weres we were looking to recruit who have turned up dead. All of them were beheaded, though it doesn’t appear to be your work. There were claw marks on the bodies, and it looks as though they had been fed upon.”
I nodded as he spoke. It sounded exactly like what I’d seen.
“And the more this happens, the more the vampire Houses will become interested in what is going on.” Jonathan frowned down at his hands. “How long before they really start looking for Lady Death in the hopes of putting a stop to her before she comes after them?”
“They’ve searched for me before.”
“But it’s different this time. Wolves from Major Houses have died. You usually can only handle smaller Houses.”
I bristled a bit at that. I knew I couldn’t handle much beyond a Fledgling House. I just didn’t like being reminded of it. “What’s your point?”
“Many of the larger Houses used to use you as a buffer. You take down the weaker, most dangerous of the small Houses, keeping them from rising through the ranks. The Major Houses like having you around so they can focus on keeping the stronger Houses in line.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
Jonathan shrugged. “Either way, weres and vampires are dying much faster than they had before. Whoever is doing this is working fast, and I have a feeling they aren’t working alone.”
I thought back to all the claw marks, the amount of carnage I had seen. Why would someone working alone claw someone to death if they had a sword?
“I agree,” I said.
“With weres belonging to Major Houses dying, things are becoming more and more dangerous for you.”
My frown returned. “And why should you care?”
Jonathan blinked at me as if I should already know. “We work well together whether you want to admit it or not. If someone manages to kill you, who would I go to when something like this arises?” He smirked.
I wanted to be angry at that, but couldn’t. I didn’t want the Luna Cult showing up at my doorstep every time they had a problem. I had problems enough of my own without taking on theirs.
“Why is it that every time I hear from you, you insist on telling me how much I’m in danger?” There was a little more heat in my words than I originally intended.
Jonathan’s smirk turned into a warm, friendly smile. “Because I think you need reminding sometimes. You are so sure of yourself, so confident in your abilities, I sometimes think you forget to be afraid.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know you well enough to know that if something threatens you, you will do something about it.” He sat forward. “I only ask that you consider working with the Cult once more when you do. This affects us all.”
Footsteps coming from the stairs jerked my head to the side. Ethan peered around the corner, eyes wide. He was holding one of my swords awkwardly out in front of him. If someone had been there, they could have easily disarmed him. He might fix my weapons, but he sure as hell didn’t know how to use them.
“I said stay in the lab.” I rose from where I was sitting, feeling strangely guilty. I picked up my gun and held it pointed to the ground.
“I didn’t hear shooting, so I figured it was safe,” he said shakily.
I eyed the sword and he gave me an abashed grin. There was no way he could have heard anything in his lab. The damn place was so soundproof a bomb could have gone off up here and he wouldn’t have known.
“That doesn’t mean you should have come up to investigate,” I said.
Jonathan rose from his seat and was watching the exchange. Ethan’s eyes traveled to our guest, but he quickly looked away. I couldn’t read the look on his face.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’ll be downstairs.”
With the way he said it, I felt horrible. It was clear I’d hurt his feelings. Somehow, I think he felt left out, what with me sitting around chatting with Jonathan while Ethan hid away in his lab, more than likely terrified I was dying upstairs.
Before I could say anything, he vanished back down the stairs. He moved so fast, I was afraid he might trip and skewer himself on the tip of the sword.
“I remember him,” Jonathan said once Ethan was out of sight. “He was important to Count Valentino.”
I turned to face him. “He’s important to me.”
“I understand.” Jonathan looked at his feet like he was ashamed.