Iron Master – Jennifer Ashley Page 0,58
that place, but I still can’t get used to it.”
“It’s powerful.” Eric’s quiet statement held respect. “A lot of magic on that ley line, I’m thinking.”
“I haven’t said I was going back,” Stuart said, and silence fell. “I came to get your take on it, Eric—actually to hear what all of you thought. I’d like Graham’s opinion too. I don’t know Cian well. He helped Dimitri, yes, and seems honorable, but do I take his word without doubt? Or does he have his own agenda? Is he sending me into a death trap to spare himself and his own people?”
Eric’s brows rose at the mention of Graham’s name, but he nodded. “Graham is the most suspicious Shifter on the planet. He’d ask questions I couldn’t think of. Makes him a good co-leader.”
Peigi felt the ripple of tension despite Eric’s easy words. It was not easy for two Shifters to share leadership. They managed it by deliberately leaving each other the hell alone.
“Tell me about Crispin,” Eric said abruptly. “Peigi, you said he looked like a Morrissey?”
“Superficially,” Peigi answered, relieved at the change of subject. “He resembles Dylan and is a black-maned lion. But he’s very unlike the Morrisseys in personality, at least based on the few times I’ve met any of them.”
“He didn’t give you his full name?” Eric asked.
“Said very little about himself,” Peigi answered. “He wouldn’t give us his clan name, wouldn’t say why he’d decided to join the hoch alfar.”
“He also didn’t seem very anxious to get away from us and find his Fae prince again,” Stuart added. “I couldn’t tell if he’d given up or was plotting things in his head.”
“He didn’t seem very dominant,” Peigi said. “Or very submissive either. Like he tries hard to be insignificant.”
“Interesting.” Eric glanced at Diego, who gave him a nod.
“I’ll research him,” Diego said. “Reid, can you give me a good description? Crispin might not be his real name.” He frowned. “You know, if I needed to take an assumed name, I’d pick something with a little more pizazz.”
“Like Michelangelo?” Peigi asked. When blank faces turned to her, she continued, “It’s what Miguel used to call himself. Now it’s just Michael.”
“We’ve been keeping track of him too,” Diego said. “Had a bead on him heading out of Texas, but then he went to ground. My colleagues tracked him to St. Louis and lost him there. I’m sorry, Peigi. I didn’t have the intel that he’d gone to New Orleans, or I’d have warned you.”
“Not your fault.” Peigi shrugged as though it didn’t matter. “The New Orleans trip was a last-minute decision. Michael said he was there because he was tracking me. He’s good at tracking.”
“Still, it’s my job to keep my eye on assholes and stop them.” Diego’s scowl showed the determined and resourceful cop he’d been, and the determined and resourceful security expert he was. “My apologies.”
“With any luck, he’ll be stuck in Faerie for a long time, at the mercy of a dokk alfar who doesn’t much like him,” Stuart said. “Cian doesn’t strike me as the type who’ll be bamboozled by someone like Michael. Or Crispin. My guess is he’ll interrogate the hell out of both of them before deciding what to do with them.”
“Which gives a dokk alfar access to Shifter secrets,” Eric observed, his tone mild. “A dokk alfar you don’t trust.”
“I didn’t mean I don’t trust him,” Stuart said. “I mean I don’t know him. And he isn’t going to trust me implicitly until he knows more about me, and how loyal I am, and to whom.”
“All good points,” Eric said. “But so is mine.”
“About this Crispin guy,” Diego broke in. “I know how we can find out if he’s one of the Morrissey clan.”
“Yes?” Eric lifted his brows.
“Ask a Morrissey.”
Eric flashed a grin. “I love you like a brother, Diego. Since you bring it up … Dylan called this morning. He’s on his way, and he wants to talk to you two.” He pointed at Peigi and Stuart. “All right with you?”
Chapter Sixteen
Reid didn’t share the group’s trepidation at the mention of Dylan’s name. He’d been working with Dylan for a while, off the books, and had learned how to deal with him. Dylan had a lot of power, true, but plenty of wisdom and deep-rooted kindness to go with it.
“Let me know when he shows up,” Reid said to Peigi. “Mind if I go have a talk with Graham? I told him I would.”
Eric nodded. “If you don’t, Graham’ll be in