Bruiser nodded. It was news to me. I asked them, "Will Arceneau give Leo enough power to defeat the new coalition?"
"No," Innara said, "but if Desmarais swears to Leo, and if Leo acts quickly, then we have a chance."
I redrew the balance of power in my mind, the new alliance of vamp clans. On the one hand was Rafael of Mearkanis, with Rousseau and St. Martin pledged to him. And maybe these sons, whatever they were. Then there was Leo of Pellissier, with Laurent, Bouvier, and now Arceneau. Desmarais lingered by its lonesome. So if a new vamp war started, it would be a battle between Rafael and Leo. I didn't know enough about clan strengths to know if it would be a fair match.
Satisfied that the Bouvier vamp didn't mean us harm, I lowered my weapons. Tension I hadn't noted in her slight frame relaxed. Instantly, she looked like a child playing dress-up in her mommy's clothes and jewels, innocent and sweet and fully human, not like the killer she was. I hated how they could do that. "Leo must put aside the Dolore and take up the reins of his power," she said.
Bruiser took a step back, his face closing in. Before I could ask what a dolore was, she went on, her tone fierce, her hands fisting, trying to convince Bruiser. "You must tell Leo that if he hopes to keep the peace, he must break the new alliance quickly or there will be war - violent, bloody, and decisive. Our masters will die. We will not be able to protect our young in devoveo while they regain themselves - they will be left to run mad. Our humans will not survive. The city will be torn asunder." To me she said,
"Rafael believes in the Naturaleza, the old ways, that humans are here only for our pleasure and to feed us - and that all other supernatural beings must be wiped from the earth."
The words "supernatural beings must be wiped from the earth" reverberated in the small room. That meant Molly and her kids. And every other witch in the city. And me.Crap.
Crap, crap, crap. And then I heard the word "devoveo." What the heck was that? I'd never heard the term before, but it sounded as though it was related to the madness of young rogues. Maybe worth investigating.
"Make Leo listen," she demanded of Bruiser. Her head cocked, rocking on the stem of her neck into an angle not common to humans, like a bird with a broken neck. It was just . . . so weird. She seemed to be listening to something or someone I couldn't hear.
Her pupils widened, vamping out.
"My anamchara tells me that Rafael is coming. I must . . ." Her eyes landed on me, and the sclera bled scarlet. Fear pheromones skittered into the small room, brittle and prickly, and all hers. Innara took a breath, the sound loud with panic. "He will catch me.
With you. He will know that my master has accepted his offer to parley, in deception."
And if Leo loses the vamp war, then a victorious Rafael will kill his enemies, I thought.Gotcha. Innara was self-serving, playing both sides just like her master. The vamp could tear a human apart with her bare hands, but she looked so helpless, even with the bloody eyes. I sooo did not want to get involved in this, but I was already neck deep and sinking. Tucking the stake and knife back in their hidey spots, I let the words drag out of me. "No, he won't." Her face split with joy. If there was also a lot of cunning behind the purer emotion, well, shewas a vamp.
Motioning her away from the door, I held my hand out to Bruiser and snapped the lock.
The door cracked open and we stepped through the slit. A shadow darkened the hallway entrance as someone approached. There wasn't time to explain. I stepped into Bruiser, pulling the door shut behind us, and yanked him close. And picked up where we'd left off in the limo. He grunted once, hesitated a fraction of a second as if analyzing, and seemed to understand.
His arms went around me, his mouth hard, and one hand slid down my side to cup my bottom. The other slid up, brushing the side of my breast before wrapping around my nape. I had a moment to note that he tasted of champagne and smelled