by Jane Godman
Aware that Deigh was talking, he pulled himself back from the edge of a delicious fantasy.
“Where is your little pet?”
Torque’s inner dragon fired up at those derogatory words used in connection with Hollie. With an effort, he forced himself to remain calm. This was what Deigh did best. By prodding and pushing, she would get him to reveal his feelings. If he let her. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Even away from her natural environment, her laugh sounded like breaking ice. “Come, now. Your golden girl with the emerald eyes.”
He stared at her for a moment. The words were uncomfortably close to Teine’s prediction about his future and to the words of the latest email. But he was on edge, unnerved by Deigh’s presence, uncomfortable with this whole situation and missing Hollie. Jumping at shadows. Or seeing coincidences where they didn’t exist.
“We’re here.” Relieved to have a distraction from Deigh’s probing, Torque pointed out of the window at the majestic jutting rocks. The cab took them around to the rear of the stage, where they exited the vehicle.
The other band members were already there and Torque experienced a profound sense of relief when he saw them. As always, the team came together in times of difficulty and he could feel the hostility toward Deigh coming off his friends in waves. The problem was, he was fairly sure she could feel it, too. A slight smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she looked around her. Torque wanted to warn his bandmates. She thrives on conflict. Hating her will only make her stronger. He consoled himself that the members of Beast could look after themselves.
Alban provided a contrasting ray of light in the tense atmosphere. Abandoning his naturally serious demeanor, he appeared genuinely stagestruck and interested in the workings of the special effects. As Ged gave him a guided tour, Torque was left alone with Deigh. He sent a help-me glance in Khan’s direction. To his relief, the tiger-shifter sauntered over. It was a classic case of antagonism at first sight.
“I don’t wish for company.” Deigh tried her usual icy tones.
“I have a daughter who has that same attitude.” Khan’s grin was more of a snarl. “She gets away with it because she’s only twelve months old. And she’s pretty.”
The drop in temperature had nothing to do with Deigh’s powers. She turned to Torque. “When do we leave here?”
He indicated the stage and, beyond that, the audience of thousands. “There’s the little matter of a concert for all these people who have paid good money and traveled to see us.”
She hunched a shoulder. “I hope you will make sure it is over fast.”
It was with relief that Torque handed her and Alban over to Rick so he could escort them to the VIP area. Once they’d gone, he tried to focus on the performance. Those fans had come to see Beast, and he wasn’t going to sell them short.
A tap on his shoulder made him turn abruptly and he encountered Hollie’s mischievous smile. Instantly, his restless spirit was soothed. “I’ll be with Ged.” She jerked her thumb in his manager’s direction. “When I saw Alban and Deigh leaving I wanted to say hi.”
Casting a quick glance around, he backed her up against a bank of speakers, kissing her until she murmured a protest. “I think the others are ready to go onstage.”
He groaned. “I hate it when real life gets in the way.”
She patted his cheek. “We can finish this later.”
“Oh, we will.” He watched with pleasure as the blush stained her cheeks pink. “I owe you from earlier, remember?”
With one final kiss on her parted lips, he bounded toward the stage. A heavy, thumping beat filled the air, and Torque caught a glimpse of the almost ten-thousand-strong audience. Excitement, anticipation and exultation showed on the waiting faces. Thick, theatrical smoke rolled like fog from the stage and out into the waiting crowd and, within it, colored strobe lights danced in time with the music.
Giant LED screens were positioned at the rear of the stage. On them, alternating images of fire, close-ups of snarling animals and a stylized symbol that looked like three entwined number sixes flashed up. At the side of the stage, random explosions went off, shooting orange flames into the air.
A glance at the VIP area showed him Alban was getting into the mood of the concert. Torque could see him joining in with people around him and putting his fingers on either side of his head to make devil horns as he moved in time with the beat. Next to him, Deigh stood as still as an ice statue.
The tension built further as the crowd sensed something changing. The lighting shifted, becoming focused on a podium at the rear of the stage that supported Diablo’s vast, gleaming circular wall of drums. Even above the music, the roar of the crowd filled the air as the drummer ran on from the side of the stage and vaulted into his seat behind the drums. His chest was bare and his tattooed biceps bulged as he pounded out a furious beat, his blue-black hair flopping forward to cover his face.
Torque nodded to Dev on the opposite side of the stage and, synchronizing their movements to perfection, the two of them dived into place. For this time, while he had his guitar in his hands and those devoted fans in front of him, he could lose himself in the moment. The band was more than the sum of its parts and the members reenergized each other through their music.
Torque let the power of Beast wash over him, secure that Hollie was close by. He needed this, needed the contrasting raw power of the performance and the healing balm of his mate. Both would help him conserve his strength for the coming battle of wits.
Chapter 17
After the concert, Hollie took Alban to the Mountainview Steak House. Having eyed the menu thoughtfully, he cast it aside.
“You know what I’d like?”
She regarded him with a smile. “A large steak, burned to a crisp, and no sides? Better yet, two large steaks.”
“How did you guess?”
“I may have dined with a dragon once or twice before tonight.”
She gave their order to the waiter, opting for a slightly more conservative choice of burger and fries for herself.
