"Oh, I doubt that," Adrian said, but he laughed softly at the thought. "I'd like to see you do your work, though." He smiled, a little lopsidedly. "You'll forgive me if I sincerely hope that you don't get a chance to see me do mine."
    "It's horrible," Fang confided in Gift, as Jacob talked himself into a hole. "There's a permanent imprint of her little foot, right there on the butt cheek. I'm permanently disfigured." He grinned widely, both at her and at Tala, who was shaking her head tolerantly. It was quite possible that the thought of kicking Fang's ass did excite the were-wolf, although probably not in the way that Jacob had meant.

    "I kept some of it," Sahar protested, gesturing with the piece of pizza that she had removed from the box before passing it to the woman. She looked at Mace, who rolled his eyes, and then back to Luke, rolling her own eyes. "Obviously, none of you learned how to share in kindergarten."
    She looked Luke over narrowly, as if to confirm that he really was okay, then smiled brightly and nodded. "Good. You tell me if there's anything I can do to cheer you up, huh honey?" she said teasingly, although the flirtatious fluttering of her lashes that accompanied this invitation was half-hearted at best. Now that there was actually food in her hands, flirting had temporarily slid into second place on her priority list. She took a healthy bite of the pizza, which was tasty even though it was starting to get cold.
    She followed Luke's gaze over her shoulder. "Hey, maybe Zeke will actually have a ceiling... and a floor... and an outer wall... in his room soon," she remarked, with an upwards glance through the still-gaping hole in the kitchen ceiling.
    With a brief nod to acknowledge C.J.'s words, Dashan slipped out of the room and silently down the hall, then down the stairs. He was not sneaking, he told himself. Sneaking was undignified. He was merely trying to avoid an uncomfortable amount of notice.

    "That doesn't mean she won't," Galen replied. Then he sighed and shook his head, running a worried hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I know she's your friend, and I'm trying to trust her because of that. But I don't like a lot of what she does, and I already feel like we're asking a great deal of her."

    "Are you implying that one of my guns might backfire?" Gamble said, with mock-indignation and a warm smile to soften in the words. "Anything is possible, I suppose. You run the same risk every time you fire a wooden bullet, only that'll cause blood poisoning instead of setting you on fire."

    The smile deepened. "I believe the actual phrase is "earn" the bread. And I might take you up on that for a while. Can't see myself having a problem wearing an apron."

    "You got it," Nolan said with another grin, then leaned forward again. "That makes me wonder though. You do healing to the injured, but how far does that go?? I mean, can you heal terminal diseases?? Like cancer??"
    Gift's expression was still amused, which meant good things for Jacob at least. "Well I must commend Tala on her excellent aim, to leave such an imprint behind," she said, nodding in the werewolf's direction.

    "And if that will tide you over for any amount of time, you're a shame to shapeshifters everywhere," Luke laughed, shaking his head. "No, we've learned that sharing leads to empty bellies. Much better to horde it all ourselves."
    A softer laugh at her words and he popped the cap on his beer. "Thanks cutie. I'll keep that in mind. Though if that counts as offering to sleep with me, you've hit about two and a half offers in half an hour."
    Eyes watched as the contractors pulled out a ladder and started working. The thump of a hammer resounded through the house, pulling a few protesting yells from the den. "Soon, but probably not soon enough for him."
    Mace was passing the stairs on his way to the den and some mindless TV, so saw Darshan sneaking down the stairs. He paused, watching the great dragon move as he ate another bite of his pizza. "Yanno, keep moving like that, and you're going to sneak up on someone and get slapped by accident." Or at least in theory. Probably didn't do any good to tell him that likely all the gang could pinpoint his every move now.

    "I know, Galen," she said gently. "We'll keep it as a last option." And if it became necessary, she'd arrange it when he wasn't there. It was possible to keep all dealings with Gift private and silent so he wouldn't have to worry anymore.

    That got a light chuckle from her. "Fair enough, and we've never experienced any problems with your work before. No reason in thinking a new bullet will cause it now." Still, she'd likely have Rye go over them before actually using them herself, all the same.
    Replacing the bullet, she raised another brow. "The charge for the ammo??"

    "You bring the bacon, and you're a breadwinner," Sonya said, after a moment's consideration. "People come up with the most awful phrases." She looked him over carefully, obviously trying to envision him in an apron. "I'm sure that you'll be very pretty. Does this mean that I have to watch football every Sunday and belch excessively?"

    "No," Adrian said, sounding regretful. "I can encourage the body to use its own natural defenses, or strengthen someone whose health is failing in order to allow them more time. I can relieve some pains, and I can heal certain kinds of damage, like chronic liver scarring in a habitual drinker. But there are some things that no one can fix. Sometimes, people just... die." He shrugged, a quick, helpless movement.
    "She's very talented," Fang agreed, and Tala nodded back at Gift.

    "I'm sure that I'll be raiding the 'fridge later," Sahar agreed. "Mace has been warned. The price of his being a miserly about his pizza may be his microwave." She smiled deviously, even though she rarely blew up household appliances these days, and even then, it usually wasn't intentional.
    "Maybe," she replied, and laughed, "but there was no 'if you give me food' contingency this time, just a suggestion for a good old romp. So it doesn't count." She gave him a quizzical look. "Two and a -half-?"
    "No, probably not," she agreed, with another upwards glance. "Poor Zeke. I don't think that he's having a very good day."
    Darshan stopped creeping along, pressing a hand against one of his eyes, like he had developed a sudden headache that was directly linked to Mace. "You know, a few millennia ago, I enjoyed all this," he commented, then realized that he sounded like an old man bemoaning the loss of the good ol' days, and sighed.

    "Okay," Galen said, since that was probably the best that he was going to get.
    He reached out, and brushed his knuckles lightly against her collarbone, an easy, affectionate gesture. "Would you like to linger here a while longer, or find something else to do while we wait for the meeting? I can't help but feel that with all that's going on, there's something that we -should- be doing."

    "I know you'll test it before you use it," Gamble said. "Tell me if you come upon any problems. Like any new product, it's always possible that I'll have some kinks that need working out."
    He looked at the two boxes of ammunition, tallying it in his head. "The usual price for the white ash, and why don't we say thirty for the new ones? You've got fifty rounds there, and you can tell me if they work for you and if it's worth you buying more somewhere down the line."

    Irene swept into the hotel as if she owned it, missing the way that high heels would have clicked imperiously on the floor. It was rarely what you did that mattered; it was the way in which you did it.
    She slowed down as she approached the front desk, but it really wasn't difficult to extract the room numbers she needed from the human waiting there, even without the use of vampire mind tricks. She was mildly impressed that Blaire had rented out an entire floor of the Bellagio, although it made her wonder exactly how many people the woman had on her payroll. Enough to fill up an entire floor of hotel rooms?
    The elevator ride was short but slow, as any ride in a public elevator was bound to be. That didn't really matter. Irene was a patient woman.

    "And yet the most awful ones are those that stick around forever," Christian mused, bringing the glass to his lips to take a small drink. It really was amazing, what humans liked for so long. "And yes, the football and belching are clearly requirements for the breadwinner. You'll also feel pleased to know you can scratch your ass whenever you want to as well. In public, no less."

    Nolan nodded in understanding, a look of sympathy coming briefly to his features. Though not a healer himself, he'd seen how hard it was for healers to admit that there were things even they couldn't heal. "Well I'm sure you do an awesome job for those things that you can do, and that's probably more than anyone should expect."
    "It is," Kersti agreed softly, reaching up to brush some of Adrian's hair behind his ear.
    Gift chuckled again, then nodded at the check in Fang's hand. "If all is well, we'd better be on our way."

    A slightly pained look came to Luke's face. "Just don't actually blow up the microwave, okay?? That would be too big for us to handle right now, especially with that big hole in the ceiling." Because a blowing microwave would likely lead to other things blowing up as well. Which would just suck.
    "I think any offer counts for what it is," he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "And yes, two and a half. What you did to Zeke fully counts as a half, I'm afraid."
    Eyes continued studying the hole in the ceiling, listening to the pounding of hammers from outside. It was starting to get dark, so it was good the workers were all vampires. Though where Oblivion had found a construction crew of vampires, he didn't think he'd be asking. "Could be worse. They could've destroyed the whole house, then we'd be having a /really/ bad day."
    Mace's brows raised. "What, enjoyed sneaking around??"

    Keller smiled at him and reached up to touch his hand when he touched her. "I think we should find something else to do. Lingering has never been much in our natures." She slid from the booth after him, absently taking his hand and starting out of Starbucks.

    "You got it," Jasper said agreeably, thinking Rye was likely going to be very interested in talking to this witch Gamble had worked with.
    She considered his price, then nodded. Reaching into her backpocket, she produced a slim black wallet and withdrew a hundred dollar bill. Yes, it would seem like folly to most people, a pretty young woman carrying around that much money. But Jasper hadn't even been almost mugged in a very long time.
    She passed the money over with another faint smile. "And a tip, for no artist has deserved it so much before."

    This actually made Sonya tilt her head, a deeply contemplative look crossing her face. "Hmm. That might make it almost worthwhile." She looked at Christian, and raised her brows. "Of course, when have I not done exactly as I please, whether I'm in public or not?" Very unladylike, of course, but Sonya hadn't even worried about being a lady when she was human, much less now.

    "Thank you," Adrian said, a shadow of a blush staining his cheekbones at their praise. He glanced up when Gift mentioned being on their way, then looked at Fang, waiting for his response.
    "Go ahead," the lamia said, waving her off. "I've got it covered." He waved cheerfully to Adrian and Kersti, and then to Nolan.

