Erik said nothing, but his eyes glittered.
The new arrival forced himself to a sitting position, shook his head, and looked around their prison. “He asked me about turning Slayer, then went to talk to Balthasar instead of coming right here. If he hadn’t been screwing around, we would have been in time to help you.”
Cassie would have argued Lorenzo’s case, but Erik flicked her a quick warning glance. What did he know? She decided to trust him and keep her mouth shut.
And keep pretending that Chen’s beguiling was holding.
“So, now here we are, trapped behind JP’s dragonsmoke barrier,” the new arrival said with disgust. He grimaced as he got to his feet and approached the opening of the cave. He jumped back as if he’d been burned and gave Erik a resentful look. “You backed the wrong horse, mate.”
Erik smiled coolly. “I’m sure you have a better suggestion.”
“Send her through the dragonsmoke. It won’t hurt her. Maybe she can change Lorenzo’s mind before it’s too late.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Before we’re all dead.”
“She’s been beguiled to do Chen’s will,” Erik protested smoothly. Like Lorenzo, he was good at hiding his feelings, but Cassie understood that he was maintaining their cover story.
There could be only one reason.
He knew that Lorenzo joining the Slayers was an illusion and he was ensuring that the spell held.
Cassie could help with that.
“So we’re all screwed.” The other Pyr threw himself against the opposite wall and glared at Erik. “If either one of us gets out of this, you owe me.”
Erik inclined his head but still said nothing.
“If.” The other Pyr bit his lip and stared into the night.
Lorenzo stood before Chen as JP took Brandt’s fallen body away. He feigned indifference, but he watched the Slayer from the corner of his eye, keeping track of where he went.
Cassie would be there.
Probably Erik too.
What was the mark on JP’s neck? Lorenzo was sure it hadn’t been there before.
Chen was in the form of an old man now. He turned a piece of steel in his hands. It was round and looked like a swirl cast in metal, and it was mounted on a steel handle. Chen twirled it with a dexterity born of familiarity. Lorenzo recalled Balthasar’s warning about the brand and wondered.
What was its power? Nothing good, he was sure of that.
“So, you would join me,” Chen murmured, his eyes shining.
“I like to back the winners,” Lorenzo said.
Chen chuckled. “Then you have no objection to a rite of passage?” he asked. His voice had become louder, as if he were excited. He turned the piece of metal with more agitation.
Lorenzo watched it turn in the old man’s hands. “What kind of rite?”
“Nothing important. Just a little tradition of mine.” He spun the brand, held it by the handle, then shifted shape to a dragon. He breathed fire on the brand and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. The swirl responded with amazing speed to his dragonfire, heating to a brilliant yellow immediately. It matched the new mark on JP’s neck.
It was a brand.
And he intended to mark Lorenzo with it.
“I’m good with tradition,” Lorenzo said quietly, needing the old Slayer to come closer. He heard JP breathing smoke and knew he didn’t have much time.
He’d have to surprise Chen.
“What did you have in mind?” he asked mildly.
“A little gang mark,” Chen said, unable to hide his anticipation.
“I’ve always wanted one,” Lorenzo agreed easily. “Where? On the arm?” He pushed up his shirtsleeve.
“On the side of your neck.”
“Oh. Here, you mean,” Lorenzo said, indicating the place where JP had a mark.
“Exactly.”
“Let’s do it, then. Get the details out of the way. I’m ready to help rule the world.”
Chen grinned.
He pounced, the brand held high. But Lorenzo shifted in a blaze of light blue and snatched at the Slayer’s claw. Chen obviously thought that Lorenzo wanted the brand himself, for he struggled against his grip even as he breathed more fire on the steel. It heated to a white that glowed in the darkness.
But Lorenzo had other plans. He caught Chen by the chin and stared into his eyes. He had to work fast. He summoned the beguiling flames and lowered his voice to that melodic pitch.
“You will give me the brand.”
Chen stared at him in shock. “You cannot beguile me!”
That was exactly what Lorenzo was going to do.
If he could find something to work with.
What had brought the Slayer here?
What did he want?
“I will not permit this,” Chen roared, fighting against Lorenzo’s grip. He bellowed for JP.
“You need me,” Lorenzo guessed and felt Chen’s defiance waver. He’d found something. “You need me,” he repeated in old-speak, letting the flames leap high in his eyes.
Chen tried to look away.
He closed his eyes tightly.
He shifted shape to a woman again, but Lorenzo held fast.
“You need me,” Lorenzo repeated with more confidence.
The Slayer struggled. He shuddered. He bit off the words, saying them aloud. “I need you.”
“You came because you need me,” Lorenzo said.
“I came because I need you,” Chen agreed with obvious reluctance. He still wasn’t under Lorenzo’s spell, but each statement that they could agree on drew him closer.
“You came to my firestorm for a purpose,” Lorenzo said.
“I came to your firestorm for a purpose,” Chen admitted, his eyes flashing with anger. Even he could probably feel his will surrendering to Lorenzo’s.
“You want me to ally with you.”
