We checked out with a grinning clerk. From the smile on her face, Georgina must have paid well. Very well.
When we turned away from the counter, Georgina suddenly reappeared. For a human, that woman was stealthy. Maybe years of being surrounded by Pterons had taught her some tricks. I wondered if I innately had them too, just like the eyesight and strength. “Are you ready, girls?”
“All set.” Allie grinned. “Where to next?”
***
Maybe one day I’d get used to flying around in a private jet, but that day hadn’t come yet. I buckled myself into a seat next to Allie and across from Georgina. They both seemed completely at home on the luxurious plane. I closed my eyes for a moment, wishing I were more tired. Sleep was the only break I got from the insanity of my new situation, but now I barely needed it. So much had changed in just a few days. All it took was one shove from Murphy and my whole life was turned upside down. I curled my hands into fists. Just thinking about Murphy made me angry.
We were on our way down to New Orleans. Georgina wanted to do some research and show me a book or something. She also wanted me to really see New Orleans. I think it was her attempt at “welcoming me home.” I had a feeling not everyone would be as welcoming. Would Robert be there? Did I even want to meet my biological father?
My back twitched. I wondered if that’s how all Pterons felt when they flew in a plane. Maybe it was your body’s way of rebelling against letting someone else do it for you.
“You’re more than welcome to take a room at the hotel, but the guest room at our house is also open.” Allie pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Oh. I couldn’t put you out. I’ll get a hotel room.” It’s funny how I hadn’t even considered where I was going to stay. I really was out of it.
Georgina set aside a leather covered notebook. “Nonsense. Casey will be staying in my suite at the hotel.”
“You have a suite there?” Allie asked. Had she actually been surprised by something the matriarch of the family did? I wasn’t sure how I felt about staying with my grandmother, but I definitely wasn’t staying at Allie’s. That would be entirely too awkward.
“Of course. I also keep a full set of clothes. I never want to be caught unprepared.”
“You have a place in New York too.” It wasn’t a question. I just knew it.
“Of course.” She smiled. “For the time being, you can move in there, but the realtor seemed confident she’d find you someplace soon.”
“That’s generous, but—”
“Don’t argue with me. You will not be living in that hovel anymore.”
“It’s not that bad.”
Georgina grimaced. “You live in a closet.”
“How’d you know?” I glanced at Allie, but she wouldn’t have known either.
“There is only one bedroom, and by the mess of male clothing all over the place, I assumed that was your cousin’s. I found your excuse for a room while you were getting ready.”
“You snooped around my apartment?”
“No. I merely observed the housing of my granddaughter. I had to see just how desperate the situation was.”
“You make it sound like I’m living on the street.”
“You’re a royal Pteron, Casey. You deserve only the finest of everything. You will get used to your new position in society quickly.”
“Right now, I just want to understand how my mother ended up with a Pteron. You really think you can help figure that out?”
“Have you talked to your mom?” Allie asked.
“No. I figured I might as well wait.” I didn’t admit just how nervous I was about talking to her, or the fact that she was a bear. My gut told me not to reveal that information too soon.
“I pretty much avoided talking to my mom when I first started dating Levi. I know it’s a completely different situation, but I understand where you’re coming from.”
“I just wonder if she knew…” I left out any more questions about Vera. Murphy said she was my half-sister, and so far, no one had argued she was Robert’s daughter. So was she really Chris’s daughter?
“You’ll go home with more answers than you came with.” Georgina leaned back against the plush leather seat. “I can’t promise we’ll figure it all out in the next few days, but we’ll know more.”
“I’ll take anything I can get right now.”
“You’re not alone in this, Casey.” Allie reached out and squeezed my hand. The gesture meant more than she could have known.
“Thanks.”
“I actually had a question to ask you.” Allie glanced at Georgina. The older woman smiled and nodded.
“I’d love it if you’d be a bridesmaid for me. Would you be up for it?”
I sat up in my seat. “Oh. Don’t feel like you have to include me. I’m perfectly happy going as a guest.”
“I want you to be in the wedding party. It’s important to me.” Her smiled seemed genuine, but I hoped she wasn’t asking out of a sense of obligation.
I pushed my concerns aside and gave the only answer I could. “Then, of course.”
“Terrific. We’ll have to get your dress made.” Allie seemed relieved, like she’d been worried I’d say no.
I settled back into my seat, wondering how my life could possibly get more complicated. The problem was, I had a feeling it would.
Chapter Eight
Toby
Interrogating people wasn’t my favorite activity, but I was getting used to it. The trick was to intimidate while using the least force necessary. Pain could make someone talk, but it could also shut them down. The hardest type of interrogations were those of people you didn’t have any concrete evidence against, you just needed information.
