“Your grand wizards underestimated me, Cronin,” Alexander answered, and in the answer Maximilian heard the warning: he would be stupid to do the same thing.
“How are you here, my lord?” Centuries ago, Alexander had been a peer of the realm, an English duke as well as a French count, if he remembered correctly, and immortal and mortal alike had addressed him as such. He wasn’t dressed the part of nobility at the moment, with his cream-colored slacks, white button-down shirt and bare feet, but the man still held himself as regally as any king.
“That is insignificant,” was the easy response. “It seems we have a common goal.”
Immediately, Maximilian’s ears perked up. “The resurrection of the druids?”
Alexander nodded. “Why?”
“I don’t understand, my—”
“Why are you doing this? What motivates you, Cronin?”
Maximilian purposely blanked his mind. It wouldn’t do well to have Alexander Petraeus know everything about his plan. If the druid did, he might not be allowed to leave the dream world alive.
“My people have suffered just as much as yours, my—”
Alexander snorted and returned, “Your people do not know the meaning of suffering.”
Maximilian said nothing, simply watched as the druid turned those pale eyes on him. They were still as unnerving as they had been centuries ago. Pale green. It would be easy to think he was blind, but for the fixedness of his stare.
“We will help one another,” Alexander finally said after a long time. “I need my people resurrected and you have a burning wish to have your immortality reinstated.”
Maximilian nodded slowly. “Yes, the immortality of my people.”
Looking at the druid, with his silken blond hair and perfect youthful features, only made Maximilian hunger more for immortality. Petraeus was centuries older than him, and he still looked like a young man in his late twenties, while Maximilian appeared as if he was going in to get hip surgery at any moment. There had been a time when he’d considered knee surgery, but that was beneath him! To go under the knife for something so distinctly human.
“How do you intend to resurrect the druids?” Alexander asked, almost as an afterthought.
“There are two girls, druids, whom I would use to open the portal, my lord.”
Alexander nodded. “And do you know where these girls are?”
His thoughts went back to the human, Drew, who hadn’t told him anything yet. It had only been a day, but humans were frightened little creatures who usually spoke at their first opportunity, in order to avoid pain. The girl hadn’t. He’d left his two specialty trackers with her from the moment of her arrival yesterday, hoping she would have given up at least one location, but she was either incredibly strong-willed or did not know. He’d been contemplating allowing his trackers to go into her mind and retrieve the information, but to do so would either kill her or send her into a coma, and if either of those two were to happen, she would be of no other use to him.
“Not yet, my lord. I suspect Vivienne resides at Cedar Creek with Conall Athelwulf’s pack.”
When Alexander’s brows drew together, Maximilian filled him in. “Athelwulf seems to think she is his mate.”
Nodding, Alexander waited for him to continue. “It would be difficult to extract Vivienne from the Cedar Creek pack, so I’ve been searching for the other one.”
“Have you found her?”
“No. Her mother has safe houses scattered across the continents. She could be at any one of them.”
“She’s in New York,” Alexander finally said, and Cronin wondered if he was here to tell him exactly where the druids were. Of course he was. He wanted his people resurrected almost as badly as Maximilian wanted his immortality back. “Her mother has a safe house in Brooklyn.”
“The address, my lord?” Maximilian asked carefully, and Alexander leveled him with an all-seeing stare before he repeated an address.
“You understand that a sacrifice must be made to reopen the portal.”
“Yes, my lord. One of the girls—”
“No.” Alexander’s reply was instant. “Another sacrifice. Perhaps one of your grand wizards.”
Maximilian frowned but then he remembered Wilhem. It was the perfect way to utilize the upstart’s powers.
“And Maximilian?”
“Yes, my lord?”
“Do not fail me.”
The grand wizard bowed, knowing the conversation was over. Alexander faded into the white background, and Maximilian soon woke. He grabbed a pad and pen on the end table near him and jotted down the address Alexander had given him. Everything was falling into place. He knew where one of the druids was, and with her in his possession, he imagined it wouldn’t be long until he had the other.