“I’ll go with you.”
She sternly ignored the flutter of pleasure at his offer. She was an evil bitch who’d nearly destroyed the world. She didn’t flutter.
“I thought you were going to do your Batman thing?”
His lips twitched. “Batman?”
“You know. Creep through the shadows and attack without warning.” She ran a slow glance over his lean body. “Plus there’s that whole black vibe you’ve got going on.”
“At least I’m the hero, not the villain.”
She snorted. “It depends on your point of view.”
He blinked, as if caught off guard by her response. “That is remarkably profound.”
Her face blazed with a sudden heat. Was she blushing? Christ. First flutters and now blushing. She was going to get kicked out of the evil bitch club if she wasn’t careful.
She headed down the tunnel. “Let’s go before the others start stirring.”
“Right behind you.”
He didn’t have to tell her. Despite the fact that he had a talent for disguising his presence, she was acutely aware that he was just inches away. Was it because she knew he was there? Or was the answer something far more dangerous?
With a shake of her head, she led Xi into the hidden passage. Then, reaching the small chamber, she sucked in a deep breath. Her wolf remained in hibernation, but she was capable of smelling any demon in the vicinity. Nothing.
Pressing open the door, she slipped inside, closely followed by Xi. It was pitch-black, with the outer door shut, but neither of them needed light to see as they circled the office. Brigette concentrated on searching for any illusions. They were easy to overlook, especially if they’d been bewitched to encourage creatures to avoid them, but there was usually a shimmer of magic that gave away their location.
At last accepting there was nothing to find, Brigette moved to stand next to Xi as he studied the large map.
“Do you see a pattern?” she asked, keeping her voice pitched low. The maze of tunnels created massive echo chambers.
Xi folded his arms over his chest. “Vampire strongholds.”
Brigette reached out to touch the closest pin pushed into the map. “Chicago,” she murmured.
“Styx’s lair,” Xi said.
Her finger moved across the map. “Vegas.”
“Roke.”
“Or Chiron,” Brigette added. “Maryam was banished along with him, but they parted ways at some point. She might resent him for kicking her out of his clan.”
“True.”
Brigette continued to draw her finger across the map to the next pin. “London.”
“Victor.”
“I assume he’s the clan chief?”
“Yes.”
She touched the last pin. “Ireland, although I don’t see any nearby city.”
“Cyn,” Xi swiftly guessed. “He’s the local clan chief. Or perhaps Tarak. He was Chiron’s clan chief before he was kidnapped by the merman.”
Brigette slowly nodded. “Maryam claimed she was focused on removing Styx since he threatened to enslave both vampires and Weres, but it’s been obvious since I arrived in Chicago that the rebels are more intent on overthrowing the establishment than protecting demons. It makes sense that they would attack the clan chiefs around the world.” She turned her head, discovering that Xi was smiling. “What’s so funny?”
“Styx would have a panic attack if he heard himself described as establishment,” Xi retorted.
Brigette was bemused by the unexpected glimpse of humor. It would be easy to dismiss the Raven as a mere pawn in Styx’s army. But, with every passing hour, she was discovering more and more about the complex male. He was loyal, of course. And a powerful warrior. Those were expected. But he was also willing to accept her suggestions without the usual arrogant assumption that he knew what was best. And when he looked at her, he didn’t seem to see a worthless traitor who deserved nothing but contempt.
Plus he was sexy as hell.
Now she had to add in the fact that he had a charming sense of humor.
Dangerous.
She cleared the strange lump from her throat and forced herself to speak. “Why would Styx have a panic attack? He’s the Anasso. That’s establishment, isn’t it?”
“Styx likes to think of himself as a badass warrior, not a dull bureaucrat.”
Brigette’s lips twisted. When she was young, she’d resented the leader of their pack. He’d been a scholar, not a fighter, preferring to hide in a remote area rather than joining the other Weres in their ancient hunting lands. She thought it made their pack weak. It wasn’t until too late that she realized that anyone could flex their muscles. A true leader was more concerned with the security and happiness of their family.
“And what about you?” she asked.
Xi arched a brow. “What about me?”
“Do you consider yourself a badass warrior?”
“I’m a warrior. I prefer not to be a badass.”
Brigette tilted her head. There was a hard edge in his voice that spoke of secrets he held deep inside him.
“Really?”
The dark eyes became even more mysterious than usual. As if bleak memories were swirling in their depths.
“I joined the Ravens to ensure peace, not to indulge a lust for violence.”
She believed him. The words sounded more like a pledge than political correctness. The knowledge only intensified her fascination.
Awkwardly, she turned her attention back to the map. “What do you think this means?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think it’s good.”
“No.” They both stiffened as the air prickled with a sudden chill. “Someone’s coming.”
Xi pulled back his lips to flash his fangs. They were impressive. Long and lethal, and oddly sexy.
“The vampire,” he warned.
Brigette glanced toward the door leading to the hidden tunnel. “Wait for me out there.”
He frowned. “What are you going to do?”
“I want to talk to Maryam.”
He looked like he wanted to protest, but as the chill in the air thickened, he grudgingly headed out of the office. A second later, the outer door was pressed open, and Maryam stepped inside.
The female looked as elegant as always, with her pale hair pulled into a knot at her nape and a red silk jumpsuit covering her slender body. She looked like she was headed to dinner at some fancy-schmancy restaurant, not running a demon rebellion.