Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(12)
“Did you find him?”
Christian flattened his back against the wall, hands in his pockets. “Aye.”
I surmised by his response that he didn’t find the man alive. “Do tell.”
“It was a shanty village in Bulgaria, and they’re not fond of Vampires. Most of the villagers were Shifters or Relics, and not much else.”
I moved toward the corner of the sofa and chuckled. “Isn’t that where Vlad the Impaler was from?”
“Close enough. And being Irish didn’t help matters. They’re not a fan of my accent.”
“Too chipper?”
He gave me a dark look. “It’s an isolated village, so most of them severed contact with even the humans in nearby villages. The packs run wild day and night. I was vulnerable in the daytime, so I had to do my moving about at night between the tavern and Valko’s farm.”
“Valko was Viktor’s informant? How did he get in touch with Viktor? Do they have internet out in the sticks?”
“You’d be surprised how resourceful some are, but not these people. Valko was an old man who knew a lot of dirt on Breed—mostly undocumented history. He and Viktor exchanged letters through a foot messenger.”
“That’s risky,” I murmured, thinking how easily a messenger could use that information to his own advantage.
“Aye, but in this case, Valko had her complete loyalty.”
“So he made his wife run back and forth?”
“Valko wasn’t mated. The townspeople said he was one of the oldest Shifters in the village, and his pack broke apart centuries ago for reasons I don’t know. After that, he secluded himself, severing contact from all the large packs in the territory. People rarely saw him, and he became folklore for many of the young who dared to walk up the path to his farm.” Christian’s eyebrows gathered together. “Some said he’d gone mad and his wolf had developed a taste for chewing on the bones of children.”
I chuckled. “I bet he created that rumor to keep people away.”
“I never found any bones, so that’s promising. Don’t underestimate how savage a Shifter can become. Sometimes when their animal goes mad, so do they.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “If someone had murdered you, how would we have known?”
He pursed his lips. “Perhaps I’d have Wyatt on speed dial for the dead?”
I gave him a peevish look. “How did Valko die?”
“I convinced everyone I was an old acquaintance and had a message to deliver. Lies, but after a while, they didn’t see me as much of a threat—outside of the fact I’m a Vampire. I had money to spend in the tavern, so that was a little boost to their nonexistent economy. I charmed a conniving old woman who was adamant about turning the town against me. Her sons mysteriously vanished around the same time as Valko’s disappearance. The old bag confessed that they’d schemed to rob Valko of all his riches, but when they didn’t find any, they killed him and hid the body up in the hills.”
I stepped away from the sofa and inched toward him. “What did you do to the woman?”
His eyes flicked up. “Everyone deserves punishment.”
“Did you scrub her memory?”
Christian was a contemptuous man who showed no mercy. But would he slay a woman even if she deserved it?
His bottomless eyes made it difficult to read his expression. “Aye. I removed her memory. And when her sons return one day to reconcile with their mother after abandoning her, they’ll discover she has no recollection of their vile deeds. In fact, she won’t have any memory of them at all. She admitted that even if they’d found any treasure, they would have still left her behind. They were rotten to the core—greedy men who refused to work and made their poor old mother do all the cooking, cleaning, and labor. But she was no saint. She protected them when they committed crimes within the village, like stealing goats and setting fires.”
“I’m assuming if Viktor sent you all the way to Bulgaria, he must have been good friends with this guy. Do you think that’s why he stayed home tonight? He’s depressed over his friend’s death?”
Christian pulled a lollipop from a small canister on a shelf to the right. “You’re inquisitive tonight. More than usual.”
I nodded toward the red candy. “Be careful. They might be spiked.”
He plucked off the wrapping and eased the flat lollipop between his lips. “Stick to your tequila and leave the strong stuff for the grown-ups.”
I sauntered up and flattened my hand on his stomach. “I just hope a Sensor didn’t imbue that with erotic fantasies.”
Christian slowly pulled it out, the glossy candy staining his lips red. “Already have those, lass. Why don’t you ask me the question that’s really plaguing your thoughts?”
I squared my shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Amusement danced in his eyes. “Valko’s messenger girl. I can see how it vexes you to know what happened on my journey.”
“The only thing that vexes me is how you said you didn’t understand jealousy, but here you are, gleefully inciting it.” I shook my head and reached for the doorknob. “Vamps,” I muttered.
His arms were around me in a heartbeat.
He didn’t speak, and neither did I. There was an understanding in our touch that transcended words, reminding me that despite all my doubts and apprehensions, I needed him. For reasons I might never understand, Christian filled a void I’d carried since my mother’s death. I closed my eyes and surrendered to his touch.