Darvaak cleared his throat. “Aliana, I’d like you to meet Elena Arcos and Nikolai Itzov, friends of mine. Elena has just come across this antique sword and wanted me to appraise it for her.”
Still barely inside the room, she nodded. She seemed skittish, which struck Nik as odd, especially since she was dressed all badass, like a heavy metal rocker. Something about wasn’t quite right, and the Time Folder was way too edgy. Nik’s adrenaline kicked up a notch in response.
“I have no need for this kind of relic. I suggest you try museums. Thank you for sharing it with me. We are late to meet someone. I hate to toss you out, but we really need to leave. Thanks for letting me see the sword, Elena.” He pressed his palm against the panel next to the door, and it swung open. “I’ll just see them out, and I’ll be right back, Aliana.”
After the door closed, Darvaak took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Your timing is awful. I had to extricate her from her hiding place among the humans earlier than I had planned. She is only just now aware of what she is, and that’s bad enough without revealing there is a whole dimension she didn’t know about as well. She’s a bit angry and a lot frightened.”
Nik got that. Elena had been terrified when the Underveil was revealed to her. “Well, finding out you’re a space alien would throw anyone off her game.”
“Wow, that’s your life-mate?” Elena said.
He smiled. “She is. I need you to go away, now.”
Hanging out with his chick was not nearly as important as what was happening under the veil. “They have begun to murder humans,” Nik said.
Darvaak ran his hands down the front of his dress shirt to smooth the wrinkles. “My sources have been hearing buzz about this hit for a while. Elderly human male in New York, yes?”
“Yeah, but why would elves kill a human?” Nik asked.
“I believe it’s the result of the grudge match between the elf factions this human’s family got in the middle of generations ago. The kill order did not come from Fydor and is not part of the war initiative.” He glanced at his watch. “You should seek out Zana again for guidance, rather than delay me further. Please leave now.” He met Nik’s eyes directly. “Losing this girl would be losing my life. I’m sure you understand.”
Well, Darvaak was undoubtedly a dead end for now. Hopefully, he would get whatever shit was going on settled so he didn’t really end up dead. Poor bastard made it sound like his woman was in jeopardy. These alien freaks evidently would self-destruct if they lost their mates. Nik nodded. “Good luck.”
“Thank you. And I might call on you, Slayer, to return the favor of my housing Elena earlier. Aliana’s life is in danger. The threat is not immediate, but present, nonetheless. I believe I can solve it solo, but please keep my phone on you in case I need backup.”
“Done.” Nik held out his hand, and Darvaak took it, delivering a jolt of current that made his head buzz. He winced and withdrew, then rubbed his hand.
Darvaak grinned at Elena. “I’ve still got it.” He clapped him on the shoulder. “Sorry, Slayer. Being near my mate kind of charges me up.” Then his expression grew serious. “The intel rumblings are that something big is about to occur. No one is clear on exactly what is in the works. I sincerely suggest you seek Zana’s counsel.”
“We will,” Nik replied.
The Time Folder placed his hand on the black pad outside the door, and it swung open again. “You both look well. Accepting fate suits you. I wish you good choices, Elena Arcos.” Something in the way he looked at her led Nikolai to believe he knew more than he was revealing. “And you, too, Slayer. Think before you act. Appearances can be deceiving.”
Yep. He definitely knew more than he was letting on, but before Nik could say a word, the metal security door swung shut. Conversation over.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“She’s not answering,” Elena grumbled, pacing the worn-out vinyl flooring of her kitchen for the zillionth time. She’d called Aunt Uza repeatedly for twenty minutes using the phone Stefan had given Nik. “She always answers my calls. Maybe it’s because it’s a strange number.”
“Maybe she’s herding kittens,” he suggested from where he leaned casually against the refrigerator. “I still think we should simply go over there.”
Uza’s number rolled straight to voice mail this time. Dammit! Why wasn’t she answering? A sickening dread coiled through Elena’s stomach. What if something had happened to her? What if she couldn’t answer? “Okay. You’re right. Let’s go.”
She led Nik through her back door and stopped short at the gate leading to Uza’s yard. Cats stared at her from everywhere: from the bushes, the lawn, the roof, under the porch, and even from inside the house. Gold, blue, and green eyes glowed and followed her from the windows. So many. Too many. The back of her neck tingled. There was a threat or some kind of danger here.