Sentinel Lost (Mind Sweeper Series Book 5) (14 page)

I climbed in and sat next to Misha, relieved to see Dalton wasn’t in the van. Maybe he’d decided not to go with us.

Misha had the bag open within seconds and groaned. “They’re still warm. Thanks, little one.”

Jean Luc pulled away from the curb. “We have to pick up Dalton at the art museum.”

And with those words, my bubble of relief officially burst. “He called you?”

Jean Luc looked at me in the rearview mirror. “Yes. He wanted to make sure he was included today. Did something happen with him?”

“He showed up at my apartment.”

Talia twisted in her seat. “Why? Does he remember you?”

“No. He’s suspicious of me. He followed me yesterday, to Gesu Church and then the lab.”

Misha stopped in mid bite. “Whaad di you…”

I grimaced at him. “Finish chewing, Mish.”

He swallowed hard and then frowned. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him about the lab.”

“And Gesu?”

“I told him it was none of his damn business. If he was to ask anyone, all they could tell him is that I went to confession.”

Misha snorted.

“Father Brown is back in town?” Jean Luc asked.

“Yes. I gave him pictures of the box and tablet. He thinks they might help with the translation.”

A few minutes later, we drove up to the museum. Dalton was waiting next to the entrance. Jean Luc pulled up and stopped, and Misha yanked open the van door. Dalton froze in mid-step, and I stared at him in confusion. Then I glanced at my other teammates. Jean Luc and Talia were scowling, and Misha actually growled a little bit.

From the looks on their faces, they were going to open up a can of supernatural whup ass on Dalton.

Jean Luc turned in his seat, angling toward the back. “Before you get in, Agent Dalton, we need to establish some ground rules. If you have a question about what we do, in the future you should ask us. Following Kyle or any of us, or accosting us at our private residences, are breaches of confidence that will not be tolerated.”

Dalton opened his mouth and then closed it again as if he was rethinking his response. “You’re right.” He turned to me. “I apologize for following you and for barging in when you were off duty.”

I gazed into his eyes. He looked sincere, but this Dalton wasn’t the one I’d known. At that moment, it would have been great to have shifter senses so I could smell if he was being truthful. But since I couldn’t, I had to trust my human gut. I nodded. He climbed into the far back seat.

Misha shut the door, and we were off. Awkward silence descended. After a few minutes, I decided someone needed to break the tension. “Where are we going?”

“Our compound,” Misha answered.

My eyes widened. “Boris agreed to let us into the super-secret compound?”

“Yes. Many of the elders do not leave the compound anymore.”

“How many elders are in your clan, Mish?” I asked.

“We have several, but father said we would be meeting with two today.”

Dalton leaned forward. “Do your elders run the clan?”

“No, my father runs the clan. The elders are part of his council that discusses issues and helps him resolve disputes.”

“And you think they’ll have information about the different demons in the demon realm?” Dalton asked.

Misha mumbled “yes” around another bite of turnover.

“Where’s the compound?” I asked.

He swallowed before answering. “Solon.”

“And you’re okay with me knowing where your compound is located?” Dalton asked.

Misha shrugged. “Our compound security is top notch. And you would not be allowed into the clan compound unless you were accompanied by a clan member—me or Kyle, for example.”

Dalton frowned at me. “You told me you’re human.”

“I am. I was inducted into the clan. Long story.” A long story I wasn’t about to tell Dalton, since he’d witnessed it.

“No word from Eli yet?” Talia asked.

God love her for changing the subject. “Nope. It’s been two days. I’d think he would call soon.”

Forty minutes later, Jean Luc drove up to a tall metal gate. Misha opened the door, clambered out, and punched a bunch of numbers on a keypad. After a few seconds, the gate opened slowly. Once Misha hopped back into the van, we traveled a long driveway.

When Misha had used the word compound, I’d gotten a totally different image in my mind. More like a campground with rustic cabins. Instead, the vibe was ritzy, gated community. We drove past several very nice homes and continued toward a large building sitting next to a man-made lake.

“Good grief, Mish. Your clan’s not hurting for cash.”

Misha chuckled. “No one can ever accuse you of being subtle, little one. Not all of our clan members live here, but everyone can come here when they like. We have emergency housing, and a medical facility, too.”

“Why do you have an apartment by the Steelyard then?” I asked.

“I like my independence.”

“And Boris doesn’t want you to live here?”

“Oh, he wants all his sons to live here. Sergei, my youngest brother, doesn’t stay still for long. The last time I spoke to him, he was in Hawaii. Only Aleksei has remained at the compound. But it makes sense, since he’s next in line to lead.”

Misha’s jaw tightened when he spoke Aleksei’s name. Bad blood, maybe? Now was not the time to ask, though I was dying of curiosity. After we parked, Misha led us into the white clapboard community building and down the hall to a large meeting room. From the size of it, I was pretty sure they conducted clan meetings there. The elders we were going to speak with sat at a table at the far end of the room, with chairs arranged across from them, as if they were holding court.

I gaped at the two females for a moment. The female on the right had short, curly gray hair and sharp blue eyes. Her companion’s white hair was pulled into a bun, and she wore one of those sweatshirts with pictures of various flowers and their Latin names.

Your average octogenarians. Except they were demons. If they looked this old in their human form, then they were very,
very
old demons. Misha’s father was eight hundred, and he looked like he was in his fifties.

As if my thoughts conjured him, Boris entered from a side door and beamed at us. He strode over to me, hauled me into his arms, and gave me great, smacking kisses on both cheeks. “So good to see you.”

