I took two steps back and stared, panting as wildly as my motley entourage.
A dozen questions whipped through my mind. Where was Marius? Was he all right? What was going on?
“What the hell was that?” I finally managed.
Bene and Roux looked at each other, then at Henrik.
He ran a hand through his hair, plucked out the leaf, and regarded it in disdain.
“You mean,whothe hell was that,” he grumbled, looking at Roux. “Hard to say. One of the usual suspects, I suppose.”
My mouth hung open.Usual?
Then it dawned on me that the intruder might not have been here at random, and he — or she or it — might not have been here for me, but for my clients.
I bristled and stuck my hands on my hips. “You have exactly one minute to explain.”
Chapter Eleven
MINA
Twenty minutes later, we were all in the drawing room — except Marius, who was still out “patrolling,” as Roux put it.
I stood by the huge rear windows, studying the dark sky. Château Nocturne had never, ever needed patrolling. Not as far as I’d ever heard of, at least. But now…
I cursed Henrik under my breath, blaming him for no good reason. Well, other than being a vampire and for sneaking into the attic over my bedroom and freaking me out and keeping me on edge for the entire week he’d been here. But other than that…
I took a deep breath and reminded myself he’d just chased away an intruder — for me.
Then I frowned and glanced at him. Had that been for me…or some other reason?
That was the thing with vampires. Their allegiances constantly shifted, and it was impossible to tell whose side they were on — except their own, of course.
“Here.” Roux pressed a glass into my hand.
I turned reluctantly away from the windows and absently sniffed the drink. “Thanks.”
Bene was crouched by the fireplace, stacking kindling and logs. And wow, did the guy have a fantastic ass. Not that I was looking, but I couldn’tnotlook, what with him crouched the way he was.
Henrik stood by the piano, staring pensively into his whisky glass.Friend or foe?I wondered for the hundredth time.Friend or foe?
Roux was — no surprise — pacing back and forth, back and forth. The man was a thundercloud, bouncing from one wall of the drawing room to the opposite side in an ever-unfolding storm.
“Perfect,” Bene murmured, holding his hands toward the crackling fire.
Leave it to the sunny lion shifter to find a silver lining.
He and Roux had disappeared — one at a time, thank goodness, so as not to leave me alone with Henrik — to shift into human form and dress. Still, the scent of dew-moistened fur lingered and carried on the draft of the crackling fire.
Both felines were furious about the intruder and concerned for me. Apparently, they considered me part of their turf now. I didn’t know whether to be honored or offended.
“So, who — or what — was that?” I asked, carefully maneuvering my drink as I crossed my arms.
Bene and Henrik looked at Roux, and I made a little mental note. Marius’s absence seemed to give the tiger’s authority a subtle boost, though I’d never seen Marius challenge Roux outright. I supposed the others recognized a top dog when they saw one, and that had the side effect of knocking Roux down a peg or two.
Poor Roux. He tried so hard to rule the roost. And he was good at it too — as long as the guys played along. Too bad discipline wasn’t their strong suit.
Roux jutted his chin toward Henrik. “You got the closest. What do you think?”
