"Because he is my eyes, and my bodyguard when required, but nothing more. Risa is my child, but she does not fall within his guardianship role."
"So they're sticklers for obeying Misha's wishes to the word?"
"Yes."
Then maybe I wouldn't feel the Fravardin's presence until my life was in danger. But how would it know if it wasn't around? And did I really want an answer to that, especially if it meant putting my life on the line to find out?
The answer was a resounding no.
"Why would Misha give you one of the Fravardin? I thought the five of you were less than friendly with each other."
She smiled. "That is true up to a point. But Misha and I shared more of a history than the others. I suppose you could say that he is my brother."
"You're his sister?" I said, incredulously. "But... aren't you all clones?"
She nodded. "Yes, but Misha and I are clones of siblings. Our original selves were born of a Helki mother and silver pack father, and were fraternal twins, born of the same mother and father. If a clone is capable of sibling love, then I guess we shared that. I miss him."
"So - " I paused, trying to gather my suddenly scattered thoughts. "If you're clones of siblings, does it mean that, like the originals, you are both able to shift shape?"
She raised a pale eyebrow. "What makes you ask that?"
"Simple curiosity." I'd wondered when I'd first found out about the Helkis and their shapeshifting abilities if Misha might have had another form - wondered whether the body he wore all the time was really his. Of course, he was dead and it really didn't matter anymore, but still, part of me wanted to know. Especially when his "sister" had the potential to either make or break our mission. My gaze went to her blue eyes - eyes that were so very different to his. Deliberately so, probably. "Misha told me that shape-shifting took a lot of power, and that the eyes were the hardest part to maintain. So which of you is closest to your real form, and how could he - and you - maintain the changes day in and day out?"
"Our changes are subtle, which is why we are able to maintain them so easily." She smiled, but it was a fleeting, almost sad thing. "Last night you saw our true hair color. Misha preferred to maintain silver hair rather than the mixed color, but he never changed his eye color. Like the original, he was born with silver eyes."
"And you?"
"Helki brown, ringed by blue."
"So why do you change it?"
"Because blue is more effective in my work." The bright depths of her eyes suddenly cleared of any emotion, and were all the more chilling because of it. "For Misha alone, I would have my revenge."
"Which is why Starr took Risa hostage."
"Yes."
"So why haven't you contacted the Directorate before now?"
"Because of Gautier. Because I did not know how much you knew about him, or how far his influence went." She snorted softly. "If I were to believe everything he said, he practically runs the place now."
That had my eyebrows raising. "I was given the impression that you and Gautier never met during your information exchanges."
"We don't."
"Then how have you talked to him?"
"Where else would I talk to him? At the estate, of course." were three of them, all skinny excuses of flesh and bone. The vamp in the middle was the obvious leader - he was two steps ahead of his compatriots, and had one of those perpetual sneers so often found on those who think they're tougher than they truly arc. His two mates were of Asian descent, though the blue eyes on one suggested there was something else in his mix.
"Well, well," the leader said casually, "look at what we got here, boys."
"Breakfast," blue eyes said, expression alight with anticipation.
I slipped off the backpack and placed it in Dia's hands. "You might have to hold this while I tend to this pond scum."
"But - "
I held up a finger, realized what I was doing, then touched her arm lightly, and said, "It's okay."