“Nobody knew about her condition except possibly the Packmaster,” he insisted, fidgeting with the wrappers on the table. “Alisa hadn’t told anyone but me and wanted to get tested because she was having stomach troubles.”
So that’s what Raven was hinting at. Blue decided to throw out an accusation and see how he reacted. “That seems like relevant information you should have shared. But you didn’t want anything tracing back to you. Not directly.”
Graham pushed back his chair and stood. “I think we’re done here. Hope you enjoyed the free meal.”
She couldn’t believe her eyes when he turned around and fled. Was he serious? She bolted to her feet and sprinted after him. Halfway across the street, a car nearly struck her before slamming on the brakes. Instead of asking if she was okay, the driver held down his horn. Blue pounded her fists against the hood, but she didn’t have time for this joker. When she looked up, Graham had vanished. Despite his size, he was apparently a quick runner.
She jogged in the direction he’d gone and spotted him far ahead, taking a right. Blue dodged into an alleyway and summoned her animal. But as she spread her arms, an emptiness filled her as if a wall had formed, breaking their connection. Confused, she conveyed the urgency, but again, nothing happened.
“What the hell?”
With no time to spare, Blue shot out of the alley and ran nimbly down the busy sidewalk. She turned right, dodging pockets of young people without breaking stride.
Dammit, I can’t see!
She felt handicapped on the ground. Was he hiding in a bar? Had he parked on this street and driven off? If only she could shift and get an aerial view. Even though she knew what kind of car he drove, she still looked in the window of every vehicle that rolled by. It didn’t seem likely he would have fought his way through crowded doors to hide inside a club—that would only trap him.
Wait a second—this street leads to the subway station.
On a hunch, she headed that way at breakneck speed. She weaved around cars, people, lampposts, every obstacle that blocked her path, all while scanning the street to make sure he wasn’t hiding between buildings or among a group of people.
Finally, she spotted him just ahead. He glanced back, his face red and glistening with sweat. It didn’t take long to catch up, and when she did, she grabbed the back of his shirt with such force that it ripped.
Panting heavily, Graham leaned against a sedan. “You don’t have anything.”
“I bet if we asked nicely, some of those people might remember you visiting the victims or giving them drugs. Who knows? Maybe some of the bottles are still lying around.”
“Doesn’t matter. If it killed the victim, that means they took all the poisoned pills.”
She smiled at his admission. “There’s always residue.”
Graham wiped his face with his hands, finally regaining his composure. “You still can’t prove anything. Slander is against the law.”
“All we need is a Vampire. I’m sure you’ll sing like a bird, you conniving little monster. You poisoned all those people—even children. Why would you do that? How could you hurt a child? For what? So you could sow violence by killing young alphas?”
He scoffed. “Shifters don’t need alphas to survive. Not really. Some of the groups might disband, but maybe that’s for the best.”
“It’s not for you to decide.”
Rings of sweat had formed on the armpits of his striped shirt. Graham tried to step away from the car, but she shoved him right back in place. When she did, a visceral look crossed his face.
“Alphas are entitled little mutations who do nothing but control people and cause pain and suffering,” he spat out.
Her eyebrows popped up. “That’s not entirely true. You got a few dark souls out there, but most alphas are decent men.”
“Oh? I spent my childhood around packs, tagging along with my parents while they saw clients. I’ve seen what alphas are capable of.”
“So now it’s your mission in life to murder them or anyone who can produce them? You’re an idiot.Anyonecan have an alpha. It’s not just redheads.”
“Anyone can, but not everyone does. Most couples never produce an alpha. Redheads almost always do, and they make the stronger ones who have to be put down. Why do you think I can’t have kids? That’s a Relic’s entire purpose in life—to build knowledge and then have children to pass it down to. This is the time in my life when I should be settling down with a family, but that won’t ever happen. An alpha wolf took that away from me when I was twelve. He and his friends thought it would be fun to see how many times they could kick me in the testicles before I lost consciousness. It was part of some initiation thing after the alpha went through his first change. Their little game did irreparable damage.”
Blue leaned in, her expression tight. “I’m sorry about your balls, but murder is murder. You’re going to jail for a long time.”
“Why do you think I have all this knowledge about drugs and poisons? To save Shifters?” He laughed wildly. “This is my destiny. I’m the last of my bloodline, and it all makes sense. It took me years to figure out that this is what I was born to do—it’s the will of the fates.”
Blue touched her chest and got a sickening feeling. Why was he telling her all this? Criminals didn’t just confess their crimes unless they were boasting because they had a backup plan.
Graham sneered, revealing teeth that were slightly yellow. “Why do you think I didn’t put any mustard on Raven’s hot dog? I know you like mustard because you put it on that chili dog back at the diner. I pay attention. The poison only works on Shifters, so I mixed it in with your condiment.”