    "Hey," Sahar said, a grin spreading slowly across her face, "at least if I blow it up now, there's somewhere for the smoke to escape through. Mace's house has a brand new chimney."
    "It so does not," she protested, when Luke explained the 'half.' "I asked him for the pizza, and he gave it to me. Sex was not even implied in the bargain, not until he brought it up." She glanced over her shoulder at the workmen again, and nodded. Yes, it would have sucked if the whole house had been destroyed. Although the idea of the whole gang crammed into Darshan's two-bedroom apartment did make her chuckle.
    "Should we remove ourselves from the kitchen, if they're going to be fixing that hole?" she wondered, pointing to the one in the kitchen ceiling.
    "Felt no desire to sneak around," Darshan corrected.
    It was then that he realized that his shirt was hanging open, the handiwork of his adorable soulmate. He sighed, and calmly began to button it closed, his fingers quick and deft.

    Galen laced his fingers through hers, and followed her out of Starbucks. "If we're not lingering," he wondered, "what do you want to do?" He glanced down at his sunglasses where they were tucked into his pocket, a bit ironically. They had been necessary that morning, but now, with unnatural clouds cloaking the sky and the sun beginning to sink, he rather thought that a jacket would have been more useful. "If nothing else, our lives are never boring," he commented, as much to himself as to Keller.

    When he saw the currency that Jasper handed over, Gamble chuckled and shook his head. "Well, I suppose I can't argue with that. You enjoy your new friend, darlin'. I know that you'll treat her well."
    One of the dogs had come to rest its big, shaggy head on his lap while he showed her the bullets, and he carefully dislodged the animal before standing and offering Jasper a hand. "You keep yourself safe. I'll get in contact with Gift if I see anything of your boy Kiriyama, but I really don't think it's likely. He took enough with him to make a backwoods survivalist happy for a year." He grinned vaguely. "Which means that it ought to last him for a month or two, at least."

    The elevator doors finally slid open, and Irene stepped out. Only to find the hallway empty. Well, that wasn't entirely unexpected, but it was almost disappointing. All that trouble taken in preparing, and absolutely no Welcome Wagon to greet her.
    She smirked a little at the thought, glancing around to get her bearings.

    Christian smiled. "Can't argue with that. And it might make it less thrilling to know it's not only acceptable, but expected."
    He continued smiling as he took another drink, then raised a brow at her. "Are you hungry??"

    Nolan and Kersti smiled at him, the latter reaching over to kiss his cheek again. Gift nodded to Fang and rose to her feet. "Stay here until George arrives," she told the people staying. "Then you can decide where you want to go." She gave a nod to Nona, then a considering look to Anna. "Anna."
    At that, she turned and headed for the front of the restaurant. Kersti bit her lip to keep back a giggle as she rose to her own feet. "My mom, the master of subtle commands," she murmured to Adrian, as Nolan scrambled to his own feet. He reached over to touch Nona's shoulder gently, flashed a grin, then headed around the table to join the others.

    "That was bad," Luke observed. "Very bad. You ought to be ashamed, but I know better." A little chuckle, before he grinned at her. "Oh, it was implied. Just because it's you. You're lucky Zeke's such a gentleman or he might've taken you up on it."
    He looked up at the ceiling. "Not yet. They'll want to fix the outside hole first anyway, and that should take them a little while."
    Mace grinned at the dragon. "Comes with the times, don't you know." He watched silently as Darshan began buttoning his shirt, still eating his pizza. Of course he had a few choice images of how his shirt had become unbuttoned, but even he was smart enough not to mention it. C.J. was unmistakably hot but she was T-A-K-E-N, and only a fool would ever try /anything/ with her.
    "Did you need something??" he finally settled on asking, since there had to be a reason Darshan was venturing into lower territory. "How's she doing??"

    "I'm not sure," she admitted at his inquiry. There had to be something, but she felt like everything was at a standstill right now. "Maybe we should just kind of wander around and see if anything catches our eye."
    She gave a small smile at his comment. "Sometimes, I wouldn't mind a bit of boredom."

    "I imagine I will," Jasper said, looking back at her new friend. Just begging to be broken in already.
    She took his hand without hesitation, giving it a firm shake. "Thank you, Gamble. I'll be sure and get the RoA here for a get together." Another faint smile, and she kept her thoughts on Kiriyama to herself.

    "That is true," Sonya agreed.
    The eyebrow once again rose at his question. "Why? Do you think that one of the paragons of normalcy that lives in your neighborhood might want to volunteer? How interesting. I haven't fed on house-frau in years." There was nothing in her face or voice to indicate that she was joking, but she was. If Christian didn't want her to jeopardize him by flying out the window, she certainly wasn't going to do so by grabbing one of his neighbors for a quick bite.

    "Yes ma'am," Nona said, smiling briefly as Nolan touched her shoulder. Fang snickered, but nodded seriously enough. Tala seemed to be engaged in pushing a piece of lettuce garnish around on her plate with the tip of her knife.
    "Gift," Anna replied, and watched as the foursome left the restaurant. She then rose to her feet as well. "I think I had better be running along, too." She cast Jacob an amused look. "I want to clock out before anything tries to get me to help fiz either the suite or the parking lot." Neither were problems that she particularly wanted to tackle, especially since she was already technically off for the day.
    "Your mother is the very soul of subtlety," Adrian agreed, with an answering smile. He took Kersti's arm once they had walked through the restaurant doors, and followed Gift in the direction of the elevators.

    "I have no shame," Sahar agreed easily. "Mace and I were talking about that earlier. We pretty much agree that it has absolutely no practical use, so why bother?" She wrinkled her nose at him. "That's not... well, okay, you're probably right. Are you a gentleman, too?" she teased, a grin once again lighting her face.
    "Yes, I do seem to have grown out of my world conquering phase somewhat more quickly than my kin," Darshan murmured, with a wry smile. He glanced back in the direction he had come from, or rather, in the direction that he had left C.J. "She's doing better. The food helped. She wanted me to ask if there were some clothes that she could borrow. I'm afraid that the ones she has on are in rather poor condition, and we left her luggage at the hotel."

    "We can do that," Galen agreed. "Even if we don't find anything, we'll get a nice walk out of it."
    He smiled, and reached out to touch a lock of her soft dark hair, loving how it felt between his fingers. "You say that now, but I know you. You'd be bored out of your mind if you didn't have something to do," he said affectionately. Then he smiled a rueful sort of smile. "Of course, I doubt that dragons were what either of us were hoping for."

    "Sounds good," Gamble said. "Give me a call before ya'll drop on by, and I'll make my famous chili," he added, with a grin and a wink. He walked her to the door, opening it and holding it open for her. "Good hunting," he said, by way of farewell. Because even if she hadn't said anything, only a fool wouldn't have guessed that she was hunting something.

    Irene had just started down the hall when one of the doors opened and a girl came out, teetering dangerously on black stilletos, her eyes unfocused and her footsteps unsteady. She careened into Irene, who was now actually glad that she was wearing flats, and forced the other woman into the wall with a clatter of tangled elbows and knees.
    "Watch where you're going," she spat, her nostril flaring disdainfully, before she straightened herself and continued down the hallway, into the elevator that Irene had abandoned.
    "Charming," Irene murmured, pushing herself away from the wall. So that was Laurie Frost.
    As the elevator doors closed behind Frost, she started to sort through the jumble of images that she had collected from the woman. It was difficult. Everything she had picked up on was convoluted, as though the woman just didn't do things in straight lines like everyone else did, but finally Frost picked up on what was really important.
    So. That was interesting.
    Her pale blue eyes narrowed in furious thought, but finally she just shrugged. She could tell Paul later. Right now she was bored, and she wanted to go have some fun. Viva Las Vegas, and all.

    Christian chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe not volunteer, but for you, Sonya, anything." Simple statement of fact because, in the end, that's what it was all about.

    Jacob looked after the departing figures for a minute, before looking to Anna. A wry smile touched his mouth. "Good luck with that. And we'll try to be out of here before security has to come calling."
    Kersti did giggle softly then and stepped into the elevator once it had arrived. Though Nolan hesitated just slightly, she didn't, because really, what elevator would dare stutter when her mother was aboard??
    Gift punched the lobby level when everyone was on.

    "It helps build character, does that count as practical use??" Luke asked, unable to help his mirth at the idea of Sahar and Mace talking about shame. Now that was a picture. "And yes, I'm the best gentleman you'll ever encounter. Completely honorable and trustworthy, that's me."
    "That must be painful to realize sometimes," Mace mused. Because it was part of Darshan's nature, just because he /was/ a dragon. Surely he had to miss those things sometimes.
    He nodded at his grandpa's words. "No problem." Leaning back a bit, he yelled into the den, "Queenie!"
    A lot of grumbling and grumping later, the lioness prowled into the foyer. There was only the slightest hesitation when she saw Darshan, before she gave him a grin. "You missed a button." Then at Mace. "What??"
    Smirking, he nodded up the stairs. "Clothes for the missus."
    Rolling her eyes, Queenie gave him a good shove but trotted up the stairs afterwards. "Anything for my girl C.J."

    "Trust you, to look on the bright side," Keller said with a smile. She merely chuckled at his words, feeling little tugs where he touched her hair. "Well yes, but I suppose the idea of boredom is nice." Though laying about for any amount of time still did nothing for her.
    "No, I doubt dragons were what either of us ever wanted to see again," she said, shaking her head. "Frankly, I could've done without even hearing about them ever again, myself." Just remembering how the last one had come so close to killing Galen made her go cold.

    Jasper gave another faint smile as she stepped onto his porch, but this one had the hint of fangs behind it. Tucking the ammunition into her jacket pockets, she holstered her new toy and started back down the sidewalk.

