Chapter 15

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

I dreamed about living ashes and angry fish.

The angry fish part of the dream no doubt came from my betta putting a curse on me for having to witness my sexual gymnastics with a vampire. I never taught Kevin voodoo, but I wouldn't put it past him to sneak out to the library for some light, occult reading, especially if he was feeling vindictive. That fish had all the time in the world and enough spite to curse me a hundred times over.

The dream with the living ashes was easy enough to unpack. It's not every day you see someone examine their own combusted body in a jar. In my dream, the jar had shattered and reformed into a ghostly vapor of Zane, red eyed and angry.

I was scared of it. It felt…powerful. Wrong. Seeing it made my chest freeze and my missing hand itch.

The feelings lingered as I woke up, a pinch where my ribs still felt stoney. My missing hand felt like it had fallen asleep somehow and I wondered if Zane could feel it around his heart, like physical white noise wrapped around it.

He was gone when I woke up, which I expected. I didn't think the guy was going to haunt my tiny room for hours while I was comatose, especially when I knew for a fact Sias had a massive library somewhere in the mansion as well as a game room to go enjoy. Zane would have plenty to keep him occupied while the rest of us slept.

I found some clothing and tugged everything in place, only grumbling a little bit at the slower pace I was forced to endure with one hand now missing. I was going to have to shake Sias down for a new, fancy robot hand soon because doing everything single-handed sucked.

After dressing and begging my spiteful, voodoo fish for forgiveness, I left my room to go check on Sias. I didn't like the state he was in last night after our trip to the void, nor was I thrilled that the big, scary death hound seemed to be attached to him. Sure, the thing seemed docile, but if it had a sudden change of heart, Sias was going to get ground up and spat out before we could leash the damn thing.

Morning sun slid over the marble flooring of the foyer as I passed by, the cool blues and golds alive within the amber light. The fading scent of coffee warmed the air near the kitchen, paired with the sweet smell of pastries resting on the counter. The box had been gently closed, the contents inside picked through by the other living members of the household. I knew for a fact Barnaby was a monster for donuts with sprinkles, even if he acted like they were beneath him. The sprinkles left behind in the frosting ring was damning evidence of his feast.

I snagged one on my way to Sias's room, devouring the thing before I reached his doorway. His bedroom, which was basically a whole damn apartment within the mansion, was vacant when I leaned through the open door. The sheets on his football field bed had been made for the day, all evidence of sleep or sex smoothed away into a perfect circle of satin and silk.

I drifted further into the house, following the lure of music that hummed from the open arcade door. The melodic sounds of brass horns danced with the singing chime of piano keys, playing low enough to allow the sweet sound of laughter to slide through. I didn't recognize the laugh at first, the delight in his voice allusive and hypnotizing. I'd never heard him sound so light.

I parked myself at the threshold of Sias's game room, leaning on the dark, wooden doorframe to marvel at the scene before me. Zane stood with a billiard cue in his hand, eyeing the table as Sias lined up his shot. Sias was still smiling from whatever had summoned his laugh, the creases around his mouth catching the light from the ornate, glass lamp hanging overhead.

"You talk a big game, Zane," Sias was teasing, his gaze fixed on the game. "You sure you want to make that bet?"

"Just hit the balls, Goldilocks."

Sias tsked, tossing a glance to the vampire as he searched for his angle.

"You can do better than that, Zane. You call Dallas ‘hunter,' so you're not terrible at pet names."

"I call him ‘hunter' because he is a vampire hunter. It's not a pet name, technically." Zane leaned on his cue. "You're stalling."

"Not stalling," Sias corrected boredly. "I'm working out how to beat you in three moves." He didn't respond as Zane snorted. "So, you give pet names based on job titles then?"

"Not a pet name," Zane insisted dryly. "But sure. Do you want me to call you ‘CEO'?"

"That's not very cute."

"Boss?" Zane cracked a smirk when Sias cut him with a scathing look. "I could always go with ‘demon.'"

"About as creative as calling a hunter ‘hunter,' I suppose."

"You could always go with ‘Daddy,'" I pitched as I headed into the fray. "That's what a lot of us call him."

"I'm not calling him that," Zane said, glancing my way as I strolled over to the table. "You found the donuts, I see."

"Yep. Barns ate all the sprinkle ones if you were looking forward to those." I licked some icing from my fingers and leaned over to try and make sense of who was in the lead. Sias's cue landed gently across my chest, his eyes flashing a serious shade of mustard.

