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"I've got my sources," he said, grinning. "But this won't do us any good against vamps." He tucked it away in a shoulder holster and held up an assortment of spikes. "No, these, these babies are what we need tonight. By the way, I've also got silver chain and a few binding talismans… Let's see, what else…" He pulled his bag onto his lap and poked through it while I tried to keep my eyes on the road.
"You've got a regular arsenal there, cowboy. I'd still like to know why Queen Asteria sent you to us," I said.
"Yeah, well, I'd like to know a lot of things, too," he countered. "But she did, so just accept my help."
"Does she know you're packing all that crap?"
"Yeah, so don't sweat it." After zipping up the bag, he pulled his belt off, letting the duster hang open for easy access to his weapons.
I glanced at his skintight black leather pants, the mesh muscle shirt straining over finely honed pecs, and the glistening skin hiding beneath the clothing. His stomach glittered with a fine sheen through the mesh netting. Something flipped inside me, like a light switch, and I yanked my gaze back to the road. Enough of that.
He met my gaze with an insolent smirk. "Like what you see?"
"I'll ignore that. We're out to save Erin. Nothing else."
"Whatever you say." He shrugged obligingly. "But you do realize your friend might be…"
"Dead? Or worse? I know. Camille and Delilah do, too, but we can't just write her off. If there's any chance to rescue her, we have to try." I took a left on Aurora and headed south.
"Something's different about you," Roz said. He shot me a curious glance. "You've changed. Your fear's gone. Want to talk about it?"
"No," I said. "Not really. Just leave it at this: I can fight Dredge now, and I can win. I couldn't before, but now… I have a chance."
"Hmm…" was all he said, but I knew that wasn't going to be the end of it. "Turn up there. Left. Then left again in two blocks. We can park in the nearest lot once we're there. The newborn's nest isn't far."
As I took the lead, Camille and Delilah followed behind. We rolled through the dark city streets. The winter freeze still hadn't broken and a sudden flash hit me. Loki—Loki held Dredge's soul in his hands. "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice…"
"What?" Roz shot me a confused look.
"It's from a poem Camille read to me. Fire and ice… the unnatural winter… Loki and Dredge—don't you see, Dredge is corded to Loki, the lord of chaos. And when he crossed over Earthside, he brought that energy with him, along with an unnatural winter. All the snow we've been getting. It's due to the incredible power Loki's given to Dredge!"
"What are you talking about? What about Loki and Dredge?" Roz sounded vaguely irritated.
I let out an exasperated sigh. "I found out that Dredge is corded directly to Loki. Somehow Loki sired him and Dredge has become a channel for the demigod, which is one of the reasons he's so damned powerful. Loki hangs with Fenris, that damned wolf-son of his, and the pair do their best to wreak havoc on the world. Which means Loki may be trying to use Dredge to usher in his own miniature scale Ragnarok. We've been having an unnaturally cold and icy winter here. Guess who came to town right around when it started?"
Roz straightened up. "Dredge and Loki are corded? Loki's a vampire?"
"Not in so many words, but yeah, in a way. Enough to turn Dredge into one." I didn't know how to explain it because I wasn't sure I fully understood myself. "It works out… just trust me."
"How did you find out? Holy shit, this makes him much more dangerous than I thought. No wonder he's gotten away with his mayhem all these years."
"Don't ask how I know, because right now I don't even want to go there." I paused, then added, "I've cut him off, Roz. I've performed the ceremony to refute my sire."
Simple words, but Roz sucked in a deep breath. "Menolly, do you realize the implications of what you did?"
"Fully. As I said, don't ask. I don't want to talk about what it cost me in order to free myself."
"Well, I'll be a son of a bitch. You've got guts, I'll give you that. You do realize that you broke the cardinal rule of your kind?"
With a shrug, I pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine, patting the dashboard. "Do you think I really give a fuck?"
He let out a short laugh. "No, I can see that you don't." He glanced out the window. "Here come the others. Let's go stake us some bloodsuckers."
As he climbed out of the car, I caught a glimpse of his face: tall, dark, and shady but also looking scared shitless. Either the threat of Loki or my turning traitor against Dredge had thrown Roz into a tailspin. As we approached the sidewalk, the others swung in behind us. Roz handed everybody a couple stakes. I threaded mine through my belt.
We cut across the grass, off of the path toward a copse of fir and willow. I walked a little ways ahead, trying to pinpoint any undead who might be walking the area. As we neared the edge of the thicket, a tingle raced up my spine.
"We're near," I whispered. "Either their nest isn't hidden that well or somebody's out for an evening stroll."
