Page 27 of Depths of Desire
Renzo snorts.Who doesn’t?
Luca’s energy pushes at me, and he joins the conversation.The break-in was definitely done by Orcs. Sorry Nico. The stench is unbelievable.It’s going to take some serious effort to get that place cleaned up and Orc odor-free.
Fuck,I growl.I fucking hate Blood Orcs. Who the hell is sending those assholes to break into my place?
It’s got to have something to do with the ship blowing up and us losing two shipments,Luca commented.
Not necessarily. Blood Orcs can work for anyone, but it’s a possibility, and yeah, we just came to the same conclusionourselves,Renzo agreed.It must be connected to the ship blowing up.Get on the call with us. Mia and Luna need to hear this. I have a feeling Luna knows more than she’s telling, and Mia might be able to get it out of her.
I add Luca to the call, interrupting the girls’ conversation. “Luna,” Luca says by way of greeting. She nods in return but stays silent.
“I’m trying to track the…men who broke into your apartment, Nico. As soon as I have any info, I’ll let you know. When Renzo and I looked at the ship’s video, we obviously saw Luna was there, so I checked her apartment as a precaution. It’s been tossed as well. Same guys, or at least I think so.” Luca nudges me telepathically.Renzo wanted to go over the footage with me. I had no choice. Sorry.
Luna let out a small squeak and then put her hands on my desk to steady herself.
It’s fine.“I’m sorry, Luna.” I rub her back. I want to say more. I want to say that I will kill those fucking Blood Orcs for touching her stuff and I will make sure whoever they work for suffers a painful death, but I can’t say any of that. It’s not the right place or time, nor is it something I’m supposed to be feeling. This rage is almost blinding, and I have no idea why the idea of Luna being hurt in any way brings it out in me. I take a deep breath.
“Luna, we can get you all new stuff, and you wanted to paint your apartment anyway, remember?” Mia cajoled.
Luna offered her friend a weak smile, but didn’t bother to comment. She was shaken. Her adrenaline is flooding her veins. She keeps her face neutral, but her heartbeat is off the charts. There’s more going on besides someone tossing her apartment. She’s terrified. The scent of fear once again makes her blood so appealing. One little taste would be divine.
Nico!Renzo’s voice echoes in my mind, and I snap to attention.
“I have to go,” Renzo growls. “I need to talk to some people and smooth some ruffled feathers since the shipments are lost. Luca, see what you can dig up on those Or—guys.”
“Will do,” Luca says and then disappears from the call.
“Nico,” Renzo continues, “you and Luna stay put. Work your magic from there and see if you can come up with who will benefit the most from us losing those shipments.”
“Whoever it is, they sure as hell didn’t care if they made a scene, which is odd in our world.” I add telepathically,I can’t imagine any vampire would risk bringing all that attention.
I would normally agree.Renzo sighs.But you know as well as I do that there’s something going on in the Magickal realm. There has been for a while now. This could be part of that. Whatever it is, whoever this is, they must be stopped.
Yes, before they bring the whole world down on us. If that happens, no one, human or magickal, will be safe.
CHAPTER TEN
Islide out of Nico’s office as he is busily working on his computer. The last thing I want to do right now is continue the conversation. My stomach rolls, and suddenly, The brunch Carson prepared site like a boulder in my stomach. I know this is all happening because of my father. I know it deep down in my soul.
I make my way outside to the balcony again, trying to recapture the peace I felt earlier, but with the way my mind is racing, it is no use.
Could my father have sold out Renzo and the Valdici family? I find it hard to breathe. I know the answer is yes, and it makes it hard to catch my breath. He could have easily done it if Malrick were the one who asked. My father is totally beholden to him. He would sacrifice everything for Malrick, including me.
To be fair, I’m not sure he has a choice. I think Malrick would kill my father and my mother if my father defies him. He might even kill me, too. A shudder runs through me, and a sudden chill envelops me, even though I’m sitting in the late afternoon sun.
Even if I wanted to go back, I can’t now. Forward is the only way. My place is destroyed and despite what Mia said aboutredecorating, I don’t have the money for that. Beyond that, I don’t want to go back because those…creatures on the camera weren’t men. God only knows what they were, but I know they aren’t human. Even on video, I can tell they are magickal. They have a halo around them. All the magickal creatures do. I can always see it, no matter what they’re wearing or what time of day it is. Just a light halo. The woman who works the counter at my dry cleaner’s. The man at the garage. They aren’t men and woman at all, or at least they aren’t ‘normal’ men and woman. They’re magickal. I can always tell.
Except when it comes to vampires, I am halo-blind. I have no idea why. I want to ask my parents, but the one time I tried to bring all this up, they freaked out and made me swear to forget everything and never ask again. I suspect that I can’t tell vampires because either they aren’t magickal and they are a race of their own, or it’s because they are evil and emit no light. Malrick certainly fits that bill.
Carson once again appears at my elbow, and I jump. “You really have to start making some noise,” I tell him.
He smiles and holds out a cell phone to me. “For you, miss.”
I frown, taking the cell phone and putting it to my ear. “Hello?” I say, but my voice is uncommonly squeaky.
“Luna,” Mia’s voice comes down the line. “Pippa is here with me. We have you on speaker.”
“Mia, Pippa.” My voice breaks, and I swallow hard.