"This table costs more than your entire apartment, pet. Don't get crumbs near it."

"Hey, now. I am pristine, thank you very much. I'm not a sloppy eater." I showed him my palm and backed away. "Maybe go with ‘Grumpy' as a pet name."

"You have icing on your face," my bodyguard added, unhelpfully.

"Just for that, I won't let you lick it off." I swiped the corners of my mouth. "Who's winning, anyway?"

"It's tied." Sias tilted his head and added some chalk to the tip of his cue. "This is your chance to change your wager before I decimate you, darling."

"Maybe I should go with ‘cocky' for you," Zane parried. "Works on a few levels."

"Cocky implies that I'm overly confident and a liar." Sias slid his eyes to Zane, flaring a strawberry hue. "I have no reason to lie about my abilities, just like I have no reason to be overly generous with this game."

Sias had rounded the table to come within a breath of Zane, his rainbow eyes studying the undead vampire, who kept his features remarkably unreadable.

"I don't shirk on a bet." Zane nodded to the table. "Play, or I'll win by default."

"Alright, vampire. You had your chance."

The gold in his horns flashed as he leaned over, his chest hovering just above the dark red felt, fingers a sightline for the cue to rest. His lithe torso stretched the fabric of his button-down, as did the slacks over the curve of his perfect ass. Sias slid over the pool table like he was begging to be fucked over it, yet somehow poised enough to crack a ball across the table and knock it into a pocket.

He moved to the opposite side of the table and leaned over, the angle something wonderful to behold, and I suppressed a shiver as Sias arched his back and leaned down, tapping another ball into place with a well-placed hit.

"Not bad," Zane admitted.

"How the fuck are you paying attention to the game?" I whispered to him, and he tossed me a knowing look.

"You always lose at pool, don't you?"

I presented the scene before him as Sias slowly straightened himself out, smoothing his clothing back into place.

"Obviously!"

Sias had either been ignoring our whispering or was so caught up in being a sexy pool shark he hadn't heard us because he strolled over, unbothered by how flustered I was.

"Should we call it now, dear?" Sias asked Zane coolly. "I could have this arrangement set up within the next thirty minutes."

Zane's deep, red eyes stalked the table, one finger drumming on the side of his pool cue as he untangled his options.

"Sleep well, pet?" Sias curled his lips in a smug smirk, eyes swirling into a playful pink, the warm light of the overhead lamp brilliant on his gold-tipped horns and bronze skin. The cuts on his cheek where his freaky, extra set of eyes lived were hidden, his fingers no longer dipped in ink.

It was a strange sensation to feel my cheeks warm from the question, as if the incubus in the house hadn't picked up on the intense sexual energy from last night. I had no doubt Barns had felt it too, and was avoiding us to keep the awkwardness down to a minimum. Only one of the sex demons living in the mansion enjoyed the aerobics that went into feeding, and that man was watching my face heat up in real time.

My new sense of modesty turned Sias's eyes into a flash of bubblegum pink, his pupils flaring.

"Dallas Wilde," Sias purred, salivating. "Are you blushing ?"

"What? No! It's hot in here. I haven't had enough to eat. The lighting in here is weird." I tugged at my collar and tried to control the warring stings of embarrassment and flutters of affection.

Sias leaned his cue beside the table and slithered closer, charm magic teasing from him but not strong enough to put me under his spell. Pink flared before melting into hues of purple, lime and olive, landing somewhere between rich emerald and peridot.

"I've never seen you shy," Sias whispered in awe. "I could get very addicted to that."

It occurred to me in a slap of sharp clarity that my eruption of nerves and newfound anxiety wasn't just because I was still unpacking my night with Zane—fucking with a love confession and all—but because we never talked about Sias. We dove right into bed, changed our relationship overnight, and I never bothered to hit pause and ask about my attachment to the guy whose house we were currently occupying.

It was sobering to realize I had perhaps fucked up two of the most important relationships of my life in one night. A classic Dallas move, if I'm being honest, but not one I was proud of.

Horny disaster when stressed strikes again.

"Shit," I said out loud as everything sank into the marrow of my bones and chilled me to my core.

"I've changed my mind."

Zane's voice cut through me like a hot knife, cutting my chill and striking all the sensitive emotions crawling to the surface.

