done answering questions, Linus instructed me to write an account of what happened, which he then spent half an hour editing, then he had me recite the statement in front of the camera. He wasn’t satisfied with my first try, so I’d had to do it again. And again. He was reviewing attempt number three now.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“We wait for authorization. Once granted, we will dismantle House Ferrer until someone tells us where the lab is.”
“How long will that take?”
“Does he mean so much to you?” Linus asked.
He was asking about Alessandro. “It’s not just him. Halle’s life is on the line.”
Linus pivoted to me in his chair. “That’s not what I asked.”
“He means something.”
“Why him instead of all the others?”
“What others?”
“You’ve had opportunities, Catalina. I’ve watched you come in contact with several young men in the past three years. Four months ago, at the Mercier Exhibit, Justin Pine followed you around like a tail for the entire hour you were there. He is also handsome, wealthy, and a Prime.”
I’d barely noticed. I only attended because Arrosa wanted someone to go with her and Nevada couldn’t disentangle herself.
“Alessandro Sagredo is dangerous. You could do better. Is it a teenager crush?”
Linus waited.
“I like him,” I said. It seemed completely inadequate to describe what I felt. “He’s immune to me.”
Linus leaned forward, his face serious. “When I was asked to witness the birth of your House, I researched your talent.”
How exactly had he done that? I was the only siren in existence. There was another family somewhere in Greece, but they claimed to have lost the magic generations ago.
“Have you ever wondered why your family is immune?”
“They already love me.”
“Exactly. Your talent is a survival mechanism, like all magic. It seeks to keep you alive. It activates when it senses someone is a threat. Think back to your childhood. Some adults succumbed to your magic, but others didn’t. Do you understand me? Any man who truly falls in love with you and is invested in your survival will be immune. Alessandro isn’t your only chance at happiness.”
“Even if that’s true, I still like him.”
“Why?”
I spread my arms. “I don’t know. Half of the time I’m with him, he makes me grind my teeth. But I know that if I were in danger, he wouldn’t stop until I was safe. He looks at me like I’m beautiful. And he makes me laugh.”
Linus put his hand over his face. “God help us all.”
What did I say now?
He waved his hand. “Go. Go save Halle and help that young idiot. I’ll have the car ready for you.”
The little dog stirred on my bed and let out a quiet woof. I opened my eyes. My bedroom was dark, gloom pooling in the corners. The clock on my nightstand said 3:21 a.m. All was quiet.
When I’d gotten home, everyone had swarmed me. I’d kept the explanation short, omitting anything to do with the Osiris serum. I’d told them that Cristal was doing illegal research to make super assassins for Diatheke. They’d bought it, probably because it was mostly true. I told them about Benedict. We made plans for tonight with Heart. We had to get the location of that lab no matter the cost. Every minute we delayed, Halle was in danger.
Alessandro hadn’t responded to my text messages. I asked Bug to track him down, but he couldn’t find him. I scoured Cristal’s background and her family, looking for any scrap of information about the location of the lab until the words on the screen blurred. Finally, I went up to my room and collapsed. That was two hours ago.
Shadow looked at the window. Woof.
Woof.
An intruder was coming.
I sat up, scooped Shadow into my arms, and carried her to the bathroom. I set her on the floor and shut the door. I didn’t want her to get hurt.
A long-clawed hand hooked my window and slid it up.
I leaned against the wall in the corner.
A dark figure slipped through the open window and into my room. Tall and gangly, he wore a black bodysuit painted with swirls of grey. It clung to him like second skin, highlighting every imperfection of his odd, disjointed body. His shoulders and thighs were too short, while his forearms and shins ran disproportionately long, ending in huge clawed hands and feet. His neck, long and flexible, supported a round head, and as he crawled through my window, he swiveled it like an owl to glance back at the street.