Page 109 of Of Flame and Fate

“How many?” he asks.

“Too many,” I say. “Lives are lost each time we fight them. Look at the Imperials. They’re the Wonder Women of their kind and even they died protecting Ines and her family.”

“Are the vampires as easily defeated?”

I frown. “That wasn’t an easy defeat, Johnny. It only seems that way because shifters are absurdly strong.”

“That’s not what I mean.” He looks in the direction of the exit when I nod. “From what I’ve seen, vamps are stronger than witches. Take Misha. He packs a serious punch. I felt it when our magic met. He can take on a shifter. I know he can.”

“Misha is lethal, but he can’t take down a shifter alone.” It’s what I say, although after everything I saw and felt in the garden when our collective magic slapped us around, I’m no longer certain that’s true.

Between him and Johnny, it was Misha’s strength that struck me the hardest. For the most part, we’ve spoken of Misha’s mounting superiority in whispers, and how one day, no preternatural will be able to touch him. I think it’s because we’re afraid to admit the truth.

He’s already beyond what we worried he’d become.

“Why does he still submit to Uri?” Johnny asks, his thoughts mimicking mine. “He’s already stronger than his master. I don’t have to know Uri to see it.”

The air stills around us, thick with tension and fear. That’s when I’m certain we’re not alone. I try to silence Johnny, but he knows, and doesn’t care who hears him.

“It’s a respect thing,” I say, hoping he leaves it at that.

“Or because Misha feels he owes Uri for letting him have his revenge.”

“It’s not as easy as you’re making it,” I insist, wishing he hadn’t seen Misha’s vulnerable side.

Johnny blows out another puff of smoke, this time a winged stallion. “Yeah it is.”

I rise, brushing off my jeans. “You’re wrong. Misha loves Uri, and Uri thinks of him as son.” It’s true, I think. Mostly though, I’m speaking to those listening just outside this room. They need reassurance that the relationship between their master and grandmaster remains strong.

“Let me ask you this,” he says. “If you were me, who would you stay with?”

“Theweres,” I reply.

He snorts, his reaction making him choke on his smoke. “No, Taran. Ifyouwereme, who would you stay with to keep you safe.”

“The vamps.” I don’t hesitate. “Uri’s right. Their lifestyle is more what you’re used to. But Johnny, despite what you’ve seen, theweresare the heart of this world, and their strength and magic is what makes it beat.”

He watches me closely, trying to gauge whether I’m lying. For a long time he simply stands there, playing with his lighter as he ponders his next move.

“I think I know what I have to do,” he finally says.

From his jungle-sleeve tattoo, a beautiful blue butterfly emerges, fluttering through the open window and disappearing into the night. I frown. “What are you doing?”

Tears shimmer his eyes. “Saying goodbye to the life I knew, and hello to the one that will help me survive.”

He mashes out his cigarette on the side of the cement planter and flicks the butt to the side. Without a glance back, he marches toward the foyer.

I think it’s a power play and part of his newly elected “I don’t give a damn” persona. Still, I lift the butt, trying to find a place to dump it.

Agnes steps from behind the fountain. She was here the whole time.

“I’ll take it,” she says, holding out her hand. Her stare flickers toward the doorway where Johnny stands. “He’s waiting for you.”

I follow Johnny as he returns to the conference room, his arrival causing an immediate silence. Like I taught him, his head is high and his shoulders are squared.

His tats move across his skin in a show of dominance as he steps between the large screens. For the first time, I can’t sense his fear. But I know it’s there, and somehow, worse than before.

“I’ve made a decision,” he says, speaking over Omar when he tries to greet him. He meets Uri in the face, something I would hesitate to do even in front of a monitor.

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