"This coming from the man who drops into secret meetings of Others?"
"Don't make me pull rank," he warned. "Because the Grey God's orders trump your better judgment every time."
Jenn grated her teeth. He wasn't going to be dissuaded. That he remained so calm when she felt ready to explode again only made her tenser. It was too dark for her to see his features, but she heard his resolve.
"We can talk about the fact you'd have no issue working with any other Guardian but me if you want," he offered. "I'm giving you an easy out. Just say yes, no more secrets about this mission, we'll work together from here on out, yadda yadda, and we can move on."
"Very well. You can help me, so long as you don't get in the way," she replied. Jenn turned and walked towards the fortress again.
"Thank you, ikira."
She bit her tongue and marched back to the lair, just as snow began to fall again. Vamps awaited her in the foyer. She readied herself for a fight, making certain none of them had orders to jump her yet, and then continued to the panoramic window. Snow fell heavily outside. Jenn brushed flakes from her jacket and sat, changing boots. She found a supply room and acquired several pairs of boots, fully knowing she'd come back with wet feet every time she left.
A glance towards Darian showed his intense gaze on her, not the vamps surrounding them. He looked away and turned his back to her, stance guarded as he paced short distances back and forth, like a caged panther. Jenn couldn't help feeling more comfortable here than in the forest, when it was just the two of them. He ceased pacing and cocked his head to the side.
"I've got three," Darian said for her ears only.
"Maybe they're with Jonny."
"I'll check it out."
Before she could ask to go with him, he Traveled. Jenn tied her boots quickly and swapped out jackets. She darted to the door and whipped it open, trying hard to sense if Darian reappeared close enough for her to follow. A moment passed, and her frozen breath drifted upwards.
"I know you're not paying room and board, but you're running up the bill," the Black God said from inside the fortress.
Jenn turned and closed the door. The Black God looked around him, disoriented, as if he'd been dropped into the foyer and not Traveled there himself. She wondered if Darian was right about the Others blindfolding him somehow.