Eva went, flinging herself out into the night, darting for the next block, then the next, concentrating on putting as much distance as she could between herself and Warlock.
At least until she figured out a way to help. Damned if she was going to twiddle her thumbs while Smoke fought for his life.
Suddenly every hair on her body rose, and she smelled the dry scent of ozone. Instinct drove her behind the nearest rock. Lightning shook the ground with a thunderous boom, shaking the earth under her feet. She looked toward the sound, her heart leaping in sheer terror. “Smoke!”
He bellowed, “How’d you like that, you bastard?”
Warlock responded with a roll of profanity, including a few terms Eva had never even heard before.
Smoke had thrown that bolt? The man she’d spent the afternoon making love to called down lightning? Holy baby Jesus and all the saints!
A chill crept over her, and Eva realized Smoke was right. She didn’t need to get too close to this fish fry.
She was entirely too damned likely to wind up as one of the fish.
On the other hand, Eva did want to find a place where she could watch what was happening. What if Smoke got hurt and needed help?
The trick was to find a decent vantage point that wouldn’t give Warlock an opportunity to take her prisoner.
She scanned the landscape of blocks, standing silver and black in the moonlight. Another blinding bolt illuminated a hunk of stone the size of a two-story building with three shorter cubes arrayed around it like steps. It looked like the perfect vantage point. The only problem was that she’d need to cross half the field to get to it.
Eva cast a quick glance over her shoulder, but she could see nothing of what was going on except flashes of light, Warlock’s red and Smoke’s gold. She broke into a run.
Her destination was still fifty yards away when she smelled a scent she knew too well. She slid to a stop, but before she could whirl to sprint the other way, a Dire Wolf stepped around the block ahead of her. He towered like a grizzly, massive and black as pitch. “Why, hello there.” His grin flashed white with fang.
Eva whirled, then jerked back to avoid slamming into the second Dire Wolf, who’d slipped up behind her.
“You smell like sex,” the pale wolf said. “Want to have a little fun before we kill you?”
Eva gave him a big grin. “Sure. Why not?” She made as if to start toward him—and called her magic. It spilled through her, yanking bone and muscle into burning streams of pain. The world grew as she sank, transforming her into a timber wolf.
Spinning left, Eva ran, zipping behind the closest block before darting around a second stone just beyond it, then making for yet another some yards away.
The two wolf thugs howled and thundered in pursuit. “Get her,” one yelled. “If she gets away, Warlock is going to fuck us up!”
“It’s an island, you moron!” the other snapped back. “Where the hell is she going to go?”
Which was a damn good point.
Doesn’t matter. She had to give running her best shot and hope something else occurred to her before the bad guys caught up.
At least she was doing okay with the wolf thing. Eva had been afraid she’d trip over her own paws, but it seemed her body knew how to move in this form. Yet another werewolf mystery, like where her cell phone went when she shifted.
Don’t think, Eva, run!
Smoke roared a wordless battle cry as he called down another lightning bolt. Raw exhilaration surged through him as black clouds boiled overhead with the forces he commanded. He hadn’t cut loose like this in years. He’d almost forgotten how good it felt.
Lightning cracked out of the darkness, and he barely got a shield up in time to block it.
That one wasn’t his.
He felt the nasty electrical jolt despite the shield, a painful jangle along his nerves. The bolt would have killed him if he hadn’t blocked it in time.
Where the hell had Warlock gotten that kind of power? He no longer had access to Smoke’s magic, so he shouldn’t be capable of calling lightning. Yet he was doing it anyway.
It was almost as if he’d gotten his hands on another elemental. But very few had survived the Dark One invasion, and all those Smoke knew of would have been too much for Warlock to take on. Except for ...
“Zephyr sends his regards!” Warlock called as if he’d read Smoke’s mind. He’d leaped to the top of one of the blocks as if daring Smoke to hit him. One clawed hand was wrapped around Kingslayer, the gem that tipped the great battle-axe lighting up the rocks around him with a searing red glow. “He was easy prey—just like your woman. Who’s probably dead already, assuming my Bastards haven’t taken the time to rape her.”
