Part 2 (2/2)
”No guarantee it will work.”
It had to. ”Thank her anyway.”
”All right, then. What news have you to report?”
”I've learned little about Sydney's source of information. She's guarding the name like a national secret.”
”Seduce her. Charm her.”
Bram's suggestion made Caden grit his teeth. He didn't have Bram's easy way-and he was completely enthralled with the woman he was supposed to bamboozle. He wanted her more than his next breath-and was desperate to bury the feeling.
”Her secret is the least of our issues at the moment. I'm having a devil of a time stalling her next story.
Before the bodies were removed from the tunnel, Sydney's previous photographer took a few pictures.
Grainy and fuzzy, which works in our favor, but we know of no one else who arrived in time to snap any, so she's still scooped every other news source. People will pick up Out of This Realm in droves, I fear, if she prints it with a proposed story that these men comprise Mathias's unwilling Anarki army, out to dissolve the Social Order and eradicate the Doomsday Brethren.” Bram sounded ready to hit the ceiling. ”She knows about us? Where is she getting this information?”
”I'd like to know that myself and have no clue. Unfortunately, it gets worse.”
”Worse?”
”Indeed. I found the Doomsday Diary. Sydney Blair acquired it fifteen minutes ago.” Bram cursed a stream of loud, ugly words.
”On that, we're agreed,” Caden supplied.
”You're absolutely certain?”
”There can't be many old red books bearing Morganna le Fay's symbol.”
”Send me a picture.”
Bram didn't trust him. Whatever.
”b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. Better yet, steal it from her.”
”She won't let it loose soon. It was a birthday gift from a dear friend.”
”Who?” Bram snapped.
”Aquarius.”
”The astrological sign?”
”Sydney's a.s.sistant,” Caden corrected. ”Is she your mate?”
”That wasn't the name-describe her. Perhaps my missing 'wife' uses aliases.”
”Short, almost fey looking. Brown wavy hair to her waist, green eyes-”
”Not even close. Which raises the question, if Sydney acquired the book from this woman who is definitely not my mate, how did she get her hands on it?”
”I was hoping you could shed some light.”
”None. Ask her. Maybe she'll know how to locate my mate.” Frustration oozed from every syllable.
”But we must recover that diary. Now.”
”I have good news and bad news about that. The bad news is that Sydney is a smart, tenacious reporter who's determined to keep writing 'fresh paranormal stories,' in her words.”
”Which means she may choose to write about the diary.” He groaned. ”How can there possibly be good news?”
”She doesn't know its purpose. Yet. She's been told that writing in the book will grant her s.e.xual fantasies. And I'm not sure she's convinced it's real.”
”Pray it stays that way, at least long enough for you to do whatever you must-steal, sweet talk, or seduce her away from that book.”
”I'll work on that while determining the name of her source. You're coming to help, right? Use a bit of magic and . . .”
”Can't. There was another Anarki attack two hours ago. I've just left what was the Pullmans' estate.
Burned to the ground. Their newly transitioned daughter is missing. Everyone else is dead. I have to report to the Council.”
That wasn't good news. If the Anarki were attacking again, that meant Mathias was on the mend and his power rising once more. Caden didn't want to care, but . . . he rubbed his tired eyes with his fingers.
After seeing so much war and death in his life, attacks on families, on women, troubled him.
”What will you do next?”
Bram sighed. ”What we have been: keep searching for Mathias, not to mention Shock and his brother, Zain, who appears to be the evil b.a.s.t.a.r.d's right-hand lackey.”
”Have you considered telling other magical families about this attack? They have to start protecting themselves.”
”So you're going to pretend you care about magickind now?” Caden restrained a growl. ”I would not wish what's happened to my family on another.”
”Rumors are beginning to spread about Mathias's return, but the decision to officially tell magickind falls with the Council. They approve transcasts and issue edicts.”
”Certainly a few words on how best to defend yourself-”
”Which is why no such edict will be created any time soon. No one knows how to defend against Mathias, and the Council would rather err on the side of silence than inaccuracy. b.l.o.o.d.y stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.”
”You're one of them,” Caden pointed out.
”The lone voice of reason, I a.s.sure you. I've long argued that we should communicate magical news via transcasts or the like frequently. But by the time the Council agrees to the verbiage . . .” Bram scoffed.
”It's old news.”
That didn't surprise Caden. Dawdling old fools, Lucan had long said, even their Uncle Sterling at times.
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