“Myfathermade that promise to you,” Glenn answered in a tone that made it clear he’d said this many times.And was heartily sick of repeating himself.“And he died before you got around to collecting it!We’ve covered this ground many times.Why do you insist upon me—”
“I WILL HAVE WHAT IS DUE ME!”
Right, this seemed like the best moment to bolt, with all the henchman focused on the battle array outside the building, and Man-Shik fully focusing on Glenn.Ross opened the door stealthily, not wanting to give the game away just yet by being noisy.As he moved, he caught sight of Dunham, poised just outside.The werewolf locked eyes with him and gave him an encouraging nod.The werewolf would shield him if he could just get past the ward.Chloe stood nearby, hackles raised, and she moved too, opening up a clear path between her and Dunham.If that wasn’t silent encouragement, nothing was.Ross sucked in a breath, then he hopped sideways over the low rail and sprinted like mad for the open door.
His heartbeat soared, sounding out a war drum in his ears, so much so that he could barely hear his own footsteps pounding against the cement.Noisy as he was—how the hell did ninjas run silently, seriously—it took only a moment for one of the henchmen to realize.
“Master Man-Shik!He’s escaping!”
How far did the ward cover?How far did it take before he was out of it?With it invisible to the naked eye, Ross had no way of really marking that except where the werewolves paced.He ran for them, his desperation outstripping anyone trying to belatedly catch him.
“CATCH HIM!”Man-Shik howled in desperation.He started an incantation, rather wordy, in a language Ross didn’t recognize.Fear skittered up his spine that Man-Shik might hit him in the back, but stopping now wasn’t an option.He put on another burst of speed.
Man-Shik cut himself off with a howl of frustration.
Too late.The gleeful thought ran through Ross’s mind as he hurled himself between Dunham and Chloe.He’d barely passed fur when two strong arms caught him up.Ross grunted a bit at the abrupt impact as he came to a stop against a firm chest.
Glenn.
“You crazy, brave idiot,” Glenn breathed into his ear, his hold on Ross fierce and protective.“I told you to sit still.”
“There was no way for you to get past his ward,” Ross retorted and sank into him, nearly weak with relief.Finally out.And damn these cuffs, he wanted to hold Glenn too.All he could manage was a death grip on the man’s shirt, which wasn’t at all satisfactory.
“I had a plan for that, although I grant you, I’m just as glad not to use it.”Glenn’s head lifted and his voice turned hard and cold.“You’ve no cards left, Man-Shik.I told you if you harmed one of mine again, it would be the end of you.”
“If you’d honored your oath, I wouldn’t have done anything to your little pet.”
Ross turned his head to see that Man-Shik had come to this open side door to continue his standoff with Glenn.There was a sneer on the man’s face as he said, “And those are rich words, Ó Riagáin!Your little human is correct.You can’t get past my ward so easily.”
Why were people so stupid?Ross had clearly gotten through the ward with no issue.Didn’t that suggest to Man-Shik there was a problem?
Ross whispered into Glenn’s ear, “Can you see the ward?”
“Yes,” Glenn whispered back.“Can you invite me into it?”
The man was quick.“If you can show me where the line is.I can’t see it.”
“Then let’s move oh-so-casually forward as I taunt him.”
Oh-so-casually it shall be.Ross started edging forward as Glenn threw an arm into the air, his gestures turning more expansive than usual, helping to mask how much ground they covered.
“I know how jealous you are of him.You’re always jealous of any lover I’ve had.Is it too much for you, Man-Shik?To see me find the happiness your madness has cost you?”
“Gae sae ggi!You would sell your seed!Do not speak to me of those casual affairs as if you comprehend what I have lost!”
Glenn stopped abruptly and Ross took that as his signal.He shifted his body weight to the front, edging a hip and shoulder past Glenn, and then spoke clearly, “Glenn Ó Riagáin, as my friend, please enter.”
“W-what?”Man-Shik faltered.“What did you just say?”
Ignoring him, Glenn pressed a quick kiss to Ross’s forehead.“Thank you, a stór.You might not want to watch this next part.Bit gorey.”
“Take no quarter,” Ross told him firmly.High wizards who ran around kidnapping people on a repeated basis needed to be taken down, in his opinion.He had no mercy to spare the lunatic over there.
Glenn was a blur of motion.He darted forward, his vampiric speed so much faster than the human eye could track, or even human reflexes could respond to.Man-Shik certainly couldn’t follow his movements.His mouth shaped something, a word of a spell perhaps, but not a single syllable fell before Glenn was upon him.The vampire took hold of his head and chin, and with a single jerk, broke the man’s neck cleanly.
High Wizard Man-Shik was dead before he hit the ground, landing like a discarded sack of potatoes.
It was disturbing, on some level, to see a man brutally murdered in front of his eyes.But Ross had no mercy for him, not as his victim.He’d been bait for Glenn, yes, but what had he intended to do to Ross in front of Glenn’s eyes?Ross wasn’t naïve enough to think just holding him hostage would have satisfied Man-Shik.The man was too cray-cray for that.
