muscle of his chest. Part of her wanted to melt against him. The other part was scared. If Ros wasn’t making that soft noise, who was?
So softly she almost missed it, Ros murmured in her ear, “Mari, you must be quiet.
Somehow someone has broken through the house wards. Stay here.”
She nodded as she drew in a breath of air when he moved his hand. He held one finger to his lips then disappeared.
The shout that came next was accompanied by a crash. Muffled thuds and masculine grunts catapulted Mari into action. Ros might be hurt. She flew down the stairs. At the bottom, she scanned the hallway for anything she could use as a weapon.
She snagged an ornate cane from among the umbrellas in the stand beside the door.
Hefting it over her shoulder, Mari ran into the library. She recognized both figures in the dark room, though how that was possible she wasn’t even sure.
“James!” Her startled yelp of his name distracted him, which gave Ros an opening.
He took it with such speed that Mari barely saw his fist connect with LaPierre’s chin.
Stunned, LaPierre took several steps back. Then he grabbed something off her father’s desk.
73
Marilu Mann
“Sorry, Marielle. That damn demon won’t kill me tonight. This is not over.” With a slight, mocking bow, James LaPierre vanished from sight.
When Ros rounded on her, the fire had not died in his eyes. Something unholy leapt in them. She took a step back and brought the cane down. “Ros, it’s me. Mari.”
He shook his head like a bear waking from hibernation. “Mari? What are you doing here? Dammit! I almost had him.”
She frowned. “Were you going to kill him?”
“Only if I had to. I wanted to find out how he broke through the house protections.
Only someone who is invited in can just enter that way. If I hadn’t heard him…”
Ros’ voice trailed off. He looked at her with a different fire in his eyes. “If I hadn’t heard him, he might have hurt you.”
“Oh Ros. This is all my fault! When he first came by, he asked me if I was going to let him in. I said yes. I didn’t realize…no one told me…”
Her guilt slanted into anger as she realized this could have been prevented. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Running a hand through his hair, he shook his head again. “It never occurred to me. I’m not used to working with someone who doesn’t know the basics. It’s not your fault. You’re right. This is my fault. Tomorrow morning, we will go over the fundamentals. And we will have to figure out how to keep LaPierre out of the house.
Now go to bed, Mari-girl. Even demons need rest and I’m exhausted.”
She looked at his face. The weariness showed in the way he held his mouth. Odd that she could know that after only a few days with him, but she did. Without another word, she returned to her room. She didn’t sleep right away. She wrote some notes in the blank pages at the end of her father’s journal. Then she reviewed his notes on wards. Tomorrow she needed to learn how to protect what was hers. And she jotted a reminder to see if she could discern what LaPierre had taken from the library.
74
Sex and Trouble
When she woke, the sun streamed through the window. A glance at the clock revealed it was nine-thirty already. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a blue shirt.
Wondering where Ros was and why he hadn’t knocked on her door, Mari grabbed her father’s journal as she moved to the door of the bedroom. When she pulled it open, Ros stood there with his hand raised as though he was about to knock.
“Mari? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. We need to talk.”
“We need to talk.”
They laughed as they echoed each other. He continued. “Come down for your breakfast. I didn’t want to disturb you after last night.”
“Ros, it’s fine. I was just feeling a little overwhelmed. I mean, my whole life has changed in a matter of days, and I’m responsible for helping you get home. You have to understand that everything
So softly she almost missed it, Ros murmured in her ear, “Mari, you must be quiet.
Somehow someone has broken through the house wards. Stay here.”
She nodded as she drew in a breath of air when he moved his hand. He held one finger to his lips then disappeared.
The shout that came next was accompanied by a crash. Muffled thuds and masculine grunts catapulted Mari into action. Ros might be hurt. She flew down the stairs. At the bottom, she scanned the hallway for anything she could use as a weapon.
She snagged an ornate cane from among the umbrellas in the stand beside the door.
Hefting it over her shoulder, Mari ran into the library. She recognized both figures in the dark room, though how that was possible she wasn’t even sure.
“James!” Her startled yelp of his name distracted him, which gave Ros an opening.
He took it with such speed that Mari barely saw his fist connect with LaPierre’s chin.
Stunned, LaPierre took several steps back. Then he grabbed something off her father’s desk.
73
Marilu Mann
“Sorry, Marielle. That damn demon won’t kill me tonight. This is not over.” With a slight, mocking bow, James LaPierre vanished from sight.
When Ros rounded on her, the fire had not died in his eyes. Something unholy leapt in them. She took a step back and brought the cane down. “Ros, it’s me. Mari.”
He shook his head like a bear waking from hibernation. “Mari? What are you doing here? Dammit! I almost had him.”
She frowned. “Were you going to kill him?”
“Only if I had to. I wanted to find out how he broke through the house protections.
Only someone who is invited in can just enter that way. If I hadn’t heard him…”
Ros’ voice trailed off. He looked at her with a different fire in his eyes. “If I hadn’t heard him, he might have hurt you.”
“Oh Ros. This is all my fault! When he first came by, he asked me if I was going to let him in. I said yes. I didn’t realize…no one told me…”
Her guilt slanted into anger as she realized this could have been prevented. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Running a hand through his hair, he shook his head again. “It never occurred to me. I’m not used to working with someone who doesn’t know the basics. It’s not your fault. You’re right. This is my fault. Tomorrow morning, we will go over the fundamentals. And we will have to figure out how to keep LaPierre out of the house.
Now go to bed, Mari-girl. Even demons need rest and I’m exhausted.”
She looked at his face. The weariness showed in the way he held his mouth. Odd that she could know that after only a few days with him, but she did. Without another word, she returned to her room. She didn’t sleep right away. She wrote some notes in the blank pages at the end of her father’s journal. Then she reviewed his notes on wards. Tomorrow she needed to learn how to protect what was hers. And she jotted a reminder to see if she could discern what LaPierre had taken from the library.
74
Sex and Trouble
When she woke, the sun streamed through the window. A glance at the clock revealed it was nine-thirty already. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a blue shirt.
Wondering where Ros was and why he hadn’t knocked on her door, Mari grabbed her father’s journal as she moved to the door of the bedroom. When she pulled it open, Ros stood there with his hand raised as though he was about to knock.
“Mari? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. We need to talk.”
“We need to talk.”
They laughed as they echoed each other. He continued. “Come down for your breakfast. I didn’t want to disturb you after last night.”
“Ros, it’s fine. I was just feeling a little overwhelmed. I mean, my whole life has changed in a matter of days, and I’m responsible for helping you get home. You have to understand that everything
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