“Enough to know that I was right to be suspicious. Just cut the crap and tell it like it is. Please, don’t screw with me anymore.”
I’d worked with Veryl for years. He was a former paranormal investigator turned vampire. He had people like Kale, Jez and me work for him, along with a few others. We were pretty much hired guns. We killed other supernaturals, and for the most part, we weren’t given a lot of reason for it. I’d always assumed there was a reason to wipe them out, the main one being that some of them risked drawing unnecessary attention to the rest of us. I had known for a while that there were things going on behind the scenes that Veryl kept from us. I had a feeling I was about to discover one of them.
“I’m going to level with you, Alexa.” Veryl leaned forward on his desk to pin me with his gaze. “You’re a smart lady. You know by now that things aren’t exactly what they seem here. I am only one man in a very large and powerful organization. Somewhat of a paranormal CIA, if you will.”
That verified some of my suspicions. I’d suspected Veryl’s orders came from somewhere else. However, having it confirmed did nothing to ease the sick feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.
“How much of it is human government?”
“The question really is, how much of the government is human? Anyway, that’s an entirely different topic.”
That was reassuring. “I knew there was more going on than you’d ever say. But go ahead, tell me what it really has to do with me. And, why wait until now to tell me about it?”
Kale remained too quiet for my liking. I wanted to kick him but resisted the urge. I didn’t dare take my eyes from Veryl. Whether I could make him squirm or not, I wanted him to feel the weight of my gaze.
“Isn’t it obvious? We recruit those with serious power. You have it. You always have. But naturally, we started you out small. Simple vampire kills, something to help hone your skills while reducing the number of vermin on the streets. But now, you’re big time.”
He let that last sentence hang between us, allowing its true meaning to sink in. Fury crashed over me like a wave on the beach. I was suddenly soaked in it. Deep breaths did little to help.
“And, someone wants to take advantage of that. Right?”
I glared daggers into him. Things had been strained between us since I’d found out that Veryl had taken advantage of a personal situation that had hurt me deeply. He’d kept Raoul’s secret from me, hiding the truth about the attack that turned me. The reason why was painfully clear: to gain access to my power.
“Nobody has taken advantage of you, Alexa. Lord knows Kale would never have allowed that.” Veryl flashed Kale a dark look. “I assume you heard enough to know he was arguing on your behalf. He believes you will refuse the position you’re being offered, and I don’t disagree with him.”
I glanced between the two of them. Something unsettling lurked in Kale’s brown and blue eyes. “And, this would be?”
“Not the pathetic newborn vamps you’ve dealt with before. There are real powerhouses out there. Like you. Some of them know things they shouldn’t. Some of them are spies. And, others are traitors.” Veryl gave a dismissive wave, as if the reason didn’t really matter. “And, a great many of them are human.”
I let that sink in for a moment. This week was really starting to look bad in terms of news and revelations that I’d much rather live without.
Kale shifted uneasily in his chair. “I didn’t think that hunting humans was something you would agree to.”
As I received more information, I had more questions. “Why are the people on your hit lists chosen? Really. Because I’d been under the impression there was a damn good reason. And now, I’m starting to reconsider that.”
“Does it matter?” Veryl asked with a tone that one might use when dealing with a stubborn child. “I’m not at liberty to tell you more than required. In fact, I’m not always given that kind of information, for obvious reasons. In some cases, the less people know, the safer they are.”
“I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to like it, Alexa. You just have to do it. Liking it is just a bonus.”
He fixed me with a steely glare that would have intimidated me once. Now, it had me smirking like a rebellious teenager. In recent months Veryl had avoided me. At least, he wouldn’t stay in a room with me a moment longer than he had to. He no longer tried to test my power by invasively brushing up against me metaphysically. Instead, he shielded hard when around me so he wouldn’t feel my power at all. I still hadn’t decided if I was relieved or insulted by that.
“Just be honest with me for once. Why is getting any information out of you like banging my head against a brick wall?” Vampires horde information like its toilet paper in a natural disaster. It’s ridiculous.