“You too, Boris.” I grinned at his flamboyant style and peeked at Dalton, who observed the exchange closely. “Boris Chesnokov, let me introduce you to Special Agent Joe Dalton. He’s helping us with this case.”

Misha had warned Boris to act like he didn’t know Dalton, but since Boris could be a bit of a loose cannon, I held my breath.

The two exchanged formal guest-host greetings, and I breathed again.

Boris turned to Jean Luc. “Good to see you, vampire. And this is your mate, Talia?”

Jean Luc nodded.

“You’re as gorgeous as Misha said. I hear you’re smart and feisty as well. How did this uptight vampire win you over?”

Talia grinned at both Boris’s quip and Jean Luc’s glower.

The female elder on the right cleared her throat. “Enough of your bluster, Boris. Let’s get this meeting started.”

Boris winked at me and then gestured for us to follow him up front and take our seats. “May I introduce you to our elders?” He bowed slightly to the female on his right first. “Irina.” Then he motioned to his left. “Katya, this is the BSR team I told you about.”

Jean Luc bowed his head slightly. “Thank you for meeting with us. We appreciate your time.”

Irina’s eyebrows rose slightly at his formal greeting. “Boris wasn’t exaggerating. You are a bit uptight, vampire.”

Misha coughed next to me, but I was pretty sure it was to cover up a laugh.

She continued, “I’m not one for pomp and circumstance. Let’s jump in, shall we? Boris has explained that the BSR needs help. What do you need to know?”

“We want to learn about the demon realm. How many clans live there?” I asked.

“Five that I am aware of,” Irina replied.

Dalton spoke up. “Who decides which clans are allowed on earth?”

Katya smiled tightly. “Centuries ago, all the clans moved freely between earth and the realm. There were fewer humans then, and more places for us here on earth. But we were still not happy. The clans battled for dominance. And when the bloodshed finally stopped, a coalition was formed. The clans who agreed to peace formed an alliance, and the demon council was established. The five clans who wouldn’t agree to peace were banished to the realm.”

I frowned. “I thought the strongest demons were placed in the realm because they couldn’t be trusted on earth.”

Katya shrugged. “And history is usually written by the victors. I’m sure if you spoke to them they would tell a different story.”

“And the border patrol?” Talia asked.

“The patrol are demons,” Irina answered. “Pulled from the various clans centuries ago, they enforce the peace and ensure the banished demons do not escape the realm.”

“But demons are escaping,” I said.

Irina nodded. “There is only so much the patrol can do. The border fluctuates, since the realm is in another dimension than ours. Things are in a constant state of flux. I do not envy them their jobs.”

“Is there any way we could meet with the border patrol?” Jean Luc asked.

“Not easily. Only their leader is allowed to visit earth a few times a year. The rest are not allowed to enter the earth realm. They can exist either in the realm or in the in-between.”

Dalton frowned. “What’s the in-between?”

“It’s the space between worlds. It’s where those who patrol spend their time watching to make sure no one can breach the portals.”

“Well that sucks for them,” I blurted. “They protect earth for the rest of us, and yet they don’t get to come here?”

“No. They don’t have the power to come to earth,” Irina explained.

“Then why can these other demons manage it?” I pushed.

“There is a conduit between the worlds that ebbs and flows like electricity,” Katya answered. “Some demons are in tune with it and can manipulate it. They’ve made a lucrative business out of transporting other demons back and forth.”

“Abstatholm,” I said.

Katya’s eyes sharpened on me. “Yes.”

“The demon who burglarized the art museum had multiple powers—invisibility, telekinesis, and the ability to suppress the security cameras. Do any of the five clans have demons who could have all three of these abilities?” Misha asked.

Irina pursed her lips. “The realm demons are dangerous. But even there, it’s not common for demons to have that many powers. Only two of the clans might have someone who is this powerful.”

“Is one of them Majock?” I pushed again.

“Yes,” Irina said. “It could be a Majock. Do you think it’s the Majock Boris asked me about last year, when everyone was hunting for the Key?” Her wizened eyes tightened on me. “Has the hunt started again?”

Dalton tensed next to me, and I stifled a groan. He probably believed we were keeping things from him again. More explanations would be in order later.

Irina sat waiting for my response. She was a smart old broad. There was no point in lying. “Possibly.”

Katya picked up a folded piece of paper and held it out to me. “Irina and I composed a list of the five clans and what we know about them. Demon skin, eye color, powers, etc.”

I reached for it, and Katya pressed it into my palm.

“Can demons have different eye colors within their clan?” I asked.

“I’ve not seen it before.” Irina answered. “What about you, Katya?”

She frowned. “No.”

“Then I don’t think the demon was Majock. Majocks’ eyes aren’t white, are they? The demon’s eyes glowed white.”

Irina and Katya exchanged startled glances. “His eyes were white?”

“Yes.”

“And don’t forget about the green blood, Kyle.” Talia said.

“That changes things,” Irina mumbled.

Dalton frowned. “Why?”

“Because no demon on earth or in the realm normally has white eyes while in their demon state.”

“Normally?” Jean Luc asked.

“There is one possible reason for the white eyes. If a demon forms a bond with another demon, they borrow powers. It’s a dangerous situation, because it puts the demon who has borrowed those powers into something like an indentured servant relationship with the other demon.”

Before I could ask another question, a tall male stalked into the room. He glared at all of us before turning to Boris. “What’s going on here?”

“We’re meeting with the BSR to discuss a case,” Boris answered.

The demon glared at Misha. “It is one thing if Mikhail wants to associate with outsiders, but it is quite another when he brings them here.”

I snorted at his high and mighty intonation, and his piercing glare turned on me. But I wasn’t intimidated. I had been glowered at by supes way scarier than he was.