Julian nodded and continued. “I have every reason to believe he would act with malice again, if an opportunity presented itself.” He cupped Melly’s shoulders. “I won’t have him coming after me, or anyone else I care about. I want him dead, and I’m willing to help do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

Carling turned to Beluviel. “And you, Bel? What brings you here?”

Bel replied readily enough. “I am interested in the outcome of this conversation.”

Julian shifted, an uncharacteristic sign of restlessness from a Vampyre. From his position by the window, Constantine’s eyes narrowed, and Graydon knew Bel wasn’t going to get away with that nonanswer.

“Why is that, and how did you learn of it?” Carling pressed. “Has Malphas harmed you in some way?”

Bel met Graydon’s gaze. She gave him a small, sober smile and said nothing.

She was experienced at diplomacy. She could have replied in any number of ways to continue deflecting Carling’s questions, but as Bel had said earlier, silence can be its own answer.

As everyone waited for her to respond, the natural pause in the conversation grew prolonged. On the couch, Grace shifted, looking unsettled. Both Rune and Constantine leaned forward, their predatory instincts engaged.

“Graydon, you’ve spearheaded this whole thing,” Rune said, turning to him. “Why did you invite Bel?”

Graydon returned Bel’s smile and said nothing.

Remain steady. Hold the course.

After all this time, don’t falter now.

Constantine remarked, “It appears that either they can’t answer, or they won’t.” Telepathically, he asked Graydon, Is she here because of something that happened when we were in London?

Graydon glanced at Constantine, but he didn’t answer.

Daaaamn, Constantine whispered. Whatever it is, you and she have been carrying that around for a hell of a long time.

Julian said, “Graydon, what you’ve told us is very detailed, but it’s quite clear you’re not giving us all the information. You want to kill Malphas, and you’ve presented an excellent case for doing so, but why do you want to kill him?”

No answer.

Rune had tensed. He asked, “Gray, are you able to fulfill your duties as First sentinel?”

That was one of the right questions to ask. Without hesitation, Graydon said, “Absolutely, I can do the job.”

“Truth,” Carling said. She put an arm around Rune’s shoulders, and he relaxed against her. “At least as far as I can tell.”

“So you are not personally being controlled by Malphas,” Rune persisted.

“No,” he replied. “I am not.”

“That’s not quite true, though, is it?” said Constantine. “Your behavior right now is constricted by something.”

For the first time, Grace spoke up, her quiet voice hesitant. “I see connections, you know.”

The focus of the whole room snapped to her, and her demeanor turned self-conscious. Rune suggested, “Why don’t you explain what you mean by that?”

“My Power as Oracle has become attuned to the Djinn, for a number of reasons,” she offered. “I’ve discovered a way to help injured Djinn heal, and I can see the connections they make, with each other and with other races. Most of the time, I don’t pay attention, but sometimes they become too obvious to ignore.”

Graydon asked, “Can you remove connections?”

At Grace’s side, Khalil’s eyebrows rose, and the expression in his diamondlike eyes grew piercing and fierce. “Connections are made when Djinn strike bargains. You did not just ask my Gracie to break Djinn law, did you?”

“I didn’t ask her to break any laws,” said Graydon, keeping his reply mild and nonthreatening. “I just asked if she could. There’s a difference.”

“I don’t know,” Grace told him. “I might be able to, but I couldn’t swear to it. I don’t think I could do it without alerting the Djinn who made the connection to begin with, so I guess it would be a pretty useless thing to try.”

“It could be hugely important, if you could break the bond Malphas has put on the souls of his victims,” Graydon said. His mind raced to the possible implications. Planning an attack on Malphas would be much simpler if they could free Ferion first.

The Oracle shook her head quickly, dampening his newfound hope. “That kind of bond sounds much more dangerous. I’d be afraid to try anything. For one thing, nobody knows how the victims would respond. If the bond is parasitical in nature, removing it the wrong way could kill them, and I’d be worried that anything I might try would alert Malphas.”

Carling asked, “Could you identify someone who has one of those bonds?”

Grace lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I guess, maybe?”

“Why don’t you have a look at each one of us?” suggested Carling. “Tell us if you think anyone here has a lien on their soul.”

Instantly, Khalil’s physical form melted. He flowed over Grace, covering her body completely.

Grace’s voice came from the shadowy cloak, sounding slightly distorted. “Now look what you made him do. Khalil, get off me.”

“Gracie, there are dangerous people here,” Khalil said. “What if someone does carry a soul bond? You might trigger a violent response. While you may carry the Power of the Oracle, you are also quite human and fragile. And too precious to lose.”

“Why did you ask her to check everyone?” Julian asked Carling, his eyes narrowed.

“Just humor me,” Carling said. “Graydon and Bel aren’t answering certain questions, so some influence is at work on them. I’d like to know for sure the room is clear of that particular taint. Khalil, let Grace work.”