Page 22 of Sleep With Us

“But we did get this,” Reynard said.

I turned my head, and saw that Reynard had removed a neatly folded sheet of thick paper from inside his jacket. He opened it, and there, at the top, I read:

Contract of Sale. Battalion warrior Lycian (Zodiac).

It wasn’t over yet.

Zee might have surrendered, but I never would. Not when it came to the people I cared for.

CHAPTER 7

We sat in the bar in the very early hours, poring over Zee’s contract, while Tom Collins watched on, glowering and muttering about how useless Reynard and I were. He had a point.

“It says he was sold by a demon named Copernicus.” I’d never heard the name, and Zee hadn’t ever mentioned it. But he didn’t talk about his past. I’d only recently learned his real name was Lycian, and only then because the vampires had let it slip.

“Copernicus was a warrior general during the war,” Reynard said casually, as though it was common knowledge. He sat in the chair, looking a little frazzled since his run-in with Sebastien. His hair was a bit mussed, and his nice shirt had glitter on it from Seb’s clothes. He also kept looking away, as though his mind was wandering. Like he was doing now.

“War?” I asked.

Reynard looked back. “I forget you’re not one of us. My apologies. You may have noticed, there’s some animosity between vampires and demons.”

“Uh well, yes, a bit.”

“Demons and vampires have been at war for several centuries.”

“What for?”

“What do most societies fight for? Land, resources, and more recently, out of principle. We don’t like demons.”

I was aware of that last part, but hadn’t paid much attention to their war, probably because I’d been fighting my own battle.

Reynard leaned back in his chair. “I suspect Zodiac’s was one of the first battalions to venture through the tear in the veil, and when it sealed, it trapped him and his fellow warriors here. With no war to fight, they were adrift. This contract confirms that General Copernicus sold his warriors into service, as was his right as their general.”

That made sense. Lost Ones had had a hard time of it when the veil sealed itself back up. With no way home they’d had to adapt. “Are all demons warriors?”

“Most, to some degree. Their society is warlike by nature. If I have my timings right, Zodiac’s battalion was the first wave, sent here to scout out for the second wave—the invasion force.”

“Invasion?” I squeaked. “The demons were planning to invade?”

“In truth, if it hadn’t been them, it would have been us,” he said. “This world is ripe and verdant. Ours is—was—stripped to the bone. No invasion happened. The veil slammed shut. Nobody has been able to go home or come through since, which is probably for the best for everyone.”

It sort of made sense. I knew Zee had a whole other side to him. I’d witnessed it when we’d saved Reynard from his family. “Was Sebastien a warrior too?”

Reynard’s lip curled in disgust. “I do not know. It’s possible—likely even. But he does not fight like one.”

“No.” He’d preferred to pull a gun and shoot his own guard than fight.

“I’ll take this contract to an expert,” Reynard said. “While demons don’t much care for human law, they do take contracts seriously, and from what I can ascertain, it appears to be watertight. But I’ll ask Pierce to go over it. He’ll find any weaknesses, if they’re there to find.”

“Pierce?” I’d heard that name recently, but sleep deprived and emotionally fragile after Zee had dumped me, I couldn’t recall where.

“Yes, he’s the royal scribe. An expert in contracts and deals. He’s on the council. You likely saw him seated behind the princess during your visit to the mansion.”

Oh yes, there had a been a vampire who Princess Daisy had turned to, querying my claim that our guestbook was a type of contract. “Do you have to go back to Vampire Mansion to talk to him?”

“No, I’ll ask him to meet me here or at my office. Both locations are warded. He’ll come. He’ll be too curious not to.”

“Good, that’s good. I can’t lose you too,” I muttered, scanning the contract again. Then I caught Reynard’s querying glance, and realized I’d spoken that last part aloud. “I mean, I uh . . .” What had I meant?