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He looked away. “Because I’m worried that if I bring this up, Feehan will immediately go to Otherworld and make this all aboveboard and public. If he does that, he and the rest of us will probably be killed fairly swiftly. The membership of the sect holds considerable power.”

“Then why did you tell me?”

His eyebrows rose. “Because you’re my mate.”

Sometimes his honesty confounded her. Now she was the one to look away. “So, what can we do?”

“If we track down Adam and execute him ourselves, he will simply be out of the game. No one will care.”

“That makes sense, but what kind of game is he playing? And if we kill him, won’t someone else take his place?”

“The members don’t compete directly against each other. It’s more about how an individualchoosesto interpret a challenge. His choice of prey, the way he kills and the way he displays his trophies count toward the eventual winner’s score.”

“That’s macabre.”

“That’s Otherworld.”

“So you’re saying that a challenge could be, to find an interesting use for a human, and our guy could’ve interpreted it to mean let’s steal their faces and make them into, I dunno, carnival masks?”

“Exactly.”

“Gross.” Ella shivered. “So how can we nail him?”

“The number three is a very powerful symbol to this sect. Did you notice Sam saying that there were three reports of similar deaths earlier in the year?”

“So you reckon Adam will be trying to add two more to his current collection?”

“I would assume that’s his goal.”

“But we still have no idea how to find him.”

He sat back. “We’ll find him. I know his scent now.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’m trained to hunt prey.” He smiled at her and his eyes glinted black. “I’m certain he’ll return, especially if he knows I’m seeking him.”

“Because we leave a trace of our magic at every scene, and if he goes back to check on Brad…”

“He’ll find a trace of me.”

“Will he want you?”

He rose to his feet. “Everyone wants me, Ms. Walsh.”

Ella made a rude noise and grabbed her backpack. “Then maybe we’d better head back to the hospital right away.”

* * *

San Francisco Generalwas its usual chaotic self, but Vadim had learned to ignore it. Since hooking up with his mate, he was finding it harder to deal with his emotions and the impact of other human minds. He wasn’t surprised that most unsupported empaths went mad at the age of twenty-seven. His shields were constantly buckling under the pressure of the onslaught of feelings. Since joining minds with Ella, he’d come to respect her abilities quite considerably.

He was also glad she led the way through the maze of identical hallways to Brad’s ward without faltering. Delia, the nurse who’d offered him her services as a guide to the city, was sitting outside the door, looking rather important. Flanking her was an enormously tall guy wearing dark shades and a suit cut to fit a bulky shoulder holster. He scanned the hallways like a pro and immediately tensed as Vadim and Ella approached the door.

He held up his hand.

“This room is secured. Please step back and then state your business.”

Ella held up her badge. “We’re from the SBLE. We’re here to see Mr. Dailey.”