The knights stood on the street, their faces wearing identical expressions: eyebrows raised, eyes wide open, mouth a tense half-open slash across the face. Fear.
The vampire had frozen, Conlan in its arms. My son was looking straight at me.
Damn it, Javier. That wasn’t something Conlan should’ve seen. I had to mitigate it. I dissolved the ward and walked toward them, killing the magic in my blood armor. It crumpled to dust. I walked to him, my magic swirling around me. I had no cloak and I didn’t care.
Cabrera and Norwood took a step back. Younger remained, awe on his face. He raised his hand toward me, fingers trembling, and Norwood yanked him back.
I raised my arms. Conlan reached for me, and I took my baby from the vamp, my magic spilling freely out of me. Conlan hugged my neck and petted my hair. “Shai.”
Oh, how I wished I were shiny and not a killer.
A Jeep rocketed onto the street, taking the corner too sharply. Another followed, then an SUV, then a truck.
The first Jeep screeched to a halt, and Martha jumped out of it, moving much faster than a plump woman twice my age should’ve moved.
Six vampires came scuttling over the roof, in assorted colors of sunblock, like someone spilled a bag of Skittles. Taste the undead rainbow.
“Secure the perimeter,” the lead one barked, landing next to Javier’s vampire. “Sitrep?”
Beside me Javier’s vamp looked to the left, looked to the right, and unhinged its jaws. “The first generation of the sahanu is dead. The second generation of the sahanu is dead. The Order of Sahanu is dead. Everybody is dead.” Javier paused. “Praise be to In-Shinar, the Merciful.”
“Stop it,” I growled at him.
“Right,” the team leader said. “Team One Leader to Mother, fourteen bandits down, no pulse, scene hot, the Dove and Chick are secure. Advise?”
The dove? Kate Lennart, the Dove? Just when exactly had I ever done anything remotely dovelike?
The vamps had spread through the street, taking positions on the buildings.
“Roger. Team One, hold position until cleanup complete.” The vamp swiveled to me. “Cleanup crew is on the way, ma’am.”
Martha reached me, with George at her heels. “I’m so sorry. We thought he was down for a nap. He shouldn’t have been able to open the latch on the window bars.”
Oh, but he did. I was mother to the smartest boy alive. I hugged him to me. He was still alive. He could’ve died. He would’ve died if Curran hadn’t called to tell me he was missing.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. My knees almost gave, and I locked them in place.
George wrapped her arm around me. “It’s okay,” she said. “He’s alive and safe. It’s okay.”
She held on to me for another moment and let me go.
The cars kept coming. The street filled with female shapeshifters. The ones I recognized were from Clan Heavy. Ten, no twelve . . .
“Who are all these people?” I asked George.
“The book club,” she told me.
I pulled my magic back into me. “Has anybody heard from Curran?”
“I called him at the Guild when Conlan came up missing,” George said.
“Ma’am,” Javier said. “I have a report from the patrols. The Guild is under attack. Would you like us to assist?”
“Yes!”
“Team Three, In-Shinar requests assistance at the Guild.” Javier’s vamp scuttled away.
Martha turned and roared, “Turn around! Everyone back to the cars! My son needs help at the Guild.”
Clan Heavy ran back to their cars.
I turned to the knights. “Help or get out of the way.”
Norwood stepped aside, and I ran to the nearest car, Conlan in my arms.
CHAPTER
13
DURING THE GUILD’S remodel, the architect decided to mitigate some of the damage to the building by adding a small balcony to the top floor. Framed by bay French doors, the recessed balcony was tucked away in the north wall, facing the Guild parking lot, all but invisible from the ground. The mercs called it Christopher’s Roost. Sometimes, at dawn or dusk, he’d come here and stand on the rail, watching the sun, before he sprouted his blood-red wings and soared into the air. I liked to come here during the day. I’d brought some plants—nothing fancy, some ivies, bamboo, and pothos—three chairs, and a big beanbag stuffed with sawdust.
I sat in my chair now, Conlan asleep on the beanbag, and watched the flurry of activity below. Corpses littered the parking lot. Neig had sent a dozen of his creatures to attack the Guild. We pulled into the parking lot in time to see Curran rip the last of them in half. He’d grasped the beast by the neck and the arm and pulled him apart like he was tearing a piece of paper.
Now he was below, supervising the cleanup. Biohazard had been called, but there was no telling when they would get here. Meanwhile, the bodies had to be secured, the parking lot salted and disinfected with fire, and the wounded treated. I’d excused myself from all of it. I’d had my fight.
Someone walked up the stairs behind me. They moved quietly, but all of my senses were still keyed up and I recognized the sound.
“Hi, Martha.”
The older woman sat in the chair next to me and handed me a cup of tea. I sipped. It was half honey.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“That’s okay. He’s full of surprises.”
Martha glanced at me and drank her tea. “We put him down in his room for a nap.”
George loved her nephew so much, she’d set a room aside for him in her house. Every time I saw it, it always cheered me up.
“There is one window in the room,” Martha said.
“I know.” It was a small window about five feet off the ground, secured with a grate of silver bars.
“The grate has a latch,” Martha said.
I nodded. Most bedrooms had grates that could be unlocked, otherwise the bedroom would become a death trap in a fire.
“A lion cub can’t open the latch. It’s intricate.” She sipped her tea. “It requires human dexterity.”
Where was she going with this?
“But a shapeshifter child in human form can’t hold on to the bars, because they have silver that will burn their hands.”
She paused.
“Aha,” I said to say something.
“Conlan opened the latch and escaped. There were claw marks on the wall and claw marks on the latch. He did this very fast. George put him down for a nap, and fifteen minutes later, when I came to check on him, he was gone.”
That was how he avoided the silver. He turned into his warrior form, climbed up, and worked the latch with his claws.
“Curran didn’t tell me everything.” Her voice held a gentle rebuke.
“What did he tell you?”
“That my grandson is a shapeshifter, and assassins are hunting him. What else should I know?”
We would need her to watch Conlan. I had to come clean. “He can hold a warrior form,” I said.
Martha startled. “The baby?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“For however long he wants.” I sighed.
Martha fell silent.
I finished my tea.
“What else can he do?” she asked softly.
“We don’t know.” I set my cup on the little table between us. “We know he can’t control his magic, and it makes him visible to people who can sense it. My father put a price on his head. One of my father’s associates was seen bringing a briefcase into the Keep. He was escorted by renders. He left without the briefcase. The next day Robert brought us an offer of friendship and alliance.”
Martha leaned back. “Jim will never betray you.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because she’d cut off his balls and feed them to him,” Desandra said behind me.
“What are you doing here?”
The alpha of Clan Wolf stalked into the light and leaned against the wall. “I was driving by. Saw the spectacle. Thought I’d stop by. What are those furry foul-smelling dead things in the parking lot?”
“They belong to a guy named Neig. He’s ancient, powerful, and he might be a dragon.”
“What does this Neig want?”
“To conquer the world. And for me to help him against my father. This was a demonstration of his power.”
Desandra sneered at the parking lot. “Not exactly impressive. Oh well, most men have trouble with foreplay.”