Blood Sacrifice by Maria Lima

left to run security ops at Adam’s estate in England. This was the first time I’d spoken to her since.
    “Sorry for barging in on the conversation, Andrea, but Adam and I totally spaced on the two scientists. I believe they were scheduled to fly over today?”
    “Yes. I’m texting them now to stop preparations,” she said. “Thank you for the reminder.” Again, no inflection. I got the feeling she’d already been on top of this and was just humoring me. Oh well. As long as it was handled. When this all settled down, when we retained our rights to the land, to the ranch, then we could worry about setting up the lab. In the meantime, Adam’s pet geneticists could stay and work right where they still were. I’d have to hook Dixxi up with them, maybe via Skype, so she could video conference. Despite all the insanity, I still needed to make sure Bea’s pregnancy went smoothly and that Dixxi had everything she needed. Dixxi Ahskarian and her gene studies were part of Bea’s chance to have a healthy baby—consideringthe father was an Armenian werewolf whose family was prone to Tay-Sachs and other genetic diseases. Bea’s pregnancy had been my biggest concern before the current mega-crisis.
    “Thanks, Andrea,” I said. “Could you and Niko work out details for video conferencing and such for Dixxi? I want to make sure she gets whatever equipment she needs.”
    “I will.”
    I handed Niko the phone back. “Sorry for the interruption.”
    He smiled. “No problem,” he said, and went back into his office to continue his call. Behind him, Tucker sat at Niko’s desk, feet up, the phone receiver for the landline tucked in between his ear and shoulder as he typed furiously on the computer. I couldn’t see the screen, since it faced away from me, but I knew he was probably messaging Dixxi and Bea while conversing with someone else. We really needed to get Bea an up-to-date computer and Internet service. The last thing I wanted was to be out of touch again. After I’d Changed, after I’d sentenced Bea’s attacker to death by Sidhe, Bea had withdrawn, hadn’t spoken to me. Then events had forced me to leave. For a long three months, my best friend, the only person outside my blood family who’d stood by me for thirty years, wouldn’t speak to me. When I’d returned, we reconnected and I wasn’t letting that estrangement happen again. Who knew what kind of mess I was in now? I wanted Bea to know that I’d never abandon her, no matter what.
    “Tell her I’ll call her around ten or eleven,” I mouthed to Tucker, who nodded and waved a hand in acknowledgment.
    Good, all set.
    Adam came out of his office, talking on his mobile. “Hold for a moment.” He motioned to me and I stepped closer. “Have Niko go to John, wake him if necessary. He needs to take care of coordinating shutdown for the ranch and the Inn—getting the utilities and all taken care of, and whatever else. You get her set?”
    I assumed he meant Andrea. “Yeah, Andrea’s on the ball. Who are you on the phone with?”
    “Minerva.”

CHAPTER SIX
     
    “What we wish, we readily believe, and what we ourselves think, we imagine others think also.”
    —Julius Caesar
     
    “W hy the—?” I stopped talking as I heard my great-great-grandmother’s voice on the other end of the call. Handy thing having enhanced hearing and being able to hear both sides of the conversation at once.
    “I suppose this is an emergency.” Her dry tones conveyed nothing more than a busy leader torn away from something vitally important. Considering how late it was, past midnight her time, she was likely in bed… alone or with company. I really didn’t want to know.
    Adam quickly filled her in on the situation. “If we can’t stay in Texas or the U.S., we may need to come to you or go to my estate in England.”
    “Don’t be hasty, boy,” Gigi admonished. “Faery challenges can be tricky things to interpret. How much experience have you?”
    “None,”