“Precisely,” Ludcarab confirmed.
“Then I vamped them up,” Cain said, speaking for the first time as his red eyes turned on her. “That was actually the most tedious of the entire process. Believe it or not, a vampire can get tired of biting people. Especially if he can’t drain them dry.” He sounded like a child who’d had his candy taken away from him.
Myanin knew exactly what it took to make a vampire and how long, thanks to her many conversations with Thadrick. He seemed to like to explain things to her, as if getting some of the information out was lifting a burden off his shoulders. A vampire had to truly desire to turn the person they were biting; only then could they excrete the toxin that would place the virus in the human’s blood. The change took minutes. Cain must have literally lined them up and bit each human one by one.
“That’s impressive,” she said as she smirked at Cain. “This must be a record for the most humans turned at one time.”
Cain grinned, showing off sharp canines. “Fifteen hundred so far, but we’ve got more coming. The old man needed a break.” He motioned to Alston.
“Blood magic takes blood,” Alston growled, obviously taking offense at the “old man” reference. Despite his age, Alston didn’t look a day over the human age of thirty. “Enough about this,” Alston huffed. “What information do you have for us?”
Myanin and Tenia had decided that less was more when it came to giving false information. Giving too many made-up details could make it tricky to remember things. “Things are quiet on the wolf front,” Myanin said. “They’re training, much like our warriors here.” Lumping herself in with them made her sick, but again, she had to make them believe she was with them.
“That’s it?” Ludcarab asked, sounding suspicious.
“The Great Luna, if you remember,” Myanin said dryly, “decreed a period of mourning. What did you expect them to be doing? If anyone is going to do what the goddess ordains, it will be those who worship her. In case you forgot, we killed three of their beloved leaders. Unless they’re inside that mansion scheming, which they might be,” she added, “they are doing exactly as she said and not engaging the enemy in any way.”
“How close were you able to get to the Romania pack?” Alston asked.
“Not close,” Myanin said, which was true. They’d actually made a visit to Romania, but there was a very strong ward covering a large amount of space around the Romania pack territory. Myanin had been thankful for that boundary. “Their mansion is warded. They have powerful allies, Alston. It might take us some time to find a weakness. And I can’t just go in and remove a powerful ward without them knowing.” She didn’t add that she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to remove the ward, even with the elder’s power running through her. She’d felt djinn magic in the ward. To her surprise, it had felt good to feel the magic of her own people. It had made her sad because she didn’t know that she’d ever feel it again, at least not without it being to attack her. She forced herself away from the morose thoughts and brought her full attention back to the present.
“The Romanians are closely allied with many packs,” Alston said. “The others may not have the same protection.” Alston listed off the names of some cities where he wanted them to go. “As you can see”—he motioned to the newly made vampires—“we’ve got recruitment under control. Your main priority now is intel. Tenia, you know of many places supernaturals gather. There’s going to be talk. Bring us something useful.” The threat was obvious in his voice. If she didn’t bring back some important information, her usefulness might be at an end. “You may see your young and get some rest tonight. I’m sure you are both tired from your travels.” He watched them closely. Myanin knew he was waiting to see if they’d object to the order. When they simply stared back, he finally waved them off.
Myanin turned and followed the fae out. She wanted to leave immediately, but she couldn’t take away Tenia’s time with her son.
The djinn was nervous about their surveillance missions. She knew they couldn’t keep coming back with no useful information. If they wanted to continue to be trusted by the Orders leaders, they were going to have to be convincing. People like Ludcarab, Alston, and Cain only kept those around that had worth to them, which meant you had to have something to offer their cause.
Outside the building, Myanin stopped Tenia. The sun was getting low in the sky. “Let’s plan to meet here tomorrow at this same time.”
Tenia pulled a phone from her back pocket and glanced at it. “It’s six now.”
Myanin pulled her own phone out and saw that her time was set as the same as Tenia’s. “They sync automatically?”
Tenia’s lips turned up. “Yes. Humans aren’t as dim as you think.”
Myanin couldn’t help the small smile on her own face. “I knew that. They made cotton candy.” She paused and then her smile spread. “Give some to Torion. It will make him appreciate the humans, and he won’t believe the lies Alston is feeding him.”
Tenia’s brow rose. “You’re going to share your cotton candy?”
“With a child? Of course,” Myanin scoffed. “But don’t go getting crazy ideas that you can help yourself, too.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Tenia started off in the direction of one of the buildings, probably where her son was being kept. “See
