Blood Heir (Aurelia Ryder, #1)(89)

“No need. As you said, this is done.”

Robert nodded and looked at Ascanio and Derek. “Gentlemen, shall we?”

“Wait for me,” Derek murmured under his breath.

“I will,” I promised. I didn’t have a choice.

He walked to join Robert. Ascanio did the same. The two groups formed two columns behind their leaders. The rats fanned out around them, and they walked away. In a few breaths the street lay empty.

I sighed and headed into the house.





*



Marten was curled up on the divan, hugging a pillow. I’d covered her with a soft throw, and from my spot at the table, she looked like a little lump.

I poured more wine for Namtur. He sipped it from a small cup. The old man loved sangria and, given a chance, drank it like water, but today he was pacing himself. The assassin was expecting a fight.

I sipped my tea. Wine and I didn’t agree. It made me sad and gave me nightmares.

Three hours had passed since the shapeshifter standoff. Three hours for the ma’avirim to do whatever they wanted.

I wanted to pace around like a caged tiger. Instead, I made myself be calm.

Sophia showed up at my door minutes after the shapeshifters left. She apologized profusely. I told her that I had Marten and there was no further need to guard her. It wasn’t strictly true. Rudolph’s death eliminated most of the risk to Marten, but the ma’avirim could still come for her to get to me. However, I had thought of a more permanent solution to her safety.

Despite my best assurances that she wasn’t fired, Sophia seemed crestfallen. According to her, if I ever needed anything done in Atlanta, there would be a teenage weremongoose on standby. I had her call the Methodist hospital for me because I couldn’t get a dial tone. Douglas had survived. He was still in ICU. He would likely live, but they couldn’t tell us how much of his mobility or brain function he would regain. I’d thanked Sophia and she left.

Then I’d packed my bag with weapons, so I’d be ready to go the moment Derek showed up. Then I made a big meal, which Namtur and Marten devoured. Then Namtur told her stories of his exploits until finally she fell asleep. Then I poured him wine and made tea.

No word from Derek. Just waiting.

Every minute we delayed ate at me. I felt like a woman trying to run a race with my feet tied together.

“Smart child,” Namtur murmured, looking over Marten. “She eats when there is food. She sleeps when she’s safe.”

“She’s a survivor. I paid some strong shapeshifters to keep an eye on her, but she keeps escaping.”

Namtur smiled, then his expression turned serious. “That shapeshifter who shrugged off my chains, what is your connection to him?”

“We’re working together.”

He shook his head. “Ah, the arrogance of youth. You seek to avoid the question, and you think I won’t notice. Tell me about this scarred man.”

“He’s someone I used to know.”

“Ah.” Namtur smiled without showing his teeth. “A person from your childhood.”

“Sort of. What do you think of him?”

“I have known many warriors among the People of the Fur. Their kind seeks to intimidate. They snarl and flaunt their strength and speed. In this way they seek to avoid unnecessary combat. It is the way of animals—make yourself larger, make yourself scarier, puff out your fur, and show your teeth.” Namtur took a swallow of his wine. “This man is different. He could have broken my chains at any time, yet he waited to see what I would do. He thinks. He has patience. And that makes him dangerous. If I had to kill him, surprise would be best.”

On that we could agree. Fighting Derek one-on-one would be a monumental challenge.

The old man nodded. “Were you friends in your old life?”

“Yes.”

“Are you friends still?”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Many things have changed.”

“That they have.”

Namtur fell silent. His eyes clouded with memories. I finished my cup and still he didn’t speak.

“Why are you here, Great Uncle?” I asked gently.

He looked into the distance. “This is the place she chose to die.”

When Roland woke up in the new age, he was filled with hope and possibilities. When Erra came to, she awoke to despair and pain. Something she cherished most in the world had been torn from her. She saw no point in living.

By that point Roland must have begun to suspect that his daughter was in Atlanta, and he had decided to send Erra to the city to draw Kate out. Grandmother had recognized Kate instantly. The two of them looked so alike, nobody could deny the resemblance.

They had fought, and Erra let Kate kill her. Oh, she’d made Kate work for it. It was one of the hardest fights of Kate’s life. But in the end Grandmother let go and let herself slip into oblivion. Except with our family, nothing was ever that simple.

“I wanted to see it for myself. To think that this is the place where she had drowned in despair beyond all hope…”

Namtur let it drop and wiped the moisture from his eyes. “I’ve known her since she was fifteen years old. She was so strong, so full of life, a glittering jewel suffused with light. How could we let her become a listless shadow of herself? How could we have failed her so completely? Her own brother…”