My conversation with Theo back in Oxford is coming back to me in a surge, his unspoken but clear desire to be more than co-rebels, to further the hybrid cause as much as the cause of shifters in general. He knows I'm taken, I remind myself, but for some reason I still can't bring myself to look him in the eyes. Thankfully, we're given a reprieve when the sound of hurried footsteps comes from the side entrance to the restaurant. "Sir," says a voice, and as much as I wish it weren't familiar, it is.
Whirling around in my seat, I find myself face to face with someone I'd hoped I would never see again in my life, and I can't keep my mouth from dropping open. "Lyle?"
The American looks almost as shocked to see me as I am to see him. "Brix. No fucking way." Letting out a humorless laugh, he turns to Theo. "Joke's on me, right? You brought me down here just to see my reaction."
Theo's brows knit together in confusion, a look I never would have expected on him. "I'm sorry?"
Now it's Lyle's turn to look confused. "You mean…?"
"What is he doing here?" I demand, turning back to Theo. "He's on their side!" And I'm not wrong. The last time I saw the vampire shifter was back in Boston, when Hawthorne and Russo, an American Academy president, turned on the students who were there for our ill-fated visit to the peace convention. He was actively trying to prevent us from leaving, and if Hunter hadn't stepped in, he might well have succeeded.
"I could ask you the same thing," Lyle snaps at me.
"I'm here to stop the Academy," I snap. "And you? Taking a break from being Russo's lackey so you can live it up in Scotland?"
"Millie," Theo protests, "Lyle-"
Lyle ignores him. "It's been a long time since the convention, Brix. Long enough for me to realize Russo has completely lost her mind." A shadow crosses his face as he puts his hands on his hips, looking down at the floor. "I fought for her, damn it. I actually believed her bullshit." Raising his eyes, he says, "No one's more pissed off at me for not seeing what was going on than I am. So you can take your guilt trip and shove it right up your-"
"Lyle," snaps Theo, "you're not to speak to her that way. Ever."
Chastened, Lyle raises his hands defensively. "It's all right," I say, my hackles lowering. "How did you manage to get over here anyway?"
"It's not that hard, when you're one of their prized RAs," the vampire shifter says, taking the spare seat at the table. "I told her I was going to track down a couple runaways, and just never went back."
"That was… bold of you," I admit begrudgingly. "I guess I can't fault you for tenacity."
"No one ever could," Lyle says, extending his hand to me. "Look, Brix, I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I know you don't like me. But we're on the same side here, whether we like each other or not. So what do you say?" He nods down at his hand. "Fresh start?"
I stared down at the proffered hand for a long moment before hesitantly taking it and giving it a brisk shake. "Fresh enough," I state.
"Well," Theo says, still looking somewhat taken aback, "I'm glad that's settled."
"So what did you bring me down here for?" Lyle asks, scooting in.
"We need your expertise," Theo explains. "It's my understanding that you know where a shifter might be able to… acquire certain enchanted items."
"I have been keeping up with the black market," Lyle admits, "but there are never any guarantees with these people."
"We don't need a guarantee," I tell him. "We just need possible."
Theo nods. "We're looking for a tracking device," he explains. "The key to stopping the humans might be in finding a single witch shifter."
"Those are rare," Lyle says, leaning back in his chair and pursing his lips.
"Can you think of anyone?" Theo prompts. "Location doesn't matter."
"Not off the top of my head," admits Lyle, "but I might know of an alternative."
"Which is?" I ask, drumming my fingers on the tabletop.
"I'm not the best person to explain it," Lyle replies, "but I know of a guy in Glasgow. He mentioned some kind of charm on the site I frequent - if we're lucky, he might still have it."
"Excellent," says Theo, and I feel a wave of renewed optimism. "Do you have his contact information? Do you know where we can find him?"
"Give me a few minutes,” the vampire shifter replies, “and I can find out.”
I don’t realize how mentally drained I am until after I leave the restaurant, feeling like I’m only just now letting out a breath that I’ve been holding for hours. The bubbly concierge greets me as soon as I leave the restaurant, and proceeds to escort me through the lobby into a lavish elevator leading to an equally lavish third floor. There are more guests mingling about up here, all of them shapeshifters of different ages and proficiencies. It’s only as I’m approaching my room that I run into Landon, who is leaning against the balcony and watching the guests down below. “Hey,” he says, turning to me. “How did it go?”
I can only look at him with a half-smile and reply, “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”
Chapter 6
“I still can’t believe we’re actually listening to this guy,” Shade snarks as we make our way down the Edinburgh street. It’s been less than a day since our arrival, and by all accounts, dragging myself out of bed this morning should have taken a miracle (especially considering how far I jumped us yesterday), but once again, I barely feel the need to recuperate. Six hours of sleep and I’m already springing into action again in the morning. I barely even needed any tea to wake myself up. Needless to say, I can understand the guys’ relative grouchiness, all things considered.
“I still can’t believe you didn’t rip his damn head off, Hunter,” Landon jokes. “As far as assholes go, he’s easily one of the highlights we’ve met so far.”
“Are you sure we can even trust him, Boots?” Hunter asks, ignoring Landon’s gibe. “Just because he says he’s on our side now…”
“I wondered the same thing,” I admit. “But it sounds like there are plenty of other rebels who can corroborate his story. And besides, Theo seems to trust him.”
“Theo, Theo, Theo.” Shade shakes his head sullenly. “The sooner we can get away from that self-righteous son of a bitch, the happier I’ll be.”
“Enemy of my enemy, remember?” Silas reminds him, casting an unreadable glance in my direction.
Silence overtakes our group, and I fall silent, unsure what to say. It’s early yet, before the morning rush hour traffic really takes off, and the only sounds are the occasional chirping of a bird and the scuff of our soles on the pavement. In the heavy quiet, I tune in once more with my body—particularly, the almost overwhelming pool of power that’s lighting up my stomach like the world’s coldest thunderstorm. It feels as though my magic is trying to claw its way out, to wreak havoc and destruction on anyone unfortunate enough to get close to me.