Defeat the Darkness (37 page)

“Greyhill, I hadn't heard you were back!”

He automatically snapped to attention as he turned to face the new Grand Dame of the Kyth, Kerry Thorsen. His training demanded he bow to honor his ruler, but he held back. Kerry had made it clear that she preferred a more casual relationship with her Talions than had her predecessor. Besides, courtly behavior seemed out of place when the Dame was wearing a faded T-shirt and jeans that had more than one hole in them.

The radical change in the royal court was only one of many things Grey struggled to come to terms with since the death of their previous ruler. Although Dame Judith had chosen to live out her last years in the Pacific Northwest, she'd held on to many of the customs that had held her in good stead for the thousand-plus years of her reign. Their entire world had been rocked by the combined shock of her death and her choice of successors.

“Grey?”

The puzzled note in Kerry's voice made him realize that he'd been staring at her. He shook his head to clear it.

“I'm sorry, Dame Kerry. After a long, hectic flight, I'm afraid I'm not up to full speed yet. Please let me take those flowers for you.” He looked around, searching the garden for some sign of her guards. “Where is everybody? Are you alone out here?”

“For once.” Kerry smiled as she handed Grey the basket of roses. She stripped off her gardening gloves and dropped them, along with her pruning shears, on the table beside the door.

“I believe Ranulf is out hunting down some parts for his pet Packard. Sandor took the kids shopping this morning before they head to the airport to meet Lena's flight. I don't expect to see them before dinner tonight.”

Grey still studied the garden behind her. “May I ask where you left your guard?” Discreet was one thing; invisible was quite another.

She shrugged, obviously not concerned. “Sandor mentioned something about assigning someone to follow me around. I told him not to bother.”

Bloody hell. Sandor shouldn't have allowed her the option of refusing. It was the duty of the Talions to protect the Dame. If Kerry wouldn't let them stay nearby, how were they supposed to keep her safe?

“I will ensure any guards assigned to you will be as unobtrusive as possible.”

“But I've never needed one before.” Kerry wrinkled her nose and frowned. “Well, unless you count when Ranulf and Sandor get it in their heads to hover.”

“We're all concerned for your safety, my lady.” He might as well have been speaking to the wall for all the attention she paid to his advice.

“I'll think about it,” she said dismissively. But it was all right—he could be stubborn, too.

Kerry started back toward the house. “You must be tired from your trip. Why don't you come in and have a seat while I put those flowers in water?”

As they stepped inside, she added, “I don't know about you, but I'm definitely ready for a break. Care to join me for an early lunch?”

Since it gave him the perfect excuse to stand guard over
her, Grey didn't hesitate. “Gladly. Why don't I let Hughes know?”

“Thanks. I'll wash up and grab a vase.”

Kerry disappeared down the hall toward her private quarters while Grey cursed under his breath. Damn it all! What was Sandor thinking? No matter what Kerry thought, the Talions should stand guard 24/7 to protect the Grand Dame of the Kyth. Like it or not, Kerry was the ruler of their people, one of the few to possess a rare combination of powers that qualified her for the job.

That alone dictated that she be carefully watched over. But then there was also the fact that not everyone was thrilled that she'd ascended the throne. Most of the American Kyth simply seemed curious, but some of their Old World kindred were fuming. They'd had their own plans for the succession, and Kerry wasn't what they'd had in mind.

A small but vocal faction claimed that Judith had meant to give Kerry her memories only as a temporary measure to keep them from being lost forever. If Kerry didn't step down soon, they might very well attempt to take matters in their own hands.

Well, he'd certainly be having words with Sandor. Granted, the Dame was married to Ranulf Thorsen, a powerful Talion in his own right. The Viking was perfectly capable of protecting Kerry by himself, but only if he was actually with her. So when Ranulf couldn't be by her side, another Talion should be. After all, Dame Judith had slacked off on security and look where that had gotten her: dead and buried, murdered by one of their own, a Talion warrior who'd gone renegade.

Ranulf and Sandor had obviously let Kerry have her way
a little too often. Yes, she was their ruler, but she was new to the role and to their world. Someone needed to keep her safe. As Chief Talion, it was both Grey's honor and his duty.

Now if she'd just trust him enough to let him do it.

For the time being, he'd use the chance to share a meal as an excuse to remain close by until Ranulf could take over. Grey sought out the butler and requested a pot of Earl Grey tea and something to eat for them both. When he returned to the dining room, Kerry was already busy arranging her flowers.

“Hughes will be in shortly.”

“Good. I'm famished.” She shoved the last rose into the vase and stood back to admire her handiwork. “Perfect.”

To Grey, the arrangement looked a bit haphazard, but his Dame looked pleased with her efforts. She buried her face in the blossoms and drew a deep breath. She carefully set the vase on the sideboard before sitting down in her usual chair at the table.

“So how was your trip, Grey? I had expected you would be gone longer. I hope you didn't rush things on my account.”

Was she disappointed that he'd returned so quickly or only surprised? It was hard to know for certain, but he suspected that she'd have been just as happy to have him stay away indefinitely.

“London was London, so it rained much of the time I was there. There wasn't much to do other than shut off the utilities and close up my flat. I've arranged to have my things shipped to Seattle, which means I'll have to start looking for a permanent place to live. Until then, I've extended my reservation at the hotel.”

“The hotel?” Kerry frowned. “Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable staying here at the house? We have plenty of room.”