“Hello? Is anyone going to tell me what I’m doing here?” An annoyed man’s voice called from down the hall. We were using one of the soundproof rooms at The Society’s New York headquarters. One perk of being in charge was never having to ask permission to do something—unless Levi wanted to butt in.
“Hello?” he called again, this time more tentatively. It’s surprising how quickly some people lose confidence.
I took a deep breath, stretched, and headed down the long corridor. I had Nelly stationed and ready to go when I needed her services. Tim and Tom flanked her to make sure she didn’t act out and mess anything up.
I observed the man. His hair was short, but he had a layer of scruffy facial hair. By the red rimmed appearance of his eyes, he hadn’t slept recently. Some of that was my fault, some wasn’t. I stepped into the room. “Hello, Rhett.” Eric had told me Casey’s cousin had answers. I wasn’t going to sit around and wait.
He glanced up, tugging on where his arms were tied to the chair. I remained in the shadows. There was no reason to give away my identity yet.
“Who the hell are you?”
“That doesn’t really matter.” I watched him. Was he a bear? From first glance, I doubted it. He looked more the nerd than the shifter, but maybe that was all part of it. He didn’t want anyone to know how strong he actually was.
“Like hell it doesn’t. I get dragged back here with no explanation. On what authority can you hold me against my will?” He seemed to see quite clearly even though his wire rimmed glasses were in a broken heap on the floor. I assumed one of my men had broken them, but considering I was almost 100% positive the lenses weren’t prescription, I didn’t worry about it. Shifters tended to have perfect vision.
“Under the authority of The Society.”
He didn’t blink, and his lack of response was a dead giveaway. He knew all about The Society.
“Why? What does The Society want with me?”
“So you’re admitting knowledge of us?” At least he wasn’t going to pretend to be human.
“Yes. I wouldn’t be here if you didn’t already know what I was.”
“You’re a bear.” No reason to beat around the bush.
“What? No jokes about how I’m the smallest bear you’ve seen?”
“Research. I’m working on my PhD at NYU. I was doing field research. ”
“In anthropology, am I right?” Casey had let that little detail slip.
“Yes. What does that have to do with The Society?”
“Who do you work for?”
“Excuse me? I just told you I’m at NYU.”
I stepped out of the shadows. “No. That’s the school you’re affiliated with. Who do you work for?”
“Toby? I should have known.”
“Glad to know you recognize me.”
“You don’t know who you’re messing with. Just drop this. It’s not worth it.”
“Not worth it?” I felt the anger boiling, and I took it out on the table, pounding my fist on the wooden tabletop. “She’s worth it.”
“Who? Who’s worth it?” His blank expression made me wonder if he was telling the truth. He was hiding something, but maybe he didn’t have all the pieces.
“Casey.”
“Stay the hell away from her!” His voice rose and his face hardened.
“No. I’m not staying away from her. I’m protecting her.”
“Protecting her? I doubt that.”
“Who do you work for?”
“First tell me something. Is Casey all right? I haven’t heard from her since I left.”
“She’s fine.” I hoped she was. I didn’t want to let her go to New Orleans, but what excuse did I have to stop her?
“You still haven’t told me why you brought me in here. Why am I tied to this stupid chair?” He fought against the ropes again.
“Because I know you’re hiding something.”
“I can’t tell you anything. I’m not putting my cousin in danger.”
“Why? Casey’s already in danger anyway.”
He closed his eyes then opened them. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.”
“I can’t protect her unless you tell me everything you know.”
He looked down. “You’re not letting me out of here until I talk, are you?”
“No.” I leaned over him. “And I can make this a lot less comfortable for you.”
He shivered slightly. “They already have Vera. I’m not working for them directly but I have delivered a few messages for Murphy. I want to shelter Casey. Pretending to support them is the best way.”
“What kind of messages? Start talking.”
“It’s going to take a while. Can I get some water or something?”
I needed to do something. He was far too comfortable and relaxed. He wasn’t motivated enough. I kicked the table, pinning Rhett against the far wall. “Does it look like I’m going to give you water?”
He struggled to speak. “Fine.”
“Talk.”
“I don’t know what’s in the messages. I just take them and leave them with someone else. Always someone different.”
I filed away that thought and moved on to another question. “What do they want with Casey? Do they want to use her against the Laurents or something?”
“That’s got to be part of it.” He swallowed hard.
I nodded. Ready for him to continue.
“The Pterons have held the power for years. They’ve ruled at the exclusion of other shifters.”
“Yes, for centuries.” What was he getting at?
“But not everyone is happy about that.”
“No kidding.” I stared him down. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
He sighed with disdain.
I pushed the table harder against his chest. “Tell me.”
“What do you know about shifter genetics?”
“The shifter gene is dominant.” I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard anything else. Reproduction wasn’t something I thought about much.
“But what about if there are genes from different shifter types?”
“The more dominant type takes over.”
