Feel free to explode, I sent to the man as I dropped him over the center of the river. The moment we separated, he became whole again, screaming and flailing as he fell toward the water. He detonated only a few feet above the river itself; his hand had probably released his grip on the detonator as he dropped. The explosion sent my misty particles blasting upward at a tremendous rate of speed, and I was frightened out of my wits when I finally stopped tumbling through the air. Emergency sirens were sounding and vehicles with flashing lights were converging on the river when I came back to my senses. I wasn't sure what they'd find, if anything, but they were far enough away that I wasn't immediately worried for the vampires I'd left behind.
Robert was sending desperate mindspeech by that time. Lissa? Lissa, are you all right? Lissa? They were all vampires; they'd heard the explosion.
Keep your shirt on, the blast sent me into another country, I think, I returned, my mental voice a little shaky. I felt dizzy (if that was possible in my current state), turning several time in an attempt to get my bearings. I couldn't determine immediately from which direction I'd come. Finally, floating off in what I hoped was the right path; I slowly made my way back.
The rogue vampires must have been killed already when I arrived; I didn't see any evidence of them but two humans were still alive when I floated inside the building. The ground-level floor was the place for questioning, it seemed; I could tell that compulsion had been laid already as I came back to solid form.
Merrill came to my side, wrapping me in a tight embrace, which surprised me a little. He kept me in the crook of his arm while we both listened in on the interrogations. Wlodek was asking questions while Gavin and Russell held the two humans.
"We wanted to expose both the vampires and werewolves and get rid of all of you," one of them hissed in anger. "You're an abomination. Filthy blood drinkers."
"And just how did you learn of our existence?" Wlodek asked in a conversational fashion, ignoring the insult.
"Tate, here, told us all about you," the young man said, indicating his companion. "You're devil spawn, straight from hell. I hope you all die." Wlodek never turned a hair or blinked, even. Likely, he'd heard all this before. Tate stood by, frowning at his companion, angry that they'd been forced to spill everything they knew. Dark-haired with a thin build, Tate couldn't be more than twenty, I figured. His companion looked a bit older, but his eyes were wild and filled with hate.
"Are you all right, Lissa?" Merrill whispered against my ear.
"Yeah, I just got disoriented when the guy blew himself up over the water," I whispered back. "I dropped him into the river and he exploded just above the surface." Merrill hugged me against him and we turned back to the conversation.
"So, Tate," Wlodek turned to the other young man, "How did you learn of us?"
"My father was a werewolf. He was killed when he made a challenge," the kid's voice was sullen. "I want all of you to die. Vampires and werewolves."
"Get Weldon Harper on the phone," Wlodek snapped at Flavio, who whipped out a cell phone and began punching numbers.
"Don't turn me over to them," Tate whined.
"We do not interfere with werewolf justice," Wlodek said indifferently, turning back to the first human. "Do you have connections to the werewolves? Are you related to any of them by blood?"
"No."
Wlodek nodded to Russell, who held him tightly with only one hand. The death was swift. I'm not sure I ever saw Russell move, but a broken neck is an effective way for a human to die. Russell allowed the body to fall while the one who'd been identified as Tate looked on in horror.
"Weldon is on the line, Honored One," Flavio held out the cell. Wlodek took it. "Weldon, we have a young man in custody who claims his father was a werewolf. He and some of his human friends attempted to destroy a few vampires tonight." Wlodek listened for a moment. He hadn't informed the Grand Master that he'd been one of the vampires threatened. "What's your full name, boy?" he asked instead, holding a hand over the phone.
"Tate Briggs," the kid said.
"Oh, lord," I put a hand over my mouth. Wlodek heard, whether I wanted him to or not. He lifted an eyebrow at me.
"I believe there's someone here who may have information for you," Wlodek said, motioning me forward.
The phone was held out to me. My fingers were shaking a little when I took it. Weldon thought I was dead. He was about to find out differently. "Grand Master?" I spoke into the phone.
Weldon, to his credit, barely hesitated and I'm sure he knew Wlodek was listening in on both sides of the conversation. "Lissa, I'm glad to hear your voice," Weldon said smoothly. Gavin was watching me while he held Tate Briggs.
"Grand Master, this young man says his name is Tate Briggs. Is this Lester's son?" I knew the answer before Weldon gave it to me; the kid drew in a shaky breath.
"Yes, it's Lester's son," Weldon growled. "Is the little bastard causing trouble?"
"You might say that," I confirmed. "He and a few friends took up a career in terrorism tonight."
"Are any of them still alive?"
"Just Tate. He's the only blood relative to a werewolf."
"Lissa, do something for me, all right?"
"I'll do my best, Grand Master."
"Look that punk in the eye; tell him you are Pack and that the Grand Master will come to deliver his justice in person."
"All right, Grand Master." Lowering the phone, I looked at Tate Briggs. He bore a resemblance to Lester—I could see it now. Plus, once I'd had a chance to get close enough to scent him, I knew. "The Grand Master says to tell you I am Pack," I said. "He also says to tell you that he is coming to deliver justice himself in your case. I want you to know, and this is from me only, that I helped fight off your father and his followers. There was no honor in your father and there is none in you. Your father would have condemned you if the peace had failed. I pity you and your short-sightedness." I held the phone back to my ear. "The message has been delivered, Grand Master."
"And then some," Weldon chuckled in my ear. "Let me talk to Wlodek again, so we can hammer out an execution date."
Dutifully I handed the phone back to Wlodek, who nodded at me and spoke again to Weldon. Merrill put his arm around me again when I returned to his side.
Russell and Radomir ended up taking custody of Tate Briggs. They placed cuffs and chains on him and hauled him off toward a waiting car. I wondered if he was going to be locked inside one of the cells I'd been kept in, but put it out of my mind.