Smoke stared up at him, feeling as if a stake of ice had been driven through his heart. Jerking free of the pain, he sent lightning forking down at his brazen enemy.
Warlock laughed like a loon as he leaped clear, disappearing behind another block ten yards away. “You’re so easy, Pussycat,” he called from its shelter. “All I have to do is dump her corpse at your feet, and you’ll be too busy grieving to fight.”
“What do you think Merlin would say of making war on women?” Smoke roared back. “I doubt he’d approve!”
Warlock said nothing, a silence that steamed with fury. I’m not the only one with a weakness, Smoke thought.
He just had to find a way to use it.
As for where Eva was or whether she was safe—he didn’t dare even think about that, or he’d be no good to her. The only chance they had was if he finished the Dire Wolf fast. Then he could find her and make a werewolf-skin coat out of Warlock’s pet dogs.
He let his power spill, reshaping his body into the form he’d worn to kill killers once before.
Then he leaped, leaped, and leaped again, until he arrived at the block he sensed Warlock hiding behind. He bounded over it, meaning to come down on the Dire Wolf feet first. Unfortunately, the sorcerer sensed him coming, twisted with incredible agility, and threw himself out of the way. Smoke hit the ground, bounced, and slammed into him anyway, clawed hands raking down the front of Warlock’s body to grab his dick and jerk. The werewolf howled and tore away, magic dancing down his body to heal the mangled flesh.
Smoke followed and hit him with an uppercut that drove his head back. Warlock fell flat on his back, and Smoke dove on top of him, snarling.
Finally—finally!—he was going to make the fucker pay.
Eva crouched on top of the two-story stone with the three steps, the one she’d first spotted all the way across the field. The two werewolves were casting around on the ground below, trying to untangle her scent. They’d finally assumed wolf form themselves when they realized that wolf Eva could run rings around them. Which she literally had, racing in great loops around the stones to muddy her scent.
Smoke had been right. She was faster and more agile in wolf form.
Something exploded. Eva instinctively flattened on top of the block. Her lover and Warlock were stalking somewhere out there in the darkness. She’d seen Smoke shift into the form of the huge werecat he’d used during the fight back at the complex. He was now every bit as big as his foe. Not that they were using all that muscle at the moment; they were too busy shooting bolts and fireballs at each other as they ducked in and out between the stones. Their attacks lit up the night and shook the ground with deafening cracks.
And I’ve been sleeping with that man. Or is “man” even the right word for him?
Eva pushed the thought aside. It didn’t matter that Smoke was a borderline god, while she was a comic book geek in way over her head. The point is to get through the night, and I won’t if I don’t pull my head out of my butt.
She needed to take care of Fang and Fanger. Then maybe she could find a way to help Smoke with Warlock.
Another blast rattled her teeth. Or not. Jeez.
Concentrate on killing the nasty werewolves, Eva.
In that moment, she saw her chance. The pal
e wolf had paused directly below the stone she crouched on, head down as he breathed in her scent. He started to glance up, finally realizing where she must have gone ...
And she landed on him, four hundred pounds of pissed-off Dire Wolf slamming him flat. She heard bones crack with the impact. He had time for one yelp before she grabbed his muzzle and twisted hard.
Another crack.
Eva hesitated, surprised at the sudden sick sensation killing him gave her. She knew he’d have done far worse to...
The black Dire Wolf exploded out of the darkness, knocking her off her victim. They both went tumbling. Her back slammed into one of the blocks, and her head cracked against it in an explosion of stars. She slid to the ground, limp and stunned.
“Oh, you little bitch,” the werewolf snarled, “You’re going to pay for that.”
“You’re going to pay for that.” The voice of the werewolf serial killer sounded in her memory, saying exactly the same words.