    A moment passed before one of the other doors opened and Ash stuck his head out. He looked down the hallway but only saw a blond woman he didn't know, and grunted. Then shut the door again.

    Once again, Sonya tilted her head, considering him. Then she shrugged untucked her legs from beneath her, stretching them out in front of her instead. "No, thank you. I ate someone earlier."

    "I'll need it," Anna said, but there was more mischief than dread in her face and eyes. "You should see things downstairs. Full-scale panic. Well, organized and professional full-scale panic, but all the same. I'm afraid that you're really not anyone's favorite people, right at this moment."
    "That makes me sad," Fang said. "Are we your favorite people?"
    "You will be, as soon as you leave the hotel," she joked. Fang covered his heart, as if he had been struck, as Anna turned and walked out of the restaurant.
    Adrian closed his eyes and rested his head back against the wall of the elevator, covering a yawn as he did so. The food had helped, but he was still wondering if a nap would be completely out of the question once they reached the house. He had been woken up early to heal C.J.'s arm, and had been working almost non-stopped since them. That combined with the stress of meeting Terra again had exhausted him.

    Shame built character? Sahar made a face. "I'll have to take your word for it."
    She smiled when he claimed to be a gentleman, but reached out to pat his arm sympathetically. "That must be very boring," she said, "but it's very much appreciated. How do you do it?" The smile deepened, showing just a hint of teeth. "You certainly can't claim that Mace is leading you by example."
    The smile which curved Darshan's lips held little humor. "Let's not speak of that." Whether or not it was painful for him to be so altered was not particularly something he wanted to contemplate, today of all days. He had come... far too close to slipping, far too many times, and his new control over the gang, while unavoidable, made it seem more obvious than ever to him that the old ways were not completely gone from him. It was in his nature, after all. That didn't bother him. What bothered him was what could happen should he ever return to those old ways. It would be ugly, and he had become far too attached to the life he had built for himself to want to jeopardize it.
    He made a concentrated effort to school his features when Queenie entered the room, and her easy grin helped him to do that. He looked down at the button. "Indeed," he said, and made no move to fix it. When she trotted up the stairs, he moved to one side in order to allow her to pass. "Thank you."

    "I do try," Galen said. Because being with Keller had taught him to be practical, but he still found optimism better than the alternative. Even if it was hard some days. He smiled at her. "Two days at some tropical paradise, and you'd be bored out of your skull. That's why Italy is the better choice. Lots to do."
    He nodded in agreement with her assessment of the dragon situation. There really wasn't anything else to say.

    The sound of the door opening drew Irene's attention, and she turned her head to find Ash Redfern's head sticking out into the hall. Then he grunted, and closed the door.
    "Charming," she repeated, and turned, picking a door at random. A moment of careful listening told her that it was unoccupied, or at the very least, not currently occupied. The card that she pulled from her pocket was the general shape and size of a hotel key card, but it was not a hotel key card, and the plastic it was made out of was black. However, it seemed to work in the door admirably well, and Irene used her hip to push her way into the room.
    She dropped her bag on the floor, and shut the door behind her. As long as she was going to be here for a while, she might as well start acting like she belonged here. Getting comfortable was a good place to start.

    Christian nodded, then leaned his head back against the couch. His eyes dipped closed and he released a deep breath. "So what do you think we can expect from Blaire next??"

    "I bet the fans still love us," Jacob observed. "They'll probably love us even more for blowing up a hotel." He waved a bit as Anna left, then reached up a hand to rub at his eyes.
    Kersti stroked Adrian's arm gently as Nolan stepped up to Gift. His voice lowered, he said a few things, to which she nodded. When the elevator dinged, she led the way through the lobby and out the front doors.
    Where she almost ran into George and Tristan. A brow rose at the two vampires but she merely said, "George, you're staying with Nona and the band. Tristan, you're going to come with Nolan and protect Kersti and Adrian for a while." Her eyes were cool and steady as she caught Tristan's for a moment, a clear message in her gaze. There had been mistakes made with the band, obviously, since he'd been on the ground with two broken legs when she'd arrived. She'd take no mistakes this time.

    "Most people do," Luke said cheerfully.
    He took a long pull on his beer bottle as she spoke, then shrugged. "I don't know, it never really occurred to me to be anything but. Plus I get all of the perks just from watching Mace, without the downfalls." He flashed another grin, blue eyes gleaming.
    Mace gave Darshan a considering look but said nothing. He did have a sense of self-preservation, it seemed.
    Queenie gave a snappy salute to the dragon as she passed, the possible seriousness of such a gesture ruined by the widening grin. "Not a problem, daddio."
    After the lioness disappeared, Mace held up his hands. "I didn't say a word. She's just weird."

    Another chuckle and she squeezed his hand. "You know me so well. Though I'd be willing to make the sacrifice, if that's what you wanted."
    The cooling night air felt good on her face and she took a deep breath as they began walking.

    "That really depends," Sonya said, here eyes narrowing thoughtfully even as her finger absently traced the barel of her gun through its holster. "I haven't been in contact with her since I spoke to her about her parent's rather dubious behavior earlier this morning, and even then, we didn't really discuss business. How have most of you responded to her? Have you all responded to her? If you haven't, she'll probably sit tight for a while longer, still hoping for alliance from some of you. If you have, and in the negative, she'll either try to sway your opinion through force or further coercion, or move to eliminate you. In her soul, Blaire is a very practical woman." There was a faint note of admiration in Sonya's voice. She hadn't worked for Blaire for nothing, after all.
    Her lips twitched. "I was fortunate enough to be there when the answer came from the Freaky Four. Mr. Harman is a very talented artist, and their prose is quite... eloquent. Did you have any idea?"

    "Oh, our manager will just love that," Tala grumbled. "Just think of the publicity."
    She watched as Anna left, and Jacob rubbed a hand over his eyes. "We should probably clear out of here as soon as Fang pays the bill and George shows up."
    When Gift caught Tristan's eyes, he held her gaze for a moment or two, before inclining his head, an acknowledgment that was almost a bow. He was perfectly aware that he had made mistakes, and perfectly happy to rectify.
    "Kersti and I brought a car," Adrian offered, fumbling the keys out of his pocket. Something suddenly occurred to him, and he winced a little as he looked at Kersti. "I think that some of Mace's gang might have used some creative methods to get into the trunk. Hopefully it's still in one piece."

    "Sweetheart, there are some perks that you definitely can't get just by watching," Sahar said, with a teasing smirk. Then she seemed to reconsider. "Unless you're into that sort of thing." She polished off the last of the pizza, and spent a few moments licking the sauce off the tips of her fingers with the fanatical cleanliness of any cat.
    Darshan's gaze had slid to Mace almost as soon as Queenie finished speaking, and the shape-shifter's words simply made the dragon raise an eyebrow. "If you say so." He looked at Mace for a long moment, and took a sort of malicious pleasure in his next words, the kind that came from sharing misery. "You are aware that we have placed C.J., Queenie, and Sahar in a house together, are you not?"

    "I'm not picky," Galen replied, giving her hand a little answering squeeze. Really, being anywhere alone with Keller would be enough of a vacation.

    "The majority I know have already declined," Christian mused. "Though depending on their mode of communication, she may not be aware of that yet." Though unable to fathom any real worry yet over any attempts at "eliminating" him, he already knew Terra and Jayden were going to be eradicated before too long.
    He didn't seem surprised at the admiration he heard in her voice but a faint smirk twisted his lips at her following words. "I've always known they had a way with words, yes."

    "I already am," Jacob said with a slight wince. "Maybe we should consider leaving Vegas sooner than we intended."
    He nodded at Tala's suggestion. "Yeah, before security /does/ show up. Anna's no longer here to be our go-between, so things could get messy."
    Gift gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head back to Tristan and George took that as the okay sign. He gave a nod of his own to Tristan and his boss before heading into the restaurant.
    Another nod to Adrian at his offer, even as Kersti's brows raised. She looked more amused than concerned though. "It'll be interesting to see how they managed to do it this time. Where did you park, baby??"

