OnsetofDanger (21 page)

“Rom strain claims to have produced a multi-strain host, but
I haven’t been able to verify this host’s existence. Nor have I been able to
recreate their alleged success. As of right now, the possibility is only
theoretical.” He reinforced his mental shields. It wasn’t an outright lie, but
much was omitted. Vladya symbionts had been introduced into the bloodstream of
several of the Rom captives. Unfortunately, he’d progressed to this point
before only to have the two strains battle each other until the host died.

“And the Levari?” Duvall asked. “Have you discovered their
location?”

He shook his head. “I honestly think the Levari died out
before the message reached Earth. There has been no evidence of a Levari host
for several years now.”

A short pause followed and Garrett sensed more telepathic
exchanges, then Duvall asked, “Has Eloise been recovered? Do you know who
kidnapped her?”

Duvall’s gaze was suddenly cold and assessing. Did the
council believe Garrett had removed anyone who might have challenged his claim
to Vladya strain? Unlike Tara, Eloise was well-respected and popular. He
squared his shoulders and looked directly into Duvall’s eyes. “Eloise is still
missing, but then Tara wasn’t trying very hard to find her.”

“Explain,” Duvall prompted.

“Tara suspected that Eloise had betrayed her, so Tara was
focused on minimizing the potential danger, not finding Eloise.”

“Do you share Tara’s view?”

“I do not. Eloise has always been loyal to Vladya strain.”

“Then who do you believe kidnapped her?”

“At first I thought it was Rom retaliation, but Inatta would
have required Strigo support to pull off the kidnapping. I can’t see Edrick
sticking his neck out for a sometime lover.”

“What other option is there?” The tension bled out of
Duvall’s posture and he relaxed back in his chair. Apparently he’d found
Garrett’s answers believable.

“I think the kidnapping might have been personal rather than
political. I walked in on Eloise while she was interrogating one of the Strigo
survivors. The sexual tension was palpable.”

“But she was kidnapped a short time
before
the
rescue. The survivors were still incarcerated,” one of the other councilors
pointed out.

“I believe her kidnapping was arranged by the survivors. Her
abduction served as a distraction and also split our forces as we attempted to
intercept the rescue party. If it weren’t for Eloise’s disappearance, the
survivors would not have escaped so easily.”

“Have you contacted Edrick?” Duvall rolled his chair back
and stood. “Surely he has some sway over the new arrivals. Our alliance with
Strigo strain has kept war at bay for nearly a century. Why would he risk so
much bloodshed over a few females?”

Garrett knew it was more complicated than Duvall implied.
The Rom captives were incidental. The endgame was multi-strain hosts, either
initiated or born. Their potential would be enormous. “Tara had the final say
and she wasn’t interested in negotiation.”

“Well, the situation has changed.” Duvall skirted the table
and approached Garrett. “We do not want another war. We can’t risk exposure.
Promise Edrick whatever you must, string him along for as long as you can, but
we will not allow any more bloodshed over these females.”

“Understood.” Garrett kept his face from reflecting the
emotions twisting through his mind. The council hadn’t seen the prince, hadn’t
sensed his power. They were used to dealing with Edrick, but Edrick was no
longer the most powerful Strigo host on Earth.

“Keep us informed.”

It was a dismissal but Garrett had two final questions
before he left. “Where is Tara? Is there any hope that she’ll recover?”

“She is safe and if there is any change in her condition
you’ll be contacted immediately.”

Left with no other option, Garrett nodded and left the
council chamber. They were determined to hold on to the power they wielded. He
couldn’t blame them for their paranoia. Everything had been chaotic since
Prince Alexi arrived on Earth.

He exited through a side door and paused to enjoy the cool
evening air. Quebec City had an old-world charm that few western cities could
boast. Tara had loved it here. Grief, unexpected and unwelcome, tightened his
chest. She had been a coldhearted bitch, self-serving and cruel. But she was
the closest thing to a mother he’d ever known.

