“When do I get my weapons back?” I asked Viktor over a light breakfast.
Since no one had told me when the scheduled mealtimes were, I’d wandered into the kitchen early that morning before the house stirred with activity. Viktor invited me to sit with him and talk a little.
He set a plate in front of me with a sausage patty on it. “You’ll get your weapons back today, just don’t use them on anyone in the house.”
“I can’t make any promises with regards to my partner.”
He chuckled and sat to my right. “If this works out, you’ll learn to tolerate each other. It does not mean you’ll work exclusively with him, only on certain jobs. It’s also good to have someone you can confide in, someone who has your back above all others.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” I muttered.
Viktor swallowed his orange juice. “Careful who you choose to provoke. Christian may come across as benign, but he is a dangerous man.”
“Then why have someone like that in your group?”
He laughed quietly. “We are all dangerous, are we not? Some more than others. He and Shepherd are my newest inductees, so it will take a while for them to adjust. Don’t push them over the edge. You’re a willful woman, and sometimes that can be enough to drive a man insane.”
“I can’t argue with that. So how do I know when it’s dinnertime if there aren’t any clocks?”
“Most have a clock or watch in their bedroom. Can’t you sense time? You’re half Mage.”
I stared at the uneaten sausage patty. “I haven’t gotten around to that part in my training with Niko just yet. Where is everyone?”
“Claude went to work. Wyatt sleeps in.”
Christian strolled into the kitchen wearing a pair of dark shades, his hair rumpled. He took a seat in one of the booths along the central wall, keeping his back to us. Filtered light trickled in from the arched window to my right. I had a nice view of a narrow doorway that led to the kitchen. I hadn’t seen it, but that was where people were coming from with food or drinks in hand.
Shepherd swaggered in, and instead of taking his usual seat, he sat at the opposite end of the table, Blue claiming the chair to his right.
Gem floated in like a breeze, dressed and looking like a girl who didn’t need coffee to start her day. Her locks were accented with subtle highlights so that her hair wasn’t one solid color. In the light of day, she had arresting eyes just as violet as her hair. She also had a beauty mark high on her cheek, just below the outer corner of her left eye. Her chunky heels knocked on the floor as she approached the chair in front of me and bowed.
“Gem Laroux. It’s so nice having another girl around. I was afraid Viktor would add more testosterone to the fire.”
Gem gave Viktor a quick hug before she sat down. He looked uncomfortable with the display of affection, but not surprised.
“Are those your real eyes?” I asked.
She laughed and tucked her chin in her hand. “I bet you hear that more often than I do. They’re real. What about yours?”
“Where is Niko?” Viktor spoke in a sonorous voice, one that must have echoed into the outer hall.
Niko strode into the room and found a chair next to Gem. “I’m here. Apologies, I was feeding the cat.”
“How many times have I told you not to feed that stray?” Viktor chided. “You give them food, and then they hang around and poop all over my lawn.”
While Niko and Viktor discussed felines, Gem leaned across the table, her voice low. “Was that you on the roof last night?”
I shook my head in a liar’s denial. While the inside of the mansion was undeniably impressive, it was the roof that excited me the most. After everyone had gone to their rooms, I’d quietly stepped out of the window and walked the entire length of the mansion to get a better sense of the property. Heights gave me a sense of peace—a safe place where I could gather my thoughts and reflect.
“Oh. I could have sworn I saw someone on the roof. Maybe it was one of Wyatt’s haunts,” she said, widening her eyes and then snickering.
Viktor sipped his coffee and then set the mug down to address everyone in the room. “Claude’s at work, and I don’t have the patience to wake up Wyatt. I have business matters to discuss, and I’ll fill them in later.”
“Before we begin, can I ask a question?”
All eyes fell on me.
Viktor stroked his beard. “You may.”
“Is the name of this group Zero?”
Everyone barked out a laugh, including Shepherd.
I glared at them. “What? It was on the business card.”
“That would be a pathetic name for a group,” Gem said. “I wouldn’t want to be a zero.”
Blue’s voice softened with humor. “People would think that was our track record for captures.”
“Or IQ,” Shepherd added, talking with a cigarette in his mouth. He struck a match against the coarse strip on the matchbook and lit the end of his smoke.