by Gloria Craw
I knew Spencer and Katherine were worried about the same thing. They held me partly to blame for Phoebe becoming Truss clan chief. They’d asked me to use thoughtmaking to prevent the Truss elders from appointing anyone, but I’d gone against their wishes because I’d seen something remarkable in Phoebe. She had the drive, resolve, and perspective of a leader. She was honest and honorable as well. Those were two very important characteristics the other candidate, her brother, hadn’t had.
“We owe her a chance to prove herself,” Katherine said.
Spencer nodded agreement.
“She’ll get that chance,” Helen capitulated, “but that doesn’t mean she’ll get a loan too.”
The mood around the table was rapidly becoming strained. Spencer and Katherine shared a look. “So long as she asks for an amount within reason, the Thane clan will support her loan,” Spencer said.
“The Laurel clan will, too,” I added, almost enjoying the irritation in Helen’s expression as she looked at me.
“Right now, you’re in the minority,” Valentine warned. “The Truss chief has a lot of convincing to do if she’s going to win a vote.”
Spencer nodded and then gave Valentine a companionable clap on the back. Successfully breaking the tension in the air, he said, “It’s good to know how the land lies, Valentine. I appreciate you telling us.”
The Thanes and I left The Gull shortly after that. They seemed satisfied that they’d learned enough about Helen and Valentine’s odd behavior earlier. I wasn’t even close to satisfied.
The Vasitass had used heavy terms like “salvation” and “moral implications” when they’d talked about presenting something at the roundtable. Blocking a loan to the Truss wasn’t serious or exciting enough to account for the conversation I’d overhead.
“I texted Ian,” Katherine commented as we approached the car. “I let him know we’re ready to leave.”
“Crap,” I said, patting my pockets like I was trying to find something. “I think I left my phone inside. I’d better check.”
Spencer gave me a nod, and I hustled back to The Gull, where I’d purposely left my phone in hopes of talking to the Vasitass on my own.
At our former table, Helen and Valentine had their heads together in conversation. Wondering if it might be better to spy on them than to question them outright, I changed my course and approached from an angle they couldn’t see. Sliding into an empty booth within listening distance, I closed my eyes and focused on their voices.
“The Thanes are very influential,” Valentine said. “I’m not sure how far we’ll get without their support.”
“We should tell Katherine everything,” Helen responded. “She’s the rational one in that pair. We need to get her on our side.”
Valentine gave a long-suffering sigh. “We already discussed that. Anyway, even if she did believe you, she’d have questions you couldn’t answer. All we know right now is that it’s possible to create dewing-human hybrids. We don’t even know what this guy wants in exchange for research information to do it.”
A wave of dread made my heart flip-flop. The Vasitass were involved in something much worse than I’d imagined. Only a handful of us knew Sebastian was a hybrid. Spencer had asked that we keep it quiet. He thought Sebastian’s existence was a fluke, and since he also believed I’d killed him, the hybrid debacle seemed to be over.
It wasn’t. Creating hybrids would unleash a Pandora’s box of problems.
“I wish we knew who was behind all of this,” Helen said.
“Me, too,” Valentine agreed, “but getting our hands on the research documents is what really matters.”
I gave myself a mental shake. There were things I needed to find out, and since Helen and Valentine were already talking about the issue, a few of my thoughts inserted between theirs wouldn’t seem out of place.
When will we find out what he wants in exchange for the research, I put into Helen’s mind.
“When will he tell us what we have to give him in exchange for the research information?” Helen asked.
“Once we get the chiefs to agree to create a test hybrid,” he said. “It won’t be easy. Especially given what’s on the video he sent.”
Where is the video? I put into Helen’s mind.
“What did you do with the video?” she asked Valentine.
“Nothing,” he replied. “It’s safely downloaded on my computer at the house.”
“Good,” she responded. “We should get going. Rose is probably wondering where we are.”
I heard their chairs move over the wood floor as they got up to leave. With my face buried in my hands, I waited for their signatures to fade away from The Gull. Then I hustled out of the booth and grabbed my phone off the chair where I’d left it.
Chapter Eleven
As we drove back to the Arx, my mind whirled with freaky scenarios of little hybrid dewing plotting murders and overthrowing governments around the world.
Sebastian wasn’t the only hybrid I’d met. When Maxwell held me hostage hoping to get access to the Laurel estate, I’d discovered he had a small boy named Linton with him. Linton was the last in a long line of lives Maxwell created and then destroyed in his quest to form a perfect hybrid. He’d planned to introduce the boy to the Truss elders as proof he could artificially increase their population. There had been no sign of menace in young Linton yet, but whatever genetic manipulation he’d gone through left him with an underdeveloped intellect and poor health.
After Maxwell died, I took Linton away with me. I’d been a bloody mess at the time. My face was beaten and bruised, my lip was split, the flesh on my wrists was torn from pulling against the ropes I’d been tied with, and Maxwell had cut off two of my fingers. Somehow, I managed to open a portal to the afterlife, and my mother had come through it to heal me. She’d deduced that Linton didn’t have long to live and took him with her when she left. The only person who knew about all of that was Theron. I desperately wanted to tell him what I’d learned at The Gull.
