Sitting languidly on his chair at the far end of the table, the One stated on an unhurried drawl, “After the account Ms Jules gave us, and her questioning, my dad was able to come up with one name during the timeframe Ms Jules deduced could lead to such an occurrence.” He tapped his thumb a few times on the red chair he was sitting on. “But first, I feel I must inform you this is a man who has a history with my family, and there might be prejudice on my dad’s part. The pitfalls are: he once dated my mother. She then met my father and broke it off with this individual. The way they parted was not amicable in the least. Points in your favor for this being the correct man: the timeframe fits for when he eventually left the Temple, he’s an extremely powerful spirit Elemental, he has had access to everyone you met previously, and the wedding ring missing on my mom’s hand, as deduced by Ms Jules. Also, a fairly large factor is that he has erectile dysfunction, which we all know is rare for Mysticals.”
Staring at his nose, I could still see his eyebrows rise. But he couldn’t hide the way his gaze was so intelligent, somewhat predatory, as he glanced about the table. “Are these facts worthy enough for me to list him as a possible suspect?”
Elder Zeller actually snorted. “We have no other suspects currently. Spirit Elementals are far and few between here, and the miniscule amount we have looked into don’t fit the profile. So to answer your question, that would be a resounding yes.”
The One nodded. “His name is Jacob Angel. He left the Temple right around seven years ago. Last known whereabouts was five years ago. He was in Chicago, Illinois, and after that he disappeared…to the point that even I can’t find him.” A hand gesture in my direction. “But if there’s protection on him, as there is Ms Jules, well…” He shrugged a shoulder before waving a lazy, non-glowing hand in the air. A blown-up image appeared for all at the table to view. “This is him.”
The blood drained from my face. I could feel the dread slipping heavily through me with a bone-chilling foreboding of the pain to come. Somehow the man had actually been worse than the Bossman when I first met him. Bile instantly burned my throat as past memories surfaced.
Everyone sat forward in their seat, evaluating the picture.
The One stood and asked in a gruff tone, “Ms Jules, what’s wrong?”
Figuring out I hadn’t taken a breath in a while, I inhaled heavily as the faces of everyone snapped toward me. I put up a stopping hand in the One’s direction so he would sit down. “I’ll be all right.” My hand fell heavily to the table, and I was unable to take my gaze away from the man pictured. I tilted my head in that direction. “I know him.” In my peripheral, I saw the One begin to sit, his movements very gradual. “His alias was Jacob Singer. I met him four years ago when I was nineteen. I was told he worked periodically as a consultant, and I only ever saw him a few times before my Awakening.”
I glanced at King Collins. “He told me he was going back to the Temple indefinitely the last time I saw him about two and a half years ago. That’s why I didn’t think of him.” I licked my lips, my eyes going back to the picture. “He’s the man who handled my Awakening, and he’s also the one who trained me.” I gulped down the bile. “Knowing now he left the Temple that long ago, he may or may not have worked only periodically for Philip Masterson. But I can tell you with one hundred percent, that man,” I flicked a harsh finger at the picture, “is a hundred times more evil than his boss, Philip Masterson, the one you all said actually started MCWWII.
“God, if they’re actually still together…still working together…” I had to keep swallowing down the bile. “Fuck, we need to start fighting dirty and try to stop anything from escalating. Just cut their fucking legs off before they learn to crawl.” I blinked. “The One said he can’t find him, and I already told you Philip Masterson has protection on himself. With him being a hybrid of Shifter and Mage, there’s a possibility he put the spell on Jacob Angel, too.”
A disgusted, breathless chuckle. “And it all makes sense for it to be him. I met him after I met the One. Between him and Philip Masterson, he could have extracted that information from me since I wasn’t conscious half the time.”
In the descending silence, it all fell together inside my head. “Jacob Angel wants Mrs Damon, or revenge on Mr Damon, or hell, even to kill off their children since he is impotent and crazier than fuck. Philip Masterson more than likely wants to kill everyone in this room, although he could be working a different, even bigger motive since the fake Leric was attempting to get us to trust him.” I lifted my fingers, crossing them. “They’re trading favors. Jacob Angel was doing Philip Masterson’s deeds through Leric. And once he gets it done, what’s the one thing Philip Masterson, the hybrid with the fucked-up magical gift, can offer Jacob Angel?” I glanced up at the picture. “The bastard wants to go back in time and exact his revenge.”
I blinked slowly, coming back to myself. Everyone was staring. “What?”
King Collins chuckled, but it also sounded like a grunt. Right before his chest puffed up a bit, pointing at me as he glanced at his co-Rulers. “My Prodigy. Remember that people.”
Queen Ruckler rolled her eyes. “We already know which one’s more powerful.”
Brann snorted. “Just because I’m powerful, that in no way means I’m lacking elsewhere.” Liquid amber eyes turned to me, lifting a challenging brow. “That theory, while more than likely accurate, since,” his lips curved on one side, “it takes a criminal to know one, in no way explains what Jacob Angel is going to do now that we took down his Walkers.” He shrugged a shoulder. “If anything, those two assholes are back to the drawing board.”