Chen snorted and blinked.
Lorenzo tightened his grip on his chin. “You want to control me.”
“I will control you!” Chen said.
Lorenzo laughed. The Slayer was startled. Lorenzo turned and exhaled dragonfire on the upheld brand. It glittered and glimmered when he did so, a blue-green spark dancing along the metal. Something had changed because of his dragonfire. Lorenzo ran on instinct. He ripped the brand from Chen’s grip and took flight with it.
“No!” Chen roared. He shifted shape to dragon form and leapt into the sky after Lorenzo. JP was closing fast from the other direction, answering Chen’s summons. Lorenzo flew straight up into the sky, breathing dragonfire on the brand at every possible interval.
“No!” Chen screamed.
Lorenzo pivoted abruptly and dove back down toward the pursuing Slayer. He saw Chen’s shock, then caught him by the wing. He swung the Slayer around, bringing his neck toward the glowing brand. He wasn’t at all sure his ploy would work, but given the choice, he’d happily risk Chen’s health and welfare over his own.
“You are mine!” Lorenzo bellowed and pushed the brand against Chen’s neck.
There was a blinding flash of blue-green, as if lightning had struck the brand. Chen appeared to be electrified before Lorenzo’s eyes.
He fell toward the earth, unconscious. He shifted between shapes in rapid succession, a sign of his distress. He became a woman, an old man, a young man, a salamander, then a dragon again. It was enough to make Lorenzo dizzy.
“Now you’re mine!” JP declared as he abruptly caught Lorenzo from behind. Lorenzo swung and hit the Slayer with the brand, catching him across the temple. He smacked him again and again, until the Slayer fell back stunned.
That was when Lorenzo saw the woman running across the desert below him. She was headed for the hearse, which told Lorenzo exactly who she was.
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Cassie.
His Cassie.
He hooted, then breathed dragonfire at JP.
It was payback time.
Cassie heard thunder, even though the sky was perfectly clear. She remained on her side, waiting for the cue of darkfire—whatever that was.
In the end, she couldn’t have missed it.
There was a brilliant flash, as if lightning had struck a tree right before her eyes. But the flash illuminated three dragons who were fighting in the sky.
Erik gave her shoulder a distinct nudge.
Cassie flung off her bonds and ran out of the cave. She felt a slight tingle against her legs, but she didn’t stop. She could see only three dragons: one was falling to the earth and the other two were fighting furiously in the sky.
Were there more?
She scrambled down the rock face, focusing on speed instead of stealth. The falling dragon hit the ground with a tremendous thud, but he didn’t move again. Cassie heard the dragons battling overhead, but kept her eye on her goal.
About twenty feet from the car, she realized that the interior light would go on as soon as she opened the door. That would attract the attention of anyone in the area, but there was no way she could avoid it.
She’d just have to move fast.
Cassie did. She eased up beside the car, her breath coming quickly. The hammered gold dragon was pounding the crap out of the yellow one, which worked for her in a big way. Lorenzo was fine and he was winning. She checked the door of the car, confirmed that it was unlocked, then opened it and swung inside. She closed the door as quickly as possible and kept down low.
She was panting when she slipped the key into the ignition. The engine started right away. She crawled up into the driver’s seat, put the car into gear, then looked out the windshield.
There was a large lacquer red dragon in front of her.
Chen.
And he’d survived the fall. He looked a bit singed around the edges, thanks to the darkfire. He looked furious. His eyes shone with malice. He breathed a vivid orange plume of dragonfire, then flew directly toward the car, talons extended.
Cassie figured she had one chance to survive. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor.
There was a thump when she hit the dragon and the car swerved dangerously. All she could see was Chen’s scaled belly, covering the windshield. Cassie didn’t take her foot off the gas.
She didn’t figure she had much to lose.
There was a GPS on the dash. Since she couldn’t really watch where she was going, she punched up Mead Lake as her destination.
“Turn right,” said the GPS, so Cassie did.
She turned hard, hard enough that Chen slipped to the left. She could see a bit of sky on the right end of the windshield. They hit a ditch and Cassie bit her tongue. The car’s shocks took a hard hit, but she didn’t slow down.
Chen meanwhile smashed the glass on the driver’s door and reached inside with his claws. Cassie lunged for the passenger seat, keeping one foot on the gas. What she needed was a brick to hold that pedal down. She let go of the steering wheel and rummaged in the glove box. There was a flashlight and a map. She silently thanked the rental agency for nothing.
Chen snatched for her, his claws ripping through the air. Cassie ducked and he missed.
Barely.
Then one large dragon eye peered through the broken glass into the car.
Cassie turned the flashlight onto its highest setting and shone the light in his eye.
He blinked and she yanked hard on the wheel.
“Turn left in .6 miles,” the GPS said.
Cassie chose to turn left immediately. She leaned over and cranked the steering wheel hard to the left, sending the car into a spin. Chen’s eye disappeared and his talons scratched across the roof of the car.
“Turn left in .2 miles,” the GPS said.
