The Marradith Ryder Series, Part 19
“When I find my son,” Paul Ryder whispered through gritted teeth. “I am going to kill him.”
Zasha crossed her arms. The two of them sat outside the interrogation room, watching as Evan questioned Keiko.
“I am sure you really mean that right now,” Zasha said in a soothing voice. “But you won’t mean that for long. This really isn’t the worse thing that can happen. Your wife is part vampire, isn’t she?”
Paul grumbled. “Nora’s not like anybody else.”
“So. You’ll have a grandchild.”
“Grandchild?” Paul shook with distaste. “With Keiko Yasuko for a Mother?”
“The child will be half vampire. Half Lamia. You know The Ways, Paul. Under our law, we won’t terminate the pregnancy of an Other. Not unless Keiko were to expressly request it. And even then, she’d probably be forced to have the child, and give it to our people to raise.”
“Exceptions can always be made,” Paul replied. “With my rank I have the right to dispensation.”
“Yes, you do. But I’d consider it before you act rashly. Remember, the pregnancy is early yet.”
Paul ran his hand over his hair. He knew that this was happening. He was so angry that the edges of his vision were beginning to blur.
“You’re overlooking the short term benefits of her condition,” Zasha advised.
“What could that possibly be?”
“She’ll have a natural drive to want to be near Scott now. And since she has Evan’s blood in her, she’ll talk.”
Zasha and Paul fell silent as Keiko’s voice came in over the speaker system that was piped in from the interrogation room.
***
“What is it you want from me?” Keiko screamed. She was restrained, fastened by the ankles and wrists to a wall in the bare, white room. Her eyes followed Evan as he crossed back and fourth in front of her.
“There’s no need to be upset.”
“To hell there’s not.”
“Come, sweetheart. I just have a few things I need to ask you. Then you won’t have to be tied down anymore. I need to know I can trust you.”
He stroked her cheek with his palm, and the touch sent shivers through her body. She had his blood inside her, and when they touched, she felt it moving through his skin as well.
“I hate the Sidhari,” she hissed.
“Why?” Evan raised an eyebrow. “Is it because we make you feel weak? Like a human?”
“I. Am. Not. Weak.” she said.
“Whatever you say,” Evan’s hand moved down her face and lay limp against her neck. “It’s so simple. You tell me some things. And then we’ll give you blood. As much of it as you can drink.” He leaned close enough that his breath touched her cheek. “And I can give you anything else you like, as well.”
She blinked. Her face softened.
“Tell me,” Evan said. “What was the plan the day you went to Marradith’s house. Why were you there?”
“Syd sent me. To kill Marradith. And take Jenny Winslow.”
“Why would you kill Scott’s sister?”
“Syd wanted Marradith to pay for killing Leighton. He wanted Scott to replace him.”
“Replace Leighton?”
Keiko cut her eyes at him. “Why not? Replace one Ryder with another. But to do that, it was important for Marradith to die. Out of his family, she is the one Scott always worried about. He wanted to stay close. With her dead, he’d have nothing to do with the rest of them. He’d come with Syd, and with me.”
“Really?” Evan said. “You didn’t think that Scott would have a problem with you killing his sister?”
“He wasn’t going to know it was me. Syd can control people’s minds. He was going to make Scott think that Marradith’s death had something to do with The Sojourners. That was his deepest fear, anyway. He’d want to believe it, because of what his Mother went through at their hands when she was young. It was going to work.”
“Okay. So Scott would align himself with Syd. And he could be with you.”
“Scott was going to be with me anyway,” Keiko spat. “He wants me. It was forming an allegiance between him and Syd that was …tricky.”
“Okay. So you said that Syd was interested in getting Jenny Winslow. Why?”
“Are you dim?” Keiko snorted. “Like why is any man after a woman? He’s slept with her a few times and he liked it. He made her a Wolf. So he thinks she’s his property.”
“So tell me how the plan would have went, if you didn’t get caught.” Evan coached.
“Syd was going to take Scott out of town. I was going to bring Jenny with me to meet them.”
“That’s very good, Keiko. Where were you going to meet?”
She bit her lip.
“Keiko,” Evan urged.
“We were going to Kitanya,” she blurted. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes, its what I want,” Evan touched her arm. She stomped her foot, fighting the shivers that flooded through her flesh.
“Can I have that blood now?” she whispered, her dark eyes lit with desire.
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©2010 Lori Titus
Tags: Lori Titus, The Art of Shadows, The Marradith Ryder Series
