The Archer (The Blood Realm Series Book 3)(145)
“You did.”
The words whispered past Etienne’s lips, the softness in his tone belying the golden light simmering in his eyes. Tension rippled over his body, tightening muscles in minute, almost imperceptible ways. Then he took a step toward Kirill, and there was enough threat in that one movement to make Adonis shift forward a step as well, ready to put himself between the werewolf and the vampire if he had to—again.#p#分页标题#e#
“So what’s your plan then, Kirill? Wait until we help you find the most powerful men and women to bring into this kingdom and then kill us off one by one?” Etienne growled.
Adonis pressed his lips together, smothering the urge to give voice to the thought echoing in his head. If he kills us, he wouldn’t do it one by one. That would give the others warning. He’d strike us all at once.
“I have no intention to kill any of you.” Kirill spoke slowly, clearly, a voice one would use for a feral animal—or a slow child. “I simply wish to be prepared for any possibility that might arise.”
“Like what?” Patricio hadn’t drawn his sword and he didn’t look angry, but there was something in his voice that said that could change if Kirill’s answer was not sufficient. “Killing allies demonstrates a lack of logic that I would not have thought you capable of.”
Adonis sighed. “Etienne, you know Kirill is a strategist. He isn’t happy unless he has a plan for all contingencies. You can’t take this personally.”
“Adonis, for a demon, you really do have a big heart.” Etienne spoke to him without taking his eyes from the vampire, his posture still tense, hovering on the edge of violence. “But I’m afraid in this situation it does you more harm than good. Someday you will have to face the fact that Kirill is not your friend, not really. He’s taken you on as his little apprentice because he wants to use you, wants to let you be the friendly face to his would-be allies who otherwise wouldn’t deal with him at all. As soon as you cease to be useful to him, he’ll turn on you without a second thought.”
“Don’t concern yourself with educating the wolf, Adonis,” Kirill said coldly. “Even your considerable people skills are lost on him.” He met Etienne’s eyes, held them. “If you look at the facts, my dear Etienne, you’ll see that it is not I who is easily roused to aggression. You take every opportunity to threaten me, to make promises of physical violence.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Granted, your threats tend to be the result of hot-headedness as opposed to any well-thought out plan, but then again, you don’t exactly have the mind for the strategy an assassination would require.”
Etienne took another step forward, faster this time, his lip curling back to reveal teeth that were better suited to tearing flesh than speaking.
Dubheasa, who had been watching the entire exchange with dark eyes bright with interest, chose that moment to speak up again. “And what do you think, death god? Does the vampire’s contingency plan offend you?”
Everyone turned to look at Saamal, even Etienne. The god sat in his chair with his usual calm, long fingers wrapped around his glass of red wine. The fireplace behind him couched him in shadow, eating at the edges of his form so it looked like he was a manifestation of the darkness itself. For all the tension that was visible on his face, he might well have been watching close friends debate tomorrow’s weather and what effect it might have on their plans for a picnic. Then his eyes settled on Kirill.
“I find it inspiring that Kirill’s mind for strategy has evolved to such a degree that he’s taken into account the possibility that one of us may someday pose a great threat to this kingdom, enough that it could become necessary to eliminate him permanently. It must have taken a great deal of research to plan for every eventuality.”
Something crawled down Adonis’ spine, not quite a shiver, but something nearly as unpleasant. The way he’d spoken that last line, had held Kirill’s gaze while he said it. The tiniest bit of emphasis on the word “every.”#p#分页标题#e#
He doesn’t believe Kirill has a way to hurt a god, let alone kill one. And he wants Kirill to know he doesn’t believe it. Adonis didn’t look at Kirill, he knew better than that. Looking at him now would be as good as announcing that he too doubted the vampire could offer a challenge to Saamal. Besides, Kirill’s face wouldn’t give anything away. No one could wear an emotionless mask like a dead man.
“I second Adonis’ advice,” Saamal continued, sliding his attention to Etienne and Patricio. “Do not take Kirill’s planning personally. We should not fault him just because he is more willing than most to acknowledge the impossibility of predicting what will be in a man’s heart and mind years down the road.” His eyes lost their shine, swallowing the light until they were the strange pits of shadow that were so terribly unsettling. “People…change.”