“Good for you. He blames me for destroying our pack, so if that’s all—”
“For centuries, the Rebels enjoyed the freedom to live as we please,” Maryam overrode Brigette’s words. “We didn’t have a king, and we didn’t need one.”
Brigette rolled her eyes. A part of her had followed the intruders with the hope they might provide some entertainment. There was only so long a poor female Were could brood alone in the wilderness.
“That’s your point?” Brigette didn’t have to pretend her disappointment.
“In part.”
“I’m rapidly getting bored.” Brigette tightened her fingers on the hilt of the dagger. “And when I’m bored, things die.”
The Were growled, and Maryam hastily lifted her hand in a gesture urging restraint. “You asked me to explain why I’m here. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Brigette was pleased that the two obviously took her warning seriously. They should. She would kill Roban without a second thought.
“You’re not explaining very well,” she warned.
There was a distinct chill in the air, and a hint of fang, as Maryam struggled to contain her irritation.
“As I said, we were all doing fine without a king, and then Chiron betrayed us.”
Brigette arched a brow. “Betrayed?”
“He bent his knee to the new Anasso.”
There was a bite in the female’s tone. As if Chiron had slaughtered babies instead of simply acknowledging Styx as the King of the Vampires.
“So?”
“We’re now under the yoke of a power-hungry despot.”
Brigette released a startled laugh. “Power-hungry despot? That’s a little drama queen, don’t you think?”
The air went from chilly to frigid. Maryam obviously didn’t find any humor in her tragic overreaction.
“It’s the truth.” Her tone was stiff. “I have proof that Styx is plotting to enslave the Rebels.”
Brigette frowned. Over the past centuries, she’d been more or less trapped by the evil Beast who’d threatened to destroy the world. But there had been times when she’d traveled away from her village. And in all those times, she’d never heard anything that would imply that the new Anasso was evil.
Indeed, most of the demon-world had celebrated when the old king had perished and Styx had taken the throne.
“Why would he do that?” Brigette demanded in genuine confusion.
“To punish us.”
“Punish you for what?”
“For being rebels.”
“Hmm.” Styx could have punished the rebels the moment he’d become the Anasso, so why wait? She kept the question to herself. Instead, she turned her attention to Roban. “Why are you here?”
He bared his teeth, but she still had the silver dagger stuck in the center of his chest. “Because we’ve also discovered a plot to enslave the Weres,” he grudgingly answered.
“That’s a lot of enslaving.”
The blue in Maryam’s eyes frosted over. “It’s been done before.”
The leech had a point, Brigette silently acknowledged. Throughout the endless years, there had been countless tyrants who’d used their powers for evil. Including her former mistress.
Still, it all seemed sketchy to Brigette. “Where’s your proof?”
“In Chicago.”
“Convenient.”
“Join us, and I’ll show you.” Maryam stepped closer, holding out a hand. “I swear no harm will come to you.”
Brigette growled. It didn’t matter that her wolf had turned its back on her. She could still do serious damage. Maryam froze before slowly and deliberately taking a step back.
Smart leech.
“What do you want from me?” Brigette demanded.
“There are rumors you have the power to defeat even the Anasso.”
Ah. Brigette felt a ridiculous pang of disappointment. She didn’t know why. The only reason anyone could possibly seek her out was to kill her, or in the hope they could use her evil powers.
Powers that she no longer possessed.
Brigette struggled to keep her expression calm. “Presuming the rumors are true, why would I use my powers to defeat the King of the Vampires?”
It was Roban who answered. “He intends to return the Weres to our prison camp in Italy. We nearly became extinct the last time we were trapped.”
Brigette stifled a yawn. “And?”
The green eyes once again smoldered with the golden power of his wolf. “You don’t care about your people?”
Envy seeped through her like poison. Christ, she missed her animal.
“I massacred my own family. What do you think?” she snapped, preparing to carve out the male’s heart.
Chapter 2
“Brigette, don’t,” Maryam protested, genuine fear in her voice.
In contrast, the male merely glared at her, refusing to react to the dagger that was a breath from puncturing his heart.
“I told you this was a waste of our time, Maryam.”
“It was worth trying.” A tight smile curved the female’s mouth. “I’m sorry you won’t join us,” she told Brigette. “If you’ll release Roban, we’ll leave, and you can return to…” She waved a hand around the village, which was grindingly bleak. “Whatever you were doing before we interrupted you.”
If the leech had threatened her or physically tried to rescue the Were, Brigette would have destroyed them both. End of story. Instead, she found herself plucking the knife out of the male’s heart and stepping back. She half-expected the two to attack her; instead, they turned and started to walk away.
Just like that.
Brigette scowled. She should let them go. She had no interest in their crazy fear that Styx was trying to enslave them. As long as people left her alone, the world could go to hell, right?
Besides, she couldn’t give them what they wanted. Once the evil Beast had been locked back in her dimension, the dark powers had been stripped from Brigette. Now she was just a Were who couldn’t call on her wolf.
Worthless.
“Wait!” she called out.
Maryam halted, glancing over her shoulder. “What?”
Brigette hesitated. She felt as if she was poised on the edge of a knife. Or maybe standing at a crossroads. One decision would turn her life in a different direction. So far, her decisions had been utterly shitty. The first had caused the destruction of her family. The second had left her alone in this grim, desolate place.