Therian Prisoner(55)

The basement door swung open, preempting their conversation. Devon stepped into view, a hesitant smile curving her lips. “Any luck?” She shifted her gaze between Ian and Payne, but Kyle might as well have been invisible.

“Nothing substantial,” Ian admitted. “The intruder entered and exited through a broken window upstairs, basically a clean getaway.”

Rather than join them at the table, Devon loitered near the basement door. It was obvious she didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the same room as her brother. “I’m still not clear on why we need to find her. If she gave you useful information, great. But Carly Ides is a chameleon. She’ll become whatever the situation requires and the situation just changed considerably. What loyalty she pretended to have for us is long gone now.”

“Why would the backers go to the trouble of rescuing someone they couldn’t trust?” Kyle argued. “I think you’re underestimating her importance.”

“Unless this was damage control. They could have snatched her to stem the flow of information.” Payne’s gaze hadn’t budged from Devon since she entered the room. Her hair was windblown and faint purple smudges beneath her eyes revealed her fatigue. She certainly wasn’t at her best, so what the hell did he find so fascinating?

“As far as I’m concerned, they can have her.” Devon finger-combed her hair back from her face, still not looking at her brother. “They obviously know our location. Not that it was ever much of a secret. So what risk does she pose to us?” Apparently she’d noticed Payne’s interest because she moved closer to Ian.

Keep staring, Simba, and I’ll knock you through the wall. Ian allowed Therian light to flicker in his eyes, accenting the semi-playful threat.

Payne grinned at him, finally moving his gaze away from Devon. She looks different. Less damsel-in-distress and more well-tumbled wench.

She’s my well-tumbled wench, so back off!

I would never poach and you know it. Payne shot him an impatient look.

“Do you want us to come back when you’ve finished telling secrets?” Kyle looked to Devon for reinforcement, but she was still ignoring him.

“I’ll check around outside.” Ian returned his attention to the verbal conversation. “But I doubt there’s anything to find.”

“I’ll fill Eli in on what we’ve learned and see if he can dig up an identity.” Payne sighed, clearly frustrated by the dead end. “A physical disruption would be damn helpful right about now.”

“I picked up an image in the bedroom. I’m not sure what I was seeing, but it’s better than nothing. The woman I saw was in her late twenties or early thirties with long silver-blonde hair.”

“And wings?” Payne shook his head as he pushed back from the table. “The woman you just described is a ghost.”

“Or she’s the daughter of your ghost,” Ian stood as well and reached for Devon’s hand. “If you have any other ideas, I’m happy to listen.”

Payne just shook his head.

“Devon, can I—”

“Not now,” she cut off Kyle with an upraised hand. “I’m tired and grumpy and I’d only continue our fight. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Kyle didn’t look pleased with her brush-off, but he said nothing more.

Ian led her from the kitchen and out the back door. As he’d feared, the ground below the broken window was basically undisturbed. He spotted a few pieces of glass, but he couldn’t sense anything helpful.

Devon walked along at his side, quiet and sullen. He didn’t need his empathic receptors to tell him she was upset. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk this out with Kyle? It would be nice to have it behind you once and for all.”

“I’m sure.”

He understood her resentment. Her brother had seemed ready to forgo her happiness for the sake of gaining more power. She’d seen females bartered again and again while her father was in control and she’d expected more from her brother.

But Kyle’s explanation made sense too. It was every Prime’s responsibility to keep their network strong. Powerful alliances were extremely important and it would have been foolish for Kyle to disregard Lokesh’s offer without even asking Devon if she’d consider the match.

Regardless of his protective impulses, the conflict was between Devon and Kyle. Ian would offer his opinion when asked, but he knew better than meddling in family affairs. She’d told Kyle she’d speak with him tomorrow, so Ian decided to leave well enough alone.

Once Ian confirmed that there was nothing of use in the yard or on the exterior of the house, he took Devon back down the stairs and into the basement of Holt’s house. It was one of five connected by a network of underground tunnels. The sanctuary complex served as a sort of hub from which the other buildings branched out. From the high-security area Eli supervised the compound guards and monitored the surveillance cameras. The Historian’s vault, several large storerooms and a series of bunkers completed the labyrinth. The bunkers had been constructed during the height of the Cold War, but they’d been far more useful as hideouts for overzealous rebels than protection from radioactive fallout.