[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Under Phin’s intense gaze, I was ashamed of that lack of interest.If knowledge was power, then I was pretty damned weak.“Why, Phin?” I asked.“Can al weres do what you do?”He didn’t answer right away.He seemed to study me, his eyes in constant motion as their focus shifted across my face.Whatever questions ranthrough his mind, whatever consequences he considered, he came up with his own answers.And made a decision.“Not al , but some of the Clans do,” he said.“Those of us with the ability to bi-shift are regarded as … higher-class than those who can’t.We’vebeen among your people for a longer period of time.Much longer, and we’ve learned enough to know when to leave the battles to others.”“You think that’s why Rufus was given the destroy order.” My stomach knotted.“Whoever gave the order knew your position within the ClanAssembly?”“That’s my suspicion, yes.My fear is that they know the others who possess the ability to bi-shift and that they may be targeted next.Disregardingthe gremlins, the Clans make up the largest population of nonhumans in the city.Weakening us gives someone else a stronger position.”I turned the information over in my head.It certainly changed my perspective on the day so far.Not only on Phin’s deception in gaining my helpbut on the actions of my own people over the course of the last ten days.Something stank, and it wasn’t the trash cans on the street.“Why didn’t you tel me this earlier?” I asked.“If you want my help in protecting Joseph and Aurora, I need to know everything before it becomesrelevant.You need to start trusting me a little.”“The way you’ve trusted me?”“I guess we both have trouble trusting people first.”“You say you’l help me, and I believe you.Please understand, the Clans have strict rules about who we share certain information with.You’veseen me bi-shift, and I can’t change that.I just ask that you and your friend keep it to yourselves.”“I haven’t told anyone, and I doubt Wyatt’s had the chance.” The phone in my pocket needed to ring, dammit.And soon.“Who else is at risk?”“I can’t tel you.”“Remember that thing about trust we just discussed?”His nostrils flared.“If the Assembly chooses to share that information with you, so be it.I can’t go against their wishes.Not yet.”Not yet.A sure sign that he had a breaking point; it just hadn’t been reached.“Okay, fine.Do al Owlkins bi-shift?”“Do al humans perform handstands?”Al of my sarcastic retorts dried up.“What?”“Al Owlkins,” he said, the words coming out as though diseased.A sequence of letters he couldn’t stand uttering.“Humans have a need to placesimple labels on others, so you can more easily understand what is truly a complex relationship.We lived as a community but were of two kinds.The Coni are capable of bi-shifting.The Stri are not.”“Coni and Stri,” I said, trying out the words.In the last two days, I’d learned more about the names Dregs used for themselves than I’d everbothered to discover on my own.Danika and I had been—for lack of a term that could ever hope to boil down our odd friendship—businessassociates.And even that sounded too damned cold.Our paths had crossed nearly two years ago during a Triad investigation into a series of murders in the nightclub scene.We had (wrongful y, itturned out) traced the murders to Danika’s cousin.She attacked me in falcon form, and I think it was both her age-appearance and her ferocity indefending her cousin that helped me see her not just as a Dreg but as a warrior.And it was her curiosity about humans, afterward, that continued tofuel our interactions.Very careful y choreographed interactions.She had talked about private Clan matters about as often as I had discussed Triad secrets—never.Ivery rarely talked about myself, although she was less guarded.Mostly we exchanged information about other species.And after two years, I knewas much personal information about her as I did about the man sitting beside me—and I’d known him about eight hours.Part of me was embarrassed for not having given a shit; the other part was proud for learning now.“Which are Aurora and Joseph?”“Both are Coni.” Grief crept into his voice.He bent his head, looked away.“It’s ironic, I suppose, that the Coni were the first to walk amonghumans, and it seems we’l also be the last.”I reached my hand across the armrest.Paused.Touched his shoulder, featherlight.Corded muscle felt strangely hol ow beneath my hand.Cottonwhere I should have touched steel.His head snapped sideways.Our eyes met.A sea of emotions roiled, chaos hidden in their blue depths.“Don’t pity us,” he said.“I don’t.I guess I just understand.”His lips parted.My ass chose that moment to ring.I pul ed back, retrieved the phone, checked the I.D.Kismet.Putting it to my ear, I said, “Stone.”“Get back to your apartment,” Kismet said.“Felix cal ed.You’ve got a problem.”Chapter Eight12:40 P.M.While Phin got us back on the road to Parkside East, the rest of my conversation with Kismet occurred in terse, barked sentences.“What happened?” I asked.“No one’s hurt,” she replied.“But?”“Someone’s there claiming to be Alex Forrester’s father.”“Shit.”“The Owlkins said they were friends of yours, but we need Chalice there to talk to this guy.”“I’ve never met Alex’s father.”“Wel , we can’t produce Alex, so you get to field his dad.”“What am I supposed to tel him? That his son was bitten by a half-Blood vampire and then I shot him in the head?”“Variation of the truth, for now.”“Meaning?”“The last time you saw him was the day before yesterday.”“Terrific.”“Just deal with it.”“Yeah, fine.How’s Wyatt?”“Recovering nicely, the lucky bastard.The surgeon found that piece of knife an inch from his spine but got it easily and stitched him up.Noserious damage, no complications, no long-term recovery.Wyatt should be up and around in a day or two.”I released a pent-up breath.My chest felt lighter, free of a weight I hadn’t noticed until it was gone
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Tematy
IndexHieber Leanna Renee Percy Parker 02 Walka wiatła i mroku o Percy Parker
Lensman 02 Smith, E E 'Doc' First Lensman
Swann S. A. Wilczy miot 02 Wilczy Amulet
Benzoni Juliette Fiora 02 Fiora i zuchwały
Kaplan Andrew Skorpion 02 Zima Skorpiona
Anne Stuart Czarny lód 02 Zimny jak lód
Gauze Jan Brazylia 02 Brazylia mierzona krokami
Bidwell George Michał i Pat 02 Synowie Pat
Stuart Anne Czarny lód 02 Zimny jak lód
Leslie Charteris The Saint 43 The Saint and the People Importers