Free Chosen by Blood by Virna Depaul Page A

causing Knox to narrow his eyes even as he suppressed the urge to laugh along with him. “Thomas,” he warned.
    With a sweet smile, Thomas patted Knox’s hand. “No worries, Papa. I shall leave Uncle Zeph in peace.” The “for now” in his promise was clear, but Knox didn’t call him on it. Instead, he hugged them closer and thought fondly of Noella. “Grandmother is feeling better today and would love to see you.” The children clapped their hands, thrilled with the idea of seeing their grandmother and, Knox was sure, getting a sweet treat— most likely caramels. “I also wanted to tell you that I’m going to be away for a while. I have important business to attend to, but I’ll be back when I can.”
    “ Are you going to see Aunt Felicia?”
    Knox frowned, but he couldn’t accuse Joelle of reading his mind or anyone else’s. Vamps didn’t begin to develop their powers until after puberty hit. “Why do you ask?”
    Joelle, the spitting image of Noella, shrugged. “You just got that look in your eye when you said ‘important.’”
    “You are certainly very observant,” Knox said, flicking the end of her nose. He looked up at Serena, who didn’t do a good job of hiding her disapproval. Because he’d interrupted their lesson? Or because of Felicia? Knox shrugged. If it was the first, she should know by now that when he wanted to see the kids, nothing else was more important. If it was the second? Serena had better make sure Knox never confirmed it was the second.
    He smiled at Joelle and Thomas. “It so happens I am going to see Aunt Felicia. And I’m hoping that sometime soon, I’ll be bringing her here to visit. Would you like that?”
    The children squealed, and he talked with them for a while longer before he encouraged them to get back to their lessons and be good for Serena. As he left, Knox realized he hadn’t qualified his statement about seeing Felicia. Obviously, he didn’t doubt he would be seeing her.
    Yes, she’d refuse the moment Mahone told her his demands. But Knox was counting on Mahone to persuade her otherwise. If he didn’t, Knox would.
    One way or another.
    FBI HEADQUARTERS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
    Three days after hearing about the antidote, Knox returned to Mahone’s office.
    Mahone gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “Thank you for coming. I’m hoping you’re ready to accept the Bureau’s offer?”
    Lips flattening, Knox remained standing. “ Assuming you’ve done what I’ve asked, then yes. But I am curious about one thing, Mahone. Something we failed to discuss the other day. Since vamps are the only race in danger of going extinct, exactly what are you using to entice the others?”
    Steepling his fingers on the desk, Mahone’s gaze didn’t waver. “We’ve offered you due consideration in exchange for your serving the United States government. What we’ve offered the others is irrelevant.”
    “Hope for my clan and the protection of my children are not what I view as consideration; they are absolute necessities. Plus, if I’m going to be leading these Others, then what motivates them is damn well my business. More so even than what would have motivated your scientists to sell the antidote they created in the first place.”
    “Money isn’t too difficult a concept to grasp,” Mahone drawled.
    “And as I told you before, it’s not just money, Mahone. Not if all five of the remaining scientists are involved. I need to read their minds. I need to know who and what we’re dealing with.”
    Knox threw out the assertion for kicks. He didn’t really expect Mahone to agree. To his surprise, Mahone hesitated.
    “Mahone?” Knox prompted, his tone suggesting that Mahone was a recalcitrant child trying to keep a secret.
    Mahone glared at Knox. “I told you it wasn’t about me. The President was concerned about you accessing more information than you should.”
    Not missing Mahone’s phrasing, Knox stepped closer. “And now?” Knox asked softly.
    “