I gulp. "Do Levi and the others know what you are?”
She shakes her head. "Only that I specialize in blood magic. The kind that allows me to identify lineage. If they knew the real gift I possess, their search would've been over long ago."
“So, you lied then. Earlier. Before he . . .”
She looks upon me with immeasurable regret. “Yes.”
My heart aches for Dr. Caulder, letting the weight of his predicament sink in. Hisdaughter. "How long have you been a prisoner?"
Esmé tenses. "Down here, your sense of time is distorted. If not for my visions, I wouldn't know. I've been here over a year.”
Gods above. "What’s their end goal?"
"Levi has been producing Ludone and pushing it on the human club scene since before I was taken. He and his partner have been using it to traffic humans who possess a unique scent and beauty, selling them to rogues at the highest bid. But there is also a hunt amongst the rogue mercenaries who are sired to the Blood Master. They’ll earn a substantial reward if they find the right one. You."
That would explain the confrontation with the vampire woman on the Silverbacks’ land. Why Levi and his associates have been prowling nightclubs in the region. Why Axe’s privateconsultation with the arms dealer was hijacked. But wouldn’t they require someone to infiltrate Bleeding Sun from the inside? Someone with deeper ties than an amateur patrolwoman?
As I swing my legs, I flinch. The nasty puncture marks dig far deeper than I initially thought. I use my cot sheet to wrap them up and smother the bleeding.
"We’ll find a way out of this, alright? Save your strength."
Tears stream down my cheeks as I turn to look at her. "Will I ever see my mate again? He has to know that I didn't run away, that I was?—"
Esmé shushes me. "He knows, I promise. And as sure as the sunrise, he will be coming for you."
It occurs to me then, what startled her before my interrogation with Levi took a heinous turn. “The portal—do you know where it’s shifted?”
“Not yet. Though my visions have shown bear demons crossing the Slovko Straight. Into Volken.”
Volken. Could that be where Maurleen is heading?
I open my mouth to respond, but Esmé curses. Someone races down the stairs.
Levi looms into view at the end of the hallway, feet carrying him swiftly in our direction, two guards hot on his tail. “Fucking idiots!” he yells. The purple veins in his neck beat with fury. “Whose brilliant idea was it to put these two next to each other?”
One of the brawny, nameless guards looks to his partner. The younger boy who escorted me the other day clears his throat. “I’m sorry, boss. It was a misunderstanding.”
Levi roars as he snaps the guard’s neck. I shriek, bear crawling all the way to the back of my cell and clutching my knees to my chest. Keys jingle and a heartbeat later, the cell door swings open.
Chapter 42
AXE
For the third time today, I return from a shift in the forest to ease my high-strung nerves. Back in my office, Demi yaks on the phone with her mate, who is looking after their daughters back in Belcarra. Opposite of her is Nell, combing through two decades’ worth of estranged rogue files. Not a single report regarding Vessa or Dr. Caulder has come in over the last twelve hours. But we have every reason to believe that the same group is responsible for their abductions.
Slumping back into my chair, I fix my attention on the GIS file of updated vampire activity in the region. Before I’d burst out of the office, I’d been comparing the notes I had taken from the map prior to Tesni’s mission to the Ugruk Circle. Nothing jumps out to me as I meticulously scan the pages. Most of the attacks circulate in the outskirts of major cities, where human prey is far easier to come by and enforcer units are sparse. Somewhere, there must be a point of contact connecting vampires to the active mercenary network. Unlike packs, rogue teams never stick together long, especially if a job has the potential to go sideways. We need to catch this crew soon, before the Blood Master arrives and scatters them.
Nell frowns as I fiddle with the recovered metal orb, studying its eerie familiarity. “Her creations weren’t well-kept secrets, you know. That thing could’ve come from anywhere . . .”
Everyone comes to an immediate halt when Jabir appears in the doorway, breathing heavily. “Axe. You need to have a look at this.”
My feet are moving before it even registers, Demi and Nell right at my heels. Two doors down, Jabir's computer monitor displays an encrypted email from an unfamiliar sender: [email protected]
My sister frowns at the subject line. "‘For your viewing pleasure’? What the hell is this?"
"Just wait," my second mutters, voice unbearably small.
When his mouse opens the next window, Nell gasps. Two photos appear. One is a brunette lying face down, naked body bound in an intricate rope harness. Blood is smeared along her thighs. The next is a closer shot from the side, focusing on a crescent moon tattoo on her shoulder.Fuck!
