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“Ancient enemy?” the cop had regained his composure and followed
them, his two younger counterparts trailing him like puppies. “Dear God, this
man bled to death.” He crouched down near the body, suddenly all business. “You
know what did this?” he asked Greyson.

Greyson nodded. “We call them Spiders.”

“Spiders?”
Lucy asked.

“Figures,” Eva muttered, deliberately not looking at the poor
salesman on the ground. She could still remember him smiling at her. She
swallowed back the nausea tickling her throat.

“They’re a silicon-based life form, non-sentient,” Greyson said. “They
travel from planet to planet in swarms, looking for food to consume.”

“Food to consume…” Lucy trailed off when Greyson shot her a
quelling look. Eva grabbed her friend’s arm to shut her up.

“I’m sorry officer, but I can’t offer you any more information at
this time.” Greyson moved away from the body. “In fact, I need to leave and
contact my brothers as soon as possible.”

“Listen here, young man. A person is dead. You can’t just give me
a ridiculous statement like that and go,” the cop said angrily, standing up and
getting into Greyson’s space.

Young man,
Lucy mouthed to Eva, eyes wide. Eva snorted softly. The cop had no idea with
whom he was dealing.

Greyson did not back down. “Officer, kindly
remember
that I’m older than you by several centuries.” He smiled grimly. “So, I’m not
particularly young.” He glanced at Eva,
then
turned
back to the trooper. “My brothers and I will release more information when
necessary.” He looked down at the cop sternly. “Neither of these women have my
permission to speak to the police at this time. Is that clear?”

“You can’t withhold information like that,” one of the younger
troopers said.

“I can and I will. Stronghold holds global sovereignty in certain
matters, or have you forgotten that?” Greyson said.

“Dan, stand down,” the older cop said wearily. “He’s right. Every
major power signed that damn agreement.”

“The only reason they can get away with this shit is because they
hold alien tech over our heads,” the younger cop said, clearly pissed off. “That
won’t be the case forever.”

Greyson lifted a shoulder indifferently. “Nevertheless, it is true
now and the police
will
cooperate.” He held out his hand to Eva,
obviously dismissing the troopers. “Come, I’ll take you home.”

She frowned. “What about Lucy?” To her surprise, the cops had
already started walking away.

“I can drive myself home, no problem,” Lucy hastily said, pinching
Eva on the arm.

Eva controlled her flinch and glared at her friend. “Are you sure
you’re okay? That was scary.”

“Yup, I’m fine.
Gotta
get home and call
my parents,” Lucy said immediately. “You and Greyson need time to get
reacquainted.” She hugged Eva and quickly walked off.

Eva frowned, watching her friend dash away. “What the heck?”

“She’ll be fine.”

Eva turned her frown on him. “You don’t know that.”

“I do. She’s a strong young woman.” He took her hand and drew her
across the lot, ignoring the gawkers with their phones. The police had already rounded
up the other customers and sales staff and were clearly preparing to question
them about what they’d seen.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, following him.
It’s not
like I can get a ride from Lucy, now,
she thought, bemused. She’d moved
back here, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man she’d thought she’d fallen for
in high school. She never anticipated him showing up and saving her from some
weird alien attack. Especially not now that she knew he was one of the elusive
Sentries.

He stopped in front of a scary looking motorcycle and gave her
another one of his indecipherable looks. “I’m taking you home.” He swung his
leg over the machine and waited for her with barely concealed impatience. He
looked more dangerous than ever.

Ah hell,
she thought, her heart giving a slow, hard thump. He really
was
one of
those motorcycle guys. Not only was he a Sentry and completely forbidden
because of it, he was also one of the hottest men she’d ever met.
Do I
really want to do this?
she
wondered nervously.
I’m
already in way over my head.

He put his hand out and snagged her wrist, tugging her closer. “Get
on. I won’t bite.”

Ha, if only
, she thought, half-embarrassed,
half-disappointed. She licked her lips and swung her legs over the seat behind
him. She had no idea where to put her hands. The leather under her butt felt
firm and smoother than she expected.

“Hold onto my waist,” he growled, starting the engine. “Put your
feet there.” He pointed down.

Eva tentatively slid her arms around him, shocked at how muscled
and warm he felt.
Oh my,
she thought faintly. He smelled really, really
good. Memories of the summer after high school assaulted her and she pressed
closer, trying not to freak out too badly.
Is this really happening?

“Don’t be afraid,” he said, just before he let go of the throttle
and the motorcycle roared out of the parking lot.

****

“This isn’t the way to my house,” Eva yelled into the wind,
tightening her arms. He didn’t answer. What was he doing? He turned the
motorcycle onto a dirt road that led further into the woods. She wasn’t sure he
even heard her. When he kept driving, deeper and deeper into territory she’d
never been before, she suddenly realized where he was taking her.
His Stronghold.
Her hair whipped behind her as she mashed
her nose into his spine. Was he crazy? She had to get home and call her mom.
And John.
If they saw her on the news with him they’d be
frantic.

“Almost there,” he said, twisting slightly so she could hear him.

When he pulled up in front of a huge old stone house and parked
the motorcycle under an overhang, she clutched his waist, too buzzed from the
ride to move. The house loomed above them, the peaked roof dotted with
skylights. He swung his legs over the bike and helped her down.
God, I must
look a mess,
she thought distractedly, stumbling as she tried to find her
footing. Her eyes watered from the wind and she blotted at her face with her
sleeve.

“Easy,” he murmured, holding her steady until she pulled away. He
turned and shook a cover out over the bike, cinching it at the bottom.

