His nostrils widen and his eyes burn with barely suppressed rage. “You should remember that I hate you. That I despise all your offspring, from generation to generation.”
“Offspring?” I give a rueful laugh. “I don’t remember any of them, although I know the line of banshees came from me and from…” I hesitate.
“Say it,” he presses. “Say her name.”
“The Morrigan.”
“Do you remember that I loved her?” His Irish accent is thicker than when he spoke in my mind, perhaps due to his mounting emotion. “Do you recall that you stole her from me?”
“I recall that she made her own choices,” I reply. “But I do not remember the specifics of what happened, nor do I carry any lingering love or desire for her. If she were raised today, perhaps she would be yours.”
“And that was the agreement I had with our summoner.” His huge fists clench. “He promised to bring forth Fate herself, in a bodyI could touch, with a voice I could hear. Where is he? Has he decided to break all his promises?”
“I do not know. But I have a phone number for him.”
Manannan stares at me.
“A phone is human technology used for communication. How long have you been at sea?”
“I know what a phone is!” He scoffs, then mutters a series of curses.
“Good. And there is much more I can teach you. I swear, if you help me now, I will help you find Lloyd-Henry so you can ask him about his promise to raise the Morrigan.”
“I’ll not be taught by the likes of you,” he growls. “Nor do I want this poppet’s parlor you call your ‘lair.’ But you’ll contact Lloyd-Henry for me. You’ll find him, and I’ll make him fulfill his word.”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Where are these shifters we need to kill?”
“I’ll have their location soon. And we may not need to kill all the shifters—only enough to free their captives. My lovers prefer it when I choose less violent paths.” I give him a grim smile. “In the meantime…let’s find you some clothes.”
29Raoul
“Well,” says my sister. “You’ve fucked up. As usual.”
I’ve been standing behind a high-backed chair in the library, but at those words, I march around the chair toward her. I’m not sure what I intend to do—attack her? Dart out the door and run?
But she lifts her chin, cool and imperious, and says, “Sit.”
It’s her alpha voice, a command I can’t resist. Teeth gritted, I sink down into the chair.
Part of me wasn’t surprised when she appeared in Box Five at the end of the musical. I’d asked the security guards not to let her into the New Orpheum, but I’m sure she bribed or threatened her way past them. Or maybe Gil, being an ally of hers, overruled my order to the security personnel.
He and I have never discussed my sister, not since we began working together onSidewinder. In the weeks since I broke ties with the Collective, the closest he came to mentioning it was to clap me on the shoulder and say, “You’ve done well, Raoul. Doing your own thing, standing on your own two feet like a man should. It suits you.”
I’ve never liked him, but those words of praise put me off my guard a bit where he’s concerned. I assumed he was on my side, more or less, and I didn’t look at him as a threat. I should have kept a closer eye on him, should have realized that he was probably there to spy on me for Philippa, even while he looked out for his own interests.
I should have been more careful, and I should have told Erik and Christine about Philippa’s influence over me. Why didn’t I warn them? Maybe because her control is limited by proximity, and I thought I could stay away. Maybe because her commands have no power once I’ve left her presence. Maybe because I didn’t want Erik to go and kill her immediately. Maybe because I didn’t want the two people I admire most to realize how fucking weak I really am.
In spite of all that, I should have swallowed my pride and told them about the danger. I should have known that my sister’s silence was anything but an admission of defeat.
I should have known she would never let me go.
Of course, I realized it all too late, the moment Philippa sat down beside me in Box Five.
I went for my phone immediately, but she said, “No phones. Come with me, now. Quietly.”
I’ve never fought so hard to resist a command, not even when my father was the one giving the orders. But it was no use. My body obeyed her, leaving the box calmly and walking beside her to the car. She dropped me off at our house, where several shifters were waiting to make sure I went inside and stayed in the library, per Philippa’s orders. They remained with me until she got back a few minutes ago. I don’t know where she was or what she was doing, but it can’t have been anything good.
