The few shifters with Talon didn’t leave, as Khent had thought they might. Instead, they changed into their animal shapes. The bears near the pretty blond woman were indeed large and aggressive.
Something to work with, at least.
Before Valentine could get herself involved, Khent warned her, “Please. Let me handle this. Save your strength for a more important battle.”
Duncan scowled. “Hey. We’re right here and can hear you, you know.”
Macy nodded to Khent. “We just want to talk.”
“So talk, witch,” Valentine ordered, her command crisp as power fluctuated around her.
Sexy as hell. And a little more aggressive than he’d expected from his mate who refused to obey him.
Khent sighed. “Did I not just say I’d handle this?”
To Talon, Valentine said, “Take the others to the backup spot.”
“But—”
“Talon, go. I got this. Remember, this isn’t our fight.”
Khent glared. “Igot this?Wehave this, Valentine.”
Duncan muttered to his mate, “Told you this was going to be one huge clusterfuck. But no. You had to bring Cho and useless magir.”
“Hey.” “We’re right here, dude.” “Vampires.” Several of MEC muttered their displeasure.
But it was Valentine who enthralled Khent, because an odd wind started whipping her hair around. Her eyes turned pitch-black. She smiled with the promise of death.
And damn if Khent didn’t think he’d finally fallen into what so many lesser beings called that vague emotion—love.
CHAPTER
FORTY-TWO
Val watchedTalon shift and disappear around the house with the others.
Good. With him and the others winging their way to the bazaar, where the rest of the crew should have been waiting, they’d be safe enough until their major battle with Vladimir.
In the garage, she readied several of her dead to wake, just in case she needed to use them. She still didn’t know why Khent thought her way of commanding the dead a big deal. She’d always fused a piece of herself to them.
Human magic users weren’t like mages. Necromancers, sorcerers, and most witches had to sacrifice or use power outside of themselves to do magic. Only magir could call upon some mystical source from within.
She glanced at Khent, curious. How did vampires command the dead? Bemused to see him staring at her so intently when they had a pretty big danger facing them, she turned her attention back to the new vampire and his Bloode Witch.
She and Talon had studied the Night Bloode for a while before getting Riley to owe them a favor. Duncan, the revenant, stood before them now. The fastest of all his clan, deadly, and vastly more intelligent than any enemy had a right to be. Hisaffability bothered her. This vampire was all smiles while cutting your head off.
Khent didn’t seem alarmed to see him. Then again, he looked a little distracted.
“Focus,” she murmured, more to herself than to him.
“On that?” Khent nodded toward MEC and his vampire buddy and snorted. “Why? He won’t do much but talk us to death while his mate flashes around unimpressive witchy magic.”
“Hey.” Macy called up a ball of fire, holding the flaming red mass in one hand. “This is serious, Khent. She’s a necromancer, and we’ve got a host of dead bodies all over the place lately. The bazaar is currently crawling with death magic.” Macy turned that glare on Valentine. “You’ll need to come with us, Ms. Darkmore.”
“Bite me.”
Duncan bit back a grin.