“Ah, yes.” Alban gazed out the window at the nighttime view of the city with its mountain backdrop. “I wonder how Torque is getting along with his quest to learn more about Deigh’s evil twin.”
“Is there an evil twin in that partnership?” Hollie asked. “From what I’ve seen of Deigh, she’s not exactly one of the good guys.”
“But you have never encountered Teine,” Alban pointed out. “She makes Deigh look like a Girl Scout.”
“Were they born evil? Or did something happen to make them that way?” Hollie asked.
“Now, there you have me.” Alban frowned over the question. “As you know, to become sorcerers, they had to rise through the witching ranks and must also have had magical parentage. Their father was one of the greats. Known throughout the Highlands and beyond, he was Draoidh. The name itself means ‘magic.’ His time was before my birth, you understand, but the legends have been passed down.”
Alban was a natural storyteller and Hollie found that listening to him, sipping her beer and enjoying the mood all took her mind off her worries about what Torque must be enduring.
“Although Draoidh was powerful, he was benevolent. Until a rival came along. Her name was Eile. She was a sorceress who wanted to steal Draoidh’s place as the dominant force in the Highlands. The only way she could do that was to take Draoidh’s magic from him. The two fought constantly, with no true outcome. Gradually, Draoidh changed. He was no longer the benign presence the Highlands had come to trust. Driven by his desire to defeat Eile, he became bitter and vengeful. One day, the two met in a mighty confrontation. Storms raged over the mountains for days. The outcome was unexpected.”
His story was interrupted by the arrival of their food. Once they were alone again, Hollie, who had become engrossed in the ancient tale, leaned forward. “What happened?”
“Somehow Eile had managed to overpower and kill her stronger rival. A glimpse into her method became clear when it was seen a few months later that she was pregnant. Once or twice, she boasted that she had seduced Draoidh and murdered him while he was...um, distracted.”
“Nice lady. I’m guessing she didn’t find herself another partner?”
Alban laughed. “I don’t think she was looking. Eile also claimed that she had absorbed all of Draoidh’s power. She was now twice as strong. When her child was born, it would have enough magic for two. It was later seen as a prophecy.”
“Because she had twins?”
“Yes, although their separateness started right from birth. Eile kept them hidden up on her mountaintop and didn’t show them off among the villages. All anyone ever knew was that they were fire and ice.”
“What happened to Eile?” Hollie asked.
“The rumor is that Teine killed her. Some argument over her mother trying to stop her throwing rocks at the mountain goats. No one knows for sure, but Eile disappeared about six years after the twins were born.”
“Whoa.” Hollie spluttered on a mouthful of beer. “You’re saying Teine could have killed her mother when she was six?”
Alban tilted his head to one side. “She may have been seven,” he conceded.
Hollie held her hands up. “Maybe Deigh is the good twin, after all. Have you ever seen them together to make a comparison?”
Alban shook his head. “I don’t know anyone who has.”
“Weird.”
“Look at the parents,” Alban said.
Hollie started to giggle. When he raised his brows in a question, she tried to explain. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here with a dragon, talking about two evil sorceresses.”
He wagged a finger at her. “That’s because you are used to the company of a rough-and-ready sort of dragon. I’m an intellectual. I prefer the slow and steady approach. Some things cannot be rushed. Time finds a way to heal all wounds and settle all scores.”
“What do you mean? Are you talking about Teine setting these fires as revenge?”
He took a sip of his drink. “Strangely enough, I’d forgotten about Teine.”
* * *
Torque had no idea what sort of cuisine would impress Deigh, but he knew she liked snow and mountains. The Rooftop Restaurant had views across the whole city toward the distant peaks. The care he had taken in choosing somewhere that would appeal to her appeared to have been wasted, however. Deigh barely spared a glance at her surroundings, preferring to fix her gaze on Torque’s face.
There was an awkward moment when they were shown to their table and the server approached her. If looks could kill—and Torque reminded himself that, in Deigh’s case, looks actually could kill if she chose to let them—the poor guy would have dropped dead on the floor the instant he raised his hands in her direction.
“He’s offering to take your coat.”
“Oh.” She appeared to weigh the situation. Surely she wasn’t going to keep it on? After a moment or two, she shrugged the garment off and handed it to the server. Her thick high-necked, long-sleeved sweater still kept her well covered.
They took their seats and Torque ordered a beer. “What do you want to drink?” he asked Deigh.
“Iced water.” She waved an impatient hand.
Figures. Her veins probably needed a top-up.
“Tell me why I’m here.”
Torque was pinned in the light blue beam of her gaze. “Pardon?”
“I could continue to torture you while we pretend you brought me all this way because you want my company, but we both know that’s not true.” Deigh smiled and Torque’s skin went cold all over. “I will regret bringing this little charade to an end. You know how much I enjoy causing pain.”
Torque leaned back in his chair, relieved that the pretense was over. Of course, Deigh would not allow this deception to go unpunished. She would demand a retribution and he knew from experience she would do her best to make it hurt. His task now was to keep her focused on him. Deflect her attention from Alban. And, most of all, keep that icy glare away from Hollie.
