Page 144 of Golden Eagle

It put him immediately at ease; his lungs relaxed.

“I’m not sure anyone everisgoing to leave you guys alone,” Will continued with true regret. “This thing with Gustav and the Institute would have happened despite our showing up in your lives. Sasha was turned with the Institute’s approval – at their command, really, all of it carried out by the Soviet government. If not for Dr. Ingraham and his blasted Institute, Sasha would have died twenty years ago in his bed in Tomsk, Siberia. He was their first successful experiment, and no matter what sort of deal Trina worked out with them, they’ll never be content to let Sasha live on his own recognizance. He’s a weapon. Dr. Ingraham was there for the science of it all, but whoever funded him, whoever allowed him to experiment and secured him the resources necessary to build a lab in Stalingrad – that person knew about immortals. Knew about them, feared them, and decided having their own tightly-controlled immortal force was the best way to protect themselves from the threat they could pose.”

Jamie realized he hadn’t taken a breath in a long moment, and sucked one in now. “You mean…”

“Russia was a test. To see if a wolf could be used to kill vampires. It was a successful test…right up until Sasha and Nikita ran off and disappeared.”

Jamie’s heart pounded.

“We’ve tried to trace the information backward. But when the lab caught fire in Stalingrad, only a handful of files were recovered, and eventually uploaded onto databases. Much and Tuck have been able to hack them, but the trail toward the financial backers runs cold. Redacted US government files; dead ends; whoever did it was crafty and doubled back again and again like a fox. Everyone Ingraham knew when he studied here in the States disappeared. Anyone he might have confided in – just gone. No trail.”

“A cover-up,” Jamie breathed.

“Yes. And a thorough one. Someone in this country came face-to-face with an immortal. Or several. Someone became so petrified that they decided to begin a living biological weapons program. Sasha was a success, but a lost one. Now they have Liam and Lily Price’s children; and God knows why the Prices cooperated with them. They’ve clearly tried to turn more wolves, but their mages are young, inexpert, and they were poor turnings. Or else the human subjects weren’t strong enough to manage.

“Finding Vlad Dracula was a major coup for the Institute. And now, with his help, I think the government is going to start taking an active role in the coming war they’ve let us throw ourselves at for decades.”

“Valerian.”

“Sorry?”

“He’s here in town. He showed up last night.”

Will’s brows lifted. “Really? He escaped?” Before Jamie could answer, he said, “Or was set loose.”

“He said his brother let him go.”

“Hm.” Will sat back and linked his hands over his belly, thumbs fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Considering. “I’ve never met him, but from what I’ve heard over the years, Vlad Tepes isn’t the kind of man to change his mind about something like that. They hate one another. It’s a legendary family feud.”

“Valerian called it a ‘misunderstanding.’ He said they mended fences.”

Will snorted. “Vlad Tepes doesn’t mend fences, either. Still.” He pushed a hand through his hair, fluffing it. “Hm,” he hummed again.

“What?”

“This is an unexpected development. Valerian changed hands many times over the centuries. There was an auction, once. Rob tried to buy him – to free him, of course.”

Jamie’s stomach rolled. “Free him if he’d help you, you mean?”

Will grinned. “Nikita’s pessimism is catching, I see. We would have asked for his help, yes.Asked. It’s his uncle that birthed the plague of mindless, ravenous vampires on the world.”

“Plague?” Jamie said faintly.

“It will be if it isn’t stopped. Already our run-ins with the afflicted have increased. Things were mostly quiet for a very long time, but something is stirring. Vlad will be involved, doubtless. What I can’t understand is why he wouldn’t want his brother at his side.”

“Alexei has his phone number, now. Maybe he’ll share and you can ask him yourself.”

“Maybe so,” Will agreed, his gaze tracking back and forth across Jamie’s face. Measuring him, probing.

Jamie swallowed, but he was proud he kept his expression blank; that he didn’t – hopefully – betray that chaotic pulse of anxiety inside him. Will could no doubt sense it, maybe even smell it, but it was important to him that he at least put on a brave outward face.

He said, “How could one or two people make a difference? If the war that’s coming is gonna be as bad as you think?”

Why do you need Nik and Sasha?he meant.

Will offered a smile. “You’re forgetting who my pack alpha is. Sometimes, one or two people make all the difference. It’s been the individuals of history that have brought about the greatest changes.”

Jamie couldn’t argue with that. Could think of no proper response.

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