Since Reidar was Obsidian’sladeare,Eclipse figured he would be the first to recognize Obsidian’s best vampire pal. As for why the male was creeping up on the mansion with dawn only an hour and a half away, that was yet to be determined.
“Did we know he was coming?”
The rumbled consensus was no, they hadn’t.
Eclipse turned to face Reidar. “Where’s Obsidian now?”
“Last I saw him, he was heading up to the third floor.”
“I’ll get him. You take Gryffyth, Kandarie, and Torak to greet our visitors. Do not allow them entry until Obsidian gives the signal.”
“Will do,” theladearesaid, his expression fierce.
While the males gathered to greet their guest, Eclipse disappeared. When he resumed his physical form, he was in the living room on the third floor. The Colorado mansion was home to more than seventy souls—angel warriors, soldiers, a handful of Fae, theheurosp,even a couple of civilian humans—which was the reason Eclipse and his brothers had restricted the third floor as their personal space.
It was twenty thousand square feet of only theirs, a place they could find solitude when the weight of the war they waged on demons bore down on them. While most of the space was allocated to their personal quarters, there was enough left over for a huge room for relaxing, a separate meeting space, as well as a recreation room complete with pool table, a kick-ass stereo system, and a well-stocked bar.
Since most of his brothers were out searching for theiramsouelots, Eclipse hadn’t expected anyone to be there, and he’d been right on the money. The living room was empty, large-screen television dark. The polished wood coffee table gleamed in the yellow glow from the sconces on the wall, and there was the faint scent of lemon polish lingering.
A soft snore drew his attention to the floor.
Eclipse smiled when Zeus rolled to his back, the canine’s paws kicking up into the air as he slept soundly on the fluffy dog bed in the corner. For the hell of it, he cleared his throat, watched Zeus flip over, dark head popping up, keen gaze surveying his surroundings.
“Lazy dog,” he muttered.
Clearly Zeus didn’t see him as a threat, because his tongue lolled out of his mouth, and Eclipse was almost positive the canine was smiling at him.
“You seen Obsidian?” he asked Zeus as he started toward the hallway leading to Obsidian’s private quarters.
Zeus hopped to all fours and trotted his way.
“Ah. I think he’s coming now.” Eclipse paused when he heard voices, giving Zeus’s soft head a scratch while they waited for Obsidian and hisereswato appear.
“Hey,” Obsidian greeted, seeming a bit confused to find him loitering in the hallway.
“Perfect timing. You’ve got a visitor,” he informed his brother, offering Penelope a smile and a nod. “Arrived a minute ago.”
Obsidian frowned. “What? How’s that possible?”
Eclipse understood Obsidian’s concern, because the mansion was supposed to be invisible to everyone with the exception of the angels and Fae who resided there. Not only was the place not on a map, not even detectable by the human government, they’d also erecteddhirain an effort to cloak them in the event the demons were on the hunt. The shroud of pitch-black mist made it impossible for anyone to see, as well as offered a disorientation to any visitor who got close to the property, effectively sending them on their way.
“No clue,” Eclipse answered, “but looks as though Kaj has got a lock on our coordinates.”
Obsidian’s silver eyes flashed with what Eclipse could only describe as hope. He probably wouldn’t admit it aloud, but it looked as though he’d been worried about the vampire.
“Kaj? Your vampire friend?” Penelope asked, her gold eyes darting between the two of them.
“One and the same,” Obsidian said, taking her hand and leading her toward the stairs.
Eclipse followed close behind, adjusting the Oakleys shielding his eyes.
“Where’s Reidar?” Obsidian asked, his voice signaling he was in warrior mode, ready and willing to defend the mansion against anyone who hadn’t been invited. Even a friend.
“He’s the welcoming committee.” Eclipse jogged down the steps behind the couple.
When they reached the main floor, several others were marching their way, long legs eating up the distance to the front doors.
“Do you think he’s a threat?” Eclipse asked, wanting to know what they were walking into.
