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Chapter 11

Caleb spun, raised the pistol, and squeezed off ten shots. They formed a neat little circle at the center of the target.

A slow clapping came from behind him, and he whirled around. Regan leaned casually against the doorway. For a moment, his black mood lifted, then he scowled—Tom would be here soon, and he did not want Regan present at that meeting. He put the pistol down, just in case she riled him too much.

“How the hell did you find me?” he asked.

“This time I did use magic.” She shrugged. “I went to your office. You weren’t there, and I thought you might be avoiding me.” She pushed off the wall and strolled across to him, glancing around the cavernous room. “What is this place?”

“A training facility for the company.”

She came to a halt close to him. “I wanted to thank you for returning Satan and Diablo. You left last night before I had the chance.”

“My father had them. He seemed keen to send them back.”

“I’m glad—I was worried they might have been killed.” She looked at him. “So you went to see your father. You know, I’d have been happy to tag along.”

He sighed and glanced at his watch. “I suppose you wouldn’t consider going away and coming back later.”

“You suppose right.”

Caleb rubbed at his temple, trying to ease the tension. He’d spent a sleepless night attempting to come to terms with the idea that in all likelihood, he was not in any way human. Part of him wanted to ignore it, pretend he’d never been told, get on with his life. But another part needed to know the truth. He pushed the thoughts down; he had to concentrate on Regan, persuade her to leave this alone, go away somewhere until it all blew over. Whatever “it” was.

“I need a coffee,” he said. “Come on.”

He led her into a small office and poured them both a drink. “Sit down.”

Regan took the cup and sank into the chair he indicated. He took his own seat behind the desk.

“So what did you find out?” Regan asked.

“Nothing much. Ethan is working with someone, someone very powerful. He wouldn’t tell me who, but he said you knew the guy. I got the impression it was an old lover of yours.”

He watched her carefully as he spoke, gauging her reaction.

She pursed her lips and frowned. “That’s pretty much what Ethan told me the night he bit me, but it doesn’t make any sense.” She ran a hand through her long red hair, and then shook her head. “The only old acquaintance I have who possessed that sort of power is dead.”

“How can you be sure?”

Her face turned cold, and she looked him straight in the eyes. “Because I killed him.”

Shock ripped through him. “An old lover?”

“Yes,” she snarled.

“When?”

“A long time ago.”

“How long?”

She flicked her gaze to his face at the question. Her expression held something he couldn’t identify. “Two thousand years long,” she replied dryly. “Give or take a few.”

He breathed out. “I have to admit, that sounds pretty dead to me. Who was he?”

“It doesn’t matter. Sardi is gone, so it can’t be anything to do with him.”

“Well, you need to think hard about who it could be, because according to my father, this thing is still on.”