‘Yes, but I think I know anyway,’ Lachlan says, eyes on the handset.
‘Understood.’
‘Is Jules like you?’
Lachlan watches Zaitsev roll his eyes.‘Sort of, yes.’
‘Whysort of?’
‘All very different, Tanner,’ Zaitsev informs him.‘Not all the same.Just as you are a killer, so I am killer too, but I do not have your good aim, yes?I use different weapons.’
‘But he is a… a Paranatural?’
‘That name was made to stoke hatred and fear,’ Zaitsev intones seriously, dark eyes flashing.‘Do not use it.’
‘Brightling, then.Is he a Brightling?’
‘There is a very strong presence in this place.Your boy is clever, hides well, sneaky, but if you suspect, then yes, is him.’
Lachlan runs a hand through his hair.‘What can I do to help him with it?’
‘Emotions,’ Sergei says very clearly, ‘are triggers, connections to power.Spectrumshowed me how they force it out.They use pain and trauma like lightning to bring things to life.Safety is good, calm is good, fear is dangerous for all.Contact is best.’
‘What does that mean?Contact?’
Zaitsev pats his shoulder, grips it.‘Hug.Cuddle.Good contact.Helps to…Uspokoit’ nervy.’ He taps two fingers against his chest.‘Regulirovat nervnuyu sistemu.You understand?’
‘Regulate the nervous system,’ Lachlan echoes in English, nodding to himself.‘What else?’
‘Control is essential.’
‘He already has control.He can use it at will.’
‘For what?’
‘He can disable tracking.’
Zaitsev frowns deeply.‘The boy is too young to know that.’
‘Well he fuckingdoesit.What about the…’ Lachlan casts back to Fenwick’s rambling that night.‘Hypo… Hypochlor…’
‘Hypochlorite?’
‘Yeah.What does that do?’
‘That isnotcontrol, it is removal.’Zaitsev shrugs and gives a tiny smug smile.‘It did not work on all of us.’
‘What else do I need to know?Is there a way I can help him understand?What about physical stuff?’
‘No idea.’Zaitsev whacks Lachlan’s arm.‘Good luck.’
He releases thetransmitbutton and walks away.
Lachlan curses under his breath.
?
Lachlan trusts Danya Yashin as much as he can trust anyone who is not Blaire Montbelliard.It would be unforgivable stupidity tofullytrust anyone in this house who is not her, but Lachlan has to trust a handful of people for this to work.He and Danya develop a code to speak in.It’s very subtle, and it helps them to talk openly about certain things without needing to switch to Russian which draws attention.The bubble Lachlan was so determined to build when he first got involved here now becomes pure glass, invisible to the eye, stronger than before but infinitely more dangerous if broken.
