by Autumn Dawn
“It’s who’ll notice when she exits the cocoon that concerns him,” Shelarah murmured. She sent Andrea a small smile and shook her head a little, as if amused by an old argument. “Don’t mind them, they can’t agree on anything, especially their younger sister.”
Leo grinned. “I admit that pack of young warriors she runs with would give a mother pause.” She shook her head at Jackson, and her tone gentled. “They’re just friends, Jack. You worry too much. Armetris would never let anyone touch her.”
All motion at the table ceased. “She doesn’t run with them anymore.” Jackson’s mouth tightened. “I don’t know what happened, but there’s plainly been a rift. She’s angry with the lot of them.”
“Those boys are her only friends. Have you looked into it?”
His look said she’d asked a stupid question. “No one is talking.”
Leo blew out a breath, then caught Andrea staring at her with frank curiosity. “Luna is something like me. She’s always bonded best with males—our father was our greatest friend—and this must be a blow.” She sent Jackson a concerned look. “I’ll speak with her.”
Although brother and sister were quick to spar with each other, Andrea noted that each held fierce family loyalty. She only hoped her children would one day feel the same. Saddened, she touched her belly protectively. Oh, Mathin…
Jackson waited until Andrea was deep in conversation with his wife about pregnancy and child rearing before he took Leo aside. “What,” he asked sternly, “do you have to tell me?”
She tilted her head warily. “About?”
His eyes narrowed. “Give over, sis. You no more found her wandering in the swamps than plan to marry and save me worry. Besides, I saw that small smile when Shelarah asked if she’d feared meeting up with a Haunt so near the border. I can tell she’s human enough, but there’s more here than you say. Do I have to contact the Haunt and ask questions, or will you talk?”
Certain he would follow through with his threat, she sighed. “You remember Mathin?”
His gaze sharpened. “The Haunt who chased you around Jayem’s citadel and halfway into the swamp? I remember.”
She rolled her eyes and leaned against the deck rail. “It was a passing fancy for him.”
“She’s his?” He shook his head, irked. “What did you think—that I would force her to leave or see her harmed after I learned of her condition? You know how I feel about my own wife and children.” He looked out over the village, his eyes troubled. “Besides, she’s not the only woman to come back carrying a questionable child.”
Unwilling to get sidetracked, Leo shifted to face him squarely. “You never liked Mathin or the Haunt.”
“At least he’s occupied with a wife. For that matter, I don’t hate the Haunt. They are different, and best left alone.” His tone held mild warning.
An old argument itched to burst forth. Leo resisted the urge. “Are you saying you will let him visit her?”
Jackson rapped the rail with his knuckles. “Not in the village, but…” He eyed her shrewdly. “I can arrange something if you will agree to socialize regularly while you’re here.”
After a long, tense moment of silence, Leo granted him a curt nod. “Fine. But don’t think I’ll put up with any matchmaking. And Jackson—keep your wife from bringing me any more gifts.”
Mathin was very concerned—and surprised—to see a Symbiont Rider show up at his door not long after with a message from Jackson.
While the rider waited uneasily for a reply, eyeing the Haunt who stared back suspiciously, Raziel read over Mathin’s shoulder. “Amiable of him,” he said warily.
Familiar with that tone, Mathin sent him a look. He knew Raziel was dying to comment. “A monthly visit might be feasible, even with the troubles here.” And very tempting.
The moment he’d returned, Raziel had informed him of reports that Tomlin had gone over to his grasping cousin; if he hadn’t been his from the start.The citadel was bracing for war, and his people weren’t happy about it. Many blamed Mathin for being gone so long. If he weren’t careful, he might have trouble within his own ranks. The matter required finesse and delicacy, and his presence. The second was a sacrifice he deeply regretted right now.
He looked at the messenger. “Come inside. It will take time to write a reply.”
The Ronin was clearly unhappy at his directive, but followed on his bike.
“Tell Matilda to craft a letter to her granddaughter. She’ll want to hear something cheerful from home,” he told Raziel.
He tried not to think about what he must write.
