“Still looking,” Lili said, without stopping what she was doing. “Following a hundred different data trails, going nowhere so far, but he’ll turn up.”
“Is Dragan okay?” Maeve asked, as she too scanned line after line of information, looking for that one piece that would move them up to the next step, and the one after that.
“Nico has him flying overwatch above the stadium. He’s worried Sotiris is still there, waiting for the perfect moment to detonate the device,” he replied, his words spoken absently, as he scanned Maeve’s data scroll, in turn.
“He’ll be seen,” she protested.
“It’s dark enough, and he knows what he’s doing. Fuck.” He gave up on trying to make sense of the data overload, and said, “I’m going to do a circuit. Everything’s locked down, right, Lili?”
“Tight,” she confirmed.
“I’ll be back.”
His bootsteps had faded almost completely down the hall, when something huge happened outside. Maeve jumped and looked around, not knowing what she was looking for. It had clearly come from outside, and had sounded like an enormous weight had been dropped from high up, as if from one of those construction cranes on the streets of New York. But there wasn’t anything like that around here, and none of houses were more than two stories, with maybe a deck on the roof. The sound came again, louder this time, shaking the entire house.
Kato raced back. “Lili?”
“Sotiris is out there,” she said tightly. “Just popped up out of nowhere.”
“He carved a gate for himself,” Kato said. “That was the first noise, displaced air. There was no way to stop or predict that. Shields?”
“They’re holding,” she said, a slight tremble in her voice, as she tapped her keyboard again and checked information that appeared on one of the displays at the side of her desk. “I’m putting the cameras on screen.”
They all turned to study the monitor above the doorway to the room where Grace was sleeping, going from one camera display to the next on the multi-view screen, trying to see what the hell Sotiris might be planning next. He wanted in the house, clearly. And she had a sinking suspicion of what he wanted. Could he get through Nico’s precautions?
“There.” It was Maeve who saw it first. Maybe it was because she’d worked with Sotiris for so long that she recognized the arrogant line of his stance, the dark hair and neat beard on his sharp face. “Sotiris,” she identified unnecessarily. He was standing in the courtyard, facing the door and saying something. “Why’s he’s just standing there? Can you tell what he’s saying?” Her heart was racing in her chest, her palms going sweaty. She’d been chased and shot at, had killed a man who’d been trying to kill her. But this terrified her more than any of those events. If Sotiris got his hands on her, he wouldn’t kill her. It wouldn’t be anything that simple. He’d want her to suffer, and she knew exactly how cruel he could be.
“He’s chanting a spell,” Kato said. “Bastard shouldn’t be able to get in here, though.”
Shouldn’t? Maeve was not reassured.
“Kato?”
He spun at the sound of Grace’s soft voice. “Amata,” he said, walking over to put his arm around her. “You shouldn’t be out here.”
“Yes, I should,” she said clearly. “Something’s happening, and I want to know what. I’m pregnant, not brain dead.”
“Sotiris is attacking the house,” Lili informed her, “but we’re—”
She was interrupted by a sound like ripping metal. Not one piece of metal, but a hundred, all being shredded at the same time.
Maeve swung her gaze back to the big screen above the door, where Lili had now enlarged a single video feed. “Are those . . . storm shutters?” she asked, glancing at the others.
“Hurricane shutters,” Lili breathed. “Ten times stronger, locked in place, the whole house . . . Gods above,” she whispered. “He’s taking them all down.”
“All?” Kato demanded. “Impossible.”
Lili shook her head. “No, just the front of the house, near the center.”
“Bastard’s trying for the door.”
“There has to be more than metal out there, right?” Maeve insisted in disbelief, her gaze going from one to the other of them, then back to the security feed. “Nico’s a sorcerer. There must be magical wards or something, too.”
“Right.”
“Can he break those?”
Kato nodded. “It’ll take time, but yeah. Probably.”
