Crossing Fire
This is the followup to Breathing Fire (Heretic Daughters #1)
CHAPTER ONE
HOT MESS
JILLIAN
The house was small and nondescript, and right smack in the middle of a shockingly populated area. This, though, was the best thing about the hot mess that was Las Vegas. Hiding in plain sight. Mixing in with loud, messy crowds of strangers. Conducting top secret meetings in rows of cookie cutter houses.
I parked my black, brand spanking new Dodge Challenger at the curb, and approached the house cautiously. My two-handed, double-bladed battle axe stayed in the trunk, unfortunately. I had a small pistol strapped to my ankle, hidden under the hem of my bootcut jeans. A large knife was strapped to my other ankle. I wasn't expecting trouble at this meeting, but ruling the idea out completely went against every instinct I had.
My weapons were a considerate gift from my ex. Ex-ish? Hell, I didn't know what he was, but he'd supplied me with everything he thought I'd need on short notice.
It had been a nice thought, but I was already itching for my old, familiar arsenal, which had been lost when I'd been captured by my deranged relatives. I'd escaped, but hadn't been exactly in the mindset to find my confiscated stash, as I'd bolted from the place in my dragon form, then promptly flown far, far away.
I knocked softly on the light blue door of the tiny stuccoed house. It was the darkest house on the street, the porch lit only by the streetlights. From what I could see of the inside from the small, twin front windows, every light inside of the house was off, as well.
The place looked deserted. There was even an old for sale sign in the tiny desert landscaped front yard.
I wondered briefly if I was somehow at the wrong address when the door flew open, and a hard hand yanked me inside. A harsh voice that I recognized well kept me from lashing out at the sudden contact. "About time," Caleb told me, shutting the door quietly, then dragging me further into the dark house.
I shook him off, waving him ahead of me when he shot me a glance.
I certainly didn't need the sociopath chameleon alien to hold my hand.
He led me down a dark hallway to a door with faint light showing through the bottom. I was surprised, when he opened it, that it led to a basement. Basements were hard to come by in Vegas, especially in a tiny house like this one. But it did explain why the rest of the house was completely dark.
Caleb waved me down the narrow stairway first, closing the door very quietly behind us.
I just blinked for a moment when I saw the inhabitants of the top secret basement meeting place, and what they were doing.
Christian and Luke both rose as I entered, but I didn't miss what filled their computer screens, the bright colors vivid even across the room.
Christian positively beamed at me, rushing forward to lift me up in a bone-crushing hug, spinning me around and talking all at once. "We missed you, girl. And you're all glowy and golden. Preetty. Is that what color your dragon is?"
I didn't answer, since he was both squeezing the air out of me, and not stopping long enough to let me get a word in.
Caleb managed to cut in with an answer. "The pictures I saw of her landing on the roof looked to be pale gold, or even silver, in the dark."
"Ohhh," Christian said, setting me down to study me. He took a lock of my hair between his fingers, rubbing. "It's so bright, it looks like it could rub off."
I shrugged it off, not really worried about the after-effects of my dragon-trance. I knew that they would fade away, eventually. I pointed at his computer. "How's WoW treating you these days? Please don't tell me that you made me come here for a top secret World of Warcraft party," I told him archly. If they had, I was going to be royally pissed.
Christian waved a cursory hand at the gaming computers set up in the corner. "That? Naw. That was just to kill time."
I looked at Caleb. He met my gaze with a very blank expression. "No, Jillian, we did not invite you here for a gaming party," he said, his tone slightly disgusted.
I supposed that, while I could have expected something that silly from Christian, I should have known better, with Caleb involved.
I was suddenly distracted by Luke, who had moved close behind me and gone to his knees, his head lowered.
Oh Lord, he was still doing that.
I sighed.
"Um, hey, Luke. How's it going?" I asked, patting his head rather awkwardly.