“Who the hell is that?” Hélène said.

“And what the hell is he doing here?” Lina added.

Emme rolled her eyes with great exaggeration. “You know you could bring a shit-ton of trouble on us if anyone finds out that he’s here.”

“No one saw him coming in,” Eira insisted.

Emme scowled at her. “What if they see him leaving?”

They. The apartments next to theirs were both inhabited by others in their sect.

“I’ll figure it out.” Eira paced the small balcony and wondered what that man was doing.

Oh, for Pete’s sake. I don’t even know his name.

Jesus. This was ridiculous.

When she’d touched his chest, a surge of energy had traveled throughout her, lighting her nerve endings on fire. Kicking her ass, emotionally. She’d been confused. She wondered if this was how it was when anybody touched a shifter. That jolt, that power that coursed between them.

Has to be a shifter thing.

How had she gone so long without ever meeting one in person?

Because we’re not supposed to interact with other paranormal types. Nor are we to speak of ourselves to them.

Nor could they bring strangers to their home. That was another fixed rule.

And she’d managed to break two.

When I go, I go big, don’t I?

She wasn’t so sure that was a good thing, actually.

“What now?” Hélène said to Lina and Emme. “Do we need to do something about this?”

“No!” Emme’s exclamation was loud. She looked around, then lowered her voice and whispered. “We won’t do that to Eira. She wouldn’t do that to us. And which one of us is perfect?” She looked at Lina and Hélène pointedly.

They both looked down.

“I’m not saying anything,” Lina said.

Hélène nodded. “Me, either.”

“Good. That’s settled.” Emme turned to Eira. “Get him the hell out of here. Then kill him.”

“What?” Eira sucked in a lungful of air. “I’m not—I won’t—no, I’m not killing him.”

“That’s what we do,” Emme insisted.

Eira sighed.

Emme was her sister, her full-blood sister. That wasn’t typical in their world. Most were half-sisters or cousins to varying degrees. So Emme, more than anyone in the world, had the right to get a bit extreme.

“I know that’s what we do.” Eira put her arm around her sister. “I know. But…” She pursed her lips while she thought on this.

“Fine. I’ll kill him,” her sister said like she was stating the weather.

Eira swung her arm out from around her sister, and took her by the shoulders, looking in her eyes. “You will do no such thing.”

“But—”

“I’ll handle it. Got it?”

Emme frowned, but nodded.

“Got it?” Eira insisted.

“I got it,” Emme harrumphed.

“Good. Now stay out of my room.” She looked at the others. “All of you.” She made to leave the balcony.

Hélène cleared her throat. “Eira.”

Eira whirled around. “What?”

“You know this means…” She nodded her head sideways. “You know.”

“Say it.”

“It means we have to move. To leave town. Our location’s been compromised.”

If you only knew. Eira nodded. She should have been the one to suggest it. Her thinking wasn’t very clear lately. They definitely needed to get moving since the berserkers obviously knew where they were.

“Pack a small gym bag. Nothing more. We leave it all behind. I’ll have someone sent back to purge and erase. Tell the others.”

Emme nodded. “Good call.”

They all looked at each other, not saying a word.

Finally, Lina spoke. “Chicago?”

Eira and Emme nodded first, then Hélène.

“It’s been a few decades since we were there. Will be nice to see the Windy City again.”

“I’ll find you all,” Eira said. “Don’t wait on me.”

“What?” Emme grabbed her arm. “What’s that mean?”

“It means I have a few loose ends to take care of.”

“This is highly unusual.” Hélène grimaced.

Tell me about it.

“How long?” Emme still had not released Eira’s arm.

“Maybe a few days.”

Emme shook her head, her brows drawn down in a V. “I don’t like this. At all.”

Eira hugged her. “Trust me,” she whispered.

And for some reason she couldn’t even begin to understand, for the first time in her centuries-old life, she felt a sense of freedom.

Eira opened the door to her room, and damned near fell back.

He was naked.

Glistening wet from a shower, hair sticking to his head, droplets running down his body.

A body she couldn’t help but notice was full of muscles crisscrossed and dotted with scars.

She fought the urge to lick her lips at the sight before her.

He was a god. God of War, that would be more appropriate.

She realized she was holding her breath when her lungs started to burn. She let the air out slowly and closed the door behind her.

He moved the towel he’d helped himself to in order to strategically cover a part that she’d noticed would not be a disappointment to any woman, without a doubt.

He grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. You were taking a while, and there was still blood in some places.”

She shook her head. “What… um…” She couldn’t speak. I need to get a hold of myself. She started over. “What are you going to wear?”

He shrugged. “My pants. I figure I’m not the first guy that ever walked out of a woman’s apartment without his shirt on. I’ve got more at the hotel.”

Hotel. So maybe… what was his story?

Story, hell. What’s his name?

She chewed on her bottom lip. “Do you mind if I go with you?”