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Eachann didn’t wince, but it was close. My uncle seemed a little befuddled by the ties my sister and I had to various paranormal factions. But those ties were going to help us shut down HFE. I knew it.
“I had a breakthrough of my own when you were gone,” Eachann said.
I turned and studied him for the first time since I’d arrived. My uncle was unseelie, but today he looked…worn. Tired.
“Are you okay?”
He glanced at me, then turned his attention back to the whiteboards in front of us. “Fine.”
I didn’t know Eachann all that well, but he’d already wormed his way into my heart with his calm assurance, sly sense of humor, and determination to help.
“Eachann…”
“My research all led to one man,” he said. He pulled out his phone, jabbing at it with his index finger as if there were a bug on the screen he was attempting to kill. I smiled, and he gave me a dark look.
“I spent most of my life in the unseelie realm, girl. Don’t make fun of me.”
My smile widened. “Sorry. Can’t help it.” My phone buzzed, and I took a look at the picture he’d sent me. “Who is this guy?”
“Lennox Rees. His father’s name was Alistair, and he witnessed his mother’s—Lennox’s grandmother’s—slaughter by a werewolf when the portals opened. Alistair made his money in pharmaceuticals, and within the next few years, he’d turned all of his scientists and labs toward understanding paranormals. Those first few years after the portals opened were chaos,” he said. “So many died—both humans and paranormals—that no one would have noticed when Alistair began working with human bounty hunters to collect paranormals to use as his specimens. It’s rumored that Lennox is half paranormal himself—the result of one of his father’s manyindiscretionswith the prisoners.”
I swallowed, my stomach churning. “What happened to him?”
“He was killed when an unseelie broke free.”
“I hope it was agonizing.”
Eachann smiled. “So do I. But as you can imagine, he raised his son to hate and fear paranormals. Once he took over, Lennox poured his inheritance back into HFE, expanding it throughout the country.”
Determination warred with pity as I turned to pace. We’d found him at last. The man responsible for HFE’s atrocities. After everything he’d done, and considering everything hewoulddo if he had the chance, Lennox needed to die. But it was easy to see exactly how he’d become the monster he was now. Monsters were made, not born. And Lennox hadn’t had a chance.
“This is good work,” I said.
Eachann smiled. “Thank you. I also have a theory about the beast.”
I’d sent Eachann the results from the blood test Nathaniel had run. I shouldn’t be surprised that my uncle had found time to research the strange creature that had fought with Fenrir before it died.
“You said it acted almost…protectively,” Eachann said.
“Yeah. It was weird.”
“One of my people picked up chatter about a creature that escaped its handlers in Kentucky. From one of HFE’s labs. I think it sensed you, Evie.”
“You think that’s why it came here. Was it hoping for…help?”
And I’d gotten it killed. My stomach knotted.
“I don’t think it had the brain capacity for that.”
I considered what else it could mean. “You think my DNA was close enough to that creature’s that it considered me family?”
I turned to pace in the opposite direction, but Eachann was suddenly there. “We don’t have time for you to question your humanity, Evie.”
“I’m excellent at multitasking. Ask anyone.”
The ghost of a smile crossed his lips. But he shook his head. “There are other theories. Someone at the lab could have sent it in your direction, hoping it would kill you.”
“But it didn’t. If you’re right, it protected me.”