"What?" I said, horrified that he was responding to the confusion he felt tumbling around inside of me.

"On the bet," Zane clarified calmly, and I nearly melted into a hot puddle across Sias's nice pool table.

"So much for shirking on a bet," Sias teased with a chuckle, but Zane shook his head.

"The original bet still stands. I want to add something when I win."

"Oh?" Sias leaned his hip on the edge of the table as Zane scanned over his options. "When you win, hm? Dallas goes shy and you get arrogant. What a morning. Alright, Zane. What do you want to add when you win?"

"Repayment for the first game." Zane lifted his eyes to Sias. "With interest."

"Now that is interesting." Sias glanced over at the table, then tossed a dismissive shrug to him. "Alright, vampire. I'm happy to keep taking you for all you have."

"Mmhm." Zane placed himself near Sias and leaned down over the felt, the plain black shirt he wore flashing a little skin near the waist of his jeans as he stretched his arm out over the table. The cue was lined up and snaked forward with one quick, decisive strike, sending the ball into a geometric pattern of trick shots.

In a matter of moments the game was over, and Sias was left openly impressed.

Zane could play pool. Apparently pretty goddamn well.

Sias lifted his eyebrows as Zane raked his hair back. "I suppose I owe you an apology. That was masterful, Zane."

Zane set the cue down on the table and faced him. "You set that shot up for me to win if I was smart enough to see it, and if I was skilled enough to make it. You wanted me to win."

For the second time that morning, I got to hear Sias laugh. It sang out over the calm of the room: a rich, velvety sound that ran down my back and knocked the breath out of me.

My heart tightened like it was caught in a trap, rapid beating boarding on panic. I knew Zane could feel my emotions spiking, knew he had to feel the hornets in my stomach. It made it so much worse knowing he could feel my pull toward Sias, and how deep the guilt and worry was splitting me.

How the fuck was I going to untangle this mess?

How the hell was I going to tell the vampire I love that I couldn't just walk away from the incubus I had tethered myself to for so long?

I'd never hear Sias laugh again. He'd go cold again, and Zane would go back to being a resentful shadow.

I swallowed the knot in my throat and opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't get the words out.

Sias was oblivious to my panic, and Zane chose to ignore it. I almost turned to leave, but Sias's playful banter kept drawing me back in like a golden light to a heartsick moth.

"I'm still not convinced you downplayed your abilities to get your way," Sias was jabbing, smirk stuck to his face. "But fair is fair."

"I didn't take you for a sore loser, Sias."

Another snicker, Sias's eyes darkened into a rich red, dancing in sharp magenta around the center.

"You're starting to truly impress me," he purred, ever the flirt. "How do you want your payment?"

I had no clue how much money Sias had taken from Zane at that point, or where the hell a dead guy got any money. Zane had been alive…what? A few hours? What type of black-market bullshit did a vampire do to have money to throw around at a pool table with Sias Llon'nai?

Those questions would never be answered, because I could not have been more incorrect about what currency they had been using.

Fundamentally, completely, mind fuckingly wrong.

"I'll take the first part now."

Sias was pulled off the table he leaned against by the collar of his shirt, his gasp swallowed by Zane's mouth as their lips crashed together. Sias grunted as he was pushed back into the wood, his ass connecting with the edge of the table as Zane tangled his fingers into Sias's blond hair. Their kiss was fierce, tongues flashing and fangs bared, the familiar slither of Sias's dark-tinted charm magic coiling around them as the lines in his cheeks opened just a fraction.

Sias sucked air through his teeth as Zane angled the incubus's head back with a tug of his hair, the kiss broken as Sias nipped at Zane's bottom lip.

"Interest," Sias panted, his second set of eyes flaring before sealing again.

Zane huffed, his red eyes bright from excitement, swirling with the fading charm magic. His hand dropped from Sias's hair and Sias hooked his fingers into Zane's waistband to straighten himself.

"I look forward to the rest of the payment, Zane." Sias smoothed Zane's shirt down for him, scanning his face with eyes the same deep red as the vampire's. "And bonding a little more."

"Likewise." Zane allowed Sias to brush his hair back from his face, only moving back as Sias pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Duty calls. Could you be a dear and make sure our pet doesn't hit his head when he faints?" Sias gestured toward me as he strolled away, the spots in my vision darkening.

"Breathe, hunter. If you pass out, I'm leaving you here."

