“Brigette.” Her expression was suspicious, although she clearly wasn’t surprised. She would have caught Brigette’s scent long before she opened the door. “What are you doing in here?”
Brigette shrugged. “Waiting for you.”
Maryam took a cautious step forward, her gaze darting around the office. Once assured that Brigette was alone, she moved to take a seat behind her desk.
“What do you want?”
Brigette strolled until she was standing directly in front of the desk. “You made several promises when you came to my home and asked me to join your little rebellion.”
The aquamarine eyes flashed with anger, but her expression never changed. She was a master at controlling her emotions.
“I gave you the reward you asked for,” she reminded Brigette.
There had been a thick roll of cash in the bundle of clothing that had been left in Brigette’s room.
“Money.” She curled her lips, revealing her lack of interest in the small fortune. “You promised a pack.”
The female tapped a long fingernail against the arm of her chair. It was painted red and looked like a dagger.
“That’s not something I can just hand over,” she informed Brigette. “You’ll have to be patient.”
“I’m not particularly good at that. Just ask my parents.”
“Until the revolution has started, I have no power to grant your wish.”
Brigette made a sound of impatience. She didn’t have to imagine how she would behave if she were a part of an evil pack to take over the world. She had firsthand knowledge.
“Exactly when will this revolution begin?” she snapped.
The temperature in the room dropped. “Soon.”
“That’s sort of vague.”
The nail continued to tap against the arm of the chair. A staccato warning that this female might appear calm but there was a fierce emotion smoldering inside her. Why else would she start a rebellion?
“Revolutions rarely come with a timeline.”
“Maybe not, but I do.” Brigette planted her hands flat on the top of the desk and leaned forward. Maryam believed that she was there for her own personal gain. She had to keep up the act or the female would become suspicious. “Things need to get rolling before I die of boredom.”
Hoping to provoke the female into revealing something about her plans, Brigette found herself caught off guard when Maryam’s expression softened.
“So much like your cousin,” she murmured.
Brigette stiffened. “Ulric?”
Maryam nodded. “Like you, he was brash. Outspoken. Impulsive.”
Unexpected pain sliced through Brigette’s body. This vampire had spent more time with Brigette’s only family than she had. And she had no one to blame but herself.
“Why did you leave Chiron?” she abruptly demanded.
Maryam sat back in her chair, turning her head to gaze at the map on the wall. “Chiron left. I stayed.”
“Stayed here?”
“St. Petersburg.”
“Not a bad place to get left behind,” Brigette murmured.
A reminiscent smile touched Maryam’s face, emphasizing her exquisite beauty. “It was a dazzling city, and I was a favorite with the czar.”
“I can imagine.” Brigette had no doubt that this female had the entire Russian court enthralled. Beyond her physical attraction, she possessed a compelling charm. It was one of the reasons she’d so easily managed to collect her large band of misfits. “That still doesn’t explain why you didn’t stay with Chiron.”
“Because he was constantly traveling. We would barely settle into a home before he was ready to move on.”
“And you were ready to settle down?”
“Yes.”
Brigette wasn’t convinced. Many demons created permeant lairs or dens to settle in, including Weres. But vampires preferred to travel. Not only because they mixed with humans who would notice they weren’t aging, but they possessed a restless urge for fresh adventures. Unless…
“You found your mate,” Brigette said, the words a statement not a question.
“Yes.”
“What happened to him?”
“Her. Ulita. She was the clan chief of St. Petersburg.”
“What happened to her?”
The emotion that was kept tightly leashed shimmered in the aquamarine eyes. A dark, profound loss.
“She had a bounty put on her head by the previous Anasso.”
“Why?”
“She didn’t believe the vampires needed a king.” Maryam’s slender fingers suddenly clenched the arms of the chair, her knuckles turning white. “And she was very vocal about her opinions.”
Brigette studied the vampire. There was something personal in the female’s sizzling fury. As if she held herself responsible for her mate’s death.
“Surely she wasn’t the only one?” Brigette asked. She’d never paid much attention to vampire politics. She was too self-absorbed with her own evil plans.
“No, but she was the chief of a very large, very powerful clan,” Maryam explained.
“So he destroyed her?”
A raw pain twisted the female’s features. “Along with most of her clan.”
Brigette winced. Xi had asked her if she sympathized with the rebels. She didn’t. She’d never been a victim, so she couldn’t possibly appreciate the sense of betrayal they felt. But she admired Maryam’s fierce need to battle against a tyrant. Even if she was being manipulated.
Of course, she wasn’t about to reveal anything but a shallow impatience to get her promised reward.
“So much for your noble claim that you’re trying to overthrow the Anasso to keep us all from being enslaved,” she drawled. “This is nothing more than pure vengeance.”
Maryam frowned at Brigette’s mocking words. “No. “
“Hey, I’m not judging.” Brigette shrugged. “‘An eye for an eye’ is my motto.”
“This isn’t revenge,” the vampire insisted. “The old Anasso has already been destroyed. I’m preventing the past from repeating itself.”
“Yeah, okay. Whatever you say.”
With a swift movement, Maryam was on her feet. Her features were wiped of all expression.
“You’ve made your demands. Now it’s my turn.”