“We’ve had four murders. All young men, none over thirty. It’s been a week since the last victim. I’ve also found the animal reader.”
My breath caught. What was he doing? I thought I was a secret. I grabbed my glass, nearly inhaling the water.
Zane wasn’t done. “Considering Martin is no longer present, I’d like you to meet Chloe Carpenter.” He stood and extended his hand, which I refused.
I was enraged. How dare he do this without warning me? Was he crazy? Now my so-called cover was blown to pieces. Talk about keeping secrets! And to think I’d been ready to reveal mine.
James McQuillen grinned. “I was right.”
Good for you! I barked silently for his ears alone.
He had the nerve to throw back his head and laugh, like a maniac as far as I was concerned. Whatever the joke, I missed it, but everyone else chuckled right along with him.
Zane remained stone-faced.
Good for him. Had he laughed, I would have marched out of the room and called for Valamir. Well, maybe not Valamir, but Alciun for sure. I couldn’t wait to leave for Portland now.
Bye bye, Zane, and bye bye guilt.
“I’m glad you all find this so amusing; I don’t. For all I know, one of you is a bad guy.” I glared around the table, searching for any reaction to my accusation. No one fidgeted or looked worried.
“Chloe, please, accept my apology. The reason I laugh is because with all your natural curiosity you didn’t even wonder why or how I could communicate with you mentally.”
I took a longer look McQuillen and his dog. He couldn’t be.
In answer to my silent question, he shimmered and vanished below the table. I heard the unmistakable shifting of bones and stretching of flesh. Then Boss barked and licked the giant wolf that’d appeared in place of McQuillen.
The Doberman looked like a puppy next to the massive silver wolf. He was a majestic creature. Silvery white, McQuillen seemed to shine.
He padded around the table and sat by my chair, placing a massive paw on my lap. I couldn’t help myself. My hand was drawn to his lush fur like a magnet to metal.
“You’re so handsome,” I heard myself coo.
“That’s what you said to me,” Zane grumbled.
I turned to glare at my mate. “You should probably not talk to me right now.”
When I looked back, McQuillen, still in wolf form, was dragging his own clothing into a small kitchenette in the back of the boardroom. Boss followed.
“That’s not something you see every day,” I muttered. “I think I’ll keep all this out of the official notes.” I looked to Logan for approval. His immediate thumbs up signal provided no room for doubt.
A few minutes later, with McQuillen back in his place, I shared what I’d learned from Martin’s dog. No one seemed surprised, which surprised me.
“I’ve found some inconsistencies of my own in relation to Martin,” McQuillen offered. “I gave him an assignment to get him out of here. Logan, you know I haven’t trusted him for some time.”
“Agreed,” Logan said.
Maureen grinned at me. “I had a feeling you might be the one. You don’t know how much you’ve already helped. We need to locate this medical facility, pronto. Any ideas?”
No one had a clue.
“I’ll have to read the shepherd again.” I didn’t like the idea, but I couldn’t think of a better alternative.
“Don’t you worry about that just yet. You’ve got plenty on your plate staying safe and keeping tabs on the happenings in Plum Beach,” McQuillen said.
“Who is this redhead, anyway?” Roger Ryker spoke up.
“Your guess is as good as anyone’s. I can’t help but think she’s somehow tied to Jazmine,” Zane said. He shot me a questioning look. Forgive me? I knew you’d be too edgy. You were ready to hyperventilate.
What he said made perfect sense, but I ignored him and focused on the brainstorming. No one seemed to know much about the ugly, bald creatures, or anything else of critical importance.
The things everyone could agree on for certain were: Martin’s status as a traitor; the redheaded woman’s involvement; the fact that there were medical procedures going on that created the ugly people; the possibility mutants were rebelling and getting help from inside the purebred or Native American communities; and somehow the Plum Beach murders were connected.
Zane kept several key facts to himself. Facts I wasn’t willing to disclose, and as far as I could tell, Logan had no inclination to share either. Neither bothered mentioning the ancient