TWELVE
With the capture of the specimen by Operative Cade, actual physical examination reveals A. Khorkhoi to be a tentacle, the only visible part of a much larger creature. However, like a starfish, the tentacles are capable of detaching if seized, and can then grow another full-sized version of the creature. This may be the creature’s only method of reproduction, and it is quite laborious and slow The Khorkhoi’s lifespan measures on a scale similar to tortoises and trees. It’s possible the same creature has existed since the time seawater covered the Mongolian desert, splitting off and forming new bodies as years and centuries pass.
—Notes of Dr. Peterson Sloane, Sanction V Research Group
THE RELIQUARY, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Griff felt a draft. The papers on the desk in front of him rustled slightly.
The only way that could have happened was if someone opened the hidden door, which no one else was supposed to know about.
It shouldn’t have been possible, but he’d been at this too long to waste time on disbelief Instead, he reached below the desk and put his hand around the stock of the modified Protecta Street Sweeper mounted there. The semiautomatic shotgun was designed to clear riots.
At the bottom of the stairs, he saw curly hair framing the cheerful, open face of a young woman barely into her twenties, almost a girl.
Tania. Thirty-three years ago, when she was still twenty-one and human, Cade had promised to save her. He’d failed.
Griff had been there. He saw it all happen. He never knew if she held a grudge against him.
Griff supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that she could find the secret entrance to the Reliquary. He suspected Cade had given her access once when he wasn’t around.
She gave him her usual bright smile, like a cheerleader on meth. Vampires shouldn’t be cute little strawberry blondes, Griff thought. It was just too disturbing.
“Where is he?” she asked.
“Nice to see you, too,” Griff said.
Tania smirked. “Let’s not be tiresome. I want to know where Cade is.”
“He’s working.”
“Where?”
“Classified.”
“You think I’m going to hurt him?”
“I don’t know what you want, Tania. All I’m telling you is, he’s not here.”
“He’s in danger. I need to speak with him. To warn him.”
“I can take a message.”
Tania’s smile became a grim line. “Are you going to be difficult about this?”
He cocked the shotgun’s lever back as quietly as he could. She still heard.
She looked at him a little more closely. “That thing between your legs won’t stop me,” she said.
Griff smiled back at her. “Doesn’t mean I can’t—” Griff said, and then couldn’t speak.
She was behind him, her arm around his windpipe, the cool flesh of her cheek against his ear.
“Let’s not fight, Griff. You know how Cade hates it when we fight.”
She added a little pressure. Griff couldn’t breathe. While he still had the strength, he shook his head.
A little more pressure. Spots danced before his eyes. Then, as suddenly as she was there, she was gone again.
Griff sucked down a huge lungful of air.
“Stubborn,” she said, now back across the room. “So damn stubborn. No wonder Cade tolerates you.” She sniffed. “Then again, it’s not like you’d have a lot to lose if I did snap your neck.”
Griff eyed her warily. “Everyone’s so concerned about my health these days.” He reached for the drawer that contained the holy water—something he should have done the moment he saw her.
She saw his hand move and took an exaggerated step back.
“I’m going. No need to be such a nervous Nellie. I guess you’ll just have to live with it if anything happens to Cade.”
“Cade can take care of himself.”
“You better hope so.”
She turned, and was gone up the stairs in a second.
Griff took out the vial of holy water just in case. It wasn’t like Tania to give up on something she wanted. She was a pain in the ass that way even when she was human. Without the restraints of mortality, she was a feeding frenzy on two legs.
Then Griff looked down and realized why she’d left without a fight.
He’d been checking the cargo plane’s flight schedule. It was right there in front of him, on the desk. Along with Cade’s destination: Los Angeles.
So Cade was going to have someone tagging along.
For a moment, Griff considered going out after Tania. She wasn’t as unstoppable as she liked to believe. He could have slowed her down. Or, if he didn’t want to put in that much effort, he could have run her latest current aliases through the computer, in case she tried to fly commercial.
But for some reason, he decided to simply let her go. Maybe it was just his own troubles, but Griff had the feeling something bad was coming. Cade might need someone to watch his back. Sure, she was evil, inhuman and had a body count in the triple digits. But Griff had to admit, Tania was a hell of a lot more capable than Zach.