Mathias replies in an equally low tone, “Letz’ list is accurate. Thirty-seven pieces, including the painting of Dorian Gray, register at the power level identified as a threat by the council. My initial estimate of their worth is one-point-two billion pounds, but given the power of seven of them, I would reserve at least another five hundred million.”
Mathias is a financial wizard. Regardless of the market or currency, his knowledge is unparalleled. It doesn’t matter if it’s bought, sold, traded, or stolen, he knows their value. These thirty-seven auction items probably took him half hour at the most, and his prediction will be spot on.
I quickly text the info to my father and receive a reply instantly. “He’ll need an itemized report with your threat assessment of each piece, along with a suggested bid.”
Mathias dips his head. “Of course. I’ll also include pictures. He can expect the report an hour after the event. I want to make sure they don’t unveil any surprises.” He pauses for a second. “The locket isn’t here.”
My hand drops. “Everything from Nolan’s houses and storage rooms were sent to the museum. Did you check everywhere?” I turn to face him.
He’s casually leaning against the railing, but his relaxed stance doesn’t fool me. The second he heard about Nolan’s death; he’s been thinking of nothing but the locket with his daughter’s picture in it.
“Don’t worry. If we have to tear this museum apart, we’ll find it.”
His fingers curl tightly around the balustrade. “We have to find it before they name Nolan’s successor. If not, the ownershipwill transfer to the new vampire councilmember and will be out of our reach.” Obsidian eyes stare unblinking at the people entering the event. “They brought in three experts to assess the authenticity of each piece. Maybe one of them will remember the locket.”
I check my phone. “Yes, a Dr. Galanis, a renown expert in ancient languages and civilizations; a Dr. Kline, professor of ancient Near East, from Yale University; and our own expert on ancient supernatural artifacts, Letz, although most of the world thinks of him as Dr. Samuels, archaeologist, from the British Museum.” I scan the room below us. “There’s Letz. Ask him for the info.”
Mathias disappears and reappears a second later next to Letz. I study the dark-haired vampire stiffly leaning over the smaller man. He hates revealing anything of importance to others, but it can’t be helped. There are thousands of pieces in the collection, and searching for something as small as a locket could take forever.
Whenever a vampire found himself in this world, Nolan would take them under his wing and help them find their way, but always for a price. Vampires could offer him a hundred years of service if they had nothing of value. Mathias offered his locket, thinking it would be returned once he paid him back, but out of sheer spite, Nolan refused, and it’s been in his possession ever since. My fists clench at the thought. Good thing the bastard is dead.
“Gatlin, report,” I murmur, knowing he’ll hear me through the earpiece.
“De Vere is here,” he drawls in his gruff voice, referring to my father. “Security is the tightest I’ve ever seen. Not only do we have several teams from the council, but everyone’s brought their own bodyguards to the party as well. I’m ordering ourpeople to cover the councilmembers and the collection. The rest can fend for themselves.”
“Any sign of Hawthorne?” I ask, bringing up the blueprints of the museum on my phone. Letz just told Mathias the rest of the collection was being held in storage room B3. He couldn’t recall the locket, but Mathias is welcome to search for it. After a quick scan, I locate the large room in the back corner of the B wing.
“Negative,” Gatlin replies. “He’s in the greenhouse.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. Nolan’s collection didn’t just include inanimate objects, but various plants too. Some of which do not belong in this world. Hawthorne’s assignment was to identify anything potentially dangerous. If he’s still in there, it’s either worse than we expected or he’s down a rabbit hole.
“Check on Hawthorne. Mathias will be leaving the floor for a bit,” I inform Gatlin, just as the vampire appears next to me. Using two fingers, I zoom in on the room to show him its location. “I sent you a map to the storage room. Go. We’ve got this covered. If you don’t find it, we’ll help you look after the event ends.”
Relief fills his dark eyes, and he clasps my shoulder in response. “Thank you.”
After Mathias leaves, I sweep the floor and instantly zero in on my father. Although he’s almost eight hundred years old, he appears to be a human in his mid-forties. Handsome, charming, and one of the elite. This evening he’s escorting the elegant Lady Catherine Carrington, a favorite of his. Moderately powerful mage, she knows when to be silent and supportive and let him shine. I pass over her to the individuals standing with them. I recognize Letz, but the other man is a stranger. He steps back to let my father greet the other guest, and I tense when a vision in gold steps forward.
Phaedra. She must have known the whole time she was sitting at the bar that we would both be at this event. She extendsher hand, but after a brief shake, she pulls it back to her side. A line appears between my father’s brow, but my lips turn up in satisfaction. She’s definitely not a fan.
With a graceful dip of her head, she excuses herself from the group. I leave my perch and walk down the circular stairway to the first floor. Focused on following her, I don’t see my father move to intercept me until it’s too late.
“Jamison,” he calls out, his tone full of autocratic authority.
Gnashing my teeth, I turn to face him. “Father.”
Eyes narrow in anger, but the tone of his voice never changes. “I expected you to come greet me the moment I arrived, but no matter. Come. Meet the experts in charge of authenticating the collection.”
Pasting a pleasant smile on my face, I put one hand in my pocket and stroll over to the group. “Letz—excuse me… Dr. Samuels.”
With my other hand outstretched, I shake his hand. Although he appears to be in his late sixties, Letz is one of the oldest mages alive. A verifiable genius, he’s served as the council’s expert sentry for years, keeping magical artifacts out of the hands of humans. He’s also been a mentor and friend, treating me better than my own father over the years. I have nothing but the greatest respect for him.
Letz eyes me with a smile on his lips. “Good to see you.” He turns to the man next to him. “Jamison heads our council’s security forces, but I’ve known him since he was a boy. Smart as a whip.”
The other man turns to me, and I’m surprised by the smell of smoke and tobacco. Demon. “The younger generations know so much more than us. I guess that’s the benefit of technology and the ease of finding massive amounts of information with just the tap of a finger. I know my sons are smarter than me.” He chuckles. “Dr. Doran Kline. Nice to meet you, Jamison.”
I flash a smile and shake his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. We absolutely have it easier.” My hand waves at the walls around us. “What do you think of the collection?”
A dark expression comes over his face. “Too powerful for one person. Although I know many who will try to bid on the entire collection, including several of my brethren.”
