Chapter 9

I suppose it wasn’t really surprising that there were other false rifts in Winter Halo, especially when they had one inside the bowels of Government House.

But the sheer size of these two was terrifying; you could, literally, drive a truck through them.

And maybe that was the whole idea.

“Did you notice a freight elevator on that floor anywhere?” I asked.

It was a somewhat random question. While it wasn’t unusual for military bases to have industrial truck elevators, I wouldn’t have thought them necessary in cities such as Central. Not given that the VTOLs—short-hop vertical takeoff and landing vehicles—meant goods could basically be delivered closer to the required floor rather than to a catchall basement. Their size also meant landing bays could be much, much smaller. There were often three or four in most of the taller nonresidential buildings.

Yes, Bear said. There are exit points on the fifteenth and thirtieth floors. It appears there were also access points on the lower floors, but they have been sealed.

Which was understandable if what they were mostly transporting in and out of the building were stolen kids and vampires. It could also be the reason why Sal and his partners had chosen to infiltrate Winter Halo rather than the many other pharmaceutical companies that worked out of Central. Bringing in cargo they didn’t want anyone else to see would definitely be easier in a freight elevator capable of holding a sealed truck rather than a smaller, catchall VTOL bay.

I scrubbed a hand across my eyes. If things went according to plan, then I’d be promoted upstairs when I returned to work in two days. The only problem with that was the fact that I now knew I could be as affected by modern drugs as anyone else. Which meant I had today and tomorrow to get into Winter Halo and investigate those rifts. They surely couldn’t retune those two—not if they were using them to transport the children and Rhea only knows what else.

There is another problem, Cat said.

As if we didn’t already have enough. “What?”

Once again, she simply showed me. And what I saw was Sal. On a table, attached to machines that were pumping his blood and keeping his flesh alive, even as other machines dissected his body and his brain.

I didn’t know what to feel or how to react. The Humanoid Development Project—the project which all déchet had come from—had had a waste not, want not philosophy in place; those embryos that failed to develop into mature life were dissected and studied in an effort to understand what had gone wrong.

But I hadn’t expected Sal to fall foul of the same philosophy—which was stupid on my part, if only because Sal was a rare survivor. The in-tube death rate in the grays program had been even higher than that of the lures—only five had ever made it to full maturity. If one of his partners had been an HDP scientist, then it would be natural for him to want to understand why Sal had survived when so many others had died.

And while part of me believed Sal had gotten exactly what he’d deserved—in both the manner of his death and what was now happening to his body—the part that had mourned the passing of a friend wanted to stop it.

But there was also a practical reason for doing the latter—none of us could afford these people unlocking the secrets of Sal’s success in reaching maturity and apply them to their own creations.

I glanced at the time and swore. It was already close to eleven. Given that I was supposed to meet Charles at one thirty, that didn’t give me a whole lot of time to report back to Jonas and get things organized. “Could you two go back into Winter Halo and see if you can uncover the entry point into the freight elevator? But for Rhea’s sake, be careful.”

You keep saying that, Bear mused. Even though we always are on missions such as this.

“That’s because I don’t trust the people we’re dealing with, so just humor me with a ‘Yes, we’ll be careful.’”

Yes, we’ll be careful, they both intoned solemnly, and promptly shattered the illusion by giggling merrily as they left to investigate.

I walked over to the bed to put on my boots, and then quickly altered my form, becoming myself once again. And Rhea, it felt good.

I took a deep breath, let it filter through every part of me to sweep out the remnants of those other identities, then wrapped a light shield around myself and clambered out the window. No one was in the small walkway, and there were no faces peering out the windows of the nearby apartments that I could see. I relaxed a little but didn’t release the shield. The museum was officially out-of-bounds, so I couldn’t risk being spotted walking to the place.

It didn’t take me long to get there. I rapped on the metal door as hard as I dared and then waited.

Footsteps echoed as Jonas approached. “Who is it?”

“Me.”

He didn’t reply, but a heartbeat later the door was pushed open. I swept inside and released the shield with a sigh of relief. The little ones buzzed around me excitedly, some of them dropping tingly kisses on my cheeks and others patting my arms. Relief that I’d returned was uppermost in their energy, even though they’d had fun following Jonas about as he investigated both the tower and the pile of rubble. It made me feel guilty about having to return to Central so soon.

“Tough night?” Jonas left the doors open and walked over to the autocook, ordering two coffees.

“Yeah, but only because I was bored out of my brain.” I followed him across, then leaned a shoulder against the museum’s outer wall and watched the autocook fill two mugs. “Sharran was attacked, just as we’d thought.”

His gaze briefly scanned my length, then rose and lingered on my neck. I hadn’t bothered healing the wound, so it was still red and puffy looking. And while my attacker might have had access to a spray that had healed the needle’s entry point, the medical center doc had declared it was a waste of resources to use it on the neck wound and that it’d heal just fine. Obviously, the financial problems Charles had mentioned were hitting all departments.

“Were you able to see who it was?” He handed me a mug and motioned me toward the table.

I took a sip, then gave him a brief description. “It was Rath Winter. Or, rather, the imposter who has usurped his life.”

“I’m a little surprised he’s doing his own dirty work. In an organization that large, he’d surely have people he could completely trust.”

“Obviously, given the dissections they’re doing upstairs.”

He just about choked on his coffee. “They’re what?”

I updated him on everything my ghosts had seen, then grimaced and added, “The fact that they’re drugging the women in the holding cells creates a major problem, however.”