Determined not to be distracted by his emotions, he
carefully looked around then released his corporeal body. For a moment he just
drifted on the breeze, enjoying the freedom. But all too soon questions and
complications inundated his mind. Should he return to Colorado or head to
Vancouver? Would it do any good to contact Edrick or should he just tell the
council he tried and Strigo strain shut him down? But above all, he needed to
find out who had really attacked Tara. It would have taken immense strength to
wipe her mind. So who had incapacitated her and what had they hoped to
accomplish by taking her out of commission?

Unnerved yet motivated by the mystery, Garrett propelled
himself toward Vancouver.

* * * * *

Relaxing against the gently sloped back of the bathtub,
Eloise couldn’t conceal her lazy smile. Bronik had joined her for a few minutes
but his personality didn’t allow him to remain inactive for long. She hadn’t
objected when he climbed from the tub and wrapped a towel around his lean hips.
She needed some time to sort through her thoughts and desire tended to take
over whenever Bronik was around. So it was probably better if he waited for her
below.

He was her mate, her sworn protector. The realization no
longer filled her with shame or apprehension. She’d done what was necessary to
survive. Tara had made no effort to ransom her so Eloise had taken matters into
her own hands.

Even as the explanation rolled through her mind, she forced
herself to be brutally honest. Circumstances might have sped her decisions but
danger wasn’t entirely responsible for her attraction to Bronik. Their
connection had been deep and instantaneous. It hadn’t mattered that they were
enemies. She wanted him and he wanted her, with an intensity that would not be
denied.

She heaved a deep sigh and rested her arms on the rim of the
tub. Bronik and Alexi were likely investigating the locations she’d offered but
she doubted they would find anything. And the images she’d gleaned from
Garrett’s mind weren’t any more helpful. The cell could have been part of a
jail, prison, rehab center or psychiatric hospital. There were simply too many
possibilities.

Closing her eyes, she relaxed, allowing the water to soothe
her as her mind drifted back in time. She called forth the images, determined
to find something she’d missed before, some random detail or subtle clue that
would point her in the right direction.

She saw the small, bleak cubicle with its built-in furniture
and exposed utilities. A blonde woman sat on the bunk, legs folded in front of
her. Eloise could sense her hopelessness, her emotional desolation.

Suddenly the image shifted. The frame drew back, expanding
the shot until she was outside the prison, staring at the entire structure. She
didn’t understand what had caused the transition but she knew enough not to
fight it. The perspective panned in a slow circle, showing her the
surroundings. Expansive plains spread out from the complex and mountain peaks
guarded the far horizon.

Where is this?

Colorado.

She hadn’t expected an answer so she gasped when the word
pushed into her mind.

The panorama began to fade, disappearing as quickly as it
had formed.
Wait! Who are you? Why are you helping me?

The presence slipped from her mind and took the image with
it.

Eloise sat up in the tub and wiped her hands over her face.
It hadn’t been her imagination. Someone had joined with her meld, providing
information she hadn’t pulled from Garrett’s mind.

She opened the drain and stepped from the tub, quickly
drying off as she walked into Bronik’s bedroom. The clothes Simone had given
her now hung in his closet. Eloise selected an outfit and dressed, amused that
she still didn’t have any shoes. After running a comb through her hair, she
went downstairs in search of Bronik.

As she expected, Bronik, Alexi and Edrick were in the
library, huddled around a laptop.

Bronik looked up and smiled. “Feel better?”

“Much.” She sat beside him before she added, “I think the
prison is in Colorado.”

All three men looked at her, but Alexi asked, “What makes
you think that?”

“I was going over the images while I soaked and someone
slipped into my mind. Suddenly I felt as if I was watching a movie rather than
reliving a memory. The shot pulled back until I was outside the building, then
it turned so I could see the location.”

The men exchanged doubtful glances then Edrick said, “Lots
of places can look the same. What did you see?”

“The land around the prison was flat but there were
mountains in the distance. I asked where I was and a female voice told me it
was Colorado.”

“You saw the entire building? Are you sure it was a prison?”
Bronik looked even less convinced than the other two.

“You’re inside a shielded complex.” Edrick said what all
three of them were obviously thinking. “Who is powerful enough to push through
our barriers and into your mind?”