“Bad news?”
Andrea could feel her bottom lip protruding. “Trouble at home. Mathin might not be able to come.” The intimate details of his letter she kept to herself. He sounded as lonely as she felt.
Leo set aside the rifle she’d been cleaning and stretched. “What you need is to keep busy.” She grinned. “Perhaps a little mischief?”
Interested in spite of herself, Andrea leaned back on the couch and tilted her head. “What kind?”
A sparkle in her eye, Leo sat down on the small table before her and leaned forward. “At the same time Jasmine had been kidnapped, some of our women were also stolen. As far as we can tell, all three were charmers. One old woman was recovered alive; she was murdered soon after we brought her back. The other two died.” Her mouth thinned. “We never found the killer, but we think it was the same person as sold them to Mathin’s sister, Yesande, to experiment on. She coveted their charmer powers. Here’s the riddle: our men can’t detect a charmer. Yet how did they know which women to take? It had to be insider help.”
Thoughtful, Andrea considered. She’d never been called on to solve a mystery before, but the idea of bringing a murderer to justice appealed. “Do you have any records of the investigation?”
Leo surprised her by pulling a box out from underneath the table she sat on. One by one she pulled out three thick folders. “Copies of all the files, fished from under my brother’s nose.” She smiled grimly. “I hate to see anyone get away with murder.”
Impressed, Andrea flipped through the stack. Someone had been very thorough, judging by the volume of materials. Still… “You realize I can’t read this, don’t you?”
“I’ll read it to you while you take notes.” Leo handed her a tablet and a stylus. “Ready?”
It took days to finish, and when they were through Andrea had an impressive stack of notes, plus tables of what, where and who. Her head swimming, she crowed, “I’ve got it!”
“What?” Leo’s head snapped up.
“It’s Mrs. White in the ballroom with a brick!”
“What?”
Andrea laughed and sipped her tea. “Just a joke.”
Rolling her eyes, Leo tapped her own notes. “I’ve always suspected the silversmith. He knew all of them.”
“So did half the village.”
Annoyed, Leo tossed her notes aside and flopped down on the couch, one arm over her eyes. “So what do you think?”
Not to be rushed, Andrea chewed the end of her pen. After all, the women had been dead for some time. Justice could wait another few minutes. “I think we’re going about this the wrong way.” When Leo took her arm from her eyes to frown at her, she explained, “Neither of us is an investigator. I say to catch a charmer-napper, use a charmer.”
Leo examined her uneasily. “You’re pregnant. Besides, Yesande is dead and no else is interested.”
“One.” Andrea held up a finger. “Jasmine told me what you did, how you became a charmer for a while. You could use your symbiont to suck some pheromone out of me and graft it onto you for a while.”
“That’s not exactly what I did,” she protested.
“Whatever.” Andrea waved her objections away. “It worked. Two: So far as we know, only Haunt can detect the charmer. So we ask Scy if there is any other way he can think of, then see if he has any records from his predecessor that might indicate human/Haunt crosses in your midst
.”
Leo sat up. “That’s not possible!”
Andrea placed a hand on her stomach. “Is. Scy did say it was rare for your women to have hard labors, seemed to think it a strong indicator of rape, maybe by Haunt. Cases of pre-labor sickness could give a strong clue.”
A little green, Leo nodded. “You’re right. I never thought of it.”
Content to have contributed a fresh angle on the case, Andrea nodded. She was getting sleepy. “Bet nobody else wanted to, either. Oh, yes, and three: we can spread a rumor about someone paying for charmers again, to raise interest. I bet we could get Jasmine to help set up a sting—an arrest,” she corrected her slang. “I’d rather not tell Mathin what we’re up to. He’s got enough on his mind as it is.” Plus, he’d be furious if he thought she were putting herself in danger. Sweet as that was, it would really hamper the one thing that kept her mind off her powerful need for him and her fears. She needed this. Besides, there was no reason for him to be concerned. What harm could possibly come to her?
