But the traitorous bird flew into his lab and moved straight to Valentine, perching on her shoulder.
“Oh, hello there.” Valentine’s soft smile worked its own spell. “You’re so pretty.” She scratched Mila’s neck and the side of her beak, which the bird particularly loved.
Without meaning to, Khent found himself liking the human more than he should.
Aware she was nothing but a tool to be used, he reminded himself to distance his feelings. Scholarly pursuits would come later. They had a task to do now.
Learning as much as they could about the necromancer.
Khent had a feeling Valentine hadn’t told them everything. But then, maybe she needed a better incentive than the ones she’d been given.
“Come with me,” he ordered then sent Mila back to the shifter house.
“What? Where?”
“I think we’ll have better luck talking to you and Talon at the same time. You did mention his pack was annihilated by Vladimir. He seems a few years older than you, so he might know more than you do about the enemy.”
“We don’t need Talon for that,” she protested. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know.”
“Need? No. I don’t need to know. I want to know. And you’re not telling me everything.”
“I really am.” She glared at him, no longer intimidated.
He liked that much better. He had never found joy in taunting weak prey.
“Then I suggest?—”
Onvyr burst through the doorway, breathing hard. “Khent, bring your human. A friend of mine found a bunch of dead magir and a demon out at Tiger Mountain killing people.”
“That’s not possible.” Khent was already moving, aware Valentine followed. “Demons can’t be resurrected.”
“Not necessarily,” she argued.
Onvyr kept Khent between himself and the necromancer, Khent noted with amusement. “Scared?”
The dusk elf nodded. “She’s freaky.”
“I heard that.”
“Sorry, but it’s true. I still like you, though. Just promise not to kill me and revive me or you’ll upset my sister.”
“And my patriarch,” Khent said dryly. “Aggravating Fara is the same as aggravating Varu, and he’ll kill you without a qualm. I promise.”
“I’m not trying to kill anyone. Except for you, you arrogant reaper.”
Onvyr grinned as the three of them raced into the garage.
Khent grabbed a set of keys from a key rack and pointed them toward the Land Rover.
“It’s so funny how it happens, isn’t it, Khent?”
Once inside the car, Khent stepped on the gas, heading toward Tiger Mountain, which would take them a good hour. “What’s that, Onvyr? And why are you coming with us anyway?”
Damn it. He’d hoped to stash the elf with Varu or Rolf.
“Rolf told me to stay with you. And that if I watched carefully, I’d see the magic before it happens.”
Valentine finished buckling up, sitting in the front seat next to Khent. “What magic?”