    "Who doesn't like a bit of voyeurism now and then??" he said cheerfully, blue eyes sparkling. "The easiest ways to go about it, these days." He watched her licking her fingers, taking a slow drink from his bottle. "Would you like a napkin or something?? Paper towel?? Dishcloth??"
    "And I do," Mace said firmly, peeling another piece from the box. He still had more than half to go, he was so happy. And not to have to share with anyone!
    He was in the process of taking a huge bite when Darshan spoke again. The pizza froze in his mouth as he stared at the dragon, eyes narrowing slowly, before he bit off the food and chewed slowly. Swallowed. Took another bite. Repeat. "My house, no less." Another bite. And suddenly the pizza in his hand was gone. Hmmm. "I might have to lock Sahar in the basement," he finally mused. "And you can keep C.J. locked in your room. And Queenie---"
    His words cut off as there was a shriek from up the stairs, making him start in surprise. Eyes immediately jerked up even as a few brave fools stumbled out of the den, ready for immediate action.
    C.J. had already thoroughly washed her hair and scrubbed her skin and was just enjoying the feel of the hot water running over her body. It made her relax, made her breathe in the steamy air with pure superficial pleasure. Of course, it'd be better if a certain someone felt inclined to join her, but---
    The shower curtain was ripped back just then, which produced the shriek from C.J.'s throat. Luckily the thought rolling through her mind kept it from being a full-throated scream, as images of Jayden were instantly flung behind her eyeballs. She cringed slightly against the wall, peering through the water dripping from her eyelashes.
    Only to see Queenie standing there, with one of those dinky little digital cameras, snapping pictures. "Oh yes, these are going online," the lioness crooned, gold eyes gleaming tauntingly.
    C.J.'s mouth fell open and Queenie snapped another picture. Then a shampoo bottle went sailing through the air and smacked her forearm. "You /bitch/!" C.J. yelled, throwing another bottle. Queenie just laughed so C.J. was forced to launch herself at the other woman, with every intention of tackling her and smacking her silly.
    Queenie let out a whoop of challenge and darted past the naked tiger, slipping into the bedroom. "Just wait," she called over her shoulder, voice still taunting. "I'm gonna go upload these right now and be sure and put your phone number on there. Can you even imagine how many calls you're going to have in like five minutes?? Though I might have to edit the breasts a bit to get a bit---ack!" She darted again as C.J. came barreling out, but C.J. caught her ankle and the lioness went sprawling out in the hallway.
    An oomph, but she wiggled away and danced down the hallway, her husky laughter filling the hallway. "Come on cutie pie, you know you could use some action. Especially here, in the city of---ooomph!" A bigger one, as this time C.J. actually managed to get her arms around Queenie's waist and dragged her down. The lioness bucked beneath her and they rolled down the hallway, laughing and tossing off insults and curses, pulling hair and lightly smacking each other around. It was actually a short distance to the stairs, and the warning noises were lost on them as they began to tumble down the staircase.
    "Catfight!" The shout brought a few more people to foyer, where they all watched the women tumbling down. Not too far though, as they were stopped by, of all things, Darshan's legs.
    "A /naked/ catfight," one guy murmured appreciatively.
    "When did C.J. get that tattoo??"
    "Damn, that Mickey tattoo had to hurt."
    "You think the mushroom one is symbolic for something??"
    Queenie, lucky bitch that she was, landed on top as they stopped tumbling, and she slapped C.J.'s wrists down to the floor as she straddled the tiger. Another grin was tossed up to Darshan. "I've got her tight. You wanna spank her??"
    Mace rolled his eyes even as more appreciative murmurs came from the growing crowd.

    Keller smiled at him again. "Alright, let's just walk. Maybe we can pick up some food before we go to meet her, if we're hungry enough."

    "I seem to remember there being a great deal of pink crayon involved as well," Sonya mused. "Frankly, I was a little surprised that it actually got delivered." Not that she thought they were too stupid to post a letter, but if it had been addressed in the same way in which it had been written, it must have been hard for the postman to read an envelope with the address in yellow Crayola.

    "Maybe," Tala said, but Fang was shaking his head.
    "With C.J. still here and still in trouble?" he asked pointedly, with a frown like a stubborn child. Nona's head was turned to the side, looking out the window, as if to give the band the illusion of privacy while they talked. Bodyguards were good at that sort of thing.
    Tristan raised his hand in a lazy salute to George, then turned back to the little group in the parking lot.
    "Interesting is one word for it," Adrian agreed. At her question, he turned around, trying to get his bearings. "Over there," he said, finally, pointing towards the area that had once been occupied by the gang's cars and Ethan's Durango. "It's, uhm, not so much parked as sitting in the middle of the driveway." He had been rushed.

    "I prefer the doing to the watching," Sahar admitted, with an artless shrug. It wasn't that surprising, considering her career, that she preferred being on the stage rather than in the audience, so the speak. The made a face at him when he suggested using a napkin. "But then I miss the flavor," she pointed out.
    The scream made her look up with wide eyes, but she made no effort to move from her place by the counter. Because, really, did the day need to get any more complicated?
    Whatever response Darshan might have made to Mace's suggestion that they keep the girls locked up was interrupted by a scream from upstairs. The cold fury of earlier slid back into his gaze when he recognized C.J.'s voice... only to be wiped away by a flood of surprised disbelief when his soulmate and Queenie came tumbling down the stairs. Disbelief quickly became carefully controlled stoicism as he considered the two women at his feet, as if he didn't want any of the thoughts going through his head to show on his face.
    His expression didn't change when Queenie spoke to him. "No, thank you," he said, his voice mild. "Would you kindly allow my soulmate to stand up?" He raised one elegant black brow, although the rest of his face remained studiously blank. "Unless you would prefer that we leave the two of you in privacy?"

    "Have you eaten today?" Galen asked her, with a concerned glance. "I know that you've been busy." They all had.

    "I'm sure the postal workers get used to such things after a while," Christian murmured, swirling his water as if it was a fine wine. "Children's letters to grandma and all of that. Not to mention Santa and the Easter Bunny."

    That did cause pause, because Jacob also felt no inclination to leave without the whole band. Because as much crap as they put each other through, they were all really close friends. He just didn't think C.J. would be wanting to move anytime soon.
    "I guess we'll just see what happens," he mumbled with another sigh.
    Kersti ran her hand soothingly down his arm, giving him a smile as Gift started in the way he'd pointed. Yes, Kersti's blue Honda was sitting rather haphazardly just in the middle of everywhere. It was a good thing traffic had pretty much disappeared in the Paris parking lot, or there'd be a lot of honking going on.
    They were halfway across the empty lot, the crunch of glass marking their distance, when Gift suddenly turned her head to the side. Nostrils were flared, eyes narrowed slightly. Kersti frowned. "Mom??"
    "Tristan," Gift simply said, even as two things happened simultaneously. She reached back, grabbing both Kersti's and Adrian's shirts, and jerked them down with a sharp gentleness. At the same time, there was the softest popping sound, and a small explosion in the cement, sending a few pieces of broken glasses flying a few inches. It had been in perfect trajectory towards Kersti's head, which was the scary part.
    "Nolan," Gift said, her voice sharp as her eyes immediately skimmed the surrounding buildings. Kersti had done this drill before, so she just stayed crouched as small as possible on the ground, her arms tight and protective around Adrian.
    She felt a faint heaviness in the air as Nolan's eyes narrowed in concentration, before it disappeared again. She didn't need to ask to know that he'd warded them, before his own eyes started shifting about. "Gift??"
    "Get them to the car. Backseat, low."

    "Doing is fun too," Luke said agreeably. "Each has their place, I guess." A grin tipped his mouth as he watched her. "Nah, you can wipe your hands, the eat the napkin. Get even more filling for it."
    He was taking another drink of beer when the high-pitched shriek rolled downstairs, but he merely leaned backwards to look down the hallway. He could see Mace in the foyer, looking up, but since no one was making any mad dashes, he figured it wasn't that big a deal. "Women."
    Mace's eyes lingered when he saw the fury that went through Darshan's eyes. Ah yes, there was the dragon that must've been all the rage back in the day. He didn't seem particularly upset or interested in it though. It was all too well-known that a very thin strand of that same thing ran through his own veins, so he just stuffed the crust of his pizza in his mouth.
    Queenie clicked her tongue. "Offer you a perfect opportunity and you pass it up. There are no mistakes in life, just missed opportunities." She grinned down at C.J. "Ain't that right, sugarbun??"
    C.J. wiggled a wrist loose and gave the lioness a playful pop in the nose. "What my soulmate and I do in private ain't for your pryin' eyes, peach blossom," she replied primly, nevermind that she was buck naked and being straddled by someone on a staircase.
    Queenie made a face at her, rubbing her nose, before looking up at Darshan again. Gold lashes fluttered at him. "Would you darlin'?? The missus and I aren't quite finished up here yet."
    A brief silence, before someone muttered, "Oh hot damn, can I watch??"
    "I wanna see if that fairy dances when the movement's right."
    "Queenie, why the hell aren't you naked??"
    "Hey," grumped a voice, as Wes finally pushed through the crowd. "What's all the commotion about??" He stopped when he saw his mate atop C.J., and his brows jacked up. Then he smirked. "Where's Sahar??"
    "Oh Jesus Christ," one guy moaned.
    "You get Sahar in here and I'll get naked," Queenie tossed out with a taunting grin, causing many more moans.
    C.J. giggled, face alive and glowing like it hadn't really since the night before. "You're such a ho."

    "Yes, I have," Keller assured him with a smile, just because she knew the men in her life wouldn't stand for it if she hadn't. "But you know a shifter appetite never really goes away. Have you??"

    “Uh-huh,” Sonya said, her lip curling. Children. Ew.
    “You wanted to speak to Redfern and Darshan tonight?” she asked, as much of a reminder as a question.

    The moment that Gift said his name, Tristan had his gun out of its holster. Then the shot hit the pavement, right where Kersti’s head would have been had Gift not dragged her and Adrian to the ground. He stepped in front of the young couple, providing them with a shield made out of flesh and blood until he felt the familiar weight of one of Nolan’s wards coming into place behind him.
    “Right,” he said shortly, when Gift gave her order. “To the car. Stay low,” he said to the trio behind him. He kept his back to them as they moved towards the car, keeping up a steady pace, his eyes still fixed in the general direction that the shot had come from.

    “Paper fiber goes straight to my hips,” Sahar said cheerfully, with a bright smile for the wolf. She had been half-listening to the conversation in the foyer, and suddenly she perked up. Because she had heard her name and the word ‘naked’ in the same sentence, and in Queenie’s voice. Oooh, this sounded like trouble. Fun trouble.
    She finished cleaning her fingers, and waved at Luke once before sauntering out of the kitchen and into the foyer, a slow, hip-swinging walk, like sex on legs. A sinful grin spread across her face as she took in the scene, with Queenie on top of C.J. and Darshan standing there looking remarkably tolerant. She could guess why; this was the first time that she had seen C.J. looking happy today.
    “Hey, baby,” she purred at Queenie, as soon as she was within a few feet of the stairs. “You having fun without me?”

    Galen looked guilty, but he nodded. “This morning. I’ve been in and out of conferences with my parents all morning, and then I heard about the power spikes and came to find you.”

    Another faint smirk, because he could hear her thoughts in her voice. There was no one like Sonya.
    “No rush,” he said, voice almost lazy. “Darshan’s still probably hovering over C.J. and Gift might be indisposed for a while. I’ll give them a call a little later.”

