Dance of the Gods
Page 5
“You’re training hard.” Blair flipped the bread. “You need the fuel, the carbs. If you put on a few pounds, I can guarantee it’s going to be pure muscle.”
“Blair.” Glenna glanced toward the doorway to ensure Hoyt hadn’t started in yet. “You’ve got more experience with this than any of us. Just between you and me, for now, anyway, how did we do last night?”
“We lived,” Blair said flatly. She continued to cook, sliding fried bread onto a plate, dunking more. “That’s bottom line.”
“But—”
“Glenna, I’ll tell you straight.” Blair turned, leaning back on the counter for a moment while bread sizzled and scented the air. “I’ve never been in anything like that before.”
“But you’ve been doing this—hunting them—for years.”
“That’s right. And I’ve never seen so many of them in one place at one time, never seen them organized that way.”
Glenna let out a quiet breath. “That can’t be good news.”
“Good or bad, it’s fact. It’s not—never been in my experience—the nature of the beast to live, work, fight in large groups. I contacted my aunt, and she says the same. They’re killers, and they might travel, hunt, even live together in packs. Small packs, and there might be an alpha, male or female. But not like this.”
“Not like an army,” Glenna murmured.
“No. And what we saw last night was a squad—a small slice of an army. The thing is, they’re willing to die for her, for Lilith. And that’s powerful stuff.”
“Okay. Okay,” Glenna said as she set the table. “That’s what I get for saying I wanted it straight.”
“Hey, buck up. We lived, remember? That’s a victory.”
“Good morning to you,” Hoyt said to Blair as he came in. Then his gaze went straight to Glenna.
They shared coloring, Blair thought, she and her however-many-times great-uncle. She, the sorcerer and his twin brother, the vampire, shared coloring, and ancestry, and now this mission, she supposed.
Fate was certainly a twisty bastard.
“You two sure have the glow on,” she said when Glenna lifted her face to meet Hoyt’s lips. “Practically need my shades.”
“They shield the eyes from the sun, and are a sexy fashion statement,” Hoyt returned and made her laugh.
“Have a seat.” She turned off the music, then brought the heaping platter to the table. “I made enough for an army, seeing as that’s what we are.”
“It looks a fine feast. Thank you.”
“Just doing my share, unlike some of us who’re a little more slippery.” She met Larkin’s perfectly timed appearance with a shake of her head. “Right on time.”
His expression was both innocent and affable. “Is it ready then? It took me a bit longer to get back as I stopped to tell Moira there was food being cooked. And a welcome sight it is.”
“You look, you eat.” Blair slapped four slices of French toast on a plate for him. “And you and your cousin do the dishes.”
Chapter 2
M aybe it was the post-battle itches, but Blair couldn’t settle. After another session with Glenna, everyone’s injuries were well on the mend, so they could train. They should train, she told herself. Maybe the sweat and effort would work off the restlessness.
But she had another idea.
“I think we should go out.”
“Out?” Glenna checked her chart of household duties and noted—God help them—Hoyt was next up on laundry detail. “Are we low on something?”
“I don’t know.” Blair scanned the charts posted prominently on the refrigerator. “You seem to have the supply and duty lists under control—Quartermaster Ward.”
“Mmm, Quartermaster.” Glenna sent Blair a twinkling look. “I like it. Can I get a badge?”
“I’ll see what I can do. But when I say we should go out, I’m thinking more a little scouting expedition than a supply run. We should go check out Lilith’s base of operations.”
“Now there’s a fine idea.” Larkin turned from the sink, where soap dripped from his hands, and he was not at all happy. “Give her a bit of a surprise for a change.”
“Attack Lilith?” Moira stopped loading the dishwasher. “Today?”
“I didn’t say attack. Throttle back,” Blair advised Larkin. “We’re outnumbered by a long shot, and I don’t think the locals would understand a bloodbath in broad daylight. But the daylight’s the key here.”
“Go south to Chiarrai,” Hoyt said quietly. “To the cliffs and caves, while we have the sun.”
“There you go. They can’t come out. Nothing they can do about us poking around, taking a look. And it’d be a nice follow-up to routing them last night.”
“Psychological warfare.” Glenna nodded. “Yes, I see.”
“That,” Blair agreed, “and maybe we gather some intel. We see what we see, we map out various routes going and coming. And we make a point of letting her know we’re there. Or were there.”
“If we could lure some of them out. Or go in just far enough to give them some trouble. Fire,” Larkin said. “There should be a way to set a fire in the caves.”
“Not altogether a bad idea.” Blair thought it over. “Bitch could use a good spanking. We’ll go prepared for that, and armed. But we go quiet and careful. We don’t want some tourist or local calling the cops—then having to explain why we’ve got a van loaded with weapons.”
“Leave the fire to me and to Glenna.” Hoyt pushed to his feet.
“Why?”
In answer, Glenna held out her hand. A ball of flame shimmered in her cupped palm.
“Pretty,” Blair decided.
“And Cian?” Moira continued to deal with the dishes. “He wouldn’t be able to leave the house.”
“Then he stays back,” Blair said flatly. “Larkin, if you’re done there, let’s go load up some weapons.”
“We have some things in the tower that might be useful.” Glenna brushed her fingers over Hoyt’s arm. “Hoyt?”