Kerry's offer seemed sincere, but he couldn't imagine that she'd want another guest imposing on her hospitality. She and Ranulf had recently taken in three Kyth teenagers Sandor found practically living on the streets. Sandor was trying to track down their families, but had no intention of giving the kids back.

“I appreciate the offer, but you already have enough mouths to feed.” He hesitated and then asked, “How is that going, by the way?”

“It's definitely been an adjustment for all of us, but especially for the kids. Sean and Tara have been on their own for years, so they're not used to taking orders from anyone. God knows, they've had little enough reason to trust the adults in their lives.”

Kerry's smile looked a bit rueful. “Kenny is definitely a handful. He wasn't happy when we told him he had to go back to school, especially since he'll need tutoring to catch up. We're looking into online programs for the older two so they can earn their high school diplomas. After that, who knows.”

Hughes appeared in the doorway with a heavily laden tray. “Ma'am, shall I serve?”

Kerry, being Kerry, smiled and shook her head. “No, just leave the tray. We'll take it from there.”

The butler looked a bit disappointed but did as Kerry asked. Evidently Grey wasn't the only one who would appreciate a little more formality around the place. He wondered how Hughes felt about the newest additions to the
household. The teenagers must present a variety of challenges, and then Piper Ryan was added to the mix.

Did those three kids have any idea how lucky they were? Under the laws of their people, Kerry would've been within her rights to have them executed for the way they'd been stripping life energy from ordinary humans. Instead, Sandor had convinced the new Dame that mercy should also be part of Kyth law.

Grey didn't necessarily disagree but he'd give anything to know if Kerry's decision had been driven by compassion or cowardice. Only time would tell. For now, he could only wait and watch.

Piper froze. She'd been on her way to get the Dame's signature on a stack of papers only to find Kerry was talking to Greyhill Danby. Well, she was in no mood to deal with
him
again. Their earlier encounter had been more than enough.

Especially if he were to start asking a bunch of questions she couldn't afford to answer. She certainly didn't want him to start poking around. Her references and paperwork had stood up well enough to Sandor's inquiries, but she suspected he hadn't looked all that hard. Between the three kids he'd rescued and Lena's whirlwind trip to the East Coast, he'd been distracted.

Piper checked her watch. Another fifteen minutes and she'd be done for the day. If the bus gods were smiling on her, she'd have time to grab lunch somewhere before heading to class. This was one of her long days, putting in hours here at Kerry's followed by the three classes she was taking to finish up her degree.

The thought brightened her mood considerably. It was hard to believe that she was finally going to graduate. It had been a long haul, but the end was in sight.

Deciding the signatures could wait until tomorrow, she hurried back to the office and shoved the papers into a bright red folder labeled with Kerry's name. If something came up after Piper left, Kerry would know where to look for the documents amidst the clutter.

That had her grinning. She bet Greyhill was an “everything in its place” kind of guy and her clutter would drive him crazy. Poor man, it's not like he had any choice about sharing his office. For a instant, she considered straightening up a bit before leaving but rejected the idea.

She'd been raised by a neat freak and had vigorously resisted her mother's efforts to force Piper to conform to her high standards. If Piper hadn't changed her ways for her mom, she wasn't going to for a man she'd only met once. If Greyhill Danby didn't like the mess on her desk, he could just get over it.

She logged off the computer and snagged her backpack off the floor. After flipping off the lights, she charged out into the hall, heading for the front door only to bounce off an obstacle that hadn't been there a few minutes before.

She stumbled backward and was rescued at the last second when Grey latched onto her arms and jerked her back upright. Despite his obvious impatience, his hands were remarkably gentle. She knew she should say something, at the very least apologize for almost knocking the man down. But her brain and her mouth were seriously out of sync when she spoke.

“Are your eyes really that amazing shade of blue or do you wear contacts?”

Her face flushed hot and then cold as his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Thank you for noticing and, yes, they're actually that blue. But tell me, Ms. Ryan, do you always say the first thing that pops into your head?”

“I try not to.” It was nothing short of the truth. “Look, I'm sorry I ran into you. You see, I've got class.”

Okay, that came out wrong.
She tried again, hoping to make more sense, but the warmth of his hands had her brain firing on only half its cylinders.

“What I meant to say is that I'm running late for my classes at the university. But that's no excuse for running down an innocent man.”

Those blue eyes suddenly warmed up about a hundred degrees, and his stern lips softened as he smiled. At that moment, innocent was hardly the word to describe Greyhill Danby. Good golly, the man was compelling enough when he was angry. She didn't know what she'd do if he turned out to be charming too.

His hands dropped away from her arms, leaving her missing his touch as he stepped back out of her way.

“You mentioned something about leaving.”

Piper blinked twice. “What? Oh, yeah, I was. Excuse me, Mr. Danby.”

She sidled past him and walked down the hallway, feeling his gaze following her each step of the way. It was hard not to turn around and catch him watching.

Just as she was about to turn the corner, a phone rang. She looked back to see Greyhill flipping his cell open.

His eyes flickered in her direction and just that quickly every vestige of warmth disappeared from his expression. He muttered something into the phone and then stared at her until she gave up and walked away.

What was that all about? It wasn't as if she had a burning desire to eavesdrop on his all-important phone call.

She stalked out into the bright sunshine and stopped to soak up a bit of its heat. She was under enough stress working as Kerry's assistant without adding in a man who ran hot and cold with no predictable pattern. She didn't understand him and wasn't sure she wanted to. Right now she had more important things to do than to waste her time thinking about Greyhill Danby.