Silver-Tongued Devil (26 page)

“Oh, gods,” Georgia groaned. “I don’t know if I can do this. I thought Mac would be here.”

I grabbed her hand. “Michael’s probably keeping her out of the public so she won’t do anything dumb.” I turned to Georgia and made her look at me. “Remember why we’re here. Keep a hold of yourself and we’ll get through this, okay?”

Michael had his back to us and hadn’t seen us come in yet. However, Slade and Rex, Michael’s Beta, spotted us immediately. If the Beta had a reaction to seeing us, he didn’t show it except for a slight tensing around his eyes. Rex knew me so he wouldn’t stop me from approaching the Alpha, but one look from Michael and the Beta wouldn’t hesitate to intervene. Which might happen the instant Michael got an eyeful of the vampire by my side.

“How are we going to play this?” Georgia whispered to me as we made our way over.

“Michael doesn’t like games. Our best bet is a direct approach,” I said. “Direct but diplomatic.”

“Okay,” she breathed out. “Here goes nothing.”

I tapped the Alpha on the shoulder. “Michael?”

He turned then, his eyebrows raised. But when he saw Georgia and me standing there, those same brows slammed down. “Oh, it’s you,” he said, his voice dripping scorn. “Back to cause more trouble?”

“Don’t be like that, Mike. We just want a couple of moments of your time.”

“Well, you can’t have them. I have nothing more to say to you.” He started to turn around and dismiss us altogether. I slammed a hand on the bar in front of him. The club went silent as the patrons perked up at the first sign of confrontation.

“I’m not asking you to talk,” I said. “Just to listen.”

“What makes you think I want to hear anything you’d have to say?” he countered.

“Maybe you should move this conversation to my office,” Slade said, his voice tense.

Michael threw back his beer and shook his head. “Thank you for the offer, but we won’t be needing it.” He slammed his beer down and turned to glare at me. “Listen, Sabina, I know we’ve got some history. You probably thought our friendship might soften me toward your pleas on behalf of your vampire friend there. But this isn’t about friendship. It’s pack business.”

“I understand that,” I said. “But—”

His casual tone disappeared. “I said no,” he snapped. “Now, if you have other business to discuss, say your piece. Otherwise, I’ll bid you a good night and ask you to be on your way.”

That did it. I understood Michael was Alpha and all, but no one dismissed me like that. Especially someone who was being a stubborn ass. I stepped forward and, keeping my voice low, said, “Will you stop being such a blind fool for a moment and think about what you’re doing?”

Georgia groaned. “So much for diplomatic.”

I ignored her and stared down the were. I knew I was taking a big risk challenging him publicly, but if I let him walk away, Mac’s fate was sealed. “I respect the hell out of you, Michael. Usually. But you’re letting your pride get in the way here. Mac doesn’t want to mate with anyone but Georgia.”

The Alpha moved toward me. I held my ground. He’d never raise a hand to me. He knew I had the skills to back up my talk and wouldn’t hesitate to take him down. Besides, he might be the Alpha of his pack, but I was a member of the highest-ranking mage and vampire families and had a badass demon for a sidekick.

“You listen to me, now,” Michael said, his tone hard and low. “Our ways may seem unfair to you, but there is a good reason we arrange mates for our females. Werewolf numbers are small compared to the other races. To ensure the health and future of our kind, we must be careful to avoid inbreeding, which is why matings are arranged between packs. Doing so keeps the bloodlines clean and also strengthens the race as a whole.” He crossed his arms and looked me dead in the eye. “What kind of example would I be setting if I allowed my own kin to mate with a vampire? You of all beings should also be aware that interracial mixing is against the Black Covenant.”

The dig against my own tarnished lineage hit home. I gritted my teeth and struggled to maintain my calm. “I’m sympathetic to your reasons. But forcing Mac into a mating scenario with a male she doesn’t want is as good as selling her into slavery. On top of that, you know damned well she doesn’t want to lie with men, period.”

Michael’s fists clenched into rocks. “You’re lucky you’re surrounded by beings who would protect you tonight, mixed blood. Otherwise that duel we fought four months ago would look like a play date compared to what I want to do to you right now.”

I raised my chin. “You mean the duel that you couldn’t win? Don’t flatter yourself, werepuppy. If we threw down now, I’d own your fucking pack by dawn.”

