‘Because volume is part of the power?’
‘Sure. If I can make your sternum vibrate with my spellsong, it’s going to be a lot harder for you to ignore both me and it.’
So, it was similar to beguiling.
‘But not all musicians are spellsingers.’
Jared shook his head. ‘No. Not even close. I know a lot of musicians and I’ve asked a lot of questions. Most of them don’t know anything about Mages or spellsinging.’
‘But some …’
‘Do.’ He finished my sentence and held my gaze. ‘Those are the ones who lie when asked about it. Those are the ones who might be Mages already. I just keep my distance from them.’ He shoved a hand through his hair. ‘You’re sure their spells were absorbing mine?’
‘Gobbling them up.’
‘And getting brighter afterward?’
I thought about it, then nodded. ‘Yeah. They were feeding on your strength.’
‘And what did you feel?’
‘A pull. Like being tugged toward a vortex.’
‘Which was?’
‘Underground.’
‘Fuck.’ He marched to the other side of the roof, almost vibrating with tension. He shoved his fists into his pockets and stared at the lake, the wind lifting his hair. I’d never seen him so troubled.
I followed him and put a hand on his shoulder. ‘Tell me.’
‘Don’t you see, dragon girl?’ He spoke through his teeth, then turned to face me. ‘I always wondered why they took no for an answer. I always wondered why they just let me walk away. I just figured they didn’t want me very badly.’ He shrugged. ‘I mean, nobody else ever did. Why should Mages be different?’
I slid my hand down his sleeve, but he shrugged off its weight.
‘But they didn’t let me go,’ he said, almost snarling the words. ‘They let me think I was getting away, but they’re still using me to get to you.’
‘You don’t know that …’
‘Yes, I do. Every time you’re close to me, they show up. Now when I sing, they’re stealing my energy to make themselves stronger.’ He swallowed. ‘To give themselves the power to destroy you. The plan is carrying on, and I’m complicit, even though I didn’t know it.’
‘No …’ But I was thinking of what Kohana had said.
He pivoted, maybe sensing that I’d stiffened. ‘What?’ His gaze searched mine when I didn’t immediately answer.
‘Kohana said that when he heard your song, he knew I’d be in the vicinity. That’s how he found me.’
Jared winced, swore and turned away. ‘They’re doing it, even without my cooperation,’ he murmured and my heart felt like a lead weight in my chest.
There was silence between us. I heard a bird cry. I felt the wind grow more harsh. I heard a dog growl on the street below. I felt the cold of winter chill me right to my marrow.
I reached out and touched his sleeve, knowing he needed something from me, acting on impulse. When he glanced my way, I couldn’t look away from the vibrant green of his eyes, from his need.
‘I trust you.’ I filled my mind with that thought, letting him see my conviction. I felt him shake a little; then he touched my cheek with his fingertip again. I felt him come closer and closed my eyes, not wanting him to read my thoughts at this moment.
Maybe he had to see my eyes. I wasn’t sure, but he always looked deeply into my eyes before he understood my thoughts.
I couldn’t bear for him to see that I needed so much right now.
I was surprised when he touched me. His hands landed on my shoulders, his fingers curling around them. I felt his breath and then his lips brushed mine. That barest touch filled me with yearning and made me shiver. My heart was thundering, doing that crazy thing of matching its beat to his. Our noses were almost touching, his hands framing my face and I didn’t want to step away from him.
Ever.
‘I’m not going to let them win,’ he said with quiet force. I opened my eyes to meet the conviction in his gaze. ‘I’m not going to be a part of that.’
‘What can you do?’
‘Only one thing – leave.’ He smiled, but it was bitter. ‘They’re not going to follow me to you. Not again, dragon girl.’
‘But …’
‘So long as there are Mages hunting you, I won’t risk it.’
As much as I hated his conclusion, I feared he was right.
But I couldn’t let him go just yet.
