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e damn Brit never had an emotion at all. “Dellacourt got away.”
Yes. That was what he thought the fucker had said. Chalen forced himself to lean forward when all he really wanted to do was to take his tablet and throw it off his balcony. Hell. That was wrong. What he really wanted to do was wrap his claws around Roan’s throat and squeeze until the Brit died. “What do you mean he got away? Dellacourt’s an idiot. You’re the best mercenary money can buy, or at least that’s your reputation.”
Roan and his men were damn expensive. Of course, Chalen never actually meant to pay them, but Roan didn’t need to know that.
“He proved himself to be quite cunning.” Roan’s face turned thoughtful as though he was trying to solve a puzzle. “I had him in sonic cuffs. They were behind his back, and it was only myself and my second-in-command who knew the code to release him.”
Excellent. “Then your second-in-command is a fucking traitor. You should execute his ass now.”
Roan sighed in a way that set Chalen’s fangs on edge. It was condescending, that little sigh. “Harry has been with me for ten years. I assure you, he wouldn’t help another royal, certainly not one like Dante Dellacourt.”
Chalen knew all about Roan’s little team. They were all disenfranchised royals who had turned their backs on their people. They couldn’t be trusted. He wondered if Dellacourt had offered them more money. “None of you are above turning on each other for a little money.”
Now Roan’s eyes narrowed. His lip curled back to bare perfectly sharp fangs. “Are you accusing me and my men of failing to honor the contract I signed?”
Chalen backed off. He still needed the mercenary. Oh, he wouldn’t for long, but if Chalen gave any indication that he was turning on Roan, things might get dicey. Roan was known as a man who honored his obligations, but he was also said to be a man who believed in revenge. Until he was ready to get rid of his mercenary, Chalen would have to deal with him. “Not at all. I’m just frustrated at your lack of progress. If no one turned traitor, then do you have a theory on how Dellacourt and the consort got away? I assume you lost Meg Finn as well, or you would have led off with that news.”
That bland professional expression was back. “He fled with his cousins’ wife. I do have a theory, but you might think I’m crazy. I believe he has a very well-trained dog.”
“A dog? A fucking dog got him out? You let a dog outsmart you?”
“Well, I admit, I didn’t really think she was anything beyond a very lovely bitch. Nothing about this job has gone the way I thought it would. When I set up the distraction, I assumed I would catch him as he fled the marketplace. I was rather surprised when he managed to kill the ogre.”
Chalen was surprised at that himself, but Dellacourt had always had all the luck. “None of this explains how his dog managed to get him out of sonic cuffs.”
“Harry was close when Dellacourt took down the ogre. He said Dellacourt seemed to be trying to save the dog, and he called the dog Kaja. Odd name for a dog, especially one he refused to acknowledge as his. He tried to tell me that this Kaja was some random woman. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I thought he was just trying to protect the dog. He might have thought I would hurt it if I knew it was his. Foolish, but it makes sense. The dog was with me when I put the cuffs on Dellacourt.”
Chalen was seriously beginning to question the mercenary’s intelligence. “You do realize a dog doesn’t have opposable thumbs, right? It’s sort of a requirement to work the cuffs.”
“Well, she didn’t have them in dog form. Or maybe she was more of a wolf. But what if she was able to shift? Also, I swear that wolf had the faintest glow. It reminded me of a consort’s glow.”
Chalen’s mind was working overtime. “The Planeswalkers have been venturing further and further out to find consorts and bondmates. I’m curious about the wolf.”
If Dellacourt had found an exotic consort, Chalen wanted to know about it. If she was powerful and rare, then he really wanted to know about her. She could prove to be valuable. And if not, then killing her might upset Dellacourt, and he was really interested in making that asshole pay.
“I’m sure you’re upset by this setback, Mr. Palgrave. If you wish, I can take my men and leave. I’m sure you can find another squad to do the job.” Roan straightened his flak jacket. “They left by foot with no technology. Dellacourt had a weapon, but I believe his dog ran off with it. He might have it. It seems to be some sort of projectile weapon. Good luck, sir.”
“Wait.” Chalen hated it, but he couldn’t find anyone else quickly. And there was the small matter of dealing with Roan himself. It would be easier to deal with the man if he was close. “Just get the job done. Find Dellacourt and the consort, and get me the twins.”
He cut off the connection and sat back on the bed just as the tablet chimed again. He closed his eyes. Another snake to deal with. This particular snake was Fae royal, however.
“King Torin,” Chalen said with a deferential bow of his head.
Torin Finn was a man in his prime. He looked somewhat like his nephews. The coloring was the same, but there was a thinness to his frame that made him seem less than the twins. “Chalen. I called to get an update on your progress.”
“Make him tell us, My Liege,” a nasty voice said. Torin’s hags. Chalen’s stomach turned. He’d only seen their true forms once, but it was enough. There were two, and they stood behind the king. They looked lovely in this form, but Chalen couldn’t help but see their true faces. Just a glimpse was all it had taken.
“Down, woman,” Torin said with a snarl. He turned back to Chalen. “Do you have the twins?”
The hags retreated, but only slightly. They were always present, a prop to hold up Torin. Chalen had heard rumors that the hags had been very good in putting down the rebellions that had popped up.
“Not yet, Sire, but I have a plan to ensnare them.” Chalen tried to take a page from Roan’s book. He carefully schooled himself to look as confident as he could. “I’m going to use their bondmate to bring them out.”
Torin’s green eyes narrowed. “Yes, I heard they bonded. I rather thought I had ensured they could not. Damn Planeswalker demons.”
Torin hadn’t been able to make a deal with the demons. He didn’t have anything to offer them, and he wouldn’t until he could open the borders again, Chalen knew. He wouldn’t do that as long as his nephews were out there just waiting to get back in. Chalen wondered just how bad it was getting to be on the Seelie plane. If this particular mission hadn’t been about revenge, he would have looked to make a profit.
“They will come for their mate. I’ll have their cousin as well.”
