As soon as Rand released his arm, Zrakovi looked around in confusion, heard the approaching humans, and snapped back into Elder mode.
“You fools, get in the transport.” We all crowded around the wolf and the former First Elder. I grabbed the bristly ruff of Jake’s wolf to keep him from bolting, which he seemed inclined to do, judging by his wide eyes. Now that I’d bonded with Rand, I couldn’t be turned loup-garou, but the humans rushing up the stairwell toward us certainly could. The first firefighter crashed through the emergency exit, ax first, just as we dematerialized.
I’d suggested the safest place I thought of to go—Alex’s house.
Poor guy. When we all materialized in the middle of his living room, Alex was sacked out on his sofa a few feet away from the transport, wearing a pair of baggy camo shorts and a black T-shirt, barefooted, his head buried in a copy of Sports Illustrated. He pretended to be cool about our arrival, barely raising an eyebrow, but his shifter vibes went from mellow to startled to confused in a matter of seconds, finally settling into annoyed.
I really, really needed to get back to Gerry’s frozen house in Lakeview and replenish my mojo bag. My own emotions were exhausting enough; adding so many others made me want to hibernate, and not from the cold.
“Mr. Randolph, if you don’t mind, we need to discuss matters of concern to the wizard community.” Zrakovi was all brisk business now, back in charge and ready to herd Rand toward the front door. “I’m sure we’ll set up another council meeting right away to complete our business.”
I wondered what building we’d destroy next time? And what business was left?
Rand, would you call Jean Lafitte at the Monteleone and tell him Jake might be in trouble?
The elf looked out the front window, where the snow fell heavily again, the flakes coming down at a wind-driven forty-five-degree angle. Sure. Think Alex would let me use the transport to my house?
I glanced at Alex, who’d returned from ushering a bloody Jake to the bathroom and now stood with evil eyes fixed on Rand. Zrakovi had knelt next to the body of Geoffrey Hoffman, whom I assumed was dead. No transport, I told Rand. Just run fast.
At least he had his coat, dirty though it might be. My four-grand lambskin would be found amid the rubble of F. Edward Hebert Hall. Coatless again.
As soon as he left, I collapsed into one of Alex’s wooden dining chairs. I was too filthy to sit on his sofa.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I’m not hurt—just a bump on the head, thanks for asking.” I rubbed my aching shoulder, which hurt worse than my head. I’d undone all the benefits of my healing potion.
“Sorry.” He didn’t sound it. “What happened to Hoffman? Why are you guys covered in … dirt?”
“I’m not sure about Hoffman, the building exploded, and it’s ashes and plaster dust.” I went through my version of things, omitting the details of my dressing-down by Zrakovi and the mental conversation with Rand. “It looks like Garrett Melnick set off the explosives, but who he was after—Rand or me or Zrakovi or all of the above—I don’t know. When we got clear of the rubble, Jake and Melnick were dematerializing in the transport. Then Jake reappeared in wolf form with Hoffman and no Melnick.”
I left out the part about Rand using elven mind control on the Elder, too.
“How’d Jake get in the middle of it?”
“By doing my job, asshole.” Jake emerged from the bathroom, his face covered in cuts and bruises but clean, which was more than I could say for me or Zrakovi. I’d kill for a shower.
Jake sat at the table. “I didn’t kill Hoffman, no matter now it looks. I caught Melnick triggering the last explosive and tried to stop him. The bomb had a short trigger; we were fighting when it went off. We eventually fought our way into the transport and off we went. He threw the body in the transport in Vampyre and sent us back.”
Nobody had answered my burning question. “How could Melnick be there during the day?” I knew vamps could move around in light-tight areas and the Hebert Hall attic had no windows, but how had he known to transport directly into the attic?
“Melnick must have an open transport in Vampyre and knew where the meeting was being held,” Alex said.
Great. Future meetings should be held outdoors, where there would be no buildings to destroy and thus no surprise visits from bomb-happy vampires. The NOFD would appreciate it, no doubt.