“One that means we might have to get you in there tonight rather than wait for Sharran to be promoted upstairs.” He began to pace instead of sitting at the table with me, his strides long, powerful, and filled with frustration. “Our only obvious chance of doing that is via the freight elevator, which is another problem, given we had no idea it existed until now. And I’m not sure Nuri’s family can risk pulling up any information about it without raising alarms in the wrong quarters.”

“They don’t need to. I’ve got Cat and Bear trying to find the entry point at the moment.”

Amusement momentarily broke the tension radiating from him. “They’re very handy allies, these ghosts of yours.”

“They’re not my allies. They’re my friends.”

He paused, his gaze on mine and his expression . . . odd. Odd in a way that had the hairs at the back of my neck rising and my pulse racing. But it wasn’t fear. It was something far baser than that.

“What sort of life did you have here?” he asked.

I took another sip of coffee, pretending to consider the question as I tried to get my reactions under some semblance of control. Which, as usual, seemed damn near impossible in the presence of this man. “You’ve read the texts, haven’t you? Surely you can guess.”

He came back to the table and sat opposite me. “I’ve guessed many things about you, and all but one have been wrong.”

A smile touched my lips. “That one thing being the fact that I’m déchet?”

“Yes. And I killed my fair share of you during the war and never once did I see the spark that I see in you.”

I raised an eyebrow and tried to ignore the internal havoc his comment caused. “And what spark might that be?”

“Life,” he said. “Humanity.”

I couldn’t help the contemptuous snort that escaped, even though I’d promised to curtail such reactions. “As I’ve said before, being born in a tube doesn’t make me any less human than those who created us or those who destroyed us.”

“Perhaps that is true of you and the little ghosts you’ve gathered around you, but can you honestly look me in the eye and say the same about those who were frontline fighters?”

“We’re all a product of our upbringing, Jonas. Those who were bred to be fighters were only doing as they were taught, and were both chemically and emotionally castrated. They didn’t know any different. If you want to blame anyone for what they did in the war, blame those who created and trained them.”

“You were trained to kill, weren’t you?”

“To seduce and then kill, yes, but as a lure, I had to be able to understand and respond to emotional cues. They couldn’t do to us what they did to the fighters.” I hesitated. “Why all the sudden interest?”

“I’m just trying to figure you out.”

How could I respond to a statement like that? No one, not in all the years I’d been alive, had ever made any attempt at knowing the person inside—the real me. Those who’d created us had never thought it necessary, and even Sal, who’d been my friend and the only adult I’d really been close to, had never truly known me. If he had, he wouldn’t have underestimated me the way he did in our final meeting.

I drank some coffee; it didn’t help ease either the sudden dryness in my throat or the erratic pounding of my pulse. “Why? We both know you’re only here because you need me to help rescue those kids.”

A somewhat wry smile touched his lips. “While that is totally true, it has nothing to do with my reasons for trying to unravel the conundrum you present.”

“And why would you even want to do that? Once those kids are rescued, we go our separate ways.” Either that or I’d be dead.

“Perhaps,” he agreed. “But in understanding you, I might also understand the reason why I am so attracted to someone I should logically hate with every inch of my being.”

So there it was: confirmation that I wasn’t reading him wrong. That he was indeed as attracted to me as I was to him. And I didn’t know whether to dance with joy or run as far and fast as I could from the man.

Because mutual attraction didn’t make him any less dangerous, even if that danger was now more emotional than physical.

Presuming, of course, I was capable of a deeper emotional connection. Having never been in the state of love, I really couldn’t say. But this thing between Jonas and me was already far different from anything I’d felt before, and we’d only just stopped snarling at each other.

“Attraction is a given, I’m afraid. I’m a lure, bred to be nigh on irresistible to cat shifters.” Once I would have added “when I chose to be,” but Jonas’s presence in my life had certainly knocked that notion on the head.

Amusement danced in the rich depths of his green eyes, even if little of it showed in his somewhat serious expression. “So lures capture attention by doing their utmost to avoid any admittance of attraction as well as all physical contact, however slight?”

“Well, no, but—”

“I am—was—a ranger,” he cut in. “We’re trained to read people—not just through what is said and done, but in the giveaway signs few are aware of. You have been fighting this every bit as much as I have.”

“And we both know why.”

He nodded. “Because neither of us trusted the other.”

“And still don’t, to some extent.”

“Given that you were bred to kill my kind, and I was trained to erase yours, that’s to be expected.”

“So what’s the point of bringing all this up, Jonas? It’s not going to change anything anytime soon, is it?”

His smile held an edge I didn’t quite understand. “Maybe not. But I learned the hard way that avoiding issues is never a good idea when you’re working closely with someone. Confronting them, and talking through them as a team, is always the most efficient method of problem-solving.”

“So is that what this is?” What I was? “A problem you need to solve?”

“Oh, I think this thing between us is probably a whole lot more than just a problem. But that is neither here nor there, given it is the female of our species who decides which males can or can’t court her.”

I couldn’t help my sudden grin. “You’ll have to excuse my amusement, but it’s hard to imagine you actually courting anyone.”

He raised an eyebrow again and leaned back in his chair. “I’ll have you know that it was a rare day when I didn’t win a female’s favor.”

Which almost sounded like a warning. Shame my hormones weren’t actually listening—not that they were going to get satisfaction anytime soon. Not with Jonas, anyway.

“Meaning there’s a tribe of little Jonases running around in the Broken Mountains right now?”

“They’re not exactly little, given I lost fertility when the rift altered my nature and most of them are now well into their twilight years. But yes, I have children and grandchildren.”

My smile faded. “At least you had the chance to have offspring, even if it has subsequently been taken from you. I never even had the choice.”

