Page 52 of Wrath

“Vampires. There are vampires here.” A combination of terror, wonderment, and confusion played across his face. “They want to swear their fealty to Z and Jax.”

SEVENTEEN

Z

Explaining to my mates that I’d been sucked into another trial right under their noses had, unsurprisingly, not gone over well.

“So time moves differently there,” Devlin murmured, scrubbing a hand down his haggard face.

“Whereverthereis,” Bash muttered.

The eight of us had returned to our tent shortly after our conversation with the vampire representative—a conversation that had, frankly, not gone over well.

Nobody trusted them. Not really. An uneasy, acrimonious tension hovered in the air like a blade poised to fall.

“Lilith sent us.” The vampire was tall and slender, with pitch-black hair that contrasted strikingly against his pale skin and blood-red eyes.

When he spoke, I detected a hint of an accent, the slightest softening of vowels that made every word he said almost lyrical.

“We are here to serve the true king and queen.” His eyes flicked to a shell-shocked Jax first before landing on me. Theedges of his lips tilted upwards. “Let me know how I may serve you.”

We, of course, didn’t allow them into our protected camp, but that didn’t mean jack shit. They obviously knew where we were, and if they secretly worked for the enemy, they could strike at any time—find a way to weaken our defenses, chip away at them like they were papier-mâché.

“We gave the mages a chance,” Mali had said softly when we discussed everything with the council, her gaze lowered. “Why can’t the vampires have one as well?”

I hadn’t known how to respond to that, mainly because I didn’t understand what the fuck was happening. It seemed too…surreal that an entire species would willingly change sides in the war to come. Vampires hated humans, and vice versa. For as long as I had lived, they had seen us—or them—as nothing but cattle. Food. Blood bags.

Did Lilith have the power to change people’s opinions and allegiances? The prospect was terrifying.

I shoved all thoughts of vampires and mages and Lilith aside and focused once more on the conversation with my mates.

“It could be a pocket dimension,” Lupe was saying, thrumming through the pages of an old text, his glasses balanced precariously on the tip of his nose. “Or a place in hell.”

“Great. Just great. I’m traveling daily to hell.” Sarcasm seeped into my tone.

Jax, who sat next to me, gave my hand a squeeze.

My vampire had been silent since we’d returned here, though that wasn’t necessarily uncharacteristic of him. I imagined he was thinking about our time in the maze, when he’d hunted me while consumed by bloodlust.

We’d unanimously—and quietly—decided not to tell the others about what exactly happened in the maze. That was between me and Jax. I knew my other mates would understand,but some of them would be upset at first, maybe even pissed. Jax didn’t deserve their anger. He was already drowning in guilt.

Without pulling my gaze off the others, still talking amongst themselves, I brought Jax’s hand up to my lips and kissed his palm. A shiver rattled his body, and when he slid his eyes to me, there was so much love and heat in his gaze that I felt buoyant.

Then I crashed down to earth, to reality, with Devlin’s next words.

“So what do we want to do about the vampires?” He leaned forward until he could rest his elbows on his thighs.

It was a decidedly…casual pose for someone as put together as Devlin.

Jax shifted, the hand still gripping mine tightening. “Do we trust them?”

“I don’t think that’s the question we should be asking.” Killian absently brushed at one of his horns. “We should be asking ourselves—do we trust Lilith?”

Another silence permeated the tent, this one fraught with tension.

Bash squeezed his hands into fists. “What reasons do we have to trust that bitch?”

“She seems to be helping us.” I hated to speak in favor of my…mother, but it was the truth.

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