    Kersti bit her lip, casting a glance over to her mom when it became obvious that Gift was not following. She kept her grip on Adrian as Nolan calmly herded them towards the car, Tristan following closely.
    “Adrian, keys,” Nolan said softly, holding his hand back for them. “Tristan, we should check the car. If someone saw him arrive in it, they could be doubly prepared.”
    Remaining where she was, eyes fixed in the direction the shot had come from, Gift didn’t move. Her mind had expanded, open and searching. It had been a little mental twitch that had warned her something was about to happen, but the fact that her daughter had been the target had every muscle tight in her body.
    But now the mind that had let out that twitch was quiet and still again. Nothing moved in the direction she was looking, nothing glinted or shifted in the cloudy light.
    She’d stood there for almost two minutes and nothing had happened. A thought tickled through her mind and she slowly knelt. Eyes still fixed in that same direction, one hand moved out and rested palm-flat on the ground. The bite of glass was sharp but didn’t break her skin.
    Another five seconds passed before that popping sound came again. And a bullet slammed into the cement, a millimeter in front of her index finger. It had been shot in such a way that the flying glass all went in the opposite direction of Gift, so none of it touched her skin. Which meant the shooter’s position had changed enough to compensate for it.
    Mouth curved slowly into a smile that was neither nice or gentle as Gift gave a short nod, then rose to her feet. There would be no more shots.

    “And gods forbid that happen,” Luke commented, eyes dropping briefly to survey said hips. Even he could admit they were quite nice. Would be a shame to see them expand obscenely by all those paper fibers. They were well known to do that and all.
    Of course he saw when she perked up, and blue eyes rolled a little as she waved and sauntered away. Please, like he wasn’t going to follow that walk. It was promising future naughtiness and it had already been established that he was a semi-voyeur and all.
    Queenie smirked at Sahar as she decided to join the party. “Honey, the fun doesn’t start until you’re in the picture.”
    Loud whoops from several gang members. “Queenie, you promised!”
    “And I am a woman of my word,” the lioness said regally, and promptly whipped off her shirt. It got tossed at Mace, whose eyes were in a continual cycle of rolling. Then the bra came off, causing more whoops from the crowd, and she tossed that in general to the crowd. Several hands reached for it but it was Wes’s hand that snatched it from the air, with a faint snarl in the guys’ direction. It was okay for Queenie to make a show, because he knew his mate that well, but touching wasn’t so okay.
    C.J. let out a mock-gasp. “Queenie! You’re…sagging!”
    “Oh that does it,” Queenie mock-growled, looking down at the trapped tiger. “Sahar, since Darshan won’t do it, I need you to come up here and spank C.J. She’s being bad.”
    “Oh Jesus,” Ean whispered, clutching Flint’s arm tightly. Most of the guys were staring with huge, hungry eyes, and some were even inching a little bit closer.
    Mace, still rolling his eyes, just stepped back to lean against the wall. Luke was already standing there, watching with a little half-grin, and Mace gave him a piece of pizza.

    “What were you conferencing with your parents??” Keller asked curiously, not able to recall if he’d mentioned that before.

    “Good,” Sonya said, and was a little surprised to hear the word come out of her mouth. It was true, though. She wouldn’t mind having Christian to herself for a little while. “What have you been up to recently, living in suburbia as you are?” she asked. Then she waved a negligent hand through the air. “I hear that catch up is what old friends do, after not having seen each other for a while.”

    Tristan nodded, another short, jerky nod, as Adrian obediently handed the keys over to Nolan. “I’ll check it. You just worry about keeping them warded.” He moved around the car, first popping the hood, and then lowering himself onto the ground to check beneath the carriage, both for explosives and the ever-popular cut brake line.
    “Clean so far,” the vampire growled. “I’ll need the keys.”

    As Queenie undressed, Sahar sauntered closer, until she could kneel on the bottom stairs, her legs sprawled out behind her. “Glad to hear it,” she said, and crawled up the few steps between herself and the other girls.
    She tilted her head in exaggerated consideration, looking at C.J. “She’s been a bad tiger, hmm?” she asked, and reached out to help Queenie with the disrobing process by unbuttoning the lion-shifter’s slacks and sliding down the zipper. “Well, I generally support badness, but if you feel she needs a spanking, I’d be glad to lend a… hand.”
    The look on Darshan’s face was still tolerant as he moved away from the three women, since Sahar’s body was now positioned in such a way that his legs weren’t needed to keep them from sliding the rest of the way down the stairs. He walked to the bottom of the stairs and to one side, and although his expression didn’t change as he looked at the gang members who were edging closer, there was the mildest of warnings in his eyes. He was okay with them looking at his soulmate, but much like with her fans, he would not allow touching.

    “Politics, politics, politics,” Galen said, with a weary shrug. “It never ends. Just the normal day-to-day business of ruling. I think they’re starting to feel their age,” he added hesitantly, since he didn’t really want to think about his parents becoming old or, goddess forbid, dying. “They’re trying to prepare me.”

    The smirk softened into a real smile, though Christian’s head remained tilted back and his eyes closed. “Catching up is good. And actually, not a lot. Honestly, after all these years, there’s really not a lot that I haven’t done.” That actually caused a bit of a musing silence, before he shrugged. “And yourself??”

    Nolan nodded silently, his concentration almost fanatically focused on keeping Kersti and Adrian protected. He’d thought just having Kersti in his protection earlier had been bad, but it was fifty million times worse when Gift was actually there, aware of every move he was making. And not making.
    The pair seemed content to follow orders though, which was good. When Tristan mentioned the keys, he nodded, but carefully unlocked the doors on his side first. Then he pitched the keys over the hood to the vampire, carefully peeling open the backdoor of the car to peer inside. Nothing that he saw but Tristan would know better.
    Kersti still had a protective grip on Adrian, and she jerked just slightly when someone stepped beside her. Looking up showed it was Gift though and she gave her mom a concerned, if curious, look. Gift just reached down and lightly stroked her dark hair, watching the security team silently.

    Queenie smirked again, keeping her grip on C.J. even as Sahar unzipped her pants. “C.J.’s level of badness has been deemed much too out of control. She must be brought back to order.”
    “Like you know anything about order, you old heifer,” C.J. said, voice haughty behind the giggle she was trying not to let out.
    “You’re unbelievable,” Queenie exclaimed, shifting her position when Darshan moved so they wouldn’t slide down by accident and send all three of them tumbling. “That’s it. Sahar, where’d you stash the whips last time??”
    A few squeals this time, from the crowd. The guys inching closer couldn’t /not/ notice Darshan’s look, but oh holy hell, how could they not take as much advantage as possible in this situation.
    “Oh no, no whips,” C.J. protested, wiggling under the lioness. “They left marks last time. In /very/ uncomfortable places.”
    More groans. One guy reached out and gripped the railing banisters in his hands, staring hungrily at the three women between them. Another one had noticed the fallen camera and snatched it up, starting to snap pictures. At least he knew they would last a lot longer than any real show.
    “Sahar, don’t you wanna get naked too??” one helpful voice suggested.

    Keller squeezed his hand again, voice soothing as she asked, “And do you think you’re ready to take over?? Not that you will be for a long time, but just so you know.”

    “Working for Blaire,” Sonya replied, with an ironic tilt to her mouth, more of an imitation of a smile than honest mirth. She looked at him curiously when she heard his response. “Doesn’t that sound thrilling. Are you getting bored, Christian?”

    Tristan caught the keys easily with the hand that wasn’t holding the gun, and walked around to open the trunk. When he found nothing there, he returned to the driver’s side door, opening it and sliding into the car. He checked carefully around the steering column, and then under the dashboard on the passenger’s side. Glove compartment, even under the seats… it all looked clear. “I think it’s clean, but you should back up.”
    This request made Adrian’s eyes go a little wide, but he backed up with the rest of them. Tristan inserted the key into the ignition, and twisted it. The car rumbled to life, and nothing exploded. He breathed a silent sigh of relief.
    “We’re good to go.” He gestured to the back seat. “If you would, ladies and gentlemen.”

    “Anything you want, beautiful,” Sahar said throatily, leaning in and nipping the other lioness’s chin in a manner which was most definitely for the benefit of their audience. “Let’s skip the whips and chains, though. I’m a hands-on kind of girl, you know that.”
    When someone asked her if she intended to undress, she turned around, locating their face in the crowd. “I don’t know, Oscar. Do you intend to help me?”
    Darshan said nothing, but when the pictures started, he extended his hand silently to the man holding the camera and raised his brows in a silent request.

    “I’m ready,” Galen admitted, “but it’s a lot of work, and I see how difficult it is for them. Honestly, I don’t anticipate telling them about these dragons. You know what it was like for them, last time.”

    “That sounds exciting,” he said, a touch dryly, before falling silent under her inquiry. It stretched for a moment, before he lifted the water to his lips for another drink. “I think I am,” he finally said. “Nothing surprises me anymore, and nothing excites me. I can almost understand why some of the older vampires turn to suicide. Boredom.” His voice was musing again.

    Kersti was actually holding her breath as Tristan slipped the key into the ignition, but when nothing went kablamo, she let it out slowly. And also loosened her painfully tight grip on Adrian’s arm, giving him a bit of an apologetic look.
    Gift merely nodded and sent the other three into the backseat, while she joined Tristan in the front. Nolan was looking rather paranoid now and didn’t drop his shields from the other pair.
    After giving the address to Tristan, Gift turned her attention out the window as her eyes unfocused slightly.