Maeve’s fists clenched. She knew what had to happen. She just didn’t know . . . could she do it? Was she strong enough? She searched the office, looking for a solution that wasn’t there. She caught Lili’s shiver as she stared at the screen, Kato’s fierce expression as he wrapped the pregnant Grace in his arms, as if physical strength alone could protect them.
Then she swallowed her doubts and said, “Lili, can you get into Nico’s vault?”
Lili raised her head and stared, her pale eyes blinking as if coming out of a dream. Or a nightmare. Finally, she said. “Yes, but—”
“This is more than important, Lili. It’s vital.”
“Then, yes.”
“Good. I know what he wants, and it’s in that vault. It looks like a big rock, but it’s a lot more than that.”
Kato’s shocked gaze fixed on her. “The hexagon?” he whispered.
“I think so. It’s in the vault..”
“You can’t turn that over to him,” he insisted, distrust clear that she’d even think of betraying Nico like that.
“And I’m not going to. I’m going to give it to you, then you three are going to get out of here.”
“I’m not leaving without—”
“You have to. Nico told Dragan and me that thing is linked to Sotiris somehow, that he senses when it’s nearby. That’s why he’s here. He knows it’s here, because I’m here. And he knows all the big guys are at the stadium dealing with his magical fucking bomb.”
“Right, but I’m here, too, and he doesn’t know that,” Kato said confidently. “I parked on the street, then came in the side. And I sure as hell would have noticed if he’d been standing in the front yard.”
“Can your magic hide you, like Dragan’s does? So Sotiris can’t sense you?”
“Yes. He can’t read my mother’s magic. It’s too old, and too black.”
“Perfect,” she said, fisting her hands again so he wouldn’t see them shaking. “If he doesn’t know you’re here, he’ll think there’s no one to stop him. He doesn’t see me as any kind of threat, because he knows I have no magic and—”
Sotiris renewed his assault at that moment, a concussive thunder so heavy that it hurt her ears and seemed to go on forever. How long could he keep this up?
Lili winced in pain and sat down, her shoulders hunched.
“Kato,” Maeve ground out, teeth aching from the unforgiving din of Sotiris’s attack. “You’re the only one who can get through Nico’s wards, the only one who can conceal all of you and the rock, and get away from here.”
“I can get us all out. No one needs to stay.”
“I have to stay,” she said softly. “If we all leave, he’ll know. But what if you take the rock and leave the box here? He might think the thing’s still here, right? At least long enough for you all to get safely away. It’s been sitting in that box forever, so it might have absorbed some of the rock’s . . . I don’t know . . . smell? Or whatever it’s called. Won’t it?”
“A little maybe, but not—”
“And if I make sure he sees me—just a glimpse—so that he knows I’m here, he’ll assume the rock is, too. Because it will be until the last minute, when you conceal it with your magic and leave. On the other hand, if he does manage to get through the door, and there’s no one here at all, he’ll kno
w immediately that it’s been taken away and he’ll start looking for it again. And that damn rock will leave a trail for him to follow.”
Kato’s jaw clenched, but he said only, “Lili, call Nico.”
“It’s ringing,” Lili said, already on the phone.
“Kato,” Maeve said, demanding his attention. “I’m no martyr, for fuck’s sake. I just don’t want to be the reason why everyone dies. Why Dragan dies. I endangered everyone when I stole that thing, and then brought it here—”
“You couldn’t have known what—”
“I didn’t, but it doesn’t matter. I still did it. And if Sotiris gets the hexagon or whatever the fuck it’s called, Nico will lose his best and maybe the only sure weapon he has. It weakens Sotiris, don’t you understand? It drains his magic.”
“I know what it does, for fuck’s sake. Grace, get your jacket and shoes, yes?” he added in a softer voice.
“I can shoot a damn gun, Kato,” Grace insisted.
“I know,” he said in that same gentle tone. “But you’re not going to have to. We’re all going out the back. Now get your shoes, amata. Please.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Fine, but I’m getting my gun, too.”
