by Lisa Kessler
Suddenly, he was slammed against the brick wall of the pub. The Night Walker’s hand tightened around his throat, choking off the air. Pain radiated through the back of his head as he struggled to and break free.
Colin’s breath brushed over his neck. “You’ve got it all wrong, water horse. I think your blood will quench my thirst just fine.”
“No!”
Colin snapped his head in the direction of Juliana’s voice. She stood, her feet wide, gripping a metal pipe like a bat.
Go home, Juliana. I will explain everything. You have my word.
Her eyes narrowed. Your word means nothing to me.
The cold edge to her voice spoke volumes.
She tossed her notepad toward them. It clattered to the ground at Colin’s feet. He glared at Benedict and yanked him away from the wall. “Pick it up.”
“Get it yourself.”
Colin smashed Benedict facedown onto the ground and reached for the paper. He flipped it over, glancing at her note. A knife stabbed through his heart as he read her words.
I don’t know who or what you are, but I won’t let you hurt Benedict for showing me the truth.
He glanced at Juliana, her knuckles were white around her weapon, her cheeks flushed, ready to defend herself. From him.
He got up, freeing Benedict. Slowly, he walked toward her. I should have told you the truth about me, but that doesn’t change the fact that I had nothing to do with Muriel’s disappearance. Benedict is lying to you. He is dangerous, Juliana.
She took a practice swing. He wasn’t the one about to eat a guy in a dark alley. He’s not a vampire.
Benedict moved around him to stand at Juliana’s side. Seeing him next to her awakened the hawk inside of Colin’s soul. His animal spirit struggled for freedom. Colin flexed his fingers, grinding his teeth to keep the beast at bay.
I am not a vampire, and I stopped that man from slitting the throat of another. I only feed on criminals. Walk away, whatever you wish, but do not leave with Benedict.
He stared into her eyes giving her a mental push. She already hated him; mesmerizing her in order to save her life could not do anymore harm at this point.
Benedict stepped between them, breaking Colin’s eye contact with her. With his back to Colin, he spoke to Juliana. “You’re communicating with him, aren’t you? After all you’ve seen, you’re still talking to him.” He shook his head, bringing his hand up to caress her cheek. “I thought you were smarter than that.”
Colin grabbed his wrist, pulling him away from Juliana and spinning him around. “Do not touch her.”
Benedict tackled him, knocking him to the ground. He landed a punch to his mouth, splitting his lip. “I am through taking orders from you, Night Walker. And I’m going to make you sorry you ever set foot on this land.”
Colin spat his blood up into Benedict’s face. “I am only sorry I did not kill you centuries ago, you pompous ass.”
He snapped his head up smashing his forehead into Benedict’s nose. The scent of blood reawakened his thirst as he scrambled to his feet. Benedict snatched the discarded switchblade from ground and swung it in Colin’s direction, catching his shoulder. A red stain blossomed through his shirt.
Before he could stop her, Juliana dropped her weapon and rushed between them, spraying Benedict in the face with something from a thin canister. The water horse dropped the knife, cursing and rubbing his eyes as he stumbled back.
Run, Juliana. Go!
She frowned, her hands trembling as her eyes darted between Colin and Benedict. You’re bleeding.
The air crackled with electricity. Colin tensed. The bastard was going to shift.
I’ll heal. Get home and lock your doors. Go now!
She went about six paces before hoofbeats echoed through the alley. Colin turned to stop him, but the black stallion with fiery eyes leaped into the air, clearing Colin’s head. He landed on the other side and disappeared around the corner.
Colin pursued him, turning just as the mammoth animal grabbed Juliana’s jacket with its teeth and tossed her onto his back. She struggled to get away, to slide down off the beast’s back, but she’d never break free. Once an aughisky had a woman on his back, his magic entrapped her. There would be no escape until the water horse chose to free her.
An unfamiliar dagger of fear stabbed through Colin’s chest. He followed the creature, moving faster than the humans around them could see. The stallion stopped at the edge of the sharp cliff leading to the waves below. Benedict reared on its hind legs, victory flaring his nostrils as he tossed his head.
