“Yeah,” Adam said, dropping onto the couch across from Erron. “You said you hunted him down after he killed your band, but when you figured out you couldn’t kill him, you ran away.”
“Right. I also told you that after six months of hell I finally realized he wasn’t coming for me.” He took another swig of bourbon. “The news is, I finally found out why.”
“Well?” I demanded.
“For the last few months I’ve been on tour in Europe. While I was there, I tracked down that group I told you about.”
“Yeah, I remember you mentioning them in New Orleans. The ones who helped you find Cain to begin with,” Adam said. “Who are they exactly?”
“They’re a small band made up mostly of mages and vampires. They’re led by a male who calls himself Abel. Not the original guy from the mortal Bible, obviously. I never met him when I worked with the group in the past because he’s super secretive. But he’s a mage and he’s… weird.”
My eyebrows rose at the irony of hearing the leader of a shock-rock band with a penchant for midget strippers call anyone weird.
“He wears these robes like a monk and refuses to let anyone see his face. Still, his people helped me in the past, so I know he’s solid.”
“Any idea who he really is?” Adam asked.
Erron shook his head. “He may be weird but he’s dead serious about stopping Cain. Anyway, when I was in Rome, I got in touch with one of his associates. Set up a meeting.”
“Why?” Adam asked.
Erron leaned forward. Now that we’d gotten him talking, he’d dropped the weary rock star routine. Even his eyes had cleared, like he’d sobered up. “Because after my involvement in your mission in New Orleans, I wanted to be sure Cain wasn’t going to start gunning for me again. Plus, I might be a Recreant, but I still give a shit about whether someone’s planning on wiping all mages from the earth.”
“Fair enough,” Adam said. “What did this Abel tell you?”
Erron rubbed his hands on his legs, as if settling in for a long story. “Turns out he and his group finally made their move on Cain right after my encounter with him. This would be about ten years ago. There was some big showdown and they managed to bind Cain magically. He’s been on ice in a secret location ever since.”
Adam frowned. “Why didn’t they just kill him?”
“Cain can’t be killed,” Erron said. “When God marked him after killing his brother, he decreed that anyone who killed Cain would reap punishment sevenfold. So Abel’s only choice was to use a spell to put the ass**le in a state of suspended animation, kind of like a permanent coma without the need for respirators.”
“Wait,” I said. “That doesn’t make any sense. Lavinia’s goons almost managed to summon Cain to that cemetery in New Orleans. If Abel’s spell was so great, how did the Caste manage that?”
“Naturally, I asked Abel the same question. He said I must be mistaken. One of his people is with the body at all times and no one reported anything out of the ordinary. He also claims only his blood can break the spell.”
“I’ve never met this Abel guy, but he sounds like an idiot.” I huffed out a breath. “I saw Cain begin to materialize with my own eyes. Plus, he visited my dreams more than once.”
“If Maisie had been dreaming about Cain, then we’d have a reason to worry,” Adam said. “But yours are just probably your subconscious’s way of dealing with everything that happened.”
“I can’t say whether that’s true or not, but Abel seemed convinced there was no reason to worry.” Erron shrugged. “Maybe the summoning was an illusion or a trick to make you think they had Cain on their side. Either way, Abel said he’d step up his wards around the body as a precaution.”
“Did you see the body?” Adam asked.
“Not in person. Abel isn’t messing around. He doesn’t let anyone near Cain except for his own people. But he did show me a video feed from the surveillance cameras. The body I saw was Cain’s. I’m sure of it.”
I snorted. “No offense, Erron, but there are so many holes in that story that I’m actually less convinced we’re safe.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. But if Abel is lying and Cain actually is capable of escaping, why hasn’t he come after you? Or me, for that matter?” He shook his head and took another swig.
“But if Cain has been imprisoned all these years, why did Lavinia claim she was working for him?” I asked.
“Just spit balling here,” Adam said, “but maybe it was because your grandmother was a vindictive, scheming bitch?”
“True enough, but she also had the Caste working for her,” I said. “Surely that suggests Cain’s involvement.”
“Or she convinced the Caste that Cain was communicating with her to get them to cooperate,” Adam said, almost to himself.
I jerked my head to stare at him. “Look, I want to believe Cain isn’t an issue anymore, too. But this is all a little too convenient, don’t you think?”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I trust Abel,” Erron said. “That guy’s odd, sure, but I’ve never met anyone with more single-minded dedication. He eats, breathes, and sleeps keeping Cain imprisoned.”
I leaned forward. “That’s bugging me, too.”
Adam looked at me. “What?”
“Why is Abel so obsessed with Cain?”
We both looked at Erron for the answer. “I don’t know, but if I had to guess I’d say Cain probably caused some trouble in Abel’s life along the way. Isn’t that how all these stories start? Bad guy kills a man’s lover or family and that man turns into a vigilante?”
I sucked a deep breath in through my nose and leaned back. Releasing it slowly, I said, “I wish I could believe that was all true. But something tells me we haven’t seen the last of Cain.”
“Maybe not. But until there’s some reason to believe otherwise, why not relax a little?” Erron leaned back, cradling the Jim Beam like a security blanket. “Lavinia’s dead and the treaty is about to be signed. Even if Cain could somehow manage to escape Abel’s bonds without being noticed, he’ll still have a hell of a time trying to start a war now.”
I wished I could share Erron’s optimism. But my hands were clammy and a tickle at the base of my skull told me that letting my guard down would be a colossal mistake. I turned toward Adam, who looked pensive rather than skeptical. “What’s your gut saying?”