Page 6

“What are you doing, then? Got time for some sexting?”

I groaned and dearly wished I could say yes. “I’m frantically packing. Jonathan Havili just called me and begged for me to get to Nashville as quickly as I can manage. Wait, do you know Jon?”

“Er, more like I know of him. Brandon and Mack have many a story to be told of him, though, he’s an interesting sort of man. How bad’s the job, leannan?”

I chose to forward him several of the pictures Donovan had given to me. “Take a look for yourself.”

While he looked, I finished packing, and I barely had it shut, hands on the next suitcase, when I heard Lachlan start snarling a few obscenities. Hopefully, I asked him, “Do you know what that is?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t, but I can tell it’s evil. That’s a living sacrificial bowl, that I do recognize. Blood in the bowl means it’s active and in use and that’s pure clatty, right there.”

I didn’t know the word but could guess he meant disgusting or something like that. He did sound disgusted. “To make this worse, Jon can read the energy of the blood like he would a person.”

“Oh, that’s not on. Just got chills, love.”

“Me too, trust me. Anyway, I’m packing right now, I leave in the next hour.”

“I’ll be on the first flight I can for Nashville, then.”

Concerned, I pressed, “But you just finished a hunt, you’ve got to be exhausted.”

“I’ll sleep on the damn plane, I will, but you’re not going in to deal with that bit of bowfin’ doolally without me there. Only a doober of a fiancé would let you do that.”

And this, right here, was another reason why I’d fallen completely head over heels for this man. He always had my back, no matter how awful or dangerous the job was. I didn’t even have to ask, it was understood he’d be right by me through thick and thin. Any objection melted and slid right off because truthfully, I wanted him with me.

I absolutely didn’t want to deal with that thing alone.

“Then, please. Meet you there?”

“Aye, that’ll do. Do not go in without me, not even for a looksee, you hear?”

“Promise.”

I meant it, too. I had no desire to tackle this monstrosity without him.

3

With Seiji driving, we had something of a wait. He had checked flights, but with four large suitcases and all, driving made more sense overall although it would take him a bit longer to get here. I got the guest room ready for him, as he’d be staying with us. Brandon, Mack, and Gwyn were called out on a case the same hour I was calling him in, ironically enough. They’d completely miss each other this time.

Such was the nature of our insane careers.

Knowing tomorrow was going to be equally insane, I prepped something in the crockpot, a stew that always went over well with the male crowd. First time I’d made this, I’d gotten wall sex right in the kitchen, that was all I was saying.

I put the lid on the crockpot, starting the stew on low so we could eat all day tomorrow. Then paused as Donovan came into the kitchen, phone in hand.

“Okay, so Seiji plans to stop at midnight, catch some sleep, and resume driving in the morning. He’s thinking he’ll be here about ten am,” he reported to me. “Lachlan’s also flying in, and funnily enough, will be here about ten am. Ten-thirty, in fact.”

“Oh, wow, I didn’t realize he was coming.”

“His message to me indicated there was no way in hell he’s letting his fiancé near the creepiness without him. Which, heh, have to agree there.” Donovan eyed me in a way suggestive of plotting.

“I wonder what their compatibility is? They seem to get along like peanut butter and bread, and Mack swears they’re the cutest lethal couple he knows.”

I laughed at his descriptor. It was probably dead nuts accurate, though. Lachlan was a monster hunter from a long line of monster hunters, there was very little in this world he couldn’t face down with a foot of steel and a hearty laugh. I, personally, was not stupid enough to challenge a Scotsman.

Seiji, on the other hand, as a chaos magician, was arguably deadlier. The man had the ability to reverse portals, for god’s sakes, I couldn’t imagine much actually threatened him.

Make Lachlan his anchor, and I pitied the fool who crossed Seiji. Like, forget endangered species list, they’d completely disappear without a trace.