Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(19)

Viktor put his hand on my shoulder. “Of course not. But the approval process for making an immortal exists for a reason. Had I not intervened, you would have reached a point of no return.” He smiled warmly and lowered his arm. “I like initiative, and you’ll learn that working independently is permissible and sometimes necessary. I do not wish to lead a team who cannot think for themselves. You coming to me with this shows that you’re learning how we operate. If the lead is promising, I will speak to the person who initiated the investigation to negotiate payment. What is your plan with the suspect?”

“Bait him. In public, of course. I promise not to drain him in the bathroom.” When Viktor didn’t smile, I continued. “It shouldn’t be difficult to set a trap. Assuming he’s a Vampire, he won’t be able to tell that I’m not human.”

“Do you plan to do this alone?”

“No,” a voice called from the adjoining room.

I glimpsed a shadow beyond one of the archways. I didn’t need to see his face to know it was Christian.

I turned back to Viktor. “I won’t do anything crazy without your approval. The plan is to lay out a trap. I have a good feeling a human didn’t post that message and we’re dealing with a Vampire. That means he’s fishing on human sites for his prey.”

“And if you catch him?”

I shifted my stance. “I won’t kill him. Cross my heart. But if you want to know the truth, I’d be doing the world a favor. Imagine all the humans we’d save, and who knows what became of his younglings. Maybe they’re still prisoners, but they might have escaped and are now a menace to society. Chances are the higher authority will execute him, so why not save them the trouble?”

“Sometimes I look at you and I still see the Shadow. Try not to go on a murdering spree. Unless we are given specific orders or have no choice, we hand them over alive.”

That wasn’t always the golden rule, and we both knew it. I remembered with perfect clarity how Viktor left Shepherd alone with the Mage who had killed his old flame. But rules kept us legit and gained Viktor’s trust. They were necessary.

“It could be dangerous,” he said.

I flashed him a grin. “My kind of party.”

He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. “Very well. Keep me informed on your progress. If you’re in over your heads, let me know.” Viktor wagged his finger. “Don’t make me have to call the cleaners.”

“I’ll be good.”

His grey eyes twinkled, and his lips mashed together as if he was suppressing a grin. “I’m proud of you, Raven Black. You are more selfless than I first thought.”

Christian chuckled, and I gave him the finger behind my back.

Viktor folded his arms. “Are you going to share what happened to your leg?”

“I tripped over Christian’s ego.”

He conjured a smile and then glanced at his watch. “Christian, I need your help unloading the crate. I don’t want those men on my property.”

“Ah, yes,” I said, limping behind him as we moved into the dining room. “The crate. I hope she came by air and not by sea. That would have been a long boat ride without a toilet.”

Viktor briefly looked over his shoulder. “I hear the judgment in your voice, but need I remind you that it was not my decision. This was at her insistence.”

I flashed a playful grin at Christian as we passed him. “So… this woman would have rather flown cargo instead of first class next to Christian? I think I’m beginning to like her already.”





Chapter 5





When the deliverymen buzzed at the gate, Christian and Claude hurried out to meet them. The rest of us remained in the foyer, taking a dim view of Viktor’s transportation arrangements.

“Careful!” Viktor bellowed as they moved inside with the crate. “Set her down gently.”

Claude gingerly lowered his end and then anchored his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

I tipped my head toward Blue. “Am I really seeing this? Are we getting a servant delivered by ground shipping?”

“Maybe she’s dead. Wyatt might have a new best friend.”

“Perish the thought.”

The crate was the width of the door and about four feet tall, but the men had set it down longways. Had she packed water in there? Food? It was winter, and the plane likely didn’t have heating in the storage area. The small gaps between the boards weren’t wide enough to see inside but were big enough so her animal could breathe.

Viktor approached with a crowbar and attempted to pry open the top. We all stood around in the foyer, watching with slightly horrified expressions.

I tilted my head to the side. “By the size of the crate, I think we can rule out her being a horse. Wouldn’t her animal go berserk in there?”

“In the old days, they used to transport Shifters in cages and crates,” Blue said, reiterating what Viktor had already told us. “Especially those who worked in the circus.”

I jerked my neck back. “They put Shifters in the circus? That’s a little demeaning.”

She folded her arms, which were a lustrous brown hue despite it being winter. “It was a dark time in our history. Some of the Breeds ran circus rings to turn a buck. This was before our emancipation, and even some of the humans were in on it. Everyone knows about Shifter slavery, but new immortals aren’t usually educated on the underworld of cage fighting, circus troupes, and using our kind as beasts of burden.”