Page 77 of The Devil's Waltz

He shrugs. “More or less.”

I arch a brow. “Which is it?”

“Hmm…less at the moment.”

Before I can respond, the waiter stops at our table.

Blake orders a bourbon while I opt for a scotch.

Once the waiter is gone, I say, “Have you heard any recent chatter about the crown?”

Blake inclines his head. “Whispers here and there. Nothing all that concerning, though, considering who it’s coming from.”

“I think it’s more widespread than you know. Lucia’s concerned, which is the reason behind her moving up the timeline with Camille and the hunters.”

“And that has to do with following your human to New York, how?”

“Part of my mother’s plan is to have Camille double-cross her parents.Myplan is to have her double-cross Lucia.”

Blake nods, mulling it over. “When did you decide this?”

I press my lips together, pausing when the waiter drops off our drinks, then say, “I was initially resigned to following in Lucia’s plan to destroy the hunters. I vowed it would be the very last thing I’d do for her and then I would disappear.”

He blinks at me, hiding the shock on his face by swallowing a mouthful of his drink. He sucks in air through his teeth. “What—and I cannot stress this enough—the fuck?”

I chuckle, but it lacks any humor. “I wouldn’t go anywhere without you, so you can relax. It doesn’t matter now regardless, because it’s not going to happen.”

“You leaving, or Lucia destroying the hunters?”

I take a drink of my scotch before answering, “Neither.”

His brows lift. “How do you figure?”

Taking a quick look around, I lower my voice even further. “There’s a growing number of demons—especially ones who have been around a long time—that are becoming increasingly wary of her reign. I think this idea that she’ll be able to eradicate the hunters, thus eliminating the biggest threat to our kind, is seen differently by most than how she sees it.”

“It seems more like a power move than protecting her people to me.”

“Exactly. And many agree.”

Blake leans back in his chair. “Well, shit. Doessheknow that? I mean, she has to, right?”

I offer him a look.

“Of course she does,” he says, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “I guess her paranoia of being overthrown has manifested into reality, huh?”

“Hmm.” I take another drink. “Seems like it.”

“Okay,” Blake says before emptying his glass and slamming it on the table, earning a few looks from surrounding tables. “So, what’s our plan?”

TWENTY-TWOCAMILLE

Dad, unsurprisingly, got called into the academy on his day off. Which leaves me alone in his condo. I spent the morning reorganizing his bookshelves and watering the few plants he has. By lunchtime I realize I haven’t eaten, so I shuffle into the kitchen, still in my sleep shorts and tank top. Once I’ve pulled a few items out of the fridge to make an omelette, I call Harper on speaker so I can cook and talk at the same time.

“Heyyy,” she sings into the phone. “How’s NYC?”

“It’s—” I take a few seconds to craft an answer as I pull a knife from the block on the counter and find a cutting board to chop the peppers. “It’s been interesting.”

“Wait, really? You’ve been there for a day. What happened?”

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