Exuding confidence and satisfaction, Walter sat, taking the couch opposite me and mirroring me almost exactly. Clearly the Were wasn’t going to break the silence, so I would. It would cost me points in this inane game, but I wanted to see the end of it before the sun went nova. “I don’t give a damn about your artifact,” I said, voice soft so it wouldn’t shake like my hands were threatening to. “And as far as I know, Trent doesn’t either. I don’t work for him. Intentionally. I’m here for Nick. Now…” I took a slow breath. “…are you going to give him to me, or am I going to have to hurt a few people and take him?”

Instead of laughing, Walter’s brow furrowed and he sucked on his teeth. “Kalamack doesn’t know,” he said flatly, making it a statement, not a question. “Why are you here? Why do you care what happens to Sparagmos?”

I pulled my arms from the couch, putting one hand on my hip and the other gesturing in exasperation. “You know, I asked myself that same question just this morning.”

A smile came over the Were, and he glanced to a decorative mirror, presumably two-way. “A rescue of the heart?” he said, and I warmed at the mockery in his voice. “You love him, and he thinks you’re dead. Oh, that’s classic. But it’s stupid enough to be the truth.”

I said nothing, gritting my teeth. Jenks shifted closer, and the sentries adjusted the grip on their weapons.

“Pam?” Walter called, and I wasn’t surprised when a diminutive woman entered, arms swinging confidently, an amulet dangling from her fingers. She was dressed in lightweight cotton capri pants and a matching blouse, her long black hair coming to her mid-back. Defined eyebrows, thick pouty lips, and a delicate facial bone structure gave me the impression of a china doll. A very athletic china doll, I amended when she pointedly dropped the amulet on the coffee table in accusation.

Truth charm, I guessed by the notches on the rim, and I pulled my gaze away from the clatter of it hitting the table. Weres used witch magic more than vamps, and I wondered if it was because they needed the boost of power more than the vamps, or if it was that vamps were so sure of their superiority they felt they didn’t need witch magic to compete with the rest of Inderland.

“She’s not lying,” the woman said, giving me a quick smile that was neither warm nor welcoming. “About anything.”

Walter sighed as if it was bad news. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said softly.

Damn. I looked at Jenks. His eyes were wide and he looked anxious. He had heard it too. Something had shifted. Double damn.

Six more men came in and Walter stood, curving his arm familiarly about Pam’s waist and tugging her closer. “Pit them,” he said, sounding regretful, and Jenks stiffened. “I want to know if anyone is coming after her.” He smiled at Pam. “Try not to do anything that can’t be undone? We may have to give them back to whoever backed her in this. She many not belong to Kalamack, but she belongs to someone.”