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Brick’s stare hardened.

“Of course, I would not wish toburdenyou with the long-term survival of our race, Naoko,” the older vampire said dryly. “I know politics are not to your taste, even when they impact you directly. However, if you wish to talk about your dead humans, I would be happy to have my people assist. We might save you some time––”

“Time.” Nick scoffed a second time. “You didn’t waste much ofthat,did you? What has it been? Two days since that shit-show at the portal? And you’re already back to stamping out the racial supremacists?”

Still, it was hard to get too indignant.

Nick couldn’t help but agree that Dimitry Yi’sEifahmovement remained dangerous, and to more than just vampires. They were dangerous to everyone, including and maybe even especially humans.

And no, they maybeweren’tin a race war yet, but that had always been Yi’s goal.

He’d always been playing a fucked-up, potentially deadly game with his so-called “movement.” His whole strategy of inciting a second, even more deadly race war had always been twisted, fraught with planet-killing dangers and unforeseen consequences.

And yes, it was also just a fucking dark and stupid ideology, for a lot of reasons.

More to the point, something a lot like it had nearly destroyed this version of Earth once already. Yi seemed to want to try that experiment again, regardless of the cost.

For the same reason, Nick couldn’t help but support anything that would lessen the power and reach of what remained of Yi’s movement. He could even support Brick being the one to endEifah,even if it involved killing a bunch of people to reach his goal. Nick might not like the methods employed, but his hypocrisy could only go so far.

He couldn’t pretend he didn’t think Brick’s targets this time were rational, at least.

“How many of them are left?” Nick asked.

“I told you, I did not do this.”

“And I told you I don’t believe you,” Nick said, sharper. “Why not save us both some time, Betial? If that’s your true purpose, as you said.”

He stripped his voice of emotion, mostly because he knew Brick might not talk to him if he remained as emotionally vulnerable as he had been when he first came down the stairs.

It worked. Brick’s expression smoothed.

If Nick were a betting person, he might think Brick was even relieved.

Brick couldn’t stomach emotion––notrealemotion. Brick’s own emotional range remained forever in theretribution-rage-lust-excitement-exultation-murderous-petty-jealousy-revengeband of the spectrum.

Brick didn’t do any of the softer emotions.

He certainly didn’t do grief… or remorse.

“We estimate a few thousand at most,” the older vampire clipped, smoothing back his dark auburn hair with a gloved hand. “…of the humans, at least. But you’re not listening to me, youngling. I did not killthesehumans. That’s not why I’m here.”

Nick smelled blood drying in his sire’s auburn hair when he ran a hand through it.

He stifled a snort, but decided not to press the issue.

“Humans?” he queried instead, his voice skeptical. “You’re specifyinghumanfollowers… versus what? Do you really think there are a lot of hybrids in that bunch? The humans in Yi’s movement have been fed a steady diet of anti-seer and anti-vampire crap for decades.” Nick’s mouth firmed in thought. “Are you saying Yi left behind acolytes among the seers who continued his work after he left? That there’s still someone out there, pitting vampires against humans, pulling strings and spreading his speeches around the feeds, even after Yi got taken away by his father?”

Brick shrugged, tugging at his shirt collar.

Nick gritted his teeth in annoyance at his sire’s silence.

There was nothing Brick liked more than withholding information as a power play.

Whether Brick had any idea how many, or if any, hybrids were involved in the currentEifahmovement, or if Brick knew the exact number, name, sex, and appearance of every single one of them, Nick would probably never know.

Brick could never be counted on to be honest. About anything.

His reasons for lying were often as unknowable as the lies themselves.