The television clicked off.

“So sick,” Jay said. “What’s in Apollo? Nobody knows, Cee Cee.”

She knew. It was a mineral mined in Russia that had several names, and her people called in planekite. It stole the power of witches and ultimately killed them, and now it was part of a designer drug that gave witchly power to humans before incinerating their internal organs. “I don’t know what’s in it,” she lied.

He flicked off the television. “The bouncer ends up carrying them outside, where there’s no camera. The bodies haven’t been found yet.”

That figured. “Track down the bodies and make sure they get a proper burial, and make sure their families are notified, if they have families.”

Jay cleared his throat. “You’ll contact the king?”

“Yes.” She glanced at her watch, her heart aching for those poor, stupid girls. Youth made mistakes, but they shouldn’t be deadly, damn it. “Finish the job here, lie low for two weeks, and then show up at Realm headquarters. Dage will be waiting with open arms.” That would give her enough time to get her job done before anybody figured out what she was doing.

“Thank you,” Jay whispered, the gratitude on his rugged face sweet and kind of sad.

“You’re welcome,” she said, wanting nothing more than to give the kid a hug. But now she had a plane to catch and a pissed-off male witch to escape. With a sigh, she turned and headed back into the cool Seattle night for the next part of her grand plan of revenge and death. Then, finally, she could rest.

Time started to tick by as Daire fought to regain control of his body on the smooth tile floor. His other hand unclenched. Then tingles cascaded up his legs. If he could just get—

The door opened.

Fuck.

A second clicked, and then two well-trained bodies launched into motion. One jumped over him, green gun out, scouting the empty penthouse. The other hauled him up by the armpits, all two hundred fifty pounds of him, and shoved him onto a brocade chair by the entrance.

Garrett Kayrs, nephew to the vampire king, kept Daire from falling over and peered into his eyes. “Do we need backup?”

Daire shook his head and forced out a word. “No.” It was bad enough the two young soldiers had found him. But better them than his brothers. He’d never live down one of them finding him helpless on his own damn floor.

Garrett’s metallic gray eyes narrowed, and his massive shoulders rolled back. For a vampire only in his early twenties, he’d settled into command mode incredibly quickly.

Logan Kyllwood jogged back into view, rubbing his crew-cut hair. “Condo is clear.”

Daire swallowed, and the taste of sulfur burned down his throat. Whatever had been in the syringe had been created to take down an immortal, more specifically, a witch. “I’m fine.”

Logan snorted, his lighter green eyes twinkling. Coming from a vampire and demon hybrid, it sounded more like a call for war. His square jaw was all demon, while the sharp angles of his cheekbones were all vampire, making for a predatory combination. “Dude. You are not fine.”

Had the fucking demon just called him dude? God save him from soldiers two decades old. Yet as much as he tried, he couldn’t help liking the two young males, even though they were slobs who kept violating the order of his condo. One a vampire, one a demon. Man, had humans gotten them wrong. Vamps could go into the sun, and demons had nothing to do with hell. They were just two different species on earth, like witches. But the smartass comments needed to stop.

Daire cleared his throat, finally able to move his mouth. “What was taken?” He’d heard Cee Cee rummage through his place, and his gut clenched.

Logan grimaced. “Your office looks like a pack of feline shifters went through it, and it’s gonna drive you crazy, believe me. A lot of papers everywhere, and the drawer on mine holdings is almost empty. Any files pertaining to Russia, Norway, and Canada.”

Daire breathed out. Oh, she had not taken those. Who the fuck was that woman? He stretched his ankles, and spikes of needles pricked through them. “Is that all?”

“No. It looks like Simone’s penthouse was also ransacked.” Logan shook his head. “Boy, is she gonna be pissed.”

Simone? As a member of the Council of the Coven Nine, the ruling body for the witch nation, Simone surely had confidential papers at her penthouse, which was adjacent to Daire’s. He tried to grasp on to reality. “Go get the video surveillance for the building. Now.”

Logan nodded and sped out the door.

Garrett released Daire and sat back. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Coven business.” As an enforcer for the witch world, he could claim privacy from the vampire. “How was hunting?”

Garrett studied him, almost too much knowledge on his young face. More and more, every day, he was starting to look like his father, badass Talen Kayrs. Talen was one of the most dangerous vampire soldiers Daire had ever met, and that was saying something.

Garrett and Logan were undercover as prospective members of the Titans of Fire Motorcycle Club and had been scouting Seattle bars all night for a lead on the drug they were all investigating. The idea of the two soldiers, who had seen real war and death, fighting to be included in a human motorcycle club was silly at best. But they had been doing a good job getting information about the drug, and Daire had actually enjoyed having the kids around, even if they did mess up his normally ordered life.

Garrett shook his head. “No new Intel tonight from the bars we frequented. The dealers are getting sneakier.”

Daire tried to clear the numbness in his head. “Are the cameras at Fire operational?”

“No. We disabled them weeks ago, not wanting Logan or me caught on surveillance.”

Aye. At the time, Daire had agreed with the decision. “Those papers hold the locations of every planekite mine on earth as well as the deeds we hold.” He purposely kept all information off computers, which could be hacked, because, hey, he was a hardass enforcer who could protect paper. Well, except from one very tiny blond, enhanced human. Fuck, shit, and double-damn fuck. “I can’t believe this.” He wiped his forehead, his hand shaking.

Garrett swallowed. “Um, were there a bunch of them? The ones who took you out?”

“No. One woman with a syringe knocked me on my ass.” One woman.

Garrett’s eyebrows rose in his hard-cut face. “A woman?”

Daire growled. “Yes. Very pretty.”

Garrett pressed his lips together, and his gray eyes lightened to a sparkling silver.

“If you laugh, I’m going to throw you out the window,” Daire snapped. A ten-story fall would teach the young vampire a lesson.

Garrett’s mouth twitched, and he cleared his throat.

Logan shoved his way back inside the door. “The surveillance system was knocked out all night. No videos.”

“Smart woman,” Garrett coughed.

Logan glanced down at his buddy, who was still crouched beside Daire. “Woman?”

Garrett stood and took a step away from Daire. “Yes. A woman with a mighty syringe.”

Logan stood straighter, a frown drawing down his dark eyebrows. “Shifter or witch?”

“No.” Daire planted a hand on the wall and shoved himself to his feet. He would’ve recognized a witch, and he hadn’t gotten any hint of shifter from her. Vampires were male only, and demons gave out stronger vibes than any other species. Plus, ninety percent of the demon nation was male, and a female would never be out on her own like that. “Enhanced human.”

Logan’s mouth dropped open.

“Shut up,” Daire growled. “She was beautiful, and it has been a while.” Could he sound any more like a dumbass? “If you two tell anybody, and I mean anybody, I’ll cut off your heads myself.”

The kids shuffled their feet. Garrett was no doubt under orders to report anything and everything to his uncle Dage, the king of vampires. Logan was probably similarly under orders to report all progress to his brother, Zane Kyllwood, the leader of the demon nation.