Niall roared and shifted shape, thrusting Rox behind him. "Stay behind the smoke barrier," he instructed.
He then leapt at the shadow dragon, breathing dragonfire as he jumped through the window. The shadow dragon raged and snatched at Niall. His tail snaked around Niall's as the two of them tumbled through the window into the night, locked in a fatal embrace.
And disappeared from sight.
Rox raced to the window and looked over the sill. She saw Niall's gleaming scales and the red scab of his wound, then glimpsed the furious beating of his wings. She saw the shadow dragon lose one leg, the appendage falling to the ground as another Pyr burned it to cinders.
The shadow dragon soared skyward and Niall gave pursuit. Another Pyr, a gleaming dragon with ebony and pewter scales, raced after the pair. He and Niall latched onto the shadow dragon with savage force, but Rox didn't see the progress of the fight.
Because Phelan was standing on the sill of her window, leaning against the building, out of view from the room. He was in human form, in his black leather jacket again. One sleeve hung limply, but he terrified Rox even so.
"Hey, babe," he murmured. "Just thought I'd stop by to help."
He took a step toward her and the stone sill crumbled beneath his heel. He wavered, on the cusp of losing his balance, and Rox decided to help him fall to his death.
Rox leaned out to give him a shove. She saw his eyes flash with triumph, and realized too late that he'd tricked her. Phelan shifted shape, snatched her, and soared into the night with Rox captive in his grasp.
She screamed and kicked, even though she knew it wouldn't make any difference.
Chapter 18
Erik was sitting in the living room of Rox's apartment, listening to the sounds of the night. He heard the steady drum of the rain, distant sirens, passing cars. He heard the slow rhythm of Thorolf's breathing and that of the mates and children, the resonant ping of the dragonsmoke perimeter mark.
It wasn't an effective defense against Slayers who had drunk the Elixir, but it was perfectly good against shadow dragons.
As far as Erik knew.
Erik was aware of the quick watchfulness of both Delaney and Sloane on the roof. He sensed Rafferty in the basement of the building, deep in communion with the earth. He was aware of Quinn at the other end of the apartment, steadily breathing smoke.
He smiled when he heard Niall and Rox consummate the firestorm, and he lifted one hand, confirming that the spark had dimmed. Its glow would linger but by morning would have dissipated.
And another Pyr warrior would be in the making.
Erik felt a shimmer then, a nudge at the perimeter of his senses. A glimmer of foresight, it warned him of impending trouble.
Erik straightened, his senses at full alert. He felt his body hover on the cusp of change and sought to identify the threat.
He went to the window, following his instincts. Trouble approached. He opened the glass door and stepped onto the balcony, his body quivering. He looked over the railing just in time to see a dozen shadow dragons explode from the sewer grates. They leapt skyward, dark talons extended, and targeted Rox's apartment.
Drawn by the last flame of the firestorm.
Erik roused the others with a cry in old-speak. He shifted shape, then leapt into the sky to intercept their attack. Quinn was right behind him, but the pair separated paths high above the building.
Donovan caught Quinn's scent before he saw the sapphire and steel splendor of his friend. He was several thousand feet above Quinn, cutting through the dense cloud cover over Manhattan. Alex shivered as they passed through the last cloud and into the rain.
"Next firestorm on a beach," she muttered. "I'm calling it now."
Donovan had no time to reply. He saw a shadow dragon draw Quinn to one side with a feint. Five more targeted Quinn once he was separated from Erik, leaping suddenly upon the Smith. The shadow dragons surrounded Quinn as he raged dragonfire at them.
"Hold on." Donovan heard Alex catch her breath but knew there was nothing he could do. He had to hold on to her and Nick as he fought, as there was no other Pyr to defend them.
Alex obviously realized the same thing, because she swore softly and caught Nick closer. To Donovan's relief, he saw the emerald and copper form of his brother Delaney emerge from the building below to join the battle.
Donovan descended like a bolt of lightning. Knowing he was headed to a fight, he had worn the gloves that Quinn had made for him, the gloves that were embedded with knives that replaced his talons. He could use only one while he held his family close, but Donovan made it count.
