Battle With Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights)

“She just peed. She’s going to compose herself, is what she really means.” I stared after her for a moment. “I have been sorely out of the loop. What’s all this now?”

Roger thanked Trixie and then sipped his pink-red drink. “You’ve been purposely kept out of the loop. We need your attention on the big show.”

It was for the best. I had less experience than Penny when it came to running an organization. Less interest, too. Except that wasn’t totally true.

My mind flipped to Lucifer, who’d wanted to teach me to help rule his kingdom. A pang hit my middle, and I couldn’t help wishing things had been different. Wishing I might’ve stayed a bit longer, under different circumstances, so I could decide if I actually wanted that role and would be any good at it.

I’d never been a big-picture sort of person, but I’d also never been given the opportunity. I’d had to hide most of my life, sticking to the shadows and minding my own business. Now, with my magic out in the open, I didn’t really have a purpose anymore. I didn’t think bounty hunting would feel like enough for me. Not anymore. And now that I’d settled my curiosity about the whole merpeople thing, I didn’t even have that mystery to occupy me. If I wasn’t going to take a role in the Underworld, what would I do? Penny had her thing, and Darius had his, but I wasn’t a mage or a vampire. I didn’t fit anywhere up here.

“Anyway,” I said, reaching for my drink.

“She needs a long vacation and a lot of bubbles,” Roger murmured, his gaze following Penny.

I chuckled. “Probably.”

“And you need to get on the battlefield.”

I nodded slowly. “Probably.”

“You have some rage to work through.”

“Did you suddenly turn into a counselor or what?”

“My job is to keep a lot of different personalities working cohesively together. With the fae, that is simple. Working with Romulus and Charity is seamless. We have our initiatives, we have some extensive preliminary plans, and we have our desired outcome. We will need to keep Lucifer at bay and force the current elven regime to step down. Once that is done, we can help the elves and the Realm rebuild and restructure their government so that it is fair and just, with Romulus and Charity as the chief peacekeepers.”

“Well, bully for you.”

“You and your jumpy natural dual-mage are wild cards. Karen is nervous a lot lately, and it concerns you two. She won’t tell me everything, though, and I’m thinking that’s because of Penny. She wants to protect her daughter.”

“Do not talk to me about Karen and her bullshit prophecies. She can suck it. She and that red-haired lunatic sent me to get tortured.”

“And then get rescued and trained by your biological dad. I can feel your power now, Reagan. You don’t need a title because there is absolutely no mistaking what you are. Even humans can feel it, or don’t you realize they are giving you a wide berth?”

“They’ve always given me a wide berth.”

“That’s because you used to have crazy eyes. Now you seem much, much calmer. And that only makes you seem more dangerous. Which you are, obviously. I need to know you are in it for the team if you step out onto that battlefield with us. This is already a very precarious situation—I need to know that you’ll help us bring it home.”

“I’m going to have to. You can’t do it without me.”

“True. We need you. More than anyone, we need you. Darius has assured us that no one else can take on Lucifer and win. The mages could give it a shot, but without you, they would fall short.”

“Aw shucks.”

“But I’m worried about your festering rage over what the elves did to you. The elves need some restructuring, like the Mages’ Guild did. They need new leadership, and we have to gut all the bad apples—”

“That’s a bit of a mixed metaphor…”

“But they are necessary to that world. If the fae are restored to their role as guardians of the citizenry and the ruling party, it would create a much more peaceful, safer environment for the Realm. If the Realm is left to Lucifer or, worse, the vampires, then there will be incredible turmoil, worse than there is now. I truly believe that. I have no dog in this fight other than wanting peace and justice in the Realm.”

“Like in the Brink?”

“Like in the magical portion of the Brink. I can’t do anything about the rest of this world.”

I pushed out a breath as Penny came back. He was coming from a genuine place—I didn’t just hear it in his voice, I felt it—and what he’d said made absolute sense. It was the outcome we’d all agreed we wanted before I was captured. Before I went back to the Underworld. My logical mind said he was right.