The little ones crowded around me at that, all of them hugging me, kissing me, making my skin twitch with their tingly energy. Reminding me that while I was not by birth their mother, I was the only one who’d cared, the only one who’d shown them laughter and happiness. The only one who’d tried to save them when the gas came. If that was what being a mom meant, then I was theirs.

I blinked back tears and gave them all a mental hug. They laughed in pleasure and danced around me, their energy so bright the air sparkled.

Cat and Bear chose that moment to return. They happily joined in the dance for several seconds, then asked the younger ones to quiet down so that they could make their report. Silence didn’t exactly fall, but they did at least tone it down a little.

Images began to scroll through my mind. The first bit of bad news was the fact that the elevator shaft was filled with lights that had been set into concrete at regular levels. The second was that there were sensors along the entire length of the shaft. Any movement beyond that of the elevator would undoubtedly set them off.

And was the exit at ground level or deeper? I asked.

Ground, but it wasn’t in that building, Cat said. It was in the parking area of a Seventh Street building that backs hard up against it. It is hidden from the public who use the area, but a truck arrived when we were there and we saw where the sensor was.

“I’m guessing Cat and Bear just returned?” Jonas said, the sudden question making me jump a little.

I glanced at him and nodded, even as I silently asked, Did you get a chance to look inside the truck?

We did, Bear said, sounding a little smug. We thought you might ask that.

We also stole the sensor thing from the truck, Cat added, dropping the small device into my hand. They didn’t need it to get out. We checked.

I rolled the device around in my hand. It didn’t look any different from the sensors they’d placed in military vehicles during the war. And the truck’s cargo?

Their amusement died. It was two children. They were drugged and they did not look well. Something had been done to their mouths.

The image of the sewn mouths on the five we’d already rescued rose, and my stomach churned. If they were doing that to these two, then maybe they’d outlived their usefulness. Maybe they, like Sal and the guards, were destined for the gleaming dissection tables. But why bring them to Winter Halo in a truck? Why not use either of the false rifts? It would certainly be safer.

Unless, of course, my use of the rifts had forced them to move the children to a more secure position away from the things. I swore and rubbed a hand across my eyes.

“What?” Jonas leaned forward, his expression intent. The warmth and amusement had fled, leaving only the dispassion of a soldier.

I gave him a quick rundown, then said, “I really do have to get in there tonight.”

“Yes.” His expression was slightly distracted. Updating Nuri, no doubt. “You can’t do this alone.”

“We have no other choice, Jonas. Ela has brothel duties, Branna would kill me, and if you show your face in Central after having taken this job, questions will be asked in the wrong quarters.”

“I’m aware of all that. It doesn’t change what I said.” He scrubbed a hand across his jaw. The rough sound echoed lightly in the hush that surrounded us. The younger ghosts had finally fallen silent—perhaps even they realized the gravity of the situation. “Are there cameras in either the parking area or on the thirtieth floor?”

“The kids won’t be on the thirtieth. They’ll be on the twenty-ninth, where the holding cells are.”

If they’d gone there for dissection, that is. It was always possible the scientist working to develop immunity for the wraiths and vamps had another serum ready to test, and had requested the two children brought in to enable that. Though why they’d risk that rather than take the serum to them, I had no idea.

“I’m aware of that,” Jonas said. “Just ask the question.”

No, Bear said. But there’s everything imaginable on the remaining floors.

I repeated what he’d said. “Getting onto the thirtieth is going to be useless if we can’t get onto the other floors.”

“Let Nuri and me worry about that.” He frowned suddenly. “Don’t you have a lunchtime meeting with Charles?”

I looked over at the autocook clock and saw it was just past one. I had less than half an hour to get back into Central and make myself presentable for seduction.

“This sensor is from the truck that delivered the children; we’ll need it to get into the elevator.” I dropped it onto the table, then drew in the power of the lights that flooded this entire area, using it to wrap a shield around my body. “I’ll come back here as soon as I can. Keep the door open for me.”

“The ability to shield like that,” he said as he rose, “is one I’m damnably glad the soldier déchet didn’t have in the war.”

“It’s hard to give someone a psychic gift when you’ve all but gutted their mind.” I rose and followed him across to the door. Bear, Cat, I need you to remain here this afternoon.

If you need help, call, Cat said.

I will. I stepped through the door, then hesitated and looked back at Jonas. He might not be able to see through the light shield, but his gaze nevertheless met mine unerringly.

“What would you do if I did decide to pursue this attraction?” I asked.

“Until it actually happens, I honestly can’t say.” A smile twitched the corner of his mouth. “But it’s an event unlikely to occur anytime soon, is it?”

“That is a question I honestly can’t answer.”

I turned and walked away. He didn’t immediately move back inside. He just stood there, watching me, his gaze a caress I could feel against my spine and one that had my whole body tingling.

Having Jonas stay in such close proximity really wasn’t a good idea—either for my hormones or my determination to keep them all at arm’s length.

I made it back into Central. Given that it was lunchtime and the cross streets would undoubtedly be filled with people, I instead made my way to the nearest public convenience. Once I’d shifted back to my Cat identity, I hurried across to Third Street and my apartment there. Thankfully, Charles hadn’t arrived yet. I stripped, tossed my clothes into the laundry chute, and had a quick shower, just in case any scent of dust or even Jonas lingered on my skin.

The door alarm went just as I stepped out. The nearby monitor came to life, revealing Charles standing outside the building. I buzzed him in and then walked into the bedroom to grab a sheer gown before heading downstairs. By the time I’d opened and poured two glasses of whiskey, he was at my doorway.

