The smell tempted me, but not enough. I hadn’t yet gotten acclimated to the motion of the train, plus I’d had a few drinks.
I let go of Christian’s arm and sat upright. “Why didn’t we fly?”
Viktor dusted crumbs off his short beard. “Our destination has no landing strip. A train is safer and closer to the ground. Men can hide on a plane, and then where would we go? It is not uncommon for Vampires to travel for free by charming the employees.” He took another big bite of his hot dog. “And what happens if I were to shift on a plane? Or Claude flips his switch around humans? People would take pictures and put it on social media. If there is a battle and the pilot loses control… Nyet, I cannot risk such things.”
“Private jet?”
“These children are in my care. What happens if the plane goes down and we perish in flames?”
“What happens if the train crashes?”
“Train is close to ground. You can jump, break bones, but nobody dies unless it goes off a mountain.” He finished off the hot dog and wiped his fingers on a paper napkin. “It’s too much money to rent a private jet that is large enough to accommodate everyone, and that would only be half the journey. An old friend owed me a favor, so he gave us this luxury car free. No questions asked. This is how collecting favors can work to your benefit.”
“Why are we moving them?”
He peered into the bag as if contemplating eating another hot dog but rolled the bag up instead. “There is a facility that is much safer for these children, and it has been such a success that they’ve built a few others like it. Cities are not a safe place for Potentials.” He gestured to the window. “They look outside and are tempted by the world around them. There is a high risk of runaways in the city, but there have been no reports of problems in the newer facilities. They are larger and safer, but the operation to transport the children has been slow going.”
“Ah. So what you’re saying is that we’re going into the woods.” I suddenly regretted my shoe choice. I’d been thinking about comfort and speed more than practicality for any situation.
Viktor picked at his teeth before wiping his mouth again. “Children are less likely to run away if they know they will be lost in the wilderness with wild animals. Once they are old enough, they are free to make their own decisions. Become Breed, stay human, or go into hiding with fake identification. There will always be a risk of discovery if they visit a doctor or hospital and someone sees their mark. Less so as they age. I have heard stories that some cut it off their body.”
I shuddered at the thought.
Christian stood up. “I’ll be walking the train now.” With his sunglasses still in place, he strode out of the room to do another security check.
“Can they really be anything they want?” I asked. “What if the person they have sex with is a crossbreed like me?”
Viktor rested his arm over the back of the seat, his leg crossed. “It is my understanding that there are no limitations, but crossbreeds are so rare that I do not believe anyone has tried such a thing. The Relics who look after them have specific knowledge about Potentials. Only they know all their secrets.” Viktor scratched his nose and gazed out the window behind me. “Let us say there is an alpha in search of a mate, but he does not want a dominant woman. He seeks a woman he can control, who will do his every bidding. Perhaps one he perceives as a pureblood. You see, among Shifters, purebloods only exist in the royal line. They have no mixture of other animals in their… genetics? Gem would know the word.”
“I know what you mean. So how does it work? The first person a Potential has sex with determines what they are?”
“Not entirely. It is only with the first Breed that they sleep with. Even if they have intercourse with humans, they can still become Breed. It involves DNA and chemicals in their reproductive system. It cannot happen by kissing or…” Flustered, he fiddled with the paper sack next to him.
Yeah, Viktor didn’t really want to get into the nitty-gritty of what I wanted to know. Like could a Potential become Breed through oral or anal sex. It was a fair question.
“Very few know about Potentials,” he continued. “Most of the young ones have never heard of them, but the elders cling to folklore as truth. So I ask that you not discuss these details with anyone outside of Keystone. Not even your father. It is not our place to convince the world of their existence. Do you think they would be accepted with open arms? Throughout history, men have destroyed what they fear or do not understand. We have sought to eradicate other Breeds, and some successfully. Thank the fates that the higher authority has not adopted this way of thinking.”
“What happens to the kids who have parents and don’t wind up in orphanages?”
“We cannot protect them. Some manage to live ordinary lives. Others are not so lucky. Often you hear stories in the news about runaways or kidnappings. If the wrong person finds them, that is their fate.”
I pulled my messy hair back and tied it with an elastic band I’d kept around my wrist. “What about those who choose to become Breed? Aren’t they afraid people will see their mark and not realize they’ve already turned?”
“Some tattoo or burn away their mark to keep the secret. Others are less concerned about hiding even though the higher authority condemns talking about it. I once heard of a woman telling her story to an unbelieving audience. People wrote her off as insane or eccentric.”
I reclined my head. “So what comes after this?”
Viktor patted my knee. “Sleep, Raven. Our stop will be in approximately fourteen hours.”
“And then what?”
He stood up with his bag. “A less comfortable ride.”
* * *
Gem shookher sore wrist and sat back in her chair. She had been transcribing the books that Viktor had assigned to her for weeks on end. Only one would be of interest to him as it contained the names of immortals in the seventeen hundreds who’d been accused of high crimes but had escaped. Time often erased a person’s sins, but documentation such as this could help carry out justice in the modern world.
Viktor had asked her to focus on the books she’d recently acquired at the pawnshop, but after going through them, she didn’t see the rush. They were historically interesting but didn’t contain anything juicy like her other project.