Fortunately, Spencer loved surfing almost as much as Ian did. The two of them discussed the surfboards Ian had seen at the surf shop, and no one noticed my silence during the drive. It wasn’t until we got out of the car that Ian sensed something was off. He held me back while his parents went into the Arx.
“You’ve been unusually reserved since lunch,” he said with concern in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”
Hoping to hide my internal turmoil, I gave him a smile and replied, “I think I’m just…tired.”
As if on cue, he yawned. “Probably because it’s five in the morning Vegas time,” he said. “It takes a while to adjust to such a big time change.”
“That could have something to do with it,” I replied.
He must have guessed there was more to my silence because he kept glancing at me as we made our way into the Arx. “You haven’t asked me about the McKyes,” he remarked quietly. “Don’t you want to know how they’re handling things?”
My throat tightened at the mention of them, but I kept my voice steady when I replied, “Wondering how they’re doing doesn’t help them, and it causes me heartache. I know it sounds awful, but I have to shut the door on that part of my life. I need to focus on the future.”
“I don’t think it’s possible to shut a door on people you love,” he whispered as we walked across the foyer. “Sooner or later, you’re going to have to grieve.”
With my heart feeling like a brick in my chest, I started up the stairs. “Well, it won’t be anytime soon,” I responded. “I have other things to deal with right now.”
When we reached the second floor, he covered another yawn with his hand. “You should come fall asleep on the sofa with me,” he suggested.
The idea of cuddling up next to him and telling him all about what I’d overheard the Vasitass say was tempting, but too complicated. I hadn’t told him yet about seeing my dead mother or meeting Linton. Those mind-blowing occurrences were related to the hybrid debacle, too
. Dread and worry were making my mind whirl. I wouldn’t know where to begin. Talking to Theron, who already knew most of the details, would help me get my thoughts in order. When I was calm and rational, I’d tell Ian everything.
“I’d like to,” I replied with a smile, “but I need to check on Lillian and Theron. I’ll be uneasy until I’m certain they’re still getting along.”
Ian checked around for prying eyes and then leaned over to give me a quick kiss. “It’s your loss,” he said. “I’m a great cuddler.”
“I know,” I replied, kissing him back.
I could tell by the vibration coming from the other side of Theron’s closed door that he was napping. He was bound to be grumpy when I woke him, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Squaring my shoulders, I took a big breath and pushed the door open.
My cousin was sprawled out, facedown, across the bed. He was snoring and naked except for a pair of red-and-white-checked shorts.
“Wake up, Theron,” I said from the doorway. When he didn’t move, I walked in and pushed on his shoulder a few times. That didn’t rouse him, either, so I bent down and yelled in his ear, “Theron! I need to talk to you!”
His head flew up, banging me under the chin.
“Ow,” we said at the same time.
“What do you want?” he grouched.
I rubbed my chin and replied, “I need to tell you something.”
He closed his eyes again. “Can’t it wait an hour?”
“I need to tell you now,” I insisted, feeling another rise of anxiety. “It’s something bad, Theron.”
With a groan, he rolled over and rubbed his eyes. “A catastrophe already?” he groaned. “I’ve only been here a day.”
“Get dressed so we can walk down to the beach and talk,” I urged.
He patted an empty space on the bed where I could sit. “Talk away, cuz,” he said. “I can listen from here.”
“I’m too full of nervous energy to sit,” I said. “Besides, the pattern on your underwear is really distracting.”
He looked down at himself and then pulled the duvet over his legs. “Fine…I’ll get dressed and meet you in the other room, pervert.”
Giving him a grateful smile, I left to pace the living room while I waited.
He came out pulling a T-shirt over his head. I grabbed one of his arms and towed him toward the door a lot like Rose had done to Ian at The Gull.
“I need to get my shoes,” he objected.
“You don’t need shoes to walk on the beach,” I replied, pushing him out the door ahead of me.
I’d forgotten how rocky the trail down to the water was, though. He flinched and winced his way along the path mumbling, “Sometimes, I hate you, Alison… I really hate you.”
When we made it to the sand, he stopped to check his feet. I continued toward the ocean like I was in a tranced state. Bright sunlight glinted off the water, making it seem like diamonds had been sprinkled across the surface. I bent to touch the remnants of a frothy wave as it rolled ashore and felt that same sense of connection with the sea I had before. That gave me some much-needed courage.
Closing my eyes, I drew a breath of cool, salty air into my lungs.
“The Vasitass chiefs know about hybrid dewing,” I said when I sensed Theron had come up behind me. “Someone has offered them research materials that explain how to make one. They think it will save the dewing from extinction.”
Probably stunned, he didn’t respond immediately. “Are you sure?” he asked with shock evident in his tone.
I nodded. “Helen and Valentine need to get the other chiefs to commit to making a test hybrid,” I said. “Then he’ll tell them what he wants in exchange for the information.”
“Who is this guy?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “They don’t, either.”
“Maxwell probably told someone about his experiments before he…you know…got stabbed in the brain.”
