‘He isnotyour blood, and I wouldn’t underestimate Mikhail in that respect,’ Madeline cuts across sharply.‘Whatever else, he’s protective of them.Until we can prove it’s him co-opting the Moroz Front, we should keep our distance.’
‘Besides, he already moved the boy in with the bodyguard.’
‘Why?’
‘Because Mikhail isn’t stupid, unlikeyou.’
‘Unnecessary.What is Alistair’s obsession with the bodyguard, anyway?’
‘It’s exactly what you imagine,’ Madeline chuckles meanly.‘You know how heloveshis toy soldiers.Here, take the rest.I need to line my stomach.Come, Pressy.’
They part ways.
Lachlan commits to memory what he heard that holds relevance, takescareto keep the important parts intact.His mind isn’t at its sharpest right now.
But he knows this.
Mikhail Sorrenko is under suspicion.
Roman is considered “too close” to Savannah.
Helixx is experimenting on Paranaturals and at least some of the attitude towards them is manufactured.
The mention of Vasily troubles him.Young enough for what?
These fucking people… he’d kill them all if he could.
But for now, there are more pressing matters.
?
It’s around one AM when they move the party to the beach, taking drinks and blankets.The adults strip off for a night swim.
Lachlan accompanies Jules, biting the inside of his cheek as hard as he can to stop himself from warning everyone to stay on the sand.
He swallows blood and holds his tongue.
The storm they were planning for earlier is nowhere to be seen.
No ozone in the air, no smack of metal on his tongue.
Alistair hangs back with Lachlan while everyone else, including all three young ones, rush out into the water.
He’s holding two glasses of champagne.
The moon above is round and bright.
‘You seem tired, Lachlan,’ the old man observes, watching as his friends wade out into the water like excited children.‘Are you not sleeping well?’
‘I’m fine, sir.’
‘I hope you know me well enough to know I had no intention of letting him touch you,’ Alistair intones gently as if that’s a completely normal thing to say.‘You understand what I was doing, yes?’
Lachlan stares out at the sea.He can’t remember if shark attacks are connected to the lunar phases or not.
He can’t remember a lot of things right now.
‘Yes, sir.’
