The Blood Boss by Davidson King

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cain

“It’s figuring out how to lure them through the Rappaport Tunnels that will be tricky,” Emil said as we all hovered over a large map of Black Veil.

“Not like you can set the sea on fire to draw them out—they will swim deeper down.” Petru moved back and got the bottle of wine I’d brought up from the cellar.

“We need a reason they’d come out of the water.” Emil held his glass out for Petru to fill.

“What about me?”

All three of us turned at the sound of Jayce’s voice. Thinking he’d be alone, I was surprised to see Sibell beside him.

I wasn’t sure what to address first: his request to be cannon fodder or the fact that the woman who had caused so much shit in both our lives was standing there too. I chose the former.

“No.”

Jayce’s brows shot to his hairline. “No? But it’s brilliant. Not to toot my horn or anything, but I am kinda the one they want.”

“Rogos and Sable won’t approach the shores alone. They never do. And if you only see four others with them, know hundreds of others lurk below,” Sibell offered.

“They’d take Jayce and be gone by the time we could attack.” Emil slapped the map and chugged his wine.

“I don’t plan on fighting them with just the three of us.” Leaning against the table, I decided to explain something to all of them, something no one but I would know.

“There are hundreds of vampires in Black Veil; you are all aware of this. But what you’re not aware of is that my reach extends much farther than here.”

“We’re aware there are vampires scattered throughout the world, Sir,” Emil chuckled.

I sighed and folded my arms across my chest. “One thing about being in charge of Black Veil means being ready for anything. When we came to save humanity from itself, it was with the belief humans might get the upper hand and cause a mess. I had to be sure to have a plan B.”

“And what plan would that be?” Jayce moved closer to me.

“Throughout the world there are thousands of vampires. They reside in all countries, and should I ever need them, they’d come. What do you think Rogos and Sable would do if they came ashore to thousands of vampires?”

“Attack.” Jayce seemed so sure of his answer.

“Probably, but they’d lose. We’re fast and lethal. And if we can strike enough of them down, Rogos and Sable included, before the war rages, we have the best chance.”

“So, you really do need me, then.” Jayce smiled, resting his chin on my forearms, and batting his lashes at me.

“Rogos’s original plan was to brand vampires and kill them, hoping to turn them against you. Without your sigil they can’t do that. They can’t even replicate it. They’re likely devising a new plan, so we need to work fast,” Emil said. “Maybe having Jayce coax them out is a great idea.”

“It’s too dangerous.” I kissed his forehead. “I can’t risk it.”

“You won’t let anything happen to me.”

“I could help.” Sibell stepped deeper into the room. “I was telling Jayce, I can’t make up for the past, I’ll never be able to undo what’s been done, but the future? I have some say in that…We all do.”

“How do you plan to help?” Jayce moved beside me, mirroring my stance as we waited for Sibell to answer.

“The spell I have in mind won’t last longer than thirty minutes, and it’s exact in its measurements. I can make a barrier that will block a portion of the sea and the tunnels. Once Rogos and Sable are out with however many soldiers they bring with them, I can barricade them in, stopping any of the merfolk from rising to their aid should they call for it.”

That was impressive…and lifesaving. “Thirty minutes would be plenty to wipe out whatever soldiers they bring. What would happen if any of Rogos and Sable’s soldiers tried to come to their rescue?”

Sibell smirked. “They’d be eviscerated.”

“And it only lasts thirty minutes?” Jayce asked.

“It’s a powerful spell. In thirty minutes, it can cause devastating damage. My hope is that once any try, they’d see how horrific it is and retreat.”

Emil handed Sibell a glass of wine with a smile. “That might just be the best news I’ve heard all day.”

The two clinked glasses, and each took a sip. Jayce, on the other hand, huffed and pushed off my desk.

