Blood and Blade (Goddess with a Blade #6) - Lauren Dane Page 0,29

her being part of our crew.”

“Good. I think we all work better when we’re not distrustful. I’m going to read through some of this stuff Susan forwarded along.” Rowan held up her laptop. Her old mentor had sent updates on the investigation into the whereabouts of the remaining known traitors to Hunter Corp. that had resulted in multiple deaths including the final knife in the back of the old Hunter Corp. structure.

Too bad for them that what they’d done was make Hunter Corp. leaner and faster. And a whole lot angrier.

They were getting assistance from someone with experience in hiding from seasoned investigators. Probably the same group that tricked the Blood Front into thinking they were going to get support in a war against humans when really it was all about draining them of their power to give it to...something else.

For what? Most likely the usual. Influence. Money. Magic. Delusions of grandeur. Whatever it was, she’d figure it out and they’d find each and every last Hunter who’d betrayed their secrets, exposing Hunters in the field who’d been targeted for assassination.

At her feet, Star nosed Rowan’s ankle with a snuffling snort. Reassuring in her own doggy way. They were on the right track. She hoped.

Chapter Nine

A soft shake of her shoulder brought her from her nap. Rowan opened her eyes to look up at the gorgeous Vampire she married.

“We’ll be landing in about half an hour,” he said, bending to kiss her right there in front of everyone.

She was too addled by sleep to stop him or even scowl, which is probably why he smirked at her briefly as he sat on the nearby couch.

Rowan hadn’t meant to sleep again after leaving Clive to his rest. That sort of napping usually left her muzzy and thick, especially when she was traveling more than three time zones. But once she’d closed her laptop and finished her snack, exhaustion had washed over her and she’d given in to the temptation to just snuggle down into the blanket and close her eyes for a few minutes.

And here she was, trying to shake off the hold of an unusually heavy sleep. There was something she needed to remember but it was just out of reach. She waved away an offer of coffee and guzzled down several glasses of water before they landed.

Even when she got to the row of waiting cars, she was too cottonheaded to make a snarky remark about having so many people with them they needed a school bus. Or maybe one of those super stretch party bus things people had their bachelorette party in.

She began to perk up as she slid into the car, the buttery soft seat caressing the exposed skin on her arms. The thought of Clive’s expression as they sat facing a stripper pole in a neon light bathed party bus cheered Rowan’s spirits even as the unsettling feeling that there was something she needed to do and know shadowed her thoughts.

“Are you all right?” Clive asked as they pulled away from the airport. The drive to their London house and home base of operations would take about forty-five minutes at that time of night so she leaned back and not so discreetly watched him drive.

“I’ve been trying to wake up. The sleep I had wasn’t...it wasn’t normal or usual. It’s coming to me the longer I’m awake. I remember that I had a dream. The details of the dream are fuzzy but there was a symbol in it. But the symbol isn’t clear either. Like it’s just right outside my reach. I’ll remember it when I’m supposed to. I think.”

“You believe this was a prophecy dream?”

Rowan took a deep breath and thought it over. “I haven’t had many. None before I was twenty-five or so. It’s one of Brigid’s gifts. Which doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily have them more often. All this Vessel stuff is fairly unique to the individual human and the deity they host. Some Vessels are very strong and take on the supernatural powers or magical gifts of the deity they’re sharing their bodies with. Some deities hold the consciousness of the Vessel nearly all the time while others, like me, have the opposite balance. I guess we’ll see.” She shrugged.

“You will have Genevieve do that spell to be sure you’re not the target of some terrible magic,” he said, tone clipped.

“Just because you’re worried doesn’t mean you get to boss me around and be all snotty. There’s no reason to think I