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pocket and I pulled it out to check the caller ID. Expecting
     Avalon, I was more than surprised to find Talbott calling me. He was with Avalon right
     now, but soon they were supposed to part ways. Avalon would return to the castle and
     Talbott would stay with Gabriel.
    Those two men were the most motivated Immortals on Earth at this point; Talbott to
     save his future-bride after she was kidnapped from Omaha last fall at their engagement
     party, while he lay unconscious on the floor, helpless to save her; and Gabriel to
     rescue his life-long best friend, Silas, who was taken from the same gathering.
    The thought made dangerous anger rise in my throat like bile. I would find Terletov
     if they couldn’t. I would hunt him down and kill him with my bare hands.
    “Hello?”
    “Jericho?” Talbott asked. He sounded different- like a hollow version of himself.
     Even without being able to see him, even after hearing only my own name I could tell
     he was haggard and exhausted by grief. His Romanian accent was thick and dragging,
     like it was too much work for him to try speaking English coherently. This was not
     the Talbott I knew, the Talbott that greeted me with a smile and laughter only months
     ago.
    “Yes, what is it, Talbott?” My concern was rising with every second that ticked by.
    Kiran turned after hearing his bodyguard’s name and followed me to a remote corner
     of the ballroom.
    “Avalon is headed back now. We ran into more conflict near the Paraguay border. He’s
     bringing Amelia home. I think he plans to stay with her.” His voice was devoid of
     emotion- even for Talbott’s standards. He recited facts like he was reading an encyclopedia.
     I felt frustrated by my inability to say something comforting. But at this point,
     I couldn’t even think of something reassuring to bullshit to him. It was probably
     best to ignore the entire sentiment.
    “Good, he belongs here,” I answered, hoping that meant I didn’t.
    “He should be there tomorrow afternoon.”
    “The Paraguay border?” I asked. There was an itch on the back of my neck, under my
     skin and out of reach. That was familiar to me. Too familiar.
    “We followed a lead back to Peru, through Bolivia.”
    “Did you find anything?”
    “Nothing but dead bodies and empty facilities,” Talbott sighed.
    “How many?” My heart stopped moving in my chest, completely turned to stone by dread.
    “At least a hundred and fifty.” Talbott sounded like he was choking on the words.
     “Not all Immortals.”
    The blood drained rapidly from my face, I felt it flow from my brain to my toes in
     a rapid rush of panic, “More humans?”
    “A lot more humans.”
    “What the hell, Talbott?” I bit out. My vision was washed in red, my hands shaking
     with barely controlled rage.
    “We’re hunting a ghost, Jericho.” His voice was muffled for a moment and I imagined
     him running a hand over his face in frustration. “There is nothing but a trail of
     his victims. We’re stuck chasing him while he moves three steps ahead of us.”
    “And Lilly?” I asked because I couldn’t help myself, even though I felt like the worst
     kind of bastard for bringing her up.
    There was silence for a long time, so much so that my head started to hurt from the
     pressurized force of it.
    Finally, on the end of a drawn out breath he whispered, “Nothing.”
    “But no bad news?”
    “Just….. nothing.”
    The silence came from my end now. I should have known better than to bring her up.
     But I had hope for her. The girl had been through much- too much. She knew how to
     survive. She’d been surviving her entire life. And hopefully she had Silas.
    “I’ll check back tomorrow, when I expect Avalon to arrive,” Talbott said with finality.
    I quickly thought over the points of our conversation, just to make sure I got everything
     and all my questions were answered when a thought- an out of place, impossible, horrifying
     thought- popped into my