Playing With Fire

Chapter Ten

I knew the two men didn't feel any different, but the binding was in place. Castiel tucked the paper into one of his folders, but I didn't worry about him keeping the contract. The contract couldn't be burned or torn up or destroyed in any physical way, if it was it would only appear on another piece of paper from an oracle's forest. Only the completion or a breach by a party member could end the contract.

Castiel looked uncomfortable from the truth he had revealed. I could tell Maverick was too busy trying to puzzle out the meaning behind mine to worry about the piece of himself he had divulged. I knew that I couldn't avoid going to see the Stygian Queen now that the contract had been signed. I needed to go home and prepare some things for tonight.

"I will meet you two back here at ten p.m. That will give us an hour to decide how best to approach the Stygian Queen." I said turning to leave. Keira stood and waited for me at the door patiently.

"Maverick, why don't you accompany Delany?" Castiel suggested in that diplomatic tone of his.

"Why?" We asked at the same time. I glared at the Male and he returned the favor.

Castiel fought an amused look. "Because if we have any hope of succeeding on this mission you two need to learn how to occupy the same space without trying to kill each other, and get used to working together."

I fought not to grind my teeth down to nubs because Castiel was correct. If Maverick and I couldn't learn to cool our tempers around each other we would end up making a mistake. I supposed Castiel could see the physical tension in the air between us as well. If we couldn't learn to relax in the presence of one another then we would also be at a disadvantage in a fight. Neither of us could properly focus on an opponent if we keeping one eye on the other. I watched all these thoughts travel through Maverick's head as well and we both reached the same conclusion. I don't want to. And that was precisely why we had to.

"If we can't present a united front to the Stygian Queen tonight she and her scions will chew us up and spit us out."

"What flavor of supernatural is the queen?" Maverick asked, ready to argue against it.

"Vampire."

The Male cursed. For a Fae he seemed to be remarkably educated in the other supernatural sects. Vampire coteries were made up of a queen or king and their scions. There was a very strict social hierarchy and they were formidable opponents because of their ability to fight as a unit. Plenty of infighting took place in the coteries, but their culture required a united front to be presented to the public. If the Stygian Queen picked up on any tension in our group she would use that information to tear us apart slowly and subtly from the inside.

Vampires were predators that relied on stealth and manipulation to take down their prey. They were highly successful in political environments. That being said they were still formidable opponents in a physical fight as well. Their skin was harder than any but orc's and they were very strong with heightened senses. Daylight was only an issue for the newly turned. At around five hundred years most undead amassed enough power to shield themselves from the sun's damaging rays. All of the undead I had ever come into contact with had been master manipulators and as a threesome we were not ready. Which was why I had insisted on staying here. My presence would ruin the dynamic the two men had, but it seemed like I would be going anyways.

"Well knowing that the queen is a vampire makes it even more important that you two learn to get along, at least outwardly." Castiel replied.

There was no arguing and both of us knew it. We had signed the contract. We were in it together for the long haul, until Carothannach was back in her prison. If we couldn't develop some kind of working relationship we were royally fucked.