And the Everharts had known it was here—a permanent witch circle in the center of the Mithran Council Chambers. And none of the vamps seemed surprised. That meant the two para groups had achieved some kind of rapprochement around the time the floor had been amended with my crest.
Bruiser had been very busy for a very long time.
I nodded to Molly, who inclined her head at me and began to speak in Gaelic, opening a working they had already prepared. I wasn’t sure what working they werebeginning, but I knew they had my back, and HQ’s protection in mind.
Stepping to the front entrance, I accepted my Benelli from Quint and felt Eli at my side. He wasn’t trying to keep me safe, which meant he knew I had to combat the Heir’s symbolism and be seen as powerful. I glanced at him and he looked pretty dang good to have been walking through death’s door only a bit ago. “Good to have you back, bro.”
“Good to be back.”
“Are you eighty-five percent?”
“Vamps and witches working together? I’m better than before I was shot this time. Closer to ninety-five percent.” He waggled his hand. “A little sore still.”
“Try not to get shot again. Or bitten.”
“Roger that. You too. We’re neither of us at full speed yet,” Eli said.
“Yeah.” I knew that. I felt it in my bones.
The inner bullet-resistant airlock doors opened and we stepped into the airlock cage, up to the outer doors. I looked down on my visitor. Without the big ol’ fangs and vampy eyes, Mainet could have passed for human. Again, I realized that he wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, but he was pretty enough, and in person looked even more like Leo than I had expected.
The Gaelic chanting behind me stopped and Molly said, “The innerhedge of thornsis now active. You’re safe as long as you stay on the landing at the top of the stairs. Go down one step and you break the ward. The outer ward will be up in five minutes, give or take, when the moon rises.”
I smiled slightly and nodded. “And we trap him?” I asked.
“That’s the hope,” Moll said.
Bruiser, Eli, and I pushed through the outer doors to the landing and stopped at the top of the stairs that led down to the parking. Over comms, Eli gave orders to the mixed vamp/human teams.
Behind us, Quint and Koun both cursed. There wasn’t room on the front landing for anyone else, but Quint elbowed to my side anyway.
The rest of Team Koppa, my security team, gathered, filling the airlock, bodies pressed close. They were touching and... through a dark joy still beating in my chest, I counted them. Fourteen loyal vamps and humans at my back. Two sets of seven. Something mystical about that number.
Included among them, Quint, Bruiser, and Eli, with me. Nothing mystical there.
Mainet met my eyes.
It had been a long time since I’d had to worry about being rolled by a vamp, but this was different. Mainet had intense power behind his will, something dark and demanding.Le breloqueheated on my head, and I thought at it,Don’t burn me this time, for pity’s sake.The gold band continued to grow hot, so I guessed it wasn’t listening to me now. Through our bond, I felt Eli lower his eyes, looking at Mainet’s hands and then his shoes, to avoid the power that seemed to boil out of the vamp.
“Jane?” Bruiser said, the word a warning about the power of Mainet’s mesmeric call.
I needed the Glob to absorb the attacking energies. Unlike the crown, the Gob didn’t translocate when I need it. “Crap,” I muttered. It had been in a pocket when I last stepped out of my armor. I had no idea where it was and hadn’t thought to find it.
“Hold,” I said softly to the vamps behind me. “Look away from his eyes. Look at me. He’s drawing power from his bloodline and it’s hitting you. Hold.” All my vamps obeyed, working to stop Mainet’s power over them. The bond of dark joy between us all strengthened, which was something I had never experienced. And would have to wait to think about.
“Do you know who I am?” Mainet asked me.
“Sure do, dude,” I said.
At my side, Eli spluttered with laughter and his tension diminished. I felt the amused reaction pass through all the others.Good.
I said, “You’re Leo’s ugly bloodsucker gran’pappy. You coming to ask my permission to be in my city? If so, you’re late. Shoulda been here the night you arrived. Bad fanghead. Shame, shame, shame.” I rubbed my right indexfinger along the length of the left index finger in a childhood gesture of reprobation. “But then, few visitors to my city have any kind of manners or breeding. You’d be surprised how few show up and present themsel—”
Mainet threw his head back and shouted, “I challenge the pitiful female for the crown and title of Dark Queen.”
I laughed again. “Tough, Manny-boy. No can do. The title can’t be passed andle breloquechooses its own heir. It tells me when it likes someone and right now it’s calling you all sorts a bad names. Bloodsucker. Fanghead. Murderer. Eater of humans. Things that have to do with your mother and sexual contact. I mean, really. You did all that?”
Mainet’s vamped-out eyes blazed. “You will not refuse me. I challenge the Dark Queen to Sangre Duello!”
