Page 20 of Blood & Ice

“You bet your ass it’s urgent.”

“Explain.”

“Tally has a case of a murdered young woman on her desk. Jane Doe was killed by a vampire, and all signs point to someone in your former clan as the responsible party. You still havecontacts there, so I need you to get Tally a meeting.”

Everything he’d said was technically true, if you squinted. Vivian had been killed by a vampire and Aurea’s spells pointed toward the Portland vampire clan. Maverick had left a lot of the story open to interpretation, which would put anyone we interviewed off the scent of what we were trying to solve. I didn’t like playing with my cards so close to my chest, but for my kids’ sake, I’d do it.

Lorcan sucked in air through his teeth. “My, that is a predicament. I regret to inform you that I’ve burned most of my bridges with my former clan, but I might be able to find someone who would take pity on me. I will call when I wake for the night. Is that acceptable?”

Maverick looked unhappy, but he eventually nodded. “That’s fine. Text this number with the date, time, and location of whatever meeting you can get us.”

“Taliyah’s number and not yours?” Lorcan asked.

“I doubt they want someone like me in their stronghold after magic nearly burned the whole thing down.”

“Indeed not,” Lorcan said with a chuckle. “I’ll keep you informed as things progress. For now, I am going back to bed.”

“Fine,” Maverick said, and punched the ‘end call’ button before I could thank Lorcan for his help.

Maverick didn’t say anything for a moment. I took his hand, feeling fine tremors running through his fingers. He was keeping it off his face, but I knew he was scared.

“You’re not coming with me,” I said gently.

He looked over at me then. “Like hell I’m not.”

“Mav, you’ve taken care of me during this debacle. It’s my turn. Stay here and protect my kids. I’ll be able to rest easy if I know you’re here.”

“Tally.”

“Please,” I stopped the argument that was ready on histongue. “I’m asking you to do this one favor for me.”

He breathed in deeply. “I...” he trailed off, expression hopelessly lost. His eyes bored into mine, trying to communicate the sentiment without words.

“I know,” I said, a small, sad smile touching my mouth. “Me too.”

We didn’t say the words. We didn’t have to.

We already knew.

Chapter Ten

Taliyah

“William is the clan leader, so I understand why you invited him but...” I started, tapping my foot impatiently on the brake, inching my cruiser toward the intersection with excruciating slowness. The light had only been red for a few moments, but it felt like a relative eternity, given what was at stake if I failed.

I shot the man in the passenger’s seat the best glower I could manage while also observing traffic laws. The wattage must have been pitiful, because he didn’t even flinch. He seemed more concerned with sweeping his golden hair out of his face, securing it in a tail at the base of his neck. Or maybe Lorcan had just been inured to a woman’s wrath by dating Wanda. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, really.

“But why the hell did you bring,” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder, indicating the seat behind me. I kept silently willing the light to turn green. “Him, with you?”

The vampire in question gave me a dirty look from the backseat. With only streetlights for illumination, his eyes appeared as black as a night sea. His auburn hair was a striking contrast to the ivory of his skin. And I had to constantly remind myself that he was old enough to have been the root of my family tree. Rook Thorne was a four-hundred-year-old man trapped in a co-ed’s body. He looked like a disgruntled college student, not a perturbed immortal. He was older than Lorcan, who was physically twenty-something years his senior.

“I have a name.”

“Rook is an alias, not your legal name,” I pointed out. “Would you like me to call you Chesley?”

His scowl deepened, and his brows pushed together as he considered me. I wasn’t sure what he could read of my expression from the rearview mirror, but he must have caughtsomething. He straightened, the petulance easing out of his posture as he came to a conclusion. He looked concerned, rather than annoyed. Which was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to bring him along. You didn’t survive for four centuries without being perceptive, and I’d dropped too many hints about my mission already. Aurea would take it out on my family if she found out I’d shared with anyone but Maverick.

“Chess is fine,” he said in as neutral a tone as he could manage.

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