“Sofie was part-human. Like me.” Cormac himself had said they were alike. She explained as gently as she could, “You’ve never spent a moment of your life as a human, Hunt. You always had value to Vanir. You just said so yourself.”
His wings rustled. “And what was the Vipe’s asking price?”
“She’d retrieve Emile, hold him here—in comfort and safety—until I came to pick him up. And in return, I’d owe her a favor.”
“That was reckless,” he said through his teeth.
“It’s not like I have piles of gold lying around.” This wasn’t the time or place for this fight. “You can have your alphahole fit later,” she seethed.
“Fine,” Hunt shot back. He leaned forward to address the boy, that thunderous expression easing. “Sorry, Emile. I’m glad you’re safe, however insanely Bryce acted to make that happen. You game to answer a few questions?”
Emile nodded shallowly. Bryce braced herself.
Hunt gave Bryce another dirty look before he said, “How did you keep the Viper Queen from knowing you don’t have any power?”
Emile shrugged. “When she talked about fights and stuff, I didn’t answer. I think she thought I was scared.”
“Good call,” Bryce said. But Hunt cut in, “Were you originally heading to this city to find some sort of meeting place that you and your sister had agreed on beforehand?”
Emile nodded again. “We were supposed to meet here, actually.”
Hunt murmured, “A place where the weary souls find relief …”
Bryce explained, “The Meat Market is drug central. I figured if Danika had suggested it as a hiding spot, then she might have thought the Viper Queen would be … amenable to helping them out. Turns out Danika was right.”
Emile added, “The Vipe’s agent picked me up before I could make it to the city proper. She said it wasn’t safe anywhere but with them.”
“It wasn’t,” Bryce said, smiling gently, “but now you’re safe with us.”
Well, at least they could agree on that. Hunt asked, “Did your sister ever mention anything secret about the Asteri? Anything super valuable to the rebels?”
Emile considered, brow scrunching. “No.”
Bryce blew out a heavy breath. It had been a long shot anyway.
Emile wrung his fingers. “But … I do recognize that name. Danika. She was the wolf, right?”
Bryce went still. “You knew Danika?”
Emile shook his head. “No, but Sofie told me about her the night we separated. The blond wolf, who died a couple years ago. With the purple and pink streaks in her hair.”
50
Bryce struggled to breathe. “How did Danika and Sofie know each other?”
“Danika found Sofie using her Vanir powers,” Emile said. “She could smell Sofie’s gift, or something. She needed Sofie to do something for her—Danika couldn’t do it because she was too recognizable. But Sofie …” Emile toed the carpet. “She wasn’t …”
Bryce cut in, “Sofie was a human. Or passed as one. She’d be ignored by most. What did Danika need her to do?”
Emile shook his head. “I don’t know. I wasn’t able to talk to Sofie for very long when we were in Kavalla.”
Hunt’s wide eyes shone with surprise, his anger at her seemingly forgotten for the moment. She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket. “These letters and numbers were found on your sister’s body. Any idea what they mean?”
Emile bounced his knee. “No.”
Damn it. Bryce twisted her mouth to the side.
Head bowed, Emile whispered, “I’m sorry I don’t know anything else.”
Hunt cleared his throat. Reached in front of Bryce to clasp the boy’s shoulder. “You did good, kid. Really good. We owe you.”
Emile offered Hunt a wobbly smile.
Yet Bryce’s mind spun. Danika had needed Sofie to find something big. And though it had taken her years after Danika had died, Sofie had finally found it. And it had indeed been big enough that the Hind had killed her, rather than risking Sofie spreading it …
Hunt said, drawing her from her thoughts, “Bryce.”
Her mate nodded pointedly to the window a few feet away.
“Give us a minute,” she said to Emile with a smile, and walked over to the window, Hunt trailing her.
Hunt whisper-hissed, “What do we do with him now? We can’t leave him here. It’s only a matter of time until the Viper Queen figures out that he doesn’t have powers. And we can’t bring him with us. Pippa might very well come sniffing now that we destroyed that suit and they really do need a thunderbird’s power—”