With a superior smile that all females perfected before leaving the cradle, Yannah smoothed the sleeve of her long white robe. “Don’t be such a baby.”
“A baby?” Levet puffed out his chest, looking more like a bantam chicken than a fearsome gargoyle. “Why I—”
“Levet, is there a purpose for your unexpected visit?” Styx said as he sternly broke into the brewing squabble.
Levet immediately forgot his grievances and waddled toward the King of Vampires, his expression troubled. “Nefri.”
There was a collective mutter of unease as Styx glared down at the gargoyle.
The mystique of Nefri was great enough that the mere thought that she was anything less than impervious to danger was . . . troublesome.
“What about her?” Styx demanded.
“When Gaius kidnapped Tonya she knew that Gaius was plotting to use Santiago.”
Styx grimaced. “And she was right?”
“Oui.” Levet hunched his shoulders, his ugly features scrunched in distress. “We traveled to Gaius’s lair and Nefri asked me to stay hidden so I would know what was occurring. She wanted to make sure I could go for help in the event that things went . . .” He waved his hands as words failed him.
“To hell?” Styx offered.
The gargoyle nodded. “To hell.”
Clever of Nefri to make certain they could be warned, Roke silently acknowledged, but his shattering need to return to his hunt for Sally made him growl deep in his throat. Only the thought that the gargoyle might have some necessary clue to his mate’s rescue kept him from charging through the darkness alone.
As if sensing his burning frustration, Styx reached to place a hand on his shoulder even as his gaze remained trained on the tiny demon. “What does Gaius want with Santiago?”
Levet wrinkled his snout. “He pretended he desired a reconciliation, but all he truly desired was for Santiago to sneak into your lair for the witch.”
“Sally?” Roke stepped forward, his fierce intensity making Levet take a hasty step backward and Yannah move to the gargoyle’s side as if to offer her protection. “Why?”
“She’s the only one who can destroy some spell around a book,” he hurriedly admitted, his hands rising in a gesture of peace. “I do not know any more, I swear.”
“Do you think it could be the same book?” Styx muttered in astonishment.
Roke wasn’t listening.
He didn’t believe in coincidences.
Which meant he knew exactly where to find his missing witch.
The warehouse.
The warehouse north of Chicago
Over the years Sally had devoted a ridiculous amount of energy to avoiding a gruesome death.
Ever since her sweet sixteenth birthday it didn’t matter where she went or how quietly she tried to live, there was always someone or something that wanted her dead.
So she wasn’t sure why she felt so betrayed to find herself being kidnapped by a strange vampire and taken to Gaius, who was clearly even more demented than the last time she’d caught sight of him.
Surely the only surprise should have been if she hadn’t been betrayed?
Still, she found herself glaring at the handsome vampire with the beauty of a Spanish conquistador and the aloof, stunningly beautiful vampire who stood in the corner like a freaking ice princess. As if she could make them feel guilty.
Yeah, and she was destined to win the lottery.
With a shake of her head, she turned her attention to her surroundings, feeling a stab of confusion as she realized they were in the same warehouse where Roke had taken her.
What the hell?
Somehow she’d assumed when Gaius had used his medallion to take them away from Styx’s lair they would end up more than a few miles from the dangerous Anasso.
But then again, maybe he wanted her close. Didn’t the ancient generals stick the heads of their hostages on a pike as a warning to their enemies? Gaius would want her mutilated body close enough so it couldn’t be missed.
Wrapping her arms around her body, she at last turned to confront the vampire who had so briefly been her commander.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
Holy crap.
She’d wished bad things on Gaius. She might even have said a prayer or two that the arrogant SOB wouldn’t survive the battle with the Dark Lord. But allowing her stunned gaze to drift down his gaunt frame covered with clothes a zombie wouldn’t be seen dead in (yeah, really bad pun) and his eyes glowing with a hectic light, she had to admit that he looked like he’d been through worse than even she had hoped for.
He looked . . . pathetic.
Of course, she wasn’t stupid. Even pathetic and batty as hell, he was a lethal predator.
One who could kill her with one strike of his massive fangs.
Licking her dry lips, she considered a number of spells she could lob at the vampire, only to discard them. Most of them were ineffective against the walking dead. Besides, she needed to conserve her strength until her enemy was distracted.
That way she could potentially use her powers to escape.
She wasn’t a go-down-in-a-blaze-of-glory kind of gal. She preferred a run-like-hell-and-live-to-f ight-another-day philosophy.
Keeping that thought firmly in mind, she held herself perfectly still as Gaius prowled forward, slowly circling her as if he’d never seen her before.
“Hello, Gaius. Long time no see,” she said as she at last broke the thick silence, as always her nerves making her babble like an idiot.
He came to a halt directly in front of her, his eyes glowing with an odd radiance. “Witch.”
“I’ve told you a thousand times, it’s Sally,” she snapped before she could halt the impulsive words. “It’s not that hard to remember.”
The vampire shrugged. “Your name doesn’t matter.”
Sally sucked in a deep breath, ignoring the heavy scent of vampires that filled the musky air. Wasn’t there some sort of saying about catching more flies with honey than vinegar?
“No, I don’t suppose it does,” she muttered, pinning a stiff smile to her lips. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have gone to Styx, but I”—her smile widened as she was struck by inspiration—“I was worried about you.”
The lean face remained devoid of expression, but the glow in his eyes flared with something that looked like hunger. “How very extraordinary that you should be acquainted with my host,” he said.
“Host?” She wrapped her arms around her waist as a shiver shook her body. “I don’t understand.”