“That was my first suspicion,” I responded, “but Maxwell wanted all the glory for his creation. He wouldn’t have risked sharing what he knew or the spotlight with anyone.”
“Maybe it’s Sebastian,” Theron suggested.
“I thought of that, too, but if Sebastian had known how to create hybrids, I suspect the world would be full of them by now. And anyway, Maxwell told me the man who created Sebastian regretted it and destroyed everything to do with the process.”
“Which means it’s likely someone you haven’t crossed paths with yet,” Theron surmised.
I nodded and turned to walk toward the big rocks higher on the beach. Theron followed me. “Whoever it is sent them video proof that hybrids can be made,” I said.
We sat on a boulder, and he drummed his fingers on his knees for a moment. “Don’t kill me for asking,” he said, “but is any of this really that bad? Sebastian’s human DNA predisposed him to all sorts of evil tendencies…but maybe others wouldn’t be like him. As it is, the descendants of Atlantis are on a one-way path to extinction.”
Shivering at the memory of my confrontation with Sebastian, I replied, “I saw inside his mind, Theron. There was only cruelty and malevolence in him…nothing good at all. He wasn’t predisposed to act in an evil way. He was evil. If the clan chiefs create more hybrids, odds are they’ll get another bad apple like him. Maybe they’ll get a couple dozen. A bunch of homicidal maniacs who heal too quickly, don’t age, and have mind manipulation powers wouldn’t go unnoticed. They’d expose our existence. Humans would hunt us down and experiment on us like lab rats, or turn us into weapons. Probably both. A lot of the hybrids would probably turn out like Linton, too—children doomed to an early death because someone messed with the natural order of things.”
Theron gave a slow nod. “I see your point,” he said, “but what are we going to do about it?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I need to know what’s on the video the Vasitass have. I was hoping you’d break into their house and watch it.”
“I can do that,” he agreed, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “This looks like your average cell phone, but I did some heavy modifications to it. It’s drawing a wireless connection off a British military satellite. I can use it to break through just about any home security system.”
I smiled. “Do you carry things like that with you everywhere you go?” I asked.
With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he replied, “It’s my version of a Swiss army knife. When do you want me to do the break-in?”
“Tonight, I guess. Helen and Valentine will be here with the other chiefs for the reporting ceremony. Their daughter, Rose, might be at home, though.”
“I need someone to draw her away while I work,” he said.
“Ian could do it.”
“Does he know what the Vasitass are up to?”
“Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”
Theron drummed his fingers on his knees a few more times. “Did you get around to telling him about Linton?” he asked.
“No,” I replied with a sigh. “I would have had to explain that my dead mother took him back through a portal to wherever dead dewing go. After that, I would have had to convince him I wasn’t bat-shit crazy. I know I need to tell him, but with everything else going on, I just haven’t had the emotional energy.”
“If you’re like me,” he remarked, “you probably thought we’d heard the last about hybrids.”
“There was no pressing need to explain everything,” I agreed.
“Maybe we should wait to tell him about your mom and Linton until we’ve seen what’s on the video,” Theron suggested. “We can talk everything through then.”
“Okay,” I agreed, getting up to stretch.
He stood up, too, and with a guilty look, commented, “I just can’t help thinking that without the homicidal side effects and health problems, hybrid dewing aren’t such a bad idea.”
My mother’s voice rang out, Don’t be fooled! The consequences of creating more hybrids would be
our destruction.
I startled. Theron stumbled, and the blood drained from his face.
“Does that clear things up in your mind?” I asked after taking a few calming breaths.
With his hand over his probably pounding heart, he replied. “Yep. Couldn’t we get a little warning before she does things like that? The creepy chiming of church bells in the distance would be a nice touch.”
I smiled at him. “But it would ruin all the fun I get to have watching you freak out.”
“You’re hilarious,” my big bear of a cousin remarked drily.
“Thanks, Theron,” I said.
“For what?” he asked, looking surprised.
“For not getting on the first flight back to South America and leaving me to deal with this on my own.”
He messed my hair. “You joined my loosely knit, highly skilled criminal network,” he responded. “We never leave a man behind.”
Chapter Twelve
Katherine met us as we were walking up the stairs to find Ian. “Theron,” she said, reaching up to cup his face in her hands, “How are you?”
“Just peachy,” he replied, gently freeing himself from her grasp.
“We’ve missed you,” she continued. “It’s time you come see us in Sydney again. You and Ian can spend the day on your surfboards and then track sand through the house like you used to. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Theron’s expression morphed into something more pleasant. “I’d like to visit,” he said, “It’s just…”
“Spencer,” she finished for him. “Don’t worry. As far as he’s concerned, what’s done is done. He hardly remembers it.”
I doubted that alleviated Theron’s reluctance to visit very much. He felt betrayed and used by Spencer and wasn’t the type to forgive easily.
“I’ll expect you in November,” Katherine insisted. “No arguments.”
Theron let out a breath and nodded. “Okay,” he replied. “No arguments.”
“Now, I have to steal Alison for a moment,” she said, linking her arm through mine. “Girl talk, you know.”