Munro (Immortals After Dark #18) by Kresley Cole

            Emberine asked, “Why should we ever ally with you?”

            “Because I’ll pay you.”

            “Pay?” Interest sparked in the sorceress’s fiery eyes. “With what currency?”

            “Death.”

            Emberine laughed. Portia gazed on quizzically.

            “I’ve foreseen your futures,” Nïx said, all playfulness abruptly gone. “Join forces with me, and both of you will probably die in battle.”

            Emberine shared an amused look with Portia, then told Nïx, “Alas, we must decline your gracious invita—”

            “Don’t join forces with me,” Nïx interrupted, “and only one of you certainly will.”

            That would leave the other to live alone for eternity, a fate more terrible than death.

            Portia’s grave gaze met Emberine’s. The ground rumbled beneath their feet; outside, grit fell from the sky like leaden rain. Visible under her pale skin, Emberine’s heart went aflame.

            And Nïx knew she’d just recruited two more.





TWENTY-SIX





            New Orleans, Louisiana





            “Tell me,” Munro said.

            Loa wasn’t an overly dramatic being, and she didn’t mince words. If she said ruin, then that was exactly what she meant. But what alternative did he have?

            The priestess sighed. “Not long ago, a vampire used a wishgiver to turn his human Bride into a day-walking vampire. No death and resurrection necessary.”

            Sign us up! This sounded ideal.

            “A wishgiver, then?” Kereny wore a poker face—even as her heart rate spiked.

            The beat filled his ears, exciting his beast.

            Loa nodded. “It’s called the Ring of Sums, a talisman owned by La Dorada, the Sorceri Queen of Gold and Evil.” Meaning she could control both.

            Not so ideal. When Dorada had attacked an Order installation to reclaim that ring—while Will was a prisoner there—she’d empowered all the evil beings, leaving the good ones weakened.

            Once the installation fell, Will had nearly been raped by a pack of starving succubae. Of all the creatures.

            “How do we get that ring?” Kereny asked, her body vibrating with new tension. She must think it would return her to the past. Which wasn’t possible, even with such a storied talisman.

            Loa answered, “To find it, you must find Dorada. Your best lead is Lothaire, the Enemy of Old. He’s the one who used the ring to turn his human Bride. As far as I know, he saw Dorada last.”

            “Who is Lothaire?” Kereny asked.

            Munro said, “He’s a crazed vampire, possibly the oldest in this realm. He’s known for doing favors in exchange for open-ended vows. He keeps a list of his debtors in an infamous ledger book.”

            Loa shook her head. “No longer. Lothaire surrendered his ledger for one night’s use of the wishgiver. Now Dorada controls everyone in that book.”

            Munro traded a brief glance with Loa. The priestess herself had once run afoul of the Enemy of Old. Her name resided within those pages.

            Loa continued, “The spirits tell me that Dorada has gotten a taste for those vows and will bargain with the ring for one. Since she can already control any evil being in existence, she’ll only consider powerful Loreans who are not evil.”

            “Then I qualify,” Munro said. “Where do I start?”

            “Are you sure about this? I would’ve thought you’d be the last person to make an open-ended deal like that.”

            He’d sworn to himself that he would never be a plaything again, but nothing was more important than Kereny’s survival.

            “Munro, Dorada can make you do whatever she pleases. You’ll gain your wish and forfeit your future.” Loa could speak from experience.