Eva saw a blur over her head as the werewolf struck, raking a vicious furrow across her breasts. She screamed as he grabbed her torn flesh and squeezed hard. “Nice tits,” he growled. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
Smoke had taught her a dozen ways to get out of just this situation. She tried to roll into a throw, but her body refused to obey.
With a chill, she realized she was completely paralyzed. Had the werewolf broken her spine?
Oh, sweet God. He’s going to rip me apart. Just like before. Except this time I’m going to die.
Eva screamed.
The horror and hopelessness in the sound cut through Smoke like a razor slicing into his soul. Instinctively, he jerked away from Warlock’s half-stunned body, in the direction of the cry.
The moment of distraction was damned near fatal. The werewolf sorcerer shot a blast right at his face. He barely got his shield up in time.
Another bloodcurdling scream sliced across the battlefield.
Smoke whirled and ran toward the chilling cry. He no longer gave a fuck about Warlock or getting revenge. All he wanted was to save Eva from the creature that was killing her.
Unfortunately, Warlock had other ideas.
Smoke heard the thump of the Dire Wolf’s big paws. Raw instinct sent him ducking left. A fireball roared past.
I can’t help Eva if the fucking werewolf fries me. Summoning his magic, he spun the power around him into a suit of matte black plate armor big enough to protect his werecat form from Warlock’s blasts.
Then he raced through the dark, praying he got to her in time.
TWENTY-ONE
“Oh, that’s good,” purred the dark werewolf. “Scream some more for me.” His claws flashed down, raking another bloody furrow across Eva’s belly. Any minute now, he was going to cut deep enough to gut her, just like the werewolf who’d torn her up all those years ago. Like that first attacker, he wasn’t even bothering to hold her down. He’d realized she couldn’t move, couldn’t fight no matter how desperately she wanted to.
Her mind raged in the cage of her body. She should be fighting, but she couldn’t make herself move. Was this some kind of spell? It wasn’t a spinal injury, because she could feel the pressure of the Dire Wolf’s weight across her legs, the pain of his raking claws. Her back wasn’t broken, yet the only part of her she could control was her voice. So she screamed in another ringing shriek.
And Smoke answered. “Eva!”
Boom!
The dark werewolf laughed. “Sounds like your boyfriend is getting his ass handed to him.” He grabbed her bloody breasts again and squeezed viciously hard, digging his talons in. The pain in her torn flesh was nauseating. “You’re Warlock’s secret weapon, bitch. He told me all I had to do was make you howl, and he’d be able to take lover-boy apart.” Baring his teeth, he added, “Let’s give him a really loud one this time.” His claws sliced her nipple.
This time Eva didn’t even feel the pain. Warlock’s using me against Smoke?
“Eva!” Smoke’s voice rang out, hoarse with desperation. A lightning strike lit up the darkness with a deafening crack that shook the ground under her back.
Was that a cry of pain? She couldn’t tell in the aftermath of the thunder.
Bastard. Oh, Warlock, you bastard. The blast of rage she felt exploded her paralysis.
Eva drove both hands straight upward, just as Smoke had taught her, clawed thumbs spearing into the werewolf’s eyes. He fell back, roaring in agony as she flipped him onto his back. Now she was on top, and it was her claws doing the raking.
And she didn’t fuck around with any teasing, shallow cuts.
He tried to fight back, but she’d already torn out his throat, and his strength bled away before she even noticed his claws.
Her fury seemed a separate thing, something that had grown for five years. Something that sent her ripping into him with talons and teeth and hot, animal rage that anyone would dare use her to hurt the man she loved. It mixed with an older, colder fury that anyone would attack her, bite her, rip her open, infect her, make her something not human, make her lie to the people she loved.
The dark werewolf paid for it all.
She finally realized he’d stopped moving. When she blinked the red out of her eyes and actually looked at him, he was very ... wet.
Boom-CRACK!
Smoke. Her head lifted. Smoke was still fighting Warlock. Warlock, who had sent this bastard to make her scream, solely to destroy the man she loved.
Warlock needed to pay, too.
