On the Edge (The Edge #1)(23)
Author: Ilona Andrews

"Won’t work," Leanne whispered. "The window’s only a foot wide."

On the ceiling, a scuffle ensued as the beasts realigned to face them.

"They see us." Leanne’s voice snapped like a dry twig.

"It will be fine," Rose said firmly. Her mind was spinning a mile a minute, cycling through the possibilities, none of which were plausible.

The hound by the couch lowered its head and started toward her, four eyes fixed on her with predatory intensity.

"It wants you." Leanne backed away onto the porch. "It wants your magic."

Another beast dropped from the ceiling, flipping in the air and landing on all fours.

The magic at the door shaved another two inches off the lines of glyphs.

"Okay." Rose sucked in a breath. "We’ll use me as bait. I’ll draw them off, and you go and get the kids . . ."

The first beast was only ten feet away.

A hard hand gripped her shoulder and thrust her back behind Declan. In the instant of their touch, she glimpsed a tremendous power buckle and surge within him. His eyes blazed white.

"No, Declan!"

A phantom wind raised his hair. His eyes shone like two stars.

The creature leaped.

A half sphere of blinding white exploded from Declan, roaring like a tornado. Rose’s breath caught in her throat.

The first hound perished in midair, swallowed by the light. The blast ripped through the furniture, hit the roof, and swept it away with a crunch of shattered wood. Declan snarled, straining. The white glow flared brighter, burned for a long breath, and vanished.

The roof and the far wall were gone. Rose stared at the sky.

Above them black dots peppered the clear blue, growing bigger and bigger . . . A shower of broken boards and charred beast carcasses rained on the floor with loud thuds. She blinked, and the next moment Declan’s face blotted out the sky. "Are you hurt?"

His eyes showed sincere concern. She stepped back, stunned. "No."

"Good." Declan strode through the rain of refuse, unconcerned, crossed the floor to the room, and offered Amy his hand.

She stared at him in shock and slowly put her hand into his. He helped her to her feet. "You’re safe now."

"Who are you . . . ?" Amy blinked.

"I am Lord Camarine."

Rose shook her head. All he was missing was the shiny white armor and unearthly light streaming down on him.

"Amy," Elsie Moore said in her crackling voice, her gaze fixed on Declan. "I want you to get me a new bear. A blond one."

Chapter 8

BY the time they had calmed down the children and managed to pry Elsie from her chair and force her into the shower, it was well past seven. Rose realized that she wouldn’t be making it to work anytime soon. Her uniform stank of greasy, burned flesh, and she had missed her ride with Latoya. She borrowed Amy’s cell phone and called it in.

"You better get your ass in here." Latoya’s voice gained a shrill quality. "Emerson’s being a total dick today. He says either you get in now or he’ll shred your check."

"What does he mean, shred my check?"

"It means he won’t pay you for this week."

Rose stiffened. No gas money. Without the truck, she couldn’t exchange Declan’s doubloon for U.S. currency. They had enough groceries to last for three days, four if she was careful. She had no way to pay the electric bill, and it was due in five days. She had to get to work.

"I still have no gas, and it’ll take me about a half an hour to clean up."

"Shit. I can’t leave – I don’t dare piss him off any more."

It hit her: the Broemmer account. Broemmer Hotel had fired Clean-n-Bright two weeks ago, because they caught Emerson overcharging them. Losing that account had dropped Emerson’s business by almost a quarter, and he’d been biting at the bit to compensate for his losses somehow. She’d just singled herself out as the perfect scapegoat.

"Okay, wait, I got it," Latoya said. "We’ll take an early lunch. Can you get to Burger King?"

Six miles. She could walk it. "Yes."

"Start walking. We’ll head there for lunch and pick you up. Emerson won’t even know when you got in."

A huge wave of relief rolled over her. "Thank you."

"That’s what friends are for." Latoya hung up.

"I’m so sorry about all this," Amy said.

Rose forced a smile. "I was glad to help. I’m sorry about your house."

Amy paled a bit, glanced at the missing wall and busted roof, and forced a smile, too, plainly trying not to cry. "There was no help for it. At least we’re all in one piece. Even Grandma."

Rose looked for Elsie Moore and found her in the yard at a picnic table. Elsie wore a fresh dress. She had braided her thinning hair and was flirting outrageously with Declan.

"How did it start?" Rose asked.

"She was having one of her parties, and something had chewed up a teddy bear. One of those things, I guess. Then she wouldn’t come out of the room." Amy hesitated. "What are they?"

Rose shook her head. "Nothing I’ve ever seen before. Maybe she knows."

Amy sighed. "If she does, you’re welcome to try getting it out of her. She won’t tell me anything. She just calls me stupid."

Rose headed to the table. Elsie gave her the evil eye. Rose ignored it. "Hi there, Grandma Elsie," she said brightly.

Elsie pursued her lips and glanced at Declan. "We’re having a special time," she said. "Go away."

"Oh, well, in that case, I’ll just ask you a couple of questions and be on my way." The sooner you answer them, the faster I’ll go away.

Elsie got the message. "Hurry up, then."

Rose crouched by her. "Do you know what those things are?"

"Evil."

"What sort of evil?"

Elsie shook her head.

"Have you ever seen one before? Do you know where they came from?"

"They were after my bears," Elsie volunteered. "So I cursed them."

Pieces clicked together in Rose’s brain. "You made a wold?"

Elsie nodded. "But it couldn’t kill them."

Amy, who had wandered over to the table, gasped. "You made a wold? Jesus!"

"It’s dead," Rose told her. "It was after Kenny Jo, and I killed it."

"You’ve done lost your mind!" Amy stared at her grandmother. "Sending a wold out into the neighborhood? Who knows what it could’ve killed!"

Elsie pursed her lips.

"Honestly!" Amy put her hands on her hips. "What’s next? Are you going to blight East Laporte?"