Page 11 of Act of Brotherhood
“Yer embarrassing yerself, Captain,” said Gram. “Just take him and give him to Blaise. It’s nae hard.”
Garth took the child and held him out at arm’s length.
“Christ, Viking,” snapped Gram. “He’s a wee babe. He’ll nae bite.”
As the words left Gram, the little boy Garth was holding snapped his mouth, his tiny teeth lengthening quickly. He growled, and his blue eyes swirled to amber. The smell of wolf along with hints of Fae found its way to Garth.
In a split second the boy had his small jaws clamped down onto Garth’s forearm, where he proceeded to bite hard.
Garth grunted but did nothing to make the child stop. He was afraid he’d hurt the boy without meaning to. It was better to just let the kid continue to bite him.
Gram snorted. “I lied. That wee one obviously bites. Is that magik I smell on him?”
Nodding, Garth tried to hand the boy, who was still clamped onto his arm, to Gram.
The Scotsman shook his head. “I’ve already got one. Take him to Blaise. Warn him about the magik part. There is no tellin’ how strong the wee one’s magik may be. His spirit is fierce, just look at the way he’s holding on to yer arm with his mouth. Another warrior.”
“Great, an army of small children,” said Garth snidely as he carried the little boy awkwardly, in search of Blaise Regnier, a fellow member of the Fang Gang.
A few paces down the hall, Garth found the vampire, who was dressed more like he was about to go clubbing than on a raid. Blaise was tall but looked even more so in his three-inch-soled leather boots with giant silver buckles. The T-shirt he wore had a skull image and the word Misfits across the top. He had a number of piercings and currently had his dark hair back in one long braid.
There were a horde of children in the room with the vampire, who didn’t look the least bit frazzled by them. Blaise actually appeared to be in total control of the situation.
He glanced at the little one Garth was holding, who was still biting him. He snickered. “Auberi cleared him?”
Garth nodded, prying the child’s jaws gently from his arm. It was easier said than done. The kid had the nerve to grin after Garth managed to get him loose. “The boy is a shifter with magik in him—and, oh yeah, he bites.”
Blaise took the boy and smiled down at him, careful to show no fang. “Hello there, buddy. You only bit the mean old nasty man because he’s a Viking, didn’t you? Yes, that’s right. Good boy. Now, what do you say we get you set up over here and get you a cup of juice?”
The little boy blinked up at Blaise. In the next breath, a small cup on the side counter lifted into the air all on its own and began to float in the direction of the little boy. It stopped and then changed route, going instead to the tiny girl with brown hair who had mentally threatened Landros only minutes before. Her arms went up and she took the cup like it was no big deal that it had flown on its own.
Blaise laughed. “Ah, she was thirsty, and you knew that, huh?”
The little boy blinked again before wiping a bit of Garth’s blood from his lip. He then turned his attention to Garth and growled, making Blaise laugh more.
“I like him.” Blaise grinned.
Garth let out a long breath. “Good. He’s your problem now.”
Blaise nodded to Garth. “Try not to kill Auberi while you’re out there. I knowexactlyhow much the two of you like each other.”
With a curled lip, Garth headed out of the room, refusing to make any promise about keeping Auberi alive.
He was just a few steps into the hall once more when another member of the Fang Gang came past. Searc Macleod walked by Garth carrying a small child with a head of shoulder-length red hair. The little girl was paler than any child should be. The vampire, who could rival Gram with his thick Scottish brogue, inclined his head. “Found this wee one locked in a closet. I do nae think she put herself there.”
A growl started in the back of Garth’s throat.
Searc nodded. “Aye, wolf. I feel the same way.”
“Have Auberi look her over,” said Garth as he followed Searc back to the main lab.
Something had changed since he’d gone but he couldn’t figure out what. The compulsion to look at Landros was great. The man had set the little girl down and was talking to another operative.
The little girl stared up at Garth—and he froze.
Something was wrong. It felt as if someone reached out and ripped him from behind his belly button in the direction of the child. He was almost to her when he swayed. Buzzing started in his head and ringing sounded all around him, confusing him.
He grabbed his ears, covering them, wondering why no other ops were responding to the deafening volume level of the noise. He didn’t dare look away from the little girl. He couldn’t. The ear-piercing ringing faded away quickly, becoming dull and faint.
