Another pause, longer this time.
“If you hurt Channon,” the lawyer continued slowly, “Viktor will burn this estate to the ground with you inside it. And unlike the Justiciary, he doesn’t give a damn about legal process.”
Viktor’s lips pulled back from his teeth in a feral grin.Damn right I will. It’s nice to know my reputation precedes me.
“Viktor wouldn’t dare,” Claudius said, but there was a thread of uncertainty in his voice now. “He’s bound by the same laws as any other vampire.”
“Is he? Because from what I’ve read, he doesn’t seem particularly concerned with laws when it comes to protecting his mate.”
“Enough.” Claudius’s voice sharpened. “I pay you to advise me on legal matters, not to lecture me about petty details that have no bearing on important issues. The accounts are secure. Ronald Finch is dead. The Justiciary won’t find anything because there’s nothing left to find.”
“What about the physical documents in the safe?”
“Warded. Sealed. Even if Doctor Channon somehow manages to conduct a successful scene reading, he won’t be able to prove the documents exist, much less access them.”
Viktor’s eyes narrowed.Safe.That was exactly the kind of information he needed.
“Just...be careful,” the lawyer said finally. “The Justiciary isn’t like the local officers you can pay off. They sent Channon because they think you’re guilty, and if he finds evidence, theywillprosecute. Coven protections only go so far.”
“They’ve worked perfectly fine so far, and one non-descript mage with an attitude bigger than his boots isn’t going to change that.”
Footsteps approached the door. Viktor moved, sliding down the hallway with inhuman speed and ducking into an alcove just as the door swung open. The lawyer emerged - middle-aged, expensive suit, briefcase clutched in one white-knuckled hand. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. He hurried toward the stairs without looking back.
Viktor waited until the lawyer’s footsteps faded, then continued down the corridor in the opposite direction. If Claudius had a safe, it would be somewhere secure, probably in his office, which Viktor remembered was near his private quarters.
The hallway ended in another set of double doors, these newer than the rest of the estate’s fixtures. Viktor tested the handle. Locked. He pressed his ear against the wood and listened.
Silence.
He tried the handle again, applying more pressure this time. The lock mechanism clicked softly, and the door swung open a crack. Viktor slipped through and found himself in what looked like a private study. Desk, bookshelves, and a fireplace that probably hadn’t been lit in decades. And there, set into the far wall…
Bingo.
A safe door. It wasn’t particularly large, maybe four feet high by three feet wide, and one that was clearly usually hidden by a wall panel that leaned on the wall below it. But it was the safe Viktor was interested in. The layered wards around it made Viktor’s skin prickle even from across the room.
He crossed the room and examined the door more closely. The wards pulsed with a faint crimson light, responding to his presence. If he tried to force it open, every vampire in the estate would know instantly.
Fuck it.
Viktor pulled back, his mind racing. He couldn’t open the safe himself - not without triggering alarms and alerting Claudius. It was possible, with enough time and focus, that Ant could. The trick would be getting Claudius out of the way long enough for Ant to work.
A clock on the desk chimed softly. Viktor checked the time and swore under his breath. He’d been gone almost twenty minutes. Ant would be waking up soon, and if Viktor wasn’t there when his mate opened his eyes, Ant would panic.
He took one last look at the safe, memorizing its location and the pattern of the wards protecting it, then retreated back into the hallway.
The return journey was faster. Viktor knew where he was going now, and he didn’t bother with stealth beyond maintaining his invisibility. He flew down the stairs, through the foyer, past the terrified familiars, and back into the east wing.
The door to their suite was still closed. Viktor slipped inside and let his invisibility drop, the world snapping back into full color as he became solid again.
Ant was stirring on the bed, one hand reaching out automatically for Viktor’s side of the mattress. When he found it empty, his eyes opened, gray and still slightly unfocused.
“Viktor?”
“Right here, babe.” Viktor crossed to the bed and sat down beside his mate, running a hand through Ant’s sleep-mussed hair. “Sleep okay?”
Ant blinked at him, then glanced at Able, who was watching Viktor with an expression that clearly saidI know what you did.
“How long was I asleep?” Ant asked.
