He slammed his fist on the desk between us. I’d insisted we go somewhere dry and warm after the showers. Alex lounged in front of the roaring fireplace snickering. “Doran is scaredy scared.”

I smiled at Doran, calm and collected. “Tell me one good reason why this won’t work.”

Doran leaned toward me, hands flat on his desk. “Faris will never take me along with you two.”

Yeah, I’d broken my oath to Faris not to tell anyone. But I’d made Doran swear he would do nothing to stop me, or tell anyone else. At this point, I figured it was worth the risk. I had to find a way to stop both Berget and Faris. Had to find a way to stop Orion’s gang of murderers. I had few illusions the Trolls we wiped out at Dox’s were the only ones present at the death and skinning of the ogres. Much as it had been a release to kill them all.

“He will if he knows you are there to help us, if I make it clear you are going to help me kill the Child Empress.”

Doran slumped, and I waited. I knew this was the best answer; he just didn’t like it. Nope, didn’t like i V a ouesst at all. It would mean going back to the farm to collect a few items, it would mean keeping a secret from Faris long enough to accomplish all the tasks. And right under his nose.

Dangerous? Fucking right it was, but the choices were narrowing and my gut said “go for it.” I was inclined to listen to my instincts; so far they hadn’t proved me wrong.

“So Liam doesn’t know about this little idea of yours?” Doran shifted the conversation, and I knew what he was doing.

“No, he doesn’t, and I still think you would make a far better leader of the vampire nation than either of those two. I have the recipe under my mattress at the farmhouse that tells how to turn you into a full vampire, Doran. It makes so much sense I can’t begin to understand why you wouldn’t do this. All the pieces fit, and you know it. I have to believe it.” Besides, I knew Doran. As a leader of the vampires, he’d work with me. I’d have all the bloodsuckers working as a team—and more importantly, they’d be fighting on my side and against Orion.

He turned his back and leaned his ass against the desk, his voice soft with defeat. “I have an approximation of being human as a Daywalker. I will lose even that if I step fully into the night.”

My shoulders slumped. Maybe it was too much to ask of him. But who else did I trust with that much power and my life? I had read the recipe a few times, and I was pretty sure I knew it by rote, but to be sure, I wanted to grab it. The end result of the process would be me offering my blood into a crucible holding all the other ingredients with only one small addition. After that a vein had to be opened, and then I had to let the new vampire, who had very little control, feed on me. From a main artery. Yup, good times ahead.

“Rylee, I have never wanted to lead. I don’t have it in me.” Doran finally turned to face me, the edges of his eyes tight, his jaw twitching. I took a deep breath and stood.

“If you have another way we can stop them both, and go through with trying to save Berget, tell me.”

Alex sneezed, breaking the silence between us, then mumbled. “Nope. Rylee’s right.”

Doran let out a bitter laugh. “Your Alex is right, you are right. This is probably the best shot we have.”

The soft tread of a footstep turned us both around.

Faris stepped into the office, dressed in black from head to foot. His blue eyes glittered. “Best shot at what?”

Oh, fuck. Doran moved beside me. “I took some of her blood, and saw the oaths you put on her.”

I stiffened, as did Faris. The vampire didn’t move, but I felt him gathering himself. Doran didn’t rush, though, and in that moment I knew I’d chosen right. He would be the best leader for the vampires, better than either Faris or Berget. That was, if my plan worked.

“I’m going to help her kill Berget. The little bitch thinks I’m still in her thrall, so I can get closer than either you or Rylee.”

Faris lifted his head ever so slightly, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his fanged head. “You won’t try and stop me? Or Rylee?”

Doran lifted his hand and placed it over his heart. “I swore an oath to her that I would not interfere, other than to help kill the Child Empress.”

Faris turned his gaze on me. He blinked several times and a slow smile slipped across his lips. “While not exactly what I imagined you wearing, the dress is much preferable to your usual jeans and a t-shirt. You will stay in it while we work together.”

d y"18" align="justify">Son of a bitch, he had to show up when I was in a dress Milly would balk at wearing. Nothing to be done about it now, or at least, not right at that moment.

I eyed the window; the shades were drawn and zero sunlight coming through.

Faris snapped his fingers at me, drawing my attention back to him. “If the shadows are deep enough—and the Daywalker here has made sure of it so he can entertain his previous masters—I can move around, Tracker. I see you eyeing the window as if to take the blinds off. I assure you, if I burn, I will take you with me.”

I frowned and had to force myself not to cross my arms, which would have accentuated the bare skin underneath the sheer cut out.

“What are you doing here, Faris?”

He smiled. “Things have sped up, in a way I cannot control. Our seer has claimed the new leader must be crowned on the night of the equinox. I need to take you with me now.”

I shook my head and sat back down. “Oh, no. I made an oath and it involved seven days, not right now.”

Alex slunk to my side and stuffed himself under the desk away from Faris, muttering under his breath, and chattering his teeth in between curse words. Their last encounter had not left the werewolf exactly trusting of the vampire. Being strangled tends to do that to a relationship.

Faris let out a low laugh, and I heard the pleasure in it. He was enjoying this. “Rylee, you can bring Doran, I’ll allow that, but only if you come with me now. Right this second.”

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe around the anger. Liam would think I’d run off and left them high and dry. Shit, shit, shit.

My mind worked frantically to find a way around this, but there was nothing. Doran cleared his throat. “I have to put a few things together. Rylee, you can give me a hand.”

I snapped my fingers at Alex, who all but leapt up, and the three of us filed out of the room past Faris, each step I took reminding me it hadn’t been long since I’d tackled more trolls than I could count.