Page 121 of The Prince's Curse

“I was bluffing based on that smile, but thank you for confirming,” Paris said, brows arching. Another day, he might have kept teasing, but his wry smile faded quickly. “What’s the play with Eslinger?”

“We ask him to give up Armina.”

“In exchange for…”

“We appeal to his sense of decency,” Julian said, skimming over the daily report Olivia had sent him.

Slumping into the other chair, Paris let out a derisive snort. “You think he has a sense of decency after he fucking firebombed us?”

“I think it’s worth a shot,” Julian said. “I want to talk to Jonas before we call. He may have some insight on how to appeal to Eslinger. In the meantime, update me on the safehouses.”

Paris shook his head. “There’s nothing. We investigated them all, and they’re empty. We checked the Charlotte house and found that someone had been there recently, but it had been hours. I have to assume Armina is smart enough not to go back to a place that Kova knows.” He glanced at his watch. “I hate to say it, but we may be screwed.”

“Hopefully not,” Julian said. They spent half an hour discussing other impending issues, though it was hard to focus between his worries for Scarlett and his dread at what Armina Voss was up to.

His mood worsened when he saw the first note on their agenda—rebuilding a clinic for Rhys. There was still no sign of their lost brother. Misha was still working on ideas, but he’d put them aside to help Shoshanna with Scarlett’s curse.

There was also the matter of rebuilding their network of veravin. Some had been attacked by Carrigan Shea, and while most had survived, they wanted no part of vampire life after that. Several had also been turned over the last few months to bolster the Durendal’s numbers. Now they had to carefully find new willing donors who were healthy enough to give blood and discreet enough not to destroy their carefully constructed veil of secrecy.They’d been interviewing candidates who had been shared by the Sanguine Crown, with plans to bring them in after they had dealt with Armina Voss. It was tedious work, but he liked the idea of returning to normal.

Forty-five minutes after he arrived at the compound, Julian’s phone rang with a call from Jonas Wynn.When he blurted, “It’s him,” Paris came running back into his office.

“Hi,” Jonas said, his voice still rough over the speaker. “Olivia said you wanted to talk to me.”

“Forgive me for skipping the pleasantries. Rachel’s been updating us, and I hope you’re feeling well enough,” Julian said, leaning forward in his chair as if Jonas could see him. “I’m calling for your advice on speaking to Jack Eslinger. He’s agreed to take a call. “

Jonas was quiet for a while. “You’re planning to ask him for help?”

“I’m planning to ask him where Armina Voss is, and maybe to make her stand down. Is there any chance I can appeal to his sense of morality?”

“These days, I think Jack cares more about winning than morality,” Jonas said quietly. “As did I, until all of this happened. He had some choice words for me when I told him I was staying with my daughter.”

“Based on what you know of him, is he planning to attack us again?” Paris asked.

“It’s possible. Losing me and Kristina was a serious blow. The Shieldsmen lost a fair number of hunters to you and Shea over the last year,” Jonas said. “I’m sure he’s tired of losing.”

“To be fair, we turned Henry and Thomas,” Paris said. “We could have sent you their heads in a bag.”

“My gratitude is overflowing,” Jonas said drily. “I don’t think he’d attack anytime soon, though I’d also consider the possibility that he’ll interpret you asking for his help as a sign of desperation and weakness. He might realize that this is the time to attack.”

“And you can’t convince him that we’re different?” Julian asking, hating the pleading edge in his voice.

Jonas chuckled. “Jack doesn’t care. They didn’t care two hundred years ago, and they don’t care now.”

“And would he care if he knew his favorite witch was using enthralled vampires to do her bidding?”

“Possibly,” Jonas said. “But not likely. Armina doesn’t answer to Jack, and he doesn’t answer to her. They help each other when it’s mutually beneficial. It might make him distrust her, but it’s not going to bring him to your side.” He sighed. “I wish I had better news for you.”

“What about her manipulating the hunters? Scarlett said she’d put some kind of spell on the woman—Marlee, I think,” Julian added.

Jonas was quiet for a moment. “Maybe. But even then, I wouldn’t count on it. Jack is focused on winning, regardless of the cost. I should know, because I was the same for a long time.”

“You think you could talk to him for us?” Paris asked.

At that, Jonas laughed bitterly. “I’m dead to him.Your chances are as good as mine, if not better. Good luck.”

An hour later, he finally pulled the trigger and had Olivia make the call for him. Paris settled into the leather chair across from him, fingers dancing across the wood surface of the desk. He caught himself and folded his hands, staring evenly at Julian.

As the call connected, Julian settled into his seat, staring at the loading screen on the laptop. When the screen activated, he saw an older man with salt and pepper hair. Without his sense of smell, he couldn’t be sure, but he suspected Jack Eslinger was dhampir. The office around him was nondescript, with plain bookshelves and white walls that could have been in any thousands of offices around the world. No pictures to identify him. Smart man.

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