I inhaled at the command, blood rushing back into my brain from where it had been pooling much further south. I couldn't remember words or what order they should go in from the brain damage incurred while in a state of erotic shock, so I just pointed at Sias and made a squeaking noise.

"There you are!" Barnaby announced as he came racing into the arcade, oblivious to my state of mind. "I've been looking all over. You need to see what's on TV right now!"

"What's going on?" Zane asked like a logical person. I, however, was still reeling and refused to focus on anything else.

"Not now, Barns! Things are happening! Things!"

"Your inability to communicate properly is why I insist you do crossword puzzles with me, Dallas. Your vocabulary is abhorrent," Barnaby scolded.

"Things!" I pleaded, embittered.

"What's going on, Barnaby?" Zane came back as the voice of reason.

"Florence Pierce's compound was just raided," he said quickly. "It's all over the news. Her board just removed her from her company and DHAP is seizing her assets."

"Holy shit," I said, remembering my extensive vocabulary again. "Has she been arrested? Did they mention the scythe?"

"I'm not sure. I ran to find you as soon as they mentioned the raid," Barnaby explained as we followed him out of the arcade and into Sias's entertainment room, not to be confused with his movie room which was a literal theatre he'd had built for screening films. Funus was waiting beside the remote on a large couch, parked in front of a massive TV screen that stretched the length of the wall.

Sias's big death hound was napping across the rug, snoring through its open nose hole, with Twig curled up as a loaf in the strip of sunlight beside it. The cat blinked lazily upon noticing Zane, and rose up onto her feet with a stretch before trotting over for some demanding pets. She made a noise that was mostly vocal purring when Zane scooped her up into his massive hand and lifted her to his chest, smothering the little rat-tailed feline with affection.

I was just a little jealous of how much attention the cat was getting. Considering I had hogged him for the entire night, I decided not to demand the same treatment. For now.

Barnaby picked Funus up to hold in his lap as he sat down, Zane and I sitting on either side of them as the broadcast continued. Twig nestled against Zane's stomach and happily mewed while she got the base of her tail massaged.

The talking heads on the screen painted the picture of Florence being a troubled business tycoon, with whispers of shady practices involving the deeply illegal tampering of magical tech. ReNew was quick to make a public announcement essentially throwing her to the wolves, disassociating themselves from her "disappointing actions." Her massive estate was seized, the factories raided, including the one tucked away just outside of St. Athesall that had been gutted the previous night.

I recognized the robotic arm used to slice into the scythe in the still shots of the abandoned factory, most of the contents inside burned from the massive fire they had started before they fled. They had covered the truly damning evidence by way of complete destruction, but the patent tied to the company was enough to drive the final nail into the coffin.

Any traces of the necromancy she was involved with was either gone, missing, or shielded from the public. The pretty news anchors didn't drop the scary "dark magic" term once, even when they mournfully announced that she had most likely been involved with bio-magic tampering on a level that would get her thrown in prison for decades. It was no shock at all that she had fled without a trace.

Florence Pierce was a ghost, as was her right-hand woman, Hei, and the empire they had built. I would have been thrilled, if the ghosts hadn't likely disappeared with the goddamn scythe.

"Why do you look so sour? This is a good thing, isn't it?" Barnaby quizzed as I got to my feet to pace. "This means the tears will stop. The place she was using to rip apart the scythe was burned down."

"She still has the scythe, Barns. She's not going to stop, funding be damned. I don't think someone like Florence is going to just toss her hands up in defeat when she has the literal key to the Death Goddess in her hands." I rubbed at my aching temple, trying to summon a plan. "We have to find her, but I have no clue where to start looking."

"She's got connections all over the world," Zane pointed out. "She could be anywhere."

"She won't be able to go far with her face plastered all over the news. She'll go into deep hiding. Did they mention if her stupid wellness island got raided?" I asked Barns, who nodded.

"That was the first place they looked, actually. Apparently the rich customers there did not take kindly to being disrupted during their mud bath."

"I wouldn't either, that was legit. Don't make a face, it was nice. You're close-minded," I told the vampire as he scowled.

"Maybe Sias has some connections we can leverage. People in high places that might be mutual acquaintances," he pitched. "Someone has to know something."

