Blood and Blade (Goddess with a Blade #6) - Lauren Dane Page 0,50

She didn’t know who the being Lyr served was, only that it was something very powerful. She gave some names, most of them we already knew. I had Alice look into the others and she said she’d connect with David about it.”

She took his hand, linking fingers. “Thomas.”

“Invited us in. If he suspected that we knew anything he hid it well. He seemed surprised that we found out. Tried to deny at first. But...after a time he shared what he knew. I have the Blood Front meeting place here in London. He spent upwards of a million pounds on the spells for Lyr. He believed his work was to strengthen Vampires so they could take over the Nation. Lyr had convinced Thomas that he was getting strong enough to take on The First and defeat him.”

Rowan’s snort reflected Clive’s own feelings about that. Lyr had been powerful and old. But The First was something else entirely.

“Even a million pounds worth of stolen magic wasn’t going to make Lyr strong enough for that,” Rowan muttered.

“Indeed. My uncle was so xenophobic and racist that I doubt very much he had any notion that the power being siphoned was going to anything other than a Vampire. He was a true believer to the end. He trusted Lyr to take over the Vampire Nation and to position him very high, certainly higher than my father and me. He pretended that he wasn’t sure that meant we’d have been killed, but he also knew we didn’t believe that for a moment. He’d been working within the Blood Front for several decades and had risen after The First cleaned out most of their ranks.”

He’d been rather obsessive about Rowan, which had eased Clive’s feelings about having to kill his uncles and their entire line. Thomas had been an active threat not just to Vampires, but to Clive’s wife, and that had been the final thing that sealed his fate.

Clive forged ahead. “He was the one who gave your name and your information to the sorcerers in Vegas. He used Roderick to contact sorcerers who’d been working with Lyr. Thomas was the one who paid them. Though Lyr was the one who gave them the kill order, Thomas was responsible for having Carey murdered. And he used House Stewart money to do it.” That was the worst part.

Rowan sucked in a deep breath before she replied. “That was going to be my line. Though knowing it came from his own mouth and having it confirmed should give me comfort. Maybe someday.” At his confused look, she continued. “We found a lot of evidence at Thomas’s house. Including a dossier on me.”

“I want to see this dossier.”

“Of course you do. David is handling all that. I already gave a copy of everything to Susan earlier today. David’s been in touch with Alice so I’m totally sure she’s going to organize it all in whatever way you prefer because that’s how she is. Thomas had hiding spots everywhere. We left all the art and furnishings and that stuff. But I took every bit of evidence I could find and before you scowl at me I want to underline that that piece of garbage with fangs had my friends murdered.” Rowan pointed at him, daring him.

He wanted to argue but he couldn’t. But he would most definitely be seeing everything she removed. He gave her a very cross sniff. “There’s evidence relevant to the Vampire Nation, Rowan,” he said, more for form than anything else.

“I already said I’d share. Moving on. If it’s all right with you, I’m going to have the Dust Devils here clean both residences. I didn’t want to arrange it before we spoke.”

He nodded. “My father and I discussed it and we’re going to offer everything Arthur and Thomas owned up to Warren and the Nation. As restitution. We’ll get a higher price on the flats and furnishings if there aren’t piles of ash and blood spatters on the walls, I expect.”

“Theo will respond well to that, I think. Warren definitely will because this all happened here in his territory and he didn’t even see it. That’s dangerous for him, especially with Theo, who will want to know why Warren failed to notice revolution in his own city. So Warren will gratefully take that offer because he doesn’t want to risk his own people and his own life.”

Clive nodded, as ever, grateful that his woman was so very smart about Vampire politics. “I agree. I’m meeting