Eva rose, blood dripping from her claws and muzzle. The taste made her stomach twist. Some part of her recoiled in horror.
She ignored it. Smoke needed her, and Warlock needed to pay.
Where were they? Glancing around, Eva jolted as she glimpsed something white standing right beside her. She gasped and whirled, only to realize the figure was Zephyr. Not Warlock, thank God.
The big white stag stood watching her, his elegant head lifted with its impressive spread of antlers on display, sparks of magic dancing among the sharp tips. “You are not prey.” His voice rang in her mind like a great bell, deep and resonant.
It took her a moment to notice she could see the block behind him through his milky white glow. But he’d been solid when she’d met him before. She took an automatic step back. “Are you a ghost?”
He tilted his head, considering. “That’s as good a word as any.” His sigh gusted through her mind. “Warlock slew me and stole my power. Now he uses it against my friend.”
“And I’ve got to go save Smoke. I’m so sorry, Zephyr.” She stared to turn away. His next words stopped her in her tracks.
“As you are, you will fail. And so will Smoke.” The stag’s voice sounded remorseless. “Kingslayer amplifies Warlock’s magic beyond Smoke’s ability to fight.”
A chill lanced through her, but she shook it off. “That may be, but I’ve got to try anyway.”
The stag instantly appeared in her path. “I can help you. I can break Merlin’s lock on the magic in your DNA so you can use it for more than shifting.”
Eva clenched her fists, sensing the remorseless race of time running out. “I don’t have time for that. I’ve got to go.”
“Not yet, you don’t. Let me enter you as Smoke entered the Sidhe. Let me share your life and show you the way to magic.” The stag’s eyes ignited in a white blaze. “Let me help you kill Warlock and avenge us both.”
Another boom rocked the ground.
Eva stared at him, knowing Zephyr was right. She couldn’t help Smoke as she was now; she could only become a hostage Warlock would use to kill him. And she was tired of being used.
She didn’t let herself think of all the reasons this was a bad idea. Smoke was all that mattered. “Do it.”
The stag leaped. The impact of his charge rocked her back on her heels as he vanished into her chest. She looked down just in time to see his glowing hooves disappear between her bleeding breasts.
The magic Merlin used to create both Warlock and hi
s people was exactly the same, his voice said in her mind. But to make the Direkind immune to the Majae’s power, he had to limit your ability to use your magic. But you can shift your DNA just as you do your bones and flesh ...
Eva’s eyes went wide as Zephyr showed her the spell deep within her own DNA—a spell Merlin had created, that had spread to her by the the werewolf who bit her five years ago. The stag showed her the simple molecular shift in her DNA that would change the spell, so that she could reach into the dimension the elementals called home. So she, too, could call power in a torrent of magic.
So Eva called the magic and transformed, just the way she’d always done. But this time, with Zephyr’s guidance, she shifted her DNA as well. To become a magic user.
Eva had stopped screaming.
But Warlock, damn him to all the hells, would not let Smoke past. Every time he tried to get by, Warlock sent lighting and fire to block his path. Smoke had managed to avoid every stroke, shield against every blast, but he hadn’t managed to get by. And Eva might be dying.
Helpless fury filled his mouth with the taste of brass and blood. He was going to have to take the time to kill the fucker and pray Eva could hold on a little longer. As long as she remained alive, even if badly hurt, he could use his magic to heal her.
“Eva, I’m coming,” he bellowed.
Warlock stepped out from behind a block and grinned at him in the smug way that was quickly driving Smoke insane. “No, you’re not.”
“Yes, gods curse you, I am.” The sword materialized in Smoke’s clawed hands, and he leaped forward, swinging the huge blade with all his werecat strength.
Warlock heaved Kingslayer up to meet the attack, and the two weapons clanged together with teeth-jarring force. Until Kingslayer’s gem flashed and the magic roared, picked Smoke up, and tossed him through the air.
He hit rolling, lost the sword, and somehow rolled to his feet, shaking his spinning head hard.
Master of Smoke Page 27