“Horde King,” he said as he finally tore his eyes from me and looked right at Ryder. His eyes came back to me and I felt the hair at the back of my neck stand up.
“Demon King,” Ryder acknowledged.
“Who the fuck is he?” I asked on our shared mental path.
“Lucifer’s right hand man,” Ryder grumbled. “If Lucifer didn’t run Hell, Lucian would, or at least that’s what they say. He owns and runs the sex clubs on the West Coast. He isn’t afraid of anything. Don’t piss him off; he has no morals and no fear, Synthia. He is death in raw form. No one knows what he actually is, or who his parents are. My father didn’t even deal with him or his people because of the rumors that surround him.”
“And Vlad called him in, why?”
“Because he owed him a favor, and if you have someone like Lucian in your corner, you use him.”
“You mentioned rumors?”
“He barters in souls. It made us think Demon, but he doesn’t drain or eat them like soul-seeking Demons do. He sells them.”
“How did I not know about him?” I asked with worry.
“Because I didn’t want your kind to,” Lucian rumbled as he continued to watch me. “Your soul is tinged with red, why? How many innocents have you slain?”
“That’s none of your concern,” I said with a glare. “My soul isn’t why you’re here, and it’s not your problem, now is it?” I was disturbed he could actually tell from my soul that I’d killed people.
“It is if I make it my problem,” he said with a harsh tone. “Lucky for you, I’m not interested. Now,” he said dismissing me as he turned back to Vlad. “You’re sure you want to call in that favor for them?”
“I am,” Vlad said as he pulled a bottle of fifty year old scotch off the top shelf. “You said you owed me, and I’m collecting. The Seattle Guild is accusing Synthia and her uncle of attacking and bombing the Spokane Guild.”
“And I should give a fuck, why?” Lucian asked as he took the glass and tipped the contents down his throat without blinking.
“You shouldn’t, but I do,” Vlad said as he refilled the glass.
“I don’t understand you, Vampire. That caring thing you do is a weakness. Kill it. If you can’t fuck it, eat it, or sell it, fucking destroy it.” I almost snorted with his version of the lyrics from the Carnivore song Sex and Violence.
“You sure he isn’t your long lost twin?” I asked Ryder.
“I’m sure,” Ryder said ignoring Lucian as he took a sip of his drink.
“Are we going to do this or just sit around stroking egos all day?” Lucian asked as he stood up and turned to the men who stood behind him. “Gear up, now.”
“Full metal jackets or armor piercing rounds?” his man asked, and I took him in slowly. He was taller than Vlad, easily reaching six feet and a couple of generous inches. His black hair was spiked and he had small gauges in his ears; his eyes were a lighter blue, and cold. It was the only way to describe him. Cold, and malignant; the entire group of them radiated death from their pores.
“Ask the Vampire. I’m just here to kill shit,” Lucian said as he turned his eyes back on me.