Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
I didn’t answer immediately; I wasn’t trying to piss him off but to find a way to reply that wouldn’t result in immediate violence. I drew a complete blank.
‘I heard Nicholas had gotten himself a job at the Crushers’ outfit in the Glebe, then it was burned to the ground,’ Alexander said. ‘I went to your place to speak to my nephew and make sure he was alright. There was no sign of him and his scent was days old. So where the fuck is he?’
I gave up and simply told him the truth. ‘He was abducted.’
The werewolf stared at me; this clearly wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting. ‘Abducted?’ he snarled.
‘I’m afraid so.’ I licked my lips. ‘Though I think he’s still alive.’
His hands tightened and he shook me until my teeth rattled – I wasn’t sure he was even aware of what he was doing. I could have defended myself and kicked at his groin, but my only real way out of this situation was to defuse it.
‘You think?’ he bellowed, his voice raising to a roar.
‘Oy!’
MacTire and I both turned to stare at Thane .
‘Stop that, you wanker! You’re not your damned father! There’s no need for violence!’
MacTire stopped shaking me but I sensed that his fury was still growing. ‘You’d know all about violence, wouldn’t you, Barrow?’
Thane’s blue eyes narrowed but he held his temper. ‘Shaking a poor defenceless woman to death isn’t going to get you any answers.’
‘Poor defenceless woman? You’re a lot of things, Barrow, but I never thought you were a fool.’
I gazed at him primly. ‘I’ll tell you everything you need to know, Mr MacTire, but first you need to calm down and take your hands off me.’
His eyes shone yellow and his teeth had already sharpened into fangs; he was shifting in front of my eyes in a way that no werewolf should be capable of.
The door opened again and Samantha walked in. Was this good or the absolute worst that could happen? The traffic lights in my head weren’t just on red, they were screaming scarlet warnings and telling me to run for my life. Would that I could have done.
‘Boss.’ Her voice was calm.
MacTire froze and within three seconds his features had smoothed back to normal again. He even released his hold on me. I fiddled with the ropes around my wrists until I’d loosened them and they’d dropped to the floor, but I didn’t dare move my feet.
‘Go on, Ms McCafferty,’ MacTire’s tone was calmer but no less dangerous. ‘Tell me what happened.’
I smoothed my hands down the front of my jeans. ‘Somebody broke into the house, attacked Nick and took him.’
MacTire’s nostrils flared. ‘You said he’d be fine. You said you’d look after him.’
‘Yes, I did say that, but I wasn’t at home when he was kidnapped.’
‘Where the fuck were you, then?’
I gave him a straight answer. ‘I was with you. When you dragged me to your mansion, Nick’s kidnapper made their move.’
He looked fit to explode. ‘That was three days ago.’
‘Yes.’
‘Why didn’t you come to me as soon as he was taken?’
Now it was Thane’s turn to snort. ‘Because you’re taking the news so well now?’ he asked sarcastically.
Without a flicker in her expression, Samantha walked over and gazed down at him. She didn’t speak and she didn’t raise a hand but Thane averted his eyes. He was smarter than he looked.
I wet my lips. ‘At first I thought you’d taken him yourself,’ I said.
‘Kidnapped my own nephew?’
‘You wanted him back.’
‘Not like that.’
I conceded the point. ‘Then I started working with Thane to find Nick, and we thought that maybe one of your werewolves was responsible.’
MacTire bit back his rage but only barely. ‘One of my wolves?’
This was awkward. ‘Logic suggested it was a werewolf who’d broken into my house and attacked Nick to take advantage of his vulnerability.’
‘So you immediately assumed it was a MacTire wolf? That’s impossible.’
Samantha stared at me. ‘Who?’ she asked quietly.
I returned her look but I didn’t need to say anything; Samantha already knew. ‘Rebecca,’ she muttered. ‘I knew something was up with her.’
‘Is Rebecca the female wolf you sent after me the first time?’ I asked.
‘She is.’
‘Then, yeah. Her.’
MacTire turned on his heel and marched to the door. ‘I’ll get Joseph to bring her down.’
I pulled a face. ‘I wouldn’t bother.’
Samantha was still staring at me. ‘Why?’