    Queenie laughed huskily and leaned down as Sahar turned away. Her nose traveled lightly along C.J.’s cheekbone as she inhaled deeply, taking the tiger’s scent in. C.J. purred very softly.
    Oscar was in the process of stepping forward eagerly, all too willing to help Sahar out. “Whatever you need, babe. I’m your man.”
    The picture taker was giving Darshan a guilty look, his fingers currently unable to relinquish the camera. The look in his eyes seemed willing to agree to the request, but his fingers themselves just would not release it. Such juicy memories.
    The crowd took a collective step forward when Queenie nipped at C.J.’s neck, causing her to moan throatily. And then Mace stepped forward. His pizza box had been relinquished to Luke so both hands were free, one of which he used to snatch the camera that had started it all and the other to grab the back of Jean’s shirt and jerk him away from the banister. “Okay, GET OUT!”
    “Awww, Mace,” several loud groans filled the foyer.
    “We’re just playing,” Queenie said playfully, looking up with sultry golden eyes from where she was hovering over C.J.’s skin.
Mace gave her a mean look.

    “I would almost suggest not, then,” Keller admitted softly. “Or putting it off as long as you can. The less they have to worry about now, the better. And there’s not an awful lot they can do right now, since they’re still in North Carolina.” In fact, the only reason she would really even consider telling them was because they /were/ head of the sharpshooters, and it was in her nature to tell her leaders everything.

    The look on Sonya’s face was unreadable as she contemplated Christian’s words, although her eyes remained unnervingly steady on his face. “Don’t,” she said, finally. Then she climbed to her feet and went into the kitchen. A moment later, there was the sound of water running.

    Adrian smiled at Kersti to show that it was alright, getting into the car and strapping himself into his seat before looping an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her snuggly against his side, and rested his cheek against her soft black hair, allowing his eyes to close as Tristan pulled out of the parking lot. It had been a very long day, and he was starting to feel gray and fuzzy-headed with exhaustion.

    The man’s reluctance seemed to have no effect on Darshan, whose hand remained extended with the patience of one who knew that his will would eventually be done. It was only when Mace stepped forward and took the offending camera that the dragon relented, crossing his arms across his chest.
    Sahar had stepped forward to meet Oscar, and had started to peel her shirt off when she heard Mace speak. Heard rather than saw, because her t-shirt was in front of her eyes. Given the choice between putting it back on and stripping it off, she pulled it over her head and handed it to the ever-accommodating Oscar, before turning large brown eyes towards Mace.
    “First no pizza, and now no naked debauchery on the stairs?” she pouted, although the smile still lingered at the corners of her mouth, irrepressible as always. “How sad.” She cast him a hopeful look. “Would you feel better about it if you got to join in? Very rude of us, I know, excluding our host.”

    “They need to know,” Galen said softly. “It’s more dangerous for them to be ignorant than not, especially since they’re the ones who have the make the decisions for all of us. The same applies to Thierry and the Witches’ Council, I’m afraid. I think you’re right in that we should speak to Darshan first, though. Better to go to them informed.”

    Christian just smiled again and didn’t move as she went into the kitchen. He wasn’t quite contemplating suicide yet, as even in boredom, he still enjoyed being alive. And there were some people he just wouldn’t want to give up knowing.

    Resting her head once again on Adrian’s shoulder, just where it seemed to fit so well, Kersti’s eyes slipped closed. Her hand smoothed over his thigh and she wished she could make him better, as she could almost feel the exhaustion wafting off him. Just snap her fingers and let him be good as new. Almost like a vampire with their blood.
    “Gift, is there anything we should know about??” Nolan asked quietly when they were well on the road. “Do you think there’s going to be anymore…efforts, on their behalves??”
    A moment of silence. “Not yet, no, but be on the alert.”

    The picture taker got a stricken look when the camera was taken away, but knew better than to try to get it back. The others reluctantly backed up when Mace sent a stern look around the foyer, the people in the back easily slipping back into the den.
    “No,” he said, turning the mean look on Sahar this time. The others slinked to the den as well, several of the guys sending lingering glances back to the girls. Queenie was already climbing off C.J. now that the audience was gone, grabbing the tiger’s arm and helping her to her feet. C.J. was giggling steadily now.
    “No more,” Mace said sternly, looking at the three of them. “You’re going to give the gang heart attacks or start a house wide orgy, and we just can’t do that right now.”
    “But later??” Queenie said sweetly.
    Mace gave her a withering look and opened his mouth, even as Luke made a warning sound. Not really in time, as a second later, Koran careened into the foyer. And froze, arms still out wide, glazed eyes growing huge as he took in all of the bare flesh. /All/ of it indeed.
    “Ooohh,” he breathed, eyes lighting up with thoughts that clearly needed to be kept in his own head. Tendrils of dragon power started to uncurl from him, reaching out towards the pretty pretty girls.

    Keller nodded, a touch of reluctance to the motion. She just didn’t want people to get hurt, and with dragons around, someone was going to get hurt. “The more informed we are, the better chance we’ll all have.”

    “I’ll be okay,” Adrian reassured her.
    “Do you know who that was?” Tristan asked, speaking just as quietly as Nolan had, his eyes fixed on the road as he navigated the little blue Honda agilely in and out of traffic in order to get to the house all the more quickly.

    Sahar sighed, but nodded reluctantly. “Okay. Not even a little orgy? Because, damn, some people seem to need the stress relief.” Actually, Mace seemed to be chief among them, but she wasn’t about to say that when he was looking so very stern. The thought was plainly visible on her face, however, as was the skittering nervousness when Koran came in and she realized that Oscar has absconded to the den with her shirt.
    “Koran,” Darshan said, a small tendril of his own power unfolding in order to draw the other dragon’s attention to him, and away from the naked women on the staircase. “Don’t. They’re mine. Go find some of your own.”

    “Yes,” was all Galen said, simple agreement. He nodded to a Chinese restaurant as they passed it. “Would you like to get that food?”

    “Of course you will, because we’re going to get you home and fed and then tucked into bed for a good long while,” Kersti murmured back, a smile in her voice that didn’t detract from the seriousness of her intent.
    “No,” Gift said again. “But I am going to find out very soon.”
    Behind the quiet words was…something, and it made fear tighten Nolan’s stomach until he almost felt nauseous. Whoever had shot at Kersti was going to regret it for a very long time, was what that something said.

    At that, Mace had to hesitate. Because he did put the gang’s well-being above his own inclinations, and if… “No,” he finally decided, and his tone was firm. “Right now, none of us really need to be distracted like that.” And if they wanted it, they could wait a damn week for it. Nevermind the thought he saw on Sahar’s face. He could go to a bar if he felt that desperate.
    Koran was cooing now, the thoughts getting dirtier in his glazed eyes. It actually took a moment for Darshan’s power to really register, and another moment before Koran was able to pull his gaze away from the pretty girls to look at the other dragon. “All of them??” Big major pout, even as his power lightly touched them. Just a faint probe, nothing challenging in it. But it made his face brighten considerably as he pointed at Sahar. “She’s not! And you already have all the others. Can I have her??”

    Keller squeezed his hand again, then shook her head. “Too greasy for right now. A steak sounds good though.”

    “I already ate,” Adrian reminded her, protesting through a smile. He pulled her a little closer and breathed in deeply, enjoying the comforting smell of her shampoo and the warmth of her body against his side. It made everything okay, at least for that moment.
    “Good,” was all that Tristan said, and if he shared Nolan’s fear, it didn’t show on his face or in his voice.

    “Okay,” Sahar said, apparently having lost all interest in arguing the merit of an orgy. She crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortably when she felt Koran’s delicate probe, and her face was undeniably unhappy.
    “No,” Darshan said, calm but firm, irrevocable. “She’s taken. There are plenty of pretty girls for you to play with outside of this house, Koran,” he added, coaxingly. “All different kinds of girls, like the ones that you found last night. Remember them?” He inexplicably liked the other dragon, in spite of his more distasteful habits, and didn’t want this to develop into an actual contest.

    “A steak?” Galen asked, with a chuckle. “As my lady wishes. What’s near here?”

    “Well you can have dessert then,” Kersti allowed with another smile, all too willing to snuggle in closer to her healer boy. She tilted her body towards him, her hand moving up his thigh and around his waist so she could hug herself to him. “But I do like that you didn’t protest the sleep. And you will not be setting the alarm either.” And she’d unplug the phone in the bedroom. Any calls made while he was sleeping would have to go through her first.
    Gift sent him an appraising look but didn’t say anything as they continued maneuvering through traffic.

    The pout became even more pronounced, maybe even sulky, before disappearing behind a bright smile. “Last night,” he recalled dreamily, and giggled. “Well, maybe that’s okay. Mace doesn’t like when I touch his girls and C.J.’s always been your kitten.” A brief and dull memory, of so long ago when he’d first said those words. “And Sahar…” He smiled his nice little insane smile at the little lioness. “I’ve always liked Sahar.”
    Don’t know if that’s good or bad, Mace thought dryly, before reaching out to punch Koran lightly in the arm. “What’d you want, Koran??”
    “Oh,” he said, suddenly reverted back to his original cause. “On says he needs to see you. Come on.” He grabbed Mace’s arm and tugged him back to the kitchen. The Drache sent a shrug to the others, another brief stern look at Sahar, then disappeared with the witch. After subtly passing the camera to Luke, with a wink at the wolf.
    C.J. had edged closer to Darshan subconsciously as Koran spoke, and now found herself within arm’s reach of him. A devastatingly sweet smile overtook her features as she looked up at her dragon. Hair still wet and curly against her shoulders. “Hi D.”
    “Maybe we’ll get a show anyway??” Queenie smirked over at Sahar.

    “I’m no lady,” Keller chuckled, before looking around. “There are a couple of places around here that might do. Depends on if you’re really wanting anything or not.” Especially considering he’d only eaten once today.

