CHAPTER Twenty
The wait was agonising. This bastard had done things to that dryad that showed a callous heartlessness. He completely deserved the full ire that my Draco Wyr blood could offer. I was itching to show him that he should learn to pick on someone his own size. Or at least someone who didn’t belong to the quiet and entirely non-violent world of tree nymphs anyway. The longer it took for him to show up, the more my bloodfire boiled.
My simmering anger must have been getting remarkably obvious because Corrigan eventually turned to me. “Cool it.”
I snarled at him. “I can’t.”
“Of course you can. Weren’t you just trying to calm me down a few moments ago?”
“That was different.”
“Right.”
“Corrigan,” I grated, “I am a Draco Wyr. That means that sometimes, usually when I’m entirely justified to do so, I get angry. Well, it’s not so much anger as full-blown red-hot rage. It’s in my nature and I can’t help it.” I was uncomfortably reminded for a moment that Aubrey had made the same argument regarding his vampiredom behaviour, before I pushed that thought away.
“Bullshit.”
I started.
He reached out and gripped my shoulder, taking great pains to avoid the silver daggers that I was still clutching in my hands. “Think, Mack. When was the last time you were angry? You know, blood boiling out of control angry?”
I considered. Then my cheeks irritatingly heated up. It was when I’d seen Corrigan with that dark-haired shifter and had downed the stupid bottle of TemperSoothe. I didn’t really want to go there.
“A while ago,” I muttered to myself.
“It was when you shifted into a dragon, right?”
“Um…”
“That was months ago. You know you’re in control of yourself now. Bloody hell, that vampire over there almost killed you and he’s walking around as happy as a lark now.”
“He’s not a vampire anymore,” I pointed out, stubbornly. “And I wouldn’t say he’s particularly happy either.”
“That’s a moot point and you know it. You’re not that out of control person any more.”
“You know why?” I said softly. “Because when that happened before, when I turned into a dragon, I stopped being me. I would have killed anything that got in my way. There wasn’t a single rational thought in my head. Do you have any idea how terrifying that is?”
“You lived with a pack of shifters for most of your natural life! You know that’s what it’s like at the start, especially when you shift for the first time.”
I stared at him. “How would I know? I didn’t shift, remember?”
“Nobody talked to you about what it was like?”
I thought about it. They might have tried to. I was so pissed off at not being able to become a shifter myself that I was pretty sure I’d stone-walled the lot of them until they’d stopped trying to speak to me about it. But the fact that they found it hard to control their impulses when they first shifted didn’t mean that my circumstances were the same.
“Look, it’s all very well saying that it’s normal to feel that way when you shift at first. But I’m not a f*cking were-hamster! I’m a dragon. If I shift there’s no telling what I could end up doing.”
“Have you not once transformed since that day?”
“No.” I folded my arms. “And I’m not going to.”
“You’re more in control than you think, Mack. You just need to believe that you’re in control.”
I was saved from replying further because Corrigan stiffened suddenly, his head cocked to the side. “He’s here.”
The flames inside me roared in delight. I thought about what Corrigan had said. Then I thought about what Thomas would have said. He had known better than anyone what it was like to lose control. And he’d believed that I had a handle on my inner rage. I took a deep breath and the fire inside me banked back down. Okay then. I was still going to destroy this f*cker though, even if I remained relatively calm when I did it.
I glanced over at Corrigan. He was stepping neatly out of his suit trousers, and placing them to the side. I tried not to gawk. I failed. Abruptly, his skin exploded into sleek black fur, and there was a snapping and cracking of bones. His were-panther form snarled with the brief agony of the shift, then he was on all fours, the muscles of his huge forelegs bunching, poised for attack. At least he was in the same frame of mind as me. This wasn’t going to be a peace treaty or a negotiation; it was going to be a take down.
Finally, from around the corner of the small curving path, a figure appeared. Whatever I’d been expecting, it wasn’t the slight suited man that appeared. For one bizarre moment, I thought that Solus had been wrong or that Larkin’s ward hadn’t worked, and this was merely a guy out for an evening stroll. But when I took a closer look, I realised that wasn’t true. Because I’d seen him before, and not just in the photos that Alex had texted over. It was the vaguely bookish bloke who’d stood next to me on the street in London, commenting on the antics of Lucy, the mage and the Fae when they’d been tailing me. And he didn’t seem in the slightest bit surprised to see us.
Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he lifted one hand and waved in greeting. Corrigan growled.
“A little Otherworld welcoming committee,” he called out. “How perfectly charming.”
My eyes narrowed, spitting hatred. “Who the f*ck are you?”
“Well, Ms. Smith, that is a complicated question.”
Corrigan’s Voice filled my head. How in the hell does he know your name?
I shrugged tensely in response. I had no bloody idea.
“Why don’t you try to answer it?” I was impressed with the fact that I managed to keep my tone even and calm.
“I think not. You and your Lord Corrigan will just have to suffer without that knowledge. I am pleased, however, that you are here. I could feel your power in London and I was curious to find out more. Now I will get my own answers, it seems.”
He started to move towards us, with a slow almost leisurely pace, then stopped and flicked his wrist towards the old warded area. The concealment spell evaporated, revealing yet again the blackened earth and now equally scorched stump of a tree. For a half-second his features twisted, before smoothing back over into studied blandness. “I really wish you hadn’t done that.”
“Yeah?” I said, tauntingly. “Well, then you’re going to f*cking hate this.”
I raised up my left hand and let the dagger fly. At the same moment Corrigan sprang forward, sprinting towards him with claws and teeth flashing. This time I knew my aim was true. It didn’t matter, however. In the half heartbeat that it took the blade to reach him, he lifted up an arm and the dagger fell uselessly to the earth. I blinked. Okay, so maybe he had a few nifty tricks then.
Corrigan leapt in the air, launching himself forward with unbridled power, but our opponent merely lifted up another arm, and he landed with a heavy thud onto the ground, in much the same manner as the dagger.
Corrigan! I screamed with my Voice.
He twitched. I’m fine, just f*cking kill him. He was already starting to stagger back onto his large paws.
I ran towards my right, in order to make sure that the f*cker’s attention was on me and me alone. This time I kept hold of my second dagger, and instead began to send out streams of fire. He’d built up some kind of protective ward around himself, however, and the flames bounced harmlessly off.
“Interesting,” he remarked calmly. “You are not a mage, and yet you have magical power. Tell me what you are.”
“You first,” I grunted, then changed tactics and directed my flames at the ground, creating a wall of fire between him and me. If defeating this bastard was going to mean getting up close and personal, then that was what I was going to do. I zigzagged towards him, spraying more green fire as I went. He remained standing, and unblinking, watching my progress impassively.
His right arm started to rise up again, but I was getting wise to his actions, and this time threw myself at the ground in a roll, not losing my forward momentum but still avoiding whatever weird magic he was managing to zap out. Then I straightened and halted. There were less than two feet between us, and a wall of my fire was trapping him. He smirked, crooking one finger as if to beckon me closer. I just laughed. How stupid did he think I was?
Using my one remaining dagger, I slid its point across my index finger, not taking my eyes off Mr. Freaky Mage Man. I didn’t need to look down to know that blood was already welling up. Then I flicked my finger out towards him and watched the drops curve into the air and splash against his own personal invisible ward. As soon as they hit the space about two inches from his actual body, there was a hissing sound and a puff of red steam ejected into the air. The brief flash in his eyes told me that my plan had worked – and he didn’t like it. Goody.
I sprang forward, through my own fiery barrier, and lashed out, my fist connecting satisfyingly with his face. His head smacked to the side with a snap, and there was the tinkle of glass breaking as his spectacles fell off, landing in a twisted heap onto the ground. Then Corrigan’s black shape barrelled into him, knocking him down onto the ground. He hissed out one inaudible word and, from behind, there was a sudden thunderous crack. I half turned, and gaped as, from out of nowhere, a huge monstrous shape appeared. I kicked the figure on the ground, pissed off that I’d given him the opportunity to speak and summon whatever that thing was, and he collapsed with an ooph, then lay unmoving. For good measure, and to ensure that he was down forever, I stabbed his chest in one swift motion with my remaining dagger, letting the blade slide all the way through and come out the other side. It pierced the ground, holding him in place like a staple. Satisfied, I pivoted round to face the new threat.
