“Lovely to see you again.”
“Mrs. Mills.” The Chief Mage inclined his head. “Welcome back to Solantha.” Thorgana had a summer home here, but she hadn’t been in residence to my knowledge. That, and the fact that she almost never had any dealings with her own paper, made this visit a little strange. “What brings you to my doorstep this late at night?”
Thorgana’s smiling face took on a grave expression. “My husband and I arrived in town this evening, when we heard the news about Petros.” Her lush red mouth curved downwards in a brief expression of regret. “I decided to come here myself, to offer an apology in person. The fact that a serial killer had been hired to run my paper is very embarrassing.”
The Chief Mage arched a brow. “Your embarrassment is the least of our issues, Mrs. Mills. Yantz killed over twenty shifters in the last month, and when we searched his mansion we found a host of illegal bombs and weapons in his basement. We have reason to think that he was allied with a terrorist organization, most likely the Resistance.”
I jolted at this piece of information. Hot anger rushed through me, at the fact that Iannis hadn’t told me, and because he was pointing the finger at the Resistance. But I couldn’t argue with him now, not with Thorgana standing right there, her pretty silver-blue eyes wide with shock.
“Bombs?” Thorgana echoed, placing a dainty hand to her mouth. “Oh my. That is not at all acceptable. And that Petros was going to continue murdering all these shifters…” Tears filled her eyes, and she looked away for a moment. “All this anti-shifter bigotry is very upsetting.” She turned those huge, tear-filled eyes onto me. “That’s the other reason I came here tonight, so that I could apologize to you, Miss Baine. I have heard that you lost your mentor, and nearly lost your own life tonight because of Petros.”
I shifted, uncomfortable beneath her teary gaze. “I appreciate your kind words, Mrs. Mills, but it wasn’t your fault.”
Thorgana lifted her chin. “Nevertheless, I am the owner of the paper, so I do feel responsible.” She turned her gaze back to Iannis. “I will ensure an unexceptionable replacement is found for Petros.”
“That is very well,” the Chief Mage acknowledged. “Just so long as you understand that I shall be vetting this replacement, and that until he is found and approved, your paper is placed under the temporary control of Director Chen.”
Thorgana’s eyes flickered, but whatever emotion I’d glimpsed was gone too quickly for me to get a read. “That sounds like an excellent idea, Lord Iannis. I’m afraid perhaps my lack of experience has caused me to make poor choices in my staff, so I could use the insight.” She bowed again, and I scowled as her scent changed subtly. It didn’t smell like she was lying… and yet, I felt she was holding something back.
She’s probably just irritated that the Mage’s Guild is getting involved with her business, I thought. Just because she didn’t actually run her company, didn’t mean she wanted an outsider doing it. I would feel the same in her place.
“Well, I’m afraid I must be going now.” Thorgana rose smoothly, her practiced smile back in place. “Do have a good evening, and again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to both of you.”
The door to my left opened as Thorgana left the hall, and Fenris walked through the door, looking sweaty and slightly disheveled. “Iannis –” he began, and then stopped when he saw me.
“Fenris.” Guilt bit into my chest as I remembered how we’d parted, and I stepped forward, wanting to apologize. “I –”
He engulfed me in a tight embrace. “I’m so glad you’re alright.” His muscular arms squished my face against his broad chest, but I was so happy he didn’t hate me that I didn’t care. “When Iannis and I found you crushed beneath that disgusting lout, I thought we’d arrived too late.”
“No, you guys were right on time.” I extricated myself from his embrace, and as I looked up into his dark, handsome face, I lamented that I wasn’t attracted to him. We’d developed respect and liking for each other, and I could see us working well together. But instead, my body wanted the most unsuitable man in the universe. “I’m sorry I was such an ass earlier.”
“It’s fine.” Fenris smiled sadly. “I should probably tell you the truth of it sometime –”
“I hate to interrupt,” the Chief Mage said, his voice mild. “But I would really like to know whether or not you’ve apprehended our serial killer.”
Fenris sighed. “We tracked him to the docks and his scent disappeared from there. He probably managed to stow away last minute on some ship.”