“Let me see if I understand any of this. You”—he pointed at me—“have thousands of vampires at your disposal who could already be here in Black Veil, guarding the shores, and they aren’t. And you”—he looked at Sibell—“have had the power to block the sea to do something sooner and never did?”

“Jayce, I have vampires all over, yes, but they have built lives for themselves. I would only call them if absolutely necessary, which appears to be the case currently.”

“Okay, I suppose that makes sense. What about you?” He rose a brow at Sibell.

“Did you miss the part where I said it only lasted thirty minutes?”

“No, I didn’t. But what a huge advantage that could have been in many situations for Cain.”

“Jayce.” She placed her goblet on the table before approaching him. “I can’t do anything about the past. My belief that Cain was a monster was good and settled in my heart. I never even thought to sit down and ask him how I could assist his empire. Why would I?”

“But since I’ve been here?”

She nodded. “Jayce, I’m offering now. Can we not look beyond what happened and focus on what could be?”

“She’s right, Jayce.” I gripped his shoulders, gently pulling his back to my front. “Let’s look ahead here.”

“There is an issue, however.” Sibell sat on the sofa and placed her hands on her lap.

“I’m sure we have more than one, but what are you talking about?” Emil leaned against the wall, giving Sibell his undivided attention.

“I truly believe if this is done correctly, it will be the end of Rogos and Sable’s tyrannous reign. But you should be sure of their following and how loyal they are. If you rid the world of Rogos and Sable only to replace them with a more vicious king and queen of the sea, the entire thing is pointless. And you’ve started a war that will absolutely pull the humans in.”

“If there is unrest in Black Veil, reinforcements of another species will be forced to intervene.” Emil nodded, agreeing with Sibell.

“How do we find out if there could be peace if Rogos and Sable were out of the picture?” Jayce asked, his eyes flickering between us all.

“Are you not the rightful heir to the seas?” Petru shrugged. It seemed obvious to him, as if the title Jayce held settled everything. However, there was another issue.

“But how do we know the merfolk would follow Jayce?”

Sibell sipped her wine, a small smile playing on her face. “When Asherah died, there was great uproar in the seas. It stormed for weeks here—remember that storm over twenty years ago?”

I nodded. Our ships had withstood a difficult time bringing in nutrients: the waves had crashed; lightning had pierced the land; and the thunder had pulsated, causing windows to shatter and trees to fall. I’d had no idea that the storm was a result of Jayce’s parents’ deaths and turmoil in the seas.

“Asherah was very much loved; her death didn’t sit well with many. I think you have some merfolk who still feel that way and would happily follow Jayce if he ruled.”

“Whoa.” Jayce held up his hands, palms out. “First of all, I can’t swim. Seriously, remember the whole part where my folks kept me away from the sea? Yeah, they never taught me how to swim. Second, I can’t breathe underwater. How can I rule creatures from below if I can’t be there with them? And third, I don’t want to rule them.”

“Sometimes we are forced to lead.” I hated having to explain this to him, but it was true.

“Don’t you think someone who knows that life a lot better than I do should lead? I mean, if there are some down there who are loyal and you think would support new leadership, why not ask one of them?”

“You don’t want to take your rightful place?” Petru’s brows furrowed.

“Why is it my rightful place? Because of blood? Why should that ever matter? The one with the most knowledge of the sea should be in charge. That’s not me. I know nothing about them. They were loyal to their queen; they knew her and trusted her. That’s who should lead, someone that inspires that kind of power in them, and that’s not me.”

I stood there listening to Jayce speak, and there was no question—he was more of a leader than anyone I’d ever met. I didn’t want to force this upon him. It had to be something he wanted, and I knew he was right. His blood should not be the deciding factor here; his passion should and currently that was not with the merfolk.

“Then we need to start doing some work and figure out who they all trust down there and if they’d side with us if…when we take out Rogos and Sable.”

Everyone nodded, realizing the discussion of whether Jayce should rule the seas was over. We had a long night ahead of us, but we dug in and built a plan.