Chapter Eighteen
Vladimir
Grant shoots me apprehensive looks as we approach the club, but I cannot wipe the scowl from my face. I like this even less than the idea of Grant as bait. There is only the slimmest of chances that Jakob is inside. If he is, then he is more of a fool than I have anticipated.
Grant’s power shifts around us and the bouncer does not hesitate to wave us inside once we reach the head of the queue. Asher looks over at him, impressed.
“Looks like I’ll still be left behind with my blessing.”
Quinn frowns and whispers something in his ear, and Margot looks irritated as she takes us all in. We’ve made our way through into the first room, but we cannot all approach Jakob at once.
“You’re sure about this?” she asks. Grant, not me. He squeezes my hand and smiles before he lets go.
“Of course. What’s he gonna do to me now? He already tried to kill me.”
A growl rattles up my throat, startling Rachel and Quinn, but when he pales, he bares his teeth. Asher grabs his hand and pulls him closer.
I clear my throat. “Apologies. Perhaps that is… We should keep that thought to ourselves.”
“Sure,” Margot says, nodding.
Grant winks at me before he saunters away.
Quinn follows not far behind him, all of us counting on the fact that him being a wolf will keep Jakob and the others on their toes.
So long as they are in there, of course.
The women follow a minute or so later, doing well to act as though they are interested in nothing in here but each other.
Asher moves to stand by my side. Our blessings ward us, keeping us from arousing suspicion. I am reminded of the night we entered Mischief the fae he killed before were all on impulse, a desire to protect me and himself. I have no doubt that the reality of that will hit him soon. We just do not need it to be now.
I turn and slip into the booth before anyone can stop me. Grant’s head jerks up, eyes wide. Jakob scowls. “What the fu—”
“I will,” I interrupt and, at his frown, add, “kill you in front of all these people. It matters little to me.”
“You’re not even—You’re just some human.”
I let my power ripple, revealing some of the Huntsman’s blessing that I possess. Jakob pales further, if such a thing were even possible. He pushes back against the booth like he wishes to disappear through it. The bodyguard growls, but when I raise a hand, he falls silent.
“Who are you?” Jakob asks. His gaze flicks between us. “You two…”
“I am Grant’s sire. We wish to know how to find the fae Eirian.”
Jakob scoffs. “She told you her name?”
“While I doubt it is her true one, she did give me something to call her, yes. And it would be in your best interest to tell us whatever you know. I am feeling particularly discontented about the events that occurred last night.”
“Discontented.” Jakob looks at Grant. “You lied about your sire, but not that much, huh?”
Grant gives him a little shrug. He looks out of his depth now that I am here and I do not like that at all.
“Doesn’t matter. I don’t know where she goes when she’s not here. She made sure of that.”
“You must have a way to contact her.”
“Oh, must I?” Jakob narrows his eyes. “Seems like you both know a lot about the fae. You think I contact her? Or do you think she gives the orders around here?”
“You killed those vampires because she asked you to?” Grant asks.
“No, we—” Jakob scowls, cutting himself off.
“You are her lab assistant,” I reply. “Nothing more, nothing less. In time, she will dispose of you, too.”
Jakob fiddles with his glass. “Perhaps. It will not matter to you by then. You can’t honestly think she’s outmatched when it comes to you. Either of you.”
Grant growls, and Jakob jumps despite himself, I think. “How would you know?” He slides out of the booth and cocks his head, looking at me. “Let’s get out of here.”
No point in arguing. We will get no further with Jakob tonight and he is right; we cannot kill him in front of all these people. There is far too much at stake for that.
I follow Grant out into the cool night air, our hands brushing as we walk some way down the street. It is still early enough in the night that people are stumbling from place to place, and though we need to speak about what just happened, I am unwilling to break the silence.
Margot and Rachel reach us first, Margot faintly vibrating with anger. Asher and Quinn are quick on their heels, and a frown tugs at the corner of Quinn’s mouth as he looks at Grant.
“This way,” Grant says. He walks as though he is in a daze, but Rachel seems to recognise where he is going. She lets out a sharp exhale when we pause in a square, Grant climbing onto a bench so he can sit on its back.
“What happened in there?” Margot demands. “You didn’t do anything to him!”
Grant ducks his head, but I shake mine. “What would you have us do?”
“I don’t—I don’t know. Kill him, maybe? He’s going to go after more vampires.” She rounds on me, frustrated. “You’re one, too. Shouldn’t you be more worried about that?”
I roll my lips before I answer. “Not particularly, no. There is no doubt in my mind that Jakob is the worst kind of predator, but he killed those vampires at Eirian’s behest. If her focus is elsewhere, experiments finished, then he will have no need to kill them.”
Margot blinks rapidly, then takes a step back. “Fucking hell,” she mutters. She turns on her heel and storms off, and Rachel hesitates for only a second before she chases after her.
I sigh and sit on the bench next to Grant. Asher has one arm around Quinn’s shoulders, his posture loose. “Not your best work, Vlad.”
“I would have thought the answers to her questions obvious.”
“We should’ve killed him,” Grant says, and I look up at him sharply.
“Jakob?”
“Yeah. I wanted…” He stares down at his hands, flexing them for a second. “I want him dead. She’s right. He’s dangerous. He was glad Eirian planned to kill me.”
I growl in much the way I did earlier, and though Quinn does not jump this time, his shoulders tense. Asher sighs.
“We can deal with him once we’re done with Eirian.
Fuck, we’ll send the Council out here if we have to.
They should’ve been expanding their reach anyway.
Otherwise, you end up with people like Margot and Rachel running around, completely unprepared and getting themselves into all kinds of situations—”
Grant’s head jerks up. “Wait.”
“Wait? What are you—”
Quinn nudges Asher with his hip and Asher frowns but falls silent. Grant is staring north, in the direction of the sea.
“Magic,” he says and hops off the bench.
I grab his arm before he can walk off without us and he blinks as though he forgot about my presence. His power might be stronger than ours, but I think it often overwhelms him.
“Whose magic?”
“It’s fae.”
“Eirian?”
Grant frowns but nods. “I think so. Feels like it could be.”
I look at Asher, who shrugs and looks back. We want to capture her, and of course I am considering the possibility that she is luring us in, but we will take every chance we can get.
“Very well,” I say and let go. “Lead the way.”