I guess Asha and I stood in that darkened doorway another minute before I sheathed my knife and the mahghul retreated. He hadn’t tried to fight. That counted in his favor. So did the long-suffering expression on his face. Mostly, though, it was the thunderous voice in my ears, Raoul’s, shouting, “BACK OFF!” Okay, so I’d pulled a knife on one of the good guys. Did he have to yell?
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I’ve never drawn on an innocent before.”
Asha’s lips drooped into a sad smile. “I cannot remember a time when I was pure. But thank you.”
I rubbed my eyes. Looked to the rooftops and realized the mahghul weren’t just moving. They were gathering. “Hey. That’s Soheil Anvari’s building.”
“Yes.”
“I knew it! The minute I saw her face. She’s going to kill him out of self-defense, isn’t she? Or is he going to beat her to death? Either way, isn’t there something we can do?”
When Asha didn’t immediately answer, I looked him in the eye. He seemed . . . confused. “You are talking about Zarsa and Soheil, are you not?” he asked slowly.
“Yeah.”
“They are very happily married. Deeply in love, in fact, with four wonderful children. Neither would dream of lifting a hand against the other.”
“But I saw her tonight. She was veiled, but I still caught the black eye.”
“Oh, that.” Asha chuckled. “Yes, she was sitting on the floor with her youngest son on her lap, reading a book to him. When she turned the page the picture frightened him. He sat back quickly, knocking his head into her eye. She did not want people to think Soheil had done such a thing, so she went veiled.”
“But, Asha, she
was
miserable. You can’t fake that.”
“Yes, something has happened to change her. Something vile and traumatic. The mahghul have sensed it. I fear she will take her own life.”
I leaned against the glass of the storefront and thought,
Wrong again, Jaz. Grace wasn’t the mole. Asha wasn’t a bad guy. And Soheil wasn’t beating Zarsa. Hey, what do you say we go for four out of four and just assume this whitewash on your demon Mark is going to work forever and ever, amen?
“Why does Zarsa matter so much?” I asked.
“The future she chooses could change the course of this country.”
Oh, is that all?
“Do you want me to go talk to her?”
He regarded me with those basset hound eyes. “I think, perhaps, it would be more helpful if you spoke to Vayl.”
Where have you been?” Vayl wasn’t angry. I could tell by the gleam in his eye. The twitch in his lip. Any other man would’ve danced me across the floor when I walked through the door.
“Scoping out the neighborhood,” I told him. “I didn’t feel comfortable not knowing how to get in and out of here.” I hated lying to him so much that I promised myself I’d do some actual scouting the minute I had time.
“We must talk.” He led me to the sofa.
“Where is everybody?” I asked.
“Cassandra and Bergman are in the kitchen, working on the project I gave them. Cole went with David and his team to scout the Hotel Sraosa in case they need an interpreter. Do not worry, we can talk freely. Bergman has carded the entire house.”
“Did he find any more bugs?”
“No.” Vayl brushed off my question as if it was inconsequential and gestured for me to sit down. “I have exciting news,” he said as he joined me.
“You do?”
He draped one arm over the back of the couch and folded his left leg so he could sit comfortably sideways, facing me. I’d never seen him looking so . . . casual. It gave me the willies.
“Zarsa says my sons are here. In Tehran!”
“She . . . she does? But I thought you were supposed to meet them in America.”
“So did I. And she says they spent time in America. But they are here and she told me she could take me to them!”
“When?”
“After I bring her over.”
I felt like someone had cut open my chest and poured ice water directly onto my heart. “She . . . wants to become a vampire?”
“Yes.”
Cirilai began to burn on my hand. But I didn’t need the ring to warn me how close Vayl stood to disaster. And how none of us who cared for him could avoid the fallout if this backfired.