The thing in front of us was massive: at least eight foot tall and with a body as broad as a bull elephant. The most striking thing about it, however, was its head: a large misshapen bulge with two bright red saucer shaped eyes that, for a moment, put me in mind of Aubrey. Though the smell reeking off in stifling waves was far worse than even that of a vamp’s. It was like some horrifying mixture of skunk and wet dog. Not that I’d ever smelt a skunk before, but it was how I imagined it would be. Despite the thing’s size, it was eerily silent, not making so much as a single sound.
It lunged forward with surprising speed, and I only just managed to leap out of the way in time. Corrigan’s were-panther snapped forward, his huge jaws latching onto its hairy leg, embedding themselves deeply through its skin. Dark, almost black, blood seeped out. It lifted up its leg, trying to shake Corrigan off, but he clung on with sheer shifter tenacity. I smiled grimly, before attacking it myself, reaching out to grab its arm and force it backwards, almost as if in some kind of childish playground type stunt. Except I was trying to break the thing’s arm, not get it to call out pax.
I pulled backwards, straining with every ounce of strength and energy that I could muster, grimacing as it resisted against me. Just as I finally heard the dull snap of breaking bone, its other arm came twisting round, knocking me on the side of my head and sending me flying backwards. Hot fiery adrenaline coursed through every vein. I jumped back up to my feet, ignoring the painful throbbing across the entire right side of my face, and saw Corrigan release the creature’s leg and spring up against its chest instead, knocking it over onto the ground. The pair of them were locked together in some kind of deadly embrace, rolling and spinning this way and that. I hopped from one side to the other, trying to get an opening whereby I could finally end this. They were moving too quickly, however, and I didn’t want to miss and end up striking out at the Brethren Lord instead. Still, the only sound I could hear was Corrigan’s breath and snapping teeth. I couldn’t believe that, even with the agony the red-eyed monster must be feeling, it wasn’t so much as panting heavily in pain. It was as if someone had pressed the mute button.
Corrigan’s sharp claws were swiping at its face, etching out deep scratches and virtually ripping its skin to shreds. And yet it didn’t quit, writhing to its left, then to its right, in a bid to break free. Its unbroken arm scrabbled to gain purchase on Corrigan’s fur, succeeding in pulling out tufts here and there, although not quite managing to connect with his actual flesh. I watched it carefully, waiting for my chance.
This thing smells worse than Staines’ laundry basket, hissed Corrigan’s Voice.
Well, let’s hope it doesn’t rub off on you, I shot back sardonically.
With one great heaving movement he rolled to his side, trapping the monster’s arm underneath itself.
Are you just going to stand there and watch?
Do you mean that you need some help defeating the smelly nastie, my Lord?
Corrigan growled aloud. I half-cocked my head, pondering the situation, then calmly walked over to the beast’s head, grabbed both its ears and pulled, exposing its thick neck.
Will that do you?
He gave a feline snort, then his massive head arched upwards and his mouth opened, exposing gleaming white fangs.
It’ll have to.
Then he snapped his jaws closed onto the monster’s jugular. Dark blood sprayed out, splattering my clothes and landing on my face. Corrigan immediately sprang backwards, planting his paws by my feet. The thing choked and gurgled, the only sound it had made this entire time, before jerking once and falling still.
His green eyes slid up to me. I could have sworn there was amusement lurking in their depths as he watched me wipe off the gloopy blood from my cheek.
Was that entirely necessary?
He bared his teeth at me in what I assumed passed for a panther’s version of a cheeky grin. I rolled my eyes at him. Idiot.
“Job done,” I said aloud.
I turned back towards our besuited foe’s body. Oh, shit. My stomach dropped as I took in the scene. My dagger remained exactly where I had left it, and there was a dark stain around it indicating where it had slammed through the dryad-killer’s heart. But of the killer’s body itself, there was no sign.