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Ransom sighed.“I’m not taking any chances.”
“Are you two going to stare at me all night or what?” Warrick finally asked, irritation evident in the tight set of his shoulders.
“I can’t risk this right now,” Ransom said. “You may be here for the reasons you said, but Alek and the others are on a mission. If you’re really here to prove yourself, you’ll let me contain you until they return.”
Cassandra gaped at Ransom, but quickly smoothed the shock off her face. A little hurt radiated in her eyes, and I gave her a sympathetic smile.
“Fine by me,” Warrick said, surprisingly agreeable to the idea of imprisonment. “Whatever I have to do to prove myself. I’m here to train. To help my sister in any way I can. And to serve my king.”
Ransom cocked a brow at him. “Interesting that the serving part comes last.”
Warrick leaned in a little closer to Ransom. “Unlike my other family, I don’t pretend to grovel at royalty’s feet,” he said. “I’m loyal to Alek, but I’m also not a liar. Cassandra will always come before him.”
Whoa, go brother.
I resisted the urge to clap. The brutal honesty thing leaned me in his favor for sure, and I’d always wanted a sibling who would go to the ends of the earth for me, so I was happy Cassandra had that, especially when things here were still so tense for her. She didn’t have a mate who made her feel welcome and safe and alive like I did. Not everyone could be so lucky, no matter how hard I wished it.
Wishing didn’t do anything when it came down to it really. If it did, I’d be able to spend the rest of forever with Ajax.
“I’ll be back in a few,” Ransom said, eying Cassandra. “I’d like to speak with you after.”
“Of course,” she said, and hugged her brother again before he scooped up his bag and followed Ransom down the hall and out of sight.
Cassandra let out a heavy sigh, and looked over the paper again. Her panther must’ve felt her anxiety over Warrick, because he leaned into her hip, purring softly. “I don’t recognize any of these names,” she said, and I wasn’t sure if she was talking to the panther or me, but I shifted my feet to get a better look at the list anyway.
“Oh, my God,” I said, reaching for the list with frantic fingers but stopping just shy of the paper. I looked at her with questioning eyes. I knew better than to rip something out of a vampire’s hands, but thankfully she handed it right over.
My fingers shook as I re-read the names on the list six times.
“Do you know some of them?” Cassandra asked.
“Whoa, girl time in the entryway?” Avi’s voice sounded as she rounded the corner, stopping before us. “Why aren’t we in the dining room eating muffins? Isn’t it muffin o’clock?” The light mood drained from her face when she noted the seriousness in my expression. “Grace? What’s wrong?”
I held up a finger, my breathing erratic as my mind worked out the kinks in the puzzle I held. They were both used to me needing a minute, so neither pushed me to speak.
Every single name on this list belonged to a child in foster care, and I only knew that because they were inMaria’sfoster care.
“The Sons are targeting associates of vampires or humans with any amount of vampire blood in their line, right?” I asked for clarification. They both nodded. “And the likelihood of children being acquaintances of vampires?”
“Zero,” Cassandra said. “Well, unless they were saved by an assassin or something rare like that. Why?”
Panic and understanding lashed up my spine. Maria…oh, my God, Maria knew. She knew about my bloodline and had to know about these children’s lines too. Could she detect it, like Cassandra’s gift? Is that why she’d taken me in all those years ago or is that why my mother was friends with her? Was her entire agenda to help these children with these special histories?
It made all the sense in the world, but figuring it out wasn’t the priority right now.
“These are all names I recognize,” I finally answered her. “They’re children, Cassandra. Some of them aren’t even eight years old yet.”
Avi gasped, a hand flying over her mouth.
“They live in the home I grew up in,” I continued. “We have to go. Now. If they’re being targeted…” My voice trailed off as my heart trembled for what could happen.
“We have to tell the hunters,” Cassandra said.
“We can’t leave these children to die!” I countered. “What if the Sons are already there? What if we get the hunters and then we’re too late?”
Cassandra contemplated for a moment, then nodded. “Fine, we have time to do one thing. Go to the location and try to move them to a safer location, or we go get help.”
“I can’t stand here and wait when those children could be attacked any second. You can make other people around you invisible right?” I asked Avi.