"Worth a shot." I moved to go find said influential incubus when the sound of the front door being assaulted by a fist caught my attention. There was only one guy I knew who knocked with the same frantic authority of a cop with a search warrant, so I got ready for Preston Cheslock to come bearing late news of Florence's fall. I rolled my eyes and changed course, heading to the front door as the pounding continued.

"Relax! I'm coming, Saint be damned," I called out to placate the annoyed officer before jerking the door open. "I know about Florence," I greeted, but was surprised that Preston wasn't alone.

Seyyid was at his side, as usual, both of them bandaged up from the harrowing battle with both their coworkers and the swarm of ugly little bat voidlings. How the hell they ducked out of getting tossed in jail for their involvement was an honest-to-God mystery, but that wasn't what threw me.

It was the extra guy standing with them that was screwing with my head.

"You need to go. Now," Austin said from beside them, a fresh black eye marring his face and a bloody split on his lower lip. His light brown eyes bore into mine, determination creasing his brows.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, and moved as they barreled inside. "What the fuck is going on?"

"They're on their way, Wilde," Preston told me quickly. "DHAP has put out an arrest warrant for you."

"For what?" I snapped, fury storming through my veins. "On what grounds? I've been assisting on repairing and stopping the damn tears!"

"After the insanity of last night, Magnus has sway over DHAP right now," Austin explained. "He told them you're involved with Florence."

"A lot of officers saw you go into the tear," Seyyid cut in. "Magnus has them convinced you're the necromancer Florence hired to either cover the tears up or to cause them. Preston and I did what we could, Wilde, but they're not listening to us."

"You gave them the evidence, right?" I looked between the two officers. "That has to count for something. Why the hell would I give you a critical piece of intel if I'm involved with her?"

The shame covering Preston's features told me the answer before he said a damn word. My vision grew bright around the edges, and I stormed toward him, ready to knock his damn teeth in.

"You son of a bitch," I hissed, my arm caught by Seyyid as he stepped in the way of my wrath. "You took the credit, didn't you? You sold me out!"

Preston at least had the decency to look ashamed, but he spit out his words like venom.

"It was either that or we'd be in prison right now, Wilde. Our whole careers have been upended because of your bullshit, remember? The goddamn tech vampires, the intel we handed to you on a silver platter. You think that shit didn't have consequences?"

"I saved your goddamn boyfriend!" I shook free of Seyyid's grip as he shoved me back a few steps. "If it wasn't for me, Seyyid would be a mindless, grunt vampire trying to rip you apart. And this is how you repay me?"

"I repaid you by throwing my career into the toilet, Wilde, and by coming here to give you a chance to escape. We're even."

"Not by a fucking long shot, Cheslock." I balled my fist, convincing myself it was worth burning some time in order to get a few good swings in. My commitment to cracking his teeth was paused midstep as Seyyid threw one more bomb my way.

"They're not just coming for you, Dallas. Magnus named Sias as one of your associates. They're going to come after him too."

"Bullshit," I spat. "You're trying to keep me from beating your boyfriend's ass, Seyyid. Move, or you're going down too."

"I'm serious," he pressed, silver eyes meeting mine and holding true. "You have thirty minutes to get out of the city."

"He's telling the truth, Dallas." Austin caught my shoulder and pulled me back, turning me to face him. "We gotta go. Right now."

I felt like smashing everything in sight, including both of the betraying cops and some of Sias's stupid, oversized vases for the hell of it. The way Seyyid spoke, and the fact that my estranged brother seemed to be both telling the truth and trying to save my ass, had me reevaluate my priorities.

"Fuck you both," I said to the cops I used to somewhat like. "Get out before I sic my fish on you."

Preston tugged Seyyid back to his side right about the time Zane rounded the corner, no doubt feeling my unbridled rage threatening to spill over the top. His blood-colored eyes sized up the two retreating cops, but lingered longest on Austin.

My vampire was all business when he asked, "What's going on?"

"DHAP is on their way. Magnus has convinced them I'm in bed with Florence. We gotta—wait." My brain took a beat, rewinding to the last thing Austin had said to me just moments ago. "What did you mean ‘we' have to go? You're not tagging along to bring Magnus right to us, Austin."

Austin's jaw bunched as he failed to keep the tension from his shoulders. He had the posture and attitude of a kicked, junkyard dog; his bite ready, but the fight had already been beaten out of him.

"I'm on the run now, same as you." He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, the bruising around his eye tender and swollen. "You want my help or not?"

