kind of damage they did.”
As I got out of the car, I started taking it in. I could see the broken window Raphael had jumped through, trying to find cover. I didn’t blame him. If it got him inside to safety faster than a door, so be it. I could see the front door had been kicked open, and there were scorch marks on the frame. The witch probably had a bit of fun with the fire. The BMW Raphael was sorry about? It was a heap of burned metal, ruined electronics, and mechanical parts, much too close to my house. I could see where pieces of it had fallen off after he threw it.
“Kaliya…” Cassius whispered, looking at me. “I’m so sorry.”
“It happens,” I said sadly, staring at the devastation. Before either man could say any more, I went in through the front door, knowing the garage was going to be a hazard of broken glass from the Aston Martin.
My display cases were shattered, my weapons tossed everywhere. That was the first thing I noticed, realizing I was going to have to do a full inventory to make sure I had everything. I didn’t know if they decided to look for something or just wanted to ruin my home. Either was possible.
I picked up a katana I was given by a friend, testing it. It seemed they hadn’t done any damage to the weapons if the katana was a fair judge of the rest.
“Nice,” Raphael said, stepping next to me.
“I’ve had it for about ninety years,” I said softly. “I got it when I completed my training.” I was immensely glad to see it, to be able to hold it. If Sinclair had wanted to hurt me, he could have stolen and sold it off, forcing me to find it.
“Hisao gave you one of his weapons?” Cassius asked, frowning. “Why didn’t I ever know that?”
“Because it wasn’t a big deal. It stayed in its case.” I grabbed the sheath from the floor and found a belt. Once the blade was secured to my waist, I felt more comfortable. Just a reminder I was trained, that I had earned the sword, made me feel more secure. I could survive this as I had survived so much else. “Raphael? Can you go outside and see if you can find our bags? I need my cellphone.”
“Sure.”
I walked deeper into the house when he turned and left. Cassius stayed by me, and I was glad for the familiar comfort of his presence.
“He did a number on your place,” Cassius said, toeing a piece of furniture out of the way. It was my coffee table, and it was flipped over. I could see where the wood was cracking. Another thing to replace.
“Yeah…”
“Why did you send him outside?”
“Naksha is here, and I don’t want him to see me upset if they killed her,” I admitted, swallowing.
“The snake you’re taking care of? You know, it might not be perfect, but I’m certain I can get something set up today at my house for her. Something small and temporary. If she’s…”
“That would be nice. Make the call,” I said softly, walking through my back hallway. I checked the handle of my secure office, sagging with relief to feel it was still locked. Neither fae nor vampire would have been able to get in. One room, the most important room, didn’t need to be checked, not yet.
I went into my unsecure office next and sagged against the door frame.
“They tore apart my computer, Cassius,” I said, looking at the mangled remains of the tower. “Probably stole the hard drive.”
“I’ll text the others and let them know our communication channels have probably been compromised. Give me a moment. I still need to tell Leith about the snake so he can prepare something.” He backed away and left me there to stare at the wreckage. I couldn’t take all day, planning the renovation to keep this from happening again.
I walked quickly around the table and started looking over the habitat. I would have known already if Naksha was out. I would have smelled her through the house, but her scent was still confined to this office. The habitat was secure.
I guess not even Sinclair and that blasted fae were willing to upset a very dangerous cobra.
That’s good. Okay. I know how to do this.
I hadn’t done it since I was a child. It was one of the more private, beautiful naga gifts, and my parents had made sure I could