He hauled a shadow dragon from Quinn's back, then slashed those talons across the shadow dragon's eyes. There was no blood and no scream of pain. The shadow dragon's talons left long wounds in Quinn's back, but Quinn appeared to be just as oblivious to pain.
Fury could do that.
Donovan cast the villain aside and Quinn raged dragonfire at him, the flames impressive in their volume and brilliance. Quinn burned the attacker's claws to ashes, then struck him with his tail. Alex buried her face against Donovan's chest.
Quinn's assault made the shadow dragon falter, but he immediately came after Quinn again. Before he could reach Quinn, Quinn burned the wings of a second shadow dragon with his torrent of dragonfire, compelling that one to fight from the roof.
It was a great plan. Donovan caught another and sliced the wings from his back, casting him to the roof, as well.
The first shadow dragon attacked Quinn from the back, showing the persistence typical of shadow dragons. Delaney snatched him and carried him high into the sky. Another shadow dragon gave chase. Donovan sliced his captive to ribbons, the presence of his mate and child making him more savage and decisive than ever. He then turned on the pursuer, and thrashed him easily. Quinn incinerated the pieces, the pair of them working ruthlessly together as they had before.
Delaney had pounced on another shadow dragon from behind, dragging him away from the others. He decapitated the shadow dragon with impressive speed, making Donovan proud. He burned the pieces as they fell and the smell of charred flesh was carried on the wind.
Donovan began to chant as he descended to the roof again and he felt the elements muster. They were somewhat reluctant to answer his call, being under duress as they were. He sang more vehemently.
The two wingless shadow dragons lifted their talons in the old fighting posture, their eyes glinting hungrily as they watched Quinn and Donovan approach.
Delaney jumped one shadow dragon from behind, slitting his throat, then cutting him apart with grim determination. The last one lunged for the lip of the roof, intending to jump. Quinn leapt after him, snatching him up high.
He cut the tendons of the shadow dragon's legs, then tossed him into the air. Donovan slashed at his arms, cutting them loose at the socket. Delaney took flight and breathed dragonfire on the pieces. Quinn cut the shadow dragon's tail, and it dropped heavily. The shadow dragon spun in frustration, unable to battle all three of them at once. It would have fled, given the choice, but had none.
Donovan caught it again and tossed it high, letting Delaney take a slash at it. Its back legs fell and Quinn burned them completely. Quinn decapitated the shadow dragon, all three of them turning their dragonfire on the falling pieces. The air was full of ash, the rain driving it down to the pavement. Donovan could smell death and destruction, and he hated that Alex and Nick had been exposed to such violence.
The three Pyr had a chance to catch their collective breath and be proud of a job well- done before there was a cry of anguish from the apartment below.
"Zoe!" Eileen screamed, and they raced into the thicket of shadow dragons to help.
The shadow dragons clustered against the windows of Rox's apartment, blocking the view and filling the apartment with a malicious darkness. Their fetid scent carried through the broken window in the bedroom, making Eileen's bile rise. She held Zoe close and wished Erik would hurry back.
Sl
oane and Thorolf had immediately shifted to their dragon forms and nearly filled the living room. Sloane was tourmaline and gold; Thorolf was moonstone and silver. Eileen was well aware that Thorolf was at less than his best, given the injury he'd sustained.
She backed toward the interior wall. Eileen, Sara, and Ginger stood together, Liam in Ginger's arms. Garrett hung on to Sara's knees. The children were wide-awake, their Pyr blood ensuring that they sensed the threat. Zoe's gaze was bright, her fingers clutching at the air. Eileen held her tightly.
The brand was on the floor of the living room, before the women, where Quinn had left it. Eileen wished she'd thought to snatch it up when she retreated.
The shadow dragons hovered beyond the balcony, a horde of jeering and salivating predators. They called to the women and taunted the Pyr, beckoning with their yellowed talons. Their gazes flicked repeatedly to the brand.
"As if they weren't hard to resist," Ginger scoffed.
