"Ikir."
Jonny couldn't place the odd note in Charles' voice, partially because he wasn't fully awake. Troubled by his exchange with Ashley, he'd ended up pulling an all-nighter and wanted at least four hours of sleep before facing whatever insanity a new day brought him.
"What?" he grumbled.
"You need to see something." Charles was in his room. It wasn't a good sign.
Jonny rolled out of bed and pulled on sweatpants. He wiped his face and approached Charles, about to ask what was wrong when he felt the presence of a Natural.
"Who's here?" he demanded.
"If I'm not mistaking, your vigilante." Charles held up his cell to display streaming security footage from the foyer.
Jonny looked twice and then took the phone. "What the fuck is she doing here?"
"She said she's looking for you."
He growled low in his throat. Ashley appeared to be holding her own so far with the dozens of vamps. By her expression the night before, he'd been convinced Ashley wasn't going to do anything stupid anymore and here she was the very next morning, at his headquarters no less. He had gotten good at lying. Did she pick up some tell he didn't intend for her to when he claimed never to have cared that much for his first love?
"I warned her to stay away." Jonny tossed the phone back and strode out of his bedroom without bothering to put on shoes. He tugged on a t-shirt as he walked, furious Ashley meant to challenge him so directly, in front of vamps who had already seen him lose half his men. He'd been toying with solutions as to how to fix the problem of Ashley when he confronted her last night.
He'd left under the impression she was no longer a threat.
I'm the fool, he thought darkly.
He strode from his wing of the lodge into the main house and to the railing of the second floor overlooking the spacious foyer.
Ashley was fighting fast and hard. But her speed wasn't going to defeat two dozen vamps; it'd take stamina and her killing those that were down so they didn't get back up to face her again.
"Stop!" he commanded.
The frenzied movement below slowed and then stopped. Jonny waited until Ashley had lowered her weapons as well under his glare before moving to the stairs. He descended with control and discipline he wanted to toss out the window in order to face Ashley.
"What the fuck is this?" he demanded.
His vamps moved out of his path and cleared the way to Ashley. The fury was back in her eyes, and he resisted the urge to either touch her or unleash his power.