Morrigan's Cross (Circle Trilogy 1)

“Cian, it’s been too long. Did you like my present, by the way? I didn’t have time to wrap him.”

“Taking credit for Lilith’s work? That’s just sad. And you should tell her she’ll pay dearly for it.”

“Tell her yourself. You and your humans have ten minutes to surrender.”

“Oh? All of ten?”

“In ten minutes, we’ll kill the first of these.” She grabbed one of the prisoners by the hair. “Pretty, isn’t she? Only sixteen. Old enough to know better than to go walking along dark roads.”

“Please.” The girl wept, and the blood on her neck showed that something had already tasted her. “Please, God.”

“They’re always calling for God.” With a laugh, Lora threw the girl facedown on the sodden grass. “He never comes. Ten minutes.”

“Close the door,” Blair said quietly from behind him. “Close it. Okay, give me a minute. One minute to think.”

“They’ll kill them regardless,” Cian pointed out. “Bait is all they are.”

“That’s not the issue,” Glenna snapped. “We have to do something.”

“We fight.” Larkin drew one of the swords they’d stocked in an umbrella stand near the door.

“Hold your water,” Blair ordered.

“We don’t surrender, not to the likes of them.”

“We fight,” Hoyt agreed. “But not on their terms. Glenna, the shackles.”

“Yes, I can work that. I’m sure I can.”

“We need more weapons from upstairs,” Hoyt began.

“I said hold it.” Blair grabbed his arm. “You’ve been in a couple of skirmishes with vampires. That doesn’t prepare you. We’re not just charging out there and getting cut down like meat. You can work the shackles?”

Glenna drew a breath. “Yes.”

“Good. Moira, you’re upstairs, bows. Cian, they’ve probably got guards around the house. Pick a door, start taking them out, quiet as you can manage. Hoyt’s with you.”

“Wait.”

“I know how to do this,” she told Glenna. “Are you ready to use that ax?”

“I guess we’ll find out.”

“Get it. You’re up with Moira. They’ll have archers too, and they see a hell of lot better in the dark than we do. Larkin, you and me, we’re going to create a diversion. Moira, you don’t start picking them off until you get the signal.”

“What signal?”

“You’ll know it. One more thing. Those three out there, they’re already gone. All we can do is make a statement. You have to accept that chances are slim to none when it comes to saving any of them.”

“We have to try,” Moira insisted.

“Yeah, well, that’s what we’re here for. Let’s go.”

“Is that one of your trick swords?” Cian asked Hoyt as they approached the east door.

“It is.”

“Then keep it well away from me.” He touched his finger to his lips, eased open the door. For a moment, there was no sound, no movement but the rain. Then Cian was out, a blur of dark in the dark.