“Not my problem.”
“I’ll turn you into a toad.”
Grizz laughed. “And MG will flay the skin off you until you change me back.”
“Boots?” Angie begged the other woman. “Please?”
“What is this? Mama says no and so you ask Mama number two? Nope.”
I opened my mouth.
“I said no.” She turned to the side and grabbed a hand thatwas reaching across her for me. “Villetti, get off me, or I’ll knock you out and drag you to the balcony to die of hypothermia,” Grizz said.
“Worth it. Soul mates,” he mumbled.
“Good Lord A’mighty,” Boots said. “I hate true love.”
Knowing I was sowing division among Grizz’s unit, I said, “I’ll give you a pair of the queen’s Lucchese boots if you go away.”
Boots’s blue eyes went wide.
“Boots,” Grizz warned.
“But…Luccheseboots. From thequeen,” the boot addict said.
“Two-inch heels. Three-inch toe.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “Green snakeskin, and the scales are almost iridescent.”
As I described the boots, a look of longing overcame Boots. “What size?”
“Seven. A little larger than normal because of the toe shape. She wore them dancing on the first anniversary of her marriage to the Consort. They’relegendary.”
“Holy Mother,” Boots whispered. “I’ve seen pics.”
“No,” Grizz said.
“But—”
“No.”
Boots frowned at me. “You are an evil little girl.”
I fell still as something slid across my consciousness. Afeeling. Aknowing. A swirl of visions, emotions, still shots of death, nothing solid, nothing sure, but something bad.
“Trouble coming,” I whispered. “Maybe fifteen minutes out.” Louder I said, “There’re some amulets on the charger. A dozen small wooden disks that have umbrellas painted on them. One that looks like a glass of wine. Bring them all to me.” I sat up. “Now!”
Grizz moved nearly as fast as a vamp and dumped them in my lap. I handed the umbrella disks back to Grizz. “Onetime-usehedges. Press in the center three times to activate.” I turned to Villetti, “Sorry, Lee, baby. This is gonna hurt.”
I grabbed him by the back of his head and pressed my mouth to his. As our lips met, I forced the disk with the wineglass on it hard against the back of his skull. We screamed together as the effects of being blood-drunk were ripped out of us. Our bodies stiffened. Shook. Together we tumbled off the couch and onto the floor, landing in a tangle of limbs, Villetti’s elbow in my gut. Ioofedout a pained grunt. Shoved him off. Tried to stand and nearly fell on top of him.
Boots caught my arm and steadied me. I eased away to sit on the couch. To breathe past the pain of muscles and glands and my brain being shocked through with the magic working.
On the floor, Villetti gagged and heaved, but nothing came up. He curled into a tight ball of misery. I knew how he felt, but I didn’t have time for the reaction.
Shoving myself upright, I ordered, “Ojos. Code Aardvark. Sound general alarm. Attack by land.” I looked at the two women who were already checking weapons. “Those won’t help. It’s carrying a single heavy weapon and some big kind of magic. EEBs. A bomb. Fire. Explosions. People dead.”
Grizz touched her ear, heading for the door. “Raccoon. Roof. Now! We got an attack incoming, unknown mundane heavy weaponry and at least one magic weapon. I’m bringing you a onetime, short-termhedge. Switch out to demon rounds.”
Raccoon said, “Roof, demon-rounds,hedge. Roger that.”
