should attack. “Thad?”
Thad stared blankly up at him.
“What did you come down here for?”
Thad gestured weakly.
“One of those two?”
A nod.
“The guy or the…?”
“The other one,” he whispered, eyes wide.
Wesley sighed, turning back to face the pair. “Look, when you’re… uh… decent, go upstairs and to the end of the hall, last apartment on the right. Sebastian or somebody wants you up there for something. Probably to do with that other new guy.”
Christoph turned his back as Analie slowly shifted back and dashed to her room. Christ, she really wanted her old thrift store clothes handy. Being Were could be expensive.
As soon as she was dressed in her one pair of jeans and one of the ratty T-shirts Freddy had given her, she skipped back out to the living room and pointed at Christoph.
“Your task is over and you are hereby forgiven. Let this be a lesson learned and may you hold it close always.”
Christoph resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Thank you. I have learned and will act accordingly in the future.”
Analie grinned at him and bounded out the door. She took the steps three at a time, eager to see how Ashi was getting on. He was probably back to his stony, unfeeling ways. Analie almost laughed at the idea of him not being able to do anything about her future insolence.
She heard the shouting on the second landing. Frowning, she leaped up the rest of the stairs and rushed down the hall. She didn’t need to remember where Wesley had told her to go. The shouting was indication enough. Ashi was loud.
Analie thought about knocking, but then thought better of it. A woman she didn't know was already there, and a shadow. Analie thought it might be Clarisse, but didn’t want to risk accidentally greeting the wrong vampire.
“Uh, hi.” Analie tapped Jessica’s shoulder. “I’m wanted up here?”
“You’re just as crazy as the rest of them!” Ashi screamed at her.
“Bite me.” Analie then turned to Jessica. ”Do you want me to hit him or something?”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Can you get him to calm down and sit still so I can take his blood pressure? For God’s sake, you’d think I was asking him to hop in the sack with John.”
Clarisse cocked her head to one side, then looked over her shoulder. “I think ye all might want tae duck and cover. Sounds like Angus is awake.”
Jessica groaned.
Analie was glad the vampire there was Clarisse. She smiled at the shadow, then walked over to Ashi.
“Stay away from me!” Ashi shrieked.
“Okay, seriously, grow up,” Analie snapped, reaching for him. “You’re acting like a pup at—”
She didn’t even register the first three blows until the fourth one landed.
“I said stay away!” Ashi screamed.
Analie realized her nose was bleeding. And that her face hurt. Ashi was still fast when he was pink. With a low growl she grabbed his arm, spun him around, and caught him in a lock, both arms immobile and his head in the crook of her arm.
“Okay, Jessica. Now is a good—gah! Stop biting! Ow! Whatever you’re going to do, do it now!”
Jessica might have taken that moment to explain that she couldn’t take Ashi’s blood pressure while he was so wound up, except that a very large, very hairy, very bare-assed naked man came stalking into the room just then, and she was a bit busy hiding her eyes and the blush that marred her cheeks. Clarisse didn’t seem nearly as put out by the sight as she should be, watching with a thin smile and one brow arched.
Every inch of skin on Angus’s chest not covered in hair was covered in scars. He had an unruly tangle of copper red hair that fell a bit past his shoulders, a beard long and thick enough to braid, and a darkly tanned, heavily muscled frame that was tall and wide enough to barely clear the door frame. His normally blue eyes were glittering crimson, and he might have been snarling and showing some fang, but it was hard to tell around the bushy beard bristling on his jaw.
“What,” the man roared in a deep, reverberating voice as he took up a wide stance and planted his hands on his hips, “in th’ name o’ th’ Gods is all the good-God-damned racket? Och, a man cannae get any sleep around ‘ere!”
“Angus,” Clarisse said, not bothering to hide her grin, “ye’ve forgotten yer plaid again, lad.”
He paused, looking down at himself. He raised one very red, very bushy eyebrow,