She slung her bag in the trunk he opened for her.
“More bad news,” he said as they pulled onto the road.“TheDeus Visis still fracturing.Whatever is causing it wasn’t in that lab.It’s beginning to hit Crescents hard.How are you feeling?”
God, it really wasn’t over at all.Panic squeezed her throat.“I’m tired and achy.”
“Like the flu?”
“Like I’ve got demons and tulpas trying to kill me.”And a Dragon tearing up my heart.“I figured it was everything I’ve been through lately.”She remembered the images Brom had flashed into their minds.“People are still going to die.”
“Yes.”
“Kids.Grandmothers.Us.What about the Elementals?”
“They don’t requireDeus Visto survive.”
She felt some relief, but it was a small consolation.“What do we do?How do we stop it?”
His cell phone rang.“Fernandez,” he said to her and answered it.She couldn’t hear what the man was saying.“No,” Cyn said, glancing at her.“Okay, I’ll be right there.”He disconnected.“He says he knows what’s going on.”
“Could he be in on it?”
“I considered that when I went to see him this morning, but I doubt it.I’ve told him very little, for his protection and ours.As in any large agency, there’s the possibility of corruption at the upper levels.”
He took an on-ramp and merged with the flow of traffic on the interstate.“I’m meeting Fernandez at my house.”
A short while later, he took an exit leading to southeast Coral Gables.“Hungry?”
“Famished.”
He pulled into the parking lot of a small café.“This is one of my favorite places.Spanish food.”
She got out, and the scent of garlic and tomatoes wafting through the air unleashed a growl from her stomach.
“Mr.Valeron, good to see you,” the host said when they walked inside, giving her a nod, too.“Welcome.”He had olive skin and dark hair like Cyn, and his eyes flickered in the Dragon way.
The place was quaint.Murals depicted cozy scenes with what she guessed were Spanish homes and balconies.
Cyn ordered for them, which would have been annoying except she didn’t know what some of the dishes on the menu were.An array of plates arrived soon after, including one filled with baby octopi.Ugh.She ate the things she recognized, olives and cheese, chorizo sausage, and slices of beef, along with crusty bread.
“Ruby, remember how I’m an arrogant ass and want you to obey me?”
The olive she was chewing went down like a rock.“Yeah…”
“I don’t want you coming in with me.I’d like to say I trust Fernandez.He and his wife raised me after I was orphaned.That’s the way being a Ward worked in the old days, if you had no family to take you in.”
She didn’t want to know about how he’d lost his parents, how he had no family.“But?”
“I can’t completely trust him.”
“So I’m hiding in the car?”
“No, I want you nearby so you know what’s going on.We’ll walk through the neighbor’s yard.They’re up north for the summer, so the house is closed up.I’ve got a boat off the side dock.Duck down there.Ready?”
“As I ever will be.”
He stood and dropped some bills on the table.Once outside, he walked to the passenger side and peered into the car first.“Rule of thumb when being hunted by demons: always check your vehicle before you get in.Not a bad idea anyway.Miami has its share of ghouls of both the Hidden and the Mundane variety.”
He was still teaching her.It should annoy her, but somehow it had the opposite effect.Their gazes locked, and that sexuality curled through her.She could feel the heat of the sun on her back, and his heat from where he stood inches in front of her.“Cyn…”
