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is it?” He knew from his days along the barrier in that area that minor earthquakes were common. The Paladins who stood guard along the New Madrid Fault saw more active duty than some of those assigned to better-known fault lines. But when the earthquakes came in swarms, there just weren’t enough Paladins and guards combined to protect the whole area. If he didn’t have responsibility for Brenna’s welfare, he would have offered his sword. He was no longer as finely tuned to the local barrier, but could still feel it well enough to know it was under attack.
    “Don’t know yet. The Regents say reinforcements will be sent in from out of state if needed, but they’ve made that promise before. Hopefully, I’ll be back in St. Louis within a couple of days. Until then, you’re on your own.”
    No surprise in that. “Fine. Call when you get back. And Jarvis?”
    “Yeah?”
    He wanted to wish his friend luck in battle, but couldn’t find the words. “Uh, never mind. Look, I’ll talk to you when you get back.”
    Jarvis understood him, anyway. “You watch yourself, too, Trahern. Gotta go.” The line went dead.
    He and Jarvis had lived hard, fighting and drinking with equal abandon. But they had also done a lot they could be proud of, too. The average human might not be aware of the battle that raged along the fault lines and near the volcanoes to keep the Others from pouring across and into this world, but the Paladins didn’t fight for glory. They fought because someone had to, and they were the best at it.
    “Who was that?”
    Brenna stood outside the bathroom door, looking rumpled and warm and too damn sexy.
    “Jarvis.”
    “What did he want at this ungodly hour?” She was rubbing the stitches in her arm, which probably meant it was healing.
    “Stop picking at your arm. You’ll get it all inflamed.”
    “Quit trying to avoid the question. What did Jarvis want? Is something wrong?” She was more awake now and the fear was back in her eyes.
    “No, nothing is wrong. He got called out of town on business for a couple of days and wanted to let me know.”
    “What kind of work does he do?”
    “Same kind I do.”
    She gave an exasperated sigh. “I told you yesterday that I’d only let things slide until we both got some rest. Sleepy time is over, buster, so start talking or I’m out of here.”
    Trahern snorted. “And where would you go, and how would you get there? You’ve got no money, no purse, and you didn’t seem overly impressed by those two detectives you spoke to.”
    She threw back her shoulders, drawing herself up to her full height, almost a foot less than his. It was cute.
    “I’m a big girl, Blake Trahern. I can and will take care of myself. I’ve been doing so for years.”
    She turned away, leaving him staring after her. He hadn’t meant to rile her, but he wasn’t free to tell her what he and Jarvis did for a living. It was unlikely she’d believe him, anyway.
    The reality of the Others had been hard enough for him to accept, right up until they came at him with their wide-bladed swords and throwing knives. That kind of action made a believer out of a man pretty damn quick.
    Brenna had turned on the television, no doubt looking for news about her father’s death. He joined her sitting on the end of the bed, just as the judge’s picture flashed across the screen with a voice-over promise that it was the next story after they broke for a commercial. Brenna hunched her shoulders as if her father’s image caused her a great deal of pain. She had accepted Blake’s comfort in her sleep. Would she do the same now that she was wide-awake?
    He eased closer to her, offering his unspoken support. She didn’t move in his direction, but neither did she shift away—maybe because all her attention was focused on the television. The two reporters launched right into the sordid details as soon as they were back on camera. The first day or so, all they had talked about were the judge’s