Cold Blooded (39 page)

I shot him a look of surprise.

Tally sized him up with a skeptical eye.

“Ray,” I said. “I appreciate your willingness to fight demons on my behalf, but there’s no way you’re strong enough—”

“He’s in,” Tally said, her voice resigned. “It’s perfect, really. He’s a reaper and a vampire. A supernatural who technically should never have been created. He will muddle their monitors naturally, and the fact that he’s a reaper can only help you. His signature also feels strong enough—in fact, it feels a lot like yours.” Her eyes were shrewd. “But we won’t know until we test him fully.” She addressed Ray. “Vampire, can you suck the absence of a soul from a demon?”

His eyebrows shot up. “How the hell should I know?” he answered. “I just figured out I was a reaper two hours ago.”

Tally tapped her foot patiently. “Not all reapers are created the same. Some are tailored especially for certain jobs. It depends on your genetic line. What did the Demon Lord look like to you?”

“Its skin was made of smooth shiny scales and it had an ugly face, like some kind of serpent man,” Ray said.

My eyebrows shot to my forehead. The demon’s glamour hadn’t worked on Ray. I’d seen a few snippets of its reptilian side, too, so I knew he was telling the truth.

“Good.” Tally nodded. “You saw its true nature. That’s promising. Very few are able to do such a thing.”

I shook my head. “If Ray is willing to come on his own free will, that’s fine.” My eyes found Rourke. “But I’m not willing to risk anyone else I love accompanying me. Tyler being taken overwhelms me on all levels and I refuse to let someone else I care about be lost to the demons.”

“Jessica,” Rourke said, turning toward me. “You have to be reasonable. Letting you go alone, with only a new vampire to aid you, is insanity.”

“We won’t be alone,” I assured him. “And Tally will prepare us the best she can. If we have a chance to take the best tactical attack, we need to use it—I agree with that.” My voice was strong. “Please don’t ask me to abandon my brother.”

“Of course I’m not asking you to do that,” he reasoned. “But there have to be other ways around this we can discuss.”

His fear and uncertainty rang inside me. Letting me go to the Underworld without him would be the hardest thing he’d have to do in our short time together.

But I had something that would help.

“How about I make you a promise I won’t go unless I can fortify the odds in our favor?” I told him.

“How are you possibly going to do that?” Rourke asked. “A brand-new vamp who has no idea how to work his powers and who else? Who is strong enough to aid you?”

I paused, taking my time with the announcement.

It had to have the desired effect.

“Eudoxia.”

There was an audible gasp from everyone in the room.

Rourke’s face flashed surprise, my father blew out a long breath, and the Queen’s voice tinkled with laughter. “You are delusional, as usual,” she almost purred. “I just finished explaining why it would never work, Little Wolf Girl. But let me try again because it’s clear your brain has been jarred from all the heavy lifting: If I go to the Underworld, the demons will swarm us the minute we arrive.” Her face elongated and her fangs snapped down. “But, even if they didn’t”—her eyes went dead black—“there is no way I would go to hell for
you
.”

“I saved your life out there,” I said, pacing forward, “again. That makes it twice in one day.”

She hissed, her face still cruel.

“This is it, Eudoxia. It’s your chance. Once we come back, all debts are wiped clean. You are the only one strong enough to give us the best odds of getting Tyler back, and your power combined with mine is lethal. It managed to wipe out even the Prince of Hell’s magic. Together we can defeat anything down there.”

Her power jumped out before her, pressing against me. It licked at my face and pushed at my chest. But I was ready, my power wrapped up inside me like a coat of armor.

Molding my power had become second nature and it felt good to master it.

“You’re as foolish as you look,” she snapped. “Even if I owed you another favor, which I do not, I would never agree to accompany you to the Underworld.” Her face slid even farther, her control slipping. “My debt to you has been paid. The ward went up and, as an extra token, one for you taking the demon magic—which would not have
killed
me—I gave you my power freely. It was not my fault the opposition was too strong.”

