Kat entered the room and rolled her eyes. "Is it just me or do these two argue like two little kids every time they get together?"
"They argue like kids," Cassandra said. "I think they're trying to make needling other people an Olympic sport."
Chris opened his mouth at the same time the door buzzed. "Pizza," he said, getting up.
A strange tremor went through Cassandra. Rubbing the back of her neck, she looked around.
"You okay?" Kat asked.
"I think so." She just felt... odd...
She leaned her head back against the sofa to see Chris with the pizza in his hand and the delivery guy outside. Chris paid him.
"Hey," the guy said as Chris pulled back. "Do you mind if I come in for a sec and use the phone? I need to call the store about the next delivery."
Chris cocked his head. "How about I bring you a cell phone for the porch?"
"C'mon, man, it's cold out here. Can't I come in to make a call?"
Wulf was on his feet, quickly heading for the door, as Chris pulled back even more.
"Sorry, dude," Chris said more sternly. "No one unknown comes into this house, capische?"
"Chris," Wulf snapped, his voice low and steely. "Get back."
For once Chris didn't argue.
Wulf grabbed a sword from the wall at the same time the Daimon on the porch pulled two huge daggers out from the insulated pizza bag.
The Daimon tossed one dagger at Chris, then turned to engage Wulf. Chris staggered back, his face pale as he fell to the floor.
Cassandra was on her feet headed for Chris when Kat caught her. "Think of the baby. Stay put."
She nodded as Kat jumped the couch to go help Chris.
Cassandra grabbed another sword off the wall, ready for battle, just in case.
Luckily, Chris was back on his feet unharmed by the time Kat reached him. The pizza, on the other hand, was DOA. Thank God the box had deflected the dagger.
Wulf and the Daimon continued to fight on the porch.
"Holy shit," Chris breathed, running toward Cassandra with Kat behind him. "There are a shitload more of them headed for the house."
"What?" Cassandra asked, her knees going weak with the thought of it.
Wulf killed the one on the porch and slammed the door shut.
"Dammit to hell, Chris, are you all right?"
Chris nodded.
Wulf crossed the room and inspected him anyway, then pulled him into his arms and held him fiercely.
"Hey, get off me, you homo." Chris bristled. "You're grossing me out. If you want to hug something, hug Cassandra."
She saw Wulf clench his teeth an instant before he mostly let go. He kept one hand fiercely locked on Chris's shoulder as he lowered himself to look the boy eye to eye. "You ever answer that door again, Christopher Lars Eriksson, and I'll rip your fool head off." He shoved Chris toward the hallway. "Go lower the shields."
"What is this, the Enterprise!" Kat asked as Chris sprinted to do Wulf's bidding.
"No, we have bulletproof metal security shutters. I don't know what the Daimons are up to, but I don't want them to be able to toss a Molotov cocktail or anything else through a window."
"Good thinking," Kat breathed.
The whole house shook as Chris lowered the steel shutters.
Wulf was quaking in anger as he called security to check on them.
"Hello?" The voice was not only unfamiliar, but heavily accented. Granted, the guards never remembered him, but Wulf knew each member of the security force that the Council had sent to protect Chris.
Wulf had a bad feeling. "Who is this?"
"Who do you think it is, Dark-Hunter? My compliments to whomever sent out for pizza. We enjoyed the midnight snack."
Wulf tightened his grip on the phone. "Where are my guards?"
"Oh, one is right here, but he's not feeling very talkative. Death has a way of making even the chattiest of people rather quiet. As for the other... he's... oh, wait, dead now. My boys just finished him off!"
"You are going to pay for that."
"Well, then, why don't you come out here and hand me the bill?"
"I'm on my way." Wulf hung up and headed for the door, intent on skewering Stryker.
Kat caught him before he could reach the door. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked indignantly.
He glared angrily at her. "I'm going to finish this."
She gave him an arch look. "You can't. He'll kill you the minute you leave here."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"Guard Chris and Cassandra. I'll be right back."
Kat flashed out of the house.
Kat honed into Stryker's energy and found him in the guardhouse. She winced as she saw the two dead men on the floor. There were at least a dozen Daimons outside, opening boxes and preparing for an attack.
Only four Daimons were inside the guardhouse. Stryker, Urian, Icarus, and Trates.
Trates looked up from the monitors and went pale.
"How did you get in here?" Kat demanded.
Stryker turned slowly, methodically, around to face her with a sardonic grin. There was no fear in him, only wry amusement. "The guards came outside when we ate the pizza deliveryman and tried to stop us. We dragged them inside after they were dead."
His words and lack of regard for what they'd done sickened her, but not half as much as when she caught sight of the ceredon with them on one of the monitors.
So Apollymi had changed the rules on her. Damn.
"You are so evil," she said between clenched teeth.
He smiled as if her words complimented him. "Thank you, love, I pride myself on that."
Kat opened the portal back to Kalosis. "It's time for you to all go home."
Stryker looked at the opening, then laughed. " 'Fraid not, sweetie. Mama likes me better at the moment. So you can shove that portal up your very attractive ass. Me and my boys have work to do. Either join us or leave."
For the first time in her life, Kat felt a tremor of fear. "You have to go. Those are the rules. The portal opens and you have to walk through it."
Stryker came forward, his eyes sinister and cold. "No, we don't."
The portal closed.
She gasped as realization dawned. The Destroyer had given him a key, too, and placed him in control.
Stryker stood so close to her that it sent a shiver over her. He cupped her face with his hand. "It's a pity she protects you so. Otherwise I would have had a taste of you centuries ago."
She glared at him in fury. "Get your hand off me or lose it."
To her surprise, he obeyed, but not before he kissed her rudely.
Kat shrieked and slapped him.
He laughed. "Go home, little girl. If you stay here, you might get hurt."
Her body shaking, Kat flashed back into the house. Cassandra was in the center of the living room while Wulf was arming himself from a cabinet against the wall.
"What do you have that I can use?" Kat asked, joining him at the armoire.
Wulf looked at her drolly. "I take it things didn't go well."
"No. In fact, we need to batten down the hatches. Things are about to get really ugly."
Chris came running into the room, his head covered by a football helmet.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kat asked as she caught sight of him.
Wulf looked over and frowned. "Now you wear the helmet?"
"Yes," Chris said as he stuffed a pillow down the front of his sweatpants. "Now I wear the helmet. In case neither of you have been paying attention, our little Daimons are busy on the lawn."
"We know."
"Ah," Chris said as he went to the armoire and pulled out a flak jacket. "So I have one question. I know the shutters can withstand fire and bullets. How are they against a LAWS rocket and dynamite?"
Before Wulf could answer, an explosion rocked the house.