Chapter 12 #3
“They were the last of us, except for you and me, Shelly. We’re the bitter end of a thousand year magical line.
” He retook his seat on the wing chair. “I feared it would end with me, but now, it looks like you have finally come into your birthright, so perhaps the name will disappear, but the magic will live on.” He sighed dramatically.
“Very thorough job on the enemy, by the way, Mark. Well done.” He looked directly at Mark.
“You may want to warn your people and their backup to steer clear of the remains, though. They will require special handling. This man was one nasty piece of work, whoever he was.”
“You didn’t recognize him then?” Mark asked.
“Never seen him before. What can you tell me about him?” Bill was all business now.
“He seems to have been an associate of the man who tried to shoot me the other day. Because your daughter had coincidentally shared a cab with the man from the hotel to the venue, she was dragged in for questioning by my security. Once I realized she had nothing to do with the assassination attempt, I sent her on her way, but not before setting up surveillance, just in case.”
“You also requested a meeting with me the next day, as I recall,” Shelly put in with a smile, reaching out to take his hand in hers. His inner cat wanted to pounce on her in happiness. She was staking a claim—a subtle one, but still a claim—in front of her father. Nice.
“As it turned out, I’m glad I took the precaution of calling in help from the Midtown wolf Pack. They were able to help Shelly when the mage confronted her in the hotel hallway and then followed her into the elevator.”
“What did he want?” Bill asked Shelly directly.
“He was asking about his friend. The guy who had taken a shot at Mark. I told him I didn’t know the man and basically told him to get lost, but he was very insistent.
Actually, he was a little scary there toward the end, but then, the hotel staff—who I now assume were Mark’s people or allies—stepped in and breezed me out of there.
” Shelly frowned. “His name was Anthony Mason. He told me that at the hotel. But tonight he said some things…”
“He spoke to you?” Mark asked, his inner cat wanting to pounce on any information that might help him keep his mate safe.
“I was up in my studio and he walked right up to the ward. I didn’t think he saw me, but he did. He looked right at me as he told me he had been given the task of killing you, Mark, by someone he called the Destroyer of Worlds.” She shook her head. “Isn’t that what the Hindus call Shiva?”
Mark felt dread fill his stomach. He looked over at Bill and he was scowling, his handsome face contorted in concern.
“Many, many years ago, there was a great battle between the forces of Light and the servants of Elspeth, Destroyer of Worlds,” Bill intoned, as if sharing an ancient tale. Which he was, come to think of it. Mark knew it, but he knew Shelly had no clue.
“But Elspeth was banished to the forgotten realms, never to return,” Mark said, looking at Bill now for confirmation.
“She was, but there have been signs… And incidents… All around the world.” Bill shook his head.
“Your kind have been reporting encounters with Venifucus agents for years now. We once thought that evil order had been eradicated for all time, but it’s back.
If it ever left. And then there are the tales of sea creatures the likes of which have not been seen in millennia.
Some even say the leviathan itself has been loosed once more in our oceans, where it does not belong. ”
Mark frowned. He’d heard the stories too. Good intel, from people he trusted said all these things were true.
“Venifucus,” Shelly said, drawing his attention. “That’s the word Antony used as well. He said his position in the Venifucus would be assured if he completed his task, which was to kill Mark.”
“I led this evil to your door,” Mark realized with a sinking feeling. He wanted to crush her to him, but resisted. He had to apologize first and see if she would forgive him. “I’m so sorry, mi amor.”
“Don’t be silly.” Shelly dismissed his heartache with a casual wave, making his inner cat want to growl in amusement.
She was such an unpredictable female. He would enjoy the next decades getting to know her moods.
“After the incident at the hotel,” she went on talking to her father.
“I came straight home and didn’t leave again until after Mark had convinced me to go on a site visit. ”
“Site visit? You’re asking her to design something for you?” Bill asked, clearly intrigued.
“It’s a project for the Clan,” was all Mark would say for now.
He was still feeling this man out, although his instincts said Bill was okay.
Still, Mark was cautious when it came to the safety of his people.
“Let me just go out there and check on the cavalry,” Mark said, rising from the couch.
He didn’t want to, but he really did have to pass on the warning about not touching the body, otherwise his people or their allies among the wolves might run into trouble.
With Antony confirmed as having been a highly-placed Venifucus agent, they would have to be doubly cautious in dealing with what was left of him.