Chapter 36

36

"M ovie!!" someone shrieked, and to Lachlain's great unease, the Valkyries begin to stir throughout the manor.

Lachlain was exhausted from his injuries and from having to help hold up the house until a Lore contractor could stabilize the damage.

He'd stumbled back up to Emma's bedroom so theycould rebandage each other. He'd pulled her into the bed with him just minutes before, and had almost fallen asleep withher resting her head on his chest.

Now his arm tightened possessively around her as Valkyries filed into Emma's room from all corners of the house.

Some had gotten popcorn, none of them eating it. They curled up on the windowsills and on top of the wardrobe.One even hopped to the foot of the bed after a casual hiss at Lachlain's legs had prompted him to move them.

He found it disturbing that they were all so casual about this. A Lykae lay with the youngest member of their household in his arms, in their home. In her bed.

He waited for them to realize this at any moment and attack.

Garreth and Lucia were conspicuously absent. She'd returned with the video, but apparently had been so shaken by something that had occurred within the clan that she left directly after. Garreth had followed. Unbelievably, Lachlain was almost relieved when Wroth arrived in the room with Myst, but didn't hesitate to return the bastard's scowl.

Before the video played on Emma's TV, she plugged in her old "ear buds" so she couldn't hear, then buried her face against his chest because of the "scary parts."

Lachlain had replayed the video again and again, even going back in time to see Demestriu in the days before Emma had arrived. Demestriu had repeatedly dropped his forehead into his shaking hands and lashed out in madness—just as Lachlain had.

He didn't know how to feel about everything—how to reconcile his past and his losses with what might have been a brief flare of pity. And he realized now, with Emma here, that he didn't have to know. Not yet. They'd figure it out together.

He turned from his thoughts and studied the Valkyries' reactions as they watched. They laughed uproariously at the fact that Emma, a vampire, was spooked by the blood on the floor.

During the fight, they tensed and leaned toward the TV, eyes wide when Emma shattered the window.

"Ballsy," Regin muttered, and others nodded in response.

At one point, N?x yawned and said, "I've already seen this part."

And when Demestriu told Emma he was proud, some cried, making lightning split the sky.

Proof that Furie was alive was met with cheers. Lachlain didn't douse their happiness, but at this very moment, Furie was probably praying to the great Freya to die .

When it was over, Emma peeked up from his chest. The Valkyries merely nodded at him and Emma the Unlikely and filed out.

As Regin exited, she summed up what seemed to be the attitude of the rest of the coven: "If Emma wants the overgrown Lykae bad enough to go drop Demestriu, then she ought to be able to keep him."

***

Annika alone remained.

"You don't have to decide right now, Emmaline. Just don't do something you're going to regret for the rest of your life."

Emma shook her head, dismayed to see Annika hurting, but resolved in this. "I kept thinking it was about my choice, but it's not. It's yours. You can choose to accept me with him. Or I leave." Lachlain drew her hand into his for support.

Annika clearly strove for a calm demeanor and her face was like marble, but lightning fired behind her, belying her efforts.

"Annika, I'll always run to his arms." There was no defense against that, no argument to refute it—and they both knew it.

Finally, Annika faced Lachlain with her chin up and shoulders back. "We don't recognize matehood" —she spat the word—"or whatever you Lykae call it. You will have to exchange vows. Mainly I'm concerned about the Lykae vowing he won't use this union to harm the covens in any way."

Lachlain grated, "The Lykae has a name. And if you'd like Emma to share it, nothing will please me better. I'll make that vow. "

She faced Emmaline with one last pleading expression. When Emma shook her head, Annika ordered, "Do not trace him here any more than is absolutely necessary."

As she strode from the room, she mumbled, "Coven's gone to hell on my watch."

Emma said, "Tracing! That's right. Now we can visit whenever we want. We can spend some weekends here. And Mardi Gras. And the Jazz Fest. Ooh, I want to watch you eat crawfish!"

With a pained expression, he said, "I suppose on occasion we could run through the bayou as easily as a forest."

Then her face fell. "But I don't know if I want you around all my gorgeous aunts."

He chuckled at her ridiculous statement. "Emma, you shame them. No, doona argue. I have eyes, I can see." He stroked his thumb over her cheek. "And I know none of them can howl at the moon half as good as my wee halfling."

She leaned in to kiss his lips, but she was interrupted by a scream downstairs.

As they frowned at each other, Annika shrieked at someone unseen, "What do you mean, we have a six-figure credit card bill?"