Deathtrap (Crossbreed #3)(35)

Viktor shoved his plate away. “Do they not teach young girls domestic skills?”

I gulped down my water. “Sorry, Viktor. They just teach us how to be doctors, lawyers, and politicians.”

Gem pulled both feet up on her chair and stared at the floral print on her leggings. “Shepherd’s been reclusive this morning. I thought it was a hangover, but when I passed him in the hall earlier, he barely acknowledged me.”

Blue rested her chin in her palm. “Should we take him some food?”

Christian’s lips twitched. “Nothing goes with a hangover like noodles.”

Viktor stroked his beard and gave me a critical look. “Are you sure there’s nothing else you want to tell me about last night?”

“I told you everything that happened. Maybe the turtle didn’t sit well with him. They talked while I chased the kid around. I’m not keeping anything from you. If I was going to keep secrets, I would have left out the part where I climbed onto a Mage’s car and rode down the freeway.”

Gem gave an elfin smile. “I would have loved to have seen that. Raven flying like a bird.”

“We should have stayed behind,” Claude growled, tossing his fork down. “Then I would have been the one to give chase, not Raven. She could have been killed.”

“It doesn’t matter if it was you or me who jumped on that car,” I pointed out. “Gender has nothing to do with—”

“Bravado?” he finished.

“I was going to say aptitude. I didn’t chase after him because there wasn’t a man there who couldn’t or wouldn’t. I did it because it’s my job.”

He pressed his finger against the table. “You could have been hurt.”

Christian pushed away his empty plate. “You should quit while you’re ahead.”

“I wouldn’t say he’s ahead,” Blue added, a smile hovering on her lips. “Seems like Raven is leading by a point.”

“It’s too bad the license plate didn’t link to a name,” Gem said absently, putting a stop to the playful banter.

She was right. That guy probably wasn’t going back to Club Nine anytime soon, and he was our only lead.

Viktor steepled his fingers. “Shepherd is in no condition to leave the house. Someone must go back to the club and look for his keys. I have much work to do. Any volunteers?”

“I’ll go,” I said, raising a finger. “Maybe one of the waitresses on the morning shift will know something about that guy.”

Gem snapped her fingers and put her feet on the ground. “Smart thinking. I’ll go with you since I had luck with getting information from one of them.”

“Nyet. You have a paper to translate for me. I need it by noon for my contact.”

Her shoulders sagged. “Not even for a few hours? I promise I’ll—”

Niko launched to his feet and knocked his chair over. “Something’s wrong.”

Christian slowly rose. “It’s Shepherd.”

Viktor sat back. “What’s going on?”

We looked up at Christian, whose brow furrowed as he cocked his head to the side. “I can’t make out anything intelligible.”

Gem swept her hands down her arms, and that was when I felt it. Energy prickled against my skin like tiny rivulets of static. That was something we’d normally feel with another Mage, but sometimes rage could produce a similar effect. It was faint, but Shepherd’s room was also on the other side of the mansion.

Claude’s nostrils flared, and he rose to his feet, shoulders squared. Everyone immediately bolted out the door. Shepherd’s room was on the first level, past the stairs and down the main hall that ran along the right side of the mansion. Just before reaching the back, we turned left down a hall that had rooms on either side. Claude was in the lead with Christian bringing up the rear. Wyatt was already standing there with his hands on his hips.

“What’s going on?” Claude boomed.

Wyatt backed up a few steps, hands in the air. “I didn’t do anything. He locked the door.”

Claude tested the knob, but it didn’t open.

Blue stood next to him and knocked loudly. “Shepherd, open the door.”

“He’s quieted down,” Wyatt said, stating the obvious.

Claude pinched his nose as if something was burning it.

Niko weaved past me and stopped short of the door. “Someone needs to get in there and find out what has him so distraught,” he whispered. “His energy is leaking through the walls, and it’s foul.”

Everyone turned to Christian.

He shook his head. “Only if the repairs come out of your pocket, not mine.”

“Do not break my doors,” Viktor said calmly. “Wyatt, what did you say to him?”

Wyatt wiped a hand across his mouth. “I just came down to show him the good news.” He caught Gem glaring at the metal whistle hanging around his neck. “Okay, maybe I also wanted to see if he still had a hangover. I checked to see if there were any street cameras in the area since the guy we were chasing was on foot after the wreck. There’s one set up on the freeway heading eastbound, but it was too grainy and only showed him waving down the snack truck. He blasted the driver with a shot of energy and hijacked the vehicle. The camera caught him flashing back after the accident, but it’s just a blur on film.”