Cassie leapt back into the driver’s seat, pulled the car out of the spin, then slammed on the brakes.
The scales of Chen’s belly slid across the windshield.
Cassie hit the gas.
She heard him scream, then kick out the window on the passenger side. Broken glass fell all around her. She could see through the windshield again, so Cassie just drove.
She saw the highway and raced for it, aware that Chen was scrambling for a grip. She drove in a weaving pattern, much to the dismay of the GPS, trying to ensure he didn’t get that grip on her.
She heard the back window break. Something ripped the gate of the hearse off its hinges and Cassie could have guessed it was red and had claws.
To her horror, she saw the coffin begin to slide backward.
She wasn’t going to lose Salvatore now!
Cassie hit the brakes so hard that the coffin slid forward and bounced off the back of her seat.
Chen dropped to the ground behind her and took the form of an agile young man.
Cassie put the hearse in reverse and floored it.
She hit something.
Or someone.
“Turn right,” advised the GPS.
Cassie ignored it. She spun and braked, put the car in gear and accelerated again. She aimed directly at the dark shape on the desert and hit it with two tires. When she looked in the rearview mirror, the lump that was Chen wasn’t moving.
She could see the reflection of water ahead, assumed it was Lake Mead, and raced for her destination.
“Turn right,” advised the GPS.
Cassie peeked out the window and saw the silhouette of a dragon overhead. She shouldn’t have been surprised when he fell across the hood of the car with a thud.
She was surprised that he was bleeding so profusely.
“Turn right,” insisted the GPS.
The dragon on the hood was vivid yellow, his scales almost translucent. Like topaz. There was a brand on his neck, one that looked like a swirl. He wasn’t dead, but he was moaning, on the verge of consciousness.
He shimmered blue, then shifted shape, becoming JP right before her eyes.
“Turn right,” said the GPS.
Cassie heard a rush of air as Lorenzo lunged through the window, shifting shape with elegant timing.
“Well done,” he said, granting her a smile. His tone was easy, as if she’d just made a good shot at billiards.
Cassie grinned. “You weren’t too shabby either.”
“Turn right!” insisted the GPS. “Turn right!”
Cassie hit the brakes instead.
JP slid off the front of the car; then there was a splash. The hearse came to a halt with the front tires sinking into the soft shore of the lake.
Mission accomplished.
Cassie turned off the engine and exhaled with relief. Lorenzo reached over and squeezed her hand, and she was sure that he must be able to hear her heart pounding.
She could hear his.
He reached for the door handle, but she stopped him with a touch. There was something she had to say.
“I know that you don’t think you have the stuff to be a good dad, but I’m sure you’re wrong. The firestorm changed everything. And no matter how you look at it, a dragon boy is going to need a dragon dad to show him how it’s done.”
Lorenzo smiled at her, his eyes lighting with pleasure. Cassie felt like she could look into his eyes all night long. He didn’t say anything, but leaned over and gave her a sultry kiss that curled her toes. When he was done, he touched his finger to her lips as if to keep her from saying anything, and his eyes shone as he watched her.
“It wasn’t the firestorm that changed me,” he whispered, and kissed her again.
It was a few moments before they got out of the car, and Cassie’s heart was thundering like crazy.
/> Lorenzo fished the unconscious JP out of Lake Mead and gave him a shake to wake him up. He held up the bedraggled Slayer so that they were looking each other in the eye. JP struggled, but it was clear that he was outmatched.
“Why don’t you change the permissions on your dragonsmoke?” he suggested, his voice low and silky. There was a rumble of thunder then, and JP twitched.
The way Lorenzo smiled told Cassie that he was getting exactly what he wanted.
And he hadn’t even needed to beguile anyone.
Chapter 18
Cassie touched the wounds on Lorenzo’s face and shoulder, but he shook his head. “I’ll be fine,” he said with a smile.
“I’ve got to tell you that right now I’m very glad you’re a dragon shifter.”
His smile broadened. “So am I.”
“Even though it’s barbaric?”
“Barbaric works, on occasion.”
She could see that he was thinking about something, but trusted that he’d tell her when it was time. “Why are we here, anyway?”
“A dead Pyr has to be exposed to all four elements to ensure that his body can’t be roused again.” Lorenzo glanced at the sky, then nodded approval.
Erik arrived first, with Brandt behind him. That Pyr was still muttering about Lorenzo being sneaky, although Erik seemed to be amused by his complaints. They pulled the coffin out of the back of the hearse and opened it.
Cassie caught her breath at the sight of Salvatore dead. He looked to be sleeping, but she knew better. Lorenzo heaved a sigh and she touched his shoulder. “Maybe he’s with Angelina again,” she suggested, wanting only to console him.
“That’s what Erik says.” Lorenzo shrugged. “I hope it’s true.”
Cassie watched as they did their dragon business. Lorenzo lifted his father in his arms with great tenderness, then laid him on the ground for a moment.
Earth, Cassie thought.
Lorenzo gathered his father into his embrace again, then shifted shape and took flight. He soared through the air with his burden, the other two dragons right behind him.