Changeling Dark Moon Page 24

  ‘I have family, Lucien!’ Trey shook his head in disbelief. ‘I thought that I had lost everyone and everything and it turns out that I have an uncle somewhere out there.’ He looked down at Lucien. ‘And I think that you know where he is, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes, I know where your uncle is. And if you would like to meet him, I’d be happy to arrange for …’

  ‘No, Lucien,’ Trey said, unable to keep the anger from his voice. ‘All I want from you is for you to tell me where he is and how I can go about finding him. I have my own money. I’ll make my own arrangements to meet him, thank you.’

  Lucien looked at the boy. He started to say something, but stopped, deciding that now was not the right time. He reached into a drawer by the side of his desk and removed a sheet of paper, took his pen and wrote down an address, folding the paper in half before handing it across the table to the teenager standing on the other side.

  ‘That is the address where your uncle lives. It is in Canada. If you need any help with your plans, you only have to ask.’

  Trey looked down at the piece of paper in his hands before nodding a surly thanks. He picked up the photograph and his father’s journal, and made his way to the door.

  ‘Trey,’ Lucien said as the teenager was about to go, ‘I really would welcome the opportunity of talking with you before you go. There are things that you need to know about your uncle and the LG78. Things that could spell great danger for you if you leave without first hearing about them. In addition, I would like to ask a favour of you.’ He waited, but, when the boy chose not to respond, carried on anyway. ‘I’d ask that you do not leave right away. I’d like you to be around here for a while. We have an awful lot to catch up on, Trey.’

  Trey looked at Lucien and nodded. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘We’ll talk before I leave.’

  Lucien watched as the boy left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He sighed and picked up the phone, asking for Tom to come in and join him as soon as he was free. He replaced the receiver and considered everything that had just been said. There was no stopping the boy. He would want to meet his uncle and find out what he was like and what they had in common. It was natural.

  He had not wanted the boy to find out like this. He had wanted to be the one to tell Trey about his uncle and about his group. He had won the boy’s trust and now that trust had been destroyed. There were things Trey needed to know about his uncle, things that he had done to Trey’s father. The uncle was poison, and the pack that called itself the LG78 could spell terrible danger for the teenager. A danger that might destroy him forever.

  To be continued …

  My heartfelt thanks to all the people who have helped me to make this book possible. I’d especially like to thank:

  Peter Ryder of the MRPC for his help with information on rifle clubs and shooting. Any errors and misinformation on these matters are entirely down to me.

  Phil Towser for his help with all things medical. I shall no doubt continue to pester you for future books, Phil.

  Catherine Pellegrino and Claire Wilson at RCW for all their hard work and help. When the going gets tough, I go to my agent.

  The wonderful people at Macmillan who work so hard to make the whole ‘publishing thing’ as painless as possible. In particular, I’d like to thank Rebecca McNally, who continues to put up with me and my ultra-competitive nature, and whose insight and wisdom made this book the best it can be; Talya Baker, for her attention to detail so that I don’t look completely bungling; and Dom Kingston for his enthusiasm in dealing with an utter scatterhead like me.

  Finally, I’d like to thank the stars in my sky: Zoe, Hope and Kyran – you are everything to me. And to all my family for their love and support and belief; I am so lucky to have you all in my universe.

  From werewolves to djinn, vampires to Necrotrophs, all kinds of Netherworld creatures feature in the Changeling novels, but which one are you most like? Answer each question, add up the points, then find out which nethercreature you might be …

  1. If you could have one special power, what would it be?

  a) Supernatural senses of sight, hearing and smell. 3 points

  b) Immense strength and muscularity. 2 points

  c) Everlasting youth – I want my great looks to last. 4 points

  d) Incredible speed. 1 point

  2. You have to face an enemy. What is your greatest weapon?

  a) My intellect (and my fangs). 4 points

  b) Surprise (there’s nothing like an ambush). 1 point

  c) Brute strength. 2 points

  d) Awesome (but controlled) aggression. 3 points

  3. It’s Friday night and your best friend has offered to cook you dinner – what would be the worst food they could serve you?

  a) Salad – vegetables? Yuck! 3 points

  b) Garlic bread. 4 points

  c) Roast dinner – I can’t bear to wait for my food. 1 point

  d) Anything small and delicate – I’ve got to keep my strength up. 2 points

  4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

  a) The Canadian wilderness – I’m an outdoorsy type. 3 points

  b) Up near the Arctic Circle – those long, long nights. I’d need company though. 4 points

  c) Tokyo – for the frenetic hustle and bustle. 1 point

  d) Los Angeles – preferably near Muscle Beach. 2 points

  5. What is your favourite film?

  a) Hulk. 2 points

  b) Twilight. 4 points

  c) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. 3 points

  d) Speed. 1 point

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Begin reading

  Half-title page

  Title page

  Copyright page

  Contents

  Dedication page

  Acknowledgements

  Epilogue

  Which nethercreature are you?