He tossed down a shot of whisky and found his phone. He scrolled through his contacts and dialed Pestilence.
Julian might well be the only one who could end this.
Dru and Nick had gotten too close to their targets, and that had cost them dearly. That wouldn’t be a problem with Julian. In fact, proximity would aid him.
Dru waited until his friend’s British accent came across the line, sounding as old as time.
“I failed.” That admission was a brutal blow to his ego. “They’ve broken the Second Seal.”
Silence echoed across the distance between them for several seconds. “I see.”
“I know you hate to leave your fortress, but your presence is required in Port Townsend.”
“These de Moray witches, what makes them so powerful that they could best two of the Horsemen?”
Dru could picture his friend sitting in his study, pondering the question over a glass of the finest wine. In the spirit of the occasion, he poured himself another shot of whisky. “They’re subtle enemies, skilled in the art of seduction. I underestimated their abilities and determination along with the power of the prophecy. The end of days is destined to happen and will not be easy to stop.”
“Obviously the gods believed we were up to the task. I shall make accommodations, then. Expect me within a few days.”
Dru ended their call and set about strategizing his next move. One that ended with his sword in his hand and Claire in his bed. With her sister dead and the crisis averted, there was no reason he couldn’t have both.
III
Aerin
By Kerrigan Byrne
27
“What the hell are you doing?” White sheets took a tantalizing journey down Dev Atwal’s bronzed, lean torso when he sat up in bed and rubbed sleep from his bleary eyes.
“I’m curing cancer. What does it look like I’m doing?” Aerin Doe shoved her favorite Brunello Cucinelli cashmere sweater next to her favorite Manolo Blahnik pumps and grappled with the zipper on her luggage. Was it against the rules to sit on a Gucci Suitcase?
Fuck the rules, she had a plane to catch.
Turning around, Aerin hopped up and landed ass-first on the top of her suitcase and ground her cheeks into it for good measure, managing to slide the zipper around the rectangle with a victorious breath.
“You smoke too much to cure cancer.” Dev’s measured East Indian accent irritated the shit out of her at the moment. Also, now she wanted a cigarette.
“I need you to handle the requisition meeting next week,” Aerin told him, bustling to the bathroom and dumping her shitload of beauty products and cosmetics into her carryon. She added a curling and straightening iron to her bag, because who knew what the humidity in the Northwest would do to her hair? Anti-frizz gel and curl intensifier followed, along with clips, elastics, pins, bands—was she forgetting something? “The rep from Luxul is going to help with the new wireless and network implementation, so have him work with Stan. They’re the best, so make sure they’re treated well.” She waved a box of tampons at him as she said this, before adding it to her bag.
Dev’s marble-black eyes followed her around the bedroom as she opened her slut-red leather tote and organized her wallet, work laptop, e-reader, wireless speaker, and smart phone.
“Also, fire Eric. That gold brick is pissing me off and I want him replaced by the time I get back.”
“And when will that be?” Dev queried.
The diamonds on her watch told her she had time for a smoke before her car arrived, and that still afforded her an hour and a half to get from Manhattan to JFK Airport.
“I’m not sure,” she evaded. “If there is an emergency, Sandra will be able to get a hold of me.”
“What if I need you?”
“Like I told you.” She gentled her tone as much as possible. “If you have an emergency, talk to Sandra. But I have complete faith you’ll be able to run things while I’m gone. You’ve done it plenty while I’m away on business. I trust your judgment.” Except for his taste in women.
“Is that what you’re doing, leaving on business? Can you at least tell me where you are going, or do I need to get that information from your assistant, as well? I’m the VP of Operations, Aerin, it is good if I have information to give should someone ask.” The inflection in Dev’s voice remained, as it always did, smooth, with a zen-like