Page 166 of Blood Stone

“And you just said ‘no’?” Sebastian asked, his tone dry.

Roman’s lips curled. “I told them to fuck off. You think I can’t spot a bureaucracy coming at me, even if it isn’t wearing a suit?”

“They’re not an official organization,” Sebastian pointed out.

“They smell like one,” Roman replied shortly.

“They may as well be one,” Nial agreed. “They believe in all the same values that a large government organization believes in, and they’re fighting to maintain those values and standards. They’re using the resources of large government to try and defeat us.”

“They’re using government resources?” Kate asked. “That’s…that’s stealing!”

“I think you’ll find, when we finally uncover who the Pro Libertatis really are,” Nial told her coolly, “That most of their membersarethe power holders of this and other countries. Government officials, statesmen and military. And they don’t want their very comfortable status quo disturbed. Of course they’re using the power they already hold to keep us in line. Why wouldn’t they? They want us stopped. Permanently.”

“And these people, these Pro Libertatis…they’re all vampire?”

“Vampires that don’t want humans to know there are vampires in the world,” Sebastian confirmed. “They intend to stop Nial from his revelation next year, in any way they can.”

“So they took Garrett and Winter. Why?”

“To stop us,” Nial replied and for the first time she heard emotion in his voice. There was anger there. “By holding them hostage and milking them at the same time to learn what it is I intend to do so they can out-manoeuvre me.”

Sebastian briefly rested his hand on Nial’s shoulder and he breathed in deeply, and let it out. “Roman, you didn’t just get to say no and walk away. It’s not that simple.”

Roman grimaced. “Of course it isn’t. They’re watching me.”

“Youknewthat?” Sebastian breathed.

“I know when I’m being followed. I’ve had a long-distance tail since we got back from the desert. A bad tail. They got too close once and I made them for vampire, so I let them be until I could figure out what to do with them. Vampire told me they were either Pro Libertatis or your guys. Until just now I didn’t know which. Now I know they were Pro Libertatis.”

“Who else have they been observing?” Sebastian wondered.

“Probably all of us,” Nial answered. “I would. And they knew enough to pick up Winter straight out of the restaurant.” He moved over to the desk and rested against it, stretching his legs out. “They know about the Blood Stone. That’s why they wanted you,” he told Roman.

Roman rolled his eyes. “That much, I figured.”

Kate glanced at them both. “Blood stone?” she asked.

“It’s a mythical artefact known to vampires,” Sebastian told her. “The Libertatis think you might have dug it up in Turkey last year, and that Roman might have found it among the props here at the hangar. They’re watching him to see if he moves any stone-like or suspicious looking objects out of the hangar.”

She looked at Roman. He was watching her steadily, his gaze unwavering.

“This is why you and I met?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said flatly.

“So you really did have an agenda, after all.”

“Everyone does, Kate. Even if it’s just to meet someone, fall in love and never be lonely again. It’s still an agenda. It’s still an ambition. It’s still hope. You wanted to make a movie. I wanted to find the Blood Stone. Micheil wanted to further Nial’s cause.” Roman smiled a little. “None of us planned to fall in love.”

Sebastian grinned. “It turns lives upside down, that one.”

Nial stood up. “Garrett had faith in you, Roman. For now, I’ll rely on his gut instinct. I don’t have time to test for myself and the Libertatis can bury their tracks deep. It will be easy enough to deal with you later if we’re wrong about you.”

Kate drew in a breath that shook. Nial’s threat sounded off-hand and casual, but she knew there was real intent behind it.

And so did Roman. He didn’t smile. He didn’t scowl, or show any emotion at all. He just looked back at Nial steadily.

“For now, you can help us find them,” Nial added.