"They can't come through the smoke," Sloane said softly. "Don't be tricked. Don't go close enough to be snatched."
"Bad enough that Rox did it," Thorolf said softly.
The women caught their breath in unison and Eileen was glad for once not to have the Pyr's keen hearing. Now she worried about Rox and Niall, and she understood why Erik had left so quickly. He would defend the firestorm at all costs, for the good of the Pyr.
This only meant that she worried about him, too.
Didn't it figure that the crafty Slayer split them up?
"Just be calm," Sloane said. "The others will be back and we'll take them from both sides."
"Roughly two dozen left, by my calculations"--Ginger winced--"which are admittedly incomplete."
"Looks like they're all here," Thorolf muttered.
A silhouetted dragon who seemed larger than the others joined the ranks suddenly, shoving his fellows aside. They ceded to him, these blank-eyed monsters who were usually devoid of manners, and Eileen wondered why. He landed on the balcony but didn't twitch at the dragonsmoke that must have touched him.
"Chen!" Thorolf said. "But with a new tail."
The new arrival smiled but didn't respond to this comment. He was lacquer red with gold talons. His tail did look odd to Eileen, as if the scales weren't of the same vintage as the other scales on his body. It appeared to be softer, brighter, a little less tough.
"What do you mean?" Eileen said to Thorolf, just as a shadow dragon turned on him.
"Niall hacked his off," Thorolf said.
Chen's smile broadened. "An unfortunate incident," he said.
"Newts can grow new ones," Ginger murmured. "But not that fast."
If Chen had extra powers, then Eileen was even more worried about his arrival. She held her daughter more closely.
Chen shifted shape, becoming a young Asian man in jeans and leather.
With attitude.
"So this is Chen," Eileen whispered.
"Back to get his brand, right on schedule," Ginger agreed.
"But he's too late," Sloane said. "The firestorm is sated."
Chen smiled at them all through the glass. Then he let his right index finger change to a gold talon.
So he'd drunk the Elixir and learned a few tricks from Magnus.
That wasn't exactly good news.
He cut the smoke, stepping through it with terrifying ease. He cut the hole wider, then opened the balcony door.
"Good evening," he said, the resonance of his voice echoing throughout the apartment. "I believe you have something of mine."
Then he whistled, a sharp piercing note that made Eileen want to cover her ears. The shadow dragons surged through the breach in the dragonsmoke. They couldn't cut it themselves, but they could take advantage of a gap.
"Fetch it!" he commanded, and they leapt into the apartment.
Sloane and Thorolf threw themselves against the onslaught, taking on as many shadow dragons as they could.
"They're so outnumbered," Ginger whispered.
"Aren't they?" Chen agreed amiably, then stepped over the threshold and shifted shape again. He became a woman in a tight embroidered dress, and the women gasped in unison.
"Two human forms?" Eileen asked.
"A sign of superiority," Chen answered.
One shadow dragon broke free of Thorolf and Sloane. He seized the brand and presented it to Chen with a formal bow. Chen took it, his satisfaction undisguised. He pulled a small tin from his pocket and gave the shadow dragon a pinch of some kind of powder. The shadow dragon shuddered and brightened, turning a look of avarice on the women before it attacked Sloane again.
It seemed to be more energetic and anticipated Sloane's moves better.
Eileen wondered what the powder was.
"Pulverized dragon bone," Chen said, as if he could hear her thoughts. "So very useful in animating shadow dragons. A little initiative does wonders for their effectiveness." He twirled the brand in his hand and cast a glance toward the sky.
"And that lets you control the shadow dragons?" Eileen asked. "Having put your mark upon them?"
"It's so much more than a mark," Chen said. "But the simple answer is yes." He sauntered closer, shifting shape to an old man en route. Three forms? His voice became raspy then, and weaker. "The interesting question is whether they must truly be shadow dragons to become my thralls when marked. I'm looking forward to finding out tonight."
"No!" Sara said. "You're not going to mark any of the Pyr."
"And what do you intend to do about it?" Chen asked coldly.
