Page 26 of Underworld
Orion came inside and I started toward him, only to stiffen as I looked behind him and spotted Kaito dragging someone in.
Dante.
My heart wrenched inside my chest, the sensation only slightly more painful than it would have been if Dante had just ripped the damn thing out.
Determined not to let him see how much he’d hurt me, I looked at Orion. “It looks like the gang’s all here. Should we get the party started? I have a feeling I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
“Oh, honey… that’s an understatement.” Yuri was far too cheerful, considering the circumstances.
I almost envied her.
“I brought champagne.” She disappeared behind a wall and came back out with a bottle and several flutes. “Who wants some?”
Most of the people passed but I figured what the hell—I’d come back from the dead. Digesting blood isn’t the weirdest thing that had happened to me today.
“Alright!” Yuri splashed some into a pretty flute, the etched crystal catching the light as she passed it to me.
I caught the scent of strawberries and lifted the glass but Olivia leaned in and out her hand over it. “You don’t want that, Lil.”
“Why not?” The bubbly liquid had a faint pink tinge to it and it actually smelled pretty good.
“It’spink… and it was just served to you by a vampire.” Olivia cocked a brow.
“What the fuck does that matter?” Dante said, his bitterness choking the air from the room. “She’s part demon, anyway. A little blood will probably rejuvenate her.”
I flinched at his words.
Olivia put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed while Orion glared at Dante.
Yuri scoffed. “She was part Demonspawn all along and you knew that,” Yuri said into the taut silence. “Why are you being a dick about itnow?”
Dante shoved off the wall, his eyes burning into Yuri. “Are you talking to me, bloodsucker?”
Olivia reached Dante before I could. A good thing, too, because I would have wrung his neck.
“You’re going to stop, Dante,” Olivia informed him, her voice firm.
Dante jerked his gaze away from her and to my surprise, his shoulders slumped, head dropping low. “Fine.”
I saw why a moment later as a faint, white glow emanated from her touch. Like Hendrik, she worked to keep Dante in check with her magic.
Olivia guided me to a seat and blew out a breath as she joined me. “Now, let’s get down to business. Everybody, keep in mind that Lily has been gone for…” She glanced at me with a wry smile. “A while. Make sure to touch on anything pertinent she needs to know while providing your report.”
How official.
She nodded at Aaron. “If you would start?”
“Sure.” He raked his fingers through his hair, gaze flicking toward me before moving to the others. “You all already know, but since Lily needs to be updated, I have to inform you that I lost a few of my panthers in the recent attack. Those who are still with me are getting stronger. We’ve all gotten faster and learned how to fight as a team, but today showed we still aren’t ready. Logan, you and your wolves? How did things go on that front today?”
Logan crossed his arms and frowned. “Wolves hunt in a pack as a rule and we’ve gotten better at listening to our animal nature on that score. Everyone did well today, but training has hit a wall.” He hesitated before continuing. “I’m worried I might have lost a couple of mine. They volunteered to go out hunting and see if they could gather any intel, but they haven’t come back.”
“Maybe they’re just out having fun…?” Yuri twirled her flute. “I’m sure they’ll show up in a day or two.”
“Yeah, that ain’t happening,” Dante muttered.
Logan looked away, a muscle in his jaw pulsing.
Hendrik took his seat. “Do you have real insight on that or are you just being a dick?” His gaze narrowed on Dante. “You’ve seen plenty of action when you go out on your hunts, but you don’t ever give a report. Why don’t you share with the class?”
