Stepping around Addie, I extended a hand to the vampire. He didn’t take it, not at first. A tense smile on my face, I stared the vampire in the eye. Legend always said to never meet a vampire’s gaze, but I figured it would be a good way to show him that I wasn’t afraid of him.
Finally, he took my hand. His fingers were slender but firm. He could have crushed me. Then again, I was sure I could have crushed him, too.
“What have you come to me for, then?” Luca asked, his attention shifting between Addie and me.
“You have a library,” Addie said.
“Ah, but it was buried beneath several tons of concrete by the demon general Abaddon. You can thank your friend for that.” Luca wrinkled his nose. The gesture looked more like a pissed cat than a human.
Addie cleared her throat. “Oh, uh, that’s…that’s where Maddox comes in. Could I have access to your library if Maddox helps me move some of the debris?”
I spun on her. “Is that what you want from me? You brought me along to move concrete? Severaltonsof concrete? I’m a detective, woman! I should be looking for clues, not carting around rocks for you.”
She gave me a tight, apologetic grimace.
Luca laughed. “You shifters are nothing but pack mules for your mates. It can be adorable at times.”
I cocked my head and slowly turned back to Luca.Mates?
Before I could ask for clarification, Addie continued. “I could call in Ryder and Morgan, too! You don’t have to be the only one moving rubble. It’s just that there’s a chance one of Luca’s old books will have some information about Reapers. The more we know, the better we can fight back against this other Reaper.”
“So, this isn’t just a leisurely perusal of my wares?” Luca put a hand on his hip. He paused, other hand to his chin while he thought. “I will allow this on one condition.”
“Okay?” Addie sounded wary.
“Vi is not allowed to come anywhere near my home. While she may be my friend, I have learned my lesson. That woman is to stay away from my domiciles at all times, even my destroyed ones.”
I leaned into Addie and whispered, “What did your friend do to piss him off?”
“Abaddon tried to crush Vi with Luca’s house. It was an unfortunate victim in the battle to stop the apocalypse from happening.”
Reeling, I rocked back on my heels. The apocalypse? When did that happen, and why didn’t anyone warn me? It seemed that there was so much that I was not privy to as a human. Now that I had my foot in the door to the supernatural world, I was afraid for the future of humanity.
“Don’t worry. The antichrist stopped it from happening.” Addie’s smile widened like she’d made some sort of inside joke.
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Theantichristis to stay away from my books. Remember that,” Luca said.
I gaped. “You’re telling me that scrappy blonde is the antichrist? No way. And you just let her walk around like that’s not an omen of things to come?”
Addie waved off my warning. “It’s fine. She made sure the divine apocalypse will never happen. The infernal and the divine are staying in their own corners, where Vi put them.”
This was all too much. Instead of processing it, I shook myself and let the conversation come to an end. Apparently, there were more pressing matters than the apocalypse.
Like the beast lurking inside me. The smell of blood was grating on my nerves. My beast paced anxiously. Its hackles never lowered. I looked from vampire to vampire, all watching us with obvious hatred. There were enemies all around.
Which one would strike first? Awareness on full blast, my patience wore thin. I rolled my shoulders to ease the gathering tension, but nothing could relieve it. My beast paced. It snarled and lashed out with sharp claws. I stifled my wince, but the pain lingered.
I was fraying. I could feel it. My lip curled and a growl left me. I tried to pull myself together, but it only made me tenser.
I’d told Addie that I would never lose control. Gripping it tighter only made it slip between my fingers. The more I tried to pull myself together, the more I unraveled. The beast rose, closer and closer to the surface until it felt too large to contain.
My skin would burst like a violent balloon.
I didn’t know how to stop it.
Then Addie took my hand. She threaded her fingers with mine, and I felt the soft brush of her arcana against my beast. For a moment, I wanted to growl and tell her to keep her arcana to herself. However, I never felt the leash tighten around my neck. Addie didn’t wrap me in her arcana to control me.
It was an intimate graze, like a lover’s touch silently asking if I was all right.
I exhaled and let go of my tension once and for all. Her power gathered around us like an invisible wall. She looked every vampire in the eye and dared them to try her. The way her hair danced in an unseen wind made her ethereal.
My beast sat back and watched the beauty of the powerhouse beside me as she led us outside.