Everybody was at work on time — I had texted them the night before as well, asking them to make certain they made it to work by eight.

  Sophia had ordered in a selection of pastries, croissants, and savory breakfast foods. While I was still full from breakfast, I couldn’t resist maple bars. I settled at the breakroom table, waiting for everyone else to assemble. Penn set to my right, and Dante came in and sat to my left. After a few moments, Sophia, Orik, and Carson joined us. I asked Carson to bring up a Meet-Me room and get Lazenti online.

  Seton and Devon arrived a couple moments later, and Sophia escorted them back to the breakroom. Once we were all there, I took a deep breath and began.

  “I met with my father and brother last night. I have to tell you, we’re facing challenges that I really didn’t expect. In fact, nothing is as we thought.” I sighed, trying to figure out the best way to begin. “I guess I should just start with the fact that my father isn’t here to take over Seattle. I thought he was, but now I don’t. The facts are—and yes, this is according to Ezerian and Vaurice—they’re here to prevent an even worse demonic takeover. I found out exactly what Brim Fire’s agenda is.”

  Seton and Devon stared at me, their eyes wide, while the others began to speak all at once.

  “I thought we already knew what Brim Fire wanted,” Seton said.

  “We had an idea, but now I know exactly what they’re going after. They weren’t the ones that summoned my father in, nor does he think much of them other than that they’re a bunch of idiots. My father and brother were sent here to counter them, and apparently there are other members of the Demonkin realm in other countries doing the same thing.”

  I pulled out a page of notes I’d written up this morning, so I didn’t forget anything.

  “Okay, let’s have it,” Dante said.

  “Brim Fire is targeting the Elder Gallara, seeking to open the door for them to come in. They’re focusing on Tiamat’s children. They truly are aiming toward unleashing chaos into this world, and apparently they believe that the Gallara will set them up as nobility over what remains of humankind.” I sat back, waiting for their responses.

  “No,” Penn said. “Can they be that stupid?”

  “Apparently so. None of the Demonkin in the UnderRealms wants this any more than we do. Ezerian told me that should Brim Fire manage to accomplish this, then the UnderRealms are in danger next. The Elder Gallara are ruthless and chaotic, and they would destroy the Arosiens and the other demon clans just as quickly as they’d destroy humankind and the Supe community. My father’s here to help save our world, not destroy it.”

  Everybody sat silent for a moment. Carson and Dante looked hesitant. Seton shook his head, looking surprised. Penn let out a little groan.

  After another moment, Devon leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. “And you believe them? That’s not a sarcastic statement, by the way. It’s an actual question.”

  “I am cautious, but in my gut, I do believe them. When Ezerian talked about Tiamat and her mate, a wave of fear ran through me, the kind that comes only when you realize you’re facing a very real situation. I don’t think I’d have that reaction if it wasn’t true. That’s why he wants to take over the Underground—not to keep it, but to work there. Because Mayor Bixby believes him, and is planning on working with him. The rest of the state government is blowing him off. He approached them and they rejected him. If Brim Fire can pull this off…”

  “Then the world is fucked. And you say your father thinks the organization’s a—” Penn trailed off, looking uncertain as to how to finish her sentence.

  “My father and my brother both feel that Brim Fire’s made up of a bunch of idiots. And when I think about it, the demons that they’ve actually managed to summon are from the Suboni—not the ruling families in the UnderRealms.”

  “So, you suggest we work with your father?” Carson asked.

  “Well, everything he said makes sense,” I said.

  “And you believe he’s here to help?” Sophia asked.

  I understood why they were asking me questions. They had to make certain I wasn’t falling for a line. But the more they asked, the more certain I became.

  “Yes. Well, he also wanted to meet me, but that has nothing to do with Brim Fire.”

  “How did he find out about you?” Dante asked.

  “Apparently a friend of his saw me some months ago and took a picture of me, he saw such a resemblance. He showed the picture to Ezerian, and right then, my father knew that he had a daughter over here. I guess Erin was his only tryst here.”

  I stared at the table, debating how much to tell them. “I gather he offered my mother the chance to go back to the UnderRealms with him, but was honest. He told her that she’d never be able to marry him there. So, she said no. And after he left, she found out she was pregnant and decided to cut off her past to keep me a secret.”

  “Well, that’s…wow.” Penn paused, then added, “What about your brother?”

  “Vaurice is part incubus. His mother was a succubus, married to Ezerian, but she died. Penn, I hate to say this but you have to be careful. Vaurice seems to be fixated on you.”

  Penn snorted. “I have no intention on dating your brother. Or fucking him either. He sets me on edge. While I actually believe what they’re telling you, the truth is that I don’t trust your brother any further than I could throw him. I think he likes to stir the pot.”

  “I know he likes to stir the pot,” I said. “My father just about smacked him last night. But leaving that aside, what do you all think? Do you think I’m deluding myself? I went there, feeling antagonistic. I came away feeling like they’re offering us a potential lifeline. And I don’t easily change my mind like that.”

