Crowbones

CHAPTER 17

Ilya

Thaisday, Novembros 1

The Sanguinati fosterlings were intelligent and inquisitive and had the boldness of young who knew they were, on one level, apex predators. They had also recognized that Victoria DeVine was harmless, at least in the ways they could understand at their age, and curiosity had overwhelmed sense when they decided to cross the lake and visit The Jumble.

He was relieved they had been found unharmed.

As soon as he returned to Silence Lodge he was going to wring their necks for creating this panic among the adults. The Sanguinati did not breed as often as other shifters, so children were cherished and protected. To lose all four of their fosterlings, even for an hour . . .

“This is good practice,” Natasha said. “For when we have our own offspring.”

“Ours will be well behaved,” he growled as he helped her set up the Murder game in the bookstore’s break room.

She gave him a smile that said, With you as their father? Out loud she said, “Perhaps Chief Grimshaw and Julian Farrow can teach the older fosterlings how to play pool.”

“Perhaps.”

Julian returned to the break room with Grimshaw, who said, “Is there any way to make this a quick game?”

“I have given this some thought, and I do not believe we need to play the game as a game,” Natasha said. “From what I heard about the first Murder game, it was the combination of people and objects that triggered the reaction in Mr. Farrow that was, in fact, the warning that Victoria was in danger.”

Ilya eyed his mate. Natasha hadn’t actually been invited to this meeting, but it seemed she had taken charge.

“What do you suggest?” he asked.

“If Mr. Farrow would stand on that side of the table?” She pointed to the side of the game that had the blue paper representing the lake. When Julian moved into position, she began arranging the small figures. “Most of Victoria’s guests were in the large entrance hall that serves as the reception area in order to see the tricksters coming to the door, or they were in the rooms that had a view of the front of the main house.”

Natasha placed a bear and a golden cat at the front door, with teeny Victoria behind them. Teeny Julian was near the kitchen, and teeny Grimshaw was outside, beside the door. Several other human figures were placed in and around the hall and adjoining rooms, positioned to look as if they were conversing with one another.

Julian Farrow stuffed his hands in his pockets and said nothing.

Looking over the available pieces, Natasha positioned a black bird that was meant to be a Crow next to teeny Victoria.

Ilya watched Julian Farrow shift his feet, as if he wanted, needed, to move.

Natasha reached into a paper bag she had brought in from somewhere and placed two more teeny figures on the board. One was a woman with dark hair wearing a black dress, and the other . . .

Ilya narrowed his eyes. “Teeny Ilya is wearing a cape?”

Natasha smiled at him. “How else will the other teenies know he is Sanguinati?”

She was teasing him. Before their mating, he had been the leader of Silence Lodge, the one who was obeyed. Now she was teasing him.

He liked it.

But Julian Farrow began to pace, his eyes never leaving the game board.

Natasha moved the teeny female vampire next to teeny Victoria and the Crow.

Julian Farrow paced.

Natasha reached into the paper bag and removed something that she kept hidden in her hand. She set it on the game board just beyond the front door.

Julian Farrow grabbed teeny Victoria, the female vampire, and the Crow and leaped away from the table, his face a sickly white and his breath sounding like he’d just run all the way up one of the Addirondak Mountains.

“Well,” Ilya said as they all stared at the skull of a crow that Natasha had placed on the board, “I guess that confirms that there is an unknown predator in The Jumble that poses, or will pose, a threat to Victoria.”

“But not until a particular combination of females is together,” Natasha said.

Like now, with the fosterlings and the Crows and Victoria all together in The Jumble’s main house? he thought.

“Crap.” Grimshaw breathed out the word. Then he pulled out his mobile phone and checked for messages. “Detective Kipp needs to see me ASAP.” He looked at Ilya.

Natasha said.