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Cash, Everett, Georgia, and Ronan stood at the front of the room, waiting for our arrival. Miranda stood near them, and the smile on her face was triumphant. Not, I thought, a good sign.
We walked through the crowd, which parted to let us through, then closed the circle again, surrounding us. Not the best strategic position, but we didn’t have much choice. At least we had Alexei, whom I spotted weaving through the crowd near the far wall.
“It seems we have a rather significant problem,” Cash said when we reached the group. His arms were crossed, stance wide. And he stood just slightly in front of the others, as if the elders had again ceded control to him.
“The clan members who attacked the Stone farm last night? Yes, I’d consider that a problem.” Connor’s voice was hard as granite, but smooth as glass. The sounds the gathered shifters made were much more primal, much angrier. Outrage given voice at the possibility the injuries had been inflicted by their own members.
“We have no information the animals—whatever they were—were clan,” Cash said. “None have been positively identified.”
“As you’ve been advised, the attacks on Beth, Loren, the Stone farm smelled like clan.”
“So you think, what, shifters learned to shift into something else? Into something new?”
“I think they’re using magic—and badly—to change themselves into the creatures we saw last night. They were undeniably clan.”
“If they’re proven to be clan, they’ll be dealt with.”
“Does that include the perpetrators of the newest attack? The one that occurred a few short hours ago?”
Connor’s tone was casual, and he watched Cash carefully. But if Cash knew about the shutters, he didn’t show it.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about the creature—or the half-shifted creature—who tried to pry the shutters off our cabin and expose Elisa to the sun.”
Cash’s brow furrowed. “That didn’t happen.”
“Shutters are still there, damaged though they are. You can inspect them yourself.” Connor took a step forward. “If you have any control over the creatures, I’d strongly suggest you... dissuade them... from attacking the daughter of one of the most powerful Master vampires on the continent.” He lifted a shoulder. “But that’s just my suggestion.”
It was a good strategy—taking the offensive and starting with a recitation of the clan’s crimes. We’d see how well it worked when Cash shifted us back to the inevitable topic.
“If anyone in the clan is involved,” Cash said again through gritted teeth, “they’ll be dealt with.” For the first time, he shifted his gaze to me. “Our focus right now is on other crimes, including the near death of a human. Georgia,” he said, and she stepped forward.
She looked at Connor with apology in her eyes. But she wasn’tfeeling it enough, I thought with some anger, that she’d refuse to stand with Cash and Everett.
“Sheriff Paulson came around during the day,” she said. “He knew about the attack at the bonfire. Some of the other humans had called him, described an animal attack. He thought it sounded like the attack on Loren. Wanted to know our progress on that investigation, if we’d found the culprit.”
“So he acted like law enforcement,” Connor said flatly. “What did you tell him?”
“That Loren was killed by an animal,” Cash said, pulling our attention back to him. “Which is the truth.”
“It’s the least important part of the truth,” Connor said.
This time, Cash was the one who shrugged carelessly.
“You’re surprisingly lackadaisical about the fact that one of your elders has been murdered, and several of your clan members have been attacked. Makes me wonder if you’re involved.”
Cash’s gaze was cold and hard, his only movement the tapping of fingers against his biceps.
“And let’s correct the record,” Connor continued. “It was your clan who nearly killed Carlie. Elisa saved her, sparing you some very penetrating questions from the authorities.”
Cash’s gaze didn’t waver. “Carlie was bitten and changed without her consent.”
I looked at Ronan, found his expression blank, his gaze cool. I guessed he still agreed with Cash’s assessment, and hadn’t become magnanimous overnight.
“To save her life,” Connor repeated. “Because she was attacked and left for dead by one of the clan members under the influence of some very nasty magic.”
“Evidence?” Cash asked.
