The three princes looked at each other with one of those silent vampire conversations she could feel through the bond like a shift in the air.
Dante turned away from the window.
"Tell him the truth," he said. "Not everything, but enough. Konstantin likes transparency because he's a master of lies. He knows when he's being played. If you try to outsmart him, you'll lose."
He walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. "Tell him you want peace. Tell him you know what you are and that you aren't trying to destroy the Council."
"And if he asks about the Collector?"
"Tell him you're going to kill him," Dante said bluntly. "Because it's true. And because it's the one thing Konstantin wants from you that you're actually willing to do."
Lilian looked at him, feeling the stress he was hiding even when he pretended he wasn't.
"What about Alexi?" she asked quietly.
Dante's expression darkened just a bit. "Don't talk to him unless you have to. If he speaks to you, keep it short."
