It poured through her, so fast, so hot, she cried out.
Dawn broke quietly while their passion raged.
“It’s the fire,” Glenna told him.
They were in the tower, sitting over coffee and scones. She had the door firmly locked, and had added a charm to make certain no one and nothing entered until she was finished.
“It’s exciting.” His eyes were still sleepy, his body relaxed.
Sex, Glenna thought, could work wonders. She was feeling pretty damn good herself.
“Wake-up sex agrees with you, but I’m not talking about that kind of fire. Or not exclusively. Fire’s a weapon, a big one, against what we’re fighting.”
“You killed one with it last night.” He poured more coffee. He was, he realized, developing quite a taste for it. “Effective, and quick, but also—”
“A little unpredictable, yes. If the aim’s off, or one of our own is too close—or steps or is shoved in the line, it would be extremely tragic. But…” She tapped her fingers against her cup. “We learn to control it, to channel it. That’s what we do, after all. Practice, practice. And more, we can use it to enhance the other weapons. The way you did last night, with the fire on the sword.”
“I’m sorry?”
“The fire on your sword when you clashed with Cian.” She lifted her eyebrows at his blank expression. “You didn’t call it, it just came. Passion—in that case anger. Passion, when we’re making love. A flame shot down your sword last night, just for an instant. A flaming sword.”
She pushed up from the table to pace around the room. “We haven’t been able to do anything about creating a protected zone aro
und the house.”
“We may yet find the way.”
“Tricky, since we have a vampire on the premises. We can’t set down a spell to repel vampires without repelling Cian. But yes, in time—if we have the time—we may find a way around that. In the meantime, the fire’s not only effective, it’s beautifully symbolic. And you bet your gorgeous ass, it’ll put the fear of the gods into the enemy.”
“Fire takes focus and concentration. A little difficult when you’re fighting for your life.”
“We’ll work on it until it isn’t so difficult. You wanted me to work more on magic, and in this case I’m willing. It’s time to make ourselves a serious arsenal.”
She came back, sat on the table. “When it’s time to take this war to Geall, we’re going loaded.”
She spent the day at it, with him and without him. She buried herself in her own books, and the ones she dragged up from Cian’s library.
When the sun set, she lit candles for work light and ignored Cian’s banging on the door. She closed her ears to his curses, and his shouts that it was bloody well time for training.
She was training.
And she’d come out when she was damn good and ready.
The woman was young, and fresh. And very, very alone.
Lora watched from the shadows, gleefully pleased with her luck. To think she’d been annoyed when Lilith had sent her out with a trio of foot soldiers on a simple scouting mission. She’d wanted to hit one of the outlying pubs, have some fun, have a feast. How long did Lilith expect them to keep to the caves, lying low, picking off the occasional tourist?
The most fun she’d had in weeks had been smacking that witch around, and stealing the black man right from under the noses of that tedious, holy brigade.
She wished they could have based somewhere, anywhere but in this dreary place. Somewhere like Paris or Prague. Somewhere so full of people she could pluck them like plums. Somewhere full of sound and heartbeats, and the smell of flesh.
She would swear there were more cows and sheep than people in this stupid country.
It was boring.
But now, there was this interesting possibility.
So pretty. So unfortunate.