I sighed again, then explained what Thane and I had learned from Quack aka Rebecca. Then I told them where they’d find her body. Unsurprisingly, that revelation didn’t improve MacTire’s mood. ‘You were there?’ he demanded of Thane.
‘I was. Everything she says is true.’
‘It does make a sick sort of sense,’ Samantha said softly. ‘It’s practically the only topic of conversation amongst the entire pack. Everyone wants you to mate, Alex.’
He rolled his eyes in irritation and returned his attention to me. ‘How did you know?’ he barked. ‘How did you know that she spiked my coffee with magical Viagra?’ As I hesitated, he bared his teeth and answered for me. ‘The cat.’ He raised his eyes heavenward. ‘The damned cat. That was you .’
I kept my gaze level. ‘I’m a cat sith,’ I admitted.
‘That’s how you—’ He broke off and glanced at Samantha. She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to finish his sentence, but there were some things even his right-hand woman couldn’t be allowed to know. He changed the subject. ‘Rebecca didn’t take Nick, so who did?’
Thane sat a little straighter in his chair. ‘Kit,’ he breathed. ‘What have you found out?’
I told them everything I’d learned from Tommy and the deacon from the Church of the Masked God. I even told them about the junk mail flyer I’d received and the dying assassin’s muttered words.
‘A demon-worshipping cult called Umbra has abducted Nicholas? Seriously?’ MacTire’s incredulity was palpable.
I nodded. ‘It appears that way.’
‘I’ve had that flyer,’ Samantha said slowly.
‘I think Umbra have been delivering them all over the city. They’re planning some sort of solstice event in Crackendon Square. If what the deacon told me is correct, they’re going to try and invoke a demon.’ I paused. ‘And somehow they’ll use Nick to help them.’
MacTire stared at me. ‘A cult is all very well, but a demon hasn’t been seen in this country for…’
‘Two hundred and three years,’ Thane finished for him. ‘My mother, God rest her soul, used the word as a threat to try and keep me in line – behave or the demons will get you.’ He shrugged. ‘I was a contrary child and I didn’t believe her, so I asked one of my teachers and he said no demon has come to Britain from the netherworld since 1822.’
Samantha folded her arms, her scepticism clear. ‘What exactly is a demon?’
‘A chaotic creature with nothing but destruction on its wish list,’ MacTire answered grimly. He glanced at me. ‘According to the old stories, anyway. But this can’t be true. Even if Umbra exists, nobody would be stupid enough to call upon a demon and bring them into this world. They answer to no-one and they can’t be controlled. Umbra must know that. And what on earth would Nick have to do with any of this?’
‘Somebody mentioned something recently.’ I hedged my words. ‘They suggested that a demon can be invoked through the blood of a werewolf.’
MacTire’s eyes blazed. ‘Who?’ he demanded. ‘Who said that? ’
‘It was a throwaway comment. They’re not part of Umbra.’
‘You’re positive about that?’
‘Well, no, but?—’
‘Then who the fuck are you talking about?’
I didn’t want to drag Trilby into this mess; they had nothing to do with it and didn’t deserve to be involved. But Nick didn’t deserve this either, and I didn’t know anyone else who might have any answers.
My shoulders sagged. ‘A black-market seller at the riverside market,’ I whispered. I looked at Samantha. ‘The one who sold you the magicked catnip.’
It took a lot of arguing on my part before MacTire agreed to let me go to the market rather than send several burly werewolves to haul Trilby kicking and screaming back to this hellhole of a hideout.
‘You catch more flies with honey than vinegar,’ I’d repeated over and over again until he yielded simply to shut me up. But he insisted on accompanying me and instructed a posse of muscle-bound wolves to join us. He left Thane behind in the torture basement with Samantha, but at least allowed her to untie him.
Before I left, Thane sent me a long look and a clear warning. ‘Watch yourself,’ he said. ‘And make sure you come back safe.’ I had absolutely no intention of doing otherwise.
As soon as we were outside, with Alexander MacTire sticking so closely to my side that he could have been mistaken for a needy kitten looking for a new home, the werewolf alpha glanced at me. ‘I’ve never seen Thane Barrow interested in anyone’s welfare before.’
