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“Well yeah. He’s good at handling delicate situations. He has more experience than us,” she said with a shrug.

“Let’s get some information from this one so I can break his neck,” Sam said, jerking his head toward Orpheus.

“Sam,” I warned. “You can’t just murder people. Even bad people.”

“Then what do we do with him? If we give him to the general, he’ll just end up back on the payroll of the board, and they’re the only officials who can bring him to justice.”

I considered the prisoner we’d taken. “I have an idea.” But I wasn’t thrilled with it.

“First, answer some questions,” I said, kneeling close to Orpheus and letting my magic loose. “Who is behind this study and what’s the purpose?”

“The board. The purpose is to create the perfect human hybrid.”

Daphne frowned and increased her pressure on his back. At least his answer on who was behind it was consistent with Tittwell’s. I suspected I’d have to get to the general to find out who they were. And that would not be easy.

“Okay, what type of hybrid?” I asked.

“The best of all the primitive creatures.”

“What creatures?”

“Shifters, vampires, witches, psychics, and humans.”

I sat back on my heels. “I guess fae aren’t primitive.”

Hazel snorted.

“And they’re primitive by whose standards?” I asked, trying a different tactic.

“The board’s.”

“I think that’s all we’re getting out of him,” Sam said.

Sadly, I had to agree. “Okay, Orpheus, you are going to forget everything about SHADE, the board, and the experiments, including this conversation. You are a…podiatrist for shifters.”

Hazel double-snorted this time and I smiled at her. “You live in Duluth, Minnesota and have a quiet life. The minute you step through the portal when my sister gets up, this will go into effect, and you’ll remember you lost everything in a flood and weren’t insured. You have to start over and find a place to live and work.” I glanced up at Daphne. “And you will sit quietly and wait without giving us any trouble until you are sent through the portal.”

“Thank you,” Daphne said, removing her foot. “I was getting tired of standing like that.”

Orpheus rose and sat on a chair that Sam put in the corner for him.

“That was amazing!” Hazel said, bouncing a little and scooping up Karma in cat form.

“I hate doing it. Taking someone’s free will is horrible.”

“Vampires do it all the time,” Sam said, putting an arm over my shoulder.

“That doesn’t help.” I leaned my head against his pecs and bit my cheek. “I just hope those kids will be okay.”

“Whatever happened between you and Julian, he’s never let us down on the job before,” Daphne said, worry creasing her brow. “We had a plan, but we aren’t the professionals here when it comes to that kind of logistics. He is, and he’s been doing it for a long time.”

I guessed that made sense. I shouldn’t let my personal feelings cloud my professional judgement. It was just so hard to tamp down my emotions concerning him. The hate simmered below my skin like a viper waiting to strike. That couldn’t be healthy. I needed to get over him and leave him in the past. But how was I supposed to do that when he kept showing up in my life? Even in fucking Greenland?

“I’m exhausted,” I said. It was still early, but that didn’t matter. It felt like I’d been fighting a battle for days.

“We should leave you to rest then,” Daphne said. “I need to get back to my land anyway.”

“Come on, I’ll give everyone a ride,” Sam said, opening the door. “You sure you got Orpheus under control?”