The hard rap came again.
“A polite person would’ve rung the doorbell, not practically busted down the door with their knocking,” Callie said softly.
I had to agree. But at least they were knocking.
I pulled open the door in a fast, smooth movement, ready to draw and fire without hesitation. Shock bled through me as my fingers curled around the grip of my gun.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted.
Chapter Four
Roger, the alpha of the Northwest Region of shifters, stood on my porch with his empty hands loose at his sides. He stood a little taller than me at about five ten or so, but his bearing, and his frame stacked with muscle, made him seem so much bigger.
His piercing gaze—one blue eye, one green—trained on me. “I have some information you may want.”
“That I may want?” I asked, dumbfounded.
As a rule, when I needed information, I badgered (usually with violence) Red, one of the lower-status shifters. Their species never came to me. That Roger, one of the most important shifters in the entire world, would impart knowledge was…odd. That he would come to my house to do so was…worrying.
I glanced behind him, noticing a racy muscle car parked on the other side of the street. No one sat in it or stood beside it.
“Are you alone?” I asked. I needed to establish the parameters for this crazy situation. At the moment, my gut was automatically screaming, It’s a trap, kill everyone!
“Yes. Can I come in?”
I blinked rapidly. “In…my house?”
He didn’t nod, just stared at me. Apparently that was yes. Or maybe, yes, you moron, do you not understand English?
“O-kay.” I took a hesitant step back. “I should probably warn you that—”
Before I could finish, Roger’s dual-colored eyes darted past me. His expression, naturally hard, as befit someone who had fought for his position and therefore couldn’t show weakness, morphed into a terrifying mask of rage.
I glanced over my shoulder to find Darius wearing a ladies’ silk bathrobe—mine—and standing in a balanced sort of way that screamed enemy—kill! His condescending smile didn’t reach his hard eyes. He didn’t flex his straight fingers. They probably still hurt.
“Mr. Nevin,” Darius said. He sauntered closer. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Why is he wearing your bathrobe?” Roger asked. A shimmer of green outlined his body, his shifter magic threatening to change into his wolf form. He was clearly also thinking enemy—kill!
“He likes women’s clothing. He’s eccentric in that way.” I winked at Roger. “Anyway, do you still want to come in, or would you rather fill me in on the porch?”
Roger studied me for a moment. “I’m not here for trouble. In the house is fine.”
“I should probably warn you that I have two mages in the house,” I said, stepping to the side. “If you try to call in some reinforcements to attack Darius, it won’t go well for you.”
He hesitated and his eyes narrowed. “You have two mages and an elder vampire in your home in the middle of the night?”
“I’m popular.”
He paused before starting forward. “Like I said, I’m not here for any trouble.”
“Wow. A guy like Roger Nevin coming for tea is something you don’t see every day.” Callie’s eyes widened.
“The same could be said of Darius,” Dizzy called from the kitchen.
“Do you want something to drink, Roger?” I asked.
“No thanks, I’m fine.” Roger slowly passed through the archway into the kitchen. His gaze swept the area. “You haven’t been by to bother Red in a while.”
“I’m not doing any bounty hunting.” I took up my wine and settled into a chair. “I haven’t needed information. I figured he’d want to be left alone.”
“I’m sure he thanks you for that. As do I.” Roger leaned against the counter.
Darius, who’d disappeared for no more than thirty seconds, reappeared in the archway opposite the shifter, fully dressed, though his clothes were slightly wrinkled. He leaned against the frame gracefully. The two men stared at each other. Heavy silence filled the room.
“Well, this is cozy.” I took a sip of my wine.
“It isn’t helping my buzz any,” Dizzy muttered, looking back and forth between Roger and Darius.
Roger shifted and crossed his arms over his chest. He finally tore his eyes away from Darius and refocused on me. “As you know, I view what you did in Seattle as a selfless act. You were in danger, both from that demon and the Mages’ Guild, and even though it wasn’t your town to save, you didn’t back down until the mages were stopped and the demon was banished. I commend you for that.”
“My people made the first step at beating back the guild in that town, but I don’t recall receiving a formal thanks from your office.” Darius lifted an eyebrow.
“You did what now?” Callie asked.
Roger’s head turned slowly toward Darius, and the shimmer of green surrounded him again. “With vampires, it is never a selfless act. Let’s make one thing clear—you will never rule the supernatural in that town.”
“The guild took over Seattle and you did nothing. But now that they are losing ground you intend to fight?” Darius tsked. “How much money does the guild pay you to stand on the sidelines and look the other way?”
Every muscle on Roger’s body tightened. “We don’t have the resources to beat them back. Not with the magic and power they have at their disposal. Had I found a couple of wild naturals to work with us, like you did, we would be—”
“Naturals? Wait.” Callie held up her hand as suspicion crossed her face. “Are you talking about Penny?”
“We’re off track,” Darius said in a way that cut through the room. He offered me a slight bow. “I apologize.”
Roger’s eyes widened.
“I agree,” I said. “Callie, you can yell at Darius later. Roger, you were saying?”
“One good turn deserves another,” he said. “I have it from a reputable source that the demon you banished didn’t die.”
“Not on the surface, no, but there wasn’t much left of it when it got its ticket back to the underworld,” I replied. “You don’t have to worry about it coming back.”
Roger shifted his weight. “What I mean to say is, it did not die after banishment. The rumor is that it is joining with others of its kind and forming a sort of army.”
My jaw clenched shut as a cold shock of fear washed through me. I’d spent my whole life trying to avoid this. Trying to keep the knowledge of what I was from people who could take it to my dad. And now a high-powered demon, who had seen me in action, was alive and below, holding the key to my entrapment.
The desire to run pumped through me, so acute it was hard to breathe. Not fight, run. I was no match for my father, and I knew it. If he wanted to show up, grab me, and haul me back down to the Dark Kingdom, he would. The people who stood in his way would die, especially if he brought a host of high-powered demons to help him.