Page 154 of A Debt of Darkness

It’s both territorial and supportive, and my insides flip.

“Behave, lea. We have guests.”

Matt coughs and Ryan smirks, both enjoying Emmanuel’s discomfort.

“Henry, we have a problem.”

My heart tries to skip a beat before remembering it no longer pulses. I suck air between my teeth anyway, drawing everyone’s attention as my anxiety resurfaces and refuses to die. Henry doesn’t react, except to stare at Emmanuel like he’s more than a minor inconvenience and his irritation flows in me. I tense and he strokes my arm, soothing me as I settle back down again.

“What is it this time?”

“The Brotherhood is in disarray,” Emmanuel says, fraught with tension.

“That was your intention.” Ryan leans forward, reaching for a glass containing something other than whisky. “You allied with us to make this happen, Emmanuel. It’s too late to regret the consequences of your choices.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t, Ryan. But it’s going to take time to rebuild. With Marcus and Rowan gone, there’s a power vacuum and tensions are already mounting.”

“We’re well aware.”

Matt sighs as he reaches for his glass, bringing it close enough to me to catch my attention before he drinks from it. He stops, stares at me, and slides it across the side table, removing the temptation before I succumb to the cravings building inside of me.

“It’s being handled,” Henry says, wrapping his arm around my neck before I get any more ideas. “Did we track Damon down? That cunt disappeared while I was turning Ivy, and he owes me a fucking explanation.”

Emmanuel shakes his head. “We haven’t found him, Henry. We’re still searching, even though we’re dealing with the small matter of dismantling the Brotherhood amidst an onslaught of errant priests.”

Henry snarls and his temper rises, burning in both our chests as it spreads into me. He’s infuriated by the lack of information, annoyed I might still be in danger from something or someone he simply can’t get a handle on. There’s enough fire inside him to burn through the coldest winter and every vampire present responds, shifting uncomfortably as Henry makes his feelings known.

He'll go to the ends of the earth to find Damon and there’s not a single stone he’ll leave unturned. Henry wants answers and he wants them now, and he’ll be damned if he lets a minor inconvenience like Damon’s disappearance stand in the way of protecting me.

The door of the grand hall swings open and its hinges sing a song of warning as right on fucking cue, Damon walks through them. Matt and Ryan jump to their feet and Henry snarls, enraged by the unexpected and unannounced arrival. The priests rise and their eyes widen as the color drains from their faces, immediately aware this meeting became a disaster that could result in catastrophe.

Damon raises his hand awkwardly and smiles. As if he’s going for a walk in a fucking park.

“I came to see how you’re doing, Ivy?”

Matt steps in front of me and his snarl sends a shiver down my spine.

“If I’d wanted to hurt Ivy, I’d have done it a long time ago,” Damon says, ignoring the growling from Ryan as he sighs loudly. “And I certainly wouldn’t have saved her life on several fucking occasions.”

The man is playing a dangerous game as he steps to one side, pulling a chair out from underneath a table and sitting on it. Damon’s dark eyes light with amusement as he raises his hands, waiting as if he expects the tension to fall.

It doesn’t and even Henry’s riled enough to let it show.

“You’ve got a fucking nerve,” Ryan snarls. “She almost died in the woods after you fucked off. After you led her into danger and then swanned off somewhere when things got a bit tricky.”

“I didn’t swan off anywhere.” Damon’s far too fucking aloof, and neither Matt nor Ryan like it. “You didn’t notice me while you were busy failing to manage the situation. I tipped things in your favor, and Ivy was doing a perfectly fine job of dispatching Rowan’s imbeciles with those blades I gave her.”

“SHE. ALMOST. DIED.”

Ryan’s voice echoes around the room and everyone takes a deep breath as his anger ripples through the air.

“No, she didn’t. You almost died and then Ivy did something so fucking stupid I almost had to intervene.” Damon’s eyes snap to mine and the light they contain almost obliterates their darkness. “Don’t ever do anything that stupid again. Quite apart from the fact you almost ruined everything, Henry won’t let it slide a second time.”

My jaw drops and it forms a perfect circle.

Damon grins and shakes his head. “You haven’t figured it out then.” He sighs as he runs his hands through his thick, dark hair. “I thought Emmanuel would have by now, but it appears he’s slowing in his old age.”

The priests shift and our attention turns back to them. They’re ghostly pale and Emmanuel is about to pass out. He’s finally figured out whatever Damon’s on about and he isn’t barely clinging to consciousness. The life drains from him and my instincts tell me he’d be an easy kill.

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