It took a while. Longer than it should have. But at last, his sluggish brain pinpointed the precise source of his suspicions.
Troy was taking Cezar to his queen, as commanded, but he knew he was also leaving a clear trail for Anna and his clan brothers to follow.
That’s why he needed to know that Cezar had mated Anna. With the bond, Anna could follow him to the gates of freaking hell. And Styx would never allow her to come after him alone. The Anasso would insist on bringing the cavalry with him.
The wily imp couldn’t fight the demented Morgana, but he was hoping like hell someone else could.
Of course, that didn’t mean that Cezar didn’t intend to beat the shit out of the demon the moment he was released from his chains. This dangerous stunt might be the perfect means of penetrating Morgana’s lair, but no one was allowed to kidnap a vampire without some very painful punishment.
He indulged a few moments in imagining the various means of making an imp howl. There were a surprising number of them. Flaying, the rack, hot pokers. Then, with an inward shake of his head, he turned his thoughts to more important matters.
Any punishment of Troy would have to wait. And for now, he had no choice but to trust that his assessment was right and Troy wasn’t willingly playing the queen’s pawn. It was a risk, but at the moment he was a vampire between a rock and a hard place.
Allowing his essence to flow back through his body, Cezar swallowed a moan at the pain ravaging his throat and slit his eyes open to study the imp seated behind the wheel of the sports car.
Even in the thick darkness, he could make out the pale features that were strained with obvious fear. The imp was no happier than Cezar as they speeded toward Morgana.
“Why me?” he rasped softly.
Troy shrieked, and the car swerved off the highway before the imp jerked the wheel and sent them careening toward the guardrail on the opposite side.
“You crash this car and I’ll rip your throat out,” Cezar growled.
“Shit, vampire, I thought you were out,” the imp muttered, managing to regain control of the car as he shot Cezar a terrified gaze. “How…”
“That doesn’t matter.” Cezar shifted on the seat until he was leaning his back against the door, his hands free to kill if the imp made one wrong move. Or maybe if he just pissed him off. “Tell me why Morgana sent you to capture me. It’s Anna that she wants.”
The car slowed and Cezar bared his fangs. Though the silver burning into his flesh might be a drain on his waning strength, there was nothing more dangerous in the world than a cornered vampire.
Troy swallowed the lump in his throat. “She’ll never admit it, but she’s genuinely afraid that the prophecy is true,” he explained, his hands shaking so badly the car continued to weave on the empty highway. “When she at last confronts Anna, she wants to make sure she has an ace up her sleeve.”
Cezar frowned. “I’m that ace?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She is able to sense that Anna cares for you.” Troy swallowed another lump. “She believes that you are her Achilles’ heel.”
Shit.
Barely aware he was moving, Cezar smashed his fist into the dashboard, crumpling the steel supports.
He wanted to believe that Anna would never be foolish enough to risk her life to save his, that she understood he would never survive if anything happened to her. Unfortunately, he knew his mate too well to even go down that road.
As long as Morgana could use Cezar as her shield, Anna would never strike.
“I should kill you here and now,” Cezar hissed, his savage fury filling the car.
“I had no choice, vampire,” Troy insisted, one hand reaching to touch his chest, as if he were in pain. “Even if I’d been willing to sacrifice my life, which I assure you I wasn’t, Morgana would just have sent another flunky to capture you. And at least with me you know that if the opportunity arises I will be the first in line to stick a knife in the bitch’s back.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside?”
“No, but it is supposed to keep you from killing me before we reach the farmhouse.”
Cezar gave a sharp crack of laughter, his fists itching to connect with that pale, perfect face. He’d be damned if he would lead Anna to her death. He’d kill Troy, and every other fey creature who tried to force him to become Morgana’s bait.
“Obviously even unfounded hope springs eternal,” he snarled.
Troy held the wheel with a death grip, his long, crimson hair floating as Cezar’s power pulsed through the car.
