cat?” Callie exclaimed. Irritated, she reread the spell’s ingredients. “Looks like I owe you an apology. I was supposed to use rose hips, not rosemary. And how did you know that, anyway?” she asked. And then shook her head. It wasn’t like the cat could answer.
The sun was setting when Quill sauntered into the kitchen. With a hiss, Ebony leaped to the top of the refrigerator, golden eyes narrowed.
Quill grunted softly. “I don’t like you, either,” he muttered.
Callie looked up, frowning. “What?”
“I was talking to the cat.” Drawing her into his arms, he said, “You, I’m crazy about. How’s the magic coming along?”
“I found a spell for warding the house. If it works, no one will be able to enter except you, me, and Ebony.”
“Ebony?”
“Our cat.”
“Your cat.”
“Whatever. How will we know if the spell’s working?”
“Invite Vivian over tomorrow, leave the door unlocked, and see if she can get in.”
“Good idea. I need to call her anyway and see how she’s doing.” She glanced at the timer on the oven. “I’m having chicken for dinner. It’ll be ready in a few minutes. Do you want to share it with me?”
He cocked one brow. “Do I have to have chicken?”
“What else . . . Oh.” She lifted a hand to her neck.
He grinned at her, then kissed her cheek. “I’d love to have dinner with you, sweet Callie, if you’ll be dessert.”
She smiled up at him. “All you have to do is ask.”
“You’re spoiling me. You know that, don’t you?”
“I love you. You know that, don’t you?”
His gaze burned into hers, so hot she thought she might melt on the spot.
She flinched when the timer went off. Saved by the bell. Slipping out of his arms, she went to take dinner out of the oven.
* * *
Later, sitting side by side on the sofa, with Quill’s arm draped around her shoulders, Callie asked, “How will you find the Knights?”
“That’s a good question. No one knows where they are. I have a feeling their witch cast a spell over the Dark Wood to keep strangers out.”
“Even if you find them, we can’t fight twelve Knights all by ourselves.”
“Wait a minute! There is no ‘we,’ not where the Knights are concerned.”
“What do you mean?”
“You heard me. These aren’t your regular run-of-the-mill vampires hunters, you know. They’ve got those damn medallions, for one thing. And an on-site witch. Rumor has it, she’s as powerful as your grandmother ever was.”
Callie glared at him. “Listen to me, mister, if you go after those Knights, I’m going with you.” She held up a hand when he started to object. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d be dead and buried now. And don’t you forget it!”
“All right, Wonder Woman, we’ll fight them side by side. Assuming we can find them,” he added. Eyes narrowed thoughtfully, he dragged his hand over his jaw. “The sword.”
“What?”
“The sword. The one the Knight tried to decapitate me with. Where is it?”
“I don’t know. Last time I saw it, it was on the living room floor. I thought you took it with you when you buried the body.”
“No.” Quill swore under his breath. “One of the Knights must have retrieved it while we were gone.”
“Why didn’t they take the body, too?”
“Beats the hell out of me. Maybe something scared them off. Dammit, if we had that sword, you might have been able to concoct a spell that would lead us to the Dark Wood.”
“Really?”
“Theoretically.” He frowned. “He had a dagger, too. That would work just as well.”
“Where is it?”
“I buried it with him. His blood would work even better than the sword.”
Callie grimaced. “You’re not thinking of digging him up, are you?”
“Have you got a better idea?”
She shook her head. “Do you remember where you buried him?”
“’Fraid so.” He brushed a kiss across her cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
Callie shuddered at the thought of exhuming the Knight. True, the body hadn’t been in the ground long, but...
Yuck!
* * *
Quill returned in a remarkably short time, bringing with him the scent of cool air and freshly turned earth.
Looking up from the sofa, she asked, “Where’s the dagger?”
“The body’s gone and the dagger with it.”
“Gone?”
Brow furrowed, he dropped onto the sofa beside her. “I guess when one of them dies, the Brotherhood doesn’t leave anything behind.”
“So, we’re back to square one.”
“For now.”
“I called Vivian while you were gone. She’s coming over tomorrow. I don’t think she’s recovered from her ordeal yet. What am I going to tell her?”
A muscle worked in Quill’s jaw. “I’m afraid to