He obviously didn’t know Thane very well. ‘He’s been worried about Nick from day one.’ I refrained from mentioning the building with the viewing platform into the MacTire stronghold and the flats that Thane rented out at a pittance. I doubted it was information that he’d want me to reveal.
MacTire grunted. ‘He’s a lone wolf. His interest in Nicholas is simply to encourage a malleable young boy into following in his footsteps.’
I frowned. ‘That’s not true.’
He chuckled.
‘What?’ I demanded.
‘I thought that Thane Barrow was sweet on you,’ he said. ‘Now I’m beginning to think it’s the other way around.’
My mouth dropped open. Hang on a minute.
MacTire leaned towards me. ‘Maybe you’re not the committed cat lady you think you are.’
‘Piss off.’
‘That’s your best comeback? Piss off?’
‘At least everyone I know isn’t conniving behind my back because I’ve decided to live like a monk.’
His mocking smile vanished. ‘I don’t live like a monk. I’m not celibate, I’m just choosy about who should become the mother of my children.’
‘I hope that the future Mrs MacTire will have a say in the matter, too.’
He glared. ‘I’m not a tyrant, Ms McCafferty. And I’m not a murderer either.’
I crossed my arms. ‘I think that I’m done talking to you now,’ I said icily.
I marched on ahead towards the market. I’d already lost more than enough time talking to him; I wasn’t going waste any more.
The riverside market was in full swing by the time we arrived. MacTire grasped my elbow as if he were afraid I’d make a run for it. I wrenched away from him. ‘Stay close if you want,’ I hissed. ‘But don’t push your luck.’
I strode up to Trilby’s stall and stood behind a shifty-looking witch who was purchasing something dubious. MacTire, however, had no plans to wait patiently in a queue; he elbowed the witch out of the way and marched us to the front. ‘What?’ he asked at my annoyed look. ‘That witch shouldn’t be trying to buy a curse of that magnitude. I probably saved his sorry arse from having it blow up in his face.’
The witch in question glowered but was obviously too intimidated by the MacTire alpha to argue. He picked up his long billowing cloak and scurried off.
Trilby wasn’t like the terrified witch and they gave Alexander MacTire a look that was icy enough to freeze a bottle of whisky – but that was nothing compared to the glare they gave me. ‘Have I not done enough for you, Kit? Why the fuck are you scaring my customers away?’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, meaning it wholeheartedly. ‘But we have to talk to you, Trilby. It’s important.’
‘Don’t blame her,’ MacTire intervened, surprising me. ‘I’m the one you should blame. But she’s right, we do have to talk to you. Now.’
Trilby folded their arms. ‘Then talk,’ they said, not softening a jot.
MacTire gestured to me and I cleared my throat, feeling awkward. I prayed that Trilby wouldn’t simply laugh in my face for making such a big deal out of one single casual comment. ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘The other day you said something about werewolves.’
Trilby’s face cracked, then they looked at Alexander MacTire and smirked widely. ‘I did. I told you that if you grind werewolf bones into dust, you can cure cancer. I assume that the MacTire alpha here is volunteering in the name of medical science?’
I wasn’t surprised that they knew who Alexander MacTire was. ‘Not that,’ I said.
Trilby tutted. ‘Shame.’
I hesitated. ‘Is it true?’
Trilby laughed loudly. ‘What do you think? Of course, it’s not true, Kit.’ They reached across the stall and chucked me under the chin as if I were a child. ‘But it’s cute that you asked.’
MacTire shifted impatiently from foot to foot. I kept my expression calm. ‘I’m asking,’ I said, ‘because you mentioned something else about werewolves. You said that a werewolf’s blood could be used to invoke a demon. Is that true?’
Trilby’s amusement vanished in an instant. ‘Ah. Yes. Unfortunately, I believe that little rumour is true.’ They gazed at MacTire and me then straightened up and waved to Natasha. ‘Hey, Tash! I have to shut up for a few hours. Can you keep an eye on the stall for me?’
Natasha, who had been openly staring at Alexander MacTire as if she’d never seen a werewolf before, nodded quickly. ‘Sure, Trilby.’
‘Thanks.’ Trilby waved at her in thanks and turned back to us. ‘You’d better come with me. I can show you what I know.’
I swallowed hard; I didn’t know whether to feel relief or horror that we were finally on the right track. And then the three of us trooped out of the market.