Kaya swallowed. She had anticipated the moment her mind would infiltrate his, but it still came as a shock to feel the jolt of Stephan Mercier’s thoughts speaking in her head as clearly as his voice.
It took some effort to pretend otherwise while she was trapped in his gaze.
“Oh. What a shame,” she murmured casually. “But I’m sure whatever you have to do is quite important.”
He gave her a mild nod. “Yes, it is.”
Important? You have no idea. No one does, not even Stasi. She wouldn’t understand. Probably not even a hundred million dollars would be enough to make her understand.
In time, she will. I’ll make sure of that.
In time, the whole world will understand.
Then they’ll all recognize me as a hero. But better than that, I’ll be as rich as a goddamned king.
Kaya kept her expression mild, even as a chill swept over her. Although he hadn’t yet incriminated himself in anything other than the prospect a lucrative, if ill-timed, business deal, Stephan Mercier was obviously not the golden, charming man he appeared to be on the outside. That alone didn’t mean he was linked with Opus Nostrum.
The prickling in her marrow nearly had Kaya convinced, but that wouldn’t be enough for Lucan Thorne or the Order. She needed to dig deeper for solid confirmation, and that meant she was going to have to push Mercier harder.
And fast.
Their dance would be ending soon. When it did, there would be no second chance to get this close to him again. Not without his new bride or any one of dozens of the estate’s security personnel standing in her way. Even now, she was well aware of the team of men in dark suits lurking in various points of the pavilion, keeping a careful watch on the Rousseaus’ cherished daughter and the man who’d just married into their politically powerful family.
Kaya regarded him with what she hoped was an admiring gaze. “One thing the wife of a powerful man must learn to accept early on is that she not only wed the man, but his work.”
Mercier nodded approvingly. “How right you are, Elizabeth. And how rare it is to find a woman who recognizes that truth. Perhaps I could persuade you to impart some of your wisdom and advice to Anastasia.”
He gave her a sly wink that made Kaya’s skin crawl. Nevertheless, she laughed as if she were charmed. “I’m sure she’ll come around to seeing things for how they really are. If anyone knows what it means to sacrifice personal wants for the greater good, it’s someone like your wife. After all, she comes from a long line of successful people who’ve devoted themselves to duty and country.”
“That she does.” A mercenary smile stretched his lips. Precisely why I courted her in the first place. That, and the many doors that her family’s name could open for me.
Kaya felt a pang of regret for Anastasia Rousseau. It was obvious the happy, unsuspecting woman thought she’d found her prince, when in reality she’d just bound herself to a snake.
Worse than a snake, if the sick feeling in Kaya’s stomach could be trusted.
Time to poke Mercier’s soft underbelly and see if she could get him to bite.
Kaya shrugged, exhaling a wistful sigh. “Still, it is a shame that the reality of work and obligations has to intrude on a beautiful event for you and your wife. Days like this are such a welcome escape from the fear and terror that’s become our daily routine lately.”
“Yes, they are.” Mercier’s lips thinned in a chilling smile. “But we will never know true peace so long as we’re living among blood-drinking monsters.”
Her stomach clenched. She hadn’t been expecting him to openly express his hatred for the Breed so freely, but he was hardly the first human unafraid to publicly condemn the entire vampire race as monsters. Protesters and militant groups vocally opposed to the tentative truce that had been in place for the past twenty years were epidemic in recent months.
And at the heart of all the strife was Opus Nostrum, gleefully pulling strings and sowing seeds of mistrust on both sides of the problem.
It took immense control to simply continue dancing and smiling blandly instead of defending her friends and the rest of their kind. Kaya’s struggle must have shown in her face. Or in the furious shudder she was unable to contain.
“Have I upset you?” Mercier asked, leaning closer than was necessary. “Forgive me. Weddings are no place for politics or talk of war.”
Kaya froze. “Is that what you think is going to happen--war with the Breed?”
“My dear, it is inevitable.”
Especially if I have anything to say about it.
Very soon, I’ll have a hundred million reasons to make it an absolute certainty that we push the bloodsucking animals into war with mankind.
And then the whole world will beg Opus to eradicate the scourge from the Earth.
Shit. There it was. All the confirmation the Order needed to drop a net on Stephan Mercier.
Kaya didn’t need anything more from the bastard. But it was difficult to walk away without giving him a dose of truth.
And besides, Aric would still be coming in behind her for the clean-up. After a quick mind scrub, Mercier would have no recollection of anything he and Kaya spoke about.
“You consider the Breed monsters?” She kept a firm grip on him, her blood simmering even as she spoke in a sweetly conversational tone. “They’re not the ones who tried to set off an ultraviolet detonation at a peace summit last month. It wasn’t the Breed who razed JUSTIS headquarters in London a few nights ago, either. Nor did they assassinate half of the Global Nations Council, then boast about it to anyone who would listen. Opus Nostrum did all of that and more. If
