number pad to light up. She tapped the star key, then the
four, and waited.
Benedict was Rule’s oldest brother, the head of securityfor the clan, and absent. That was highly unusual, but so was being gifted with a
second Chosen by the Lady, which was the reason he wasn’t at Clanhome. He’d traveled
across the country to spend the holidays with Arjenie’s family. Then, right after
the holiday, they’d had to go to D.C. Benedict’s Chosen was Arjenie Fox, a researcher
for the Bureau with a secret heritage: she was part elf. She hadn’t seen her father
in years, but he’d told her a lot about the sidhe, so when the trade delegation showed
up in Washington, Ruben had summoned her.
Benedict was also the only Nokolai other than Rule who could carry the mantle if Isen
were killed, since Toby was too young. That made him a major potential target for
their enemies. If Isen and Rule were killed, Benedict would be the clan’s only chance
to survive.
She could just barely make out Rule’s bulk against the rectangle of paler darkness
that was the doorway. She couldn’t hear him much better than she could see him. He
was talking to Pete, but keeping his voice so low she’d need lupi hearing to make
out the words.
“Yes,” a deep voice said in her ear.
“This is Lily. We’ve got a situation. Between five and ten minutes ago there was an
explosion halfway up Big Sister—the east face—resulting in a fire Pete described as
not very large. We’re on full alert. The patrol nearest the incident can’t be raised
by phone. Two other patrols are headed there to investigate, and Rule is sending a
squad with Cullen to deal with the fire. Rule and I are in Isen’s study. Cynna and
the baby will be here any minute. Toby’s at Danny’s—Eric Snowden’s son—with his guards
tripled. Isen’s whereabouts are unknown, but he’s alive.”
“His guards?”
“He went for a run without them.”
A moment’s silence. “Mick’s birthday.”
“Yes.”
“Hold a moment.” He didn’t wait for her to agree—typical Benedict—but he wasn’t gone
long. She heard him telling someone about the explosion, then she heardArjenie’s voice, though she couldn’t make out the words. Then he spoke to her again.
“I’ve informed the guards. We’re vulnerable if we attempt to leave the hotel, so we’ll
stay here for now. Arjenie’s going to increase the power to her ward, and I’ll attempt
to contact Mika and see if he’s willing to stand watch.”
“Okay. Rule, Benedict and Arjenie are staying put. He’s going to see if Mika will
keep an eye on things. Anything else I should pass on?” He didn’t answer. Maybe he’d
shaken his head, forgetting that she couldn’t see him. But if he’d had something to
add, he would have, so she said, “I’ll call when I can and there’s more information.”
She disconnected.
Then there was nothing to do but wait in the darkness. And think.
It wasn’t that hard to sneak onto Nokolai Clanhome. It was too big. Over six thousand
acres meant miles of perimeter to patrol, and even with the recent influx there weren’t
enough guards to survey the entire border at every moment. A single person could cross
easily if he or she was fit enough for the terrain and savvy or lucky enough to miss
the patrols. The trick was remaining unseen, unheard, and unsmelled once you got here.
Lupi patrolled in pairs—one two-footed and armed, one four-footed, with onboard armament
and a really good nose.
If you wanted to penetrate very far into Clanhome—say, all the way to the small village
at its heart—you’d want a diversion. Especially if you were leading a small group
bent on mayhem. The problem was, the diversion their intruder had chosen didn’t make
sense.
Big Sister was a relatively easy target for an outsider. The peak itself was on Nokolai
land, but part of its rumpled skirts lay in the state lands that abutted
four, and waited.
Benedict was Rule’s oldest brother, the head of securityfor the clan, and absent. That was highly unusual, but so was being gifted with a
second Chosen by the Lady, which was the reason he wasn’t at Clanhome. He’d traveled
across the country to spend the holidays with Arjenie’s family. Then, right after
the holiday, they’d had to go to D.C. Benedict’s Chosen was Arjenie Fox, a researcher
for the Bureau with a secret heritage: she was part elf. She hadn’t seen her father
in years, but he’d told her a lot about the sidhe, so when the trade delegation showed
up in Washington, Ruben had summoned her.
Benedict was also the only Nokolai other than Rule who could carry the mantle if Isen
were killed, since Toby was too young. That made him a major potential target for
their enemies. If Isen and Rule were killed, Benedict would be the clan’s only chance
to survive.
She could just barely make out Rule’s bulk against the rectangle of paler darkness
that was the doorway. She couldn’t hear him much better than she could see him. He
was talking to Pete, but keeping his voice so low she’d need lupi hearing to make
out the words.
“Yes,” a deep voice said in her ear.
“This is Lily. We’ve got a situation. Between five and ten minutes ago there was an
explosion halfway up Big Sister—the east face—resulting in a fire Pete described as
not very large. We’re on full alert. The patrol nearest the incident can’t be raised
by phone. Two other patrols are headed there to investigate, and Rule is sending a
squad with Cullen to deal with the fire. Rule and I are in Isen’s study. Cynna and
the baby will be here any minute. Toby’s at Danny’s—Eric Snowden’s son—with his guards
tripled. Isen’s whereabouts are unknown, but he’s alive.”
“His guards?”
“He went for a run without them.”
A moment’s silence. “Mick’s birthday.”
“Yes.”
“Hold a moment.” He didn’t wait for her to agree—typical Benedict—but he wasn’t gone
long. She heard him telling someone about the explosion, then she heardArjenie’s voice, though she couldn’t make out the words. Then he spoke to her again.
“I’ve informed the guards. We’re vulnerable if we attempt to leave the hotel, so we’ll
stay here for now. Arjenie’s going to increase the power to her ward, and I’ll attempt
to contact Mika and see if he’s willing to stand watch.”
“Okay. Rule, Benedict and Arjenie are staying put. He’s going to see if Mika will
keep an eye on things. Anything else I should pass on?” He didn’t answer. Maybe he’d
shaken his head, forgetting that she couldn’t see him. But if he’d had something to
add, he would have, so she said, “I’ll call when I can and there’s more information.”
She disconnected.
Then there was nothing to do but wait in the darkness. And think.
It wasn’t that hard to sneak onto Nokolai Clanhome. It was too big. Over six thousand
acres meant miles of perimeter to patrol, and even with the recent influx there weren’t
enough guards to survey the entire border at every moment. A single person could cross
easily if he or she was fit enough for the terrain and savvy or lucky enough to miss
the patrols. The trick was remaining unseen, unheard, and unsmelled once you got here.
Lupi patrolled in pairs—one two-footed and armed, one four-footed, with onboard armament
and a really good nose.
If you wanted to penetrate very far into Clanhome—say, all the way to the small village
at its heart—you’d want a diversion. Especially if you were leading a small group
bent on mayhem. The problem was, the diversion their intruder had chosen didn’t make
sense.
Big Sister was a relatively easy target for an outsider. The peak itself was on Nokolai
land, but part of its rumpled skirts lay in the state lands that abutted
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