“If you knew there was an ulterior motive, why come here?”
Her laugh would shatter an iceberg. “The temptation to torment you was irresistible.” Her gaze softened. “You are irresistible.”
Torque squirmed slightly. “This is about Teine.”
Their drinks arrived and she sipped her iced water slowly. “It always is. Do you know how it feels to have spent my life fighting my way out from beneath her shadow?”
Of the two sisters, Teine, with her fiery personality, was the one who naturally drew the most attention. Had he given the question any thought, Torque would have said that was the way Deigh preferred it. Now it seemed he’d have been wrong.
“She’s alive.” He didn’t need to phrase it as a question. He knew it was true.
Deigh sighed as she gazed out at the mountains. “I wish she wasn’t.”
“Where is she, Deigh?”
Something flickered in the depths of her eyes. Something dark and malignant. It rocked Torque back in his seat and planted a seed of doubt in his mind. Then it was gone and he was left questioning his own sanity.
“For once, look beyond your dragon arrogance.” Deigh’s voice was almost sad. “The answer is staring you in the face, but you refuse to accept it.”
Torque wasn’t in the mood for her games. “Is Teine the person who is setting fire to these buildings?”
“Can’t you see it yet?” She got to her feet, leaning across the table until her face was inches from his. Gold sparks brightened the blue depths of her eyes. “Are you still so blind?”
Whirling away from him, she ran toward the exit. Muttering a curse, Torque threw some cash down on the table and followed her. Part of him wanted to let her go, but the consequence of leaving an angry sorceress loose in a built-up area wasn’t one he wanted on his conscience. He found Deigh giving the elevator doors an icy glare. Clearly, she thought she could make them open by force of will.
He pressed the button. “Wait here while I get your coat.”
Her eyes narrowed as she considered the situation, and then she nodded. Torque returned with her coat just as the elevator doors closed with her inside. Racing down the stairs, he reached street level in time to see Deigh exiting the building. Luckily, her silvery hair made her hard to miss even in the darkness. He chased after her, catching hold of her arm as she reached a quiet side street.
“Explain it to me, Deigh. Tell me what I’m missing.”
She started to laugh, and the sound chilled him...because it didn’t chill him. It wasn’t Deigh’s laugh. As he stared at her, she jerked her arm away from him. Because he still had a tight grip on her sweater, the fabric tore, revealing the skin of her arm. Torque started to apologize; then his attention was caught by the scars on her flesh. They were the marks of someone who had survived a terrible fire. The sort of blaze caused by the breath of a dragon...
He raised his eyes to her face. “Teine?”
She made a sound that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “You see it at last.”
Torque watched in horrified fascination as a battle for control seemed to take place within her. One minute, Deigh’s cool features were visible; the next they were replaced with Teine’s stormy visage.
“I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t. No one does.” She dropped to her knees on the deserted sidewalk, wrapping her arms around her waist. “There never was a Teine and a Deigh. We are one, not two. Our mother told the story that she gave birth to twins because the enormous power we inherited was enough for two. We are fire and ice, but we both reside within one body and the fight for dominance is constant.”
Torque ran a hand through his hair, trying to process what she
was saying. Essentially, he was looking at a case of a magical split personality. Two people—two sorceresses—living in one body.
“What name do you prefer?” he asked.
Her lips drew back in a snarl. “I am Teine. Fire is always stronger than ice.”
He stared down at her in fascination. Two beings who hated each other sharing a body? It must be the ultimate torture. No matter how much he hated Teine for what she had done to him, he pitied her for the torment he could see on her face. “Are you the Incinerator?”
Her laughter alternated between Deigh’s icy tinkle and Teine’s heated gales. “You are still not looking in the right direction. Open your eyes, mo dragon.”
Then she was on her feet and sprinting away from him. Torque ran after her, closing the distance between them. Ahead of them, he could see bright lights, noise and people. If Teine headed that way, he would lose her. Worse, she could do untold damage in a group of mortals. He wasn’t prepared to force her into a confrontation in a crowd and risk a demonstration of her powers.
As they drew closer, he saw it was a fairground. There were a few rides and stalls. To one side, an old-fashioned, steam-driven calliope wheezed out an annoyingly repetitive tune. As Teine darted into the throng of people, Torque lost sight of her.
Slumping against a wall, he pulled out his cell phone. His mind was reeling from what he’d just learned, but his first thought was for Hollie. Hopefully, she was still with Alban, and if Teine came for her, he would be able to protect her. If they were already back at the hotel, Torque could tell her to go to Ged or Khan and wait with them until he arrived.
He stared at his cell in fury as her number rang, then went straight to voice mail.
* * *
Although it was after eleven when Hollie and Alban got back to the hotel, once she reached her room there was only one thought on her mind. No matter how late it was, she was calling Dalton.
When she tried the number she had stored in her cell phone for him, she got a message that it wasn’t recognized. Frowning, she tapped the digits in from memory. The message was the same. Of course, there was nothing to stop an FBI agent changing his number in the middle of an investigation. It was just...odd. And the prickling feeling of dread running down her spine intensified.