    "I won't protest sleep," Adrian promised. "In fact, I may skip dessert and just go straight to sleep. No alarm. I promise." Although he was sure that the phone would wake him up, sooner or later. It always did.
    It wasn't long until Tristan pulled up in front of a neat little two-story house and parked. He removed the keys from the ignition, but didn't hand they back to Kersti, since he would be going into the house first, in any case. With a dragon and a shooter both on the loose, there would be no taking of chances.

    When Koran directed his insane little smile at her, Sahar smiled back, but hesitantly, like she just wasn't sure that it was a good idea. What she had told Mace was true, and she had forgiven the dragon for that morning's mishap, even if she would be a little more wary of him after that... but right now, he was just kind of creeping her out. The stern look that Mace directed at her just made her frown mildly, as if she was trying to figure out exactly what she was in trouble for now, and failing.
    "Maybe," she said to Queenie, her pretty face once again becoming animated as she watched Darshan slide an arm around C.J.'s shoulders and pull the shape-shifter to him.
    Darshan looked at Queenie, shook his head, and then looked at Sahar. "Come here, Sahar."
    She looked at him with mock-reluctance. "I don't know, Darshan. Mace said something about orgies, and..."
    "Sahar," he said, with just the slightest trace of exasperation in his voice. She grinned at him and danced close, tilting her head curiously when he reached out and brushed his hand against her bare shoulder. Then the power uncurled from him, slow and lazy like a well-fed serpent, and she felt it wrapping around her, filling her up, and gasped. Suddenly, taunting Darshan just didn't seem like a good idea.
    Of course, old habits died hard. "Darshan. I didn't know you cared."
    The dragon sighed, and hugged C.J. a little closer, as if that would block the lioness out. "It's the most expedient solution. It would be unfortunate if Terra used you against us, and messy if Koran splattered you all over the walls." He saw the usual imperturbable girl turn pale beneath her tan, and curbed both his words and his irritation. "Besides, I promised your mother that I would look out for your safety."
    That made her grin again, and he could just hear another remark rising to her lips. He turned to guide C.J. up the stairs. "Say goodbye to your friends," he told her. He was taking his soulmate back to their room, and they were not coming out for a while.

    "Price would call you his old lady," Galen teased gently, "but that's not really the same thing. Yes, I'd like to eat. I'm starting to get hungry, and who knows when I'll get another chance?" If things got complicated, stopping for food could become an impossibility. Better to eat now.

    "Okay," Kersti said, rubbing her cheek gently against his shoulder. "You can sleep and then have dessert when you wake up. Probably be better that way anyway."
    She looked over when the car stopped, seeing the familiar house. It still looked the same but now that they'd been shot at and she knew Terra had had Adrian earlier, she hated this feel of unease twisting inside her.
    "Tristan," Gift said softly, nodding to the house. "Nolan, go with him."
    The witch didn't hesitate, just got out of the car and headed for the house. When they were on the way, Gift turned back in her seat to look at the couple. "Adrian. I want you to let Tristan or Nolan answer the phone for a few days. And again, I don't want you going anywhere without one of them with you."

    "Ooh," Queenie said with relish as Darshan pulled C.J. to him. The tiger didn't seem all that interested in a show though, just wrapping her arms around Darshan and hugging him tight. One dark eye opened and moved over as Sahar was called over, a curious look on her face as her dragon touched the lioness. She felt the power swell and wrap around the other girl and looked up at Darshan.
    The explanation was all too reasonable and she hugged him tighter as he pulled her closer, kissing his collarbone lovingly. Queenie's eyes had lost their gleam, instead looking thoughtful as she watched the dragon. Granted, a grin did pull at her lips when Darshan started taking C.J. away.
    "What, we don't get to watch??" she tossed out.
    C.J. peered over Darshan's shoulder and grinned at her friends. "You wished. Bye bye, girls. You'll get no apologies for the noise."
    "Bitch!" Queenie yelled, and C.J. laughed giddily as she disappeared upstairs with her dragon. The elder lioness looked over at Sahar. "Well, I've got my own mate to play with. Looks like you're on your own now, youngin'."

    "No, I don't imagine that has the same connotation," Keller chuckled. "Yes, we should take advantage of what we can get while we have it. So how about there??" She pointed across the street to a pub, that she'd tried before and had proven to have good meat.

    "Why do you put up with me?" Adrian wondered to Kersti, his voice soft with obvious affection and self-deprecating humor. He looked up at Gift as Tristan and Nolan climbed out of the car and made their way up to the house, and nodded in response to her orders. "After today, I'm not going anywhere without them. Why should we have them answer the phone, though?" It wasn't a protest, simply curiosity. There didn't seem to be any harm in picking up the phone.

    Darshan flicked a mild look over his shoulder at Queenie. "No." Then he continued up the stairs with C.J., and in a moment they were gone.
    "Abandoned by the ones I love," Sahar expounded, dabbing at a nonexistent tear. Then she smirked. "Ah, well, I'll probably be able to find someone to keep my lonely self company." Her eyes wandered towards the door to the den. Hrm. Maybe it was time to go retrieve her shirt from Oscar.

    "That's fine," Galen said, his eyes skimming over the pub. "I think I've heard about it." He frowned a little, considering that. Actually, he thought that he had heard something about it from Lupe Acevedo and her boys, which might have been cause for hesitation, but it was a pretty good guarantee that the meat would be good.

    "Because you're got a really cute butt," she whispered teasingly against his shoulder, before pressing another kiss to it. While that was blood-burningly true though, she knew he knew there were more reasons than that.
    Her eyes looked up curiously as well at Adrian's question. Gift just looked at the healer for a moment and Kersti knew her mom well enough to know she was picking through various thoughts, deciding which one was best.
    "If you answer the phone, they'll know you're in residence and will know when to strike. I'm going to have other people working the perimeter of your place randomly, so they'll also have turns in picking up the phone, so anyone trying to contact you won't know when you're truly there."
    Kersti rubbed her cheek against his shoulder again. Sounded reasonable to her. In a convoluted kind of way, but that was just her mother.

    Queenie smirked as the soulmates disappeared upstairs. She had to wonder if he said no because he didn't want an audience, or he just wanted C.J. to himself. That was something she was not going to be inquiring about though.
    "Poor baby," she sympathized with Sahar, before raising gold brows at her. "Remember what Mace said, sweetcheeks. No orgies. You walk in that den right now without your shirt, and you're going to start an orgy when all of the guys tackle you."

    Keller nodded then and led them over towards the pub. It was just starting to get busy so it wasn't too long before they managed to secure a table for two in the non-smoking section.
    She nodded politely to the hostess and picked up her menu. A brief perusal and she knew what she wanted.

    Pushing gingerly on the door to the Paris, as if afraid pushing too hard would break them, Price slipped past some furiously conversing managers and moseyed over to the front desk. The parking lot was still mostly empty, startlingly silent now, but the lobby of the hotel was still in chaos. Poor humans. They never knew what hit them when the Night struck out.
    He propped his elbows on the desk and grinned at the harried man standing behind it. "Hi Larry, is Anna around??"
    The guy frowned in thought, looking through a folder. Seemed to be an insurance clause. Price bit back a wider grin.
    "Oh, hey Price. Yeah, I think she went to the back to get some stuff before she heads out. Don't even understand what she's doing here. Doesn't seem to make sense. This whole day..." His sentence trailed off as he disappeared into the back, leaving a widely grinning Price behind as he hopefully went to get Price's soulmate.

    "Ah," Adrian said, seriously, but with a smile around his eyes. "Yes, that explains it all."
    Those same eyes turned as serious as his voice at been when he looked at Gift, and he nodded solemnly as he listened to her explanation. "Okay, so they answer the phone, too." He reached out, placing a light hand on her shoulder before taking it away. "Thank you, Gift," he said politely.

    "That's so sweet of you," Sahar said, with a grin. She looked pointedly at Queenie's chest, and the grin widened. "Of course, I still have my bra on. I'm thinking that you should grab your boy and go upstairs, before you violate Mace's no-orgy rule yourself, Ms. Queenie." She tsked, and shook her head. "Scandalous, really." Mace's no-orgy rule, not Queenie's state of dress.

    Galen took a few minutes longer, his eyes running leisurely over the food listed on the menu. A surprisingly large amount of food, really, although most of it was typical pub fare. Finally, he folded the menu closed and put it down, closing his eyes and tilting his head back against the chair as he waited for the waitress to come and take their order.

    Larry returned a moment later, with an obedient Anna in tow. When she saw Price and his grin, her own mouth tilted into a wry sort of smile. She could guess the cause of the grin easily enough. She was feeling more than a little sorry for her poor coworkers, who were looking at the same chaos that she was, but without the benefit of actually knowing what was going on. Which might have been as much of a blessing as it was a curse, since it meant that they also didn't know that there had at one point been bodies as well as blood in the band's suite, or that it had probably involved a dragon or two, to make no mention of vampires, witches, and shape-shifters.
    "Hey," she said to Price, before turning to Larry and handing him a card from a Rolodex. "Can you give this to Linda? We haven't needed to use them for a while, but this is the cleaning company that we call when a room is left in really bad shape. Really bad. They do a lot of repair work, too. Patching up plaster, that sort of thing."

    "I thought you could understand that reasoning," she agreed with a little giggle. Her healer boy was so very precious.
    Gift didn't respond to his touching her, just inclined her head. "Of course." Eyes shifted from one face to the other. "Watch out for each other. Even with the bodyguards and though I hopefully don't need to say it."
    Kersti smiled at her mom, who flashed one of her few full smiles back before turning to the front again. In time to see Nolan come back to the porch and send an "okay" wave in their direction. "Go," Gift said, nodding towards the house. "I'll watch you go in the house, then you're in their hands. Your car will remain here but don't use it unless necessary. You have bodyguards; make them do whatever you need."

