in the ballroom, but he hadn't realized they'd hired contractors. Yet the racket shaking the walls and thundering in his eardrums the moment he stepped onto the lawn could only have been from building work. He entered the Eirikrson house, and stilled at the heavy doors. The expected smell of stone, wood, or paint was absent. In fact, he didn't smell any strangers at all. The house held the scents of most of the residents of the hill, as they all came up here from time to time. Chloe's smell, as well as some of her friends, was stronger, indicating they were either in the house or had left recently. And Diana's trail, the one he'd followed from the Helsing manor to Skyhall, ended here.
"Anyone here?" he called out, not bothering to raise his voice.
Avani was the first to answer. "Down here."
Ah. They were in the training room. That explained why he hadn't immediately located them: vampire training was messy, noisy business. Like Levi's, Chloe's training room was warded, so that the residents of the house wouldn't have to deal with the screams and smells coming from there.
"You need to renew your wards again," he said, walking in the underground hall.
He came to a sudden halt, eyes bulging. Diana was sent flying from one end of the room to the other, and crashed against the opposite wall, shaking the very foundation of the house. His instinct to reach her, check that she was all right, was strong, but before he could move, she landed on her knees, and wiped blood out of her mouth with the back of her hand. Then she laughed.
The demented woman actually laughed.
She started to run at full speed, each leap taking her several yards, until she reached Chloe, who waited on her guard on a leather mat. Again, Mikar itched to place himself between the two. Protecting one, the other, or both. Only the realization that they were down here, voluntarily training, and not actually trying to rip each other apart kept him in place. Diana moved to kick Chloe's stomach—or so he thought. Chloe also anticipated the move and braced herself, ready to either take the impact or to evade it. She didn't have a chance. At the last possible moment, Diana's position changed: she jumped on Chloe's shoulders and with the speed and agility of a feline, flipped her over on the mat. Chloe groaned, her back pressed against the leather, Diana's knee keeping her down.
Mikar breathed out in relief, glad that it was over. Chloe was nailed down, she had to tap out. Or so he thought. He was shocked to see her sit up as much as she could, and use the motion to shoot her legs straight up, kicking Diana right in the face. Diana only lost her balance a tiny bit, for the shortest time, but that was enough for Chloe to grab hold of her ankle and tug. Down she went, and incredibly, Chloe was on top.
They fought. Nastily, angrily, screaming, yelling. Mikar grimaced during the entire ordeal. He half expected them to resort to biting and pulling out each other's hair, given how ruthless they were, but while vicious, their moves remained fair and clean.
"Impressive, isn't she?" Ruby asked, watching the fight.
He hadn't even noticed her. Now that he paid attention, he saw that Greer, Cat, Gwen, and Blair were also watching, huddled together in a corner to avoid getting in the way of the two dervishes.
"Which one?"
Ruby considered the question for a moment. "Both."
He nodded his assent. Diana had impeccable technique, and yet these two were evenly matched, as Chloe's speed and imagination exceeded the older vamp's.
Finally, after what could have very well been an hour—and Mikar wasn't sure when their fight had started—they were both panting and holding their sides when Chloe proposed, "Shall we call it a tie?"
Diana exhaled deeply in relief. "Let's. Fuck, I need a chiropractor."
Chloe laughed, stretching her back. "Just find me a nice, comfy coffin to lie down in for the rest of eternity, please."
The other girls joined them on the mat.
"You were taking things easy on me!" Greer accused Chloe, narrowing her eyes.
Chloe shrugged. "Yeah, well, you're a bit less durable than Diana."
The witch crossed her arms on her tummy. "I have spells to protect me. Next time, you fight me seriously."
Mikar laughed when he saw Chloe cross her fingers behind her back. "Sure."
There was no way Chloe could unleash all her power against Greer. Not only was she