Page 171 of Blood Stone

For the first time, Drysdale hesitated. Roman looked at him directly.

Drysdale grimaced. “You mean, besides being a financial genius who doubled my personal wealth in five years when I followed his advice?”

“Besides that,” Roman agreed.

Drysdale nodded. “I know who he is. What he is to you.”

“Why won’t you help?”

Anger infused Drysdale’s features. “You don’t get it, do you? You – Nathaniel and his little team – you threaten our very future, the existence of vampires themselves, with this ill-conceived scheme to dump the facts upon humanityen masse. Why on earthwouldwe help, when by not helping, we can passively resist your program?”

“Spoken like a true politician,” Roman said bitterly. “Sabotage, and not a finger gets dirty in the process.”

“It’s a win-win for us.”

“You speak the party line well, Drysdale. Congratulations.”

Drysdale’s face flushed red. “That’s what I get paid to do,” he said flatly.

“Paid, or are they coercing you in some way, too?” Roman stepped away from the balustrade.

“We’re not ready to come out. It’s not time and perhaps it will never be the right time. These things must be managed properly, not hacked at like Nathaniel is going at it. He hasn’t bothered to consult anyone on this. He is holding an entire species to ransom with his cavalier ways. Well…he must pay the consequences for his thoughtlessness.”

Roman headed for the slim security door that gave access to the roof. “It’s not Nathaniel who is holding you ransom, your Worship. It’s humans and their technology.” He slid past the guard, grabbed the door handle and pulled the heavy door open. “I’m going to give you a tip in exchange for the one you won’t give me. Read up about Bluetooth 4 technology. If you have any clue about technology and network connectivity at all, it should scare the crap out of you and your friends. If you don’t, get hold of someone who does and ask them to interpret for you. A vampire someone – a futurist, not someone with their head stuck up history’s ass like you.”

He stepped through.

“Roman!”

Drysdale was gripping the rail with a grip that was making his knuckles whiten – which was no small feat for a vampire with very little blood circulating in the first place. Something was punching his buttons for him.

“This is just like Cuvilly during the war, Roman. You need to remember that and make adjustments.”

Shock slithered through him. Roman kept his face schooled and neutral, though. “Fuck off, Drysdale,” he shot back with a growl. “You guys have tried my patience enough.” It was an answer designed purely for the guards – Drysdale’s watchdogs, who would report back to the Libertatis that the last comment had no significance at all.

None whatsoever.

His head reeling with the ideas exploding through it, Roman slipped through the darkening corridors of City Hall and out into the streets of L.A., in a panic to reach Nial and help.