They didn’t believe her. Eloise tried not to let it upset
her but she felt restless and annoyed. “Do you have any other leads? What do we
lose by focusing on Colorado?”

“Actually we do,” Alexi told her. “One of my contacts
reported that one of the locations you gave us earlier is still in use. Not all
of the captives are there but we’re hopeful, if we move quickly, we can recover
more information along with the Rom females.”

She nodded as her excitement deflated. Their doubt was
understandable but she knew what she’d seen and heard. It hadn’t been her
imagination. “May I use the computer?”

“Of course.” Alexi slid it toward her. “See what you can dig
up about Colorado while we check out the other lab.”

“This is just recon, so I’ll stay here.” Bronik’s choice
helped ease the sting of their collective suspicion.

“If we need your help I’ll let you know.” Alexi pushed his
chair back and looked at Edrick as he stood. “You ready?”

Edrick nodded and they both flashed from the room.

“You said the intruder was female. Could you sense anything
else about her?”

Eloise sighed as she situated the laptop in front of her.
“Not really. It all happened in a second or two.”

“Are you certain you didn’t doze off? We’re both rather
sleep-deprived.” He softened the suggestion with a sexy smile.

She shot him an impatient glance. “I wasn’t dreaming. I saw
the prison clearly and heard the woman’s voice.”

Rather than trying to convince him she hadn’t imagined it
all, she ran an image search for prisons in Colorado. Most of the pictures were
of the supermax in Florence or various famous inmates. She scrolled through
several pages before frustration started to eat away at her determination.

Bronik rested his arm across the back of her chair,
surrounding her without actually touching her. “The prison can’t be in use. The
risk of exposure would be too great.”

Eloise nodded and switched the search criteria to recently
closed prisons in Colorado. She found several articles that detailed the state
downsizing locations, consolidating staff and shifting inmate populations, but
she couldn’t find any mention of a facility that had been closed.

They continued to investigate various possibilities for the
next hour. Eloise was glad for his assistance. She suspected he was indulging
her rather than honestly believing the new information would produce a concrete
lead. Still, she was thankful for the support.

Alexi walked back into the library some time later, his
expression thunderous.

Bronik pushed back his chair and stood, immediately
responding to his cousin’s obvious agitation. “What’s wrong? Where is Edrick?”

“The lab was deserted, which didn’t surprise me.” Alexi
moved closer to Bronik and lowered his voice. “But it shocked the hell out of
Edrick. He was jittery as a traumatized cat, jumped at the slightest sound. It
was almost as if he was expecting an ambush that never happened.”

Eloise watched the exchange through narrowed eyes. Was Alexi
implying that Edrick was a traitor? Not wanting to draw attention to herself,
she remained quiet and still.

“Where is he now?”

“He made some lame excuse and flashed off to who knows
where. He’s been doing that a lot lately.” Alexi shoved a chair in hard enough
to rattle the table. “He was expecting something to happen. It was obvious. And
the only way he could have known about an ambush is—”

“If he’d set it up?” Bronik shook his head. “Edrick has been
nothing but accommodating since we arrived. Why would he betray you now?”

Alexi paced beside the table, his strides long and anxious.
“This isn’t the first time he’s acted like he was hiding something. There have
been hushed conversations and—”

The library door burst open and Edrick strode into the room.
“Tara Kovac was attacked last night. Garrett, or someone who looks just like
him, walked into the Vancouver compound and erased her mind.”

Shock shot through Eloise and she covered her mouth with her
hand. There was no way Garrett would harm Tara. They might not see eye to eye
on everything, but Garrett… Garrett was the most ambitious person Eloise had
ever known. And with her out of the picture, there was only one obstacle
remaining between Garrett and the power he craved. Was he really that ruthless?

Then another possibility crept into her mind. Could it have
been the Levari shapeshifter?

Before she could remind Bronik of the shifter, Alexi grabbed
Edrick by the throat and slammed him against the nearest wall. “And what
motivated you to check on Tara? Did she miss her appointment with you?”