The energy around the dining room table was tense.

Even a night's worth of rest hadn't lessened Lenore's anger. She had woken to the smell of bacon and a mind filled with racing thoughts. The sight of Kaiser sitting relaxed with a steaming cup of coffee, his face stuffed into a newspaper only made her angrier. Such normal behavior after kidnapping and torturing someone to near death—it made her skin crawl.

Or maybe it was the fact that he had made a deal with that bastard and let him go. Lenore wanted him dead, like the rest. She glowered across the table at Kaiser, wishing she could burn holes through the damned paper.

He must have received her emotions again because Kaiser lowered the newspaper, folding it neatly. He lifted his gaze to Lenore and said, "You seem a bit upset."

"Do I? Wow! You're a fucking genius."

Patrick nearly spilled the orange juice he was pouring. He looked between the two of them and appeared ready to grab his breakfast and flee. Camila was quick to react, reaching for his plate at the same time–the two yanking it back and forth for a moment.

"Just sit down and eat you damn food!" Lenore snapped, stabbing her fork into the table and causing the tableware to rattle.

The group went still and all eyes turned toward her. She ignored them and yanked her fork free then began to angrily eat the pile of fluffy, yellow eggs before her.

"What's there to be upset about, love? Everything is going according to plan."

"What plan are we talking about exactly? The one we're all in on? or the secret plan that you seem to be working out?"

Kaiser's eyes slitted at her question and Lenore's heart began to beat a bit harder. She knew her attitude was taking her dangerously close to the edge of his patience. "Do you think you had it in you to kill that Apostle?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be making deals with him." 

"Nowhere in the deal did I say he would survive."

"You cleansed his blessing, Kaiser!"

"I did."

Her fork dropped to her plate with a loud clatter. "You healed him after torturing him. He left you in better condition than when he arrived!"

"You're only proving that my manipulation worked perfectly."

"What?"

Kaiser leaned forward, a slow grin creeping over his face. "You thought that I was willing to spare his life if it meant I could get rid of the rest, correct? That's why you're so mad. It's likely that he believes this as well. In fact, I wanted him to believe that because that means he will never suspect us to double cross him, and won't try to double cross us either."

Lenore stared at him, blinking slowly. "You wanted me to believe it too?"

"You weren't part of the original plan but when you showed up I thought you might be useful. What better way to deceive your enemy, than by deceiving your ally as well?" he said, looking rather satisfied with himself. 

"You're scary brilliant, Boss," Camila said, eyes gleaming with admiration. Patrick nodded his head in agreement as he shoveled a large piece of pancake into his mouth. 

 Kaiser held Lenore's gaze like he was waiting for her to do something more; say something more. She was still angry but for an entirely different reason now. "You won't hear any praise from me."

"Hmm? I don't know. We've got time."

She opened her mouth to respond but the front door opened with a loud creak, ending whatever she had been prepared to say. Emilio stepped into the room, pulling the baseball cap from his head.

"Great timing!" Camila shouted, rising from the table and grabbing another plate from the kitchen. "I made breakfast for everyone." 

He nodded, tossing his hat on the small stand near the door that held a ceramic bowl filled with old mail and rings of keys. The energy in the room shifted as he lumbered over to the table and took the empty seat next to Lenore. 

Camila began to fill his plate for him, piling enough food that it appeared it might spill over. She set it in front of him with a bright smile, giving his head a playful rub as she went back to her own place at the table.

Looking at them, despite the differences in appearance, they were like a family. And Lenore had learned from being with them that they were capable of emotions and desires beyond hunger. She was certain that they cared for one another, that they were happy being together. It made her heart ache for what she lost. Her envy turned to anger once more when she recalled the Apostle's words from last night. 

"Looks like things have been wrapped up nicely," Kaiser said, tapping his finger on the newspaper.

Lenore knew that he must be referring to whatever story they had made up for the chaos at the Casino. If it were her, she would have said that a tiger from the magic act that is performed in the theater on the floor above had gotten loose. Quick, believable, and easy to sweep under the rug.

She would have made a good PR agent. Too bad her family had decided she was more useful to them dead, she thought humorlessly. "If there's anything Gillard's are best at it's lying and burying the lead." 

Kaiser gave her a quick look but didn't comment. He turned to the rest of the table. "It's time to move onto the next phase of the plan."

Lenore sat up straighter in her seat. This was the part that she was waiting for. The sole reason for her agreeing to the damned bargain in the first place. It was the part that relied on her successfully exacting her revenge. 

"Mimi and her group said they're almost out of cursed extract," Emilio said.

Kaiser nodded his head in a thoughtful manner, gaze turning to Patrick. As if knowing what he was going to be told, he let out a soft groan of annoyance. "Guess, I'm on collection duty this time." 

"Don't whine. I was on collection duty all of last month."

"That's your fault," Patrick said, a rare grin on his face as he turned to Camila. "You should've known better than challenge me to a drinkin' game." 

"Do I want to know what cursed extract is? Or why people are collecting it?" Lenore asked.

"It's the essence of fiends," Emilio answered. "We get it by removing the core and crushing it. There's a bit more to the process but essentially they use it to make weapons that can help them guard against fiends and—"

He suddenly stopped talking as if he remembered who he was talking to and that there might be things Kaiser didn't want Lenore to know. The subtle glance he made toward the man in question only proved that suspicion correct. But she wasn't going to pretend that she hadn't learned something.

"So there are humans who are working with you?" It would explain the two that she met last night. But she was more curious as to how he had manipulated them into working with him.

"That's not something you need to know."

"Why not? It's obvious they're in on your plan."

Kaiser slapped his palm against the table, causing Lenore to jerk back in surprise. His expression was stern and his gaze no longer friendly. "...they have no bearing on our arrangement." 

That was clearly his way of telling her to shut up and stop asking questions. This was a secret that he had no intention of sharing with her. But his intention to keep her from knowing only made her desire to know that much greater. However, she was stupid enough to press the issue right now. There was time to discover it—they were going to be together until she fulfilled the bargain. 

"Whatever," she said with a forced shrug. "What are you planning to use the extract for?"

"Poison."

"Poison?"

"That's what I said," Kaiser replied, expression softening a bit. "We needed a solution to deal with all those Apostles at the induction ceremony. This is it."

Her eyes widened as her mind filled in the unsaid bits. "You're going to corrupt their blessings."

"That's certainly the idea."

He was scary brilliant, she thought to herself–glad that he couldn't read her thoughts. 

"So, what's the plan with my family? My cousin is the only one with the blessing. We still need to deal with the faceless knights who will be guarding them."

"That makes it easier. It means normal means will work on them." 

Emilio cleared his throat. "I've got a bunch of stuff in my workshop that might be useful. And if I don't have something you need—I could probably make it."

Lenore turned to him with raised brows. Was he telling her that he had an arsenal of weapons? Scratch that, this gentle bear of a man was telling her that he was the sole supplier of their weapons.

Her mind began to swirl with ideas and all the little ways she could return to her family. She felt a thrill of excitement rush over her. Kaiser hadn't told them a plan yet and she got the inklingly that he wanted her to decide how this part would play out.

"Do you have anything like knockout gas?" She sensed Kaiser's smile without seeing it.