“You’re kidding, right?” She knew he wasn’t, and that was what horrified her. “Your fangs will fall out before that happens.” He was getting ready to argue, Cinn could tell. “Besides, you’d rip that little stick out of my hand like it was a toothpick. No, if you get loose, all of us humans will hide behind Asima.”

Just then Holgarth pulled open the kitchen entrance to the greenhouse and almost shoved a small group of hotel guests inside. Without saying a word, he left. The people all carried folding chairs and stood looking at her expectantly.

Oh, shit. She pushed away from Dacian and smiled at the newcomers. “You can put your chairs along the walls of the greenhouse.”

Dacian muttered his opinion of Ganymede’s keep-the-humans-safe idea. Some of his curses were in languages she didn’t recognize, but she understood the feeling behind them just fine.

Cinn waited for all of the guests to be seated. Her mind was a spin cycle of worry about the coming battle. She couldn’t begin to concentrate on making up stories about her plants. So she’d just tell them the truth. “Umm, thanks for coming.”

“Didn’t have a choice. That wizard guy yanked us outta our rooms and here we are. You better be good, gal.” An old man glared at her from beneath bushy white brows.

“Well, okay.” She mentally gave the old fart the finger. “The two plants to my right are Jessica and Sweetie Pie. They feed off of sexual energy.”

“Huh. They’d be dead sticks in our room.” A middleaged woman with a bad perm cast her husband a disgusted look.

Wasn’t this a happy group. Cinn sighed. “Umm, and the big pitcher plant is Becky. She eats things.”

A man who looked like he should be teaching a bored class of college freshmen spoke up. “Like what? Unless I’ve forgotten my Plants 101 course, pitcher plants eat insects. There’s nothing spectacular about that. Sure, this one is a lot bigger than the norm, but it’s just a pitcher plant.” Self-important professor guy had his superior stare going for him tonight.

Cinn smiled at him. “Your hand, if you’re stupid enough to stick it inside her.”

That wiped the superior expression from his face. He cast the pitcher plant furtive glances, and she knew he intended to test her claim as soon as he could. Cinn figured she was being mean, but Becky couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Before Cinn could say anything else about her plants, Dacian interrupted.

“I think the wind stopped.”

They all listened.

“You’re right. And it doesn’t look like the snow is still coming down. Maybe that means the sorcerer has his hands full with Holgarth and Edge.” Cinn kept her voice to a whisper so the humans couldn’t hear.