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that would be short hours away, and all that Javier thought was a dream would prove
to be true. He was alone, his last remaining brother dead beneath him, on some devil
ship that the Gypsy had brought him to just before he d passed out in his grief.
Javier lifted his head as his eyes adjusted to the dark. He couldn t see much, but he
could make out stacked crates against the far wall, and a bit of an open space around
them. He and Sergio lay against a wall whose twin he could not make out. This must be
the hold of the ship.
Hello? he called across the space, assuming that if anyone lay in wait for him,
they would at least speak English as the woman had.
No one answered.
Custom demanded that he remain with Sergio s body until they could burn him, a
constant companion to his wolf spirit. But Javier wanted answers, and he wanted them
now.
He kissed Sergio s lips, saying a short prayer over his spirit, and crossed himself,
then the boy. Standing on shaky legs, he felt his way along the wall until he came to a
door. Logic said there would be at least two entrances to the room. The one closest to
him would be the one he d entered through.
He knew what lay that way.
So instead, he felt his way along the rest of that wall, counting his paces until he
reached the corner of the room. In his mind, he mapped the size and shape of the hold
as he felt the wall, needing to detour around crates.
23
Camryn Rhys
Suddenly, the door he d already passed opened. Javier froze. A moment later, a soft
light entered the room, then expanded to consume the space.
Merde! a male voice boomed. There is only the body.
Another voice, a somewhat familiar one, returned, He cannot have gone far. I ll get
Sacha.
Wait, said the first voice. Luc said you know him. Perhaps he is even still in this
room, listening.
Javier Vargas! The second voice Javier knew from somewhere. It could not be one
of his cuadrilla. But he knew it. Javier. You must show yourself.
He is not here.
Stop, André. He is here. He would not leave Sergio s body. A pause, footsteps
approached. The two men fanned out into the room. Javier, come out. It is Vidal
Herrera of the Cordova cuadrilla.
Yes, this was the voice. The alpha of their brother pack. The place where Mira had
disappeared. Vidal had come to him personally to tell the story of her loss. Anger
burned in his throat.
If this is Vidal, then you will know of the last time we met, Javier growled, feeling
the wolf stir. It pushed at his insides, like a flower pushed at the soil when it first
awoke. But it did not break.
There was silence, and the footfalls ended. Yes, brother. That was unfortunate.
And you may still harbor some anger toward me, but I promise you, we did everything
we could to save Mira from Disraeli s men.
Javier pressed his hands against the crate that hid him, feeling the coarse
woodgrain threaten to snag his skin. While he wanted to push against Vidal s words, he
knew that the man was at least sincere. He remembered that much from their last
meeting.
I am coming out, warned Javier. Don t shoot me.
We re not armed, Javier.
When he stepped out into the dark edge of the gaslight, Javier saw Vidal s stocky
frame next to the tall, lanky Frenchman who d spoken first. He was right that neither of
them were armed with weapons, but Vidal was a powerful were, and the Frenchman
had a quiet power he couldn t place. Something unnatural gleamed in his black eyes.
I would know who you are, Frenchman.
André Perrin. The brown head bowed low in a flourish only a true Frenchman
could capture with that kind of elegance and complete foppery. In your service, no?
It is at your service , André. And don t be so dramatic.
He is the alpha leader, is he not? André s eyebrow rose while he was still in the
midst of his bow.
24
Airship Seduction
Please stand, André Perrin. Javier stepped closer, though still not in hand-
shaking distance. And Vidal. I am unarmed as well.
You re among friends. Vidal crossed the space between them. It wasn t until his
hand moved that Javier noticed the silver cuff on his left arm that matched his. The
Prata Mudanca, she d called it.
Vidal offered his right arm, and Javier paused before grasping it, considering one
last time that this man had once been the target of his hatred. But trust seemed the only
option.
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