“Or do they let me take care of myself?” Glenna gripped the chain around her neck, swung the cross back toward Cian’s face.
He released her, vaulted clear to the ceiling. He clung there a moment, a dangerous fly, then dropped lightly to his feet.
“Not bad. And still, the four of you have yet to put me down. And if I were to—” There was a burst of lightning as his hand shot out, snatched the flying stake an inch from his own heart. The end was honed to a killing point.
“We’d call that cheating,” he said mildly.
“Back away from him.”
They turned to see the woman step through the terrace doors as another flash of lightning ripped the sky behind her. She was slim in a black leather coat that hit her at the knees. Her dark hair was cut short, showcasing a high forehead and enormous eyes of vivid blue.
She dumped the large sack she carried on the floor, and with another stake in one hand, a two-edged knife in the other, she moved farther into the light.
“Who the hell are you?” Larkin demanded.
/> “Murphy. Blair Murphy. And I’ll be saving your lives tonight. How the hell’d you let one of them in the house?”
“It happens I own it,” Cian told her. “This is my place.”
“Nice. Your heirs should be celebrating really soon. I said keep back from him,” she snapped as both Larkin and Hoyt moved in front of Cian.
“I’d be his heir, as this is my brother.”
“He’s one of us,” Larkin said.
“No. He’s really not.”
“But he is.” Moira held up her hands to show they were empty, and moved slowly toward the intruder. “We can’t let you hurt him.”
“Looked to me like you were doing a piss-poor job of trying to hurt him when I came in.”
“We were training. He’s chosen to help us.”
“A vampire helping humans?” Those big eyes narrowed in interest, and what might have been humor. “Well, there’s always something new.” Slowly Blair lowered the stake.
Cian pushed his shields aside. “What are you doing here? How did you come here?”
“How? Aer Lingus. What? Killing as many of your kind as I can manage. Present company, temporarily, excluded.”
“How do you know about his kind?” Larkin asked her.
“Long story.” She paused to scan the room, eyebrows lifting thoughtfully at the stockpile of weapons. “Nice stash. There’s something about a battle-ax that warms my heart.”
“Morrigan. Morrigan said she’d come with the lightning.” Glenna touched a hand to Hoyt’s arm, then walked to Blair. “Morrigan sent you.”
“She said there’d be five. She didn’t mention any undead in the crew.” After a moment, she sheathed the knife, tucked the stake into her belt. “But that’s a god for you. Just gotta be cryptic. Look, it’s been a long trip.” She picked up her bag, slung the strap over her shoulder. “Got anything to eat around here?”
Chapter 19
“We have a lot of questions.”
Blair nodded at Glenna as she sampled stew. “Bet you do, and right back at you. This is good.” She took another spoonful. “Thanks, and compliments to the chef and all that.”
“You’re welcome. I’m going to start, if that’s okay.” Glenna scanned the faces of the rest of the group. “Where did you come from?”
“Lately? Chicago.”
“The Chicago in the here and now?”