“Enter,” I murmured, pushing a husky note into my tone.

The door slid open and he strode in. His expression was initially thunderous, but that gave way to delight and desire when he saw me.

“I’m gathering it’s been a hard morning,” I said, sashaying toward him.

His gaze swept me, and lust burned the air. He accepted the drink with a nod of thanks and downed it in one quick mouthful.

I laughed and handed him mine. “Seems you need this more than me.” The second drink disappeared as fast as the first. I raised an eyebrow and added, “Would you like another?”

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Yes, please.”

I plucked the second glass from his hand and walked across to the kitchen. He followed and, when I stopped to pour the alcohol, wrapped his hands around my waist.

“What I need more than a drink, however,” he murmured, dropping a kiss on the side of my neck, “is to lose myself in the glory of your body and simply forget my problems for a short while.”

Given that I certainly wanted the former so that I could read the latter, I stoppered the whiskey and pressed my butt back against him.

He groaned and moved his grip to my hips, pressing me harder against his erection. “I’m really not in the mood for self-control. Not this first time.”

“Self-control is sometimes overrated.” Fast wouldn’t gain me much information, but Charles was a man of amazing stamina. The first session would not be the last, even if our time this afternoon was limited.

He dropped another kiss against my neck, then undid the gown’s ties and slid it to the floor between us. I tried to turn and face him, but his grip tightened, preventing me.

“I need control,” he murmured.

Because he doesn’t have it at work, intuition whispered.

He stepped back and stripped. The fact that he tossed his clothes onto the nearest chair rather than neatly place them said a lot about his urgency and his desire to forget.

He began to caress and tease my body, and for a man in a hurry he did a damnably good job of making sure I was ready for him. But as his breathing got faster and the lust stinging the air felt liquid, he kicked my legs farther apart and thrust into me. There was nothing gentle, nothing civilized about this mating; it was all heat and need and desperation, and the images that filtered through my mind were fractured and all over the place. But I saw enough to know he’d been called up to the thirtieth floor to face Rath Winter. He came before I could glimpse the outcome of that meeting.

“That,” he said, resting his forehead momentarily against my spine, “definitely chased a few demons away. Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome.” I turned around and wrapped my arms loosely around his neck. “I’m thinking said demons aren’t entirely banished, though?”

“You could say that.” He traced a line around my lips, his expression edging toward dark. Furious. “I was given an ultimatum.”

“Whom by?”

He leaned forward and kissed me for several minutes. It tasted of anger and hate—the former aimed at his boss, the latter for the situation he’d been forced into.

“My boss,” he said eventually.

I raised a hand and cupped his cheek, my expression one of concern. “What sort of ultimatum? Or aren’t you allowed to talk about it?”

He snorted, a sound that was rough and wrong on his lips. “The latter, but it’s not like they can sack me when I’ve already given notice.”

“Why?” The shock in my voice was real enough. Why, why, why?

“Because he’s asking the impossible and as much as I love working there, I do have other options. I don’t need the stress of impossible targets.”

I resisted the urge to ask what those targets were or what his options might be. Now was not the time, even if the latter would certainly play a part in what happened next between him and me. “I’m so sorry, Charles.”

“So am I.”

I rose on my toes and kissed him. After what seemed like ages, he pulled back, then caught my hand and tugged me toward the stairs. “Let’s take this somewhere more comfortable.”

We moved into my bedroom. This time, he took his time; even when he entered me, there was no rush, just a gradual buildup of heat. It gave me time to go deeper into his mind, catch more than fleeting glimpses. What Rath had demanded was the cessation of financial support to all projects on the lower level, with funds being diverted to those on the upper levels. He hadn’t specified which projects, but it wasn’t hard to guess the ones he meant. Charles had refused and then quit. Rath Winter had immediately ordered guards to escort him out of the building. No good-byes, no here’s your stuff, now leave, nothing.

I dove deeper into his memories, trying to discover how many people had access to the thirtieth floor. It seemed most departmental heads from the lower floors did, which meant around six people. I couldn’t find any information about the upper levels, but it probably ran along similar lines.

I became aware of heated movements and carefully withdrew from his memories. My body had been primed for completeness by then, and I came at the same time as he did. He kissed me, then rolled to one side and gathered me in his arms. Neither of us spoke for a while, but eventually I said, “So, what are you going to do now? Go back there until they find a replacement?”

“No.” His breath was warm against my cheek. “They marched me out; my personal stuff and severance pay will be forwarded, apparently.”

“Oh, that’s dreadful!”

“But not unexpected. He’s done it before with departmental heads who refused to play his games.” He sighed and rubbed a hand across his eyes. “As to what I’ll do, well, the family has been after me for a while to take up my position in the House of Lords.”

Which explained the odd emphasis Nuri had placed on information gathering when I mentioned Charles to her. As a member of the House of Lords, he had full access to Government House and everything that went on there. And it was yet another example of Rhea favoring our quest.

“And is that something you really want?”

He grimaced. “It’s something I’ve been avoiding, but I am my father’s only son, so it is both my duty and my place.”

“And here I was, believing that sort of thinking went out with the Dark Ages.”

He smiled. “There are some traditions that never go away, I’m afraid.”

And I couldn’t help being glad of that, because if Charles did take his seat there, it would certainly work to my advantage. As his lover, I might not get access to Government House itself, but I sure as hell had access to his thoughts and memories.

He threw one leg over mine and dragged me a little closer. “As I appear to have the rest of the afternoon and the evening free, I would very much like to spend it with you.”

I sighed. “I’d love to spend more time with you, but I’m afraid I have a dinner appointment.”

