong. I have never desired to rule over a clade, but you’re making it impossible for me to look away. Leave, Gavin. Get out of New Orleans–out of Louisiana. I will let you go, but only if you go now.”
A cold shock went through me and I looked to Cian, brows furrowed as unsureness spiraled through my thoughts. Colette had demanded Gavin’s head in exchange for my cousin. Would Cian really just let him go?
Perhaps I really had walked into this like an idiot.
“I’ll tell you what,” Gavin replied, voice silky smooth. “I won’t leave. And if you fight me, you’re going to lose at least one of your friends.” I saw enough of his face to see it tilt pointedly in my direction.
What a fucking vote of confidence.
“Careful,” Cian cautioned, though I wasn’t sure if he spoke to Gavin or me.
“Here are my terms, Cian Branwen. You can leave. You can take your witch and go. But you must choose between the others; do you want to keep your lich or your hellhound? You’ve challenged the King of New Orleans and I can’t let that slide without teaching you a lesson. So who will you take, and who stays with me?” Gavin’s voice was full of amusement, and finality.
Cian honest to Goddess laughed. He chuckled like Gavin had told him a particularly amusing joke and spread his arms wide. “You think you’ll, what, send me running with my tail between my legs and my bonded will simply cut ties with me and join you?” His eyes narrowed. “Don’t make me laugh. And stop making a fool of yourself. This is your last chance.”
Power enveloped the clearing, rifling through the grass like long fingers and twisting around my limbs as it chased away the warmth in the air.
Was this Cian’s power? How did a vampire have this much power?
“You leave…or you die.” He tilted his head to the side. “So what will it be?”
“Neither. Kill the witch,” Gavin ordered off-handedly. “But not the others.”
He was gone in a rush of movement. My eyes darted to Cian, but I was met only with a burst of air. The two vampires collided a few yards away from me and my lungs seemed to freeze mid-breath.
If Gavin came out on top, what would happen to me?
I forced myself away from the thought. I wasn’t helpless, and I didn’t need Cian to come to my rescue. Besides, the vampire I was quietly cheering for seemed to be winning.
At least for the moment.
Cian’s hand was around Gavin’s throat, and in a flash he’d knocked Gavin to the ground, hiding much of him in the tall grass.
The ground under me trembled at the impact and I nearly stumbled in surprise, hands brushing the tips of tall weeds.
Okay, he was probably fine.
“You stupid witch.” The vampire nearest me was stalking forward, fangs flashing bright. “You should never have come here.” She surged forward, too quick
