Cavenough was lying in bed sipping a straw from a cup filled with water and ice. His smile grew wide when he saw me. “Thank you for not putting me back on those aweful meds.”
“You aren’t crazy, you’re werewolf.”
He laughed. “You would think the Venatori would know that.”
“You’d think a lot of things about the Venatori.” I said.
“But you aren’t Venatori.” He set the cup down on the tray table in front of him. “No Venatori lets a werewolf attack go.”
“Did you mean to attack?” I asked.
“Well no.”
“Did you kill anyone, on purpose or by accident?”
“No.”
“Can you control your wolf?” I asked
“Of course I can, well, when not medicated to the hilt and back.”
I grinned. “Should I kill you because the Venatori doped you up and then you escaped their custody still high as fucking kite?”
He grinned. “The Venatori don’t care.”
“I care, Mr. Cavenough. I get why you might not want to join the Manhattan clan, but choose the CCB over a pack you can freely move around in?” I asked.
“I’m only visiting. Sheridan suggested if I’m only going to be in town a short time, that the CCB is the place I should register with.”
“He didn’t want you? why?”
“He didn’t say that. I didn’t say that.”
I grinned. “I know Adrian. Adrian doesn’t turn away wolves, even on vacation.”
“He said my affiliation with the CCB was not welcome.”
“So you’re an actual member not just some one seeking sanctuary.”
“Proud and true.” He said.
“Maybe you can tell me something about the architects Ms. Saunders is heading up?”
There was a very brief moment of panick in his eyes. I saw the flash, but more importantly I smelled the fear that was wafting off of him now. Ant was blinking his eyes, the emotion was strong enough to penetrate his weak empathic ability. Unlike his father and mother, Ant was not an empath. But primeval blood lines didn’t work the same way genetics did for humans.
“I don’t know who Ms. Saunders is. Or these architects.” He lied.
“So you are afraid for no reason what so ever?”
“I’m not afraid…”
“I just smelled it Mr. Cavenough, and my vampire friend here felt it.”
He looked at Ant and then back at me, “He’s a vampire?”
I nodded. “Mr. Cavenough, I’d like you to meet Del Figlio.”
The man was up and out of the bed and across the room in the blink of an eye. “He can’t walk in the sun.”
I grinned at him, “You are in the Night Life building, Mr. Cavenough, the glass is specially made so vampires can do just that.”
“But…”
“I promise you, this id Del Figlio.” I said. “Tell me about the Architects.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know anything. They have meetings every Monday at 5 someplace near the M&M building. I don’t know anything else.”
Mr. Cavenough was huddled in the corner as far as we could go. He radiated fear. I knew he knew more than he was saying but with Ant standing beside me he wasn’t likely to be coherent. He was muttering to himself again which meant that he really did need to be on medication, just the Venatori hadn’t used the right type. I wouldn’t press the issue unless he became a hazard to the City. He wanted to be clean, and I didn’t blame him.
We left without saying good-bye. It looked like I had a meeting to eaves drop on.
The Mind of Nox 