Half Blood Rising novel Chapter 11

Oldman had given us a quick briefing about Svaltana’s Clan. Some of Oldman’s people believed they were behind the girl’s kidnapping. I kept wondering if this mission was going to be as straightforward as Oldman had claimed. I’d never been anywhere apart from Kiev and Lviv, and now I was going to be crossing the border in the space of a few days.

That day I went through the briefing quickly, learning that the girl had last been seen in the centre of Moscow. It was interesting to know that she was a student of the Elite Academy. Her father was not only on the admission board, but he was also a member of the High Council.

Half an hour later, we were dismissed and carried on with our day.

“She’s the weakest link, and she’s going to screw this up for everyone,” Ramona said the next day, unaware that I was on the other side of the same section in the library, trying to read a book in peace for a change. Lachlan was with her, and it seemed that they’d had a similar idea.

They were hidden behind the historical section, and for a long moment, I heard them making out. I was instantly put off, no longer wanting to read in here and needed to disappear.

Lachlan was still inside my head, and I kept telling myself that I wasn’t jealous.

“Oldman chose her, and I trust her judgement,” he replied. “The girl knows what she’s doing.”

I was shocked to hear those words coming out of his mouth. Maybe I’d misjudged him.

“Whatever, I disagree,” Ramona snarked.

I got up and left, I didn’t need to hear anymore. That bitch simply didn’t like me. She had no idea exactly what I was capable of.

I headed to the second floor to use the Internet for my research. I’d normally done that in the past when Tristan had sent me a name of the convict he wanted me to track down. It would take me days to prepare and locate them, but once that was done, everything else had gone smoothly—well, most of the time.

Karina was excited about the new opportunity to work on an exclusive assignment. She told me that she preferred missions to studying in the classroom. We had a full schedule, but we would be getting extensions for our exams. During lunch, Lachlan sat with Ramona. I’d avoided them since overhearing them in the library, so I joined Judas and Marco at the table.

Karina was going to eat later. She’d gone to the gym and I admired her for it. She was trying to keep herself in good shape. I was finally getting used to the fact that I didn’t have to go hungry anymore. On the first day, I’d filled my tray with three different meals and had eaten every bite.

“Svaltana’s Clan must be keeping the girl in their headquarters somewhere by the Kremlin,” I said, after I’d chosen my food. It was one of the possible locations I’d found during my research. “Oldman didn’t give us a reason why they would have taken her. We need to find out if anyone asked for a ransom in exchange for her life.”

“Back in London, I met a few vampires from that clan. They offered me a job and I took it. No offence, bro, but that’s one of the last times I ever worked with a vamp,” Marco said with his thick Italian accent. “The girl is probably dead by now. This mission is going to be over before it’s even started.”

“No, they’ll keep her alive, she’s extremely valuable,” Karina said all of a sudden, appearing next to our table out of nowhere. “There’s something going on within the High Council, rumours that some of the elders are refusing to step down. My old pack leader talked about it. The High Council prefers to do everything quietly, and that’s why they hired Moonlight.”

Her cheeks were red, but she gave us all a big smile. She must have just returned from the gym.

“I get it, the clan wants to bargain with council, but what exactly are they going to get out of it?” I asked, remembering my first encounter with Lachlan. He was somehow valuable, too; otherwise that mage wouldn’t have called him into the club. I had yet to ask him about it. I was carrying a little secret of my own. It was too soon to figure out the dynamic of Moonlight or figure out Lachlan’s secrets. I suspected he had many.

“This is what we need to find out, but first, I need some O-Negative, or I might go for a hunt tonight,” Judas growled, taking my plate of pancakes away from me.

I still hadn’t had a chance to speak to him, he was very mysterious. Apparently, he’d been a chef before he was turned. Karina told me he was still a relatively new vampire, and before his transformation, he’d been on the other side of the law. I knew that, at some point, he would have to talk about it. Judas was quiet, and he barely spoke, so Ramona didn’t need to torment him.

Moments later, he stood from the table and left. The scent of his blood was strong, and, afterwards my craving for the liquid gold intensified. Memories of Lachlan’s made me uneasy, but he tasted so damn good. Ramona could kiss my arse; she wasn’t going to jeopardise my time at the academy. I wasn’t planning to leave Moonlight or get kicked out. I’d only been here for three days, but I felt like this was where I belonged—it was the home I never had.

There was also the aspect of learning what I was, and why I was turned. The tiny voice in my head kept reminding me that Lachlan was the one vampire who might have the answers I was seeking.

“Right, it was lovely to chat with both of you ladies, but I have just seen a very lovely fae leaving the cafeteria and I must get her number before we set out for Russia,” Marco said, then finished his drink and smoothed his hair.