were too many of our kind and the lycans fighting for this path. She merely took advantage of an already available base and turned herself into their leader.”
I conceded on that point with a nod. “True.” Once the lycans were discovered by humans, the war became inevitable. And Lilith, as broken as she was, played every part appropriately. Cam had been her primary adversary. Taking him down placed her on top, and her ego was what kept him alive. “I still think he’s in Chicago. She would want to speak to him regularly, if nothing else but to seek validation for her overwhelming victory.”
“Then that would imply he’s coherent, yet he’s not spoken to his Erosita in over a century.”
I nodded again, considering. “She must have him overpowered in some fashion.”
“That’s what concerns me,” Jace admitted. “How is she keeping him prisoner?”
“You think she has a weapon of some kind.”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Damien scratched his jaw. “If that’s the case, then we need to be prepared. She could use it against you.”
“Unless it only exists in Chicago,” I said slowly, thinking through every angle. “She’s contesting my leadership at the next council… in Chicago.”
“It’s where she intends to discuss the Clemente Clan incident as well,” Edon added, catching on quickly. “And she demanded Kylan attend, yet grounded him from all other functions.”
“When was the last time she held a council meeting on her home turf?” I wondered out loud.
“The meetings are infrequent occurrences,” Jace replied. “We meet at Blood Day annually. Otherwise, we only meet sporadically.”
“But after the incident in my clan, she said we would be changing that,” Edon replied. “That’s the other purpose for the gathering in Chicago—to begin a quarterly cadence of meetings.”
“Or to make one hell of a power play,” Damien muttered, taking the words right out of my mouth.
“Well, fuck,” Jace said, rubbing a hand over his face.
A hush fell through the room, the shock wave palpable.
Because Jace’s words summed it all up nicely—fuck.
I had to hand it to the cunt; she’d played her cards well.
It was just too bad she had me as an opponent on the board now. Because I saw the flaw in her plan from a mile away, and I fully intended to exploit it.
“Do you think she knows about our plans?” Edon asked, breaking the silence.
“Not exactly, but I think there have been too many disobedient events for her liking and she intends to deliver a statement,” Jace said. “Which means you and Kylan are in trouble. Ryder, too, since she’s clearly baiting him. And my guess is she intended for me to tell you about the vote on your position, which also means I’m on her list, likely as a result of the recent power shifts in my region.”
“With Darius becoming your sovereign,” I ascertained. “He was a known recluse as well, but more so because of his ties to Cam.”
“Yes. Their relationship was well known and would give Lilith cause not to trust him. The only reason she has any faith in me is because I’ve played along with her game for the last century. Yet her using me as a pawn suggests she’s onto me, and perhaps has been for some time.”
“Or she never trusted you,” Damien said.
“Also likely,” Jace agreed, shaking his head. “That fucking bitch.”
“Still feel sorry for her now?” I asked, half joking.
Jace grunted. “What the fuck are we going to do?”
“Oh, that part’s easy,” I said, causing Damien to smirk beside me. He knew exactly what I planned to say. “We beat her at her own game.”
Jace arched a brow. “Okay. How?”
“By not allowing her to host that council meeting in Chicago,” I replied, looking at Damien. “It’s Benita, isn’t it?”
“Yep.”
“Excellent. Can you let her know I’ll be returning with my pet? Tell her we’ll be needing extra blood.”
“Consider it done.”
I smiled. “You’re so good to me, Damien.”
“I try.”
I started to return my focus to Jace when another thought struck me. “Oh, do you think we should host a barbecue as well? Perhaps in two weeks’ time? There are a few clients from that list you could invite. The ones who like children.”
Damien massaged his chin, considering. “Yes, that could make for quite a party. Maybe we should add the rest of the region’s sovereigns to the invite list as well, just to ensure an explosive ending.”
“I do enjoy a bloodbath,” I mused, smiling.
When I finally looked at Jace, it was to find him smirking. “Sounds like