Blood Assassin (The Sentinels #2)(66)

This time, any regret was overridden by the sizzling awareness that jolted through his body.

Hell.

It felt like he’d been struck by lightning.

In a good way.

The gray eyes narrowed in warning and Wolfe resisted any urge to press his luck.

This wasn’t the time or place.

Besides, she could shrivel his balls to the size of marbles if he truly pissed her off.

“What happened?”

“Eventually the Mave realized she was losing the trust of her people and altered her policy,” she said, clearly skimming over the dangerous years of being an outlaw.

A role that would have made her miserable.

“Altered them how?”

“She began containing the high-bloods that were unstable or could hurt others by accident,” she said. “It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it halted the executions.”

“That would explain the dungeons,” Wolfe said, referring to the cells buried deep beneath his feet.

He had no moral objection to them. Hell, he’d used them for those high-bloods determined to cause harm to themselves or others.

Lana nodded. “Exactly.”

“So your rebellion came to an end and you became an advocate for a united Valhalla?”

“Yes.”

A faint smile touched his lips. He could easily see her returning to the first Mave, her chin held high despite the fact that she’d been considered a traitor. Her courage could never be questioned. Hell, it gave him nightmares.

Then the image shifted to include a handsome assassin who stood at her side.

The man who’d shared more than just a passing relationship with her.

“And Bas?” he pressed.

She lifted her brow at the edge in his voice. “The Mave disbanded the assassins.”

Hmm. So that was the reason the assassins had been absorbed back into the Sentinels. Or at least, that was the command given to the monks.

In truth, most of them simply disappeared until Wolfe had started the difficult task of tracking them down.

“I doubt Bas was pleased with that decision.”

“No, he disappeared.” There was a long pause. “I eventually tracked him down to bring the high-bloods he was hiding to Valhalla.”

“He wasn’t as eager to forgive and forget?”

She trembled, wrapping her arms around her waist. “It was worse than that.”

Wolfe studied her pale face, caught off guard by her rare display of emotion.

“Lana?”

“I discovered that instead of protecting the people in his care, he was using them.”

“How?”

“He’d become a mercenary, selling his services and the services of those who depended on him for their safety.”

“The bastard.” Wolfe’s gut twisted with revulsion. He fully backed this female’s decision to put an end to high-bloods selling their services. Their gifts weren’t meant to be used for profit. And he sure as hell wouldn’t endure a high-blood pimping out his own people for money. “No wonder you killed him.”

“He wasn’t condemned to death because he was a mercenary.”

“Then why?”

Her lips tightened as she was forced to dredge up unwelcome memories.

“Because he killed two Sentinels when he tried to escape from me.”

Wolfe already knew he was going to kill the assassin. Not only because he was somehow responsible for Serra’s disappearance from Valhalla, but also because he’d betrayed Lana’s trust in him to care for the high-bloods he’d been given to protect.

Now he knew he was going to make him suffer.

A lot.

Heat prickled in the air. “Did he try to harm you?”

“I thought so at the time.” She hesitated, as if shuffling through her memories, before giving a shake of her head. “Now I wonder if it was a ruse so I would think my spell killed him and stop any attempt to track him down.”

“Assassins would have the magic to feign their own death,” Wolfe agreed.

The trained warriors could not only slow their breathing until it was undetectable, but they could place themselves in a deep trance that would cool their skin and mask their heartbeat.

Like a damned vampire.

She lowered her arms, squaring her shoulders as she mentally slammed the door on her past.

“And Bas has more magic than most.”

Wolfe narrowed his eyes, suddenly realizing the point of her story.

“Is that why you want to travel to Woodward? You think he’s there?”

With an abrupt movement she was pacing toward his desk, the scent of warm vanilla and annoyed woman teasing at his nose. He was the only one who dared question her decisions.

“No, I want to go because one of the high-bloods in his care was a woman whose power interferes with electrical currents.”

Ah. That might explain why Fane had texted him to check it out.

“You think that she could be responsible for the blackout?”

“Yes.” Lana turned back to face him. “If it’s her, I need to track her down as fast as possible.”

The urgency in her voice sent a jolt of alarm down his spine.

“Is there something else I should know?”

She frowned in puzzlement. “What do you mean?”