“Lia! Don’t!”
The shout came from above. A man dropped from the sky, landing deftly between the woman and the bubble of electricity around me and Patsy. I remembered seeing him at the meeting. He was dressed in a T-shirt, jeans, and Converses; his dark hair was savaged by my whirlwind.
“Hello, Ruadan.” Lia tossed the fireball at him.
The ground shook under our feet and split open.
From the gap rose a huge wave of water, which doused the fire and soaked Lia. She spluttered angrily, backing toward her dragon. The creature raised its head; smoke curled from its nostrils.
A well-dressed man, shorter than Ruadan, with curly hair and dark eyes, walked toward us. His hands were aimed at the water, and I realized he was manipulating it. I recognized him from the meeting, too.
“Velthur, you ass!” Lia screeched. “Do you know how much this outfit cost?”
I gaped at her. The woman was psychotic. She obviously didn’t value life, especially if she wore some poor cow’s tanned and colored skin. I bet she had killed the animal she was wearing. Argh! When it dried, I hoped it tightened to the point of cutting off her circulation. Well, if she had circulation.
Following the man named Velthur were three black wolves. The triplets, I was sure. I heard growls and snarls to the left of me; a really huge white wolf loped across the street. Its aura was purple, and I knew it was Gabriel.
The other three lycanthropes surrounded Lia.
“Libby,” yelled an Irish voice behind me. Lorcan. He was okay! I couldn’t believe how relieved I felt. “You have to stop,” he continued to yell, “so we can get to Patsy.”
“I . . . I can’t,” I said. “I don’t know how to turn it off.”
Chapter 21
The energy bubble grew bigger and bigger. I wasn’t in control of it, but I think Sybina might’ve been. At least I hoped so. All the while, I couldn’t take my gaze from Lia. She didn’t seem at all concerned that she was trapped by vampires and werewolves.
The white wolf crouched in front of me, howling. He couldn’t get near us. I realized Gabriel was crazy with worry.
“She’s unconscious, but alive,” I called. “We’ll be okay.”
He barked, his paws digging at the ground by the edge of the electrified field.
Lia was dripping wet, but she hadn’t lost her smirk. Her dragon lifted its head and shot fire at Velthur; he aimed the water at it and smacked it in the head. The dragon choked and sputtered, then lay on the street, as if defeated.
Ruadan stalked Lia, who retreated even closer to her dragon. Velthur kept his hands pointed at the gushing water, obviously ready to use it when needed.
Ruadan made two short swords appear in his hands. They were gold and bejeweled and very, very sharp. He swung them expertly, dancing closer to Lia.
Lia responded by creating two swords of her own, but hers were made of fire. The flames highlighted the wild look of her dark eyes.
“Is that any way to treat your wife?” she asked sweetly.
“Ex-wife,” said Ruadan. “Don’t do this, Lia. What do you hope to accomplish?”
“You never were ambitious, Ruadan. You, who are the child of gods, would rather live in harmony with humans. You should rule them!” She punctuated her words by slashing at him with her fire blades.
He dodged easily.
I heard Synd’s evil, screaming song. Shit. He came at us with full fire; blue-green sparks of his magic ribboned within the flames. The blaze shot toward Velthur and turned the water into steam. The vampire wasn’t deterred, even though it was obvious to me that throwing water bombs at the new threat was taking its physical toll. I stared at Synd; something wasn’t quite right with him. His fire song sounded weird and I couldn’t see his aura.
“Get out of here, Velthur,” shouted Lorcan. He flew over us. Oh, yeah. He was part Sidhe—fairy. He, too, held a sword, this one made of gold light. I guess he could magic more than clothes.
I looked down to check on the queen. She was still passed out. I squatted and brushed her hair away from her face. As loup de sang, I knew she would have a heartbeat and breath. I checked her carotid pulse and sighed with relief. It was strong. If she’d wake up, she might be able to kick Lia’s ass so we could all go home. And I really wanted to get away from all this freaking craziness. Once again, I found myself thinking about Ralph and the boys. Maybe a normal life was too much to hope for a vampire, a half-dragon, and two adorable toddlers, but I think we could get really damned close.
