“Thirty, and I’m done negotiating the number.”
The fae frowned but nodded. “I accept. But I now want two more things from you instead of one more.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. Gently. The vials were glass, and she could feel them through the leather. “What else?”
“I want to go with you when you raid the stronghold.”
“I’ll think about it.” But at first blush, that seemed like a bad idea. “What’s the second thing?”
“I want a favor from you that I may call in at a later date. A future favor, it you will.” He smiled, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth.
Donna didn’t like that. He could ask anything of her. At any time. She shook her head. “Too open-ended.”
“I promise it will not be anything you’d find distasteful. But you are asking me to betray my kind. Giving you my blood could get me killed.”
“And you’re asking me to trust you, the fae willingly doing that betraying.” It was a precarious position to put him in. But he could have said no. “I’m not forcing you to do anything. And I’m paying you a considerable sum.”
“I realize that. But let’s be honest. Time is of the essence, is it not? Besides, you’d be hard-pressed to come by what I’m offering anywhere else.”
Was he calling her bluff about the other volunteer? “I’ll need seven vials from you.”
“Seven?” The word screeched out of him, turning heads in the main waiting room. “You ask too much, vampire.”
“Five, then. And you’ll have your favor and your money.”
“Three, and I’ll still have my favor, my money, and my place at the raid.”
She stared at him long and hard with the kind of stony face she knew Big Tony had used when he wanted the person across from him to question their decisions. The longer she stared, the more Ishalan’s look of fierce determination faded.
When he spoke again, there was a softer tone to his voice. “I am not your enemy, Governor.”
That’s exactly what he was, but she said nothing and continued to stare. Finally, she spoke. “Temo, text your other contact. Tell him we’re on our way.”
Temo pulled out his phone. “You got it, boss.”
Ishalan sighed in harsh frustration. “Four vials. But I want all three things.”
“Four, and you’ll have your money and your favor with my right to deny that favor if it would cause me trouble. As for including you in the raid, why should I allow that? I don’t know you, and I certainly don’t trust you. This deal doesn’t make us friends or allies.”
“I swear to you that if you allow me to come, I will not get in your way or do anything that could hamper the rescue of your friend.” Such earnestness in his words. “In fact, anything I do will only be to your benefit.”
“Why should I believe that?”
“Because…” He hesitated, shaking his head and looking away. “I would not lie about this.”
“I don’t know that. I need a reason to trust you. Something more than promises and platitudes.”
“I know things. Things that could be very useful. I know the layout of the stronghold. I can take you straight to where they’re holding your friend.”
“That would be useful, if I needed that kind of help. But I don’t, and it’s still not a reason to trust you.”
Temo put his phone away. “She’s right. You want the vampire governor to trust you? You need to be upfront now. Tell her the truth about why you’re willing to go against your own kind. I’ve been dealing with you for years, and I still don’t know.”
Ishalan let out a whistling sigh. “Dredward is a terrible king.”
Donna uncrossed her arms. They were getting nowhere. “He seems equivalent to the beings he rules.”
Ishalan frowned, pulling the skin taut over his knife-edged chin. “It’s true. The fae are a harsh breed. But Dredward only encourages that.”
She leaned in slightly. “Harsh? The fae hunt down my kind indiscriminately and drain us of our blood. And you’re asking me, a vampire, to trust you, a fae, without any concrete reason beyond King Dredward sucks. I already knew that.”
He lifted his cap to rake his long, slender fingers through his shaggy hair. “You have to take my word. I am…on your side.”
“Why? Tell me now, or we’re leaving.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked, and he shifted as though he was in pain. “Because. Dredward is my brother.”
Chapter Seven
Donna hadn’t been expecting that. From the look on Temo’s face, neither had he.
Ishalan leaned closer. “You understand now?”
She nodded. “I think so. Your own brother cast you out.”
“Yes. Well, no.” Another sigh. “I left because he tried to kill me. Any threat gets eliminated, but then, you already knew that.”
Did she? “I suppose I did.”
“Well, you’re harboring the dhamfir. Why else would you give her sanctuary?”
“Because she’s a child, half vampire, and the fae were searching for her with the intention of returning her to a life of servitude. Hunting my kind. What other reason is there?”
Ishalan’s slim brows rose as his mouth pursed in a sort of cat-with-the-canary expression. “You don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Just that…Dredward wants her dead.”
“Of course I know that.” She also knew he was lying. He’d suddenly decided not to tell them whatever he’d been about to share. So what was it? Did she really care? This didn’t feel like the time to call him out on that. Not with Rico’s time ticking away. She pulled four vials from her interior coat pocket and held them out. “Fill these, and I’ll have your money deposited.”
He took the vials and glanced at the sign for the men’s washroom.
“No,” she said. “Here. Where I can watch you.”
“You don’t trust me.”
“I believe we already established that.”
“I don’t fault you for that distrust.”
“I’ll sleep better at night knowing that.”
Temo snorted.
Ishalan sat down, uncapped the first vial, then put his finger to his mouth and nipped the skin with his jagged teeth. Blood welled up. It was nearly purple, and the rich, metallic scent was so powerful Donna’s fangs descended like the dinner bell had been rung. What would fae blood taste like? What would it do to her? Had any vampire tried it? They must have. Seemed only fair since the fae drank of them with abandon.
Whoa. She was spiraling into a deep hunger way too fast. Enough.
She swallowed the saliva pooling in her mouth and turned slightly to face Temo more. He kept his eyes on Ishalan, as if understanding the battle Donna was fighting. He probably did know. He’d been around vampires long enough.
Seconds ticked into minutes, but before much longer, the vials were filled. Ishalan stayed seated as he held them out, sucking on his fingertip.
Temo took them, saving her from feeling the warmth of the blood through the glass.