Free Shield of Innocence (Alternate Places Book 4) by P.S. Power

places, but they are, in the end, different
worlds with slightly different rules, and probably even more varied
interpretations of things. That's kind of cool. So, let's get to things? The
first one being getting me food." He made a face to show that he wasn't
trying to be a jerk about it all, but the new line walkers all moved then, like
it was a competition to get that done.
    Which meant that Eve had a tray
of fresh and still mildly warm rolls for him in the dining room when he got
there, and both Lyn and Troy had headed out through the shortcut in the back to
find things. Troy had to help Lyn through it, but that seemed fair. He got back
first that way, with the girl coming in after Zack had finished about half the
rolls, stuffing the raspberry filled treats into his face like they were going
to be gone if he didn't.
    Troy had just gone to the food
court at the mall and gotten Mac, Merry's brother, to set up a few large
containers of fried rice and spring rolls. All vegetarian.
    When Lyn got back, she had three
nicely large boxes of pastries. From her favorite shop. In Paris. France.
    After setting them down, she
explained why it had taken her so long.
    "This world doesn't have
that particular place, so I had to go home first, then find my way back. I'm counting this one as a win. Plus, using the shortcut things is really hard. I had to kind of memorize what I'd seen Zack doing earlier and use that
to get through the thing in the back of the shop here." Still, even
admitting hardship there, she seemed pleased enough.
    After all, she'd worked out how
to travel between worlds on her own.
    It was just the four of them in
the dining room at the moment, the others all figuring that they'd be better
off doing other things. That, or at least watching television. As it turned out
though, Claire and Chris were gone, on official vampire related duties. They
all learned that when a phone call came in, just as Zack finished the fried
rice, sharing the pastries with Lyn and Troy. Not that anyone else there ate as
much as he did.
    It came in to his cell phone,
which made him jump, the new thing being unfamiliar to him still. He actually
slapped at his pocket at first, having forgotten the thing was there.
    "Hello, Zack Hartley
here." He tried to sound warm and professional, not like the breath had
been knocked out of him by the shock of being contacted directly. He wasn't
used to it, but being that delicate would be seen as pretentious, he was
willing to bet.
    "Mr. Hartley? Vaun, here. Of
the vampires? I was hoping to enlist your hire? We've already contracted with
Christopher the line walker, but it was suggested that we might be able to do
more than he alone? There's... A rather unfortunate battle taking place at the
moment, in Bangladesh. Normally we wouldn't wish to bother such an esteemed
personage as yourself, but it might be best if the center of such a populous
city wasn't rendered to dust? If I have this right, it seems to be the same
invisible beings that attacked Lesser Shia? If not them, then something
similar." That came out sounding tense, but more annoyed than
anything else.
    Definitely not scared.
    "I'm on my way. We need
help... How bad is it?"
    Vaun sighed, but it was nearly
pleased, Zack thought.
    "It's not going too poorly,
actually. Your man Christopher has procured the loan of weapons from Lesser
Shia itself, so we may do battle in a more efficient fashion. Also armor that
works very well against this particular foe. The difficulty at the moment is
that over half of them are invisible. What we truly need are beings capable of
spotting them for us? Is that something you could arrange? Kaitlyn the line
walker, and your friend, Cavendish, perhaps? Claire was just speaking most
highly of them both, the other day. So did those from Lesser Shia." There
was no sense of faint praise in the words.
    Then, there shouldn't be. Those
two had done about half the work saving that far away city. By themselves.
    "I can't promise