That brought a smile to my face.
"But I don't think he had your best interests at heart," Connor said with a serious expression.
"Funny you should say that," I returned. "I'm beginning to think the same. That's why we're here. To separate fact from fiction."
That seemed to mollify him somewhat.
"At least, that's the plan if he ever shows up," I added.
Connor frowned. "But you're worried because your pixies are gone and he is late?"
"That about sums it up."
"Could this be an ambush?" he asked.
I didn't immediately answer. The thought had crossed my mind and the sinking feeling in my stomach was making that reality seem more and more likely.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement. A shadow darker than the rest snaking across the ground.
I straightened, my attention shifting to my window and the outside.
"What's that?" I asked, our conversation forgotten.
An umbrella snapped open as Don stepped out of the shadows. A splash of red followed, making me question the fact I hadn't seen him before that second.
"Looks like you were right," I told Connor.
"But maybe not the way I thought," Connor said as Nathan and Makoto raced down the street toward Don.
I was already dialing Liam as the two sprang toward him. The phone rang and kept ringing. Liam didn’t answer.
The splash of red disappeared, the umbrella Don had been holding floated slowly to the ground.
The vampires barely avoided crashing into each other. They paused, looking around with caution.
A warm chuckle rolled through the night, audible even inside my apartment.
He was playing with us.
"We need to get out there and help them," I said.
I darted for my closet and the .45 long colt I kept there, affectionately known as the judge.
I grabbed the judge from his locked safe, hitting the lever to release the ammo cylinder. I shook it free, using the de-tent rod to eject the bullets that were already in there.
Made with vampires and werewolves in mind, the silver nitrate in them would be useless against a Fae. No, I needed cold, hard iron for them.
Some myths had an element of truth to them. Iron was poison to their skin.
I could only hope this wasn't one of those exceedingly rare types capable of handling iron with no problem.
I pushed that thought away. Worst case scenarios weren't likely to help right now. Focus on what you could do. Then worry about the rest later.
After a brief debate with myself, I pushed a silver nitrate bullet into the last cylinder. Better to cover all my bases. Just in case.
The gun loaded, I was up and running for my door. Despite my head start, Connor got there first.
He flung it open, stepping on to the landing before stopping. I nearly bumped into his back.
