Page 51 of Under a Wicked Moon
The relics. The items they’d retrieved off deranged otherworldly creatures over the past few decades since the brothers had been cursed. They housed hundreds of items deep below London in a locked room called the depository, where no one touched them. The fact someone got to the Curmsun Disc, which had been under heavy lockdown, meant someone with access rifled through a boatload of dangerous items to find it. Only the three of them, Gerard, and—if he wanted—the king, could have access. If Ky, Roman, and Flynn could, they’d destroy every one of the terrifying items, but no one on the planet knew how. Therefore, they needed to remain locked away.
“We’ve already relocated twenty-five percent of the collection,” Flynn said. “Another delight you missed. I despise being close to most of those items. Imagine having them in a bag and then close by in transport. But it’s crucial, since someone is poaching them.”
“Looks bad for Gerard,” Ky muttered.
Roman was still glancing at his phone. “Gerard is still up my ass to get a full report on your rescue, but I delayed again by saying you were in rough shape. He wants us in England for adebrief meeting in forty-eight hours. Seems this meeting can’t be done over the computer. I told him we also rescued Vivi. He didn’t seem that interested in her, but let’s see how it plays out. I have a feeling he’s going to want us to bring her with us for the debrief meeting. I have received no new message about the location of the meeting.”
“Why would you tell him we have her?” He rubbed his eyebrow even though he didn’t have a headache.
“She’s bait, remember? We have to figure out who was behind you giving yourself up to end up in there and who made the decision to order you not to tell us what was going on.”
Flynn tapped his lips. “Has to be either the monarch or Gerard or someone with power over Gerard.”
“No shit,” Ky snapped.
Roman crossed his arms. “If it’s Gerard, then he’s got a whole side business that we need to figure out. The man is smart and reasonably motivated, but for him to single-handedly set up a covert organization that trains and breeds lycans probably to sell to rich people or governments?” He wrinkled his nose like he sensed a putrid smell. “That’s a stretch.”
“What if it’s both of them?” Flynn asked.
Roman said, “There’s a high chance Gerard is in on it. If the king leads this, then there’s little we can do to stop him so long as the curse binds us, but… Can he order us not to fight one of the biggest international paranormal terrorist threats we’ve encountered, when policing paranormals is our whole purpose? We still don’t even know the extent of this network. Now we know FenCor is involved.” Roman waited until Ky looked at him to continue. “While you were in there, I got recalled to a meeting with the new monarch. He openly wears the FenCor insignia ring on his pinky and doesn’t deny involvement with them.”
Historically, FenCor wasn’t a terrorist group and definitely didn’t dabble in the paranormal. The international consortiumconsisted of power-hungry and narcissistic humans who accumulated influence and wealth to the point they owned governments and big corporations.
“I’d sayifshe gets triggered to kill us, but I think it’s a foregone conclusion she will. It’s the one surefire way forthemto ensure she dies. She’s a loose end.” The conclusion that in a showdown she’d die wasn’t said egoistically. Roman stated simple fact. They were apex predators with extensive battle experience. One lone female, no matter how much magic she used or how many skills she’d acquired while incarcerated, was no match for the three of them. “To them, she’s no longer an asset. She’s a liability. Whoever runs the facilities probably won’t want her free. When she gets triggered, Ky, can you kill her? Can you at least defend yourself?”
Kill Vivi?
Hell, no.
He might have to defend against her attack?No, no, no.
He couldn’t hurt her.
“Are you saying we need to kill her?” Ky asked carefully.
“I’m asking if you can fight her. Or will you roll over like a submissive dog and let her eviscerate you?”
His mind raced through possibilities. He could shut her down without hurting her. That would be his priority, but the concept of hurting her, even knowing she might not be in her right mind? His brain rebelled. This confusion meant he’d freeze when confronted with the question of strike, defend, or kill when and if Vivi tried to attack him. “Assume I’m toast. I’m sorry. Flynn’s right, I’m in over my head with her. Being in there… I got all kinds of messed up.” He ran a hand over his face. “The isolation and drugs mixed with the things they did put me in a weird place. The only high points were the few hours I got to spend talking to her.Talking.I swear nothing happened in there. The humans wanted us to do more, at least I think so, but no one getsto manipulate me into being a stud horse.”
Roman squeezed his shoulder. “You did what you needed to in order to survive. No one’s judging you. Still, it might be easier for you to get through this if you distance yourself from her. Tell her who we are. She thinks the Crown’s Wolves killed her sister.”
“It’s safer if I don’t tell her. I have a hard time lying to her. I know you don’t want her to know about Nova, but if she asks…” He swallowed hard and stared at the marble countertop. He could feel his brother’s stare boring into him.
Roman assessed him as if wrestling with an undesirable discovery. “You’re going to stay with her tomorrow night in the Bexley safe house. Flynn is going to set up remote operations to monitor our meeting with whomever, since he won’t be attending even if they ask him.”
“Where will you be?” Alone with her in the safe house was the most unsafe thing possible. For him.
Roman compressed his lips. “I’m going to France. I’ll fly back to England in the morning in time for the meeting.”
“Makes more sense for all of us to stay together.” He hated the pleading in his tone. He needed to not be alone with her. It wouldn’t go well.
A flush crept across Roman’s cheeks. “I’ve put off Nova for almost a week. It was a bloody miracle I got her to agree to not go with us into China to get you. I had to point out the dangers of her being near those who thought her dead and knew the signals that could program her brain, even though she erased herself. If I go to London right now, so will she. It’s the one city she can’t go to. She has to staydeadto those who wanted her dead. I also don’t want her anywhere near her sister. At least, not yet. That means I’m going to her tomorrow to persuade her to stay put.”
“And get laid,” Flynn muttered.
“You’re going to get it on while I have to behave?” Ky asked.
“Exactly.”
