A Glimmer of Hope (The Avalon Chronicles #1)(83)

“You don’t touch her, Masako,” Diana said, her voice a low rumble of threat.

“If you’re all done puffing out your chests, can we get on with this?” Tommy asked. “Six hours, Elias. We’ll be there.”

Elias ended the call without another word and turned to Masako. “You and Tommy don’t get on?”

“We’ve had run-ins in the past. He takes action against those who have hurt people he sees as part of his pack. You know he’s going to come after you when you don’t hand over this woman?”

“Of course. But we’ll be long gone by then. Do you know this Grayson?”

Masako shook her head. “Never heard of him. I can contact a few people in Avalon and check him out, but Tommy’s certainly desperate enough to use humans in place of any other species.”

“Check anyway. You’re coming with me to get Layla.”

“Where are you going to put Layla when you have her? I thought you’d be taking her back to America?”

Part of him wanted to tell her that he wanted to kill Chloe before going anywhere, and that he wanted a chance to feed before going back, but being honest wasn’t going to get him anything but arguments. “I need her to get in contact with her dad first. I need evidence that she can do so. Taking her to Nergal without it would result in his displeasure. Besides, I want to use Chloe to get Layla’s cooperation, and that’s easier to do here than it is thirty-five thousand feet in the air.

“As for where we’re putting her, there’s a wooden cabin out back. I’ve had the blood elves gut the place and change the locks to a thick plastic. There’s no metal there; even the mattress on the bed we left her has no metal springs. She can’t use anything as a weapon.”

“Security feed?”

“The cameras and their components contain no metal. They weren’t easy to come by, but they’ll work.”

“So, we can keep her contained.”

“For as long as we need to, yes.” Elias stood. “I’m a professional, Masako.” He picked up his fedora. After all the trouble he’d gone through to get Layla, it was finally coming to an end.





30

The building site was cold and damp, and as Layla arrived in the BMW X5, she began to wonder if they couldn’t have picked somewhere more public. The emptiness that surrounded them as they drove onto the site did little to make Layla thrilled about her current circumstances.

“It’ll be okay,” Grayson said after stopping the car and switching off the engine.

“I know. I’m just preparing myself to be back in Elias’s grubby little hands. It’s a lot to take in.”

Grayson placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Tommy won’t let anything happen to you.”

“You know he’s not going to let Chloe go, right?”

Grayson nodded. “Of course. Elias has no intention of doing it. We’re not stupid. But because we know that, it means we can prepare for it. How are the visions from your drenik?”

“Still there, getting stronger. Terhal isn’t exactly fun at the moment; in fact, I don’t know if she was ever fun. She seems to enjoy hurting me, though, so maybe that’s a drenik’s idea of a good time.”

“I don’t know many umbra, as you’re much rarer than your current circumstances would suggest, but I don’t think anyone has ever enjoyed their drenik’s company. Certainly not to begin with. Chloe and Jared didn’t.”

A black Range Rover pulled onto the site and parked a hundred feet in front of the BMW.

“Let’s get this done,” Layla said, and opened the door, stepping out into the increasingly bad weather.

Elias and an unknown woman got out of the Range Rover and started walking toward Layla, who followed suit, with Grayson beside her. Layla reached out and grabbed Grayson’s hand, squeezing it slightly, and she noticed that Grayson squeezed back.

“Good to see you, Layla,” Elias said. “This is Masako.”

Layla stared at the Japanese woman. “Another umbra?”

“I’m jikininki,” she told her. Masako’s voice was soft and almost song-like.

“Flesh eater,” Grayson whispered. “Bad news.”

“I have excellent hearing, doctor,” Masako said. “I assumed a human doctor wouldn’t know much about my kind.”

“I’ve learned a lot from reading Tommy’s books. Lots of species, so little time to read about them all.”

“I’m glad to have been on the list you had time for.” Masako turned to Layla. “I recommend you join us in the car.”

Elias hadn’t stopped staring at Layla from the second they’d arrived, and it was beginning to make her feel even more uncomfortable than she already felt. “You appear to have grown in the short time we’ve been apart. The spirits in your body make you both stronger and weaker at the same time. It’s quite interesting.”

Layla took a deep breath to steady her voice, letting it out slowly before speaking. She wanted to punch Elias, to hurt him just like he’d hurt so many, but she had to remain calm. “Be interested somewhere else. It’s cold and raining, and I’d like to see Chloe.”

“I explained she wasn’t with us when we spoke on the phone.”