“Are you talking about Oleg’s sire?” Giovanni asked quietly. “I’d forgotten about that. He was a nasty one; I didn’t mind killing him.”
“No, and the money was good, too.”
She felt Baojia’s hand press into hers, trying to negate the instinctive tension. She was still getting accustomed to the casual way life and death were mentioned by these seemingly civilized people. She forced her voice to remain calm. “So this has happened before?”
Tenzin nodded. “At times. The situation in Siberia was more clear-cut. And our work was a contract. There was a vampire who invited others over and they hunted humans who had been let loose out in the woods. Like animals in a nature preserve. It was purely for sport. And feeding, of course. We were hired to kill him by one of the many vampires he’d pissed off.”
Her stomach turned. “But this is different.”
Giovanni nodded. “This has more political implications. As much as it may disgust you, the vampire we killed didn’t see himself doing anything wrong, so he wasn’t trying to hide it. We were hired Wee politi for business reasons. Oleg’s sire saw hunting humans the same way that human hunters go after deer or any other game animal. Brutal to our modern sensibilities, but he wasn’t modern. He was hunting humans from his own territory on his own land. In his mind, he had every right to do it. Whoever is running these hunts on the southern side of the border, they’re keeping it concealed. Which they should, as no modern immortal leader would condone that behavior anymore.”
“Good to know,” she muttered.
“It’s not humanitarianism,” Baojia said. “Killing humans like that would be too conspicuous. There are more of you than there are of us. We’re still very vulnerable if our secrets get out. Plus, every immortal leader needs humans to operate in the modern world. Human employees aren’t usually keen to work for someone who views them as animals.”
“At least not openly,” Beatrice said. “And then there’s the Elixir problem.”
Baojia shook his head. “I don’t think they realize what it does. Not really.”
The loud fighting had ceased behind the door, and a low urgent voice drifted down the hall. Natalie raised an eyebrow. The voice did not sound angry.
Beatrice stood. “And that would be our cue to leave. Show’s over.”
Tenzin pouted. “I wanted them to fight more. They’re funny when they fight.”
Sounds of passion were quickly overtaking any fighting in volume. Natalie’s face turned bright red. “Yeah, I think we should go.”
They all walked toward the library. Quickly. “So the Elixir complicates things because whoever is giving it to the humans wants the vampires who hunt them to die? Or do they not realize that’s what happens?”
“I don’t know,” Baojia said. “Ivan is not easily fooled. But he is greedy and he likes power. It’s possible that he’s even doing this without the cartel’s knowledge. And I can almost promise you he’s not taking it himself. He’s too smart for that.”
Natalie saw Beatrice and Giovanni exchange a look. “What was that?” she asked. “That look was something.”
Baojia halted and put an arm around her. “Giovanni?”
The fire vampire took a deep breath. “I was just thinking about Terry and Gemma and what happened in Spain.”
Natalie was confused. “Who are Terry and Gemma?”
“The leaders of London,” Baojia said. “And friends of mine. You think someone might be using Ivan like they did Leonor’s child?”
She huffed in frustration. “More information, please!”
Beatrice led her over to the library table and pulled out a map. She pointed to Ireland. “A while back, Brigid and Carwyn were both taken captive by someone they trusted. He was one of the lieutenants for Patrick Murphy, the vampire leader of Dublin. He was young, ambitious, and didn’t see himself rising in the ranks fast enough. He’s the one who first brought Elixir to Ireland. He was giving it out in clubs. Getting other vampires to take it. It weakened them so he could manipulate them. We think he was working with a supplier. And we think that supplier is the one actually making the drug.”
Giovanni walked over. “And then recently, our friends were attacked by a child of the Spanish leader, Leonor de Peña. She’s very powerful, but her son defied her and tried to take out two of her longtime allies, Terrance Ramsay and Gemma Melcombe, then blame Leonor for the attack. Very risky move. We don’t know for sure it had anything to do with the Elixir, but we know he was working with someone else. And again, w. Alame Lehoever was behind it used someone relatively young and ambitious who was dissatisfied with their role in a prominent organization.”
“Ivan,” Baojia said quietly. “You could be describing Ivan. He’s not young, but he’s younger than the leadership in Mexico City. He’s ambitious. Always hungry for more power. He’s continually pushing the cartel’s limits and then they push back. It’s not a peaceful relationship.”
Natalie said, “So whoever is making this drug is targeting dissatisfied people within existing power structures. Take a ruler down from within, instead of an open challenge. Smart, really.” She looked up at Baojia. “Young, ambitious, and unhappy. Who does that describe in Ernesto’s organization?”
The expression fell from his face. “Me. At one point, me.”