Page 200 of The Robin on the Oak Throne

“Oh, explosives,” Kierse said. “Fancy.”

“Hopefully, it’s enough,” he said with a shrug.

Her unease intensified as they reached the second-floor landing to continued silence.

Schwartz raised an eyebrow. “Are we the first ones here?”

“Isolde said we were the last,” Kierse said as she pushed the door open.

Everyone was seated at the center of the massive library. In fact, an extra couch and chair set had been brought in to accommodate the additional members. Anne Boleyn lounged languidly between Laz and Gen. Walter sat across from them in front of his computer setup. Nate sat on the other couch with his ankle crossed over his knee, typing away on his phone. George and Edgar stood sentinel in a corner. Isolde headed over to them. Graves had his arms crossed over his chest as she stared at the girl sitting opposite him—Lyra Anderson.

“What the hell did we miss?” Kierse asked.

Schwartz deposited the tray of food and then did the same with Kierse’s full of drinks. He took the open chair,leaving Kierse standing beside Lyra’s seat in confusion.

“We have an interloper,” Graves explained.

“Opportunist,” Lyra interjected.

Kierse glanced between them. “What happened?”

“She was snooping around.”

“Trying to get your attention,” Lyra corrected.

“Why would you do that?” Kierse asked.

“Because I’m not an idiot,” Lyra said, breaking Graves’s gaze to look at Kierse. “Look, I was interested in the offer and everything, but I was raised to ask questions. And the more questions I asked, the deeper I got into whateverthisis, and I want in.”

“Why?” Graves barked.

“Whynot?” Lyra asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

“This isn’t fun and games,” Kierse argued.

“Who said it was? My parents did this sort of shit all the time, and I grew up on stories of the scary motherfucker who helped them.” Lyra gestured to Graves.

“Your parents were not doing anything like this,” Graves assured her.

“Mind if we know who her parents are?” Laz asked.

Nate scoffed. “You don’t recognize the vampire princess in our midst?”

Kierse glanced between Nate and Lyra. She knew that his family had connections with the Andersons.

Laz shrugged. “Fill me in.”

“Beckham and Reyna Anderson,” Lyra muttered.

Schwartz whistled low. Laz looked impressed. They were sort of legends for their part in the first vampire war.

“Anyway,” Lyra said. “If they can do it, then so can I. Plus, if you’re going to use me anyway, then I at least wanta cut.”

“That’s fair,” Kierse admitted. It would be simpler for Lyra to be involved than to use her and ditch her the way they’d planned to. A lot fewer questions.

“Fine,” Graves said with a shake of his head.

“Oh and…maybe don’t mention this to my parents,” Lyra added with a wince.

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