“What are you going to do in the meantime?” She didn’t seem all that interested. In fact, it sounded as if she was trying to pick a fight.

Max wouldn’t give her one. “I’m going to start going through Nathan’s books, and try to figure out what’s happening with him. And if the possession has anything to do with what the Soul Eater has going on.”

“The Soul Eater?” She spoke his name with the requisite awe all Movement assassins who hadn’t tangled with the man himself displayed. “Does your friend have ties to the Soul Eater?”

Max pushed back a book on medicinal herbs. “Uh, yeah. Nathan is his fledgling. Don’t you guys do research over there anymore?”

“I do not question. They gave me a kill order and the instructions to complete it immediately.” She at least sounded a little ashamed at having missed that particular detail.

“Well, if you’d bothered to ask me, rather than shoot on sight, I could have filled you in. The Soul Eater is trying to become a god, and we’re thinking that has something to do with the fact that his son has just returned from the dead and his fledgling has gone schizo.” Max waited a minute for his words to sink in before adding, “Now don’t you feel foolish for trying to kill me?”

“Does the Movement know what is happening?”

“Not that I know of. They had us on the plane before we could figure it out ourselves. The Oracle told Carrie.” Another book on herbs. Either Nathan was a total pothead or he really put a lot of faith into the whole New Age thing.

“The Oracle?” Bella’s voice was small, almost frightened.

Turning to her, Max hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Here’s the deal. You help me find Nathan, I’ll trust you not to run. If we find him and we can figure out a way to cure him of whatever this thing is, you leave him alone. If it turns out he’s past the point of no return, you can stake him and take the credit back to Breton. I’ll even forfeit my pay on this one.”

She considered for a moment, and Max continued. “What’s the worst that could happen? You don’t get to kill him. But there are plenty of other vampires out there to kill. And I’ll consider it a personal favor.”

She raised a hand to shut him up. “I will help you find your possessed friend and I will not kill him when we do. At least, not until we are sure there is no hope for him.”

“That,” Max said, a new, grim determination gripping him, “is the only smart thing you’ve said since we met.”