He was about to agree when Odolf suddenly began to snicker. His mouth spread wide, he dropped his head down and started whispering in a voice so small Tegan could barely hear it. He caught bits and pieces of the riddle, then Odolf blinked and it was as if a crystal clarity settled in his mind.
In a completely rational, coherent voice, he said: That's where he's hiding.
Tegan's blood ran cold. What did you say? That's where who's hiding--Marek? Hiding away. Odolf chuckled, already slipping back into his madness. Hiding, hiding...at the cross lies truth.'
Once again, Tegan considered the glyph they'd found in the journal. The Breed line it belonged to was long extinct. But then again, maybe Marek wasn't the only one to come back from what had been merely a presumed death. Is this about Dragos? Is he alive?
Odolf shook his head, eyes falling serenely closed. He launched into another chorus of the riddle, murmuring it in a maddening, singsong voice.
Goddamn it! Tegan growled, stalking right up next to the cage. Is Dragos in hiding somewhere? Are he and Marek allied in some way? Have they been plotting something together?
Odolf kept chanting, unresponsive now. Not even when Tegan grabbed hold of the metal box he was in and gave it a hard shake did Odolf show any indication of awareness. The Rogue had mentally checked out.
Shit. Tegan raked a hand through his hair. In his coat pocket, his cell phone vibrated with an incoming call. He flipped it open and barked into the receiver: Yeah.
Any progress? It was Reichen.
Not much.
Behind him in the cage, Petrov Odolf was snapping at the air, growling and cursing. No point in lingering any longer. Tegan gestured for Elise to follow him out of the Rogue's holding cell and into the adjacent observation room.
We're just wrapping up, he told Reichen. Did you get anything on the Minion?
Yes, we have something. I'm at Aphrodite with Helene. She's seen the man in here before once or twice. Had some trouble with him, in fact. Reichen cleared his throat, hesitating. He, ah, apparently works for a blood club here in the city, Tegan. Probably supplies women for it.
Jesus. He looked at Elise, his veins going tight at the thought of her being anywhere near trafficking scum like that. Blood clubs among the Breed, while illegal, had once been the preferred entertainment of a certain class of vampire. They catered to the bored and affluent, and those with appetites that tended to run toward the cruel. Any idea where I might find this place?
Naturally, to avoid unwanted attention, the clubs seldom meet in the same location. Helene has already put out feelers for you. She'll probably have something back within the hour.
I'm on the way now.
What's going on? Elise asked as he snapped the cell phone closed and slid it back into his coat.
I have to meet one of Reichen's contacts in the city. She has some intel on the Minion who attacked you today.
Elise's fine brow arched. She?
Helene, Tegan said. She's a human friend of Reichen's. You saw her last night when we picked him up outside her club, Aphrodite.
Elise's look said she remembered very well the half-naked woman who walked Reichen to the curb. All right, then, she said with a quick nod. Let's go talk to her.>He made it far too tempting to imagine a future where she could be happy again. Whole again, with him.
I'm failing in my promise to my son, she said, forcing herself to draw away from the comfort of Tegan's touch. All I should be concerned about is making sure Camden's death wasn't in vain.
Something flashed in his eyes, only to be shuttered an instant later by the fall of his spiked, wet lashes. He reached behind her and shut off the water. You can't spend your life living for the dead, Elise.
Reaching above her, he grabbed a folded towel from the supply stacked on a high shelf built into the marble of the shower. When he passed the towel to her, Elise met his gaze. The hauntedness reflecting there took her aback.
There was a bleakness staring back at her. The pain of an old wound, not yet healed.
She'd never noticed it before...because he'd never allowed her to see it.
You blame yourself for what happened to your mate, don't you? He stared at her for a long, quiet minute, and she was certain he would give her an aloof denial. But then he exhaled a hushed curse, ran his fingers through the wet hair at his scalp. I couldn't save her. She depended on me to keep her safe, but I failed her.
Elise's heart stumbled a beat in her chest. You must have loved her very much.
Sorcha was a sweet girl, the most innocent person I've ever known. She didn't deserve the death she was given.
Elise wrapped the towel around herself as Tegan sat down on the marble bench that ran the length of the shower stall. His thighs were spread, his elbows resting on his knees.