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had begun writing in the time before he went Rogue.
Oh, my God.
Do you suppose the writings might be of some help to you?
I d really like to see them to find out. Excitement shot through Elise as
she fished a pen and some paper out of her purse. Would you be willing to let
me have them?
Yes, of course. That s why I called.
Elise glanced at her packed bag, biting her lower lip. She could leave for the
States anytime. This potential new information was more important. I can be
in a taxi in just a few minutes, Irina. Give me your address and I ll leave as
soon as I can.
A cream-colored Mercedes taxi idled at the end of the gated drive, which had
been under Minion surveillance since dawn. From his vantage point several
hundred yards away, concealed by the thick green of the surrounding forest and
peering through high-powered binoculars, the Minion watched as a slender blond
woman hurried out to meet the waiting car.
The bitch appeared to be a perfect match for the video image he d gotten via
e-mail from his Master. To be certain, he pulled the picture out of his jacket
pocket and took another look. Yes, that was her all right.
The Minion smiled as the woman got into the taxi.
Showtime, he murmured, letting the binocs swing from the cord around his
neck as he clambered down out of the tree where he d been hiding.
He jogged over to his car, ditched on a narrow private lane nearby. He hopped
in, turned the key, and rolled out after his quarry.
Irina Odolf lived in a small, tidy town house on a tree-lined residential
street on the outskirts of Berlin s west end. Elise was surprised, though not
shocked, that the woman had decided to make her home outside the Darkhavens
after losing her mate to Bloodlust. She likely would have done the same in her
situation.
There were just so many reminders of what I was missing after he was sent
away, Irina explained as she and Elise sat down for coffee in the sun-filled
dining area. Glass doors shaded by vertical blinds overlooked the community s
snow-patched common courtyard that ran along the backs of the houses. Petrov
and I have many friends in our Darkhaven, but living there without him was too
difficult. I suppose if he comes home when he comes home, she amended, idly
smoothing the lacy edge of the tablecloth. When he comes home, then we ll
return there and start our life over again.
I hope that day comes soon for you both, Irina.
The Breedmate looked up with a teary-eyed smile. So do I.
Elise took a sip of her coffee, dimly aware of a slow pound building in her
temples. It had been present since she got into the taxi that brought her
here, a trip that had taken her through the center of the city, where the din
of human thoughts had battered her through the metal and glass of the car. But
she used the focus that Tegan had shown her, and the worst of her psychic pain
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had faded to a manageable level.
Being this close to a lot of humanity was certainly a test. Irina s
neighborhood was a tightly packed cluster of homes, with a steady stream of
cars traveling up and down the street outside, bringing even more noise to the
chatter filling her head.
And underneath the general rumble of discontent she was receiving, Elise
detected something darker& just out of her reach.
Would you like to see the letters?
Irina s voice snapped Elise back to attention. Yes, of course.
She followed the woman out of the dining room and into a cozy little den at
the end of the hall. A man s desk sat across from an inviting reading nook,
the masculine furnishings impeccably polished and organized, as though
awaiting the imminent arrival of their owner.
Irina motioned Elise over to the desk, where an open shoebox sat next to an
old weaving that had been laid flat. A stack of folded papers rested on top.
Here they are.
May I? Elise asked, reaching to pick up the collection of letters.
At Irina s nod, she unfolded the first one and glanced at the page. It was
filled with a hasty, violently uneven scrawl. The words were barely legible,
written in what appeared to be Latin, by a hand that seemed guided by madness.
Elise fanned through the other papers, finding more of the same on them.
Do you think it means anything?
Elise shook her head. I can t be sure. I d like to show it to someone,
though. You re sure you don t mind if I take these?
Do what you d like. I have no use for them myself.
Thank you.
Elise glanced at the weaving that lay on the desk. It was incredibly beautiful
and obviously very old. She couldn t resist tracing her finger over the
intricate stitches of the medieval garden design. This is lovely. The detail
is incredible, like a painting done with a needle.
Yes, it is. Irina smiled. And whoever made it had an interesting sense of
whimsy too.
How so?
I noticed it when the piece was wrapped around the stack of letters. Let me
show you.
She folded the square cloth diagonally, turning up one edge so that the
designs on the lower left and upper right corners touched. At the place where
they met, the delicate embroidery revealed the hidden shape of a teardrop
falling into the basin of a crescent moon.
Elise laughed, delighted by the clever artistry of the work.
The woman who made this was a Breedmate?
Apparently so. Irina carefully smoothed it out again. It must be from the
Middle Ages, don t you think?
Elise couldn t answer, even if she had a guess. At that instant, a lancing
blast of pain sliced into her mind. It was pure menace, something deathly
evil& and it was suddenly very close.
Inside the house.
Irina, she whispered. Someone s here.
What? What do you mean someone
She held up her hand to silence the woman, fighting through the mental assault
as her mind filled with the violent thoughts of the intruder.
It was a Minion, sent on a mission to kill.
We have to get out of here right now.
Get out of here? But I don t
You have to trust me. He ll kill us both if he finds us.
Irina s eyes went wild with fright. She shook her head. There s no way out
from back here. Only the window
Yes. Hurry! Open it and get yourself out of here. I ll be right behind you.
Elise silently closed the room s door, then dragged the bulky leather chair in
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