Part 25 (1/2)

How? Goran glared at Motre. He switched to speaking out loud. ”Who did this?”

”Bart. He shot him with a silver bolt of some kind.” Motre stopped walking to talk to him. ”Tessa s.n.a.t.c.hed the bolt out and did something to stop the silver from affecting his system.” He shook his head. ”I never would have thought such a thing was possible. One minute Serus here was smoking, then next he wasn't.”

”Tessa did that?” Goran exclaimed. ”Really?”

Serus and Motre and the men surrounding him all nodded. Goran shook his head in disbelief.

”And Bart? Where is he now?” He quickly searched the group, but neither Tessa nor his son was there. ”Tessa and Cody are up there still?”

Motre answered him. He s.h.i.+fted Serus in his arms, reminding Goran that he'd been adding to the man's work. Goran stopped forward and collected Serus. ”I'll take him.”

”Good. I don't want to leave Tessa and Cody alone.”

Goran was already marching down the hallway as the vamps behind him slowed. He turned and pinned Motre in place. ”Why not?”

Motre, already walking back toward the elevator, said, ”Because there was something odd about that scenario.” He shook his head. ”I don't know, but I'm not sure anyone is safe anymore.”

Serus struggled to gain his footing. ”Let me down, Goran.”

”Whoa, you're not going anywhere.” Goran glared at him and looped him back up into his arms. ”Silver is nothing to fool around with.”

”It's Tessa. If she's in danger...”

”Ha, there is nothing that girl can't handle.”

Serus stopped struggling. He stared at Goran. Then with the color bleaching from his skin, his muscles turned lax and he sagged back. I hate to say it, old friend, but I'm not feeling very good.

”Hold on. I'm getting you some help.”

He glared down at Serus, who glared back until his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed.

s.h.i.+t. He started running. ”Motre, grab Tessa. We need her.” He waited, then added to make sure the message got across, ”Now.”

All he heard after that were panicked shouts and running feet.

Jewel couldn't resist. She sidled to the open door and gave a long look down the corridor. What if they came back while she was looking?

Really, she should just walk past.

It was none of her business what they were doing.

Except everything was kind of her business now. At least if it was suspicious.

She'd never been to this level of the Hall and she couldn't stop the worry inside that it was a different area altogether, one that no one knew about.

Still, it was the Council Hall. She should be safe. She needed to be safe.

Resolutely, she dropped her hand.

She could note the door and tell someone else to come check it out. That was the right thing to do. There was enough going on without her getting into more trouble. She looked down the hallway and realized there were no markings anywhere. She had no way to know what door this was.

One step. Two steps. She went to take a third step away...and stopped.

She couldn't do it. Spinning around, Jewel walked back to the door.

Casting another look around to make sure she was alone, she pushed the door open.

Feeling invigorated like she hadn't felt in a long time, Rhia walked to the locked door. She tried the handle first. No change. She was locked in.

She shrugged, pulled out her a hair clip from her pocket, and in seconds had the door open.

Her daughter should learn that trick. Or maybe she should keep some things to herself. Although why she hadn't remembered that trick earlier, she had no idea.

Boldly, she walked out of the small room and looked around. There were closed doors all along the hallway. The ones she wanted were down below.

Way down below.

Where no one knew what was going on.

But she did.

Now.

Her gaze narrowed, s.h.i.+fted, a.s.sessed. She needed to go right to go where she was needed.

With one last glance to the left, she turned right and strode quickly to the staircase.

Cody hadn't seen that look in Tessa's eyes before. Then again, this was a new improved super version and he wasn't sure what she was capable of. He'd seen so much that each step pushed her abilities a little further, but this...

He needed to know that she wasn't going so far and do something she couldn't come back from.

Having someone attack and injure her father was bad enough; to know she'd been the target had him wanting to rip apart Bart's throat.

But Tessa had been the one to say that killing in war was one thing. To kill cold-bloodedly was something the ancients could do without a qualm, but Cody wasn't so sure that Tessa could.

Or should.

That might take her someplace dark and would she return to the light afterward?

”Tessa?” he said quietly. ”Think about what you're doing.”

She smiled, but there was nothing rea.s.suring about that smile.

”I'm thinking about what I'm going to do,” she answered calmly. Too calmly.

”Your father is going to be okay, remember that.” Cody couldn't help trying to talk her down. He knew Bart was living his last moments. But he didn't want Tessa to be living her last moments the way she wanted her life to be, too.