Carling twisted, hauling Seremela bodily around. She shoved the medusa unceremoniously into Khalil’s arms, physician’s bag and all. “Take her to Chicago,” she said. “See that she gets home safely.”
Behind Khalil, she saw Rune brace his whole body as another kick slammed against the door. “The doorjamb is breaking,” Rune said. “I can’t hold it for long.”
Khalil raised an eyebrow. He looked mildly incredulous. He asked, “Are you sure this is how you want to spend your last favor?”
“Yes, goddammit, GO!” she snapped. She didn’t wait to watch the cyclone blow away with Seremela. Instead she sprinted into the bedroom. Moving as fast as she could, she tore into her suitcases, looking for any weapons Rufio may have provided, cursing herself for not thinking to specify what he should pack. She really had relied on Rhoswen too much and for far too long.
Ah, bless you, Rufio. Two stilettos. Her weapon of choice for close fighting. She snatched them up in their leather sheaths. She wished she had a gun as well for backup, but the most effective long-range weapons she had were her offensive spells. She briefly considered shoes and more protective clothing, but then she heard a sharp splintering and the sound of snarling from the other room and she turned to race back into the living room.
Rune was fighting hand-to-hand in a whirlwind melee with a sixteen-foot-tall troll, and three ghouls. Though the word “ghoul” was etymologically descended from gallu, the Mesopotamian term for demon, ghouls were nevertheless Nightkind creatures. They blistered easily in strong sunlight, and were inhumanly strong and fast, and if they got someone pinned, their Power could consume their victim’s flesh. The massive, gray-skinned troll was not as fast as were the ghouls, but she had a strength that could crush boulders. If she managed to catch up with Rune, she could kill him with a single solid blow to the head.
Rune had partially shifted into the golden monster. He moved with such speed, she could barely track him. He slashed out with both talon-tipped hands, and blood spurted from two of the ghouls.
The troll went down on her hands and knees, fished around with one tremendous hand, and caught hold of one of Rune’s ankles. He lifted his free foot to smash his steel-toed boot into her face. The troll blinked and grunted, but held on.
Carling sighed and spoke the words that iced the air, and stillness spread over the knot of fighters. The troll still looked pained, and two of the ghouls bore deep, bleeding claw marks. The third ghoul was in the process of pulling his regulation gun. Carling walked over to appropriate the gun for herself as Rune’s Power surged against her spell. He shook his head, swearing, and yanked his ankle out of the troll’s grip.
“That spell of yours is beginning to grow on me,” he growled. Rune turned away from the frozen knot of Nightkind fighters, his face and body settling back into more normal lines as he walked over to her.
Carling tilted her face up for his swift kiss. “It’s not their fault,” she said. “I’m assuming they’re just following orders.”
Rune might no longer look like the monster caught in mid-shift, but his eyes glowed with a flat, wicked light. “Julian’s orders,” he spat. “He’s trying to get me out of the picture and isolate you. He got you fired, baby. You’re no longer a Councillor on the Elder tribunal, but I notice he did not come to deliver the news to you in person.”
Anger clogged her throat so that she could barely speak. She said, “He can’t. He’s my direct progeny, and if we get close enough together, I can still command his obedience. I assume you found all this out when you talked to Dragos?”
“Yes,” he said. He put his arms around her, and she leaned against him. He was an inferno, throwing off more body heat than ever, and against her mind’s eye he glowed molten with rage. “He ordered me home, I quit, and he didn’t take it well.” He glanced toward the bedroom. “Seremela’s gone?”
“Yes.” She leaned her forehead against his broad shoulder. “Rune, I’m sorry about Dragos.”
A sigh shuddered through him. He rested his cheek on the top of her head. “I’m sorry about Julian. But forget about them for now. Grab what you need to take with you. We’ve got to get out of here.”
She nodded and strode over to take the guns from the other two frozen ghouls. The troll did not carry a gun. Her eyesight was too weak, and her hands too large to make effective use of a handgun. When Carling turned around again, she found Rune had scooped up his duffle and her leather bag. He had also appropriated a butterscotch-colored leather jacket for her, along with matching flat-heeled leather boots. “Here.” He tossed the boots at her. “These’re more sensible than the Christian Louboutin boots but alas, not nearly as much fun.”
She caught them and bent over to yank them on. “Fun can happen later.”