“We can’t just leave him without letting him know what we’re about.”
“Blair.” Glenna glanced toward the doorway to ensure Hoyt hadn’t started in yet. “You’ve got more experience with this than any of us. Just between you and me, for now, anyway, how did we do last night?”
“We lived,” Blair said flatly. She continued to cook, sliding fried bread onto a plate, dunking more. “That’s bottom line.”
“But—”
“Glenna, I’ll tell you straight.” Blair turned, leaning back on the counter for a moment while bread sizzled and scented the air. “I’ve never been in anything like that before.”
“But you’ve been doing this—hunting them—for years.”
“That’s right. And I’ve never seen so many of them in one place at one time, never seen them organized that way.”
Glenna let out a quiet breath. “That can’t be good news.”
“Good or bad, it’s fact. It’s not—never been in my experience—the nature of the beast to live, work, fight in large groups. I contacted my aunt, and she says the same. They’re killers, and they might travel, hunt, even live together in packs. Small packs, and there might be an alpha, male or female. But not like this.”
“Not like an army,” Glenna murmured.
“No. And what we saw last night was a squad—a small slice of an army. The thing is, they’re willing to die for her, for Lilith. And that’s powerful stuff.”
“Okay. Okay,” Glenna said as she set the table. “That’s what I get for saying I wanted it straight.”
“Hey, buck up. We lived, remember? That’s a victory.”
“Good morning to you,” Hoyt said to Blair as he came in. Then his gaze went straight to Glenna.
They shared coloring, Blair thought, she and her however-many-times great-uncle. She, the sorcerer and his twin brother, the vampire, shared coloring, and ancestry, and now this mission, she supposed.
Fate was certainly a twisty bastard.
“You two sure have the glow on,” she said when Glenna lifted her face to meet Hoyt’s lips. “Practically need my shades.”
“They shield the eyes from the sun, and are a sexy fashion statement,” Hoyt returned and made her laugh.
“Have a seat.” She turned off the music, then brought the heaping platter to the table. “I made enough for an army, seeing as that’s what we are.”
“It looks a fine feast. Thank you.”
“Just doing my share, unlike some of us who’re a little more slippery.” She met Larkin’s perfectly timed appearance with a shake of her head. “Right on time.”
His expression was both innocent and affable. “Is it ready then? It took me a bit longer to get back as I stopped to tell Moira there was food being cooked. And a welcome sight it is.”
“You look, you eat.” Blair slapped four slices of French toast on a plate for him. “And you and your cousin do the dishes.”
Chapter 2
M aybe it was the post-battle itches, but Blair couldn’t settle. After another session with Glenna, everyone’s injuries were well on the mend, so they could train. They should train, she told herself. Maybe the sweat and effort would work off the restlessness.
But she had another idea.
“I think we should go out.”
“Out?” Glenna checked her chart of household duties and noted—God help them—Hoyt was next up on laundry detail. “Are we low on something?”
“I don’t know.” Blair scanned the charts posted prominently on the refrigerator. “You seem to have the supply and duty lists under control—Quartermaster Ward.”
“Mmm, Quartermaster.” Glenna sent Blair a twinkling look. “I like it. Can I get a badge?”
“I’ll see what I can do. But when I say we should go out, I’m thinking more a little scouting expedition than a supply run. We should go check out Lilith’s base of operations.”
“Now there’s a fine idea.” Larkin turned from the sink, where soap dripped from his hands, and he was not at all happy. “Give her a bit of a surprise for a change.”
“Attack Lilith?” Moira stopped loading the dishwasher. “Today?”
“I didn’t say attack. Throttle back,” Blair advised Larkin. “We’re outnumbered by a long shot, and I don’t think the locals would understand a bloodbath in broad daylight. But the daylight’s the key here.”
“Go south to Chiarrai,” Hoyt said quietly. “To the cliffs and caves, while we have the sun.”
“There you go. They can’t come out. Nothing they can do about us poking around, taking a look. And it’d be a nice follow-up to routing them last night.”
“Psychological warfare.” Glenna nodded. “Yes, I see.”
“That,” Blair agreed, “and maybe we gather some intel. We see what we see, we map out various routes going and coming. And we make a point of letting her know we’re there. Or were there.”
“If we could lure some of them out. Or go in just far enough to give them some trouble. Fire,” Larkin said. “There should be a way to set a fire in the caves.”
“Not altogether a bad idea.” Blair thought it over. “Bitch could use a good spanking. We’ll go prepared for that, and armed. But we go quiet and careful. We don’t want some tourist or local calling the cops—then having to explain why we’ve got a van loaded with weapons.”
“Leave the fire to me and to Glenna.” Hoyt pushed to his feet.
“Why?”
In answer, Glenna held out her hand. A ball of flame shimmered in her cupped palm.
“Pretty,” Blair decided.
“And Cian?” Moira continued to deal with the dishes. “He wouldn’t be able to leave the house.”
“Then he stays back,” Blair said flatly. “Larkin, if you’re done there, let’s go load up some weapons.”
“We have some things in the tower that might be useful.” Glenna brushed her fingers over Hoyt’s arm. “Hoyt?”
“We can’t just leave him without letting him know what we’re about.”
