“What?!” We collectively shout.
“The arrival of this new test subject in a different section corresponds with the removal of her from the other list. Subject F0204 appeared in the program, on this list, seconds after Krystie’s presence was wiped clean. She possesses the same basic specs – height, weight, age – yet physically looks completely different, which leads me to believe she has been enduring some sort of cosmetic testing. I need you to verify if the new subject is indeed your sister or if it’s a shitty coincidence.”
“Show me,” Karry promptly insists.
Griff clicks around a few more times and pulls up multiple stills of a female I don’t recognize whatsoever. Where their signature red hair should be found are stringy blonde locks, uncared for and fried. There’s no sign of green eyes, which match her sibling’s, and no stunningly tan skin. It’s pale and almost translucent. Even her frame looks tinier than Krystie could ever naturally become, leading me to believe Griff read her information sheet incorrectly.
Fairly certain he’s got the wrong woman prompts the anxiety to spill the confession the elf made earlier to rise again.
“Can you zoom in closer?” Karry oddly requests. “I wanna see if she has a birthmark.”
I nod my understanding at the same time I start, “You mean like the one you have on your-”
No.
Gold’s abrupt stopping of my statement shuts my mouth.
Yeah.
Good call.
Referencing my ex’s tits with my Fated Mate in the house seems like a headache I don’t need.
“Where is it?” Griff shoots an inquisitive stare over his shoulder. “On Krystie. I have no desire to fuck a flamingo, especially not one that gets around as much as you do.”
“There’s nothing wrong with any being having a sexual appetite,” I defensively bite.
“There is if they are hitting the buffet every day,” our hacker tosses my direction before meeting her stare. “Location?”
“Collarbone,” Karry answers, unaffected by his judgments.
She probably has too much other shit on her mind to care about what he thinks.
Kidnapped baby sister and all.
I bet us permanently being over hasn’t even really crossed her mind.
Has.
Hush.
Griff zooms in on one of the provocatively posed stills of her until the view of the area is clear.
“There!” Karry squeaks. “There it is!”
Another wave of relief washes over everyone in the room.
Fuck, I could not be more grateful that elf was just trying to get under my skin.
“Now that we know where she is again, how do we get her out?” my ex enthusiastically inquires.
“Breaking into Magitek is not an option,” P declares, deep voice pulling our attention to him. “That’s suicide. The goal is to end what they’re doing to shifters with minimal collateral damage, and storming the castle creates the opposite results. What we need is an opportunity to rescue her outside of those walls.”
“We might have it depending on what this lineup is,” Griffin declares while switching the view back to the original one he pulled up. “This document is unique to the others that I’ve come across. It’s not a simple enrollee catalog, and it’s not a transfer schedule like Kaleb was found on. She’s alive, so I know it’s not a disposed of list; however, that doesn’t mean it’s not a ‘to be disposed’ of list. I need to keep digging. I think the corresponding numbers are prices, which would imply this is some sort of auction accounting, but it’ll take some time to truly decipher this information while simultaneously trying to piece together just what in The Great Ones is Magitek’s endgame.” He angles himself to face us once more. “For now, that has to wait.”
P flashes him a displeased look. “For?”
“Tea.” The smug smirk we all loathe slides into place. “It is time for one of my two daily tea breaks that you do pay me for.”
My older brother rolls his eyes in further annoyance.
“I should get going anyway,” Karry informs the room. “I’ve got a table read in a few hours and probably should get some coffee and tell my parents the goodish news while I have the time.” Her gaze cuts to me. “Keep me updated?”
“Always.”
She saucily grins, and I can’t deny the gurgling in the pit of my stomach.
What. In. Dragons. Sake. Is. That. Shit. About?!
Shame.
I don’t have shame. Or guilt. Or-
Another rumble occurs pushing vomit up my throat and Gold to voice his opinion.
Liar.
I’m not lying. It’s probably nothing more than having too much Leprechauns Breath on an empty stomach.
Liar.
I skipped dinner!
Shame.
Fuckin’ D. Will you stop saying that? I just…I just need a Dums to settle my system.
Dumb.
No, they’re these little colorful tablets that are supposed to help an upset stomach or indigestion called Dums.
You.
Irked by both the insult and my body’s response to my ex leads to me declaring, “I should probably get going, too. I need to take Tiny Toes home.”
“She already has a nickname?” Karry’s brow and voice lift alike. “You Draaks really do work fast, don’t you?”
Thankfully, Z intervenes to prevent me from having to respond to the retort. “Why are you taking her home?”
Previously stifled guilt bubbles back to the surface. “I figure after getting her fired, wrecking her car, ruining her dating life, and getting her drunk that the least I should probably do is let her sleep for a bit in her own bed.”
“You sound like a real catch,” Griff taunts on a chortle.
My glare is given during a step his direction. “Do you wanna catch a talon to the face, griffhole?”
“Enough,” P commands at me with a pointed finger. “He needs both eyes to find us answers.”
“Debatable,” I mutter under my breath.
“Go take…your…” the words are a struggle for him despite the fact he’s not the one with a new mate to navigate through life with. “Go take her home. Squeeze in a few hours of sleep yourself if possible. I’ll push our meeting about the winter lineup back to this afternoon.” P turns his instructions to Z. “And reschedule the previewing of the collection with you until the end of the week. It’ll probably give my assistant an aneurysm to rearrange everything, but that’s what she gets paid to deal with.”