Page 66 of Hitched to the Vampire King

I glanced between the two of them. “Listen, there’s no one I want to kill more than Adrian. After everything he’s done…” My blood heated just thinking about it. I still remembered the feel of that demon’s claws wriggling inside my chest, of the liquid silver boiling me from the inside out, the pain of watching them inject Gabriel with holy water over and over. I owed Adriansomuch agony and misery, and I wanted nothing more than to make that happen. But… “Well, he’s your father.”

“Don’t look at me,” Gabriel said. “I want him dead as much as you do. Funny how your opinion of someone can change when they harm you and the ones you love.”

Elias smirked. “Adrian was always good to me. But I understand what needs to happen here. Neither you nor Gabriel will be safe until he’s dead. He forced me to choose, and I’ve made my choice.”

“Then I guess as long as everyone’s on board,” I said. “Gimme the deets.”

“The deets…?” Elias repeated.

“Details,” Gabriel informed him, winking at me.

“Ah, yes.” Elias relaxed into the booth, his demeanor almost too casual for someone who was betraying his father. “Adrian’s holed up in an old mansion off Esplanade Avenue. Two stories, balcony wrapped with wrought iron lacework—very ‘New Orleans,’” he said, adopting a terrible southern accent that didn’t suit his British one at all. “And he’s not alone. He keeps four guards with him at all times. Four daywalking vamps during the day, and another four at night.”

I frowned at the addition of daywalking vamps. “No humans anymore?”

“He changed things up when you escaped. If I had to guess, he’s scared you’ll come after him during the day. So he upgraded.”

“Damn it, I really hate smart villains,” I grumbled. “Because I absolutely would have suggested we go during the day. Open the curtains, and voila, it’s roasted vampire for dinner.”

Both Elias and Gabriel looked equally horrified and disgusted by my quip.

“Guess that means we’ll go at night then,” I continued. “No point going in without you two.”

“Oh, and we so appreciate that,” Elias drawled. “He is our father, after all. We deserve to be there.”

“We deserve more than that,” Gabriel growled. “I will be the one to stake the bastard.” He shot me a look that brooked no room for arguments.

I didn’t want to fight about this, but I also wanted a piece of Adrian. “We’ll just have to see who gets to him first,” I said, my eyes narrowing in a challenge.

After a moment, Gabriel laughed and shook his head. Then he glanced at Elias. “You should head back. We don’t want Adrian getting suspicious. What’ll you tell him about Nash?”

Elias considered that question for a moment. “I think I’ll tell him the local werewolf pack got their claws on him. And thanks to you handing his body over to the alpha, it won’t be a lie.”

Clever.

“Write down the address for me before we leave,” I told Elias. “We’ll head out about an hour after sunset. Try not to act suspicious tomorrow night, but keep Adrian inside. And make sure to unlock the back door for us. Oh, and if we show up only to learn he’s left town, I’ll be pissed.”

“And we wouldn’t want that,” Elias teased.

“No, you really wouldn’t,” Gabriel said in a dangerous voice.

With a clear plan in mind, we rose from the booth and left the café.

ChapterTwenty-Three

Gabrieland I returned to the safehouse to find everyone settled in—sans Avery, who’d opted to go home and rest now that Nash was dead. Jaden sat in the middle of the living room floor, surrounded by a new pile of weapons, including one disassembled crossbow she was working to reassemble. Josh sat on the couch with an array of stakes laid out on the living room table, like he was inspecting them. And Sam and Lucy sat in the kitchen with two steaming mugs of tea in front of them. It surprised me to find everyone still awake, but they probably hadn’t felt right going to sleep before Gabriel and I returned home. Just in case.

Everyone glanced up when Gabriel and I walked inside, their expressions a mix of relief and eagerness.

“Well?” Jaden jumped right in. “Can we trust the Fanged Defender?”

Laughter rumbled from Gabriel. “Oh, he’ll love that nickname.”

Chuckling, I slumped into the nearby armchair, the leather cool against my skin. “Elias is legit. And he’s given us Adrian’s location, along with the promise to assist us when we make our move, which will be tonight after sunset.”

Josh paused and glanced at me. “We’re not going during the day?”

“Unfortunately, Adrian has a brain, and when Gabriel and I escaped, he upgraded his guards with four daywalking vamps.”

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