My father walked toward me. “Jessica, I don’t know what you’re getting at, but taking the Queen won’t work because of everything we’ve outlined so far. If she’s the one you pick, you can take your mate or me just as easily.” His voice was wary. “We need to think of someone else.”

“He’s right,” Tally agreed. “I’m not sure why you picked her, but the Vamp Queen will sound the alarms. She’ll be like a lighthouse flashing a signal in the darkness.”

“No, she won’t,” I said confidently.

Tally inclined her head at me in question, clearly thinking I was presumptuous, but smart enough to hear me out.

“Are you calling me a liar?” The Queen’s fury radiated outward. “I should’ve ended you when I had the chance! You are nothing but a nuisance.” Her hands fisted at her sides. “Just like the Prince of Hell stated in front of us all. You are a blister on the heel of every supernatural ever created.”

“But you didn’t kill me, did you?” I said as I took a bold step toward her. “You could’ve killed me when the Prince threw his power at me, but there was a reason you aided me.” I leaned forward and whispered, “It’s because I have something you desperately want and without it you will be stuck here to rot for a thousand more years.”

“You’re wrong. I want nothing from you,” the Queen spat, her face barely contained.

“You’re not fooling anyone. You
need
my blood. And I want my brother. Sounds like a fair trade to me.”

She hissed. “Your blood will never be worth what you ask of me!”

“It’s worth it and you know it.” My irises jumped to violet. “You’re just hoping you can acquire it for free, sometime down the road. But your seer has left for good. There won’t be any other opportunities, because once I leave here I will make sure our paths don’t cross.”

The Queen was one outburst away from losing her mind.

I had a strong feeling this was what Alana had alluded to in the storage room.

I was in a position to force the Queen to act—to do one last task to prove her worth. It had to be this. And I had to think that meant we would be successful getting my brother back. The two had to be tied.

The Queen’s power continued to rocket around the room and the witches started fiddling with their guns and the wolves started to pace.

“Why would I ever risk the Underworld for you?” the Queen countered. “Even for a precious drink of your blood?”

Tally had lost her patience with our pissing match. “I hate to break it to you both, but we need to get moving. I want my witches in a safe place before nightfall. The sorcerers were patsies this time around, bound by their agreement with the demons, but when they come again, they will bring their artillery. They are inferior in strength to us, but they will pack a punch in numbers, and I don’t have time to summon witches from all over the U.S.”

I faced Tally, essentially turning my back on the Queen. The timing had to be right if I was going to make this work. I waited a few beats and then I played my ace in the hole. “If the Vampire Queen drinks my blood, her signature will change. She’ll be under the demon radar, and she’s an asset because … she’ll be infinitely more powerful.”

Everyone in the room went crazy, talking at once.

“Leave us!” the Queen yelled. The vamps froze at her words, but hesitated. “I said
go
.”

“Meet me outside, everyone, but keep up the vigil,” Tally told her witches.

“Escort them out,” my father told his wolves, including Danny and Nick. “Find any others who were left on the outside. Daniel Walker, coordinate the move north.” James and Marcy walked over. My father nodded curtly once to his second. “We will speak. I will be out shortly.”

James nodded, putting his arm around Marcy’s waist as he led her out.

When everyone except Rourke, Tally, and my father left the room, my father turned to me and said, “What are you talking about, Jessica? How do you know what your blood will do to a vampire?” He knew no real details about Naomi or Ray. He also had no idea my blood had changed Danny’s connection to him so fully I feared it might be permanent.

The Queen stalked to the massive double doors and slammed them shut. Then she turned to Tally. “Spell the room, witch. No word spoken here leaves.”

Tally was about to give her grief but thought better of it. She knew whatever was coming was big. Her fingers moved as she incanted a spell.

I wished for a moment it were only my father and me in this room. It would be so much easier to do this alone. Revealing your secrets to other Sects made you weak. But I had no choice. Tyler’s life was worth it and I was willing to do anything it took.

