Until the next battle…
18
Purcell held Magda as she sobbed in his arms.She’d collapsed the moment he’d opened his door, and he’d barely managed to guide her to the living room.Her broken report about what had happened at the lab was slowly seeping into his brain.First, how this would set them back.Second, that Darren was dead.And Purcell had never once thanked him for his work, praised him for his accomplishments.Guilt lanced his grief.
“You should have alerted me when you knew Cyntag and Ruby were outside your house.I could have helped.”
Magda loosened her grip on him and sat up straight on the couch.“I told Darren we should let you know, but he wanted to handle it himself.He always felt inadequate.I probably didn’t help, comparing him to Justin years ago.To you.I think he needed to prove himself.But Darren doesn’t have the magick you do.He did his best, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.My fighting skills are a bit rusty, I’m afraid.I wasn’t enough either.”
“You destroyed the lab.”
“I couldn’t defeat them, nor could I run off and leave them there to take evidence.I felt it was the only solution, and I thought it would kill them.”She let out a ragged sigh.“But they escaped.”
Purcell nodded.“I suppose it was the best decision in the end.But Justin’s early prototype was there.”
She shook her head.“I didn’t see it or I would have grabbed it.I assumed it was here.”
“No, I only have his second, smaller prototype.”The only two things that Justin wasn’t able to get his hands on that fateful night.Early attempts, they didn’t pull inDeus Visbut did hold minute amounts of it.Darren had been using them to recreate Justin’s work.“I’m glad I didn’t give into Darren’s whining about leaving the actual reactor at the lab.”
“He was angry that you wouldn’t let him keep it, seeing it as proof that you didn’t trust him.But you would have been proud of him.He fought well.And he hid your involvement, taking responsibility for everything.”
Purcell rubbed his fingers across his lips as he considered that.“So, Ruby and Cyntag might think they’ve thwarted me and destroyed everything.”Maybe his son was smarter than he’d given him credit for.“And they’ll think she’s safe now.”
“Ruby knows that Cyntag killed her parents.I was so hoping to break that news to her, since I couldn’t believe she would work with him if she knew.She’s angry at him over it, though.Her eyes flamed when I mentioned it.”
Purcell ran his fingers down his beard.“A wedge between them may give us an opening.If we get rid of her, he may back down.”
She twined her fingers in her hair, her mouth stretching into a frown.“He won’t.I could see his devotion to her.He’ll come after us even harder.”She stared at nothing for a few moments before focusing on him again.“But revenge won’t be his only motivator.Thanks to Brom, they must know the consequences of our success.”
Purcell reached for the cigar that he’d set in the ashtray when Magda had banged on his door.“I have an idea, but it will mean widening the circle of the Chosen.”And inviting another Dragon in, not something he was fond of doing.Purcell figured about fifty people could survive on theDeus Visthe reactor emitted.There were not many vacancies left.
She gathered his free hand in hers.“Am I still one of the Chosen?”
Her fear of being excluded shadowed her eyes.And filled him with a rush of his own power.Hegot to play god, in a way, choosing other early generation Deuces and esteemed members of the Concilium or Guard, along with their select family members.
He patted her hand and pulled out of her grip.“Of course.”She didn’t know that she was the only Dragon thus far, and only included because of her affiliation with Darren.But Purcell would live up to his word.The Deuces he had chosen were purists like himself.None would be mating with Magda.
“The last thing Darren said…” She stared past him, wiping away her tears.
“Was what?”
Her smile was as vacant as her eyes.“That he was willing to die for me.That’s the kind of man your son was.”
Purcell couldn’t imagine his son being so noble.“You should return to your home.I imagine both the Mundane and Crescent authorities will be investigating.We’ll come up with a story.You were out, your husband was concocting something in his lab and accidentally blew it and himself up.Who knows what kind of crazy thing he was working on?You don’t, certainly.You can play the grieving and shocked woman well enough.After all, you did a good job just now.”
* * *
They’d savedthousands of Crescents.Cyn should feel good.Relieved.Well, if he could focus his thoughts on all that and not Ruby.Of course, that would be easier if he wasn’t patrolling the road that the Yard was on.
He picked up his cell phone and fought the urge to call Ruby’s number.Instead, he called Kade.When he didn’t answer, Cyn called another Vega he’d served with.
After Cyn identified himself, Parker said, “It’s great to hear from you, but I can’t talk right now.”
Cyn could hear noise in the background.“You wouldn’t happen to be investigating an explosion, would you?”
“Yeah, I sure am.An outbuilding, blown to bits.You know something about it?”
“All I can say is look closely at the woman who lives there.”
