Page 482 of Shadowblood Souls
Maybe Griffin would be able to tell me what I’m feeling, if he were in the room for me to ask. He’s experienced the emotions of hundreds if not thousands of people, and I only have my own for reference.
I can’t even tell whether the energy is an impression of something good or bad. It has the flavor of anticipation and a tremor of urgency, shivers of both hope and dread.
And it niggles at me, as faint as the pale dawn light but undeniable, insisting that there’s something I need to do.
I try to open my mind up to the idea of what that would be, but nothing occurs to me. I don’t know anything more about Rollick’s plans than the almost nothing I did before. The same with Balthazar’s.
We’re still locked into our manacles, still trapped within the boundaries of the villa’s grounds until we’re sent out on another closely monitored job.
If some part of my brain has figured out a way to deal with any of this situation better, I’d really appreciate if it’d tell me.
I put out that appeal silently into the universe. No such luck.
Sighing, I roll over and bury the side of my face in my pillow. But the nagging hum won’t let me relax enough to drift off again.
I push off the covers and go to the closet, deciding I’ll take a dawn prowl just in case something turns up that’ll clarify my feelings. But I’ve only just tugged on a hooded sweatshirt and matching leggings when a quiet knock sounds on the door.
My body tenses automatically with the knowledge that it isn’t any of my guys. I’m aware of four of them in their own rooms, not stirring, and Griffin would tell me it’s him alongside the knock.
Bracing myself, I ease open the door.
Toni is waiting outside, as coolly vigilant as ever. “Since you’re up now, this is as good a time as any. Mr. Balthazar has agreed to provide more information.”
My pulse stutters. Just like that—now, so early in the day it’s barely even morning?
She knew I was awake. My fingers brush over one of the slim metal bracelets.
I hate feeling this monitored. But maybe Balthazar’s agreement is what my mind picked up on—a chance to understand him better and therefore how to escape him.
I nod and step into the hall after Toni. Then a more frightening thought occurs to me.
What if it’s the opposite? What if I was wrong, and he has been watching for me to form the inexplicable connection with Zian or Griffin?
What if he wasn’t, but some data from the manacles tipped him off that what happened between me and Zee yesterday was more than just getting off?
Neither of us said anything about the supernatural element. I was careful about how I talked afterward. But who the hell knows what he’d already heard from the other guardians…
Shit. Should I have turned Zian down? Not taken the chance?
Getting to be there with Zee while he broke down the barriers inside him and let loose his passion was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. I can’t wish it hadn’t happened for both of our sakes… but indulging in the moment could have been an epic screw-up as well.
By the time we reach the drawing room, my stomach has knotted. As the screen rises from the table at our entrance, a sour taste laces my mouth.
Toni closes the door and stands on guard in front of it. I sink onto one of the armchairs arranged in the semi-circle facing the screen, welcoming the extra bodily support.
Balthazar might not have realized very much. If he asks questions about last night, I’ll have to deflect them convincingly. Show no signs of stress.
The screen snaps from black to a now-familiar view of Balthazar sitting behind his desk in what must be his office. I instinctively scan his surroundings for any new clue about his exact whereabouts in the villa, but I still can’t even say whether he’s on the first floor or the second.
Hell, that light could be artificial and he’s down in the basement somewhere.
He seems to wait a beat longer than usual before he speaks, his piercing gaze inspecting me just as closely as I am him. My heart gives another lurch that I conceal as well as I can.
Then he smiles—weirdly soft and somehow more unnerving than the crueler, sharper smiles I’ve seen from him before. “Iunderstand you’ve uncovered a few things about my business dealings that you’d like me to explain.”
I hesitate, hardly able to trust my relief. Is this meeting really just about the demand I made and nothing else?
I sit up a little straighter, hoping my surprise wasn’t obvious. “Yes. I know you have something to do with a company called StreamCycle Enterprises, and that it creates technology for providing clean energy. And I know that at least a couple of the people you’ve sent us on jobs against are also involved in the energy business one way or another.”
