like you. I haven’t caught a whiff of him for over a hundred years. Unlike the other two.”
“Other two?” Natalie repeated, her eyes widening as she flipped the page. There were two more Creatures who had been created right at the same time. A female and another male. “My God,” she whispered.
“All this time you’ve thought you were alone, and they were out there,” Alec said with a shake of his head. “Three more Creatures.”
She nodded. “But you said you knew more about the other two.” She scanned the record. “The female lived in London up until 1948, but then what?”
“She helped in the war effort, took in children who were orphaned by the bombing.” Igor smiled. “But after that, I don’t know. I believe she’s still in Europe.”
“And the other male?” Natalie asked. “The Creature in Central Park was male. So what about him?”
“He lived in Poland for a while, floated to Spain during the war, then England for a short time. Then he came to Canada—Toronto was his last known whereabouts, about fifteen years ago. I believe him to still be there.”
Alec stared at him. “But it would be easy for him to come down here to New York. Hell, it’s a half-day train ride at best.”
“True,” Igor conceded with a shrug. “So your Central Park Creature could be either one, I suppose. My vanishing Creature or the Toronto Creature. I watched the video and, honestly, I couldn’t tell. It’s been a long time; I’d have to see a good look at their faces to be certain.”
“Did they have names?” Natalie asked. “Did they call themselves something?”
“Otto was the one who vanished,” Igor said without having to think twice. “And the other went by Cain up until he disappeared in Canada.”
“Cain,” Alec repeated. “As in Cain and Abel?”
“The dark brother,” Natalie whispered. “The killer marked by God.”
“Yeah . . . sounds like he might be our man,” Alec said with a quick glance in her direction. Her face was so pale, her eyes so dull and devoid of emotion, that he hardly recognized her. “You okay?”
She blinked like she’d forgotten he was there, and then nodded with a weak smile as she shoved the book aside and got to her feet.
“I’m fine, but I need to go meet Kai for our . . . our other appointment for the day,” she said.
“Oh!” Igor said as he got up and folded his arms. “You have to go? I have so much to talk to you about! But I guess we’ll have all week, so we’ll have time to gab.”
Natalie swallowed and sent Alec a quick look of apology before she said, “A whole week, huh? Well, that is something .”
“Are you sure you’re okay to go?” Alec asked, taking her arm to draw her a little away from their uninvited houseguest. “You’ll have to be sharp at Van Helsing’s.”
She nodded. “The crisp air on my walk will snap me out of this. I know I need to focus. I’ll be fine. Will you be okay with him? Weren’t you supposed to meet up with Rehu to check on Drake?”
Alec squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck, yes. I forgot, and he’ll be here in, like, half an hour, too. I’ll just . . . take Igor with us, I guess. He knows what and who we are, right? It isn’t like we have to shield ourselves.”
She patted his cheek. “Ah, you, always looking on the bright side.”
“Wolves are very optimistic creatures, you know.”
She blinked as she stared at him. “What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know, but you smiled, so I win.” He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Text me when you get to Van Helsing’s and when you leave, okay?”
“Okay, okay.” She glanced over his shoulder to talk to Igor. “I shouldn’t be long. You can hang out with Alec and some of our . . . friends .”
“Can’t wait,” Igor said with a bright smile. “See you later!”
“Oh, and Alec,” she said. “Check the Twitter stream again, will you? For our little . . . hashtag problem thingy.”
He
“Other two?” Natalie repeated, her eyes widening as she flipped the page. There were two more Creatures who had been created right at the same time. A female and another male. “My God,” she whispered.
“All this time you’ve thought you were alone, and they were out there,” Alec said with a shake of his head. “Three more Creatures.”
She nodded. “But you said you knew more about the other two.” She scanned the record. “The female lived in London up until 1948, but then what?”
“She helped in the war effort, took in children who were orphaned by the bombing.” Igor smiled. “But after that, I don’t know. I believe she’s still in Europe.”
“And the other male?” Natalie asked. “The Creature in Central Park was male. So what about him?”
“He lived in Poland for a while, floated to Spain during the war, then England for a short time. Then he came to Canada—Toronto was his last known whereabouts, about fifteen years ago. I believe him to still be there.”
Alec stared at him. “But it would be easy for him to come down here to New York. Hell, it’s a half-day train ride at best.”
“True,” Igor conceded with a shrug. “So your Central Park Creature could be either one, I suppose. My vanishing Creature or the Toronto Creature. I watched the video and, honestly, I couldn’t tell. It’s been a long time; I’d have to see a good look at their faces to be certain.”
“Did they have names?” Natalie asked. “Did they call themselves something?”
“Otto was the one who vanished,” Igor said without having to think twice. “And the other went by Cain up until he disappeared in Canada.”
“Cain,” Alec repeated. “As in Cain and Abel?”
“The dark brother,” Natalie whispered. “The killer marked by God.”
“Yeah . . . sounds like he might be our man,” Alec said with a quick glance in her direction. Her face was so pale, her eyes so dull and devoid of emotion, that he hardly recognized her. “You okay?”
She blinked like she’d forgotten he was there, and then nodded with a weak smile as she shoved the book aside and got to her feet.
“I’m fine, but I need to go meet Kai for our . . . our other appointment for the day,” she said.
“Oh!” Igor said as he got up and folded his arms. “You have to go? I have so much to talk to you about! But I guess we’ll have all week, so we’ll have time to gab.”
Natalie swallowed and sent Alec a quick look of apology before she said, “A whole week, huh? Well, that is something .”
“Are you sure you’re okay to go?” Alec asked, taking her arm to draw her a little away from their uninvited houseguest. “You’ll have to be sharp at Van Helsing’s.”
She nodded. “The crisp air on my walk will snap me out of this. I know I need to focus. I’ll be fine. Will you be okay with him? Weren’t you supposed to meet up with Rehu to check on Drake?”
Alec squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck, yes. I forgot, and he’ll be here in, like, half an hour, too. I’ll just . . . take Igor with us, I guess. He knows what and who we are, right? It isn’t like we have to shield ourselves.”
She patted his cheek. “Ah, you, always looking on the bright side.”
“Wolves are very optimistic creatures, you know.”
She blinked as she stared at him. “What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know, but you smiled, so I win.” He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Text me when you get to Van Helsing’s and when you leave, okay?”
“Okay, okay.” She glanced over his shoulder to talk to Igor. “I shouldn’t be long. You can hang out with Alec and some of our . . . friends .”
“Can’t wait,” Igor said with a bright smile. “See you later!”
“Oh, and Alec,” she said. “Check the Twitter stream again, will you? For our little . . . hashtag problem thingy.”
He
Similar Books