“Ah.” He idly played with my nipples. “Is this another rival for you affections, or the same one?”

“The same.”

“Should I have cause to worry?”

“He is the most annoying and opinionated man I have ever had the displeasure of meeting.” Not to mention strong, thoughtful, and caring, that inner voice unhelpfully whispered.

Charles chuckled. “In other words, I should be concerned.”

“Perhaps.” I slid my hand between us and began to caress his erection.

“Then perhaps . . .” He paused as the door alarm chimed, then added, “Ignore it.”

I started to agree, then stopped as I felt the energy of the ghosts. They didn’t come into the room—while they were both aware of what I’d been bred to do, they also knew I didn’t like them witnessing it.

“And what if it is my other suitor?” I began to untangle myself from him. “It would be terribly awkward if he decided to break in and discovered us midcoitus.”

“Indeed,” Charles agreed. “But perhaps him realizing there is another in the mix would improve his behavior.”

I laughed. “That I doubt.”

I jumped free of the bed and ran down the stairs. My two ghosts spun around me and a note fluttered free. I caught it, then continued on to open the door, even though I knew there was no one on the other side. I proceeded to softly converse with that nonperson even as I unfolded the note.

Tonight not ideal. Better if you stay where you are, it read. Meet for breakfast in the usual spot.

I glanced up at the ghosts. Do you know why there’s a delay?

Bear’s energy touched mine. Lack of time to organize an assault. Plus, they can’t get the children out at night.

But why would they want to do that? Most of the children had lived in Central with their families before they were kidnapped, so why go elsewhere?

It has something to do with the five we rescued, Cat replied.

Are they okay? By Rhea, don’t tell me we’d gone to all the trouble of rescuing them only to have them fall foul of these people again.

Physically, yes, Bear assured me. But there are other problems.

Which wasn’t surprising, given everything they’d gone through. I closed the door and walked across to the kitchen, quietly opening drawers until I found an old pen. Take this note back. I quickly scrawled both my agreement and my uncertainty that delay was the right course of action, as well as the information about the departmental heads all having access to the thirtieth. But when you’ve done that, go back into Winter Halo and keep track of the two children. One of you let me know the minute there’s any sign of them being moved.

And be careful, they both intoned, before I could.

I chuckled softly and told them to scoot. Then I grabbed the whiskey and two glasses and headed back upstairs.

“I realize it’s never a good idea to drink on an empty stomach,” I said as I climbed onto the bed and handed him a glass. “But given the situation you have found yourself in, I think it’s entirely appropriate.”

“So the rival has been given his marching orders?”

“Until tomorrow morning, yes.” I unstoppered the whiskey and poured him a generous amount. “I did have to promise him breakfast before he’d leave, however, so I’m afraid you’ll have to depart at the rather unseemly hour of seven.”

“Which still gives me plenty of time to indulge in both the alcohol and you.” He tossed the whiskey back. “And perhaps I will even combine the two pleasures.”

I raised my glass and let the whiskey dribble down my torso. “Perhaps? That doesn’t sound ideal to me.”

He laughed, grabbed my arm, and tugged me downward. From that moment on, there was little conversation and few other sounds except those of pleasure.

*   *   *

“It might be a couple of days before I can see you again,” Charles said as we walked toward the front door. “I may be the only son, but claiming my seat in the House of Lords is a somewhat lengthy process.”

I stopped. “Which saddens me, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find something to do to fill my time.”

“Which is a none-too-subtle reminder that I am not the only tom in this particular cathouse.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and dragged me closer. “I am, however, a tom who expects to win.”

He kissed me hard, then released me with a curse and added, “I had best go, before I do something ungentlemanly, like throw you over my shoulder and cart you upstairs.”

I laughed. “We can do the caveman thing when you are next free. I do own silk restraints; perhaps we can put them to use?”

His gaze darkened. “I look forward to it.”

And with that, he left. I watched until he’d entered the elevator and the doors had closed, then shut my door and leaned my forehead wearily against it. What a night. It might have been an enjoyable one, but it was nevertheless one in which there’d been no sleep. That, ultimately, was what I now needed—and the one thing I wouldn’t get anytime soon. I pushed away from the door and headed upstairs. By the time I’d showered and put the bedroom back into some semblance of order, an hour had past. Even so, I took the time to sit down and boost my energy levels. It might not erase all the tiredness, but hopefully it would help get me through the day.

Outside, it was cool and crisp, and the bitter wind that swept down Third Street made me glad I’d thrown on a coat. I hitched the bag holding my change of clothes a little higher on my shoulder and headed for the nearest cross street. I slowed my pace once I’d entered, waiting for the couple at the other end to exit, then glanced over my shoulder to check that no one else was approaching. Once I was in the clear, I quickly drew a light shield around my body and then changed both form and clothes. Doing all that while holding on to the shield was not something I’d attempted too often, and it left me shaking with fatigue. So much for boosting my reserves earlier.

And while it would undoubtedly have been easier to simply find another public convenience in which to shift, I couldn’t risk using them too often. Cameras still monitored the entrances to most of them, thanks to the attacks that used to happen in the early, somewhat turbulent years after the war. Going in as someone who didn’t come out would attract attention; if it happened too often, it might also attract the attention of the very people I was trying to avoid.

I repacked my bag, then headed for the drawbridge. By the time I reached the bunker, my head was pounding and the shield was beginning to pulse, a sure sign that I was close to losing it.

Thankfully, the museum’s doors were already open. I all but dove through them, falling to my knees as the shield disintegrated around me.

“For God’s sake,” Nuri said. “Are you all right?”

I nodded slowly, and even that was hard.

