The Forbidden Trilogy(161)

"No need to wake him," Beleth said, "I just wish to talk."

Uh-huh. Sure. "Okay fine, I'll bite. What's your offer?" She wasn't interested, but the more information she had on him, the better.

Beleth walked around Luke to stand closer to Lucy.

Her finger twitched, but she didn't pull the trigger. Why didn't she? She told herself it was because she needed the intel he could provide, that it had nothing to do with fear of shooting another person.

"This isn't my offer," he said. "This offer... comes from Mr. Steele." He looked at her as if this name should have significance.

"Who's he?"

Beleth tilted his head. "Your sworn enemy and you don't even know his name? He is your friend's father—the reason you never knew your mother."

Lucy made the connection. The bastard in charge of Rent-A-Kid, and father to both Sam and the Seeker. But Beleth was wrong on one account, she had met her mother, briefly, through Sam and Drake, just before her mother was killed by Rent-A-Kid. Now she knew she wasn't interested.

Words fired out of her mouth like acid. "And what could he possibly offer me that I'd ever be interested in?"

"Control." Beleth whispered the word. "Control over all the madness. You grew up in the organization. You've carried out the assignments. No one knows what it's like better than you. Mr. Steele wants what's best, but he's uncertain. He hasn't been through what you have. You can give him that knowledge."

"So what, I go work for him? Not happening."

"You become my second in command," said Beleth. "You decide how the children are raised."

"Bullshit."

Beleth didn't respond, didn't move at all, and Lucy wondered if it could really be possible. If they really put her in charge, she could make things so much better. And it could happen, couldn't it? The Seeker had told her how he wanted things to be better, and he truly believed it. Maybe Lucy could do what the Seeker couldn't. But....

"Why me? There has to be someone else."

Beleth seemed to think about it. "You're an asset Mr. Steele can't afford to lose."

"Am I? I thought he lost me already."

Beleth cocked his head. "Has he? There are many things Mr. Steele wants, Lucy, many things you are unaware of. We are puppets after all, all pieces in the same game."

She didn't like feeling like a piece in someone's game, and her instincts didn't trust this at all. Even the Seeker, who'd really believed he was helping, had been misguided and had ruined so many lives. She didn't for a second believe that Mr. Steele had pure motives, but she knew Beleth was telling her the truth about everything. So far.

"Shut up. I refuse the offer."

"Of course. You play your own game. What will you do instead? Spend more days on the beach drinking coconut milk? Your instincts are right, Lucy. Mr. Steele does plan to use the children. You could buy them some time, maybe save them, if you act."

Fury swelled up in her veins. She would save the children. She could have saved them already if her stupid brother wasn't acting all depressed. She focused her anger on Luke. It was his fault they still hadn't done anything to save the kids.

Something Beleth had said stopped her. "What did you mean... buy them some time?"

Beleth stared at her.

Lucy shook the gun and yelled. "Tell me!"

"The school, the assignments, were never the organization's goal. Collecting powers was. In a month, most of the children will be dead, and Mr. Steele will be the most powerful paranormal to ever walk this Earth." Beleth turned around and began to walk away.

Lucy stood, shocked. Her mind tumbled over itself as it made connections. The experiments. Adam. Creatures getting powers, changing. Where were they getting these powers? Likely, from other paranormals. Paranormals like the kids being raised at Rent-A-Kid.

So the breeding....

Oh my God. "He's breeding paranormals to steal their powers? That means...."

Sam. Her baby, Ana. He wanted the baby for the powers.

No! Beleth couldn't leave. She could use him. "Stop."

Beleth stopped walking, turned his head back to look at her, then started walking again. "You have two days to accept this offer, or you will die. Your choice."

Without thinking, Lucy rushed forward and attacked Beleth. She holstered her gun; she needed him alive. As she approached him, he dodged and grabbed her arm, then flipped her onto the ground.

Lucy fell into the mud, but quickly rolled backwards and up, clumps of the sticky brown mess clinging to her like shit. She spun into a roundhouse kick aimed at his face, but he blocked and lifted her leg, tipping her to the ground. She pulled her leg in, went with the momentum and rolled into a somersault, then jumped up and aimed lower. If she could kick his knee in, she could break it, thus rendering him immobile.