Darius and his men drifted out of sight, leaving behind Patrick’s guard and the little boy.
I approached the window and peered out. “Should we go after him?”
“Not in the daylight,” Shepherd cautioned. “Take a seat until the rest of the party leaves.”
I sat across from him, Wyatt and Blue joining us and facing the window.
Wyatt hooked his arms over the back of his chair. “Do you know who that guy is?”
“Darius,” I said, unimpressed.
“No,” he said, lazily lifting his hand to point at the restaurant. “Thatguy. His last name is Bane.”
“One of Darius’s Mage brothers. So?”
Wyatt shook his head. “I discovered a record this morning that lists the original owner of that land. It was Patrick Bane, Mr. Irish Wonderful over there. He’s Darius’s Creator and also happens to be a member of the higher authority.”
Blue touched one of her earlobes as if searching for the feather earring she wasn’t wearing. “Do you think he knows what Darius is up to?”
“Bet he doesn’t have a clue,” Shepherd said. “That poor bastard is in for a rude awakening if this thing blows up.”
Wyatt pulled his hat down so that it covered his ears. His brows angled. “Do you think Darius is a Creator?”
Shepherd scratched his jaw. “There’s always the chance. So what if he is?”
“Because the last thing we need is a legion of Learners coming after our ass for killing their father. Didn’t you seeThe Princess Bride?”
Blue smacked his arm with the back of her hand. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Wyatt rubbed his nose. “Even still, now his Creator’s in the picture. Going after Darius is like going after Patrick, and you know how the Mageri protects its own.”
“Fuck me,” Shepherd grumbled, glaring at Wyatt. “Don’t you have anything positive to say?”
“I bought you a brownie.”
The boy outside slapped his hand against the glass, holding it there. He did it again, a pout on his face and blue eyes glittering behind the black Zorro mask.
“Poor kid,” Shepherd said. “Bet that bastard doesn’t give him the cupcake.”
Wyatt chortled. “Careful, Shepherd. People might actually think the Tin Man has a heart.”
Shepherd placed his palm on the window, eclipsing the tiny hand. The boy smiled wide, his cheeks ruddy.
“Look, he likes you,” Wyatt teased. “Little does he know you eat wishes and dreams for breakfast.”
Wyatt touched his thumb to his nose, wiggling all his fingers. The boy stuck out his tongue in response, making Wyatt laugh.
Shepherd lowered his hand and turned away, giving me a pensive look. “What did Darius whisper in your ear before he left?”
I swallowed thickly, my eyes skating between them. “Christian’s dead.”
Chapter 16
“What do you mean, he’s dead?” Viktor bellowed, his voice reverberating off the stone walls of the gathering room. The news was a grievous blow to the team, and most of them sat in quiet disbelief.
The gathering room was separated from the dining area by a stone wall with small archways down the center. The ceiling was high, and the stained glass window on the left side of the room was exquisite—images of people, flowers, and wolves tangled together. With the window behind me and the crackling fireplace to my left, I had a direct view of a grand bookcase on the opposite side of the room that was filled from top to bottom. Viktor had been pacing since learning about Christian’s fate. The lines on his forehead were pensive, his hair unkempt.
Blue kept talking, trying to placate him. “Can you give us any information on where we can start looking? What was the last thing Christian said to you?”
