courtyard. The front door was red and had just swung open as Keira stopped across the street. She didn’t recognize the woman who greeted Finn, but they didn’t act like lovers. She was glad of that. The two of them might not have made any declarations of love, but they had made progress. She didn’t like the idea that he might love or care for someone else.
Of course, he would never have sex with her while he was in love with another woman. He, at times, seemed more werewolf than demon, because he was as faithful a hound as any wolf she knew.
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear what was going on inside, she made a mental note of the address and drove back to the main road. Caladh hadn’t been returning her calls, and she not only wanted to talk to him about the misgivings she was beginning to have about this whole thing, but she also wanted to find out what was going on, why she suddenly seemed persona non grata with him. Maybe if she could corner him at council headquarters he’d agree to set a meeting with her, just to get her out of his hair.
Her agenda set, Keira drove to the main council building and parked in the rear. She stepped out onto the pavement in her bare feet and popped the trunk with her remote. She reached inside and pulled out a pair of yellow heels. Because she sometimes needed to take off her shoes to feel the earth beneath her feet, and she’d ended up losing more than one pair that way, she always kept a few extra in the trunk. Now she was glad she had.
After donning the shoes, she walked around to the front of the building. As she pushed open the door, she immediately had to step to one side as a black-clad security officer pushed past her. Other security guards milled around the entrance to the main chamber. Voices came from the big room, some shouting, and she thought she also heard weeping.
One of the officers, a big fey warrior named Conal, walked past her and locked the front door. On his way back he stopped and frowned down at her. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I wanted to see Councilor Caladh,” she said. She glanced around at the chaos. “What’s going on here?”
“You’ve arrived just in time for us to go on lockdown,” he said. “Lucky you.”
She shot a look at the door and then stared at him. “I gathered we were on lockdown when you locked the door, boyo,” she drawled, trying to hold on to her patience. “Why are we on lockdown?”
“Deoul has been murdered.”
Shock ripped through her. The president of the council was dead? Murdered!
Conal motioned to one of the guards. “Stay with her,” he instructed and walked into the main chamber.
“Wait!” Keira took two steps forward only to be stopped by the guard’s big hand wrapped around her arm.
“Sorry, miss,” he said. From his scent she surmised he was a feline shapeshifter—a lion, she thought, though of the African or American variety she couldn’t say. She’d always had trouble sorting them out until, of course, they actually changed into their animal forms.
“Fine,” she muttered, jerking her arm from his grasp. “Can I at least sit down?” She motioned to the row of chairs against the wall nearest the door.
“Of course.”
Keira sat down. Who could have done this? At least she knew it hadn’t been Finn, because he’d been with her all morning. Relief that he wasn’t involved was short-lived as she began wondering who might have committed the crime. She tried to get a glimpse into the main chamber. She thought she saw a couple of liaisons inside the room, including two of the werewolf liaisons, Victoria Joseph and Bartholomew Asher. Then the guards at the door closed ranks, making anything more than their large brutish bodies impossible to see. They moved again, and Caladh walked out. Blood streaked the front of his white council robe and covered his hands.
She shot to her feet. “Caladh!” She started toward him, only to be stopped again by the burly guard. “Get out of my way, you damned beastie,” she grated.
“It’s all right, Jeff,” Caladh said. To Keira he replied, “It’s not my blood. It’s Deoul’s.” He paused, his face pallid. “He’s dead.” He raised liquid brown eyes to hers. “Someone killed him. I went into the chamber to…” He shook his head. “He was