Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“I would like to point out that I don’t have any problem with consensual sex of any kind,” Nate began. “And obviously I’m thrilled that my sister is in a healthy relationship with a werewolf, and also Gray gets worked in there, too. Like I don’t know when I became the bad guy.”
Evan’s whole face lit up, and even though I couldn’t see that girl’s glow, there was no question when she wanted to, she could light up a room. “I’m giving you shit, Nathan. I know all about Dad’s and Papa’s weird drinking experiments. And to answer Kelsey’s question, it would be possible to infect a vampire’s blood supply with belladonna, though again, I’m not sure how it would affect the vamp. Since the atropine affects the heart, it potentially could slow down a vampire’s heart function, and that might make the vamp easier to kill.”
“Oh, you know I love it when you talk all smart and stuff.” Fenrir got into Evan’s space, his arm going around her waist and pulling her back against his body.
“I always talk smart,” Evan protested, though she had a grin on her face.
“She’s mean,” Nate complained. “Aren’t you supposed to protect me, sis?”
“Not from yourself.” I turned to my husband, who was smoking hot. Even after everything he’d done to me earlier, I was still thinking about getting my hands on him. “Anything interesting?”
“Well, the weird thing is there’s not a discernable scent in the apartment beyond Alvis himself,” Trent replied with a frown. “Even around his apartment there’s like a dead zone. We’re the only ones I can smell, along with Rufus. It’s like no one had walked up to his apartment for days, but that would be surprising.”
“Alvis is a very social guy.” Fen relaxed as Evan leaned back against him. “He’s always having people over.”
“He counsels the younger primals,” Evan explained. “I would be shocked if he hadn’t had a party or meeting of some kind in the last few days. The last time we were here, he was holding regular counseling meetings every other day with Christopher. I think he had a few other regulars. And while primals are extremely tidy here in the nest, they don’t use anything that would get rid of scents so thoroughly Trent couldn’t follow it.”
“There are some herbs and spells that would, however,” Evan pointed out. “We might need to talk to a witch.”
“He definitely had people come to his door today. I picked up some scents about halfway down the hall. I believe those were from guests of Alvis.” Trent moved in beside me. “I checked with Rufus and I only followed the ones I believe were there earlier today. There are many scents in the hall once you get past the effects of the dead zone, but they’re going back days.”
“Did we find a place where Alvis kept a schedule?” I asked.
Casey finally looked up from his laptop. He’d been sitting at the back of the room ignoring all talks about toxicology and the science of soup. He was more comfortable around dead bodies, but he still didn’t like talking about them. “He had an extensive online presence, and yes, I found a place where he kept his appointments and communicated with his mentees, as he called them.”
“Are those like manatees?” Fen scratched behind his ear.
“No, babe. You’re thinking of those big water creatures that sometimes get mistaken for mermaids by people who’ve never seen a real mermaid and don’t know how slutty they can look,” Evan replied primly. “Casey’s talking about the fact that Alvis mentored young primals. He’s the mentor. They’re his mentees.”
I was glad at least one of them had some interest in intellectual pursuits.
“Oh,” Fen said, looking all dumb boy cute. “So by young you mean anyone under three hundred or so, ’cause the primals are old, if you know what I mean. And should we slut shame mermaids?”
“Yes,” Evan and I both said at the same time.
Trent chuckled. “I think this is one of those things the ladies can say and we should stay far, far away from. Though I would like to point out that I prefer manatees. Perfectly friendly creatures and when you turn one down, they don’t even try to rip your balls off.”
Casey’s lips had turned up slightly, but he got back to business. “Alvis kept meticulous records, and he used some high-tech ways to organize. For a vampire as old as he was, it’s very modern. Henri still writes down all his notes in a leatherbound notebook. I tried to show him how to use an iPad and I swear his brain nearly exploded, but you know what wouldn’t have happened if he’d used a damn tablet?”
“He wouldn’t have lost all his notes when Myrddin took over the Council building,” Trent finished, as though he’d heard the story more than once.