Michael’s growl made the hair on my neck prickle. Too late, I realized I’d gone too far challenging him in public. But I couldn’t help it. I sent a prayer of thanks to the Goddess that it wasn’t a full moon.

Beside the were, Slade tensed to intervene. From across the bar, Giguhl started in our direction, ready to get my back. A firm shake of my head told them both to stand down.

“Fucking werewolves,” I spat. “Using females like broodmares so your mighty patriarchy can continue uninterrupted. Well, guess what? One of these days, those females you use will rise up and take over your power. But then I guess that’s why you’re so set on selling Mac to the highest bidder. She dared to shun the potent werewolf cock.”

“Sabina.” Slade’s quiet warning sounded loud in the tense silence. “That’s enough.”

I slashed a hand through the air. “I’m done. Let’s go, Georgia.”

I marched off with my head held high. But I quickly realized that Georgia had not followed. When I turned back around, I saw the vampire standing in front of Michael like an Amazon.

“Georgia!” I called. “Come on.”

“No!” she said, her voice high and clear. “Not until I’ve said what I came here to say.”

I frowned. After my brilliant oration, I couldn’t imagine there was much she could say to salvage the discussion. Still, she had the right to speak her mind.

“Mr. Romulus, my name is Georgia Rousseau. For the last year, I have had the honor of loving your niece. I have never met a more loyal female in my life. But you have betrayed that loyalty.”

Michael crossed his arms. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you renounce your relationship to Mac last night?”

Georgia opened her arms to signal her vulnerability. I winced at the move, which would only been seen as weakness by the Alpha. “Last night I was hurt and angry. Mac promised me she’d already told you about us. So when you showed up and it was clear she’d lied, I was heartbroken. I thought that removing myself from her life would make Mac’s choice easier.” She lifted a shaking finger and pointed it at Michael’s chest. “But now I realize that instead of helping her, I doomed her to live under a tyrant. Sabina helped me realize that as a werewolf, Mac’s loyalty to her pack was as ingrained as her body’s reaction to the full moon. But you’ve taken advantage of that loyalty and turned it into something ugly.

“I love Mac. However, I am willing to step aside if she chooses to do as her Alpha wishes. But she deserves a real choice. Not this blackmail disguised as duty. You don’t want her to be with me? I can accept that. But let her choose her own were mate.”

Michael’s expression became harder, if possible. “I would never expect a vampire to understand the meaning of duty. You take what you want and damn the consequences for anyone else.”

“I understand something stronger than duty,” she said, her voice trembling with earnest conviction. “I understand love.”

Michael tossed back his head and laughed. “You’re a fool. Duty is love. Love is duty. What you’re talking about is lust. And I’m not about to let my niece throw her family away because she’s going through some sort of rebellious sexual experimentation phase.”

Michael crossed his arms and looked Georgia right in the eye. “Whether you like it or not, Mac and Logan are already legally mated. I was going to wait until the Lupercalia rites to consecrate their union, but I see now that waiting would be a mistake. Their union will be made sacred on the full moon two nights from now.” Georgia gasped and opened her mouth to argue, but Michael held up a hand. “I’ve tolerated your pleas because I believe in giving a person their say. But you’ve had it and that’s that. If you try to contact Mac, I will consider it an aggressive act and have my men take action against you. Am I clear?”

Georgia’s mouth opened and closed in shock, but she managed to nod.

Dismissing her, Michael slapped Slade on the shoulder. “Thanks for the beer, Slade, but if you’ll excuse me I’ve had quite enough socializing for one evening.” He motioned to his Beta. “Let’s go.”

He brushed past Georgia and walked toward me. My eyes narrowed into slits and I braced to deliver my last word. Instead, Michael made a preemptive strike. “You’re one hell of a fighter, Sabina, but you suck at matchmaking. Stay the hell out of my pack’s business.”

Michael and Rex stormed out of the bar, leaving the rest of us behind to wallow in their wakes.

“That went well,” Slade observed in a droll tone. “All things considered.”

“How can you say that?” I demanded. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Giguhl and PW approaching. They looked like two bloodhounds hot on the trail of drama.

“Sabina, you publicly challenged an Alpha werewolf’s authority and ability to lead his pack. You’re lucky you’re not short a couple of limbs.”

I shot him a piss-off look and went to check on Georgia. Giguhl had an arm around her and PW rubbed her shoulder. Her head was down so I couldn’t see her expression.