    Queenie laughed throatily, looking down at her own state of undress. "They know better than to start an orgy with me," she said negligently, shrugging a richly tanned shoulder. "Wes would kick all their asses. But since you mentioned it." Wicked smile, followed by a raised voice. "Wes!"
    "Just waitin' for the call, babe," came the immediate response as Wes strolled in. He still had her bra and had reclaimed her shirt, though his eyes were lingering on her unzipped pants. "Ready for a massage?? That must've made you very tense."
    Queenie winked at Sahar. "You go work on those scandals, sweet pea."

    Keller glanced quickly but thoroughly around the restaurant, taking in the positions of everyone, before she let her eyes linger on Galen. A sight she'd never get tired of seeing, quite frankly. Even if he did look rather tired today.
    The waitress arrived then, and Keller asked for a glass of water before putting in her order. The woman looked at Galen then, pen poised.

    Price winked at Anna when he saw her own smile and waited patiently as she worked out the last details with her co-workers. He'd expect nothing less of her, of course.
    Larry looked bleakly down at the card, but took it. "Yeah, I'll give it to her. Or make someone else do it. Are you working later??"

    "We'll be careful," Adrian said, and he looked like he wanted to ask the same of her, but he wisely remained silent. If anyone could take care of herself, it was Gift. There was a small part of him that was convinced that she couldn't be killed, like a super hero or something. But he was a healer, and he knew better. She was stronger than most, but in the end, all too breakable.
    He pushed those worries aside, and took Kersti's hand as he climbed out of the car, leading her silently towards their house.

    "I'll do that," Sahar said. She walked the rest of the way down the stairs, passing by Wes. As she did so, she reached out, snagging Queenie's shirt from his hand and pulling it over her own head.
    "You won't be needing this," she told the other lioness wickedly. She waved over her shoulder as she walked into the den. "You kids have fun."

    Galen looked up to find Keller's eyes on him, and smiled at her. He would never get tired of that, of looking at her and being looked at. Of being allowed to, able to.
    He rattled off an order when the waitress came by, ordering iced tea instead of water to go with his food. Neither of them would be drinking, not when they had so much that needed to be done.

    "No," Anna said, a little more firmly than Larry deserved, probably the result of the few frantic demands that had delayed her leave-taking even this much. "Technically, I'm not working right now. I'll be in tomorrow, though." She smiled at him, bright with mischief. "I'll leave you to take care of today's little mishaps."

    Kersti linked her fingers through Adrian's and scooted forward a bit, dropping a kiss on her mother's cheek. "Stop by later, okay??" A slight nod was her only reply, though it was softened by a smile, which Kersti returned before following Adrian out of the car.
    She glanced back once as her healer boy led her to the house, in time to see her mother slip from the car. Amber eyes met hers and another smile was shared before Nolan ushered them into the house and locked the door behind them.
    "Okay then," Kersti said, looking around. "I'm sure I don't really need to say it, but you two are welcome to make yourself at home. We have real food in the 'fridge," she smiled at Nolan, then looked at Tristan, "but unfortunately, no blood bags or anything. Try not to eat our neighbors, okay??"
    Nolan smirked a little as Kersti then rested her hands on Adrian's shoulders and directed him to the bedroom. "And you, sir, are going to sleep. No pit stops for you either."
    "What a bossy wench," Nolan commented as he looked after them, though his voice was amused. Really, he couldn't expect less of Gift's daughter, especially in her own house.

    Outside, Gift continued watching the house for several minutes after the door was closed. Her mind kept flashing back to the image of that tossed glass, a moment away from hitting Kersti's head. It had been a game for him. He'd been testing her. And when Gift found him, she was going to test how many bones it would take before he screamed.
    A car pulled up behind her and she walked around the Honda to go slide in the passenger side. Darkness enfolded her, close and quiet in the tinted windows. She slipped on her seatbelt, not yet bothering to look at the driver as she pulled out her phone. Pressing the two on speed dial, she then put it to her ear. "Juli, I need you to find out about any new people that've come in lately. Sharp, arrogant, good with a sniper rifle. I need to know why and how long, and I need to know now." She paused for a moment, listening to her sister's voice. "That's interesting. I'll run his name through the database and see what turns up. Are you with Zabri right now?? Has she found anything on Kiriyama??" Another brief pause. "Alright, let me know. I'll catch up with you later."
    She closed the phone and glanced over at Ethan. "Zabri's got nothing."
    He shrugged. "So have the others. You knew this wouldn't be easy. He didn't get to join just because of those damn tests."
    A slight smile. "Let's go home. I need to check something, then I have to meet Keller."

    "Too bad you're going to need it so often," Queenie tossed down teasingly, as Wes began to stalk her up the stairs. She ascended backwards, not needing to look to step surely. "Try not to taunt the guys, okay?? It's not their fault Mace took away all your fun."

    Keller returned his smile and waited silently as the waitress wrote down his order, then disappeared. Another moment of silence before she chuckled wryly. "With all of this tension and anticipation in the air, I feel we should just be talking about what's going on." Even when they knew pretty much nothing to talk about. It would all be speculation at this point, and that would just give her a headache.

    A wounded look from poor Larry and Price caught Anna's arm, sliding it over his as he waved cheerily at the human. "Bright and early tomorrow morning, Lare, no problem."
    And before he could protest, Price whisked his soulmate out the door with a sideways wink. "You're so lucky you have me, or you would've been stuck there for another three days."

    "I've already eaten," Tristan said, with smirk, "so your neighbors are safe. I think I still have a little bit of toddler stuck between my teeth, though." He paused, and considered the fact that this was Gift's daughter he was teasing, and not the band. "Thank you, though, ma'am. We'll make ourselves comfortable.
    After which, he looked at Nolan, and nodded his head in a vague circle to indicate the house. "Ward the place?"
    Adrian allowed himself to be directed to the bedroom, laughing softly. "Okay, Kersti. I'll go to sleep." He was guided into the bedroom, where he shoved off his shoes and fell into the bed, still fully clothed. He didn't even bother to slide under the covers, simply closed his eyes and fell asleep.
    "He doesn't seem to mind it, though," Tristan told Nolan, with another little smirk. "Come on. You and I had best get to work. No rest for the wicked."

    "No, it's not, but I can't taunt Mace," Sahar shot back, with a grin. She paused near the door to the den, watching as Queenie and Wes ascended the last of the stairs before tugging Queenie's shirt down and sauntering into the den.

    Galen smiled in response to her chuckle, and nodded his own head. "I know what you mean. With things so tense, it's like we don't dare take a few minutes just to relax and eat. But there's nothing more that we can do right now, so it's moot either way." He shrugged helplessly, but they needed more information before their could productively either discuss it or act on it.

    The hand on Price's arm shifted, as if it was trying to get comfortable there, and Anna good-naturelly allowed herself to be whisked out the door. "Probably," she admitted in response to his teasing. "You know me. I just can't resist Larry and those puppy dog eyes of his." She cast him a sideways glance of her own. "Of course, three days of overtime would have resulted in a pretty splendid paycheck," she joked.

    Kersti shook her head in amusement, though whether she was more amused at Tristan's words or his ending was unknown. She just focused on getting to Adrian to sleep, smiling softly when his head hit the pillow and he was out.
    Pulling his jeans off, as those just weren't that comfortable to sleep in, she slid him under the covers and draped them comfortably over his chest. Bowing her head, she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, then left the room, closing the door silently behind her.
    Nolan had nodded to Tristan, eyes already tight in concentration. Since he'd never dropped the wards from around Kersti and Adrian, he focused instead of just broadening them, strenghtening them, making them cover the house like a slipcover. The place wasn't overly big so it wasn't too hard, and he felt confident they'd hold against anything that tried to get through.
    At Tristan's observation, Nolan smirked himself and opened his mouth to comment. Then closed it. Because it was still Gift's daughter they were talking about. "Take the kitchen and the bathroom. I've got the living room and the spare bedroom."

    Queenie wiggled her brows at Sahar before disappearing upstairs. Several heads lifted when the lioness appeared, a few faces falling when seeing she was wearing a shirt. Seemed the show was really over after all.

    Nodding in wry agreement, Keller gave him a small smile. "A crisis has a way of taking over our lives, doesn't it??" Though one hadn't felt quite so dangerous in a long time.
    She leaned back slightly as the waitress came back with their drinks, then took a small sip from her water. "Do you think your parents will stay home, while all of this is happening here??"

    "And you dropping from exhaustion as soon as you walked in, I think not," Price said cheerfully. "Better to skip the bigger paycheck and still feel healthy."

    Tristan saw Nolan's eyes tighten with concentration, and said nothing more. All the same, he relaxed minutely at the thought of their being wards in place. The witch was good at what he did, just like the rest of them, and it would take a fair amount of force to break through his wards. Even if someone managed it, they would have a warning about oncoming trouble.
    "That's fine," Tristan agreed. "I also want to take a walk around the outside, and get the lay of the land."

    An almost apologetic shrug was Sahar's only response when she saw several faces fall. True to Queenie's advice, she didn't actually taunt anyone, simply crossed the room to curl up on one corner of the couch and join in watching the TV. The sky had gone dark outside, and the screen sent a flickering and uneasy light over the den.

    "It does," Galen agreed. "Which is, I suppose, the only way to go about it. We wouldn't be able to deal with it if we were getting distracted by other things along the way."
    He unwrapped a straw slowly, paper crackling between his fingers. "I hope so. They won't want to, not with what's going on, but it would probably be safer for them."