If I survived. I was tired of dragon attacks. I wanted them to be gone. For good. I wanted to know Ralph, Michael, and Stephen would be safe. They wouldn’t be—not so long as these dragons lived.
Velthur’s gaze flashed to us. I sensed his exhaustion more than I saw it. He wasn’t going to last much longer. As Lorcan went for Synd’s scaly hide with his blade, Velthur turned and took off so fast he was a blur. I didn’t blame him. He couldn’t help us, even if he continued to risk his own life. The water splashed to the pavement, leaving only a muddy hole.
Synd circled lazily, as if he had all the time in the world to turn us into crunchy bits. I was terrified of him in a primal way, like a child who fears imaginary monsters lurking in the dark. Only my monster was real and my inner child was screaming her head off.
Lorcan couldn’t get near the beast, even though he kept trying to stab it. The dragon soared up, shooting green fire at him.
Lorcan was forced to retreat.
Synd floated higher and higher. The farther away he got, the better I felt. Synd’s presence was evil. I had never really believed in evil before. People could be mean, they could make bad decisions, and yeah, even harm others. But that dragon—he felt dark and empty. He had no conscience. We lived at his pleasure.
Why had he flown away? And how the hell had he healed so quickly? Or had he? Something was off about him, like he was an astral projection.
Lorcan landed on the ground, outside the fighting zone of Ruadan and Lia. He kept an eye on the dragon, his sword at the ready.
The three wolves circled Lia and Ruadan as they parried. Neither one was really getting in any blows.
I was rooting for Ruadan in a big way. Sybina seemed to agree. I felt her clamor. She built our combined rage into more power. The force field expanded and encompassed the white wolf and, beyond him, Lorcan.
Gabriel went to his wife and nuzzled her face, whining. The bubble of protection intercepted Ruadan and one black wolf.
“Damnú air!” cried Ruadan, running toward the electric field. He bounced off it. “Let me out!”
“I can’t,” I said. “Sorry!”
Lia’s face lit up in triumph. She extinguished her swords and backed away from the encroaching bubble. The wolves on either side of her advanced; they growled and bared their teeth.
She extended her arms. Two fireballs shot out from her palms and struck the wolves.
They fell to the ground, yelping in pain. The fire ravaged their sleek black fur as they rolled and rolled, trying to get the flames out.
Laughing as if she’d just performed a delightful magic trick, Lia whirled and ran to the red dragon, climbing its side.
“You’ll soon know what real power is,” yelled Lia. “Don’t worry, Ruadan. You’ll still have a place in the new order. As my slave!”
The red dragon rose into the air and flew upward. Lia was not getting away. The power inside me felt like a lightning storm trapped under my skin. I closed my eyes and tapped into my years of visualization experience. I imagined a ball of light forming between my hands. I saw the light, felt its heat, held its weight. Sybina helped me. For the first time since she’d given me her power, I felt like a dragon.
When I opened my eyes and looked down, the ball was there, as big as a basketball and as bright as the sun. The fire was mine to create, to control. My magic was within it, and my intention to protect myself and the innocents.
The dragon roared. I knew at any moment it would dive on us and t
ry to burn us all to a crisp or rip us apart with teeth and claws.
I made the light bigger and brighter.
“What are you doing?” Ruadan hurried toward me, his expression one of horror. The swords fell out of his hands and clattered to the muddy ground. He collapsed to his knees and rolled away, shielding his face. His skin started to peel away, wisps of smoke fluttering into the air.
Oh, my God.
“Sybina,” I whispered, “you have to stop. Please. We have to stop.”
The fire was singing. It was happy. It had purpose. I couldn’t divert it or extinguish the ball of light.
“Dad!” cried Lorcan as he shot toward the fallen man. The light pulsing in front of me immediately took its toll on Lorcan. He ducked, putting up an arm to protect his face. His hand erupted in tiny flames. “It’s too bright. You’re going to kill us!”
There was only one way to get rid of the dangerous weapon I’d created.
I lobbed it at the red dragon.