I leaned against his chest, touched my lips to his pulse at his throat. He kissed my forehead and pushed his fingers into my hair. ‘I’m sorry, Zoë. You trusted me and you shouldn’t have. Turns out everybody else knew better.’
I had a lump in my throat the size of Illinois.
He tipped my chin up and studied me for a long moment, then forced a smile. ‘Be good, dragon girl,’ he said, then turned and strode away without looking back. There was defeat in the line of his shoulders and a good chunk of it in my heart. The snow danced around him, white against black, and then he disappeared over the lip of the roof.
He still didn’t look back.
And I was alone, the snow falling thickly around me.
I don’t know long I’d been standing there when I heard a van start. An old one. I heard doors slamming and heavy things being moved. Rick’s and Angie’s voices carried from the alley behind the club as they packed up, and I strained my ears for the sound of Jared’s voice.
No luck.
I guess he wasn’t taking any chances on inadvertently loosing a spell or two in my vicinity.
The van drove off, its tires leaving grooves in the snow on the street. I moved to the lip of the roof to watch, certain that he was driving out of my life.
Instead I saw a lone figure in black, one bag slung over his shoulder, standing at the curb, watching the van as it traveled down the road.
His band was leaving, without him.
Then he turned and started to walk in the opposite direction.
Alone.
As if he needed to think.
As if this wasn’t any easier for him than it was for me.
I watched him go, wishing it could be different. I felt cheated, as if something I’d never really possessed – never mind had time to appreciate – had been stolen. But I was the Wyvern. If the future was going to be different, I was going to have to be the one to change it.
First up would be thwarting the Mages’ plan. They considered me and my kind to be prey.
Well, that just meant that I was going to have to turn the tables on them. Treaty or truce would never be good enough. We would have to eliminate the Mages, one by one, in order to live safely again.
If I could lead the Pyr to victory, I could see Jared again. It was a heck of an incentive.
Even if I had no clue how to manage the deed.
Before I could think further than that, everything went to hell.
The bird’s second cry startled me. It was closer, closer than it had been.
And I realized a bit late that I recognized that cry. I’d guessed wrong: Kohana had been waiting on me. Heart pounding, I spun to look for him.
He was swooping down toward me, talons extended. His eyes blazed yellow, a sure sign that this was no ordinary bird. He was larger than most birds, too. He held a brilliant yellow thunderbolt in one claw.
I’d seen his arsenal before. Those thunderbolts exploded on contact, burning everything in proximity. Like lightning strikes.
Here was my chance to finish him forever.
Screw my dad’s new rule, the Covenant, and the risk of exile.
I roared and called to the power deep within me. The change rolled through me with breathless speed and I leapt into the air at the same time.
I felt my wings beat, lifting me higher. I saw the fire I exhaled at Kohana.
I saw his surprise, and I took advantage of it. I lunged toward him, struck him hard, and knocked him toward the earth. He was still fast and still slippery, but I was much, much stronger than I
had been.
Plus I was mad. He’d lied to me. He’d targeted me. He’d tried to eliminate my friends. He’d allied with the Mages in an attempt to save his own kind, but he was stupid to trust them.
And he was part of the reason I was losing Jared.
I decked him and the rhythm of his flight faltered. I was right behind him, breathing fire on his tail, as he retreated. He spiraled into the snow-filled sky, but I snatched at him when he slowed to turn and pulled a fistful of ebony feathers out of his skin.
He screamed, but I let them fall, wanting more.
I snatched him and tightened my claws around him as he struggled. I had to be three times his size. He squirmed and fought, but I didn’t let him go. My talons were long and white and sharp, and they drew blood where they pricked him. He fought against me and I squeezed, remembering his deception.
And the price we had nearly paid.
‘You lied to me,’ I charged.
‘No better than you deserve, Unktehila.’ He sneered. ‘Oathbreaker.’
I held him captive. ‘Tell me more about this supposed treaty.’
‘Don’t you know your own history?’ he demanded.
