Page 141 of You Only Love Twice
The queen whirled on him. "Perhaps you can explain to me how I was almost assassinated in my own damned throne room by one ofyouragents!"
He tugged the neural implant Ava had found during Jonathan Carlyle's autopsy out of his pocket and slammed it flat on the table.
"This is how they did it," he replied. "This neural implant was discovered in the brain of Jonathan Carlyle, the man we thought was the Chameleon. One of my top agents has spent the past day trying to discover what it does, but all she could say was that the device was inert. Probably made so the second Carlyle was murdered.
"However, I've managed to discover someone who does know what the neural implant is intended for. It uses complex bio-mechanics to fuse with a person's brain and override their impulses and wishes. Our enemy has discovered the means to circumvent a man’s—or woman's—true loyalty and turn them into a mindless killing automaton. The Chameleon was never one person. It's a code name passed from person to person. Project: Chameleon. The next Chameleon could be anyone." He tipped his head toward the queen. "It could be your dearest friend, the Lady Aramina. It could be a trusted housemaid, her intentions overridden by this bloody thing. It could be a guard who's spent thirty years in the service of your family. You'll never know. And you'll never see them coming, because they don't even seem to realize what's happened.
"From what I can gather from events, Baroness Schröder"—even saying her name hurt—"was turned against my cause. There was an incident a few days ago where the baroness and my agent, Gemma, were the subject of a kidnapping. The baroness managed to escape with a mild concussion, though knowing what I know now, I suspect she led Gemma into a trap. Gemma vanished for the period of twenty-four hours and managed to escape the warehouse where she was being held. She and I thought it strange how lightly guarded the facility was, but...." He paused, swallowing the lump in his throat.Always question the small things that don't add up. How had he forgotten? "There was no sign of any injury upon her. There wouldn't be, as she's a blue blood. Gemma could barely remember what happened. She was bludgeoned, hemlocked, and then kept drugged throughout the ordeal. Her head hurt her at first, but we thought it merely a side effect from being hit from behind. Now...."
He could barely say it.
His fists clenched.
"They must have operated on her while she was drugged, and implanted the neural implant. The craving virus healed all signs of it, and she 'escaped.' This was set up from the start. A threat against you meant I'd get involved. I'd bring in my top agents and surround you with them. Gemma's the first one I'd look to in order to save your life. Her skillset is the perfect match to guard you, no matter who they sent against you."
And she's the perfect one to try and take it too.
Someone knew him so well, he'd managed to predict every damned move Malloryn made.
You are what I made you, Auvry....
Silence lingered in the chamber, like the air surrounding a funeral procession.
"How do you know what this neural implant does?" Jasper Lynch, the Duke of Bleight mused, reaching for the device.
"Because I've spent the past several weeks trying to lure one of the enemy's agents to our side. Or should I say, Gemma has." He tilted his head toward the queen. "The agent who went after you goes by the name of Gemma Townsend. She has a history with one of thedhampirarrayed against us. He has cast his allegiance with me. If you sentence her to death, we lose Obsidian too, and the one real chance we have of striking our enemy a blow. He knows everything about our enemy's cause, but he's only just starting to open up. I've barely had a chance to question him."
The queen paced, her gold skirts sweeping behind her like the sails of a warship leaning into an abrupt turn. "You're skating on thin ice, Malloryn."
"Gemma Townsend? Why do I know that name?" said Rosalind Lynch, the Duchess of Bleight, who'd managed to earn a place on this council of her own means and not merely as adjutant to her husband.
"She's my right hand. A former Falcon I managed to seduce from Lord Balfour's side many, many years ago. She was just a girl when they sent her to assassinate me."
"And you trust a former Falcon?" The queen sounded shocked.
"One could say all of us sitting here at this table have trusted less reputable people," he replied.
Malloryn's right knee shook and suddenly gave, leaving him staggering against the back of his empty chair. Blade caught him, kicking the chair out as he managed to seat Malloryn within it.
"'Ere, princess. Take a seat." Blade started stripping out of his coat and tore his waistcoat off.
"Thank you." Malloryn pressed it to his chest. The room was swaying, but he simply couldn't afford to let himself faint.
Not without assuring Gemma's safety.
"You should be in a bloody bed." The queen's lips pressed tightly together as her gaze raked him from head to toe. "Where's the tower physician?"
"I will be," he ground out, locking eyes with her, "once I see to the safety of my queen. And my agents."
Gauntlet thrown.
Her eyes narrowed.
"How can we trust her?" the queen demanded. "How do you know that... thing in her head isn't going to transform her again."
"Obsidian assures me Gemma's neural implant is defunct. Electricity destroys the circuit." He suddenly felt so fucking weary, he barely had the strength to lift his head. "The problem is, I think you have to trust Gemma. And Obsidian. Because I've barely even begun to delve into the issues we're currently facing. Project: Chameleon is the tip of the iceberg. There's more. And it's worse."
"What could be worse than a device being used to take over people's free will?" Rosalind Lynch demanded.