As Grace hurried past him, Maeve turned to Kato again. “Is there a way for you to get away through the back of the house, to get far enough away from here?”
“The dock. We can take the boat,” he said brusquely, more than half listening to Lili’s call to Nico. “Lili, tell him—”
A loud squeal suddenly shrieked through the house, drowning out everything else, climbing up and down the scale, from ear-piercing high to bone-rattling low, weaving in and out of the endless thundering in such a disjointed cacophony that Maeve could hardly put two thoughts together. “Christ,” she screamed, “why hasn’t anyone called the cops, at least?”
“They don’t hear it,” he shouted back, taking a set of headphones from Lili’s desk and placing them over Grace’s ears when she ran back into the office.
Maeve closed her eyes tightly, head lowered and fingers clenched in front of her as she struggled to think. “Lili,” she managed to say, “let’s get into the vault while we still can.”
“No promises,” Kato told her. “But I’ll stay here and monitor the video feed, while you two do that.” He stepped back so they could leave, but stopped Maeve when she would have followed Lili out of the office. He was big man, as all the warriors were, his tall frame and wide shoulders looming over her, dark eyes searching her face. “My brother loves you,” he just loud enough for her to hear. “Don’t make him bury you, Mae. He won’t survive it.”
Tears filled her eyes at this sign of the love these men had for each other, a love Dragan had somehow chosen to share with her. And one she wouldn’t betray. “I won’t.” Then, giving her eyes a quick swipe with the back of her fingers, she followed Lili.
NICK LISTENED TO Lili’s call for help, hearing the slight tremor in her voice, despite her obvious efforts to remain calm. But he didn’t need subtleties to know the situation. He could hear the resounding roar as Sotiris threw power against his wards, trying to get into the house, and as he stared at the sorcerer’s device for a moment, he was sickened by the realization that this was no coincidence. Sotiris had planned to test his device with the murder of all those people in the stadium, but as a bonus, he was taking advantage of the opportunity to reclaim what had been stolen from him. The hexagon.
Casey glanced up, when he stood without warning. “Boss, we’ve got to move on this thing before—”
“Agreed, but not yet. Don’t do anything until I get back.” Walking out of the damp closet and back to where the others waited, he turned to face Dragan, who was just striding down the hall, magic falling away as he shed the remnants that lingered after he’d collapsed his wings, remnants which had concealed him from casual detection when Nick had telepathed a request for his return.
Nick and Casey had decided on a plan to disable Sotiris’s device, but he wanted his people out of the building before they tried it. He’d known, however, that his warriors wouldn’t go without knowing what he planned. They’d always been devoted to one another, and to him, willing to die, if necessary. But now, he had a far more important reason for them to go.
“Dragan,” he said, walking to meet him halfway. “Sotiris is at the house. He’s trying to get through the wards. Go. The others will be right behind.”
Dragan didn’t hesitate, simply spun on his heel and ran, hitting the double doors and passing between them without missing a step.
“Gabriel, you and Hana, take Casey’s truck. We’ll follow when we finish this.”
Gabriel caught the keys Damian threw at him, listened to a quick description of where the truck was, then took off with Hana running beside him.
Nick turned to face his last warrior. “Damian—”
“Don’t even bother, brother. I’m not going anywhere until you and Cassandra are with me.”
“I know. But be prepared for a fast exit. There’s no guarantee this’ll work, and I won’t lose either one of you.”
“I’ll be ready,” the one-time god of war promised easily.
Nick walked back into the closet and sat next to Casey, waiting a silent moment before saying, “You ready, babe?”
She didn’t look over, just smiled and shook her head in amusement at the hated endearment. “My butt’s getting sore,” she whispered. “Let’s get rid of this fucker.”