Scy sighed and set aside the piece of wood he’d been carving. “I know why you’re asking, gorgeous, but the information you’re asking for would violate my oath and upset more than one sleeping snake I’d rather let lie.”
Leo sat on the footstool opposite him and watched him suspiciously. “You wouldn’t interfere with a murder investigation, would you, Scy?”
One dark brow lifted. “And since when has Jackson authorized you as an official justice maker?”
Pink frosted Leo’s cheeks and the tip of her nose, but she continued doggedly. “Does it matter? None of those he ordained got the job done.”
“And you think you can do better?”
“We might.”
His eyes remained steady. “This isn’t a light matter. Those you would tamper with have been under Jackson’s surveillance since the incident, with no results. The odds of you—”
“We have a new plan,” Andrea interrupted. “This one will get results.”
He gave her his full attention. “What plan?”
She smiled pleasantly. “One for one. You tell us what you can, without breaking your oath, who had a rough birth and we’ll tell you the plan. But you have to give us your word not to tell anyone what we plan to do.”
“But I can ‘hint’ about it, right?” he said sardonically. “That seems to be your standard.”
“Do you want details or not?” Leo snapped, neatly sidestepping the issue.
He regarded her for a moment without expression. “There are three. One is a female who has been dismissed by all concerned as innocent.” He waited.
“The plan involves bait,” Andrea told him. Leo madly scribbled notes.
The muscles in his jaw tensed. “The female in this case is unusual of the three. Her father is believed to be neither human nor Haunt.”
Leo’s jaw dropped and the point of her stylus broke. “You can’t mean…” She fell silent at his curt nod, stunned.
Intrigued as she was, Andrea knew that he was purposely sidetracking them. “The plan depends partly on spreading a rumor.”
Scy rubbed his shadowed jaw. “One of the men is a warrior. His father was Haunt.”
“Was?” Leo asked, leaning forward. “Mathin the Ravager?” She held her breath.
She wasn’t the only one. Every bit as riveted, Andrea leaned closer. What would her Mathin say? Did he know?
Scy’s brusque nod left her breathless. She’d never expected this! “We’ve thought of a way to ambush the bad guys.”
Without looking at Leo, keeping his eyes locked on Andrea, he continued with growing ire, “The third is also a spawn of Mathin the Ravager. He sits before you now, growing more concerned about your sanity by the second.”
CHAPTER 12
Andrea choked on her own saliva. Mathin’s brother? No wonder he was so cute!
Leo actually recoiled. The momentum sent her backwards over a footstool and onto her rump. “Ow!”
A low growl erupted from Scy as he bent down to glower at her. “Did you think I would suddenly carry you off and eat you? Haven’t I had enough chances over the years if that was my plan?”
Aware that Leo’s reaction probably hurt, Andrea tried to distract him. “Not to seem rude, but as a half-Haunt, what abilities do you have? Can you hear and smell like they do? Change? Detect charmers?”
He ran a hand through his hair, then got up and paced, his expression half-savage. “Partly to the stronger senses, no to the change. Yes to the charmers, which means your plan won’t work. I knew you for one the moment you arrived, and Leo has been one from the moment she came back from visiting the Haunt.”
“What!” Leo squawked. Still pale, she stared at him. At least she was once again sitting on the stool.
He shook his head, a slight, knowing smile on his lips. “Your purging didn’t work. Lucky for you, Jackson doesn’t know or he’d throw a fit.”
Overcome, Leo slapped a palm to her forehead, mouthing silent oaths.
Scy returned his attention to Andrea. “Those who can tell already have knowledge of you both, yet have done nothing at this point. Why do you think you’ll have sudden success now?”
Questions spun in Andrea’s mind. She searched his face. “You must not be as strongly affected by the charmer pheromone as the Haunt.”
“Why do you say that?”
A tiny smile edged her lips. “I don’t see you perusing Leo with the vigor typical of a full blood.”
“The way your lover pursued you?” he asked softly. “That is how you know so much about it, isn’t it?” When she said nothing, his gaze slid to Leo. “There are herbs a man can take.” His smile held little humor. “I’ve become intimately acquainted with Leo’s fertile cycle, when the pheromone is strongest. It’s not something a man wants to encounter unprepared.”
