Hmmm. Was ignorance bliss?
Tane didn’t have an answer.
And in the end, it didn’t matter.
Laylah was his. And no amount of future aggravation, annoyance, and downright terror would convince him that it was anything but a miracle.
Time for a new conversation.
“Have you discovered any information on the Sylvermyst?”
“Not much.” Styx’s expression hardened. He didn’t like the fact the evil fey had managed to keep their presence hidden. Or the fact that they weren’t sure just how much a danger they posed. “Jagr has been studying what little information he has in his library.”
“And?”
“From what he read they share the same magic of other fey. They can form portals, cast hexes, and enchant objects. They can also create the usual illusions.”
Tane straightened from the desk. That was next to worthless.
“Styx, these were no typical fey.”
“No, they aren’t,” he agreed, his eyes darkening with frustration. “But they were always secretive and rarely mixed with other demons, so the truth of their powers is hid in obscurity. Now there’s nothing more than nearly forgotten rumors.”
“What are they?” Tane demanded. Rumors were better than nothing.
“One claims that they have a much higher tolerance to iron than their cousins.”
“That’s no rumor. The bastard disappeared out of a cell made entirely of iron and lined with lead while shackled. I’ve never heard of another fey who could do that.” He shook off his regret they hadn’t kept a constant guard on the bastard. How could they have known he could create a portal through enough lead to kill most fey? “What else?”
“They can speak with the dead.” Tane shuddered at the unexpected revelation. “Charming.”
“More than charming,” Styx said. “They can compel spirits into their service.”
“Are you saying they have ghost slaves?”
Styx held up a warning hand. “Don’t dismiss the danger, Tane. There are spirits who can cause damage even to a vampire. And the more powerful shades are capable of pulling souls into the underworld.”
Tane had heard of demons who possessed the talent of necromancy, but they could rarely do more than communicate with those who’d passed to the underworld.
To actually be able to take command of a shade …
He abruptly stiffened. “Damn.”
“What is it?”
“Jaelyn must be warned,” he said.
“Don’t worry,” Styx soothed. “I’ve sent DeAngelo and Xander to track her.”
Tane shook his head. Jaelyn was a genuine pain in the ass, but she was a true born Hunter.
“They’ll never find her.”
Styx regarded him with a curious expression. “She’s that good?”
“The best I’ve ever encountered.”
“Excellent.” The Anasso smiled. “I have need of a Hunter. Perhaps I’ll invite her to join my Ravens.”
Tane snorted, trying to imagine the prickly female trying to make nice with the massive, overly arrogant vampires that made up Styx’s bodyguard.
Blood would most certainly flow.
“Better you than me.”
“Why?”
“She has the attitude of a rabid badger.”
Styx was unfazed. “I remember another vampire with impressive skills and a nasty attitude,” he murmured. “I had to kick his ass on a regular basis, but eventually I managed to tame him.” He shrugged. “Or maybe I just found the means to focus his feral nature.”
Tane grimaced. He rarely thought back to those days. After he was forced to kill Sung Li, he’d retreated from the world, living as little better than a rabid animal in the caves of northern Mongolia.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed when Styx made his first appearance, but he did know that he’d done his best to kill the massive Aztec. He didn’t know that Styx was a servant of the previous Anasso, and wouldn’t have given a shit if he did. He would have been happy if the unknown vampire had managed to put an end to his miserable existence.
But Styx didn’t strike the killing blow.
Instead he retreated, only to return the next night, sitting on a rock near Tane’s cave and eventually leaving behind a blanket. The next night he had settled a few feet closer and left behind a stack of books. The next night it had been clean clothing.
His patience had been remarkable, and slowly he’d earned enough of Tane’s trust to lead him back into civilization. And eventually he’d trained him to become his Charon.
At the time Tane hadn’t known why the vampire would make such an effort.
It was only in the past months that he’d discovered that two of them had committed the same fatal sin.
Styx had covered the madness of the previous Anasso until it was nearly too late.