Pure Blooded

“I don’t see why you need—”

 

“Just tell me,” I said, a growl in my voice, my wolf agitated with my decision to help this girl.

 

“Twenty-three,” she said.

 

“Why did Enid pick you? Out of all the necromancers she could’ve chosen in the area, why you?”

 

“I don’t know.” Her eyes stopped churning for a split second.

 

“You’re lying, but we’ll come back to that,” I said, waving my hand. “Why Baltimore?”

 

“Just like I told the witch, because it’s under the radar,” she answered.

 

She’s running from something, Rourke interjected smoothly in my mind. But she’s not going to tell us what it is and I can’t really blame her. She doesn’t know us.

 

She’s fiercely loyal to her brother, I answered. It strums off of her. At least that’s a trait we can embrace. I’m also not getting an evil vibe from her, but I can’t be sure. Her magic signature is incredibly strange. It has its own pulse.

 

I want to know what she is. She’s a mix of something. “Where do your people hail from?” Rourke asked.

 

I guess that was one way to find out.

 

She turned her head slightly in Rourke’s direction but didn’t make eye contact. “I am half Greek and half Icelandic. My mother was from Iceland, my father from Greece.”

 

“Your parents mated out of species.” Rourke said it as a fact. That meant she was a supernatural mix, with more than one supernatural trait possible. Maybe that’s why her signature was so strange. When she didn’t acknowledge him, Rourke leaned forward, his mouth inches from her ear. “Iceland is known for only two things: elves and trolls. Your mother was an elf, wasn’t she? Your father a necromancer?”

 

I hadn’t noticed her ears. Elves usually had pointed ears. But she could’ve had those surgically altered. An elf would certainly explain her tiny stature and fierce strength. Elves were rare, from what I knew. They were ancestors of the fae, and they were rumored to be great archers and quick on their feet. I’d never met one.

 

Tyler shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with our line of questioning.

 

Kayla didn’t answer Rourke, but her refusal was enough.

 

I peered over her shoulder. Her hands were clasped tightly, her knuckles white. I decided to give her a break. I sat back, patting Rourke’s leg to let him know the plan was to ease up. “Tell us about your brother instead,” I said from my relaxed position, trying to calm her down. “You obviously love him and want to keep him safe. That’s admirable. I can relate, because I love my brother too. He’s the one you’re sitting next to, who’s championing you. I would do anything to save his life—and I have.”

 

Tyler grunted, turning to give me a small smile, relief apparent in his shoulders and face. His wolf must have eased up now that we were headed in the right direction. “It’s true,” he said. “Jessica just pulled me out of the Underworld. But truth be told, I’m not the one who usually needs saving. If she’d stop getting into trouble every five minutes, my life would be so much easier.” He tossed me a lopsided grin, one of his dimples showing for the first time. “Keeping my sibling safe is a full-time job, so we get it.”

 

Kayla took in a small, quick breath.

 

My brother was incredibly handsome. His blond hair was longer than I’d seen in a while, curling in the back over his collar. That coupled with his sky-blue eyes and dimples gave him a sweet, rugged look. He looked like the kind of guy who could easily pick up a surfboard one day and scale a mountain the next.

 

He was also loyal, fierce, and competitive as hell. I’m certain Kayla had picked up on all of it already.

 

When Kayla didn’t seem to want to answer my question about her brother, Nick prodded her gently. “Okay, so at least tell us your brother’s name.”

 

“He goes by Jax.”

 

“Is he a necromancer like you?” I asked.

 

“No.”

 

“Is it possible for him to hold his own against Enid until we get there?” Nick asked. That was a crafty way of asking how powerful he was. Nick was always thinking.

 

“No, he’s in danger. He won’t be able to… he can’t…” She sighed. “We just need to find him.”

 

I caught my brother’s eye. She’s not going to give us anything more, Tyler said. Can we just give her a break now?