A pink blush made Leo’s expression of misery more acute. “I’m sorry…” She stumbled on the words, unable to go on.
He picked up the wood he’d been carving, just held it. “It doesn’t matter.”
But it had to. Andrea’s throat ached. How apart he must feel—one of the Ronin, but more as well. Was that why he hadn’t yet married? Did he dread his wife discovering who he was and possibly loathing him for it? To be the child of rape...she couldn’t imagine. But this was so much harder. “Do you have any brothers and sisters?” she asked softly.
“No. No family that acknowledges me. Mathin’s other spawn and I don’t talk, nor do we have feeling for each other.” His face hardened. “Our sole link in common doesn’t make for cozy conversation.”
The next question made her blush ten shades of red, and it was far from delicate. But really, how…? She cleared her throat. “Um, how does being half Haunt affect your...your…” She couldn’t say it.
He tilted his head curiously. “What?”
She waved him off.
“What?” he demanded, growing impatient. “Say it!”
Andrea toyed with the edge of her shirttail, examining it in minute detail. “Are you only allowed to mate with one woman?” She couldn’t believe she’d just asked him that.
For a long moment he stared at her in utter silence. “I’m flattered,” he said slowly, “but—”
“Not me, you idiot!” she hissed, mortified. He thought she was propositioning him! She darted her eyes in Leo’s direction and mouthed, “Her!” Fortunately Leo was looking anywhere but at them.
Vastly relieved, he exhaled and relaxed, resting his forearms on the back of the couch. “Oh.” His grin was slow and very heated. “Why do you think I’m in such a hurry to find a mate, or such a popular lover? I satisfy—and find satisfaction with—my partners without pressuring them to give up more than a maiden should. But I find myself growing restless.” His hot gaze captured Leo’s, and his voice dropped to an intimate murmur. “It is time for more.”
Leo shivered.
Sorry she’d asked, Andrea cleared her throat and said briskly, “Right. Thank you. Now, about the kidnapp
ed charmers…”
All friendliness faded from his now mocking expression. “You want to know if I did it.” Before she could answer yea or nay he continued in a tone that dripped sarcasm, “Yes, I took five women—”
“Five!” Leo exclaimed.
He spared her a glance. “There were two others from other settlements that you haven’t heard of.” He returned his attention to Andrea, but this time his soft tone ached. “I took five women, including my grandmother, and sold them off to a mad woman for her sadistic experiments.”
An ache so fierce it closed her throat made Andrea look away. She had to tell Mathin about this man!
Much subdued, Leo asked, “Can you help me purge the pheromone from my system, Scy?”
“I don’t know. We can try, though I don’t know why you’d bother. The swamps aren’t exactly swarming with men who’ll notice.”
“No, only one killer who’s hunted down charmers before,” she snapped.
“And you’ll not go near him.” He straightened up. “It’s too dangerous.”
Leo’s expression remained mutinous.
“Don’t press me, woman.” A hint of Haunt fire made his blue eyes glow. “Not over this.”
Understanding too well that Leo was playing with matches, even if Leo didn’t, Andrea reached over and gripped Leo’s shoulder, saying calmly, “The plan was to quietly surround ourselves with protection and then spread a rumor that an old friend of Yesande’s wished to take up where she left off.”
“No.”
Unwilling to hear a word against their idea, Leo stood up. “You have no authority over us, Scy, and taking this to my brother won’t stop me. Why give up this chance—”
Equally furious, and far tenser, he moved closer until they were almost nose-to-nose. “You don’t know the man you’re dealing with. Even I could barely take him—”
“Even you?” she demanded, incredulous. Her expression became so patronizing that Andrea groaned. This was not good.
Oblivious to the buttons she was pushing, one by one, Leo went on, “You may be a decent hunter, Scy,” she gestured to the snake skins, “but I’ve yet to see you practicing with the warriors or besting anybody.”
