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She bent down and kissed him on the cheek. “I do like you, Charles. I would never have made a bargain with Arthur to slay you but that I owe your death to your father. He gave me a reminder of that which I can never regain-I only return the same to him, as I promised you I would.”
Brother Wolf growled, but the pain kept them motionless on the hard floor.
“TELL her we’re about fourteen minutes out,” Angus said as soon as he answered the phone. “And, as tempting as it is, I won’t be driving randomly around the block, so I suspect the next time she makes you call, we’ll be thirteen minutes out.”
Alan had been holding his phone out to make sure A
A
When they called Angus, he’d already been on his way, alerted by a text message from Charles. The Marrok was about thirty minutes out of Seattle. He’d had a bad feeling earlier, and when Charles hadn’t answered his phone, Bran had climbed aboard the jet and headed to Seattle.
At this rate, A
Her wounds had closed, though there were a few itchy spots and a couple of sore places. She’d grabbed a sheet and wrapped it around her like an impromptu dress. As she paced, the short lengths of chains that dangled from her wrists and ankles made cheerful sounds that a
Sixteen minutes after their last call, the door unlocked.
“Sorry,” Tom said. “We had a little trouble finding the electronic lock-it was in the room with Arthur’s body.”
“Charles?”
“Moira’s looking after him,” Tom said.
A
A
“How do we stop it?” A
“Find out who put it on him and make them take it off,” Moira said. “Or kill them.”
“Can you tell who did it?”
Moira shook her head. “This is a new one to me. I can’t even tell if it is witchcraft, fae, or some sort of werewolf trick-it’s too entwined with his magic. And his magic is something I’ve never encountered.”
“His mother was an Indian shaman’s daughter,” said Angus.
“And his father is witchborn,” said A
She looked around the room, trying to put together what might have happened so she could figure out how to fix it: a broken sword, a kitchen knife, Arthur dead. Magic… the vampires had been able to use magic, and there was one vampire left. Or it might have been the fae woman.
“How long?” she asked Moira.
“Until I can’t hold it anymore,” the witch told her. “An hour. Maybe two.”
“The Marrok’s coming.” Angus sounded grim. “If anyone can fix this, he can.”
There had been only one fight in this room. Charles and Arthur’s. Whoever had taken Charles down was someone who’d taken him by surprise. Something the vampire would never have managed.
She needed to think. Needed to find whoever was hurting Charles and kill them.
“If Charles was right when he sent you that text, and Arthur was the villain-then Arthur had her killed,” A
“Or the person who bespelled Charles,” Angus said.
She looked at the neat cut that had sliced through Arthur’s neck. Execution style, Charles style. She didn’t argue with Angus, but her wolf was certain: Arthur had killed his wife. “I’m going to see if I can find some clothes.”
“You and Su
She followed the scent of death into Su
A
Su
The dead woman said, “A
Su
A
“We are the Gray Lords. The one who makes the dead talk is she who takes the dead of the battlefield.” Su
Su
Then, magic curled up her hand, first warming her skin where it touched the dagger, then cooling it. A gift of Finding, the Gray Lords had said, and a reward of true love.
“Where is Dana Shea?” she said. And she knew.
THIRTEEN
SHE took the stairs in two jumps and ran out the door, brushing past Tom and ignoring Angus’s shout. She ran past the parked cars and out into the street, turning down toward the water. Of course Dana would be headed toward the water.
“Where are you going?” Tom asked, ru
“Carnwe
He stumbled once, but caught up to her. “Fae shit,” he said.
“The Gray Lords,” A
“Zapped,” he said, pulling out his cell phone. “Yeah, Angus. The fae got to her. Best I can figure it, they’re sending A
“Stay with her. Help her if you can.” Angus sounded frustrated. “He’s going to kill me if something happens to her.”