“Sometimes, but not always. There are times when this creates non shifter children.” He watched. “Do you understand the significance of that?”
“Yes.” A light bulb went off. Is that why we weren’t supposed to mate with other shifters? Was it out of fear of creating non Pteron children? And what if two Pterons mated? Did that rule stem from the same fear?
“There haven’t been too many cases of Pterons and other shifters producing children, but when the child turns out to be a Pteron, they are often extremely strong physically, but they lack some other critical traits of Pterons.”
“Like what? What do they lack?”
“They can’t protect their minds. They are just as susceptible to witchcraft and mind control as non Pteron shifters.”
“So Casey is fully susceptible to magic. Even to persuasion.” My thoughts went immediately to Nelly. Did she mess with her mind? Is that why she jumped to Jared so quickly? Then the rest of the implications set in.
My body tensed. “And they want to use Casey…” A royal Pteron with an unprotected mind made Casey an easy target. I had to find out if Nelly had really been able to influence her. I also had to make sure the Laurents didn’t find out before I came up with a plan. This was dangerous information we couldn’t have getting out.
He didn’t hesitate with his answer. “Yes. I don’t know what they have planned, but it all has to connect.”
“Why are they bothering with Vera?”
He paled.
“Just tell me.” I pounded on the table again.
“She went willingly.” He looked down.
“What does that mean?”
“It means she went with him willingly. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t have an answer to that one. It wasn’t like Vera. She was so protective of Casey, it never made sense.”
“Then why do you think she went willingly?”
His shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. She fell hard for Murphy and started spending all of her time with him.”
“But maybe he took her. Why don’t you believe that?”
“Because she told me she was leaving.”
“What?” I tossed the table aside. “Why didn’t you stop her?”
“I should have. I figured she’d come back.” He looked away again, but I definitely saw shame cross his face. “I’m trying to protect Casey.”
“Then be honest with me.”
“I am being honest!” he roared. “These are my cousins we’re talking about. Don’t you think I care?”
“Not as much as me.” I mumbled the words but he heard them.
“You’re in love with her.”
I didn’t say anything. I knew he’d take my silence for the yes it was.
“Even knowing what she is?”
“I really don’t care what she is. She’s still Casey.” It felt good to say those words out loud to someone. Hopefully Casey believed they were genuine. In some ways, finding out she was a Pteron made my feelings stronger. We had so much in common, I could relate to her in a way I wasn’t sure I could relate to anyone else.
“Then take care of her.”
“Do you know where Murphy is?” Whether Vera was there willingly or not, we had to find him. Casey wouldn’t be safe until he was taken care of.
“No, but Murphy isn’t who you need to worry about.”
“What do you mean?” Was he going to spring another surprise on me?
“Murphy’s not smart enough to mastermind all of this. He’s working for someone else.”
“Who?” I pulled him up by his collar. “Who is he working for?”
“I don’t know. They only call him ‘the boss.’”
“The boss. Really?”
“Not particularly original, but it’s the only name I’ve heard.” He looked away.
>
“We need to find him.”
“I don’t think we can. You probably can’t find Murphy either. He keeps himself well hidden. I’ve searched for him for months. The messages I get are always through a third party.”
“Searching in Russia?”
“No, but before then. I didn’t want to do field work, but the department head made me go. It came out of the blue, and I couldn’t say no to the position.”
My guess was the assignment wasn’t a coincidence. They wanted the cousin out of the way, but I kept my thoughts to myself. “We have to find them. I’m not going to let her get used as a pawn.”
“I want to protect her too. That’s why I had her move in with me when she had to leave school. I figured the best way to keep an eye on her was to have her under my own roof.”
“Until you left…”
“Don’t remind me.” His regret and guilt was clear on his face.
“Did you know her well growing up?” This wasn’t part of the interrogation, but I was dying to know more about Casey. Maybe discovering more about her past would help me protect her better in the present.
“Yes and no. I knew Vera better. I tried to get more involved when Vera left, but her mom didn’t want her getting too close. She knew Casey was in for a rough road no matter what she was.”
“I wonder how her mom got involved with the Pterons,” I thought out loud.
“She’s never talked about it. Neither have my parents.” He coughed, making me feel slightly bad about denying the water. “But she’s a good woman. A good mom. It never really added up.”
“Casey took Vera’s leaving hard.” I stated the obvious, hoping to get more info.
“Very. She really curled up inside herself. Casey’s never had many friends, and after Vera left, she pretty much stopped talking to the few she had.”
I made a decision. “I have to tell her. She has to know about Vera.”
“Does she? Will it help her to know her sister abandoned her?” He sighed. “Either way, I need to find Vera. She doesn’t belong with those kind of bears. She’s good through and through.”
“Did she know she was a bear?” The question came to me, and the answer seemed especially important.
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