Colin skidded to a stop. “You win. Give me Juliana, and I will leave Ireland forever.”
The stallion pawed at the ground and turned toward the water. Before Colin could move, the horse launched into the air, leaping off the edge of the cliff.
Juliana’s shriek echoed all the way down.
Juliana squeezed her eyes closed, her vocal chords straining with the gut-wrenching, terror-filled scream she couldn’t hear. She held a death grip on the black horse’s mane, as if that might save her from the fall. Weightless in the silence, she waited for her life to flash before her.
Cold saltwater made her gasp, pulling fluid into her lungs. When the horse surfaced, she coughed, struggling for air.
They weren’t dead.
The black horse swam to shore. On the sand, the ocean breeze sparked with energy, and suddenly the horse mutated. Juliana fell to the ground, coughing more seawater from her lungs. A hand grasped her forearms, yanking her to her feet. Benedict.
He stood before her completely naked, his expression somewhere between crazed and livid. She struggled to free herself from his hold. He jerked her closer.
“You could have been mine. I would have given you anything. But now…” He glared up at the cliffs. “Now you’re nothing more than another way to hurt my enemy.”
She had no pad or pen with her. What could she say anyway? Begging a man—who was obviously no man at all—to spare her life seemed almost as pointless as pining for a vampire. With her free hand, she clasped her Celtic triquetra. All threads of life are connected.
Now she understood her grandmother’s words. And she understood the warning in her dreams.
Benedict’s attention was still focused on the rock face. The veins in his throat strained like he was shouting.
“You disappoint me, Night Walker. Where is your hawk? By the time you climb down that cliff on foot, she’ll be dead!”
He turned toward Juliana, his features animated in the moonlight. “Did he tell you he can change his form? He tried to force me out of my land, shifting into a hawk and attacking me from the air, but no more.” A twisted smile curled at the corners of his mouth. “I wasn’t lying when I told you I saw your cousin. But she was on my arm, not Colin’s. She’s dead, Juliana. But don’t worry. You’ll be reunited with her soon.”
A tear spilled down her cheek as she slapped him. Hard.
He straightened and glared up at the sea cliffs again. “I will kill everything you love, Night Walker. Everything!”
Juliana’s heart hammered in her chest. Her mind replayed Colin walking into her cottage, ripping off his coat and shirt. His mangled arm. He’d said he couldn’t protect her…
She stared at Benedict. If Colin really could shift into a bird, losing all the muscle in one arm would make flying impossible.
He couldn’t fly.
She slammed her knee up into Benedict’s groin. Hard. His grip faltered. Jerking her elbow free, she ran for the rocks. Pointless when he could become a giant horse and chase after her, but she only needed to buy a few minutes.
Looking up at the cliff, she shouted inside her mind, hoping Colin would hear her. He’s baiting you. Don’t you dare take it. You’ll fall.
Her voice echoed through Colin’s head, his heart clenching in his chest. He was already over the edge of the precipice, climbing down the steep rock cliff. He couldn’t risk using his speed. One wrong step and he’d plunge
to the rocks below. He’d heal, but not in time to save Juliana.
“You filthy bitch!” Benedict’s voice boomed against the steep stone cliff.
I’m coming, Juliana. I need more time. Suppressing the other half of his spirit took almost as much effort as finding the next sturdy rock to place his foot. The hawk screeched though his mind, demanding to take flight, to save her.
He wants you to fall, Colin. He’ll kill us both.
Juliana’s pained cry silenced her voice in his head.
“Do you smell it yet?” Benedict bellowed over the crashing waves. “I guess I misjudged your feelings for this one. Maybe she was just an easy lay…”
The wind carried the scent of her blood. “Leave her alone!” Colin shouted. Rage contracted every muscle in his body. He’d never make it down in time. “I’m the one you want!”
“Did you taste her yet, Night Walker? She carries the fire of the old blood. Pure. Powerful. But you wouldn’t recognize that anyway, would you, outlander?”