“My blood breaks bonds.” I cleared my throat. “It severed Naomi’s bond between her and her Queen, which Eudoxia figured out fairly quickly. My blood also changed Danny’s connection to you.” I nodded toward my father. “But what you don’t know is he smelled like me after we had exchanged a very small amount. My blood also connected Tyler and me on a different level. He said it had something to do with our close genetic bond.” I wished my brother were here to explain it. He did it so much better. My heart clenched. “If the Queen drinks from me, I believe it will alter her signature enough, and significantly change any samples they may have on record, so she won’t set off their alarms.”

My father was silent.

I hoped it was a good sign.

“If that’s true, it’s huge.” Tally ran her gaze over me. “I don’t know of another supe who can change genetic markers permanently. If what you’re saying is even slightly true, you could change anyone’s markers, including a human with latent supernatural genes.”

“I believe that’s what happened to Ray. My blood brought out a recessive gene he already had and made it pronounced,” I said. “It’s only a guess, but it makes the most sense given what my blood has already done to others.”

The Queen had seen Naomi for herself, but she didn’t know how potent my blood actually was.

The only unknown was Alana. I had no idea what my blood had done to her other than clear her insanity. I didn’t feel a connection to her and I was hopeful it would stay that way.

All the supes seemed to be connected to me in different ways.

There wasn’t one pat answer and I was relieved. If the Queen drank my blood, I had no idea what would happen. I just knew she would be different. And more powerful. That wasn’t ideal, but I would gladly take my chances if it meant getting my brother back in one piece. Alana had said Eudoxia’s future was vast. To me that meant she would live a long powerful life, whether I interfered or not. Why not give her what she wanted and do it on my own terms? If I did, there would be a greater chance she would ally with us in the future. And the way my future was going, that wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Jessica,” my father said finally, running a hand over his chin. “This news is staggering.”

“That’s why the sorcerers want you.” Tally nodded, like everything had clicked into place for her. “But this is something they can’t take out, because it’s tied up in every fiber of your entire being. It’s what makes your blood so potent. You are a fascinating supernatural, I’ll give you that.”

“By my estimation,” I said. “If Eudoxia drinks from me, she becomes exponentially stronger. And she also becomes something more—something different,” I half taunted, glancing directly at the Queen. This was my bait and I desperately wanted her to take it. “If my life force is contained in my blood, she gets it by proxy, just like everyone else who’s ingested it. There’s also a chance her latent genes will be more pronounced, like Ray’s,
if
she has any.”

I didn’t have to spell out the possibilities. Eudoxia knew what they were. She also knew I was giving her a gift. One she hadn’t bargained for. Godhood was one thing, but having her fae powers come to the forefront was quite another.

“Yes,” Tally answered. “I would assume so. A vamp’s vitality is through blood—it’s what fuels them—so they would be the most sensitive to any changes, though I’m no expert. But I agree; what your blood gives can only enhance, not take away. My feeling is she will become very powerful indeed.” Tally’s voice held a note of hesitation.

Rourke’s unease hit me as he grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, our bond pulsing between us. It was his way of asking if I was sure I knew what I was doing.

I was. I was willing to go all in. If my brother was faced with these circumstances, he would not hesitate to do the same for me.

“So what’s it going to be?” I directed my gaze to the Vampire Queen. “Are you in or out?”

She hissed once. “In.”

Acknowledgments

This has been such an amazing ride. There are so many people to thank. First and foremost, I want to thank all the readers and fans, new and old, who have supported this series. It astounds me each and every day that so many of you have fallen in love with Jessica and her entire team. I love getting your e-mails, tweets, comments, and messages. It puts a smile on my face each and every time. Thank you.

As always, thank you to my wonderful husband, Billy. My life is so much brighter with you in it. I have no idea how I got so lucky. Your editing prowess knows no bounds and you make me laugh. I love you.

To my three kids, Paige, Nat, and Jane, you guys continue to amaze me and make me proud every single day. Thank you for enduring my deadlines, doing the dishes, taking out the trash, and folding the laundry. I love you with all my heart. You are the reason I do this.

Once again, a big thank-you to Amanda Bonilla for a wonderful friendship. Our daily e-mails, texts, and laughs fuel me. I thank my lucky stars we found each other. You are my supreme partner in goat crime and you always will be. Love you, Scooby!