“He hasn’t returned my calls. No one’s seen him in days,” James cuts me off, looking like he’s about ready to tear the world apart. “This isn’t like Ares.”
I didn’t realize he cared for Ares so much.
Sysco moves to intercept, a hand raised in caution. "James, things are... complicated right now."
James glares at him. "He's my employer and my friend. Complicated or not, I think at this point, I have a right to know what's going on."
Juliet crosses her arms, studying him with a cool detachment. Roman lingers at her side, silent and unreadable.
I step forward, my voice tight. "He is here, James. But he's not okay."
James's eyes flick to mine. "What does that mean?"
Instead of answering, I nod toward the monitor. "See for yourself."
James’s gaze flicks to the monitor. The second he sees Ares—pale, his clothes torn, dried blood caking his arms and neck—his brows furrow and something grows… dark in his expression. "What the hell happened to him?"
But I don’t answer because suddenly, Ares moves.
It’s not much. His hand twitches. But my new, sharp eyes don’t miss much now.
“Get Ophelia out of there,” I say in a breath.
Harry scans his hand, and Juliet yanks Ophelia out of the vault. Harry slams the door closed again as Juliet hauls Ophelia across the space, talking to her privately.
On the screen, we see it as Ares’ breathing speeds up, which sends my heart rate skyrocketing. Next, he takes in a sharp inhale.
And dammit, I realize he’s scenting the air.
Then his eyes snap open.
A low, animalistic growl rips through the speakers. Ares rises in a violent rush, body tensing like a loaded weapon. He hurls himself at the vault door, a furious blur. I flinch and instinctively take a step away from the door.
"I can fucking smell you!" he snarls. "Harry. Sysco. James! Who else is out there?"
He doesn’t know Roman or Juliet, but he can scent them, and it’s like he’s turned absolutely feral.
He slams his shoulder against the reinforced wall so hard it echoes like a gunshot. Again. And again. He doesn't even wince. I’m not even sure his broken collarbone from earlier has healed yet, but there’s no way it doesn’t snap again in the next few seconds.
"Shit," Sysco mutters. "He's worse than before."
From her half-hidden corner, Juliet shifts her weight, one hand hovering subtly near the hidden dagger at her hip. Roman steps forward, tension rolling off him.
They better stay put, or it’s going to get ugly and violent in here.
James is pale, horrified. "What the hell is wrong with him?!"
I step between him and the screen. "There was… an incident. This woman, she was hurt by Augustus. He did bad things to her. And she, Ophelia, it made her hate vampires. Turns out she can do… things."
He blinks, like he didn't hear me right. "What?"
Why the hell do I feel so nervous? I know James. Not well, but I’ve been around him plenty. He’s Ares’ employee. He’s just some guy who works for my fiancé. So why is my heart pounding? Why am I worried about the look of fury in his eyes?
"She got in his head,” I say. “I’d seen her do it before but didn’t realize to what extent she could do it. But she thought Ares was like Augustus. She thought all vampires were like him. So, she told Ares to kill every vampire he knows in New York. And then himself."
I don’t mean to, but as I speak about her, my eyes naturally flick to Ophelia, where she is still speaking to Juliet.
It’s like watching a hurricane roll in. The look in James’s eyes darkens. I see a muscle in his jaw twitch. His hands curl intofists. “She fuckingwhat? She just dug into his mind and turned on some command?”
