Morrigan's Cross (Circle Trilogy 1)

A smile tugged at Blair’s wide mouth. She reached for the hunk of bread Glenna had set out, ripped it in two with nails painted a deep candy pink. “That’s the one. In the heartland, Planet Earth. You?”

“New York. This is Moira, and her cousin Larkin. They’re from Geall.”

“Get out.” Blair studied them as she ate. “I always figured that for a myth.”

“You don’t seem particularly surprised it’s not.”

“Nothing much surprises me, less now after the visit from the goddess. Heavy stuff.”

“This is Hoyt. He’s a sorcerer from Ireland. Twelfth-century Ireland.”

Blair watched as Glenna reached behind her for Hoyt’s hand, the way their fingers smoothly intertwined. “You two paired up?”

“You could say that.”

Now she lifted her wine, took a small sip. “That’s taking going for older men to a new level, but who could blame you?”

“Your host is his brother, Cian, who was made a vampire.”

“Twelfth century?” Blair leaned back, took a good, long look at him, with all the interest but none of the amusement she’d shown when studying Hoyt. “You’ve got nearly a thousand years? I’ve never met a vamp who lasted that long. The oldest I ever came across was a couple decades shy of five hundred.”

“Clean living,” Cian said.

“Yeah, that’ll be the day.”

“He doesn’t drink humans.” Since it was there, Larkin got another bowl, spooned up stew for himself. “He fights with us. We’re an army.”

“An army? Talk about delusions of grandeur. What are you?” she asked Glenna.

“Witch.”

“So, we’ve got a witch, a sorcerer, a couple of refugees from Geall and a vampire. Some army.”

“A powerful witch.” Hoyt spoke for the first time. “A scholar of remarkable skill and courage, a shape-shifter, and a centuries-old vampyre who was made by the reining queen.”

“Lilith?” Now Blair set down her spoon. “She made you?”

Cian leaned back against the counter, crossed his ankles. “I was young and foolish.”

“And had really bad luck.”

“What are you?” Larkin demanded.

“Me? Demon hunter.” She picked up her spoon to resume eating. “I’ve spent most of my life tracking and dusting his kind.”

Glenna angled her head. “What, like Buffy?”

With a laugh, Blair swallowed stew. “No. First, I’m not the only, just the best.”

“There are more of you.” At that point, Larkin decided he could use some wine as well.

“It’s a family thing, has been for centuries. Not all of us, but every generation one or two more of us. My father’s one, and my aunt. His uncle was—and like that. I have two cousins on the job now. We fight the fight.”

“And Morrigan sent you here,” Glenna put in. “Only you.”

“I’d have to say yes, since I’m the only one here. Okay, so the last couple of weeks, things have been weird. More undead activity than usual, like they’re getting some brass ones. And I’m having these dreams. Portentous dreams go with the package, but I’m having them every time I close my eyes. And sometimes when I’m wide awake. Disturbing.”

“Lilith?” Glenna asked.