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‘You are not here to hire us?’
I hesitated. ‘Honestly? No. Maybe in the future.’
‘This meet was arranged under false pretences,’ Krieg said darkly.
‘Would you have agreed to it if you’d known I only wanted to talk?’ He didn’t answer. ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve got some questions to ask and they’re urgent. I wouldn’t be here if they weren’t.’
He examined me, letting the silence draw out and my fear crank up another notch. Finally he responded, ‘Questions are dangerous, alpha.’
‘It’s not the questions that are dangerous,’ I disagreed. ‘It’s the answers.’
‘In the Other realm, the act of questioning can get you killed. Some things are better left a mystery.’
I shook my head. ‘Unfortunately, I grew up reading Nancy Drew and Poirot. I’m all about solving the mystery.’ I let any hint of warmth drain from my face. He needed to know I was tough, too. ‘Someone has kidnapped a pup. They took him from school, when he was at his most vulnerable. There’s been no ransom demand, so we don’t know why he was taken.’
‘I am sorry for your pup. Our children should not be touched by our squabbles.’ He waved a hand dismissively. ‘But perhaps there was no purpose to his taking.’
I searched his face for any hint that he knew more than he was saying but I got nothing. Nada. Either he wasn’t involved, or he was one helluva poker player.
‘I’m not buying it was a random snatch because a young fire elemental has also been kidnapped in the last twenty-four hours. Two children being taken is no coincidence.’
I didn’t mention the missing vampyr; presumably Voltaire had been here discussing it himself. And if he hadn’t been, I wasn’t one to break a confidence. Even a vampyr’s.
Krieg steepled his fingers. ‘No,’ he agreed, ‘it doesn’t strike me as a coincidence either. But tell me Lucy, alpha of the Home Counties pack, why are you knocking at my door?’
I had to tread carefully. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, and by using a picture I couldn’t be accused of insulting him. I pulled out my phone, retrieved the photograph of the dead gargoyle’s body, then handed it to Krieg.
‘This corpse was found on my lawn the night before our pup was kidnapped. The gargoyle had a vested interest in keeping that particular pup safe. It seems that he may have foiled the first kidnapping attempt.’
‘At the cost of his life?’
‘Yes.’
As the High King examined the photograph, his jaw tightened minutely. I hoped that meant he didn’t like what he was seeing. He passed the phone back, and I scrolled to the picture of the hole in the wall at Alessandro’s and the dust sprinkling the bathroom floor. I turned the phone to him again. ‘This is the scene of the second kidnapping where the fire elemental child was taken.’
This time his face remained carefully blank, and I had no idea what he was thinking. We sat there in silence for a long moment as the tension built up. If he was going to kill me, the moment was now; he knew why we were here and what we were asking about. If he decided I was being impertinent, my death would follow.
We’ll take him with us,Esme promised darkly. She was ready in my mind, claws extended, vibrating with tension and ready to shift at a moment’s notice.
Chapter 14
FinallyKriegbrokethesilence with a soft and deadly question. ‘What are you accusing me of, Lucy Barrett?’
‘Absolutely nothing,’ I said firmly, meeting his eyes so he would know I wasn’t lying. Crap! No long eye contact. I looked away hastily. The silence dragged on; Krieg was using it to great effect and I itched to fill it.
The woman finally reappeared with a tray on which there was water and orange juice. I hesitated a moment, hoping no insult would be attached to my choice.
Whilst I hesitated, Bastion reached from behind me to take an orange juice. I realised at the last second that he was reaching out with his left hand. I quickly slapped it down, gave him a warning look and reached out with my right hand towards the orange juice. Bastion smirked slightly as he grabbed the orange juice, this time with his right hand. Greg took a glass of water.
The woman stood sentry a few steps away, clearly intending to remain. ‘Thank you, Gillian, that will be all,’ Krieg said dismissively. She sniffed at being dismissed, then turned and left.
Krieg let the silence roll on; this man certainly loved a power trip. I let my eyes wander whilst we waited so that I didn’t stare at him. Suddenly, the tiniest movement caught my eye.
I reached out with my piper senses and saw Reynard. He was hidden in the darkest part of a tree, sheltered from the sunlight. He’d come along to spy. I looked away hastily and hoped I hadn’t gaped. Reynard? Why had he lied about coming along?
‘We ogres are mercenaries,’ Krieg said, interrupting my panic. ‘We get paid to do a job. Sometimes there is collateral damage, but we do not accept contracts that target minors.’
‘I hear you,’ I said genuinely. I chose my next words carefully. ‘I have been advised by an officer of the Connection that it appears the gargoyle was killed by an ogre.’
