Eddie scratched his neck. “But if John is behind this, don’t you think it odd that he brought you back?”

“We’ve been over this already before you got here,” Cain answered impatiently. “He probably got cold feet in the end. Who knows?”

“You sure John lured you into the trap?” Thomas pressed.

“The text was from him.”

“Let me have a look at the cell. Do you have it?”

Cain shrugged. “What’s the use of it? I remember clearly that it was from him. Besides, he shot me that night.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Just covering all angles. Do you have the phone?”

“It wasn’t with the things we found with the vampire’s remains that night,” Faye interrupted. “I don’t know where it is. Maybe John destroyed it because it could have led back to him.”

“No, he didn’t. Last night I saw something under the bed in my suite. It must have fallen down and been kicked underneath it the night of the ambush. I never took it with me. I was in too much of a hurry.” And according to Faye, nobody had used the king’s suite since.

“Give me thirty seconds.” Thomas was already charging into the king’s suite to retrieve the cell phone.

Mentally Cain shook his head. Looking at the phone wouldn’t serve anything but to confirm that John had sent the message and set the trap for him. But he also knew that Thomas was thorough and always insisted on verifying all information presented.

Impatiently, Cain tapped his foot when Thomas came back, the cell phone in his hand. “Got it.” He already pressed the on button, then cursed. “Shit! Battery’s dead.”

It didn’t surprise Cain. After all, the phone had been under that bed for over a year. “I’m not gonna wait any longer.” He motioned to Gabriel and Haven. “Let’s go.”

He almost bumped into Marcus when he ripped the door open to rush outside.

“Excuse me, sir,” Marcus said, breathing heavily. “I thought you should know: the delegates of the Mississippi clan have been spotted about a half hour away. My scouts believe they’re armed and hostile.”

Cain cursed. “Fuck!” This was bad timing. He stared at the guard. “Make sure everybody is at their post. Reinforce the perimeter.”

He turned to his friends. “Gabriel, I need you to stall them when they arrive. Take Eddie with you. Marcus, you’ll take your orders from Gabriel. Haven, Wes, Blake, you’re coming with me.” He cast a look at Thomas then at Faye. “Thomas, protect Faye. And nobody utter a word about the two Mississippi clan members out in the kitchen.” Cain stared down Marcus. “Do you understand me?”

Marcus nodded quickly.

“Go!” Cain ordered him.

The moment the guard was hurrying down the corridor, Cain addressed Gabriel again, “Warn Maya to keep her patients out of sight. I don’t want any confrontations. Not right now.”

Gabriel nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

Then Cain stormed into the corridor, his three friends following him.

39

The guards’ common room across the entrance hall, where the guards received their orders and hung out between their shifts, was humming with activity. Guards were suiting up, strapping on their weapons and getting ready for a confrontation with the Mississippians. Cain stopped at the open door and let his eyes wander over two dozen vampires in the room, until he spotted John.

“John!” he called out to him.

The leader of the king’s guard looked over his shoulder, his face tense. “Yes, Cain?”

“A word. My office.”

John frowned. “Can’t it wait? I’m getting the men ready. Haven’t you heard? The delegates of the Mississippi clan are on their way. And they don’t look friendly. I expect an altercation.”

Cain clenched his jaw. “My office. Now, John!”

Several heads snapped in Cain’s direction, staring at him in stunned silence. Waiting for John to comply with his orders, Cain glared back at the men. “What are you looking at? Get ready.”

The men hurried to continue with their preparations, while John marched out of the room and into the hallway.

“What is this about?”

Cain didn’t answer and simply walked across the foyer into his office. At the door he waited for John to catch up with him. He motioned him to enter, then followed him and closed the door. Haven, Wesley, and Blake were already waiting for them, and Blake now moved in front of the door, blocking it.