"You've already failed," Eileen said. "We heard your verse, but the firestorm is satisfied. You missed your opportunity to gain a mastery of spirit."
Chen's eyes flashed with anger. "But it's never too late for vengeance, is it? I will enslave all of the Pyr, make them all my minions, and await the next opportunity." He held the brand high. "I have the only tool I need."
"But how will you control us?" Ginger demanded.
Chen smiled. "Easily." He shifted shape to dragon form, becoming a massive crimson dragon once more. He reared back and heated the brand so that it turned red, then orange, then yellow. "I'll begin with your children." He pointed at Garrett. "That one first. The son of the Smith."
"No!" Sara cried, catching up her son.
"Then that one," Chen said, pointing to Zoe. He paused. "Wait. A girl, the daughter of a Pyr." He smiled, showing a fearsome array of sharp teeth, and breathed dragonfire on his brand. "How special."
Eileen took a step back, her mouth going dry. The moment she had dreaded since the day she'd known she would have a daughter had finally arrived.
Where was Erik?
Chen's brand glowed white. "No, I'll have the new Wyvern first of all," he said, and stepped closer.
Eileen, who was not inclined to scream, screamed her baby's name with all her might. "Zoe!"
It was the only thing Erik needed to hear to know their situation.
Eileen just hoped he arrived in time.
Niall and Erik pursued the shadow dragon into the night. Another attacked them from the right and a third from the left. Erik and Niall worked together with savage force. They tore limbs and shredded wings. They chopped the shadow dragons up while they were still alive, and incinerated the pieces, creating a constant flurry of ash.
Like black snow.
Within moments, the three shadow dragons were destroyed, but Erik still had a sense of dread.
"That was too easy," Niall said grimly.
"Agreed." Erik scanned the horizon. It was difficult to see clearly, given the incessant rain and the jagged roofs of the buildings.
"It felt like a feint," Niall murmured.
Erik's heart stopped when he saw a shadow dragon flying in the opposite direction.
Quickly.
With a struggling woman in his grip.
"Phelan!" Niall muttered.
That must mean the woman was Rox.
Before Erik could speak, Eileen screamed, her single word sending a jolt through
him.
"The Wyvern!" Niall said in old-speak, his horror clear.
Erik wanted to support Niall's firestorm but knew he had to defend Eileen and Zoe. He spun, glancing back at a determined Niall. "May the Great Wyvern be at your back."
"And yours!" Niall said, then turned his gaze upon his brother. "He's all mine."
Erik didn't wait an instant longer. He dove over the lip of the building and shot toward Rox's apartment. He flew over the balcony and cut through the ranks of shadow dragons blocking his access, leaving shadowy limbs scattered on all sides.
He froze when he found Eileen backed into a corner, a strangely still Zoe in her grasp. The toddler was watching the Slayer between them, a mysterious smile reminiscent of Sophie's on her lips.
Chen's red dragon form kept Erik from his mate.
"Checkmate," Chen said with a sidelong glance. He held the tiger brand and he clearly had already heated it.
"He's going to brand the children," Eileen said quickly, her haste revealing her terror. "He's going to enslave them to his will."
"I'll start with the Wyvern," Chen said. "Unless you'd care to negotiate."
Erik settled himself slowly on the floor, taking his time as he gathered his thoughts. He couldn't make sense of his daughter's smile; he couldn't figure out what detail she knew that Chen didn't.
At least what detail could save her.
"Venice. "
The single word in old-speak resonated in Erik's thoughts, echoed as if spoken by a small girl. Chen started, because he clearly had also heard the old-speak, but his confusion was clear. He looked between father and daughter with suspicion.
Erik, in contrast, knew exactly what Zoe meant. She was reminding him of Gaspar, or more accurately, of Gaspar's grandson, Lorenzo.
That told Erik exactly how this situation could be resolved.
He would never have thought of the option himself, and he wasn't at all convinced it would work, but he forced himself to believe. He flicked a look at his intent daughter, guessing that she would anticipate his need for her assistance if he was going to extend his powers.