“What are we doing here?” she asked. “This isn’t where I live.”

“I told you I was taking you home.” He pulled her up onto the
weathered porch. It looked old, but well-kept, and as she stared down, she
realized that it wasn’t really made of stone at all, but rather some other
material engineered to look like stone. Dried leaves blew across her feet.

“I didn’t realize you were taking me to
your
home,” she
muttered, checking her pockets.
Whew. My cell phone is still intact. And I
didn’t lose Greyson’s ring.

“Come on,” he said, nudging the front door with his foot. It swung
open silently and he guided her inside.

Eva stopped the moment she crossed the threshold, stunned into
silence. The interior had vaulted ceilings and stained glass skylights. A
modern kitchen ran along the left wall while a giant stone fireplace sat in the
middle of the far wall, with windows and bookshelves on either side. In the
center of the room was a pillar made of the same material as the house, except
instead of stones, it was a long, seamless column.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Eva jumped when he shut the door behind her. “You said that
already.”

He lifted an eyebrow and dropped the keys for the motorcycle in a
glass bowl set atop a gorgeous wood sideboard. It looked ancient.
And expensive.

“This is where you live?”

He nodded. “Sleeping chambers are down below.” He gestured to a
set of stairs next to the fireplace she hadn’t noticed earlier. “The entire
structure is set into a cliff, so the bedrooms have windows that overlook the
valley beyond.” He moved into the room, heading directly for the pillar. “I
also have a workroom set further into the ridge. There were natural caves here
when I built this place and it was easier to take advantage of existing
structures than fabricate new ones from scratch.”

Eva shook her head, not sure if she should pinch herself. What was
she doing here? “I’d really like to go home.”

He shook his head at her impatiently,
then
put a hand on the pillar. The stone facade wavered,
then
shimmered into a giant view screen. Eva sucked in a breath, putting a hand to
her throat as she looked through the viewer into a huge, bright room. Windows
circled the perimeter of the space, but otherwise, it was set up much like
Greyson’s stone house. She could vaguely make out the Manhattan skyline through
the glass walls. A man walked over and her heart gave a sick thump as she
recognized him. Unlike his television appearances, this man did not look happy
and calm.

“Greyson, for God’s sake, what did you do?” Bruno Day asked,
glaring at his brother.

Greyson sighed.
“Another infestation, Bruno.
I wasn’t there. If I hadn’t given Eva my ring, I don’t know what would’ve
happened.”

Bruno looked past Greyson and locked eyes with Eva. He nodded. Eva
bit her cheek, hoping the pain would give her courage and tentatively nodded
back at him. Inside she was freaking out.
Two Sentries?
Oh my
God,
and I’m in the middle of whatever is
happening!

“The ring-shield activated?” Bruno asked, swinging his attention
back onto Greyson.

He nodded shortly. “Yes, though it wasn’t enough. There was one
left when I got there.”

Bruno rubbed his face. “I saw video on the news. You couldn’t just
make something up to tell the police?”

Greyson snorted. “The other customers recorded the entire attack,
Bruno. What would you have had me say?”

“Fine,” Bruno growled. “But now I’ve got to call the others, and
the President and the rest of the whole fucking world and explain what happened
since all of you elected me spokesman. So tell me, what the hell happened?” He
leaned forward, blue eyes snapping.

Eva stepped back nervously, not wanting to get into the middle of
the brothers’ argument. She wandered around the room as Greyson gave a short
and concise explanation of what had happened. She still didn’t understand
precisely what Spiders were, but she knew enough to realize that Earth was in
danger.
Those things must be what the Sentries have been protecting us from,
she mused, staring out the window above the kitchen sink. The woods beyond were
darker than she’d expected. Storm clouds were rolling in over the treetops and
she shivered. She had no desire to ride back to her house on the back of a
motorcycle in a thunderstorm.

“What I don’t understand is why they swarmed there.
Why Ohio, of all places?”
Bruno sounded exasperated.

Eva turned and leaned on the counter, curious. She’d like to know
the answer to that, too.

“Hasn’t Solomon found the hacker yet?” Greyson asked.

“No, or you would’ve known.” Bruno began pacing. “Maybe it has
something to do with your girl.”

His girl?
Eva wrinkled her nose. Surely
Sentry Day didn’t mean her?

Greyson glared. “You know it does not.”

“The only other Spiders we’ve found weren’t far from her apartment
here in the city,” Bruno countered. “And they followed her to Ohio.” He glanced
at her. “Why don’t you ask her what she knows?”

Wait, what?
Eva pushed off from the counter and moved closer.

“Perhaps the hacker is one of your entourage,” Greyson said.

Bruno shook his head. “I’ve gone over every inch of the tech here.
And the people.”
He looked at Eva again. “What do you
know about the Spiders, Eva?”

She frowned. “You think
I
had something to do with those
things?” she asked. “I didn’t even know they existed until today.”

“And why did you move back to Ohio? You could’ve worked perfectly
well from your apartment in Manhattan,” Bruno said, voice going cold.

She stared at him, a hard knot forming in her gut. “How do you
know my name?”

He shook his head. “You’re redesigning the Stronghold website. Of
course I know your name.”

Eva glanced at Greyson. He looked like he wanted to chew on a rock
and spit the pieces at his brother.

“I didn’t like living in the city,” she said finally. “That’s all.
Nothing more complicated than that.” No way was she going to admit she’d moved
back here hoping to see Greyson again.

“Enough, Bruno.
She knows nothing, as you would
immediately sense if you were here.” He touched her shoulder gently.