Kira complained.“Where are we this time?” Julie asked.“No idea,” Astrid replied. She felt around the small room lined with shelves of cans and boxes. A closet? No obvious doorknob. She pushed on all the walls, finally breaking free and out into a kitchen. Ashor, Javen, and Nate stared at them, startled. She pinpointed Kane. A small part of her brain did a happy jig that Zannis was right. She could do a doorway to somewhere other than to him. The other part of her mind recognized she was weak, and not just from blood loss. Too many doorway openings in one day. She moved out of the pantry to the counter and gripped its edge, hoping its support would help stabilize the vertigo that threatened to push her into a knee-bender spew.Astrid swallowed hard and stared at Kane. “I need a weapon.”Their gazes locked in understanding. Kane stood slowly. He held out his palms, his Glock in one and his prized serrated blade in the other. “Your pick. Why were you ladies in the pantry? Seems awfully crowded in there for all four of you.”The others shot her blank, astonished stares.“I portaled us back.”