DRAGAN HADN’T needed the order to “go.” He was turning before the final word of Sotiris’s attack made it past Nico’s lips. His Mae was brave, but she had no experience at war, not the way he’d fought it, with the stink of blood and spilled guts filling the air, the screams of dying men and women all around. And Sotiris . . . he was a slavering beast, with no thought for anyone who got in his way. He’d slaughter Maeve and everyone who stood with her.
He took the curve of the concourse without pausing, ignoring the angry cries that followed him, the insults. These people had no idea of the danger they were in. No idea of the lives being risked to save them. No fucking idea that the only woman he’d ever loved, the only human being who’d ever treated him with love and compassion, who’d seen him as a man first, and a warrior second, was in grave danger. And that she, too, might die to save their lives.
Racing up the ramp to the wide green sports field, he snapped his wings out the moment he cleared the seats, leaped onto the metal railing and . . . jumped. Screams of fear and excitement came from behind him, but he barely heard.
Swooping in a low glide over the field, he caught an updraft and soared higher, until the lights of the stadium were far below and he was the dark shadow he’d been born to be.
Chapter Seventeen
MAEVE WAITED impatiently as Lili slid a hand into the bookcase and did whatever she did to cause the vault door to pop open. Any other day, she’d have been curious about that. But now, she just wanted it open.
“It’s in a cabinet inside there,” she told Lili. “Do you have the keys?”
“Oh. Yes.” Lili dug into a pocket on one side of her voluminous pants and pulled out a small set of metal keys. She caught Maeve staring and said, “They look ordinary, but they’re not. Don’t touch them, okay?”
With that said, she stepped in front of Maeve and pushed the vault door open just wide enough for the two of them to slip inside, one at a time.
Maeve didn’t hesitate. She walked directly to the glass cabinet where the ridiculous purple velvet box sat, and pointed. “There.”
Lili’s eyes widened a bit. “I’ve heard of the hexagon,” she said, fingering the keys until she found the right one. “But I’ve never seen it. I don’t think Nick ever had it in his possession, actually. Or if he did, it was before me, and that was—” She stopped abruptly, as if she’d almost said more than she’d i
ntended. “There you are,” she said instead, using her grip on the key to pull the glass door open. “Do you want me to—?”
“No, I’ll do it,” Maeve said. “I already carry its scent. Or whatever,” she muttered. Taking Lili’s cue from her approach to the vault door, she slipped carefully past the open pane of glass, without touching it, and took the cursed box in both hands. “I wish I’d never seen this thing.”
“Maybe,” Lili said gently. “But you’ve brought Nick, and all of us, the best weapon we could have against Sotiris.” She locked the glass door and turned, her pale eyes meeting Maeve’s. “And this war isn’t over, Maeve. Those two have been trying to kill each other for thousands of years. It won’t stop until one of them is dead, and their ashes scattered to the winds to be certain of it.”
Maeve stared. There was far more to Lili than met the eye. She only hoped they both lived long enough for her to discover what it was. But first . . . she swallowed the boulder of fear in her throat and said, “Come on, the others are waiting, and you and I need to get ready to defend ourselves if he comes through that door,” she finished in a terrified whisper.
The sound of Sotiris’s unrelenting attack had been muted while they’d been in the sound-proofed and fortified vault, and Maeve braced herself for the return of that thundering nightmare. But the moment they stepped back into Nico’s office, everything went silent. She froze. “What does that mean?” she whispered. “Is he—?”
Kato strode in at that moment and speaking quickly, said, “He’s getting ready for a final assault. He’s broken two of Nico’s wards. There’s only one left, and his magic is building. Time to go. Now.”
Maeve went directly to Nico’s desk and set the box down, then began searching for something to put the rock in. Finding nothing useful, she picked up the small trashcan, emptied it on the floor, then separated the plastic trash liner and slid the rock inside, shoving a few pieces of discarded paper in after. She didn’t know if the thing was fragile or not, but after all this, she wasn’t about to lose it for a lack of proper padding.
The Stone Warriors: Dragan Page 29