Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts Page B

and made her edgy. If one person, just one, said that the rain is what made Ireland green, she’d split their head open with an ax.
    Added to it, since the night of her close encounter with Lora, there’d been no sign of the enemy. The lull ruffled that edge and added twitchy.
    Something was brewing. Bound to be brewing.
    She had preferred to go alone, to have a couple of hours to herself, with her own thoughts, her own company. But she hadn’t been able to argue it was an unnecessary risk.
    But she’d drawn the line at giving Larkin a driving lesson on their way into Ennis.
    â€œI don’t know why I couldn’t do it,” he complained. “I’ve watched Glenna drive the thing. And she’s taught Hoyt.”
    â€œHoyt drives like an old blind man from Florida.”
    â€œI don’t know what that means, except it’s an insult of some kind. I could do better than he does, with this, or the beauty Cian keeps in the stable.”
    â€œGarage. You keep cars in a garage, and Cian’s made it clear he’ll bite and drain anyone who touches his Jag.”
    â€œYou could teach me on this one.” He reached over to trail his finger down the side of her neck. “I’d be a fine student.”
    â€œCharm won’t work.” She flipped on the radio. “There, listen to the music and enjoy the ride.”
    He cocked his head. “That sounds a bit like home.”
    â€œIrish station, traditional music.”
    â€œIt’s wonderful, isn’t it, that you can have music at thesnap of a finger. Or move so fast from one place to another in a machine.”
    â€œNot in Chicago traffic. You do a lot of sitting and cursing instead of moving.”
    â€œTell me about your Chicago.”
    â€œIt’s not my Chicago. Just where I’ve been based the last couple of years.”
    â€œIt was the Boston before that.”
    â€œYeah.” But Boston was Jeremy, and she’d had to get away from it. “Chicago. It’s, ah, it’s a city. Major city in the Midwest of the U.S. On a lake—big-ass lake.”
    â€œDo you fish in it, this lake?”
    â€œFish? Me? No. I guess people maybe do. Ah…they sail on it. Water sports and stuff. It’s wicked cold in the winter, wind like you wouldn’t believe. Lake effect, a lot of snow, bone-chilling cold. But, I don’t know, it’s got a lot happening. Restaurants, great shopping, museums, clubs. Vampires.”
    â€œA big city? Bigger than Ennis?”
    â€œA lot bigger.” She tried to think what he’d make of the El, and just couldn’t.
    â€œHow is it that if it’s such a large city with so many people, they haven’t banded together to fight against the vampires?”
    â€œThey don’t believe in them, or if some do, they pretend they don’t. If somebody gets attacked, or gets dead, they put it down to gangs, or sick bastards. Mostly the vamps keep a low profile—or they did until recently. Prey on the homeless or runaways, transients. People other people don’t miss.”
    â€œThere were legends in Geall of creatures that haunted the night, preyed on humans long ago. I never believed them, until the queen—my aunt—was killed by them. And even then…”
    â€œIt’s hard to believe what you’ve been taught is fantasy, or the impossible. So you put up the shield. It’s natural.”
    â€œBut not you.” He studied her profile. It was strong, yes,but with such a pretty curve of cheek, and that dark, dark hair such a lovely contrast to the white of her skin. “You’ve always known. Do you ever wish it otherwise? That you were one of the people with the shields. Who never knew?”
    â€œNo point in wishing for what you can’t have.”
    â€œWhat’s the point of wishing for what you can and do?” he countered.
    He had a point, Blair decided. He usually did if you listened long