The knock on the door made her jump. "What?" she called. "We're a little busy here."
Rule's voice: "Jiri called. We have to go. Now."
THIRTY-FIVE
THE Suburban shot through a yellow light to the blare of car horns. Lily ignored that. Her thoughts were harder to ignore.
She'd learned long ago to cram the personal stuff in a box and sit on the lid when she was working. Cops had to be able to do that, or they couldn't do the job. But the personal was so tangled up with the job this time there was no way to separate them. Rule's life was at stake. Toby's life was at stake. And Cullen and Cynna had picked this time to turn weird on her.
"I'm getting a hint of direction," Cynna said from the backseat. "East and a bit north."
Cynna had done a cast before they got in the Suburban and found that Jiri was blocking her. Apparently that was possible, given enough knowledge and power. Jiri had the knowledge and a demon to draw on for power, but she couldn't block her former student completely. Cynna knew roughly how far away she was, and was beginning to pick up her direction.
"That matches," Cullen said crisply. "The park's northeast of us."
Rock Creek Park. That's where Jiri said she'd meet them, at a stone bridge in the park. She must have read the kidnappers' tip sheet: tell the victims not to contact the cops or the FBI. Give them a tight time limit to respond to your demands. They had twenty minutes to get there.
Cullen knew where the park was. He wasn't sure about the bridge, but they'd find it… and her. They had Cynna for that.
"Right at the next light," Cullen said.
And there was one of those personal cords tugging at her. Something was going on with Cullen and Cynna. Not the sex— that had been inevitible, and if it had made Lily uncomfortable for them to go at it in the next room, that was probably her problem. But Cullen was behaving strangely. When they came out of the bedroom he'd grabbed Rule and told him something—speaking under the tongue, dammit, and the stupid mate bond was not giving Lily that kind of hearing anymore. Whatever he'd said, it had made Rule grab Cullen and hug him hard.
Cullen's years as a lone wolf had made him less easy about touch than most lupi, and Rule's position as Lu Nuncio and heir had done something of the same for him. And men might give a buddy a backslap or punch on the shoulder for scoring, but a hug?
Besides, Rule wasn't a scorekeeper. She hadn't thought Cullen was, either. And Toby's life was at stake, dammit. So it hadn't been about sex.
"I still think we should stop for ammo." She'd lost the argument about stopping at a cop shop to pick up reinforcements. If Jiri was a farseer, that was too dangerous. But they hadn't been told to come unarmed. They had the rifles they'd brought with them from Leidolf, but no reloads.
"If Jiri's there on her own, we won't need extra ammo," Cynna said. "If she's got her overgrown friend with her, rifles won't help."
"Only if we can't separate them." That was the plan, such as it was.
If Jiri did offer them a deal, they'd hear her out. Cynna said a demon master had enough demon stuff inside her that she could be bound by her word, just like a demon, if you knew how. Cynna knew how.
But Lily was expecting an attack, not a deal. If they were attacked, they couldn't use deadly force on the demon unless they could be sure of not killing Jiri along with it. She'd know that. She'd be counting on it. But Cynna could hit the demon with her spell—which, it turned out, stopped demon hearts. This one had multiple hearts, so the spell might not kill it, but it would probably go dashtu. If it did, it would be physically separated from its master. Cullen could throw mage fire at it while Rule and Lily went after Jiri.
An optimist might say the plan left them room to improvise. A pessimist would call it full of holes.
"Too late to change our minds now," Cullen said. "That's it on the right."
The place was closed, of course. It was nearly nine. They parked the Suburban in the empty lot and climbed out.
The temperature had plunged after the sun set. The air was raw with cold and damp, with just enough of a breeze to make things worse. Lily shivered and zipped her jacket, settled the rifle comfortably on her arm, and started for the gate with Rule and Cynna.
Cullen was already there. "What do you know—they forgot to lock it." The gate swung open at his touch.
That was another way Cullen could be handy. He was good with locks. Lily had never asked how and why he'd aquired that particular sorcerous talent. Some things it was better not to know.
She looked up at Rule. "You okay?"
The overhead lights of the parking lot picked out the sharp blades of his cheekbones and limned his mouth, but his eyes were shadowed, no more than a liquid gleam in the darkness. He slid a hand over her nape and into her hair, answering her with his touch and a smile.
"I've got her," Cynna said suddenly. "I've got a Find on her now. She's here physically, not just riding her demon."
"And the demon?" Lily said.
"He's around, but…" She shook her head. "I think he's dashtu and not too far from Jiri, but I'm not sure. I'm sorry. Holding two Finds is tricky."
"Quit apologizing," Cullen snapped. "Most Finders can't do two Finds at all."
Sex didn't seem to have turned them into lovers. Not in any conventional sense, at least. But what about either of them was conventional?
They passed through the gate into the park.
They'd debated splitting up, but in the end decided they were too small a party for that, especially since demons were hard to sneak up on. Rule or Cullen might have managed it in wolf form, but both needed to remain two-footed. Rule had to be able to speak if Jiri did want to make a deal, and Cullen couldn't throw fire in his wolf form. So everyone kept together and on two legs as they set off down the path.
Lights on poles made to resemble old-fashioned gas lanterns were spaced at intervals just wide enough to be useless while still ruining her night vision. The path itself was crunchy with gravel and leaves crisped by frost, and Lily's breath plumed white when they entered the circle of light under the first lantern. Overhead, a few stars struggled to penetrate the city haze. The moon hung low, just over the trees to the east, looking like a lump of orange sherbet. It was still a week from full.
Their path turned before reaching the creek to run parallel to it, separated by a fringe of small trees. Lily heard it lapping against its banks, slapping around the rocks in its bed. She thought she could hear her heart pounding, too. God knew she could feel it.
She was terrified.
Rule would know that, as would Cullen. They'd smell it on her. That bugged her, but it fell on the list of things she couldn't do a damned thing about. Not that she was ashamed of being afraid; that was a sane response to facing a demon. She acknowledged the feeling and put it away. Worse by far was the fear she couldn't speak.
What if Jiri wanted to trade Toby's life for Rule's? Would he agree?
Would she try to stop him?
Don't fight a battle that isn't joined, she told herself, and moved ahead as silently as she could.
"Wards ahead," Cullen said softly.
Rule stopped. "What kind?" he asked in a barely there voice.
"Not the keep-us-out sort, but she'll know we're here. I can disable them without her knowing, but it will take time."
"How much?"
"Ten minutes, maybe."
Which would put them over the time limit. Lily didn't think Jiri would kill Toby if they were a few minutes late; he was too valuable to her. But it wasn't a chance she wanted to take.
Neither did Rule. "Then we'll ring her doorbell before entering." He moved on.
They didn't bother being quiet after that. Their path veered slightly away from the creek, skirting a large, rocky outcropping. Trees had just closed in overhead, their branches scratching each other in the breeze, when Cynna spoke quietly. "She's just past those evergreens, about ten yards away."