"Magnus do that to you?" My outrage was apparent, hitching a ride with the anger from the previous betrayal.

"We don't have time for this chat right now, Wilde. Twenty-five minutes left." Austin turned his attention to Zane. "The incubus has cars, right? We need to load up what we can and head south. It's the fastest way out of the city."

"We need to find Florence and the scythe," I hissed. "Do you know where she is? Any leads on her whereabouts?"

"I have some theories, but I'll tell you in the car. Get your shit." Austin lifted his chin for me to hurry, posting himself by the front door to be on lookout for inbound DHAP patrol.

Zane followed me as I turned and rushed back to the entertainment room, my mind splintering into several thoughts at once. There was no way we were going to make it out of the city with everyone on alert. We needed a place to cool down and hide, and I needed to get my hands on some guns, intel, burner phones and a low profile, stolen car to escape in.

"Get Barns and Funus to the garage. I need to grab Sias and my duffel of killing toys for the road. Bring any cash we have, no cards."

"What the hell is going on now?" Barnaby began his complaining, but got to his feet so I didn't snap at him. "What did you do?"

"Trust the wrong people. You don't have time to pack a bag, so don't ask." I scooped Twig up and cringed back a little as the big hellhound lifted its head. "Hey. Big uh…doggie. Can you be a good boy and go guard the garage?"

The beast tilted its head at hearing it had the chance to be a "good boy," the backend of its massive body wiggling. It didn't immediately comply, so I tried a different angle.

"Go get Sias, boy. Go on. Go get Daddy!" I watched with newfound interest as the spawn of the void scrambled to its feet like a drunk Great Dane and bolted off to do as it was told. "Huh. Do all things from the void respond to praise like that? Should I start calling you ‘good boy,' Zane? Shit, don't hit me, I'm holding your cat!"

"I have a bug-out bag stashed in my room," Barnaby announced before Zane could kill me. "It has a week's worth of supplies. Grab it on your way, Dallas. We'll meet you in the garage."

I raced down the hallway, impressed with Barnaby's foresight and a little mad at myself for not doing the same, and rushed to my room. I placed Twig on the bed and gave her some treats to keep her busy, then grabbed my duffel of fun time murder accessories from under the bed.

"Kevin, we got a Hide and Seek situation, my man." I shoved some extra supplies into the bag as I moved to his tank to give him some bloodworms. "We're taking the hellhound with us, but you need to look after Twig."

Kevin peered at me from his coconut hut, an irritated bubble popped from his mouth.

"I know. I'm sorry. Be good and I love you. Don't answer the door for strangers."

I kissed my fingers and pressed them to the glass, and I got a tail flick in return. It was going to take a mountain of blood worms, and probably a new pirate ship, to make him love me again, but I'd figure that out later.

Barnaby's bug-out bag was easy enough to find, since he had it labeled beside his bed with a note in cursive tied to it with ribbon. I snagged it, and Funus's little dog bag, before sprinting down to the arcade to find Sias.

"Hey," I slid into the dim arcade, double fisting bags and starting to break into a sweat. "We gotta go. DHAP is on the way and—" He held up his hand for me to pause, pulling in the last drag of a thin cigarette.

"I know." Sias exhaled a long puff of smoke, the cloying scent of tobacco hanging like morning fog over the abandoned pool game. "DHAP froze the bank accounts they know of, but that's not important. We have friends within the city that will help keep eyes diverted as we plan our next move. They're also buying us some time with a few traffic jams so we can escape."

Sias pushed off the pool table and slid his fingers along the corner pocket, a deep, wooden sound sliding into place. The velvet top popped up on one side, the balls rolling and sliding into the pockets as he lifted the hinged, false top. Inside the billiard table where I had watched him and Zane make out like horny teenagers earlier that morning contained a suitcase, some ammo, a spare handgun and a pack of the same, thin cigarettes.

I guess those were crisis smokes.

Sias hefted the suitcase out and handed me the spare gun and ammo. The false table was sealed again with a simple push, and pocketed the crisis smokes for later.

"We have a few thousand in here, some gold, passports and burner phones. Trying to flee the city now would be stupid, so we'll need to lay low for a while."

"You are so sexy right now."

"I know." He nodded toward the exit. "Let's move, pet. We'll take the SUV."