“Well, you look like fucking shit,” Nuri said. “Jonas, rustle up that remaining steak and pile it high with eggs and potatoes. This girl needs some starch and protein in her.”

“Must have been one hell of a night,” was Jonas’s only comment.

“It’s more the fact that I’ve gone almost thirty-six hours without much sleep; the final straw was holding the light shield in place while I shifted shape.”

Nuri clucked. “No wonder.” I didn’t hear any footsteps, but suddenly she was beside me. “Up you get, my girl.”

She grabbed my arm and gently hauled me upright, then helped me over to the table. Once I’d sat, her grip slipped to my hand; electricity immediately bit into my skin and dove deep into my body. Recharging me with her own strength.

“Don’t.” I uselessly tried to pull my hand from hers. “You’ll need all the strength you can get if we’re to pull this rescue off.”

“I don’t need my strength, because I’m not the one going in,” Nuri replied evenly. “You and Jonas are.”

“But Jonas can’t—”

“Jonas can, with the aid of a little witchery,” Nuri cut in. “You can’t drive the truck and rescue those kids. It’s a two-person job.”

“So you’ve figured out a way to get us in?”

She nodded. “Took a bit of a risk and put the relatives to work again. There’s a truck delivering supplies to the fifteenth floor. You two are now the drivers.”

I frowned. “That won’t help us any. If this place follows general protocols, it will be programmed only to that floor.”

“Which is why we’ll be replacing its current sensor with the one your ghosts stole.”

“I’m not sure I can rewire—”

“You won’t have to.” Jonas returned with a large plate of food and a cup of hot green muck that was actually an herbal drink favored by shifters for its energy-boosting properties. I’d had it on occasion during the war, and was not a fan. “I’ll switch the two sensors while you drive us in.”

“Which doesn’t answer the question as to how you plan to get to the children when they’re on the twenty-ninth and we’ll be on the thirtieth.”

“Thanks to the information you sent, we have acquired the cooperation of one Nevel Williams,” Nuri said. “He’s a divisional head and is willing to help on the proviso we immediately relocate him and his family—which we already have done.”

Making me wonder if they’d snatched his family before or after he’d agreed to help. I snagged some cutlery from the center container and began to tuck in. “So, where and when do we pick up this truck?”

“It’s coming in from Harston.”

Which was, as far as I knew, a mining town. I frowned. “Why would a pharmaceutical company be bringing in minerals?”

Nuri shrugged. “Industrial minerals have long been used in both pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.”

“Not that what they’re carrying really matters.” Jonas handed Nuri a mug of coffee, then pulled out the chair beside mine and sat down. I might be weary and totally loved out, but his wild, stormy scent still stirred something deep inside me. “It’s just the excuse to get in there.”

“So, when are we intercepting this truck?” I asked.

Nuri smiled. “The trucks from Harston regularly stop at the refuel center past the greenbelt farmlands to grab lunch. The exchange will happen then.”

“And the guards?”

“Will know very little about it.”

Meaning they’d be dead? Or simply drugged? And did it really matter if it meant rescuing those children? No, my inner voice whispered, definitely not.

I picked up the mug of grassy liquid and drank some of it. A shudder went through me. The taste had not improved a century down the track. “So, who is staying here while Jonas and I are out?” My gaze returned to Nuri. “You?”

She nodded. “I’m well able to deal with anyone who gets too curious.”

Of that I had no doubt. “If we do manage to grab the children, where are we taking them? The note you sent with the ghosts implied it wasn’t Central.”

“No.” Nuri paused and glanced at Jonas, her expression concerned. “There have been problems with all of them.”

“Penny included?”

She nodded. “It would appear that whatever they have done to her has disrupted both her physiology and psychology. She is not the child she was.”

“But still my niece, regardless of whatever else is going on.” Jonas’s voice held a note that suggested this was an argument they’d had before.

“I did tell you there was a darkness in her,” I cut in, before that argument got rolling again.

“This is more than the taint of a rift,” Nuri said. “The only thing she can keep down is raw meat. She drinks little, not even water, and her canines show signs of lengthening.”

Becoming a vampire, one that had been neither bitten nor born. “Has she shown any signs of being affected by lights?”

“None at all.”

No wonder Sal’s partners were desperate to get her back—if they’d created a pathogen capable of altering someone’s base biology to make them a vampire, they surely couldn’t be too far off being able to reverse that process, and make a vampire human. Or, at the very least, someone immune to sunlight.

But if that were the case, why were they still testing on the remaining children? Had Penny escaped before they’d been able to test the success of the latest batch of whatever they’d given her, and they were therefore unaware of how close they were?

I scooped up some food, then said, “I gather you’ve had her tested?”

Nuri nodded. “There is now vampire sequencing within her DNA as well as something else we can’t identity.”

“I’d bet wraith.” I glanced at Jonas. “What are you going to do?”

“Everything we can.” It was grimly said. “She is family. I will not allow her to be placed in a medical facility to be poked and prodded like some new life-form.”

“Jonas, she is not safe in Chaos.” And Chaos wasn’t safe from her. Nuri didn’t add that, but it nevertheless hung in the air.

“Then we send her somewhere else. But not a medical or military center.”

“We cannot take her to the Broken Mountains. Her presence would jeopardize your kin there just as much as it does Chaos.”

“I know, but there must be other options.” His expression was glacial. “Options that do not involve locking her away from all that she knows and loves. Our presence is all that’s holding her together. Take that away, and Rhea only knows what might happen.”

Nuri sighed and leaned back. “I’m still looking for options, Jonas, but there are difficulties—”

“Guys,” I cut in gently. “This needs to be a conversation for another day, when there’s more time.”

