Page 82 of Of Blood and Smoke

“Or what? You’re not going to stop me.” He glared at me. “The collective’s army of wraiths killed my family. What would you do if they took your precious little human woman from you?”

White-hot lava flew through my veins at the very idea. “That won’t happen,” I growled. “If you think you’re here to act on their behalf and convince me to go home, you won’t be leaving in one piece.”

Ethan smirked. “I wouldn’t touch a single precious hair on her head, calm down.”

This man was on my personal property and aware of Della. The knowledge of that grated at me. If it wasn’t for the group ofpower-hungry men lording over the rest of us and expecting me to bow to their whims, none of this would be an issue.

“What, exactly, was the message?”

“That you’re running out of time, Josiah. They’re obsessed with the continuation of our line, of producing more hybrids, and you’re caught in the line of fire. It's also the reason my family is dead. My wife and child were ‘casualties’.”

He had my full attention. “You’re one of the twenty? What glamour are you using?”

“Twenty-one. I’m more demon than vampire I suppose, in appearance. I primarily use blood for sustenance.” Ethan began pacing my office, examining the space.

“Why bother to warn me? You should know better than most the threats hold no weight for me.” There was no purpose for him to follow through on delivering a message beside sheer curiosity or strategy.

Ethan returned to the chair and threw an arm over the back. “Curiosity. I’ve never met another crossbreed. My wife and I lived in a district to the west of the city. Not much there other than outcasts but it was where she’d grown up, so we stayed.”

The man rubbed his chin. “You appear rather lax about the threat.”

The comment grated my nerves. I was anything but lax, as my extra security should’ve shown him. Regardless, it was curious how he’s evaded my men. “How did you get in here?”

“I cast myself in here.”

His answer eased me. If he wasn’t really here, he couldn’t do much of anything. I’d cast myself in the past, though it’d been a long time. Humans and witches would only be able to see him in a reflective surface whereas vampires and demons didn’t need to use a mirror. I leaned forward on my elbows. “What will you do now?”

“Other than find the wraith that ripped my heart out? I don’t know.”

“How do you know it's here?”

“I consumed a couple of them and followed the trail. I suspect the same one was burdened with the task of retrieving your Della.”

My stomach roiled with the thought of consuming a wraith. The idea was so distasteful I’d never imagined anyone venturing to such lengths. “Court dictates they come for me, first. They won’t touch her; they can’t take her anywhere unwillingly.” The man didn’t know much if he thought the Court sent wraiths after Della.

“If you say so. I was never in the inner circle.” Ethan stood up, seemingly restless. “I agreed to pass the message, and it’s likely I’ll find who I’m looking for if I stay in the area. I won’t intrude in your business or on your territory, I’m here with a specific purpose.”

Out of curiosity I asked, “Did they attempt to recruit you to the Court?”

“What they really want is you to go back, but yes.” I knew this; it’d been clear to me the last time I was there. It seemed as though Ezra thought my foray into the Third Realm was a passing fancy and I’d intended no permanent residence.

I tapped my nails against the reflective surface of my desk, a habit when my mind was in turmoil. “And they accepted your decline?”

“No.” Ethan leveled a gaze at me. “Make no mistake, I will eliminate the wraiths. But, in the meantime, you may use that knowledge to your advantage, if necessary. Surely, they’ll attempt to escape my wrath.”

Uncertain what he was suggesting, or why, I stated, “It is unusual for a peer to offer what you do.”

The man sighed and looked down, appearing to study his blade. “You’re an enigma, Josiah. No one really knows you outside of the Court. Every now and then, our kind does collaborate in some form or fashion—if it may be of benefit. Perhaps you wouldn’t have known of the genocide if I hadn’t informed you? Perhaps you wouldn’t be able to mold it for your use, if needed?”

“What do you want from me in return?” I asked, respecting his subtlety.

“A marker without an expiration date.”

I stood and held my hand out. “Done.”

THIRTY-NINE

Della

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