Page 43 of Beast

“He proved himself to be quite cunning.” Roan’s face turnsthoughtful as though he’s trying to solve a puzzle. “I had him in sonic cuffs.They were behind his back, and it was only myself and my second-in-command whoknew the code to release him.”

Excellent. “Then your second-in-command is afucking traitor. You should execute his ass now.”

Roan sighs in a way that sets my fangs on edge. It’scondescending, that sigh. “Harry has been with me for ten years. I assure youhe wouldn’t help another royal, certainly not one like Dante Dellacourt.”

I know all about Roan’s team. They’re all disenfranchisedroyals who turned their backs on their people. It isn’t at all surprising forimpoverished royals to go into the military. They do it so they can come outand work for the big corporations. Roan went out on his own and took a bunch ofhis former team with him. He claims he didn’t want to work for anyone buthimself. None of them can be trusted. I wonder if Dellacourt offered them moremoney. “None of you are above turning on each other for cash.”

Now Roan’s eyes narrow. His lips curl back to bare perfectlysharp fangs. “Are you accusing me and my men of failing to honor the contract Isigned?”

I back off. I still need the mercenary. Oh, I won’t forlong, but if I give any indication that I’m turning on Roan, things might getdicey. Roan is known as a man who honors his obligations, but he’s also said tobe a man who believes in revenge. Until I’m ready to get rid of the mercenary,I’ll have to deal with him. “Not at all. I’m frustrated at your lack ofprogress. If no one turned traitor, then do you have a theory on how Dellacourtand the consort got away? I assume you lost Meg Finn as well or you would haveled off with that news.”

That bland professional expression is back. “He fled withhis cousins’ wife. I do have a theory, but you might think I’m crazy. I believehe has a well-trained dog.”

“A dog? A fucking dog got him out? You let a dog outsmartyou?”

“Well, I admit, I didn’t think she was anything beyond avery lovely bitch. Nothing about this job has gone the way I thought it would.When I set up the distraction, I assumed I would catch him as he fled themarketplace. I was rather surprised when he managed to kill the ogre.”

I’m surprised at that myself, but Dellacourt always had allthe luck. “None of this explains how his dog managed to get him out of soniccuffs.”

“Harry was close when Dellacourt took down the ogre. He saidDellacourt seemed to be trying to save the dog, and he called the dog Kaja. Oddname for a dog, especially one he refused to acknowledge as his. He tried totell me that this Kaja he referred to was some random woman. I didn’t thinkanything of it at the time. I thought he was just trying to protect the dog. Hemight have thought I would hurt it if I knew it was his. Foolish, but it makessense. The dog was with me when I put the cuffs on Dellacourt.”

I’m seriously beginning to question the mercenary’sintelligence. “You do realize a dog doesn’t have opposable thumbs, right? It’ssort of a requirement to work the cuffs.”

“Well, she didn’t have them in dog form. Or maybe she wasmore of a wolf. But what if she was able to shift? Also, I swear that wolf hadthe faintest glow. It reminded me of a consort’s glow.”

My mind works overtime. There is an explanation. “ThePlaneswalkers have been venturing further and further out to find consorts andbondmates. I’m curious about the wolf.”

If Dellacourt found an exotic consort, I want to know aboutit. If she’s powerful and rare, then I really want to know about her. She couldprove to be valuable. And if not, then killing her might upset Dellacourt, andthat’s one more way to make that asshole pay.

“I’m sure you’re upset by this setback, Mr. Palgrave. If youwish, I can take my men and leave. I’m sure you can find another squad to dothe job.” Roan straightens his flak jacket. “They left by foot with notechnology. Dellacourt had a weapon, but I believe his dog ran off with it. Hemight have it. It seems to be some sort of projectile weapon. Good luck, sir.”

“Wait.” I hate it, but I can’t find anyone else quickly. Andthere’s the small matter of dealing with Roan myself. It will be easier to dealwith the man if I’m still his boss. “Just get the job done. Find Dellacourt andthe consort, and get me the twins.”

I cut off the connection and sit back on the bed as thetablet chimes again. I close my eyes and hope for patience. Another snake todeal with. This particular snake is a Fae royal, however.

“King Torin,” I say with a deferential bow of my head.

Torin Finn is a man in his prime. He looks somewhat like hisnephews. The coloring is the same, but there’s a thinness to his frame thatgives him an air of miserliness. “Chalen. I called to get an update on yourprogress.”

“Make him tell us, My Liege,” a nasty voice says.

Torin’s hags. My stomach turns. I only saw their true formsonce, but it was enough. There are two, and they stand behind the king. Theylook lovely in this form, but I can’t help but see their real faces.

“Down, woman,” Torin says with a snarl. He turns back myway. “Do you have the twins?”

The hags retreat, but only slightly. They’re always present,a prop to hold up Torin. I heard rumors that the hags are effective in puttingdown the rebellions that pop up. Blood runs wherever they show their faces.

“Not yet, Sire, but I have a plan to ensnare them.” I try totake a page from Roan’s book. I carefully school myself to look as confident asI can. “I’m going to use their bondmate to bring them out.”

Torin’s green eyes narrow. “Yes, I heard they bonded. Irather thought I had ensured they could not. Damn Planeswalker demons.”

The new king of the Seelie Fae isn’t able to make a dealwith the demons. He doesn’t have anything to offer them, and he won’t until heopens the borders again. He won’t do that as long as his nephews are out therewaiting to get back in. I wonder how bad the situation is in Tír na nÓg, cutoff from all the planes they once did business with. If this particular missionwasn’t about revenge, I would have looked to make a profit. I’m certainbootleggers are making a killing. But I have other things to think about.

“They will come for their mate. I’ll have their cousin aswell.”

Torin nods. “Young Mister Dellacourt. His family is givingme hell with the Vampire government. I think they would have formallyrecognized me if it hadn’t been for Donald Dellacourt. He’s kept me out foryears. I won’t accept it any longer.”

“When his son is dead, he’ll turn his attentions elsewhere.”I intend for Donald Dellacourt to turn his attentions back on Torin. No onewill ever know that I had a hand in Dante Dellacourt’s death.