Илона Эндрюс - Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy)

A heavy, irresistible dread crawled over me. I didn’t want to see my evil grandmother today. Each visit to the posh country club she called prison felt like walking into a monster’s mouth. I never knew if I would get out alive. Nobody except me truly understood the magnitude of the threat she posed, and I would keep it that way as long as possible.

By now Detective Giacone would have reported everything there was to report about Leon being framed for Audrey’s murder. She would want to know what I planned to do about it. I would have to answer for exposing her spy in the Houston PD. I needed to be sharp and alert, and instead I was exhausted and rattled, which is why I’d insisted on driving. It put some control back into my hands.

To say that Dr. Arias had been less than pleased to see me again would be a severe understatement, kind of like referring to a Category 4 tornado as a cute little dust devil. She resealed my wounds and gave me a Serious Lecture, which I mostly ignored, because I was too busy thinking.

Munoz called to confirm that I had sustained injuries that required me to leave the crime scene and was indeed at the clinic. Dr. Arias talked to him while Sabrian played referee. At the end, Sabrian got on the phone with me. The Houston PD determined that the encounter was House warfare and was letting both Leon and Arabella go.

Bern arrived with my clothes and Beetle, a Toyota Tundra Grandma Frida had snagged in some kind of complicated trade after one of her clients couldn’t pay their bill. She’d added her special touch, and Beetle was sufficiently bulletproof. Alessandro saw the giant black truck and laughed for a full minute, but he let Bern drive his Spider back to our place. Bern was slightly shocked by that development.

I kept banging my brain against the problem of the Abyss. Regina’s words glowed in my memory. You have to kill it. All of it.

I had stolen a matrix node from the Abyss. The node didn’t collapse once its tie to the Abyss was severed. It didn’t stop functioning. It still felt like the Abyss, a paler, weaker version of it.

If we came for the Abyss with all of the firepower and magic we could collectively muster, we wouldn’t win. In his place, I would cleave the matrix nodes from myself and send them in all different directions. A matrix node could be anywhere. It could be in a construct. It could be buried in the muck in some hidden corner of the Pit. It could be disguised as a plant.

Power alone wouldn’t do it. The Abyss was just too massive.

“I’m not understanding something,” Alessandro said.

“Yes?”

“If Cheryl is Arkan’s contact and the person who killed Felix, then she has access to the serum. But I don’t think she took the serum herself. It’s too risky. If the serum backfires, she could die or end up warped, which means her House is left without a leader and her children become orphans. Why take the risk? Her position is already secure as is.”

“I don’t think she took it. I think she gave it to the construct.”

“The Osiris serum only works on humans. They tried giving it to animals early on and it just killed them.”

“Yes.”

Alessandro frowned. “Have you thought about why that thing keeps pulling brains out of corpses and sticking them into the constructs it makes? Where did he learn to do that?”

Oh fuck.

“Your magic doesn’t work on animals or constructs,” he said. “But it worked at some level on that thing. And no construct is capable of telepathy.”

“She put a human brain into the Kraken,” I whispered. Oh no.

“She wanted the decision-making capability of a human,” Alessandro said. “She used a male telepath, stuck him into her fucking toy, and then gave it the Osiris serum.”

I pulled into the parking lot past the guard.

“If this gets out . . .” Alessandro said.

Somebody else would do it too. No matter how horrific, no matter how revolting, it worked, and someone else would replicate it. Regina was right. Cheryl had to die, and fast.

“I can’t think about that right now.” I shut off the engine. “I have to survive the next hour. Will you be here when I’m done?”

Cold fire flashed in Alessandro’s eyes. “Even if you ordered me away, I wouldn’t go far. That thing is fixated on you. He will try again, and when he does, I’ll be waiting.”

Grandma Victoria waited for me in the gardens. She sat at a picnic table, bordered by roses. The heavy blossoms framed her, as if she were a priceless work of art. She wore a white summer dress that fell to midcalf with tiny pink flowers on the bodice that grew larger toward the hem. A pale-blue shawl of complex lace draped her shoulders. Strappy leather sandals hugged her feet. Her toenails were painted bright blue. Her silver hair crowned her head in a stylish updo and her makeup was perfect, as always.

The only indication that we were in a prison and not in some mansion’s English garden was the table, a heavy monstrosity of thermoplastic, with benches attached.

A platter with a teapot and two cups waited on the table. I approached, picked up the teapot, and poured the tea. If I wasn’t at my best, if I was a touch slow or said a wrong word, my grandmother would strike. She wouldn’t hesitate, and if I was very lucky, I would be the only target.

I handed her cup to her and sat.

Victoria’s gaze pinned me, her eyes merciless. “You burned Giacone.”

Right to the point. “He was clumsy and obvious. A liability. Munoz already suspected him, and I needed a sacrificial goat to establish trust.”

My grandmother narrowed her eyes. “Or you wanted my informant out of the way.”

I smiled. “Why not both?”

She drank her tea. I had jumped the first hurdle.

“Tell me about it.”

I summarized the events related to Audrey’s murder, starting with Giacone and Munoz and ending with Leon shooting the illusion mage in the face.

“Have you found the leak?” Victoria asked.

“Yes. Leon told Albert Ravenscroft about Audrey.”

“Do you need ammunition to lean on the Ravenscrofts?”

“No. I have my own.”

Victoria’s gaze fastened on me. “You’re hesitating.”

“I have my reasons.” Pressuring the Ravenscrofts could backfire. I would have preferred to do it with a scalpel. Instead I had a hammer, and once I smashed their House with it, they would either submit or go on the offensive. I was already fighting a war on multiple fronts. I didn’t need another.

“Now isn’t the time to be subtle. If they try to retaliate, I’ll handle it.”

I sipped my tea. I didn’t love Albert, but I didn’t hate him. This would be unpleasant.

“You don’t have to like it,” my grandmother continued. “Someone obtained confidential information and attacked your House. Do it or I will.”

“If you tug too hard on my leash, I’ll turn around and bite.”

I smiled and refilled her cup. Showing any weakness in front of her was like pouring blood into shark-infested waters.

She reached over and put her fingers under my chin, lifting my face so she could peer into my eyes. I met her gaze and saw approval.

“Good girl,” Victoria Tremaine told me. “Remember who you are. Don’t ever let people bully you.”

“I’ll take care of the Ravenscrofts.” If I took the coward’s way out and let her do it, there would be nothing left of Albert’s House.

“I know you will.” She let me go. “What is this Pit matter?”

A flashback to Linus’ study, his face, his dark eyes. Do me this favor . . . “A favor for Linus.”

Victoria’s magic brushed by me, oh so subtle. I welcomed it. To lie to a truthseeker, you had to tell the truth.

“Why is he involved?”

“The dead man asked him for help. Linus was too late.”