I couldn’t let this happen to Daemon, but we couldn’t walk out of here without Lotho’s help.
“Stop!” I shouted, rushing forward without really thinking that one through.
“Please! Just do it now.”
Lotho glanced at me, a quizzical expression on his face, and then a toothy grin appeared. I squared my shoulders.
But he didn’t. Lotho . . . he flopped onto his back and let out a loud cackle of laughter as he pulled his knees up and planted his booted feet on the bed. The force pinning Daemon against the wall eased off and he landed on the floor.
Uh.
I twisted around to where Daemon stood in his true form a mere foot or two from the bed. Was he seeing this, too?
Lotho continued to laugh, deep belly laughs that echoed off the cement walls. Backing away from the bed, I walked to Daemon as he shifted into his human form once more. I didn’t get it. Nope. Did not compute.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of him laughing himself to death, Lotho quieted down and sat up in one fluid motion. “Ah God, you guys are great.” He smacked his hands down on his thick thighs. “Man, really.”
“Yeah.” Daemon drew out the word. “I’m not following this. At all.”
A wide smile broke across Lotho’s face and he almost looked . . . normal. Still a wee bit scary, but kind of normal. “You two were really going to go through with this, weren’t you?”
I blinked.
“Holy shit, you really were going to let me go all yum-yum on you.” He popped onto his feet, raising his arms above his head, stretching. His back bowed as he sneered. “Do you really think I’d feed off a hybrid? Sure, you guys might be snack-a-licious, but I only eat Grade-A Luxen. And a certain type. Unwilling usually does it for me.”
I blinked again.
“What the fuck?” Daemon exploded like cannon.
Lotho threw his head back and laughed again, and we waited . . . again. “I seriously just wanted to see how far you guys were willing to go.”
I blinked at him a third time. “Wait a minute. You never planned on feeding off me?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, hon. You’re cute, but you’re not my type.”
Should I feel offended? “And if we didn’t agree, you would’ve still let us leave without helping us.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged as he walked over to a high table and grabbed a bottle of Jack off it. Taking a swig, he faced us.
Oh my God, we’d just been dragged through an emotional wringer, and for what? Just so he could mess with our heads? Suddenly exhausted, all I wanted to do was shove my head under one of those animal pelts.
“I want to punch you,” Daemon said. “In the face. And in other places.”
Lotho shrugged again. “Most people do. Good news is that I know you two really are willing to do anything. I can respect that. So, you have your Arum army.”
I really didn’t know what to say. Shoulders slumped, I felt so many emotions all at once that I had moved beyond words.
Lotho swiped two glasses off the table, filled them, and then handed them over. I took one in a virtual state of shock.
“Let’s toast,” he said, eyes as cold as a January morning. “To a very unlikely, and very temporary, partnership.”
19
{ Daemon }
It was taking everything in my power not to introduce my boot to Lotho’s face. The Arum was crazy. Absolutely off his rocker and should be locked in a padded room. Better yet, he should be locked in a room full of metal spikes and then bounced around.
I wanted to punch him.
But I also wasn’t stupid. Hunter and his brother hadn’t been joking when they said Lotho was powerful. The little bit he’d displayed in that room told me he was capable of much more, and if we seriously had to get down to business, it would be ugly and really messy.
We were now seated in a small room that looked like someone had dug it out of rock and earth. The scent was musty and the torches shoved into the wall didn’t cast much light.
I had Kat where I wanted her, in my lap with my fingers working the tense muscles in her shoulders and neck. She’d been quiet since we left Lotho’s room, and I could tell she just wanted to get the hell out of here.
So did I.
“It’ll take me a day or so to get them all rounded up.” Lotho had progressed to vodka, and since we’d moved to this room, which had been maybe thirty minutes ago, he’d downed half the bottle. I was curious to see if Arum could get alcohol poisoning. “Some of my boys are out scouting.”
Hunter stood near the door, leaning against the wall. He looked completely at ease, but the sharpness in his eyes said he was ready to spring into action. “How much time are they giving you guys?”
We’d explained the government plans to get overexcited with e-bombs. “We have time,” Archer answered from where he was perched on a stool beside us. “About four or so days, but the sooner we can move against them, the better.”
“Yeah . . .” Lotho took another healthy swig. “Worried about them getting trigger-happy, eh?”
Archer nodded as he eyed the Arum leader.
“Like I said, I need just a day or two. Tell your human masters we’ll be there.”
Human masters? I rolled my eyes as I dropped my arms to circle Kat’s waist.
Lotho frowned as he glanced down at his now-empty bottle of vodka. “Where are we going again?”
Kat sighed.
“Right now, they want you at Mount Weather in Virginia,” Archer explained. Again. “If that changes—”
“You’ll call.” Lotho tapped the back pocket of his leather pants. Asshole still hadn’t found his shirt. “Got it.” He paused as he tossed the bottle to the floor somewhere to his left. Glass shattered. He smiled. “You have my word that we will be there. That is something I don’t mess around with.”
My gaze flickered to Hunter, and he nodded.
“It’s not like my kind or I will miss an opportunity to serve a little payback and get fed at the same time.” Lotho gestured at the closed door. “It’s been real nice chatting with you guys and we’ll be seeing each other again, but y’all got to go. None of you is welcome here, including you,” he said to Hunter.
He looked real torn up about that. Pushing off the wall, he didn’t even bother to hide his grin. “We’ll be in contact.”
Kat stood and I followed, more than ready to get the hell out of Dodge, but as we walked past Lotho, he suddenly stepped in front of Kat. I started to pull her back from him, but he was fast.
“You have balls bigger than the males in this room,” Lotho said, his face inches from her. “I like you. And I’d keep you if it weren’t for the fact that you’re part Luxen. So that’s probably good news for you. Boo for me.”
And then he kissed her. Full-on, mother-freaking kissed her.
Before either of us could react and I could unleash my fury, Lotho shifted into something that was nothing more than smoke and shadow, and was gone.
“I’m going to kill him,” I swore, feeling the Source crackling along my skin.
Kat jerked out of my grip, her face pale and lips tinged in blue, like she’d been making out with a Popsicle, and she swung on Hunter and Archer. “I want to leave right now.”
Hunter glanced at Archer. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea, before this whole trip goes to waste.”
An hour later, we were finally topside. It was dawn the following morning, and I was still so angry that the metallic bitter taste filled my mouth with every breath I took.
“You guys are more than welcome to come back to Lore’s place if you want to chill out for a few hours before you hit the road again,” Hunter offered. “Get some rest. Grab something to eat. Whatever.”