Page 5 of Horn of Winter

Movement rippled across her form; I suspected she’d shrugged. “Back in my day, the area was known as Cymru. More than that, I cannot say.”

“It at least gives us somewhere to start.”

“Indeed.” She paused for a long moment, her gaze heavy on me once again. “Should you wish it, I am willing to listen for any information about Ninkil. He is a god who should never be allowed to walk this world again, and it behooves all of us who exist here to do what we can to prevent such happening.”

Surprise ran through me, but I covered it with a slight bow. “Any assistance you could give us in that regard would be greatly appreciated.”

“That is as it should be.” There was amusement in her tone. “The price, of course, will be a lock of hair.”

“If you keep shearing me, I won’t have much hair left to give,” Mathi commented.

Her scratchy laugh echoed again. “Indeed, which is why in future I will settle for the hair of a woman born of Ambisagrus’s loins.”

A comment had me suspecting the brief caress of her energy across my skin had not been accidental. While I’d been gathering snippets of her memories, she’d been gathering information about me. There was no other way she could have known my father’s name—not given the number of minor storm gods that abounded. Hell, Mom hadn’t even toldmeanything more than his name. And while ghuls could roam the streets at will, they could not enter buildings unbidden. Which, according to Gran, was where the human legend of vampires had come.

“That was very well played, madam,” I said, amused. “But I will be aware of your trick next time.”

“That, also, is as it should be.” Her form began to fade. “Be wary when you leave, young Aodhán. Ill intent roams this night, and I fear it has you in its sights.”

And with that, she disappeared.

“Well, that’s a cheery thought to leave us with,” Mathi said. “Perhaps we should depart before the aforementioned ill intent finds us?”

“Indeed.” I hooked my arm through his. “What time is the council meeting tomorrow?”

He gave me a sideways glance, something I felt rather than saw. “Nine. Did you not read the text I sent?”

“Read, yes. Remember what it said? Obviously not.” I paused. “That’s an indecently early hour for the council, is it not?”

“If it had been a full meeting called, yes, but this is little more than a brief for your next assignment. I doubt more than a half dozen representatives will be there.”

And Cynwrig wouldn’t be one of them.... I sucked in a breath and released it slowly. This instant stream of longing that rose every time I thought of the damn man was ridiculous. I hadn’t even known him for very long, for gods’ sake.

“I already know my next assignment.”

“Not officially. They’ll give you what information they have on Borrhás’s Horn tomorrow.”

“I’d rather they just give me access to their records so I can look these things up myself.”

He laughed softly. “You lie, Bethany Aodhán. You want access to hunt down your mother’s killer.”

“Well, yeah, that too, but it’s not like they need to know that.”

Movement stirred briefly to our left, and my gaze shot that way. It was only a ghost fleeing our presence, but my unease nevertheless ramped up. The night no longer felt right....

In that moment, Mathi cannoned into me, knocking me sideways, his arms slipping around my waist as he twisted in midair to take the brunt of our fall. We hit hard, and a grunt escaped both our lips, the sound sharp in the quiet night. Then something pinged past my ear and thudded into a nearby gravestone, sending stone splinters flying.

A bullet.

A goddamnbullet.

The ghul’s ill intent had found us.

Chapter

Two

Mathi rolledme off him and said, “Move, move.”

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