Page 5

An outcry of shock filled the chamber, ringing in my ears, making me question if I’d heard him correctly. America? Although our kind had spread throughout the continent, few had migrated globally. Crossing the oceans was no longer as perilous as it had been in earlier times. Still, an ingrained discomfort tended to dissuade most from venturing too far from our homeland.

As the meaning of Seamus’s words registered, my spine stiffened. I darted my attention to the shadowed alcove, but Cristofer was gone. I scanned the crowd but didn’t see him.

America. No. I couldn’t go to America.

Seamus continued talking.

Now was my chance. Everyone was occupied.

In the chaos, I backed toward the door and slipped out with every intent on running. The instant the door clicked, I turned and came face to face with Cristofer, who waited a few feet down the dark tunnel as though expecting my attempted escape. He had his arms crossed, blocking the way.

“Going somewhere, duck?”

“Yes, but not America.”

“Valerius will destroy us, Mordecai. He already is. His human army grows every day, and he sends that army to eradicate his own people. Can you not see that you are his primary target? You alone have the power to stop him. You alone can bring Iulian back.”

“I’m not delusional.”

“No. You’re a coward. You walk the streets uncaring that he has targeted you, uncaring that we are powerless without your help.”

“I do care.”

“Bullshit.’’

It was bullshit. Every word, but I wasn’t a coward.

What Cristofer didn’t know, what no one knew, was how I longed for the final death. I’d never asked to be changed. I didn’t want this life. If instinct and necessity weren’t so hard to fight, I would have found a way out long ago. Valerius’s men weren’t hunting hard enough if they hadn’t found me. I spent my nights in plain sight among the humans. I wasn’t hiding.

I was waiting.

The culmination of Seamus’s speech rose from within the chamber. “We will free the rightful king. Iulian will reign again, and Valerius will be dealt with once and for all. You have my word.”

A cheer went up.

Cristofer approached and rested a hand on my cheek. His animosity had shifted to concern. “I believe in you, brother. This may not be the life you chose, but it is the life you were given. Find a way to make peace with it. Let go of your human roots before they destroy you.”

But how? It was impossible.

The door to the chamber opened as Cristofer pressed cold lips to my forehead.

A hand landed on my lower back. “You’re wrong, Cristofer. It’s Mordecai’s obsession with humans that might help our cause. He has learned to blend and walk among the living. A useful skill with the job ahead of him.”

I turned to face Seamus, his direct and unflinching gaze suggesting an authority he did not possess. I steeled myself for what was to come.

“Are you ready to talk?” he asked.

“America? Are you sure?”

“Yes. More specifically, North America. A quiet city in Canada. It’s called Owen Sound, in southwestern Ontario. We don’t know where he’s being held in the city. That is for you to discover.”

“What if your spies are wrong?”

“They aren’t. Be warned, Mordecai. Wherever Iulian is, he is undoubtedly being kept in a forced state of torpor and is heavily guarded by Valerius’s human militia. Trained hunters. Extracting the elder will require delicacy.”

“Quite the understatement. I know what it will require.”

Seamus didn’t react to my biting tone. “It might take time. Be patient. Don’t rush. This is not a suicide mission. Don’t make it one. Cristofer has arranged your transportation and accommodations.”