Me and My Shadow - Katie MacAlister [111]
“Trying to prevent disaster, but I fear I am too late.” He eyed us all for a moment, then spoke quickly. “We will do what we can to aid you. Jack, see to the seals on the ground floor. Tully, you take the upstairs rooms. Do not forget to set traps at any entrance point, no matter how insignificant it might seem.”
Jack hurried off to do as he was bidden. Tully hesitated a second. “I don’t know that my traps and seals are strong enough to stop a dragon, master.”
“They don’t have to stop them. They just have to alert us to any breach. Go now. I, myself, will see to strengthening the front door, since that appears to be where the focus of his attack is being made.”
Kostich suited action to word, his hands flying in intricate patterns as he wove a net made of arcane magic across the front door.
Drake watched him for a moment before deciding it was adequate. He turned to us. “Gabriel?”
“This is my fight as much as yours,” Gabriel answered, pulling out the shadow sword. “More so, since it concerns my mate. We will form the frontline defense.”
“Oh man, it’s Baltic?” Jim had managed to make it down the stairs without being heard, something not common for the hefty dog. “He’s got a hell of a sense of timing.”
I left them planning their defense to hurry over to Jim.
“What are you doing here? Go back and protect Aisling,” I ordered it.
“She wanted to know what was going on. And she threatened to castrate me because I’m male, and that somehow makes me to blame for the pain.”
“Well, go back and help Kaawa get her ready to move,” I said, shooing it.
“I’m a dog,” it said in an exasperated voice. “No opposable thumbs, remember?”
“You’re right.” I narrowed my eyes at it for a moment, pushed past my limit on patience. “Effrijim, by the power granted to me by your demon lord, I command you to take human form. Clothed human form.”
“Oh, man . . . ,” it said, its voice a whine that trailed off as its body shifted form into that of a black-haired, black-eyed man of bulky build in jeans and a T-shirt. It looked down at itself. “How’m I ever going to tell Cecile about this?”
“You can go back to your normal form just as soon as we take care of this situation,” I said quickly, shoving it toward the stairs. “Go help Kaawa and Aisling. And don’t scare her.”
“Like she’s not gonna freak when she sees me come marching in without my fabulous form?” Jim trudged up the stairs, loosening the belt of its pants as it climbed. “I just bet you—aw, damn! I was right! This form totally sucks in the package department!”
“GO!” I yelled, pointing at the top of the stairs.
A fourth blast rocked the house, this time accompanied by the sound of glass tinkling in one of the back rooms.
Nora appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes wide as she stared behind her. “I’m not quite sure. . . . Was that Jim?”
“Yes. Is Aisling all right?” I asked as Drake came over to us.
“She’s fine, just concerned about what’s going on.”
“I’m taking her to the lair,” Drake said, moving past us at a speed that was most definitely not human. “Nora, you and René will stay with her?”
“Of course. René is with her now, trying to distract her. Let me get some things to make her more comfortable. . . .”
Nora ran after Drake, the two of them heading upstairs, as Tipene and Maata scattered, assumably to check the windows.
Kostya suddenly emerged from the basement, tucking his shirt into his pants, his hair slicked back and wet. Cyrene was on his heels, her hair likewise wet, her clothing just as disarranged.
“What’s going on?” Kostya asked. “We heard an explosion.”
“We thought at first it was just really fabulous sex, but then we noticed the towels were coming off the shelf next to the sauna, and we realized something else was going on,” Cyrene said, hurriedly buttoning