about the Slayers,” Cirryc added.
“What exactly are Slayers?”
“Special pets of the Sleht. Big mother fu-uhh-fricking cats
that don’t stop until you’re dead or they are.”
Amy visibly shuddered. “Good god.”
“Don’t worry. We won’t let them get to you.” Cirryc expertly
avoided Jordyn’s glare as he kept his eyes on the road. “I’m Cirryc, by the
way. The youngest and handsomest heir to the First House.”
Jordyn’s attention was pulled from Cirryc when his phone
vibrated against his leg in the side pocket of his cargo pants. He pulled it
out and checked it. Amdyn.
He’d mentored all of the royal heirs to the Five Houses of
Ilyria at one time or another, even though he was less than a year older than
Amdyn. But unlike the heirs, he’d spent a lot of time on the front lines in the
battle against the Sleht. He’d seen things that aged a person’s soul and sank into
a man as lead bricks into muddy water. He might not have the royal blood that
carried Mystic properties, enabling him to turn invisible or read people’s
minds, but time had proven to him and those around that he was born to be a
soldier.
Keeping his voice low, he answered Amdyn’s phone call.
“Esraina and the baby okay?” his commander asked.
“Yes.”
“We saw that Cirryc got the second Slayer. Was there
anything else?”
“There might have been a Predator coming around the side of
the building, but the Slayer got to our position first.” He glanced at Esraina.
She was looking at him over the top of Chloe’s head, eyes wide as she listened
carefully to his end of the conversation.
“Kayn thought there was someone else there as well. Ellyna
said that Esraina thinks she’s been followed at times too, but isn’t sure.”
Amdyn paused. “From what I understand, Esraina is very good at losing people.
Beats the hell out of me how they’ve been tracking her.”
Jordyn had been turning that same problem over in his mind
since the incident at the River Walk. He had an idea, but if he was right, they
needed to get Chloe and Esraina back to Ilyria as soon as possible.
“Hold on,” Amdyn said. “Ellyna wants to speak to Esraina.”
Jordyn shifted to hold the phone against Esraina’s ear. “It’s
Ellyna,” he said.
Esraina whispered into the phone, “Hello?” She paused before
saying, “Yes. Just fine. Chloe’s sleeping.” She frowned at whatever Ellyna said
before responding. “I remember. We’ll see you then.”
She nodded at Jordyn, who took the phone back. Amdyn had
returned to the other end. “We’ll see you back in Colorado,” Amdyn said. Jordyn
hung up after acknowledging.
Esraina adjusted Chloe on her lap, twisting her hips against
the seatbelt, trying to get comfortable. With a tired sigh, she dropped her
head against the seatback and closed her eyes.
“After we’ve put some distance between us and the hotel,”
Jordyn said to Cirryc, “pull into a twenty-four-hour Walmart or Target.” Cirryc
nodded at his instruction.
Esraina rolled her head toward him, opened one eye to peer
at him. “You pick weird times to go shopping.”
“It’s a long way to Colorado,” he said. “We’ll stop and get
a baby seat. You can’t carry Chloe the entire way.”
She rolled her head back and closed her eyes. “I could if I
had to,” she said.
He didn’t doubt it for a moment. There was probably very
little she couldn’t do once she put her mind to it. Stubbornness had its upside
and all of Magdalyne’s daughters had the trait in double portions.
Cirryc had turned the radio on low and was tapping on the
steering wheel to another song as he concentrated on keeping the Hummer going
just above the speed limit and well out of any traffic congestion.
Save for the occasional flash of passing headlights and the
faint glow of the dashboard, the inside of the truck was dark. Jordyn silently
shifted to look at Esraina more carefully. Even in the dim light, he could see
the tired circles under her
“What exactly are Slayers?”
“Special pets of the Sleht. Big mother fu-uhh-fricking cats
that don’t stop until you’re dead or they are.”
Amy visibly shuddered. “Good god.”
“Don’t worry. We won’t let them get to you.” Cirryc expertly
avoided Jordyn’s glare as he kept his eyes on the road. “I’m Cirryc, by the
way. The youngest and handsomest heir to the First House.”
Jordyn’s attention was pulled from Cirryc when his phone
vibrated against his leg in the side pocket of his cargo pants. He pulled it
out and checked it. Amdyn.
He’d mentored all of the royal heirs to the Five Houses of
Ilyria at one time or another, even though he was less than a year older than
Amdyn. But unlike the heirs, he’d spent a lot of time on the front lines in the
battle against the Sleht. He’d seen things that aged a person’s soul and sank into
a man as lead bricks into muddy water. He might not have the royal blood that
carried Mystic properties, enabling him to turn invisible or read people’s
minds, but time had proven to him and those around that he was born to be a
soldier.
Keeping his voice low, he answered Amdyn’s phone call.
“Esraina and the baby okay?” his commander asked.
“Yes.”
“We saw that Cirryc got the second Slayer. Was there
anything else?”
“There might have been a Predator coming around the side of
the building, but the Slayer got to our position first.” He glanced at Esraina.
She was looking at him over the top of Chloe’s head, eyes wide as she listened
carefully to his end of the conversation.
“Kayn thought there was someone else there as well. Ellyna
said that Esraina thinks she’s been followed at times too, but isn’t sure.”
Amdyn paused. “From what I understand, Esraina is very good at losing people.
Beats the hell out of me how they’ve been tracking her.”
Jordyn had been turning that same problem over in his mind
since the incident at the River Walk. He had an idea, but if he was right, they
needed to get Chloe and Esraina back to Ilyria as soon as possible.
“Hold on,” Amdyn said. “Ellyna wants to speak to Esraina.”
Jordyn shifted to hold the phone against Esraina’s ear. “It’s
Ellyna,” he said.
Esraina whispered into the phone, “Hello?” She paused before
saying, “Yes. Just fine. Chloe’s sleeping.” She frowned at whatever Ellyna said
before responding. “I remember. We’ll see you then.”
She nodded at Jordyn, who took the phone back. Amdyn had
returned to the other end. “We’ll see you back in Colorado,” Amdyn said. Jordyn
hung up after acknowledging.
Esraina adjusted Chloe on her lap, twisting her hips against
the seatbelt, trying to get comfortable. With a tired sigh, she dropped her
head against the seatback and closed her eyes.
“After we’ve put some distance between us and the hotel,”
Jordyn said to Cirryc, “pull into a twenty-four-hour Walmart or Target.” Cirryc
nodded at his instruction.
Esraina rolled her head toward him, opened one eye to peer
at him. “You pick weird times to go shopping.”
“It’s a long way to Colorado,” he said. “We’ll stop and get
a baby seat. You can’t carry Chloe the entire way.”
She rolled her head back and closed her eyes. “I could if I
had to,” she said.
He didn’t doubt it for a moment. There was probably very
little she couldn’t do once she put her mind to it. Stubbornness had its upside
and all of Magdalyne’s daughters had the trait in double portions.
Cirryc had turned the radio on low and was tapping on the
steering wheel to another song as he concentrated on keeping the Hummer going
just above the speed limit and well out of any traffic congestion.
Save for the occasional flash of passing headlights and the
faint glow of the dashboard, the inside of the truck was dark. Jordyn silently
shifted to look at Esraina more carefully. Even in the dim light, he could see
the tired circles under her
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