Page 68 of An Unexpected Claim

“A vampire?” I mused aloud. “It’s always shifters and the timing is all wrong. From the profile we’ve built of this guy, he doesn’t deviate from his pattern.”

“Never?” Phillipé raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Was there not an incident recently that interfered with his planned attack? One involving the woman you are currently harboring?”

My eyes locked with Phillipé’s, and I knew he was staring back at my wolf. I gave my animal a minute to convey his own warning and when he faded back, I dropped all pretenses. I let him see just how deadly I could be. The killer that lurked inside me and would decimate anyone who threatened my mate.

“I don’t know how you found out, but if you breathe a single word about Peyton, I will hunt you down and let my wolf rip out your heart and feast on it while you slowly slip into oblivion.”

“Relax,mon ami,” Phillipé said calmly, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I have no intentions toward your woman. I have a specific reason for bringing her up in this conversation.”

“How did you even find out about her?” I growled. Besides the few in my pack who were aware of her, the only other people who knew her location were Sam and Linette, who would never betray Peyton.

“I cannot share my source. However, I can assure you they have nothing but her best interests in mind and they only brought this to me because of the similarity.”

“We will come back to this ‘source’,” I stated in a tone brooking no argument. “But first explain this similarity.”

“I am given to understand that you have not met Melinda?”

I shook my head. She hadn’t had her position in the ISC more than a few weeks before she’d disappeared and I hadn’t had the opportunity to meet with her yet.

“I have,” Tanner interjected, and I glanced at him. He had a shell-shocked expression on his face. “Shit.” Then his eyes met mine. “She’s tall, athletic, long dark hair, green eyes.”

My brow furrowed and I grunted, “The resemblance could be a complete coincidence. We don’t even have proof that she was killed by the same man.”

“There aren’t enough details available for a copycat, Nathan,” Tanner argued.

“There’s something else,” Phillipé announced. Both Tanner and I leveled him with hard stares. “Melinda had an injury that wasn’t prevalent on the other victims. Her back had been slashed diagonally from shoulder to hip.”

I blanched at the description. “Son of a bitch.”

I sat in stunned silence until Phillipé added, “I didn’t know about Peyton’s injury, but my…contact brought it to my attention, and I felt you should be aware of the full situation.”

My wolf snarled and snapped while I glared daggers at Phillipé. “Who?” I demanded. The rising aggression inside me and the power I exuded would have most people shrinking back and telling me whatever the hell I wanted to know.

Unfortunately, Phillipé wasn’t one of them. He’d also shared this information without coercion when he had no responsibility to do so. He wasn’t on the ISC, primarily because French vampires were not known for involving themselves in situations that did not affect them directly—such as helping Dimitri reclaim his throne.

However, through money and a lack of scruples, Lucien and Phillipé had built an empire in New York City. They’d proven to be powerful allies in the vampire world and assisted us on occasion. But when it came to Peyton, I didn’t give a fuck about propriety, relationships, or burning bridges.

Phillipé shook his head. “It’s not up for discussion, Nathan. Move on.”

“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Tanner asked while I ground my teeth practically into dust.

Phillipé stood and tugged at his cuffs before flicking an imaginary speck of dust from his pants. Then his icy blue eyes observed me, and he appeared to be contemplating his next move.“I don’t have anything substantial to back up my theory, but I do not believe Melinda’s death was as simple as killing your woman in effigy. I think she was chosen for more than her appearance.”

“Do you have a theory as to why?” Tanner asked. I let him take the lead in the conversation while I tried to calm the hell down. My wolf’s agitation wasn’t helping the situation.

Phillipé drew his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Not yet. But…I think there is more to all of this than anyone has puzzled together yet.” He walked toward the door and stopped, looking at me over his shoulder. “If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say a war is brewing.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Nathan

After Phillipé dropped his bomb and disappeared, Tanner and I stared at each other for a time. Neither of us seemed to know how to digest everything we’d just learned.

However, my wolf snapped me out of it when he shoved hard against me and his desperation to check on Peyton flooded my mind. I yanked the receiver from my desk phone and put it to my ear before dialing the extension to my house.

When no-one answered, I jumped to my feet, barely noticing that my chair flew back and crashed into the wall. “I need to go. Do a deep dive on Melinda and get your hands on all the information surrounding her death. Call me when you have updates.” I grabbed my keys, wallet, and an item I’d been debating about and had finally decided I needed to give to Peyton.

Tanner nodded and I took off.

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