I passed him Barnaby's bag and we got moving, the big hellhound following close to his side. There was a small, vindictive part of me that almost didn't whistle for Austin before we escaped for the garage, but I couldn't bring myself to be that much of an asshole. I wasn't ready to say we had started repairing bridges at that point, but I knew he was walking away from a newly burned one.

Like it or not, and I definitely did not, he was family. And I think I was all he had left.

Sias's eyes flared a new shade of murder orange as he saw Austin, but I put my hand on his chest before he had a chance to rip my brother's head from his shoulders.

"He's the one that gave us a heads up. He's coming with us," I said with an authority I faked well. "He has information we need."

"If I had more time, I'd take that information instead." Sias adjusted his gun holster he had just strapped on and pierced Austin with topaz severity. "Misstep, child, and I'll feed bits of you to my hound."

The beast growled as if on command, the sound like shattering bone under a grinding boulder.

"Maybe you should sit in the very back," I told Austin, pointing to the back row.

"Just keep that thing away from me," Austin mumbled as he tossed the hellhound a wary glance, crawling into the back seat to sit in solitude.

"I don't trust him, Dallas," Sias told me as Austin made his way into the car. "He's under the thumb of your father and his loyalty is questionable at best."

"I have a feeling that's not a problem anymore." I threw my bag into the SUV. "But if I'm wrong, I'll handle it myself. I love it when you're in scary mode, Sias, I really do. It makes me a little afraid and it's incredibly hot, but I need you to dial it down to simmering, threatening Daddy. Not murder Daddy."

"I will not tolerate you getting hurt, pet. And I am in no mood for leniency today." Sias's horns curled just a little bit, the lines on his cheeks almost opening.

"Pretty sure if he was going to make a move, he would have done it before I got the vampire and scary, death incubus." I opened the passenger side door for him and offered him the seat.

"For his sake, I hope you're right." Sias angled his head toward the SUV and snapped his fingers. "Malphaslanexus."

The big hellhound leaped into the car and padded over to the window, its green tongue lulling out to one side.

"Did you just speak in tongues?" I watched the beast pant excitedly about the car ride to come, its big, clawed paws pricking the leather as it shifted its weight.

"That's his name."

"His name ? That's a horrible name." I looked to my bodyguard, who I had momentarily forgotten never had my back. "You agree, right? That's way too long for a name."

"That's the name of the incubus knight who guarded his queen's family from invasion during the demon uprising. Goddess, hunter. Read a book." Zane took the keys from Sias as a final insult and began making his way to the driver's seat.

"Stop smiling, he's not cute," I told Sias as I followed the asshole vampire around the car. "I'm driving. You don't get to insult me and drive the car."

"Shut up and get in or I'll throw you in." Zane lifted the keys above his head so I couldn't reach them. "I'm serious, hunter."

"So am I. I'm getting us the hell out of here because you drive like a grandpa." I tried to hook my stump over his bicep to jerk his arm down, reaching for the keys with my only hand. Zane snorted out like an annoyed bull and glanced over the driver's seat to the simmering murder Daddy.

"Little help, Sias?" Zane asked.

A cool slither wrapped itself around me like a languid snake, relaxing my muscles and gently squeezing the fight out of me.

"Relax, pet," Sias tossed over to me, eyes a vibrant purple with a sharp, black edge.

"I'm starting to regret a lot of things," I mumbled as the back door to the SUV was opened on Zane's side of the car. I tried to knock Zane's grip off me but I was shoved ass over head into the back seat next to Malpha-whatever.

I was reduced to squeezing into the middle seat beside Barnaby and the huge ass hellhound, only one of which was happy about my presence. Austin kept to the shadows in the row of seats behind us while Funus happily watched out the window from Barnaby's lap.

Sias's charm magic eased as we rolled out of the garage and onto the street, which helped me snap back into planning mode.

"We can't try and get out of the city yet," I told them from the back seat, leaning forward to insert myself into the command center. If I wasn't able to drive, I was at least going to be the annoying copilot calling the shots. "We're going to need to head somewhere we can hide out and swap cars. Sias has some money on him, which will make the swap a little easier."

"Do you have an idea of where we can go?" Barnaby asked from the back seat.

"Yeah." I rubbed at my eyes, the headache blooming and starting to press at my frontal lobe. "I know where we can go. It's going to suck but it's all we have."

"I already hate whatever you're about to say," Zane said through an exhale.

"Yeah. You should. He's not going to be happy to see you either."