The orb struck the dragon’s underbelly and exploded. The creature screeched as the assailing light consumed it; Lia’s screams mingled with her pet’s ear-splitting cries.
The creature fell at least thirty feet, smacking into Ralph’s house with a force that knocked me off my feet. I heard the crackling explosion of wood and the chinkle of shattering windows.
The dragon crawled out of the rubble and collapsed halfway into the mangled front yard.
I sat up, staring at the large body as its blackened skin smoldered. In some places, it peeled off. It was mewling, obviously in terrible pain. Regret stabbed me. What had I done? I wouldn’t eat or wear the skin of any creature, and here I had tried to kill one.
Then I thought about those two sweet little boys and I wasn’t as sorry. I’d do anything for them and their daddy.
“What have you done?” asked Ruadan, echoing my own thoughts. My gaze went to him and Lorcan. They had already healed, which surprised me. I had figured they would need an infusion of blood.
Ruadan climbed to his feet and helped his son to stand.
“I stopped her,” I said, though my voice held no conviction. I also got to my feet and dusted snow off my coat. Now that all the fires had been put out, my hands were cold. It seemed like winter had infiltrated my clothes and slithered under my skin.
“You attacked an Ancient,” said Ruadan. He sounded both angry and shocked.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “What’s an Ancient?”
I really should’ve read all of my mother’s books. I vaguely recalled her telling me vampires were separated into different sects, which all had different powers. But I was fuzzy on the details.
“She saved us, Dad,” said Lorcan. He turned to me. “For more than four thousand years, the first seven vampires have existed. We don’t know what would happen if the founder of a Family died.”
Ruadan nodded. “You may have killed more than just Lia. You may have destroyed every vampire in her Family.”
Chapter 22
“What do you mean?” I gulped. I don’t think any penance would be enough if I wiped out a bunch of vampires because I couldn’t control my inner dragon.
Ruadan and Lorcan studied me, their faces mirrors of worry. Well, I was worried, too. I’d let Sybina have too much control. I knew I’d have to come to terms with this new side of myself or figure out a way to get rid of it.
Behind Ruadan, I saw a very naked Damian checking on the two werewolves. They sat together, licking their singed fur, their eyes glazed with pain. Ruadan and Lorcan turned toward them.
“My brothers are okay, but they need care,” said Damian. “I will take them to Brigid.”
I wasn’t sure how he planned to transport his injured brothers. It looked like they were going to have to limp out of here. Then I realized that Ralph’s car was untouched in the driveway.
“Take the Honda,” I said. “I don’t think Ralph would mind.”
“Um, Libby?” said Lorcan gently. “About Ralph—”
“No, seriously. He’d want to help. And if he gets mad, I’ll take the heat for it.” I rushed to the car, relieved that it was unlocked. I didn’t have the keys, but once again I put my skills to work and in seconds the engine turned over.
Damian hurried toward me. I tried really hard to keep my eyes above the waistline. The man was built like a linebacker and all the parts were spectacular. It was stupid to even be thinking about it, but naked men could be very distracting.
“Thank you, Liebling.” He leaned close and whispered, “You saved us all. Every battle has a sacrifice. I’m not at all sorry that Hu Mua Lan is dead.”
“Thank you,” I said. I was immensely grateful for his words. I didn’t exactly feel better about frying two living (or whatever) beings. However, it seemed werewolves weren’t nearly as melodramatic as vampires.
Damian nodded to me, and then drove the Honda to his brothers. He loaded them gently into the car and left.
Ruadan and Lorcan had walked behind me, ostensibly to check on the queen. I didn’t want to look; I didn’t want to see more condemnation. Or another naked man. I had heard the shifting sounds and knew Gabriel was probably in his human form.
“How’s Patsy?” asked Ruadan.
“She’s still unconscious,” said Gabriel. Yeah, he was naked. “Lorcan, can you take her back to the house?”
“Of course.”
I heard the terrible snap-snick sound and ventured a look over my shoulder. The white wolf stood next to Lorcan, who scooped Patsy into his arms. Lorcan and Patsy shimmered away until nothing was left but a few magical sparkles.
