The House Of Gaian

business.”
    “I know. It wouldn’t be half as entertaining if it was any of my business.”
    Selena lowered her hands. “Bitch.”
    Ashk just smiled.
    “All right. Let’s check on Breanna and Keely first. Then I’ll decide what to do about Baron Liam.”
    As soon as they walked through the kitchen door and saw Fiona, their humor fled.
    “Breanna?” Ashk asked.
    Fiona shook her head. “She’s asleep, thanks to Morphia. So is Keely. It’s Jean.”
    Selena’s sigh sounded more like a growl. “Now what?”
    “I can’t find her anywhere.”
    Two shadow hounds ran through the moonlight. They didn’t pause when the men standing guard over Nuala’s grave turned to watch them race past.
    Selena wanted to howl with frustration. Fiona was certain the girl wasn’t sulking in the house somewhere, but they still spent time searching the more unlikely places—pantry, cold cellar, wine cellar. They would have searched the attic, but that was pointless. The boys were sleeping up there on beds made of straw and blankets. She wasn’t in the stables or any of the other outbuildings. It was possible that she’d run off into the woods and couldn’t find her way back to the house after dark, but there were Fae keeping watch around the shining road and at least half of them were in their other form so that their sharpened senses would warn them of any kind of enemy approaching. If she was out there, they’d have seen her and brought her back to the house.
    If the girl had gone in any other direction in the Old Place, she would have ended up at one of the camps
    —and they would have brought her back to the house. So that left the bridge that crossed over to the lane on Liam’s estate.
    Once they were over the bridge, Selena went right, toward Liam’s house, while Ashk moved off to the left.
    Too many people. Too many scents. For a moment, Selena thought she’d found Jean’s scent at the edge of the bridge, but there were too many fresher scents over it for her to be certain.
    Then Ashk growled, and Selena turned back to follow the other shadow hound.
    They had followed the scent over one field when another scent drifted on the air. With no warning, Ashk spun around and trotted back the way they’d come. Recognizing that scent, Selena ran to catch up with the Hunter.
    When they got close to the bridge, Ashk paused long enough to change form.
    “Why are we walking the rest of the way on two legs?” Selena asked.
    “Because I want to warn the men on watch. I’m almost certain the nighthunters are nesting in that stand of trees on Liam’s land. It makes sense. The Fae patrolling haven’t seen them. Probably too many people around. Too much fire at night. We’ll hunt in the morning, and bring Morphia with us.”
    “Morphia? She’s not a hunter.”
    “No, but her gift is the best defense against nighthunters,” Ashk replied as they crossed the bridge. “She can put everything in that stand of trees to sleep. We can search for the nest and destroy those creatures without being attacked.”
    “You still won’t be certain you’ll have found all of them.”
    “No, but we’ll burn the ones we find and the carcasses of their prey. Then if we catch the scent again, we
    ’ll know it’s fresh.”
    “What about Jean?”
    Ashk stopped at the end of the bridge. “There are a dozen farms and estates in that general direction, not to mention camps. Or she could have easily circled around and reached the village.” She sighed. “She’s not my kin. I can’t make the choice.” She looked toward the men standing near the grave still glowing with moonlight, then shook her head. “I’ll talk to them on the way back.” After changing back into her shadow hound form, she trotted off toward the house.
    Selena watched Liam, who had been walking toward them, check his stride when he saw Ashk change.
    Would any man really be comfortable around a woman who could change into a shadow hound?
    Memories of her father sitting in his rocking chair by the fire, cuddling her as a puppy. Memories of him walking through the woods with her trotting ahead of him, growling happily when she caught a scent.
    Not the same. Not the same at all.
    With a pang of regret, she shook her head, changed, and raced after Ashk.
    Ashk found Fiona sitting at the small work table in the kitchen. A cup of cold tea was pushed to one side.
    Her hands cupped a glass of whiskey.
    “I made myself a cup of tea,” Fiona said, “but I was afraid to