"Younger years? You still look like a child," Fausta said, towering over the other woman.
"Don't be so mean," Bella said with a frown. "I'm only a head shorter than you. Besides, botte piccola fa vino buono."
Fausta laughed. "I hope you're right."
"What does that mean?" Elyssa asked.
The Arcane woman winked. "It's an old Italian saying: A small cask makes good wine."
Elyssa already knew Bella was more powerful than her size indicated. "If we're searching rooms, we'll need all the help we can get." She gave Bella an appraising look. "I have a feeling our sorceress friend here makes very good wine when she mixes magic and subterfuge."
Bella beamed at her. "After so many boring years in Ciudad De Los Angeles, it will be wonderful to live life in the fast lane again."
"Fine, fine," Fausta said. "Let's go." She stalked toward the officers' barracks.
Bella followed close in her wake.
Worry still gnawed at Elyssa as she caught up to her partners in crime, but at least she knew one thing for sure. Things were about to get interesting.
Chapter 15
I grinned lazily—even though grinning was hard with a gag in my mouth—at the three men standing over me as Dash withdrew a long needle from my arm.
"Don't give him too much," said Maximus.
"I daresay he already has," said the Master.
Dash didn't look concerned. "It's only temporary. I need to undo one of his straps to get the IV in."
The big vampire touched a finger to the strap on my forearm and the one securing my bicep. My arm flopped loose. Dash rearranged my arm. I felt a sharp prick in my wrist.
"Okay, tighten the straps now," he said.
Tension pressed against my arm. But I felt way too good to care.
You're drugged, moron! Snap out of it!
"Why?" I tried to say around the hard ball in my mouth. "I want Mommy."
"He's drooling," said the man with the funky mustache.
"I've set the blood drip so it won't drain him faster than he can regenerate," Dash said.
Maximus nodded. "How much blood can we expect daily?"
"Maybe a liter. But he needs to feed."
"Already taken care of," Maximus said, and looked at the British vampire. "How much blood can you spare for the serum, Master?"
The Master adjusted his monocle. "A liter will be no problem."
Dash nodded. "Once I've diluted the serum, I could quadruple our production."
"Excellent work, chaps. I believe our little plan will pay big dividends in the end."
Their conversation droned on, but I was too out of it to comprehend everything they were saying.
"…but what if Daelissa changes her mind again?" Dash waved his arms as if to indicate the room. "All this work will be for nothing."
Mention of the rogue angel's name snapped me from my haze. I focused on the conspirators and tried to take in whatever they said.
"It doesn't matter if she changes her mind," Maximus said. "She's crazy half the time anyway. We figure out how to reprogram those things and Methuselah can send all he wants. We'll just make 'em part of the army."
"Bloody good, chaps," said the Master. He pulled a pocket watch from his cloak and glanced at it. "My contacts tell me the Syndicate is meeting to discuss their difficulties with the Arcanes. They even sent an envoy to the Templars, if you can believe it."
"Are they still arguing about what to do with me?" Maximus grinned.
"Indeed, my young apprentice. But our people have enough votes to keep the Syndicate running in circles."
"And Vlad?"
"He's been beyond caring about the mortal world for centuries." The Master polished his monocle and held it up to the light for inspection. "I believe full-scale war with the Arcanes is imminent, wouldn't you say, Mr. Armstrong?" He replaced the monocle on his eye and headed for the door.
Dash nodded and followed him. "My contacts told me the council is pushing hard for retribution. They've tripled security on arcane schools, and are calling in the battle mages."
"That should keep the Templars off our backs," Maximus said. He leered down at me for a few seconds before turning and leading the others out of the room and away until their conversation faded.
Whatever Dash had injected me with lost its hold some indeterminable time later, and I lapsed back into coherence. I felt tired. So very tired. Hopelessness pressed against me like a suffocating wave.
"Those entities seem intent on doing bad things," said the calm voice of my companion.
I almost cussed him out for stating the obvious, but felt way too exhausted to make the effort.