The wolf stared at me with its golden eyes, and I felt bad all over again. They’d lock me up and throw away the key. My parents, too. I wouldn’t see anyone again—ever.
To my shock, Gabriel bowed to me, lowering his head until his snout almost touched the ground. Then he turned and loped off.
“You have his thanks,” said Ruadan. “Maybe even his respect.”
Well, that was good news. Better than the suspicion that I had blown up a vampire who’d been around for four millennia.
I was quaking inside and out, from anxiety and the release of the energy. Mom told me that every choice exacted a price. It was the way the universe kept balance.
“Come with me. We must assess the damage.” Ruadan gestured at me to follow him and we headed toward the dragon.
The smell of burning flesh was horrific. Bile rose as the fumes attacked us. The star-bright ball I’d created had just about cooked the dragon. It was still alive, but very weak. Its gaze followed us, but it didn’t try to attack.
“Lia?” called Ruadan. He sounded almost tender.
I stopped, staying well out of reach of the dragon’s claws. The beast had landed on its side. I couldn’t see Lia. If she’d survived the blast, she might’ve fallen off. My heart turned over in my chest. What if I had killed her?
Well, that had been my intention, right? My stomach clenched as guilt settled in it like a lump of lead.
Ruadan lifted into the air and drifted over the dragon. He landed on the other side. After a minute or so he floated up a few feet and looked at me, his expression inscrutable. “She’s not here.”
I wasn’t exactly relieved to know Lia had escaped the fireball. She was still dangerous, especially when paired with Synd. I hadn’t wanted to be responsible for her death, but I didn’t exactly want her capable of wreaking more havoc, either.
“Can she do the Star Trek thing, too?” I asked.
Ruadan nodded thoughtfully. “Yes. All the Ancients have that ability. It’s possible she beamed herself to safety and left the dragon to its fate.”
Nice to know Lia was consistently evil. The dragon hacked pitifully, and I felt sorry for it.
“Well,” said Lorcan next to me, “we should probably get the dragon spit.”
I screamed and turned, whapping him on the shoulder. My heart pounded furiously. “Shit! Could you please stop doing that?”
“Sorry,” said Lorcan, his lips curling into an almost smile. “Me ’n’ Dad can pry open its jaws. You collect the saliva.”
I stared at him. “With what? Because I’m not sticking my hand in there and just . . . scooping.”
“Anything left in the kitchen?” asked Ruadan.
Dutifully, I climbed through the debris and picked my way through the demolished kitchen. Nearly every dish and glass was broken. After digging through a few piles, I managed to find a plastic measuring cup.
Lorcan looked at my find with a raised eyebrow. “That’s for dry ingredients.”
“Thank you, Martha Stewart.” I seriously wanted to whap him again. “I hope a half cup of dragon spittle is enough.”
Ruadan got on one side of the dragon’s massive head and Lorcan on the other. It didn’t protest at all as the vampires grabbed its jaw and pried it open.
It belched and the smell of sulfur and death rolled over me. I gagged. Blech.
“Any day now,” said Ruadan.
I kneeled down and leaned toward the mouth full of big, sharp teeth. Slowly, I reached inside. It flicked its slimy tongue over my arm.
“Ew! Ew!” I jerked away. “Gross!”
“Did you get any?” asked Lorcan.
“No,” I said. I shouldn’t be so squeamish. After all, Patrick and his wife were sick because of me. I owed them this much. Once again, I stuck my hand inside and pushed the cup under the big, floppy tongue. Oh. Yuck. I scooped and dragged it back out. Dragon spit was yellow and noxious. Carefully, I stepped back until I was completely clear of the beast.
“Is there anything we can do for it?” I asked.
“You can release it from its mortal form,” said a voice behind us.
I turned around and saw Ash standing nearby watching us.
“Ash,” said Ruadan, irritated. “Where have you been?”
“Trying to find Synd’s hidey-hole.” Her gaze traveled over the massive beast, who was wheezing hard now. Black blood dribbled out of its nostrils and mouth.
Wait Till Your Vampire Gets Home Page 15