Masuk"At your service," he said with a smile, tipping the brim of his hat. It should have looked ridiculous when he did it, but it seemed to fit his personality well.Dara couldn't help smiling, despite itching to get on her way. "I bet you drove Gard insane with that charm.""He appeared oblivious to it," Joshua chuckled, "Now Rayne on the other hand..."She burst out laughing, rolling her eyes at his shamelessness. "Yes, you drove him insane; I have no doubt about that." It felt good to have a moment of respite, even if it wouldn't last very long. What was to come would probably be full of danger and possibly death...for this one moment it was just nice to forget the darkness that was ahead.Dara's expression sobered and she shouldered her backpack and motioned Joshua to lead the way out of the terminal."I'm sorry to hear our friends are missing," Joshua said quietly, as he led her to a beat up old van. "Can't believe it was only a few days ago I was picking them up here. I liked them a
Caleb walked towards the centre of the room, his gaze travelling each face, his expression calm. "As I said, we are not asking the Council to provide any protection for the Armand-Hanlon pack, thought just for the record; it was two vampires that were almost killed in the attack. It was the wolves who protected them.""That's beside the point. Why are you here, Caleb? You shouldn't be here anyway. The Ancient Council is having far too much involvement in matters that are Council business. We are not your puppets to dance to your tune."Claude's tone was quiet but his anger was evident. It was clear that half of the Council shared his view, and even William and Corrine nodded their agreement to that point. They sat there silently, all eyes on the Ancient vampire whose expression remained deceptively calm though deep within he was fighting the urge to rip Claude's head from his shoulders."I am here because someone in Europe developed a toxin that could wipe out our entire race," Caleb
Her mate appeared mollified by her words and gave her a lingering kiss before he nodded farewell to Aaron and head out, leaving Rhianna alone with the blond wolf."We haven't spent any time together in a long time either, Aaron," Rhianna smiled, threading her arm through his. "How about I visit with you and Jen for a bit after you ask Mackenzie if he could come down to the pack?"The wolf burst out laughing, his cerulean blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "I love how you make everything sound so perfectly innocent, Annie, even when you're moving chess pieces across a board. It will be our pleasure to have you visit with us while you await Mac."She gave him another small smile, allowing him to escort her from the study. If only he knew that she was terrified of being left alone right now. The earlier grief that had numbed her soul the night before was still there, ready to overwhelm her if she wasn't fully occupied. She needed company around her now, as they began what would likely b
For a long moment the vampire just looked at her, then she heard the whirring of the printer beside him, and he pulled off an A4 sheet and handed it to her.Glancing down, Dara stared at the image of Kothari, now called Simon Ducat. He had been here as they had expected. Clearly she must have given the correct password for the forger to give her the information. Looking back at him, she gave him a brief smile. "How long ago was he here?""Close to five hours now. He's had sufficient time to leave the country with the travel documents I gave him."It was enough to make her heart sink, but Dara tried not to be too disheartened. At least they had a name now and she could call it in and have one of their contacts at the airport let them know when Kothi had travelled. "Thank you for your assistance. I won't bother you any longer." She didn't need travel documents, her mother had arranged those with their own contact while she was packing."Just who the hell is he? And you?" Faraday asked a
"Kothi won't hurt me, Dad, no matter what his state of mind is. I am certain of that, so please try not to worry about things that aren't likely to happen." It was important to get that point across to her family because it was something she truly believed. It was the only reason she was willing to go to Europe.Her parents' resigned expressions were enough to tell her that they were reluctantly agreeing to her mission. Her father handed her a piece of paper with a name and address on it. "This is the vampire Kothari most likely went to see to get ID. Your Uncle Andrei says he's the best on the black market, and he isn't slow at knocking people around if they get too uppity with him. Try to be respectful in your dealings with him. You might find it easier to get what you need with honey rather than with a stick. If you want, I could come with you?"Dara smiled at her father, resisting the urge to let out another sigh. He couldn't help himself with his overprotectiveness and she really
Nodding Agony turned to leave, halting and turning back with a thoughtful expression on his face. Inside him Kothari was whispering, one word over and over. He was going to ignore him, but changed his mind in a fraction of a second. If he didn't concede this one thing then Kothari would whisper endlessly and that would seriously piss him off."One person may come...one like me, with hair of gold and eyes of warm chocolate. You may answer her and only her, but only if she gives you one word...angel. If any others track me through you apart from her...you will not see me when I take your head." Shadowing once more, Agony left the room without a backward glance. He knew he didn't need to threaten the vampire but it had felt satisfying to see the expression of abject terror that had crossed his face.Humming under his breath, he made his way back down the dank alleyway, turning to the left and the main shopping area of the city. If he was to catch a plane then he had to blend in and look







