Page 25 of Bishop's Flight
“Agnes or Rose?”
“Neither, though it’s amusing that you think they would interest me.”
Lucas felt oddly offended on behalf of Agnes and Rose. “So you needed to kidnap me so you could spend time with your enemy?” Lucas scoffed. “That’s dumb. Who wants to spend time with their enemy?”
“You think I’m dumb?” Zasha was amused again. “I try to think of it as quality time with someone new and intriguing.”
“You couldn’t just ask them to be friends or something?”
They curled their lip. “It’s just not as fun to be friends with someone. Much more entertaining to be enemies.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I was probably twisted at a young age by trauma; then my vampire mate was killed.” Zasha blinked their large black eyes. “I suppose I became less… civilized after that.”
“Both of those sound like a you problem, not a me problem. You should find a good therapist and let me go.”
Zasha smiled. “I know it’s bravado because I can hear your heart and smell your fear, but I am intensely amused by you. Maybe I’ll keep you after all. You could be Angel’s companion.”
He blinked.
“Oh! You hadn’t realized that she was the one who led you to me?” Zasha smiled. “She’s quite besotted with me, you know.”
“Angel’s your pet?”
“She enjoys my bite.” Zasha smiled widely, running their tongue along one fang. “An amusing little thing. I think she’s somewhat fond of you.”
Lucas couldn’t stop his face from burning.
“She went on and on about how you like chess, which she found peculiar but I find interesting. Young humans usually don’t appreciate war games unless they’re on a screen and they can blast things with pretend guns.”
Lucas wanted a real gun. So much. He would aim for Zasha’s head like Miguel had taught him.
“Shall I get you a chessboard?” Zasha asked. “Would you enjoy that?”
“I don’t need one.”
Their eyes lit up. “I see. Shall we start a game, you and I?”
“No.” Lucas glanced at the door. “Are they waiting to take my picture? Why don’t you just take my picture and leave me alone?”
“I wanted to be civilized.”
Lucas met their eyes and held them. “You’re not civilized.”
Zasha leaned forward and smiled. “It’s good that you know that.”
Nine
“Zasha Sokholov again?” Gavin’s voice echoed through the speaker of Carwyn’s voice-activated mobile phone. It had an unwieldy case and tinny speakers, but it worked and he couldn’t complain. “Why is Zasha in Las Vegas?”
“They’ve taken Agnes and Rose’s son, and I’d appreciate your discretion.”
There was a long silence on the phone.
Gavin Wallace was a wealthy wind vampire with clubs, bars, and drinking establishments all over the world, including two in Las Vegas. He was Lee’s former employer, the CEO of a new vampire technology start-up, and he owed Carwyn more than a few favors.
“How is Rose?” Gavin asked.