  “I think you’re right,” Seton said after a moment. “I think Brim Fire is focused on the Elder Gallara. That hadn’t even crossed my mind as a possibility until you mentioned it.”

  “What are they?” Penn asked.

  Seton cleared his throat. “The Elder Gallara are sleeping, deep in El’ishemach, with their mother and father. Primordial chaos is the most powerful force there is, stronger than any other, because the universe was birthed out of that chaos. It’s more powerful than good or evil, far more powerful than any emotion like love or hate. Primordial chaos is focused only on its own growth, and the growth of its minions. The denizens who inhabit that realm care only for themselves. They’re the perfect narcissists. There’s no reasoning, no compassion, simply the will to expand and grow.”

  “So, how much do we tell Ezerian?” Orik asked. “I can believe their story, because the great serpent Jörmungandr comes from that same foggy soup. In fact, Ragnarok is the final war of chaos versus order. Very much like a foretelling of the Elder Gallara versus our world.”

  “Well, that leads to my second piece of news. Ezerian insists on meeting you all, because they do believe that I’m working with them. They wanted to meet my staff. We have to make decisions before then as to what we’ll tell them. They’ll be here at ten tomorrow.”

  As I sat back, the others began to talk—arguing some points, agreeing on others. I remained silent, staring at my notes, wondering where we were going to go from here.

  After a little while, I went on to explain what I found out about the vampire situation.

  “They have nothing against vampires. What is the problem is that they need the Underground from which to run their operations. If Saturn agrees to temporarily vacate, they’ll stop their attacks on the vampires, and when they’re done, they’ll cede the Underground back to the vampire coalition.”

  Lazenti let out a sigh. “But why do we have to be the one to give way? Isn’t there anywhere else they can set up their operations?”

  “We can ask them tomorrow,” I said. “But I want to meet with Saturn this afternoon. I want to give him this information and hopefully prevent any skirmishes from breaking out. I think they’re trying to stay out of sight of the government, because—other than the mayor—I don’t think they’re going to have much luck in convincing our government that they have decent intentions. Granted, they don’t want the Elder Gallara coming through into their realms and it’s probably easier to stop them from here. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say.”

  “I’ll call Saturn and see if he can meet with you this afternoon,” Lazenti said. “We’ve developed a rapport, and maybe I can help convince him that this isn’t an attempt who wipe out all the vampires.”

  “Okay. We give them an opportunity to talk to us tomorrow. But remember—I’m supposed to have been working with them these past weeks. Don’t give me away.”

  After everyone had agreed to be on their best behavior, Carson changed the subject.

  “I got bored and decided to take another look at the Give A Hands Up organization. This time I found more information. I went deep into the dark web, and followed the trail back to when Efrain Appleberry ran the original organization. This was when it was first opened as the Jobs Coalition, which eventually turned into the Community Contributes. When I dug into the history of Efrain on the dark web, I found a great deal of disturbing information.” He hit send on his tablet, and all of our inboxes pinged as his email arrived. “This is for your records.”

  I opened the email and found myself staring at a list of facts that proved damning for Efrain and his organization. “Slave trade? Really?”

  It wasn’t that I was surprised, but it always startled me when I saw the seedy underbelly of supposedly good organizations.

  “Oh, it’s a tangled web,” Carson said. “Apparently Efrain was into a covert slave trade ring. Job Coalition was responsible for kidnapping and selling members of the Supe community.”

  “Selling to who, and for what?” Sophia asked.

  “Everything from the sex trade to organized fight rings who wanted to see whether a bear shifter could take a wolf shifter. They forced them into their natural forms and made them fight. Most of the women were auctioned off as exotic prostitutes and kept captive until they either died from abuse, or killed themselves. It’s an extremely ugly string of events. I didn’t list everything there, but trust me—Efrain deserved to hang for what he did. In fact, that would be too good for him. Luckily, someone found out and Efrain Appleberry was killed by a shifter woman’s family. His son took over and for a while ran it just like his father had. There were worldwide traders in this group, but when the law began to enact rights for the Supe community, they were forced to disband.”

  “What happened when they changed their name to Community Contributes?” Orik asked.

  “That began a period where the Appleberry family switched over to monetary schemes and financial scams. During World War II, they changed their name again, and began profiteering on black-market goods. I’m not sure exactly how they kept up the front of being a philanthropic organization, but they managed it.”

  “They did a good job, but we all know that a number of supposedly philanthropic groups are often fronts for scams. What about the current day?” I asked.

  “As we knew before, the organization changed names a number of times, and each time it was for a new scam. But most recently, James Appleberry took over and renamed it Give A Hands Up. And he aimed the organization toward homeless veterans. Again, we’re not sure exactly what they’re doing this time, though we know they’re making use of the portals. Efrain Appleberry also made use of the portals to move slaves around.”

  As we digested the information, Lazenti returned from his phone call. “Saturn will meet with you at two this afternoon.”

  “Where should we meet him?” I asked.

  “He’ll text you the address. He’s still in the underground, although he’s hiding out because he knows the Demonkin are looking for him.” Lazenti shrugged. “I promised him that you wouldn’t tell them where he is. You have to keep that promise.”

