Jordan pulled out a seat and sat beside me. “Explain.”
“These men lived several centuries ago, but that mine was only bought a hundred or so years ago according to Johannes.”
Silence so loud it was deafening echoed around me.
“Fuck,” Jordan growled, his fingers grasping the edge of the table.
“What?” My brow furrowed because he was confusing me.
His eyes closed and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Someone translated this before us.”
“Someone has already claimed whatever it was that was hidden so long ago,” Ash said from the other end of the phone.
“So?” They were confusing me more and more.
“The prize was supposed to allow the person to rule the Council,” Jordan replied. “It was believed that it would grant them ultimate power.”
“Is that why you three wanted it?” I asked.
Ash laughed. “Fuck no! I want to keep it out of Dad’s grimy hands. If he wanted it, then it was my job to keep it from him.”
I looked at Jordan, who grinned and nodded his head in confirmation.
“So, what happens now that no one has claimed this treasure?” I queried.
“It means that it isn’t what we think,” Jordan replied. “If it doesn’t wield control of the Council, then I’m not sure what it is and why someone marked that mine with this language.”
“Someone’s fucking with us,” Xavier muttered.
“Looks like it,” Ash agreed. “Someone seems to have a greater death wish against the Council than Jay does.”
Jordan snorted. “They don’t seem to be doing much about it.”
I returned to staring at it. “That symbol is the same as this one if you turn it on its side.” I pointed at the two, turning one of the pieces of paper around to prove my point.
“The only symbols we can orientate are the ones on the wall,” Xavier said. “I doubt anyone stood on their head to carve it into the wall. The rest are movable items.”
An image of an evil villain hanging upside down in that cavern like a bat flitted through my head. I doubted anyone stood on their head, but my idea of a vampire criminal definitely possessed merit, and who didn’t love a sexy vampire in a story?
“Ash, ask Caleb to run all these through his databases and see what he comes up with. Right now, none of this sits well with me,” Jordan said. “Someone out there is one step ahead of us and that gives me the creeps.”
“I’ll message him when I get off this call. I think maybe Zee’s right and we need to lock everyone down in the one location where we can up our protection levels.” Ash sounded as if he’d aged fifty years in our absence.
“Okay, when we get home, I’ll pack our stuff. I need to see Grampa, but we can call in to see him on the way to Zee’s.” Jordan slowly brought his gaze up from the puzzle on the table to meet mine. “At least this way, if something happens to me, the guys will be there to protect you. I’ll speak to you all later.”
Jordan reached over and crumpled the pieces of paper. “Go get ready. This is our last night here, let’s go and enjoy it.”
A shiver rippled down my spine and settled in my core to set a pulse beating between my legs. The thought of tonight was enough to make moisture gather in my panties.
We’d been trying different places Johannes suggested that weren’t tourist traps. This club was by invitation only, but Jordan was a co-owner of Twilight and that opened doors that even money couldn’t bribe.
One last night of passion before we returned to the real world and all the problems that it possessed. One night to lose myself in his arms. We met in a world dedicated to sex and seduction, and once again found ourselves embarking on that adventure.
***
Chapter Twenty-One
Megan