“Is this your first experience with berserkers in your pack?”
“I’ve never known one to cross into our territory, no, which is why I’d like you to go to Devon.”
“Devon. Why start there?”
“Because that’s where the berserkers are. There’s a man I’d like you to see who might be able to provide information.”
“Why not go yourself?”
He spread his arms wide. “Because I have ample work that keeps me in the city.”
“And because you don’t want to go.” I peered at him. “The countryside makes you nervous.”
His expression grew thoughtful. “For as long as I can remember, there were rumors about wolves in the Southwest. Some believe they’re a different species of wolf because their behavior is so erratic. So different from ours. Unable to shift at will. They transform in a fit of rage and then can’t shift back without help. Or they want to shift and can’t. It’s as if they lose autonomy over their own bodies.”
“Do you think there’s a berserker bloodline?”
“Some believe there’s a genetic defect passed down from generation to generation. It makes sense they’d be concentrated within a certain geographic location. Those wolves would grow up and procreate with each other.”
“What do you believe?”
“Up until last night, I had no reason to question it, but now…” He exhaled. The breath seemed designed to stop whatever he was about to say rather than an emotional release.
I leaned forward. “Romeo, if you want my help, I need to know everything you know.”
He opened the top drawer of his desk and produced a bottle of antacid tablets. “You see what this is doing to me?” He unscrewed the lid and popped a tablet into his mouth. “As far as we know, the berserkers are concentrated in areas south and east of Exeter. A few months ago, a nasty storm blew through the region and wreaked havoc on one of the country estates. Albemarle. Knocked down a wall that was already weak and crumbling. Locals went to help restore the wall at least partially, to keep the house from being vulnerable to the elements. Some went to steal whatever supplies they could carry.”
The news didn’t surprise me. It happened here when the churches were destroyed by Queen Britannia. Residents crawled out of the woodwork to take bricks, stones—anything they might be able to use.
“What does this have to do with the wolves?”
He licked his lips. “At some point between the storm and the start of repairs, the berserkers ceased to exist.”
“They disappeared?”
“No. Those same wolves suddenly had control over their transformations. They became just like the rest of us.”
A light flickered in my mind. “But now there seem to be berserker wolves outside Devon where they haven’t been before.”
He pointed a delighted finger at me. “Now you’re getting it.”
“So you think there was something in the rubble of the country house that turns normal wolves into berserkers and now that something has found its way to Britannia City?”
“That’s the theory I’d like you to investigate.”
Wow. What a whopper of a bombshell. “If this object causes werewolves to go berserk and it’s no longer in the countryside, why are you concerned about going?”
He dumped a second tablet into his hand and tossed it into his mouth. “What makes us believe there’s only one of these objects that makes us nuts? I don’t want to risk going down there to investigate and losing control.”
“But if the object is here now, you’re susceptible to it. The danger is even greater if you stay.”
He crunched the tablet. “I was at the pub afterward and nothing happened to me. Go to Albemarle and speak to Lord Bowman. Find out whatever you can and report back to me but be discreet. I want to keep this limited to you and me. No need to frighten the pack.”
“I’ll need special dispensation to enter House Peyton territory.” And if I couldn’t reveal the purpose of the journey, that made crossing the border even trickier.
He tapped the pads of his thumbs together. “And here I pegged you for a resourceful knight.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to hire someone already in Devon? Might be easier.”
“I haven’t met any knights in Devon, London, but I have met you.” He gave me a long look. “And from what I’ve seen and heard, I think you’re the right person for the job. I want you to find out exactly what’s causing this so we can control it before it controls us.”
I started to view his offer as an opportunity. I’d never been to Devon, although I’d picked up details here and there from my mother. Seaside towns. Castles and country houses. Dramatic landscapes. Despite the fight for power between House Lewis and House Duncan, much of Devon and Cornwall remained unspoiled because House Peyton managed to stay out of the fray. The royal vampires there hadn’t bowed to pressure from Queen Britannia or the Highland King, wisely opting not to choose a side.
“I’ll have to do a bit of research before I go.”
“Whatever gets the job done.” He made a noise at the back of his throat. “One more thing.”
“Yes?”
“How about dinner upon your return? I know an incredible steak restaurant. It costs the earth, but once you taste the meat in your mouth, you’ll feel it’s worth it.”
Their meat or his? “Thanks, but I’m not interested.” In either option.
“How about an intimate dinner at my penthouse then? I can promise you a gorgeous view of the city.” He opened his arms. “Or I’m open to other options that include satiating an appetite.”
“First, I’m a vegetarian. Second, I’m a Knight of Boudica and it’s important that I maintain a certain level of professionalism.”
“Fair enough. It was worth a try. It isn’t every day I cross paths with a beautiful woman who can drop-kick a pub full of unruly werewolves.” His thick eyebrows lifted. “Very sexy, by the way.”
I rose to my feet, effectively ending the meeting. “I’ll update you when I get back.”
I left the office in a hurry and ushered Kami out of the building before she could start peppering me with questions. She managed to make it all the way across the street before the questions spilled out one after the other. She barely left space for answers in her hurry to ask them all at once.
“You’re worse than Minka right now.” I chose to answer the only one I could. “Yes, he asked to take me to dinner. I turned him down.”
“Why would you do that? When someone offers to buy you a meal, the answer is always yes.”
I shot her an annoyed look. “It absolutely isn’t. I can feed myself, thank you very much.”
She glanced over her shoulder as though she could see him standing behind us. “He was hot if you like the burly werewolf type.”
“Which I don’t.”
Kami smiled. “Because you prefer the royal vampire type.”
I winced. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I wish Romeo had asked me. I’d be more than happy to be his Juliet.”
“Then you’d both end up dead.”
Kami scrunched her nose. “Is that how it ends? I thought they got married.”
“It’s a tragedy. They only get married at the end in the comedies.”