Colin twisted from the cliff wall to look over his shoulder. His heart sank. Juliana was limp in Benedict’s arms. Benedict pulled her around onto his back, his body mutating into the fierce black stallion once more. Colin yelled, giving voice to his fear and frustration until it changed, morphing into his hawk’s shriek. The giant bird, no longer a prisoner within Colin’s soul, spread his wings, his sharp talons releasing the hold on the rock face.
The oversized hawk pumped its wings but the left one couldn’t fight the angry winds of the ocean. The world started spinning as the hawk plummeted. Inside, Colin pushed calm into the animal and one strong command: Glide.
The bird responded, stretching out both wings. His battered left wing fluttered and trembled, but he held his course. His downward spiral slowed as he caught a gust off the sea, riding over it. Colin used the bird’s heightened eyesight to search the water, gliding dangerously close to the waves.
The black horse threw his head back as the hawk’s sharp talons cut into his ear. Colin weighed his options, with his wounded wing he wouldn’t be able to bear Juliana’s weight and stay airborne as a hawk. His best chance for saving her was in his human form.
He’d never shifted in midair before. He wasn’t even sure it was possible.
Circling the horse, he glided closer to the shore. Benedict followed. Juliana’s limp body was still draped over his back, secured by his magic. Water splashed over her head. Was she breathing?
His pulse raced, and the hawk screeched, diving once more. As he neared the water, Colin used all of his power to force the giant bird back, regaining his true form as he hit the ocean. Cold waves greeted him, the shock intensifying his awareness.
Colin grabbed the horse’s head, pulling him toward the shore. Benedict’s strong legs fought for the open sea. This was his territory; he had the upper hand.
He also had an ego the size of Ireland itself.
Colin pulled himself close to the massive animal’s ear. “You disappoint me, water horse. I came for a fight, not a swim.”
The horse broke free of Colin’s grip and slammed his large head against the top of Colin’s skull. Stars exploded at the edges of his vision. Blood dripped into his eye as he snagged a fistful of the stallion’s mane to keep from going under. Juliana’s head was submerged, draped over the water horse. Panic seized him. She’d drown…if she hadn’t already.
He reached for her, catching her around the waist. Using all his Night Walker strength, he tugged, trying to free her, Benedict’s magic held. Desperate to save her, he drew back his right arm and plunged it through the waves, connecting with the soft flesh of the beast’s flank.
The horse groaned, swinging his head around to snap at Colin. His teeth broke the skin on Colin’s wounded shoulder, but the distraction worked. Juliana slipped off his back. Colin pulled her close, keeping her face above the water, but she didn’t gasp for breath. He turned for the shore, pushing his body to move at an inhuman speed.
Benedict pursued him, but Colin kept focused on the beach. Racing up the sand, he laid Juliana down, pressing at her abdomen. Her lips were blue, her mind silent, and her heartbeat weak and slow. Finally, water spilled from her lips.
Come on, angel. Fight.
Lightning arced through the sky as Benedict shifted form. Colin spun around, his eyes burning with rage. Benedict smirked. “Too little too late, Night Walker.”
Colin rushed him, knocking Benedict to the ground. The water horse retaliated with a right hook into Colin’s temple. It stunned him for a moment, just long enough for Benedict to wriggle free.
Benedict crouched, circling Colin. Blood trickled down his chin. “It’s your fault she’s gone. I never would have hurt her, but you left me no choice.”
“You will never hurt another woman. I promise you that.”
He laughed. “You do not have the strength to stop me.”
A wet cough. Colin glanced over his shoulder, relief washing over him. That’s it, love. Keep fighting. Breathe.
Benedict ran at him. Colin kept himself between the water horse and Juliana, taking the powerful blow to his midsection. His lungs emptied, aching for air as he shoved Benedict. He pulled in a breath, his fangs lengthening, eyes burning crimson.
“I have more than enough strength to stop you.”
Motioning Colin to come for him, Benedict backed toward the waves. “You fell from the sky, Night Walker. You’re nursing a broken wing.”
