24. Vasile
Chapter twenty-four
Vasile
I’m well aware this is a bad idea.
The thought dogs me with every step I take towards the place Lazarus asked me to meet him. I took a car to the closest tube station; if there is some kind of ambush waiting for me, or if Lazarus has been followed, then I don’t want one of our drivers hurt, too.
I walk past two small boutiques and a café that has an earthy, homey look about it. A figure stands on the corner, but as I approach, they turn and dart down an alley.
I let my fangs drop, curl my hands into fists, and follow.
Lazarus stands halfway down the alley, shoulders tense. “Crai?”
“It’s me,” I confirm. I take a few steps into the shadows. “Lazarus? How are you alive?”
He stays where he is, but of course I can make out his features through the darkness. It truly is Lazarus. “I knew they were coming after me. It wasn’t safe for me to stay with the clan.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you come directly to me? I would have listened to you. I would have investigated whatever you had to tell me.”
“Would you?” There’s an edge to his tone, and I stay where I am.
“Of course.” I may not have been the crai another might have been, but I’ve always done my best to be fair and listen to those I am responsible for. “Who framed Adam? Who’s trying to kill you?”
Lazarus tilts his head to the side and takes a step closer to me. “I’m genuinely surprised.”
“At what?”
“Maybe falling for that wolf really did make you stupid.”
“Excuse me?”
He takes another step closer, and I realise I shouldn’t have come here. I’m not about to back down. I’m no fledgling, and I need to know what Lazarus has planned. Why fake his death? Why do any of this at all?
“I lied,” Lazarus says. He extends his hands to the sides and lets out a little laugh. “Of course I lied. Adelaide came to me months ago and told me what Tamesis promised her, and then he came to me, too. He promised to give me everything—power, the ability to do as I choose without consequence… But I want more.”
“You… You killed Nora.”
Lazarus gives me a disappointed look. “Of course I did. I honestly thought you’d figured that out. Tamesis was right. You’d never accuse Lucien of such a thing, or any of the pack he’s spending his time with.” He wrinkles his nose. “Njáll was out for the same reason—not to mention that everyone knows how loyal he is to you. I’m honestly surprised you didn’t tell him about my call.”
I shake my head. “I thought you were being honest.”
“And that’s your weakness, Vasile. Whether the wolf has done it to you or not, you’ve gone soft. But yes, I killed the mage. Tamesis wanted to ensure her brother wouldn’t turn against him. He wanted Sam out of the way. He’s ever so powerful, you know?”
“I am aware.”
Lazarus huffs a laugh. “It doesn’t matter. That worked for a time, but both he and Adelaide were too weak. Tamesis wanted me close. He knew she wouldn’t survive what he’d sent her to do, and he needed someone to work their way through the clans, to ensure we had enough people to achieve his goals.”
“His goals. What about you? What do you want?”
Lazarus looks at me for a long moment. “I want him.”
“Sorry?”
“Tamesis,” Lazarus says. “You have no idea what you walked away from, do you? What you tried to destroy!” He shouts the final word, and I wonder if anyone is close by, if they heard him.
I hope not. He’s unhinged.
“I want all that power and all that attention focused on me ,” Lazarus says. He stalks closer, and I stand my ground. “Do you know what he’s willing to do for you? He’ll kill for you. He’ll raze cities to the ground for you.”
“He’ll kill me,” I say. “Me and everyone else I care about.”
Lazarus scoffs. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you tried to kill him.”
“No.” I growl, taking a step forward of my own. “You don’t know him, Lazarus. You’re blinded by… power. Lust. But you don’t understand what he’ll do to you. He won’t give you anything he’s promised you. He’ll use you for his own aims and when he’s done with you, he’ll toss you aside without a second thought.”
At best, I don’t add. Lazarus’ chest rises and falls faster, eyes sparking with anger.
“You chose some feral mutt over the most powerful man you’ve ever met! I want his attention, but it’s impossible to get when it’s all on you.”
“Leave him. We can work something out, we can come to some solution, but if you keep down this path, then—”
“It’s really simple,” Lazarus says. The tone of his voice changes. There’s something hollow about it, and the expression on his face is one of absolute conviction. “I just have to kill you. If I kill you, Tamesis is mine.”
His eyes flash gold—I have only a second to notice it—and then he is upon me. He shoves me back against the brick wall to my left hard enough that I feel something crack, pain shuddering through my side.
I try to twist out of his hold, my own fangs bared, but he is far too strong. Did he steal some of Tamesis’ fae blood? Does Tamesis have more left than we thought?
Lazarus threads his hand through my hair, yanking my head to the side.
“What a disappointing end,” he murmurs in my ear. “Do you think Tamesis would be proud of you for this weakness? Do you think your wolf will mourn you?”
Deacon. No, no! I have to escape. I have to go back, to get to him because I can’t die here. I can’t leave him alone again after everything—
Lazarus snarls when I struggle, his breath warm against my throat. He slams me against the wall again, and this time I feel ribs break, fiery pain arcing through me.
“Don’t worry,” he says. “I’ll tell him just how you died.”
His fangs tear into my throat, rending flesh and sending blood cascading down my chest. The pain makes my head swim. Will Deacon feel this? Will he know?
My vision blurs. Fades at the edges. Lazarus peers into my face. When he lets go, I fall to the floor, and I do not feel the pain of impact at all.
I am… I cannot feel Deacon. Selfishly, I want to, but every beat of my heart forces more blood from the mess my throat has become.
“In the fucking gutter,” Lazarus mutters. He turns on his heel.
The last thing I hear before I die is the click of his shoes on the pavement as he walks away, leaving me all alone.