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Hannah moved close and settled her hand on his arm, but it was Paul who spoke. “Mastyr, Hannah defeated Margetta. She even wounded her.” He touched his own wrists and hands, patting them, trying to explain. “She released fire, Mastyr. From here, like this.” He swept his arms back-and-forth in the air. “Fire.”
“Sweet Goddess.” Jude turned toward Hannah and took her gently by the shoulders, looking her over. “You’re flushed again. Did you really do this?”
She nodded.
“Are you sure you didn’t get hurt? You’re shaking.”
“No, not hurt. Adrenaline.”
“Right.” Then to Nathan, “How you doin’?”
“F-i-ne.” the word came out slurred as he struggled to his feet. Picking up his pot, he shuffled in the direction of the back door. Hannah could see that the mist had really taken the troll down, another reason to believe that Paul was right, that Margetta had used the mist to kill the two troll families on North Island.
To Paul, Jude said, “I’ll want all the team leaders here as soon as possible. Reese should be here by now. Tell him what you saw and have his team guard the castle for now. I doubt the ancient fae will come back tonight if she’s been wounded, but I want to be careful.”
Paul got on his com at once, talking to Longeness at the Kellcasse Communication Center, and delivered Jude’s orders.”
Jude slid his arm around Hannah’s shoulders, then guided her toward the door. “Let’s get you inside.”
Hannah was happy to leave the balcony. “Good idea. I just wish I could stop shaking.”
“You will. Give it time.”
Once inside, Hannah saw that Nathan was sitting on the window seat with his pot in his lap. “I think your troll could use some rest.”
“Good idea.” He called out to Nathan. “Why don’t you head to the boathouse and get some sleep.” When Paul appeared, saying that the team leaders were headed in, Jude swept a hand in Nathan’s direction. “Paul, can you see that he gets back to the guest house?”
“Of course.”
Paul moved to the much shorter troll, and offered a foot.
“Oh, hell yeah,” Nathan murmured. He set the pot on the table, then hopped on. When Paul had a tight arm around Nathan’s shoulders, he levitated slowly to the door, then flew into the air, crossing over the balcony and heading toward the boat house.
Jude guided her to the kitchen island and had her sit down. “I’m going to fix some tea. How does that sound?”
“Really good. Thanks.”
She perched on a stool as Jude opened a box and pulled out a couple of tea bags.
“Can you tell me exactly what happened?” he asked. “What you saw and experienced?”
Hannah understood. Jude now had his realm-ruler hat on. He needed to start figuring this out, then to take what precautions he could on behalf of his people and his Vampire Guard.
She spared no detail.
~ ~ ~
When Hannah finished her recounting, Jude filled the tea-kettle with water and set it on the cooktop to boil. He offered her a cupcake, but she shook her head.
Jude had never, not once in his long-lived life, faced a situation in which the enemy had employed something akin to a nerve gas. Nathan had fallen quickly to the effects of the sickly-sweet scent, and he hadn’t been far behind.
He tried to recall what he’d experienced, but it all seemed vague and he still felt slightly disoriented.
So the ancient fae had a new weapon in her arsenal.
Great.
He agreed with both Hannah and Paul that Margetta must have tried out her mist first on the troll families at North Island and now here, hoping no doubt to make a quick kill, then move in on his realm.