  “I will. If worse comes to worse we can set up a Meet-Me meeting between Saturn and my father. After we meet with Saturn, Dante and I need to go talk to Benny and his friend Dan-Dan. As for Give A Hand Up, somebody needs to put a stop to that organization for good.”

  As we ended the meeting, I glanced over at Dante and Orik. “I’d love to take you along with us, Orik, but you stand out way too much. Dante and I are going to have to go on our own.”

  “That’s fine,” Orik said. “I have plenty to do here.”

  “Good. Let’s get some work done and then Dante and I will take off at around one thirty. Sophia, can you order in lunch for everyone?

  She nodded. “Ivar’s sound good?”

  “Fish and chips sounds good to me,” Carson said.

  We put in our orders with Sophia and then headed to our offices to get some work done. Penn followed me.

  “So your father is actually trying to help us?” She asked.

  I nodded. “I trust him, as stupid as that sounds. I know it’s not logical but —”

  “No, it is.” She said “I know the story does sound unbelievable but truthfully? Brim Fire’s full of stupidity. They don’t run on logic. They don’t like order, and that leads to chaos within the governing body as well. To be honest, I believe your father, too. I do want to meet him tomorrow, though I’m not looking forward to talking to Vaurice. But I think we may just have figured out what Brim Fire is actually doing, and if the Demonkin can help us prevent it? So much the better.”

  And with that, it seemed we had decided on a course of action.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Dante and I pulled up into the parking lot near a private entrance to the Underground. It also served as a parking lot for a tiny strip mall, so we wouldn’t look out of place parking here. Dante drove this time, because I wanted time to think.

  “Well, we’re here. What do you think Saturn’s going to say?” Dante asked, turning off the ignition. He stared at the strip mall in front of us. The usual array—coffeeshop, fabric store, exercise studio, and dollar store. “You want coffee before we head down?”

  I shook my head. “No, not right now. I juiced myself up on caffeine so much this morning that I’m still wired. I was anxious about how you all would react to my news.”

  “I trust your instincts,” he said. “But it sure throws everything we thought we knew off base. When the bad guys turn out to be the antiheroes, well…it takes time to make that turnaround in your head, doesn’t it?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I’m trying to keep my two worlds separate, but they appear to be drifting closer and closer, and there doesn’t seem anything I can do to prevent it.” I stared out the window. “I can hardly wait for autumn and the rains. The light’s too harsh, too bright.”

  “You’re tired, aren’t you?” Dante asked. “You sound…not defeated, but like you need a vacation.”

  “Maybe I do. Maybe I’ve had too many changes this year. I love Penn, and I love having her as a roommate, but it’s been an adjustment. Mostly pleasant, though. And then meeting Konstantine and learning more about my mother—I thought that chapter of my life was wrapped up once Jace died. Now, it’s wide open again. And now, meeting my father and brother… Dante, there’s something I didn’t tell anybody else yet. Something I learned from Ezerian.”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “There’s a ritual that can strip away my human side and turn me fully into a demon.” I stared at the dashboard, not sure why I told him. I wasn’t going to go through with it, but the fact that it even existed left me speechless. And wondering what it would be like.

  Dante closed his door again, turning to face me. “What?”

  I told him about the conversation. “What do you think?”

  “You can’t be serious. You aren’t considering that, are you?” Dante looked frightened, which surprised me.

  “You know me better than that,” I said. “I admit, it would be nice to feel whole, to feel like I only have one heritage, like you do. But I don’t want to lose the ties to my mother. I love having her blood in my veins. She helped make me who I am, and even though she didn’t always make the best decisions, she did what she could.” I shrugged. “So, don’t worry. I have no plans on trading in my mixed blood to become a full demon.”

  Dante winced. “I’m sorry. I just panicked. Okay, what I think, is obvious, given my reaction. I think it would be a huge mistake for you to go that route. If your father asks you to do that, it’s time to part ways.”

  “He scares me, he’s so strong and so determined. But I don’t think he’d ask me to change who I am. Not unless something huge happens. Okay, let’s go see Saturn, and let’s hope that he listens to reason.” I motioned for Dante to follow me and we headed toward the shaded entrance.

  Saturn was waiting for us on the fourth level of the Underground, hidden away in a secret bunker that, so far, my father hadn’t discovered. He welcomed us in, looking as pale as a vampire could. As we settled on the sofa, I dreaded trying to convince him that my father wasn’t out to stake the entire vampire population.

  But he surprised me. “I received a message from Lord Ezerian. He’s asked to meet to discuss a truce.”

  My father was a fast worker, that was for sure. I hadn’t expected him to reach out already.

  “Please hear him out,” I said. “It’s not what you think. I urge you to work with him. You’ll prevent a lot of needless heartache and death. I met with him last night. I’m the last person to trust him but, I do. We can work with him toward a greater threat, or fight him and all go down.”

  Saturn stared at me. “You’re serious?”

  “I’m deadly serious. And deadly is the operative word. If I tell you everything, will you please keep it under wraps unless I tell you its safe to reveal?”