“Listen to me, vampire. We can use this to our advantage,” he urged, his eyes glowing like emeralds in the darkness. Obviously the fey was wise enough to understand he was a breath away from a bloody, messy death.
“What the hell are you babbling about? I’m not letting Anna anywhere near Morgana if the witch thinks to use me as her bargaining chip.”
“Morgana will only think that you’re her bargaining chip. After all, she’ll be expecting you out cold and completely harmless.” The imp shot a disgruntled glance in Cezar’s direction. “As you should be.”
Cezar smiled. It was a smile that made Troy shudder and hastily return his attention to the road.
“We all have our little talents,” he said coldly.
Troy licked his lips. “Well, it’s a talent you can use to your advantage if you’ll just calm down and consider the possibilities.”
“Troy, when I get desperate enough to need advice on battle strategy from an imp I’ll throw myself in the sun.”
“Just think about it, will you?” An edge entered the imp’s voice. For all his fear, he was determined to have his say. “For the moment Morgana believes she has the upper hand and is arrogant enough to try to alter her fate. Hell, she’s inviting the means to her own doom into her house. But the moment she realizes she might be in genuine danger, she will flee back to Avalon and out of your reach. Your mate will be forced to spend the rest of eternity looking over her shoulder for fear of an assassin.”
Cezar stilled. Dammit. As much as it might gall him to admit it, the freaking imp did have a point.
He’d been so concerned with Morgana’s relentless attacks on Anna that he hadn’t actually considered the possibility that the aggravating bitch might retreat to her stronghold.
If she disappeared there would be no means to reach her, and as Troy pointed out, she could strike without warning whenever she wanted.
Anna would never be safe.
“Did you hear what…” Troy began, only to snap his lips shut as Cezar growled in warning.
“I heard,” Cezar rasped, his mind struggling through his pain to sort out the various ways this night could play out.
“But…”
“Troy, shut your mouth before I rip out your tongue.”
The imp heaved a deep sigh. “You know, vampires might be a bit more popular in the demon world if they weren’t so surly all time. I mean, being gorgeous can only take you so far.” A wicked smile touched his lips. “Okay, it can take you to my bed, but…”
Cezar battled back the lethal need to sink his fangs deep into the fey’s throat. “Are you trying to get me to kill you?”
Troy’s smile abruptly vanished. “It would be preferable to another round of Morgana’s slap and tickle.”
“What did she do to you?”
The imp shook his head as a shudder shook through his body. Whatever happened, it was still too raw to speak of.
“Conde Cezar, I have a request to make of you,” he said instead, his expression suddenly grim with determination.
“What?”
“If I can’t get out of there I’d rather you drain me than leave me with Morgana.”
Cezar gave a slow nod. He better than anyone understood that there were many things in this world worse than death.
“Very well.”
Anna kept her eyes closed as the Hummer raced down the dark highway. At her side Styx was behind the wheel with the terrifying Jagr seated in the back.
There was another Hummer behind them filled with Viper, Dante, Shay, Abby and Darcy. Anna had only been briefly aware of the low-pitched arguments that had erupted when the three women had insisted on being a part of the rescue mission. And then another argument when Styx had insisted Jagr join them.
She’d been far too anxious to chase after Cezar.
No, not anxious.
Overwhelmingly, chokingly desperate.
Every moment that passed was like a dagger being twisted through her heart and it was only the knowledge that she would need the help of Cezar’s brothers that kept her from damning them all to hell and racing from the isolated house.
After what seemed to be an eternity they were at last on the road, using Anna’s sense of Cezar to steer them out of the city and west through the flat fields and tiny towns that dotted the landscape.
Not that Anna’s sense of urgency eased. Especially when her connection to Cezar became muted, as if their bond was weakening. Eventually the sense of him had returned along with the searing pain in her neck, but it had lasted only for a few minutes before it began to fade once again.