“That,” Nuri murmured, “is something I doubt any of us have enough of.”

Unease slithered through me, but before I could say anything, Jonas said, “I’ve placed security on high alert. No one is getting in or out of Chaos without us knowing about it.”

“Knowing about it may not fucking help,” Nuri bit back, then sighed again and leaned forward. Her gaze was on me rather than him. “If you succeed in getting these children out of Winter Halo, you are to head back to the truck stop. Our people will meet you there and transfer them to a waiting vehicle.”

“Where are they taking them?”

“A military research center.” Her voice was flat, but the glance she threw at Jonas simmered with annoyance. “Until we know precisely what has been done to them, it’s our only option.”

“What about the other five we rescued? Cat and Bear implied there were problems with them, too.”

She nodded. “There are severe behavioral problems with all of them, which is unsurprising, given what they’ve gone through. I cannot sense darkness in them, but they have been injected with God knows what, and we have no idea yet what the result might be.”

“Sal said they were rejected because they’d outlived their usefulness—”

“For what his aims were, yes,” Nuri cut in. “But that does not mean we can simply release them. Both they and their families—if they have kin alive, and some don’t—have also been transferred to a military center.”

To keep Central safe more than monitor them, I suspected. It was a step that was totally logical, and one I was surprised Jonas was fighting. “How are we going to get to the refuel center?”

“Via the rail pods, of course.” Nuri handed me an image screen. On it was a somewhat blurred picture of a brown-haired, muscular-looking woman. “That’s who you’re replacing, Tiger. You’d better take her form before you leave here.”

I frowned. “Won’t that raise alarms, given we’re supposed to be driving a truck into Central rather than catching a train out of it?”

“Only if someone is paying attention, and really, why would they be?” She handed me a pair of coveralls and made a hurry-up motion with her hand. “And don’t give me that shy crap you gave to Jonas. We’ve both seen far worse than a déchet shifting.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it again at her steely look. I pulled the coveralls on over my clothes and then studied the image on the screen for a minute to fix it in my mind. Altering my body was a far quicker process this time—I guessed like any skill, it got easier with time and use, and I’d certainly done enough of it of late. But even so, my head swam and weakness stirred. I grabbed the green swill and quickly downed it. It might taste like a swamp, but I needed the boost.

“Your turn, Jonas.” Nuri handed him what looked like a random selection of strings platted together to form a bracelet and a small silver disk.

He immediately pocketed the disk, then slipped the bracelet over his wrist. Power surged, its caress sharp, biting; it shimmered up his arm and across his body, transferring his form to that of a blond-haired, craggy-faced, weedy-looking man in his mid-fifties.

“Now, that’s an attractive image,” I said, voice dry.

He raised an eyebrow, creating a myriad of wrinkles across his forehead. “So I shoulded wear it more often?”

“Yes, because it would definitely solve all sorts of dilemmas.” I reached out to test the strength of the transformation. The invisible net of power that surrounded him wavered and then retreated from my touch, and what met my fingertips were steely arm muscles rather than weedy ones. This was more a glamour than an actual transformation: one that could fool from either a distance or close up, but didn’t stand up to physical human contact. I glanced at Nuri. “Will the image hold when he’s in contact with inanimate objects? When we’re seated in the truck, for instance?”

She nodded. “It’s fed by the power of the earth, so it won’t falter unless contact with the ground is lost for more than half an hour.”

I frowned. “We’ll be in the truck longer than that.”

“And the truck tires provide enough of a connection to feed the spell. The freight elevator, however, does not have a direct link to the ground, so you cannot linger in Winter Halo.”

If everything went according to plan, we wouldn’t. And if everything didn’t? I shoved the thought from my mind and hastily finished the rest of my meal.

“We’d better get moving.” Jonas rose.

“If there’s too many people on the platforms,” Nuri said, “head into the park before you release the concealer shield.”

“I will.” He glanced at me. “You’d better disappear, too.”

As he spoke, he pressed the disk Nuri had given him. An almost static buzz caressed the air, and a heartbeat later he’d disappeared from sight. It seemed Nuri had more than magical tricks up her sleeve.

I pulled in the energy of the lights around me and headed for the door. Jonas gave Nuri a hand to close it—something I knew only by the location of his scent—then followed me across to the rail yards and into the fringes of the park opposite.

Once both shields had been dispensed with, we made our way onto the platform and joined the many others already waiting there. A string of pods soon slid silently into the station. The doors opened and its passengers exited—a mix of farm and factory workers, from the look of them. Jonas pressed his fingers against my spine and lightly guided me toward a pod near the front of the string.

I stepped inside and glanced around. There were only half a dozen people in this one, and all of them were clustered near the door. I walked past them and claimed the seats at the very front of the pod.

Jonas sat next to me, keeping just enough distance between us to ensure the shield remained unaffected. Unfortunately, that also meant his scent was entirely too close. I suspected it was a very deliberate ploy on his part. He might be trying to figure me out in order to understand why he was so attracted, but that didn’t negate the fact that he was. By his own admission, he was used to getting what he wanted—a fact borne out by Penny’s continuing presence in Chaos, despite Nuri’s misgivings. And while he did appear willing to wait until I decided whether I wanted to explore the attraction between us, he obviously wasn’t above putting a little sensory pressure on.

A bell chimed and then the pod door closed. Within seconds we were leaving the station, and the countryside began to blur as the train picked up speed. After a moment, I asked, “Why don’t you want”—I hesitated, suddenly aware of the silence and the fact that the others could possibly hear us—“your niece moving? We both know it’s for the best.”