“Georgia?” I said, finally reaching them. “How are you doing?”

She looked up then. Instead of shining with tears, her eyes glinted with rage. I pulled back a fraction, shocked. “Georgia?”

“You!” she spat. “This is all your fault!”

My head tilted in confusion. Granted, I probably didn’t help matters by calling Michael out, but the entire situation was hardly my doing. “Georgia—”

“Shut up!” she said. “If I hadn’t listened to you, I would already be back in New Orleans and on my way to getting over Mac instead of embarrassing myself in public!” She wilted then, tears spilling from her eyes like acid rain, destroying her eye makeup and leaving black trails down her face. PW took the vampire from Giguhl and led her away.

Giguhl had the same look most males get once things go emotional and the tears start falling. “I guess now’s not the best time to ask if you’ve talked to Adam?”

I glared at my minion with the ridiculously bad timing. “Bite me, demon.”

“What’s this?” Slade said, shit-eating grin locked firmly in place. “Trouble in paradise already?”

Oh, shit. The last thing I wanted was for Slade to find out he’d been the cause of my argument with the mancy. Luckily—or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it—Alexis Vega chose that moment to sashay into the bar.

“Sabina!” she called when she spotted me. Slade groaned. Good, I shouldn’t be the only one uncomfortable.

“Oh, look, it’s Vampira.” Giguhl’s tone was as dry as an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

I swallowed the bitter taste that sprang on my tongue the minute she’d walked in. “Shouldn’t you be in L.A. with the Despina?” I asked, trying not to sound too disappointed to see her.

“She asked me to stay here to monitor things.” Her tone implied I was one of the “things” she was monitoring. “Slade, how about a drink?”

Slade tensed beside me. “I’m not the bartender.”

She grinned. “With that kind of attitude you’re likely to fail as a bar owner almost as spectacularly as you failed as the leader of the Black Light District.”

Slade tensed to strike. I grabbed his arm. “What do you want, Alexis?”

She shrugged and plopped on a stool. Her latex-covered ass squeaked against the vinyl seat. “Oh, nothing. Just wanted to gloat a little.”

“About what?” I asked. But I already knew. She’d come to deliver that I-told-you-so I’d been dreading.

“It’s been five nights without another murder. You know what that means, don’t you?”

“No, but I doubt you’re going to leave me in the dark for long.”

“It means we got the right guy,” she said.

“Oh, that’s right. Does that also mean the Despina’s already given you Slade’s old job?” I knew Tanith had done no such thing. But I couldn’t help digging at her massive ego.

Alexis’s face tightened. “Not yet. I’m sure she’s just planning on announcing it at the treaty signing. You know Tanith—she loves to make a big deal.”

I cocked a brow. Actually, of all three of the Dominae, Tanith was the least enthusiastic about… well, everything. She was far more likely to call a business meeting than to make a fuss. “Or maybe she’s decided you aren’t the best woman for the job after all.”

“Please,” Alexis said. “Who else would they choose?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but surely there are other beings who’d do a better job. Hell, even Giguhl would do a better job.”

“Thanks, I think,” Giguhl said.

Alexis shrugged. “Whatever. You’re just in a bad mood because your boyfriend’s sleeping at the Crossroads.”

I stilled as shock froze my bloodstream.

“I ran into him there earlier. He looked terrible,” she said with false casualness. “What happened, Sabina? He finally get tired of you?”

Giguhl grabbed my shoulder when I tensed. He stabbed the vampiress with an icy glare.

“If I were you I’d stop talking now.”

Her lips curled up into a feline smile. Luckily, she wasn’t as much of an idiot as I thought because she didn’t respond. Instead, she snapped her fingers in Earl’s direction. He was standing at the other end of the bar, reading the newspaper. “What’s a vampire gotta do to get some blood around here?” she called.

Earl looked up slowly. Alexis spread her arms in a what’s-taking-so-long gesture. Earl rolled his eyes and sauntered toward her. While she took her time choosing her poison, Slade pulled me away. “What’s up with you and Adam?”

“As much as I’m sure you’d love to know so you can make jokes,” I said, crossing my arms, “it’s none of your business.”

He had the audacity to look wounded. “Sabina, please. It’s true I enjoy poking fun at the two of you, but it sounds like this is serious. If you need to talk about it, I’m here.”