Read S.A. Price for Free Online Page B

preposterous. I don’t know one female snake that can partially change."
    Merrick sat back frowning, the ruse momentarily gone. This made sense; it was what he'd been missing. Though the thought of what that meant for his missing girls chilled him to the bone.
    "So what is the military angle? They’re using them to lift the girls? Storing them somewhere? And how would they get the link to Lamia? Surely they'll be figuring that it’s not working by now, no doubt they're changing tactics is why they're taking more and more." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "It certainly explains the torture on the recently found boys. They're searching for information... I need to know everything we have on the subject. Scripts, scrolls and the like... anything that they might have."
    He groaned, "Fuck if it’s humans they might even be researching from films."
    ~22~

    Olivia nodded. "Wick, my nephew is here at the University of Ohio and he’s been studying the exact subject for his doctorate."
    "Perfect," he smiled at her. "Then, with your permission Archon, I'd like to send somebody to pick it all up, maybe even to talk with your nephew. There could be some place or relevance for them."
    "Already taken care of. He’s the one that mentioned the possibility of the Lamia cult in the video conference we had. He can’t leave campus right now, but he’s sending everything over to the ranch’s server." she said, smiling.
    The possibility of another of Olivia's people here in a perfect position to strike at them irked slightly. "Good." Merrick smiled meeting her eyes.
    Kira nodded motioning for Merrick to sit back. "Then I'll arrange for our other to arrive in the morning."
    "I would expect nothing less, of any of you. Seeing as I am bending the rules of the meetings, I would expect you all to have someone else here helping with this issue. Wick should have the information here by early tomorrow morning, and I’m having one of our Diarkos flying in with other information from our vaults."
    Elise moved forward. "Beryl, my niece, is close as well, about an hour's drive. I’ll have her come.
    She might have some interest in this as well."
    "Really?" Ramona asked, "And what would that be?"
    "She’s an anthropologist with the Aberdeen campus of Ohio State, her main focus is the mythologies of Sumeria and Ancient Babylonia. Anything Wick sends to the server she can get on and confer with him over the video conference." Elise said smugly.
    "Ah... how good for her." Ramona sneered before turning to Kira. "Kira darling you must tell us all where it was that you dug up Merrick from. Last I heard he was dead and ducking for cover." She smiled snidely. "You were Archon when you met him, he came to you I take it?"
    "That’s a little close to the bone isn’t it?" Merrick growled upon hearing Elise's sharp intake of breath. "Of course I was ducking for cover. Over half the people in this room wanted me dead, yourself included. I had my reasons for going to ground just like I have my reasons for being present here."
    He saw Geraldine's eyes narrow from across the table; she was a sharp old bird he had to give her that. "Yes Merrick dear and one has to wonder just what those reasons are."
    "I'm merely concerned for the loss of my nest mates. I want them to be returned home safely..."
    He smiled simply.
    Elise narrowed her gaze at him and then looked away, clearly not buying his explanation. Olivia smirked. "Right. And you showing up at the back of a new and very young and beautiful Archon hopeful is just because no one else could be there? Yes, yes I believe that, don’t you Elise?"
    Elise looked over at Olivia and then over at everyone else, finally landing at Kira, but missing Merrick. "Actually, I don’t think Mr. Merrick's affairs are at issue here, and therefore I don’t care what the conversation entails. What is important is that we have nest mates missing and we need to find them and where they went. Everything else is of no consequence."