“Because I promised her mother I’d look after her.” His voice was flat, growly. It wasn’t his voice, but it wasn’t far from it, either. “I can’t do that if she’s not near me.”

“So why does she live in Central and you elsewhere?”

“Practicalities. But one of us is always near enough to help if there’s trouble.”

Meaning Nuri as much as him. The telepathic connection that had come from the rift they’d all been caught in undoubtedly helped them counter—or at least deal with—said trouble.

And I couldn’t help wondering whether the “practicalities” he mentioned were simply the fact that she didn’t age thanks to the rift, or something else. Because in reality, Penny was almost as old as me, and having the mind and probably the desires of an older woman while being stuck in the body of a child had to be hell. “And your sister?”

“Died not long after Penny’s birth.”

Meaning she’d died in the war. I looked out the window. There were so many reasons why he and I were a bad idea. So damn many.

Silence fell. There was little point in saying any more; if Nuri couldn’t convince him it was dangerous to leave Penny in Chaos, there was little chance I could. But I had to wonder if he was prepared for the consequences, because the second Sal’s partners realized she was in Chaos, the vampires would attack en masse. And that might very well end in a bloodbath.

It took just under an hour to get to the greenbelt rail station. We stepped out of the pod once the string had come to a halt, and followed the crowd to the exit. But instead of heading across to the processing station to register for work like the rest of them, we waited until the train had left, then walked across the track and followed the road down to the refuel station.

Without a word, Jonas led the way to the café adjoining the refuel center. Once inside, he walked through the many occupied tables until we reached one near the back of the room, where a man with dark hair and green eyes almost identical to Jonas’s waited. In front of him were three steaming mugs of coffee.

“Didn’t know what you wanted,” he said, briefly glancing my way. “So I ordered black with milk on the side.”

I smiled. “Perfect. Thanks.”

He nodded, but his attention had already returned to Jonas. “There’s a backpack under the table. In it is everything you need.”

“And the drivers?”

“Will be found with the truck in a few days’ time.” He glanced at me. “Drugged but alive.”

I raised an eyebrow and wondered if he’d read my thoughts. Telepathy wasn’t a common talent found among shifters, but it did exist.

“Thanks,” Jonas said. “Say hello to your mom for me.”

A smile broke the seriousness of the stranger’s face. “Like that won’t cause more problems than it’s worth.”

“I know.” Jonas’s expression was amused.

The stranger’s grin grew, but he didn’t reply. He simply picked up his coffee, gave me a nod, and walked out.

I picked up my cup and took a drink. “Am I allowed to ask who that was?”

“One of my six grandchildren.” He kept his voice low. Though there was a lot of noise in this place, he obviously wasn’t about to chance anyone overhearing him. “His mother—Demi—does not approve of his decision to follow my steps into the business.”

Meaning the mercenary business, no doubt. “He works with you?”

“On occasion.” He picked up the pack from under the table and slung it over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

I gathered my coffee and followed him outside. The truck we’d appropriated wasn’t one of the hulking haulers that often carted goods between Central and other major cities, and I guessed that was no surprise, given the truck needed to fit inside a freight elevator. It was still larger than any I’d ever driven, and nerves briefly ran through me. I shoved them aside and climbed into the cabin. It wasn’t like I hadn’t been trained to drive all sorts of vehicles, be they ground-bound or flighted. The vehicles and onboard instruments might have changed over the many years since then, but surely the basic principles hadn’t.

Jonas had already climbed into the passenger side and was in the process of scanning a notebook. Whether it had come from the backpack or the truck, I had no idea. I studied the truck’s console for several minutes, familiarizing myself with the layout, then found and pressed the start button. Nothing happened.

“You’ll need one of these before this beast will go anywhere.” He put the notebook aside and plucked two clear containers from the pack. Inside each was a small electronic chip.

“What are they? RFID chips?”

“No. They’re basically day passes. They’re inserted into the nondominant hand of everyone working for the freight companies, and reprogrammed daily to confirm access into whatever company the truck’s freight has been allocated to. The truck won’t start unless you’re wearing the correct chip.”

“So I take it these two were removed from the hands of the driver and his partner?”

Jonas nodded. “It’s the only way we’ll have any hope of getting in and out of Winter Halo without raising suspicion.”

If we managed to do that, I’d be surprised. Rhea might be smiling on our quest, but there were so many variables I couldn’t help thinking something was bound to go wrong.

“I’m gathering there’s also something to insert them into our hands in that bag of yours?”

“No, because it’s not necessary thanks to the recent production of artificial skin. Those in charge believe mercenaries haven’t been able to get their hands on it. They’re wrong.”

“But I thought the RFID chips only worked when inserted inside your flesh?”

“The original ones did. The newer versions are still powered by the heat emanating from your body, but it doesn’t really matter whether they’re in your flesh or simply touching it—something we discovered by chance.” He motioned toward my arm. “Hold out your hand, palm up.”

I did so. He placed one of the chips in the middle, then pulled out a small can and sprayed a clear liquid over both my palm and my fingers. Within seconds, the chip had disappeared under a layer of what looked like real skin. I prodded it gently. It even felt like real skin. “How long will this stuff last?”

He placed the second chip on his palm then repeated the process. “Until we physically remove it.”

“Which will be when we get back here?”

He nodded, placed the bag at his feet, and then said, “Let’s go. We have children to rescue.”

I pressed the starter key again, and this time the engine roared to life. I carefully backed the truck out of its spot and headed for the highway into Central.

And crossed mental fingers that the inner whispers stating something would go awry were wrong.

Even if they often weren’t.