something very clear.” Armand moved his gaze around the room. “You are to kill all Vampires and Vampire paranorms in your paths. Do not allow yourself to feel pity for these beings.”
“What about her?” an out-of-town Tracker said. Everyone looked at me.
“Nyx is half Drow, which made her less susceptible to the infection of Vampirism,” Armand said. “I have seen for myself her loyalty to our cause and our people. Those of you who know me … Do you really believe that if I sensed a threat, she would be here right now? I hope you trust me more than that. She is one of us.”
That seemed to stop the questions, but I still sensed lingering distrust.
Armand concluded, “The buses are outside and waiting. Let’s clear out of here and ensure that Vampires never harm paranorms again.”
The paranorm Trackers in the ballroom cheered and shouted. I could feel the enthusiasm of the crowd sweeping us on to victory.
Armand clenched his jaw as he added, “We know our enemy is formidable, but we have an excellent plan in place. We have great fighters. We outnumber them. We have the element of surprise. This will be the night that Volod will go down. We will not lose.”
Cheers erupted in the room from the teams. I felt goose bumps. Yes, this night, Volod would go down.
THIRTY-SEVEN
“If they sing ‘one hundred mugs of ale on the bus’ one more time I’m going to go bust some skulls.” Olivia had her eyes narrowed at the back of the bus, where twenty Drow warriors and a king were being led in a rowdy rendition.
I, on the other hand, was laughing so hard my sides hurt. To see my father and his warriors singing along with other Trackers was almost too much. For Olivia it apparently was.
“Why don’t you take a nap?” Nadia turned to Olivia. “You could use one.”
“Listen, fish brain,” Olivia glared at Nadia, “if I want your opinion I’ll … come to think of it, I’ll never want your opinion.”
Nadia gave Olivia a sly look and her sea-green eyes glittered. “From what I hear, whips are your thing. They’re not mine.”
Olivia glanced at me. I raised my hands in an I-have-no-idea-how-she-found-out gesture.
In the back, they started the next round at forty-nine mugs of ale on the bus.
“I have an idea.” Olivia looked immeasurably pleased with herself as she gave Nadia a wicked grin. “Green gills, why don’t you sing them to sleep?”
Nadia brightened. “I would love to.”
“No.” I stood in the aisle and blocked her. “Nooo singing.”
“Bummer.” Nadia flopped back into her seat. “But it would be soooo much fun.”
“Come on,” Olivia said. “It’ll be great.”
“Sirens know one song when it comes to men, and it always means death for the males.” I glared at them both. “We need them for this assignment.”
Nadia and Olivia looked at each other. “Then we’ll do it after,” Olivia said and she and Nadia shook on it.
“Forty-eight mugs of ale” floated up from the back and I almost said, Go for it.
But no, Nadia would not get to sing. The last time I’d heard her, she’d almost killed two Shifter males at the Pit who’d made some sexist remarks about her.
Sirens hate lewd males. And Sirens from the Bermuda Triangle do not know the meaning of restraint.
She flipped her luscious long red hair over her shoulder. “I think I’ll take a nap. Must rest up my voice for the trip back.” She covered her mouth in a pretty little yawn and curled up.
Nadia and I had been close friends since I’d arrived in New York City. She’d been one of the first Trackers to ask me out on a girls’ night. She adored the opera, and I went with her when I could. The last one we’d gone to was a few weeks ago, Pelléas et Mélisande at the Met. She had a lovely singing voice when males weren’t around.
Those in the back got even more rowdy at “forty-five mugs of ale on the wall.”
Olivia banged her head on the seat in front of her. “I should have gone in the SUV with Armand, even if it meant sitting next to stinky Penrod.”
Sprites smell like burned broccoli, so I couldn’t blame her. “Desmond cast a spell on everyone,” I said. “If you’ll notice, you can’t smell any odors. It’ll keep us from being smelled by Vampires.”
“Damn.” Olivia banged her head again. “On the way back I am so riding in the SUV.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Ice