“An army of vampires under his thrall.”
Gi nodded knowingly. “In secret, in the safety of darkness, we thrive. But Tromos was never one to live in the shadows. Instead, he wished to imprison humans so he could live the high life and feed conveniently as if they were cattle, while his offspring catered to his whims. A few supported his plan, enticed by the power they held over humans and the endless supply of blood, but most knew that he would inevitably destroy us with his brash actions. But no vampire was strong enough to eliminate him, and by that time he had already wiped out nearly five demon hunting teams.”
“That’s where the prophecy came from.”
“Precisely. They knew they were incapable of destroying him. A pack of vampires and a team of hunters worked together in an unprecedented truce to imprison him. He lies in an underground chamber, bound to this realm, in stasis until one capable of ending him would be able to reach and wake him.”
“A changed demon hunter.”
“So it would seem.”
“Where is he?”
“His location has been erased from history. None alive can say.”
Bennett shook his head, downing the last of his glass. “He’s not in Paris, but I will find him.”
Curiosity blooming on her expression, Gi raised a single eyebrow.
“I can’t say how I know. Demon hunters have good instincts. But in this case? Fate hates me that much.”
Adair nudged his side. “Then we run. If you don’t awaken him, then he cannot rise to power.”
“One other shitty thing about fate. Try to fool her? She bites you in the ass.” He turned to Gi. “We have found a prophecy describing the chamber, but there is more. Something this big, chances are, it has been foretold more than once. Have you seen the version that Calloway is banking on?”
“No. After Calloway seemed to be on this path, I learned what I could, of Tromos and his intentions. From what I understand of the prophecy Calloway has found, is that you are the key to waking Tromos.”
Adair asked, “Any hint as to the end?”
She shook her head and looked to Bennett. “Only that you will be the one to free Tromos. Not only that you alone have the ability to, but that you shall.”
“Pure demon, huh? We’ve taken out a few.” He rose to his feet and extended his hand to Adair. “Let’s check in with my team. I’m not going in without them again.”
She rose to her feet and her liquid cobalt eyes fell heavy. Hand on his chest, she shook her head. “Can you see why I’m not interested in forever?”
Grinding his molars together, he looked away and said to Gi, “Thank you. If you hear anything that may help, would you mind letting us know?”
A devious spark glimmered in her grass green eyes. “I’ll do you one better. Hopefully beneficial for us both. There is an ancient one that lives in Seizième. Cambria. She has become restless and risks our peaceable existence. She and I have disagreed in our way of life for many years. Calloway would be foolish to not form an alliance with her, as I suspect she would be one of few wise and devious enough to obtain Tromos’ location and presumably his reason for coming to Paris.”
Catching her meaning, Bennett smiled. “I’ll see to it. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
She rose to her feet and kissed his cheek, lingering until her scent of spiced wine overwhelmed his senses. “Be safe. We are counting on you,” she said before pulling away.
Taking Adair’s hand, he nodded to Gi and headed down the stairs, past the pointy-toothed bouncer. As he turned toward the exit, Adair held him back. Against the thunderous boom of the techno base, Adair said, “We never got to finish that dance.”
Looking to the door, past the murmuring crowd, he stopped to look back to her. “Now?”
“All work and no play? Makes a dull eternity.”
Letting out a slow inhale, he let his gaze fall on her pouty lips. “This is how you handle it, isn’t it?”
Eyelashes fluttering, she stepped closer and rested her palms on his chest. “I knew what you were, when we first met. It’s worth the risk, stopping to smell the flowers now and again.”
Chapter11
The corner of his mouth quirked up. He followed her into the rhythm of the crowd. Still in her element in the blood-sucker-owned club, Adair led the way into the pit. Blue lights, bright and dim, shifted metrically with the beat.
As she stepped into the thick of the dancers, Bennett stood back and watched as she flowed into the pumping cadence, her pulse adjusting to match, arms gracefully over her head, hips swaying in tune. The sleek fabric of her dress moved like water over her skin. Her head tipped back, and her golden-tipped mane brushed over her shoulder blades.
