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  “He worked for Veton,” she said in a clipped tone, “and he did not come into this world alone.”

  Ah. So she already knew the answer to the question he had been asking Nevan. She could have spoken before, he thought irritably; then he could have dispatched the other Hunter without hesitation.

  He pushed the irritation behind his mental wall to accompany his lust. Neither was useful. Instead, he immediately processed this new information.

  The Tower. He wasn’t surprised. Chaos was capable of anything, which was the reason for its existence. He was less concerned about Veton’s involvement, though, than he was about the news there were other Hunters. They would be able to locate Strength as easily as he had, and he might not be able to protect her from a multipronged attack. “Then we have no time to waste,” he said curtly as he sheathed his knife. “I will return you to Aeonia now. Is the Alexandria Deck nearby?” Getting her to safety was of paramount importance.

  But Lenna shook her head. “Not yet. I need to see the boy to safety and bring his mother’s murderer to justice.”

  Her resistance was an unpleasant surprise, one he hadn’t anticipated, and one he couldn’t allow to stand. The other Hunters must be waiting for their fellow to accomplish his task, but they wouldn’t wait long. They would be able to sense that Strength was still here, and they’d realize Nevan had failed.

  “Not possible,” he said, dismissing the problem of the human child, who simply didn’t matter. “The Emperor has requested your immediate return. We will collect the deck and—”

  She interrupted him with a cold look and an upraised hand, as if she would stay him. “I forbid you to transport me until all my tasks here are completed.”

  Forbid? He was a Hunter. She couldn’t forbid him to do anything. There were laws that governed him and his existence, but servitude to the Major Arcana wasn’t one of them. They could hire him, but they couldn’t rule him. She had to know that, which made her statement even more annoying.

  He hadn’t realized until now just how annoying such willfulness, such determination, could be; he could only thank the One that he wasn’t bound to obey her. “I don’t work for you. I work for the Emperor. His orders carry more weight than yours,” he said as he strode to her.

  She drew back, her blue eyes taking on a sharp warning. “The child—”

  “I’ll see to him,” he said briskly, cutting her off. He didn’t have time for any of this nonsense. “When you are safe.”

  The boy held on to Lenna’s waist, clasping it with everything he had as he peeked up at Caine with a mixture of awe and fear in his big dark eyes. Caine realized he’d have to forcibly pry the child away from her, presenting him with yet another annoying delay.

  “No,” she said, her jaw setting. “I want to—”

  “It doesn’t matter what you want, not this time,” he snapped, interrupting her yet again. He stood so close to her he could feel her body heat, even on this cold day. He towered over her, a head taller and twice her size in volume. Major Arcana or not, she didn’t have the physical strength to stop him; if he wanted to wrest her away from the child, he would succeed.

  He had noticed the bag she carried securely across her body. She couldn’t have traveled to Seven without the cards; the deck was required for her return to Aeonia, as it had been required for her departure. Knowing that, would she keep the deck with her? He knew he himself would. Logically, she would have the cards in that bag. There was one easy way to find out.

  Teleporting was as effortless for a Hunter as thought. Caine placed a firm hand on her shoulder, and with his other easily moved the child away. He lifted his hand from the boy, and—

  Nothing happened.

  Their return to Aeonia should’ve been instantaneous.

  The child gave a high-pitched shriek and lunged for Lenna. Hastily, before the child could touch her, Caine tried again.

  Nothing.

  He swore under his breath, frustration raw in his gut. Obviously she didn’t have the deck with her. She could have hidden it anywhere, and given her insistence on staying here, she’d refuse to tell him where it was. She’d resist telling him anything about the deck. He tried again. There should have been a flash of awareness, a burst of energy felt in every cell of his body. Instead, there was … nothing.

  He said a very pithy Seven expletive.

  The child had once again latched on to Lenna, and this time Caine didn’t bother moving him away.

  He glared at Lenna. No words were needed. She had a maddening expression of satisfaction on her face as she said, “The deck brought me into this world. It is necessary to transport me home again.”

  He already knew that, and he snarled a frustrated sound. “Take me to it. You must go home.”

  She smiled, a lovely smile that hit him hard and low. “As soon as I’ve taken care of Elijah and fulfilled my promise, I will be glad to go with you.”

  The surly Hunter was unhappy with this turn of events, but she didn’t care. While she appreciated that he had saved her life, she had given Elijah her promise of aid; what kind of person would she be if she then simply left the child to fend for himself without trying as hard as she might to stay here? Lenna was glad she hadn’t decided to store the complete deck in her bag, that she’d had the forethought to separate the cards; otherwise she’d be back in Aeonia, facing the Emperor.

  Her relief when the Hunter had failed in his attempt to teleport her had been so intense she had almost laughed, which he definitely wouldn’t have appreciated.

  Being happy and relieved was one thing; gloating at a Hunter was something else. They were immensely dangerous beings, rough and violent, and indispensable to the universe, which made them arrogant. On the other hand, because they traveled the universe and all the planes, having the aid of one such as he would be invaluable. He had the option of simply leaving her here, but Hunters were renowned for never walking away from a mission: they accomplished it, or they died.

  “I am Lenna,” she said, omitting her title because obviously he already knew it. He would also know her name, but proper introductions were still called for. “This is Elijah. What is your name, Hunter?”

  “Caine.”

  Elijah straightened away from her as he gaped up at Caine, and his dark eyes rounded in astonishment. “Hunter?” His voice rose in excitement. “I’m a Hunter, too, and so is Lenna. We fight for justice, like all the other superheroes.” He swiped a hand across his tear-streaked cheek. “Sorry. Hunters don’t cry.”

  Caine looked down at the boy. He was so tall the child barely reached his waist; and so close Lenna could feel the heat of his body even on this cold day. “No,” he said, the words clipped. “No, we do not.”

  “Can I have one of your guns? I’ll be careful.” With a small finger, he poked at an unusual weapon with which Lenna wasn’t familiar. “Can I have that one? It looks kind of like a Super Soaker. Is it a Super Soaker?”

  “It is not. It’s a liquid laser blaster. And no, you may not have one of my weapons.” His head swiveled as he alertly surveyed their surroundings, and she knew he was searching for the energy of the other Hunters. “We can’t stay here,” he said to Lenna. “You aren’t safe.”

  The other Hunters could be on them without warning. She knew that, and in the back of her mind she had been braced for their appearance. Caine would fight, and from what she’d seen he was a superlative warrior, but he’d be outnumbered. She, too, would have to fight, and though she had some skill she wasn’t a Hunter. “They can find me anywhere,” she pointed out.

  “Not necessarily.” He looked down at her with his inscrutable coal-dark eyes. “I can shield my energy from other Hunters. If you are close to me, the shield will enclose you, too. But you will have to stay within the shield.”

  “How close?” She meant the question in the most prosaic of ways, literally asking for a measurement of space. She dealt better with absolutes, in knowing exactly what was expected of her, rather than risking her life on