Smolder (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #29)(91)

“If the substances have to come together in a specific order and timing, then blowing him up shouldn’t activate the Greek fire,” Richard said.

“But if it’s not just about a specific order and timing, then blowing him up could spread Greek fire over a large area.” I looked at Edward. “Do you have any ballpark on how much of an area could be affected?”

“I’d need to know more than just height for Deimos to make even an educated guess, plus what kind of building he will be in when it happens, there are just too many variables.”

“What if he’s out in the open?” Richard asked.

“The outside range on a LAW is seven hundred twenty feet; if Greek fire adds to the potential of the explosion, then any of us close to ground zero are dead, or wish we were.”

“And if the Greek fire dies when he blows up, instead of adding to it?” I asked.

“Then we should be fine.”

“Could the Greek fire set off a wildfire in a wooded area?” Richard asked.

“It burned through wooden ships,” Jake said.

“Damn,” Richard said.

“Why?” I asked.

“If we could lure something the size of a house into a heavily wooded area it wouldn’t be as maneuverable as we are, so we’d have some advantage.”

“Until it set the forest on fire around us,” Edward said. “I know you think I’m careless with fire, but I have a healthy respect for it as a weapon against the supernatural.”

“I didn’t say or even think anything about you being careless with fire just now,” Richard said.

“Forest or grass fires have a lot more variables to consider: wind direction and speed, dryness, and amount of underbrush. I’ve only ever used a flamethrower outside against ghouls or zombies in cemeteries with short, well-watered grass, or caught them in the middle of paved areas, or near a water source.”

“Don’t explosives have some of the same issues?” Richard asked.

“It’s still an interesting idea that in dragon form he doesn’t fit in small spaces,” I said.

“How fast can he change from dragon to human or vice versa?” Truth asked.

“I saw him in both his forms, but never saw him change,” Jake said.

“We did,” Ru said as he came through the curtains from the hallway beyond. Rodina was at his side. Nathaniel came behind them. I thought Nathaniel had gone to find any Harlequin that knew Deimos, which was smart and helpful, then realized that couldn’t be it. There were other Harlequin as old or older than the twins, but they were the only other wereleopards here currently. Why had Nathaniel brought every wereleopard that was in the underground tonight? I’d ask him later in private.

Right now, we needed to stay on target, and learning more about dragons topped leopard on the to-do list.





38

RODINA WENT DOWN on her knees in front of me. “My weakness stripped you of our strength when you needed us most. I have failed my duty.” It would have been more warrior-falling-on-their-sword if she hadn’t been dressed in the button-up top of a pair of silky pajamas. Ru dropped on his knees beside her wearing the long bottoms of the pajamas. It would never have occurred to me that siblings could split pajamas the same way a couple could. It made perfect sense, it just threw me for a second, like a lot of things about them. Of course, maybe me thinking about romantic couples had something to do with how nice Ru looked out of his shirt. I stopped the thought train right there, dead in its tracks, done, because they could hear me.

“It’s okay, Rodina, you’re allowed to grieve for your brother.”

“Grief is for the weak. We are Harlequin, nothing should distract us from serving our dark queen.”

She seemed so earnest that I didn’t have the heart to correct her about calling me their dark queen.

“It was wolves I needed tonight, mes petits chatons,” Jean-Claude said, coming to stand beside me. He seemed utterly calm now. I wasn’t sure if talking about a real plan to kill Deimos had helped him feel better, or if he’d just regained control of himself. I’d ask later.

Rodina looked up at him; her face looked as open and vulnerable as I’d ever seen it. Grief and her supposed failure tonight had left her emotionally raw. I liked her better for the glimpse behind the curtain of her usual grumpy exterior. “We are better than any wolves.”

“Of course, you are,” he said, but not like he believed it or expected anyone else to either.

She didn’t take offense, just seemed more earnest as she looked at me. “We are better than wolves, because we have seen the enemy in person more than once.”

“We will tell you what we can of him,” Ru said. He didn’t look open and vulnerable, he looked worried. He glanced at his sister, and I agreed, she still wasn’t okay. Hell, neither of them was okay.

They were grieving the loss of their brother, a triplet brother, and I had been so tied up in my own issues with Ireland that I hadn’t been able to allow them to grieve. I realized suddenly that I didn’t know if that was literally true. As their master, how much did my emotions and issues impact them?

“Stand up and tell us how he shapeshifted,” I said.

They stood in unison like it was part of a practiced dance. I’d seen them do it before, but it sort of creeped me out, so they tried not to do it often. “One moment he was a dragon, the next a man,” Ru said.