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MURPHY BRUSHED ASH from his desk with the same disgusted expression one would wear when removing bird droppings. Blood trickled down his forehead from a shallow cut, but he didn’t seem to care. Shards of glass and wood splinters littered the floor, but aside from that, the room was untouched.
The damage at the manor wasn’t as extensive as I’d thought. Only a part of the western wing, where the men slept, had been blown up. Where the rooms had been, there was a steaming, black hole that exposed broken bricks and wooden logs, like the splintered bones of a beast. The injuries to the people were another matter though. Nathan had killed ten more people, all beasts, and hurt a few dozen more. The lights in the hospital wing were glaring in the darkness, the medics in full activity once again. I wished to be there to help, but having been the one who had mysteriously extracted a confession from Nathan and sounded the alarm, Murphy was eager to hear my story. Not that I had much to say. Who knew for what reason Nathan had decided to spill it.
Tugging at the oversized shirt I was wearing, I shifted on the chair in Murphy’s office, Roy next to me. Thorns and broken twigs were tangled in my hair, and I pulled at them as Murphy was waging a personal war with his foul mood. He was furious that Nathan had escaped, but I guessed the anger was more directed at himself.
After Roy and I had turned into our tiger, my clothes had been ripped. While the sight of women and men walking around in their hallowed suits was nothing new, Murphy had gallantly offered me a clean shirt that was big enough to cover me to my knees.
“Let me get this straight.” He dabbed at the cut on his forehead and glowered. “Nathan was behaving normally and was in good spirits, when all of a sudden, he blabbered out that he was the bomber, offering his confession on a platter after I personally interrogated him without extracting anything.” The scepticism in his voice was understandable.
“Well, it didn’t happen like that.” I ignored Roy’s intense stare on me. He must be curious about what had happened with Nathan as well. “I believe he drugged my tea with a sleeping draught or something similar. He waited for me to fall asleep, then made the call. I dozed off for half an hour, no more. When I woke up, a sense of wariness disturbed me. The pencil next to the phone had been moved, and when I mentioned it to Nathan, he became upset. My beast came out, and when I scratched Nathan’s hand by mistake, he started to talk, saying he made the phone call to warn a man called a Mr Traube in Berlin about the success of the bomb.”
At the mention of the name, Murphy jolted. The muscles in his shoulders swelled. “Are you sure he said Traube?”
“Yes, sir.”
Murphy remained still and silent for a few moments, his face giving away nothing. “Why would Nathan confess anything?” he asked in a tone I didn’t like. It sounded as if he believed I was lying.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It happened.”
“No, it didn’t.” Roy narrowed his gaze on me, causing a quick shiver to creep up my neck. “You scratched him with your claws.”
“The slash was no deeper than a paper cut. It barely bled.”
He studied me for a moment, his gaze lingering on Murphy’s shirt. A corner of his mouth twitched. “It might be your special skill,” he said, something like awe ringing in his voice. “Forcing people to tell the truth.”
“My special skill?” I gaped. I had a special skill? “Shouldn’t a special skill be something more…physical?”
“No. The skill could be anything. We’ll need to have you tested.” Roy cradled his chin, eyeing me again. That stare of his was quite unnerving. “If you can force the truth out of people, it would be a particularly useful skill.”
“Hmm.” Murphy leaned back on his chair, bringing his knuckles to his lips. His beast must be coming to the fore because his pupils turn elliptical for a moment. “A beast who can force the truth out of people. It’s every spy’s dream. Roy, you’ve just found your perfect companion for your mission in Venlo.”
My heart gave a solid kick as my beast uncoiled within me.
Roy straightened, tension snapping back into his muscles. “I don’t wish to involve Kristin. Besides, we haven’t tested her skill. It might be something fleeting.”
A smirk pulled at Murphy’s lips, revealing the tips of his fangs. “Then test it. We can’t let this precious gift go. If she possesses that skill, Miss Easterwood is going with you, whether you like it or not.”
Well, I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Did I want to work with Roy? Yes, but not because he suddenly realised I had an awesome gift. Plus, I still didn’t think he wanted me with him, and judging by the glare he slanted at me, I was right.