‘Maybe you’re making it up.’
‘The Mages demanded a shifter.’ Kohana writhed in my grip. ‘It was me or you.’
‘So you would turn us in to save the Thunderbirds?’
‘My first loyalty is to my own.’
‘Right!’ Now I scoffed. ‘Only a moron would believe anything the Mages promised.’
His eyes shone. ‘No one says they know all of the truth.’
‘Where do I find the wolf and jaguar shifters, if they really exist?’
‘Open your eyes, Unktehila.’ He was mocking once again, and I tightened my grip.
Before I could ask more, pain flashed in his eyes and I was stupid enough to ease my grip just as he struggled violently. He wiggled free and I snatched after him. He danced beyond my reach, laughing, then spun and flung one of his thunderbolts. I winced and ducked, but was surprised to realize that he hadn’t aimed it at me.
He laughed and flew away with astonishing speed. I followed the trajectory of the thunderbolt and my heart stopped cold.
Jared’s hands were fisted in his pockets and his head was down as he continued to march away.
And Kohana’s thunderbolt was headed straight at him.
I knew Jared couldn’t see it, that even if he turned, he wouldn’t be able to perceive it until it exploded against his skin.
It would kill him.
No! I forgot Kohana and his mocking laughter, pivoted, and dove toward Jared. I wasn’t at all sure I could get to him in time, but I had to try. I flew harder than I ever had, pushing myself beyond what I knew I could do.
I drew alongside the thunderbolt maybe two hundred feet above Jared. I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t reach him in time to push him aside. So, I did the only thing possible.
I threw myself into the thunderbolt’s path.
I closed my eyes against the bright yellow flash of light and bared my teeth at the burning pain. I felt it shoot through me like a jolt of electricity, and I felt myself shifting forms involuntarily.
A sign of distress in dragon physiology.
Usually impending death.
I had time to realize I was falling, to know that I had zero regrets, and then everything went black.
Say goodnight, Zoë.
It was the nausea that woke me up.
My stomach was roiling and I hurt in places I hadn’t even known I had. My back was blazing with pain, and I could feel concrete beneath my chin. The snow was freezing cold where it landed on me, but in a way, it felt good against my burning skin.
I opened my eyes. My hand was white and webbed, so I knew I had unconsciously shifted into salamander form.
I had a definite sense that I wasn’t alone and looked around without moving. The street was completely deserted, doors closed and windows black.
But there was a wolf, sitting right in front of me.
Watching me.
The wolf was shaggy, his fur a thousand shades of gray and silver. His eyes were icy blue, shining with a disconcerting intelligence. He didn’t blink. Major teeth, which made me wonder whether newts made a nice light snack.
Did I look tasty? Like a bite or two of barbecue?
In self-defense, I closed my eyes, summoned my will, and shifted to human form again. Then I was sitting with my back against the brick wall, my hands braced on either side of me. Ow ow ow.
The wolf didn’t move, or even blink.
Was it possible to think of a wolf being unsurprised?
I glanced around and didn’t recognize the street at all. How far was I from the club? There was no sign of Jared or of Kohana. How long had I been out? I winced and stretched. And how badly damaged was my back?
Suddenly there was a shimmer of pale blue light, which spooked me into getting up. I knew that light and shouldn’t have been surprised when the wolf disappeared.
A heartbeat later Derek was squatting before me. Eyes the same shade of pale blue. Same intent stare. Same scent.
I belatedly did a little bit of math.
Open your eyes, Unktehila.
Okay, I felt stupid.
‘You okay?’ he asked. I realized that his voice was always low and deep, rough like a growl.
Duh.
‘More or less.’ I moved my fingers and toes, scanned myself. My back hurt like hell, but I couldn’t exactly see it. ‘You followed me.’
He nodded, glanced away, looked back to hold my gaze again.
‘Why?’
‘I thought you might need help.’ He shrugged. ‘I was right.’
‘But you got off two stops before me.’
