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that I value our friendship.”
    He nodded. He didn’t try to make excuses or to pretend he didn’t feel what he felt. Something in his love for Havily had kept him sane through the last hard century of making war. “I feel the same way.”
    “It’s just that, you’ve been here every day this week and Marcus has started getting jumpy. Between you and me, even though we’ve been together a while now, he can still go caveman on me and I don’t want a falling out between you men.”
    At that Luken laughed. The breh-hedden made cavemen out of those warriors struck down by what had once been thought to be only a myth. “Heard he punched a Militia Warrior at the Blood and Bite for even mentioning your name.”
    Havily’s smile grew crooked. “I love him. Creator help me, I love him so much.”
    The words were a knife that had already pierced his heart but kept making slow, agonizing quarter turns every time she spoke of her love for Marcus. And Luken never stopped hoping that if she talked about her breh often enough, Luken would finally stop loving her. But he knew that was impossible. For whatever reason, he loved this woman with every fucking fiber of his being.
    She continued, her voice still low, “Not that I’m complaining on my own behalf, but why have you been here so much this week? It’s not been your usual thing for the past several months. In fact, you’ve sort of kept your distance.”
    His gaze slipped past her to the large window that overlooked the Sonoran Desert east of Phoenix. So, why had he come here this week, every day, as though compelled?
    For Marcus’s sake, and to a larger degree his own, he’d been in the habit of limiting himself to a once-a-week drop-in.
    He rubbed his thumb down his cheek a couple of times, which was something he did when he needed to think. Or across his chin. Or his forehead. “No reason. Just wanted to see you.”
    But that was a lie.
    “Bullshit. Something’s going on with you. I can feel it.”
    He didn’t want to burden her. “It’s probably nothing. Just … I don’t know … I’ve been uneasy for days now. The war’s been heating up in North Africa lately and we seem to have more and more death vampires at the Borderlands trying to steal down to Mortal Earth. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
    “Maybe it’s because of Duncan.”
    “Well, I’ll admit his situation has us all on edge. You know, Jean-Pierre had been working with him for months and we all knew he had emerging powers of some magnitude. But, if he could get caught in a trance, then probably any of us could.” Maybe Duncan was the reason, he wasn’t sure. But he felt like he had an itch right in the center of his back that he couldn’t scratch. And as he’d always done, he came to Havily because something about her presence calmed him.
    He felt his warrior phone vibrate in the thin slot of his battle kilt and withdrew it, turning away from Havily at the same time. “Hey, Jeannie, what’s cookin’?”
    All the Warriors of the Blood had credit-card-like phones that kept them connected with Central Command. Jeannie and her staff kept Luken well-informed about death vampire movement at the Borderlands.
    “Well, I’ve got good news, then typical news. Which do you want first?”
    He stood a little straighter. “I’ll take the good news first. Give.”
    “Duncan came out of his trance.” He quickly related the news to Havily. She gave a small jump on her feet then a quiet clap of her hands. He nodded to her as he spoke once more into his phone. “And what’s the typical news?”
    “Wreckers tried to take Rachel out on Mortal Earth, just as Duncan arrived to warn her. He passed out, but Rachel was able to fold them both to Apache Junction Two. She said she saw the wreckers just as she vanished. And that’s the other reason I’m calling. Endelle wants you over there ASAP.”
    “On my way.”
    Shit, Duncan had somehow made it back and Rachel had saved him from a Third