Battle With Fire (Demon Days & Vampire Nights)

“You shouldn’t trust him, and he was always incredibly charming,” Callie said. “And incredibly dangerous. You have to be careful to remember what he is capable of.”

“I guess that is kind of like a vampire, though,” Penny murmured.

“We’re going to see on the battlefield what he is capable of,” Emery said. “But at least we don’t have to worry about him killing us. That’s a relief. Of course, there is still Vlad, and I don’t think for one minute that Vlad will feel beholden to Lucifer’s wishes.”

“No, nor do I,” Darius said.

“Do you have any idea what Lucifer was talking about with the whole skeletons-in-Vlad’s-closet thing?” I asked him. “I assume he didn’t mean that literally. Or not just literally.”

“No. I’ll need to speak to the Red Prophet. Vlad is capable of great treachery, but I thought I’d uncovered everything in our long history. Possibly I was mistaken…”

“Great, we’re headed into battle with even more questions,” Callie said.

“The greatest question of all is for you, Reagan,” Emery said, and the room quieted down. “What will you do about the elves? Will you go Roger’s way and play nice, or Lucifer’s way and kill them all? Because if you go Roger’s way, you’ll still need to stand between your father and them.”

I got the feeling that he and Penny hadn’t come to New Orleans to “regroup” at all, as Penny had said. I got the impression Emery wasn’t sure which way the wind blew as it concerned me, and he’d wanted to come before everything started to figure it all out.

Joke was on him. I still didn’t know myself.

I shook my head and finished my glass of whiskey. “Sometimes the best plan is no plan at all.”

Six

Lucifer landed a few yards away from the circle of women called together to send him home. He didn’t want to chance going through the Realm, not even with a demon host. From the last reports he’d received, the elves were on the move, preparing to track and kill anyone in the Realm who might pose a threat to them. In all likelihood, they were also preparing to go after the fae, the shifters, and probably Reagan herself, in the Brink. Lucifer had warned her and the vampire of that probability. Meanwhile, he’d need to carefully watch his own borders.

Time was speeding by rapidly now. He wasn’t yet ready to battle, but soon he would have no choice but to rise to the occasion. He would not allow the elves to dominate him a second time. They would be beaten down, and they would pay for the pain they had caused Reagan.

“Are we ready, ladies?” he asked the collection of dark-magic practicing, devil-worshipping humans. They were grateful to serve and so good at putting together basic summoning circles.

“Will you spare us your time, my lord?” one of the women asked, wearing a see-through chemise that showed her budded nipples.

“We would love to pleasure you, my lord,” another said, wearing a shapeless dress pulled up to her hips, where she sat with her legs crisscrossed. He could tell there was nothing on underneath.

His desire stirred—his subjects were very grateful to serve. They’d said as much.

“Next time,” he said, waiting off to the side for them to be ready. “I cannot spare a moment on this trip.”

“Yes, your grace,” the first woman said, brushing her fingertips across her chest. “We are here whenever you have need. Give us another few minutes, and the circle will be ready.”

He waited, thinking over all he had to do. His forces were being organized and outfitted for battle in the Underworld, but they’d received a lot of interest from various groups in the Brink, though they would be quite rusty. Some of them had never fought at all. They’d need a quick tutorial. Soon he’d need to bring in Vlad’s host of vampires as well, hopefully before the turmoil between Vlad and Darius boiled over.

His thoughts drifted back to Darius. Stoic and genteel, the vampire had a very polished surface, like Vlad. Also like Vlad, he had a deep, dark, savage underbelly. Lucifer could read their kind incredibly easily. Their darker elements spoke to his violent side, and their unique set of strengths spoke to his passionate side. Darius was whip-smart, too, and incredibly cunning. Lucifer hated to admit it, especially given how close he’d come to an irrevocable error, but Darius was a good mate for Reagan. He’d protect her, strive to make her happy, and, most importantly, keep her alive through her hopefully many long years.

Her friends were well suited for her, too. The younger dual-mages were particularly powerful, thanks to the woman’s unique gift, that touch of angelic magic, and a survival instinct earned the hard way. He’d heard many things about that Rogue Natural, including how much the elves hated him. And now the man was connected with his daughter. How very sweet. Yes, those mages would make powerful allies for her.