‘You were suspicious. Worried. I didn’t want to throw your game.’
‘How’d you know all that?’
He touched the side of his nose.
Right. Wolves had keen senses of smell, too.
‘I couldn’t smell that you were a shifter.’
He smiled. ‘You probably can’t smell emotion, either, or sense the future before it happens.’
‘Can you?’
He nodded, but before I could get jealous, he shrugged. ‘I have a feeling when something big is going to go down, but I only see about two minutes ahead of the moment.’ He stared at me again and I realized that was the longest sentence I’d ever heard him utter. ‘Sometimes it’s too late to matter.’
‘I wouldn’t have expected anyone to stop the thunderbolt,’ I said.
‘You did.’ He stood then, and brushed off his jeans. ‘And that guy? He has no idea of what you did for him.’ He spat into the snow, his disdain clear. When he looked at me again, his eyes seemed colder.
I froze at his words. ‘What do you mean?’
‘He had his earbuds on. He didn’t hear anything. He didn’t turn around until I’d scooped you up.’
‘You what?’
‘Someone could have stepped on you. You had to get out of there. The guy might have been curious, but I growled and he backed off.’
Jared didn’t know I’d followed him. He didn’t know I’d taken that hit for him. I was disappointed by that bit of news.
‘Where did he go?’
Derek shrugged. ‘Who cares?’
‘Maybe I do.’
‘Maybe you shouldn’t.’ His eyes flashed. ‘He left you.’
‘There’s a situation. He’s doing his best …’
Derek waved off my explanation, fixing me with a steady look. ‘Don’t you know that dogs see in black and white?’ Then he looked down the street, his eyes narrowed. ‘Who’s going to tend your back?’
‘No one.’
He shook his head. ‘Wrong. You need help. It’s bad.’
It did hurt. And he had seen it. For a moment I couldn’t think of anyone who I could let see the wound, but then it came to me.
Isabelle. ‘I know someone at the college.’
He arch
ed a brow. ‘Science labs?’
I smiled. ‘Arts student.’
He pointed. ‘We can catch the L over there.’
I had no chance to ask if he was going to keep me company. Apparently I now had a guard wolf.
It wasn’t such a bad thing. Derek set a good pace, striding effortlessly down the street as I tried to keep up. He scanned our surroundings constantly, his gaze sliding from side to side, and I could see him inhaling with care.
Taking the scent of everything.
I was a bit short of breath, so it took me a minute to ask what I wanted to know. ‘Couldn’t you follow his scent?’
He turned to face me, his expression chilling me. There was a challenge in those pale eyes. ‘Couldn’t you?’
I could, but I wouldn’t. ‘But you knew I’d been with him.’
‘And he left. Problem solved.’
Problem? ‘Why don’t you like Jared? You don’t even know him.’
Derek shrugged. ‘He’s human. He’s half-Mage. Neither is a great credential in my world.’
‘He turned down the Mages …’
‘Technicality.’ Black and white, just like he’d said earlier. Derek held the door to the station for me, and met my gaze once more. ‘And he led you straight into a trap.’
‘He didn’t do it on purpose!’
His gaze slid away. ‘I’m just glad I was there to help.’
We rode the L in silence, as if we were complete strangers.
But Derek was never more than half a dozen steps away. Guarding me. Truth be told, I appreciated it. I wasn’t at my best, and it was nice to have someone to rely upon.
Then I had a troubling thought. Was Derek, like Kohana, going to betray me to the Mages to save his own kind?
He inhaled sharply and glared at me across the car. I guessed that he’d caught a whiff of my suspicion. ‘Mages are liars,’ he said with low heat. ‘Only idiots trust liars.’
With that, he turned to stare out the window again.
The real question was whether I could trust a wolf.
I called Isabelle from the train and she agreed to meet me at her dorm room. Derek disappeared once we stepped onto the campus, but I knew he wasn’t far away. I could smell wolf, even though I couldn’t see him.