He walked down the aisle and gazed at the candles for a while.
“A fitting tribute to Claudette,” he finally murmured.
Gen nodded quietly.
“I will find the guilty vampire and ensure he is brought to justice,” he said.
I sensed Gen pale, but she nodded. “That would be good.”
Sometimes, I wondered if the military had made me too hard. It was reassuring to know that even sunny souls could have a taste for revenge.
“I would like to speak to you,” Henrik said, facing Gen.
She motioned, looking weary as hell. “Go ahead.”
He gave me a pointed look.
As if I was going anywhere.
“Privately,” Henrik growled, more to me than her.
“I’d rather he stayed,” Gen said firmly.
Warmth trickled through my veins.
Henrik frowned and stepped closer, pulling something from inside his jacket. I tensed, keeping my hands at my sides.
But it was only a wooden box, roughly the size of a cigar case. A fancy one, inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl. It seemed familiar.
“I wish to express my gratitude.” Henrik’s gritty tone suggested how difficult he found that.
Either Bene and Marius had filled him in on what Gen had done for him, or he’d heard her long, insistent “conversation” with Clement as clearly as we had.
“I only did what’s right,” she insisted.
“Doing the right thing can get you killed, you know,” he murmured.
I stepped closer with a quiet snarl, but Gen shrugged off his comment.
“Maybe I sensed an opportunity.”
He hooted. “You? Not a chance.”
“What does that mean?” she grumbled. Then she caught herself, muttering, “My morals must be slipping if I’m mad at being called out for doing the right thing.”
That didn’t reflect well on the company she’d been keeping. Namely, us.
I swallowed hard. Gen was a positive, cheery soul and innocent when it came to the evils of the world. She would be better off without us. Mina too.
My inner beast growled.She belongs right where she is, and we do too.
“I won’t pretend to speak to morals,” Henrik said. “But I vow to honor my debt to you. Any time, anywhere, anything within my power to do, I will do when you require it.”
Quite the speech, until he ruined it with, “Just once, you understand. One favor.”
Gen stuck up her hands. “I hope never to have to ask, believe me.”
Henrik handed her the small wooden box. “Until that day, I give you this for safekeeping.”