“I am still the God of the South, upholder of the mortal world.” With inhuman speed and power, he slammed into Benedict, his right hand cracking through Benedict’s chest and gripping his black heart. Clenching it tight, he growled, “There is much more to me than my left arm.”
Benedict clutched his arm, too weakened to push him away.
He pulled the heart free, tossing it aside. A Night Walker’s death. Would it kill an aughisky? Colin wasn’t sure, but it would slow him down either way.
Benedict gaped, eyes wide as his grip on Colin’s arm loosened and his hands dropped to the wet sand. Colin stumbled back, rushing to Juliana’s side. Her pulse was stronger, her breathing ragged, but she didn’t open her eyes.
Colin scooped her up, careful to brace her head against his right arm. Hang on. Please.
He kissed her forehead and raced down the shoreline. With his weakened left arm, he’d never be able to climb up the cliff and hold on to her at the same time. Normally he’d shift—his large hawk could easily carry a human—but not anymore.
For the first time, that realization didn’t send him spiraling into a bitter pool of self-loathing and rage. He’d find another way. It didn’t make him useless or incapable.
He slowed when he reached the Royal Victoria Hospital. Carrying her through the emergency room doors, he kissed her lips, struggling to keep his emotions in check as the triage team rushed out.
Come back to me, in yaah. Please. He barely noticed his shift to his native Mayan language. I love you, Juliana.
The staff laid her on a gurney, shouting about her blood pressure and heart rate before wheeling her away. Colin stood, lost in the simple weight of his own words.
He loved her. It had taken falling off a cliff and nearly losing her to the water horse for him to recognize love for what it was. And now it might be too late. Breaking out of his mental fog, he rushed down the hallway, careful not to allow himself to move faster than the humans around him.
“You’ll have to wait out here, sir.”
He stopped but kept watching Juliana through the window in the door. They put an oxygen mask on her and connected wires and tubes he didn’t recognize. A nurse came out into the hall, empathy shining in her eyes. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“She was unconscious in the ocean.” He paused, his gaze shifting to the nurse’s face. “You can save her, right?”
“She’s got a knot on her head. We’re stitching that up now, but it’s her lungs we need to watch.” She broke eye contact, jotting some notes on her clipboar
d. “We will do everything we can.”
But her concerns were loud and clear in her thoughts: brain damage, pneumonia, organ donation.
Colin reached for the woman’s arm. Her eyes met his, and he infused his words with a mental shove. “Her name is Juliana. She cannot hear, so she won’t respond to verbal cues. She’s a fighter. She will survive this. Help her.”
The nurse stared into his eyes and nodded before going back into the room. Colin watched through the window. Helplessness was a foreign emotion. He wanted to swoop in and heal her, but the only way he could help would be to give her his blood. But if he did that, she would be immortal, a Night Walker. And if she had brain damage, there was no guarantee his blood could heal that. The change granted immortality in whatever form you had in that moment you changed. If her mind wasn’t whole, it would be that way forever.
This time, he needed to rely on the mortal doctors working around her.
Outside, the sky lightened. He could feel the pull of sunrise. If he didn’t leave soon, he’d be mistaken for a cadaver in the hallway. Colin rested his forehead against the glass, willing her to open her eyes.
Juliana remained motionless.
He brought his hand to the window, aching to touch her skin. I do not know if you can hear me, but I need you. Keep fighting, angel. Keep fighting.
He forced himself to walk away, wiping a crimson tear from his cheek.
Colin’s heart pulsed the moment the sun dipped below the horizon. Juliana. His last thought as his final breath left his body and his first as he awakened. He dressed quickly and covered the miles to the hospital in a matter of seconds.
He could feed later.
“I am here to see Juliana Duffy.”
The woman at the front desk met his eyes. “Are you a family member?”
He mesmerized her, pushing his will with his words. “I need her room number. Now.”
“Of course.” She typed into her keyboard and smiled up at him. “Room 445. The elevators are on the left.”
He nodded and headed upstairs. Outside the room, he took a breath, steadying himself. When he opened the door, his chest tightened. Juliana lay on the bed, motionless, with a clear mask over her nose and mouth.