Master of Wolves by Angela Knight

flushed. Have you…?”
    â€œI’ve got a headache,” she admitted.
    â€œDammit, Gwen!” he exploded, stalking to meet her in that long, sexy stride that never failed to make her heart pound. “When you get to that point, bottle it! Do you want to drop dead?”
    She sighed as he pulled her into the warm strength of his arms. “I just haven’t had time.” Despite the clamor of her blood, she let her forehead rest on his firm chest. “Morgana and I have been working hard on that spell. If we can pull it off, we’ll be able to track down those Black Grails. Unfortunately, whoever has them is doing a damn good job of shielding them from detection.”
    â€œYou’ll get it.” His strong arms tightened comfortingly. “Then we’ll destroy the grails and wipe those vampire bastards right off Mortal Earth.”
    â€œThe sooner the better.” She sighed, listening to his immortal heart pound. “Hunting them down one-by-one is like pulling teeth. I’m not sure we’d ever get rid of them all without destroying those grails.”
    It had been little more than three months since they learned of the existence of Geirolf, a demonic alien from the magical universe they called the Mageverse.
    Merlin had captured the creature sixteen centuries before and imprisoned him in an enchanted cell on the Mageverse’s alternate version of Earth. The cell had held the demon until he’d escaped last year.
    By passing himself off as a god to gullible—and psychotic—mortals, Geirolf managed to hoodwink them into forming cults that made human sacrifices to him. The alien then fed off the life force of the victims.
    To strengthen his hand still more, Geirolf had created three perverted versions of Merlin’s Grail, then used these Black Grails to transform his cultists into a vampire army. He and his forces had almost managed to destroy the Magekind, but they’d trapped and killed him instead.
    Unfortunately, that hadn’t ended the threat. Geirolf’s second in command had transferred the dying alien’s powers to his vampire followers, then scattered them all over the planet. The Magekind had been hunting them ever since, trying to wipe them out before they did even more damage.
    Now Geirolf’s nasty little brood had started using the Black Grails to create yet more vampire followers. Fortunately, Galahad and his new wife, Caroline, had stumbled on a solution. When they’d destroyed one of the Black Grails, every vampire it had created was magically wiped out.
    However, two more grails remained. Until they were found and destroyed, the ranks of Geirolf’s killers would grow.
    â€œThe sooner they’re all dead, the better,” Arthur growled. “Merlin created us to keep mankind from committing mass suicide. With this planet teetering on the edge of a religious civil war, we can’t afford to waste so much time hunting monsters.”
    â€œUnfortunately, we don’t have a choice,” Gwen pointed out dryly. “These particular monsters are killing people.”
    â€œSo are the terrorists.”
    â€œBut the terrorists can’t work magic .” She sighed and rubbed her aching forehead across his chest. “If we don’t get rid of these vamps, God knows how many people they’ll murder. Their magic is powered by death, so they kill even when they’re not hungry. And unlike you boys, they like to drain their victims instead of just nibbling.”
    Thoughtfully, Arthur stroked a big hand through her hair. “What do you think about asking Llyr’s help with the spell?” he asked. “A little Sidhe magic could come in handy.”
    She sighed. “At this point, we can’t afford ego. As long as we find those grails, I don’t care whose spell does the job.”
    â€œI’ll contact him, then.” His hand dropped down to cup her backside. “After, that is,