Wildfire Shifters: Collection 1

by Zoe Chant

  Wonder which bit of my heritage he’s referring to this time? she thought in bleak humor as she performed yet another penitent bow. My animal, or the fact that I was born on land?

  Knowing Lord Azure, probably both. Not for the first time, she wondered what in the ocean had made him agree to take her on as his squire at all.

  Just be grateful that he did, she commanded herself. She squashed all other emotions down into the deepest chasm of her soul, where she kept her beast. If she was ever going to be a knight, she couldn’t afford to be anything except grateful.

  She had to be perfect. Perfectly respectful, perfectly courteous, perfectly honorable, no matter how much Lord Azure set her teeth on edge. She’d fought too long and too hard to fail now.

  Because if she did…she’d never have another chance to prove herself.

  “We cannot rest until our quest is done,” Lord Azure declaimed, squaring his armored shoulders. “We are to locate the Prince. We shall not contact the Imperial Champion except to inform him that his son is safely under our protection. So hurry up and find the royal runaway, Seventh Novice.”

  So much for drawing on one’s own inner strength and honor to succeed single-handed, whispered the snide human part of her that she’d never quite managed to silence. She reminded herself that Lord Azure didn’t mean to be hypocritical. As far as Lord Azure was concerned, as his squire she was simply an extension of his own self. He didn’t ask for her help any more than he asked for the help of his sword or his helmet; he just used them. And her.

  She just wished he’d use her for something she was good at, or at least could even attempt.

  She knew it was futile, but she tried again anyway. “My lord, I am humbled by your faith in me, but I fear that in this case it may be misplaced. I am doing the best I can with the information we received from the Seers, but I’m running out of places to search.”

  “I personally assured the Empress and her Imperial Champion that your background and nature meant that you would be able to assist in finding the Prince, Seventh Novice.” Lord Azure narrowed his eyes at her. “Will you make me a liar?”

  Seven gritted her teeth. “No, my lord. I will find him, on my honor. It would just be easier if—”

  “A true knight does not seek ease,” Lord Azure interrupted. “If you are ever to be worthy of joining the Order of the First Water, you must learn to swim against the current, not with it.”

  He was lecturing her about not taking the easy path? She swallowed hysterical laughter, forcing her voice to stay politely neutral. “I will bear that in mind, Lord Azure.”

  “Do so.” Lord Azure waved her onward with airy condescension. “Now continue, Seventh Novice. Your talents may be shallow compared to the true magics of a sea dragon, but in this task they are of some small use. Your savage instincts have led us this far, have they not?”

  In fact, Google StreetView had led them this far. Of course, to Lord Azure, that was just as arcane as any theoretical power her animal might have granted her. Stifling a sigh, Seven pulled out her phone, and tried once again to make the second-hand descriptions of the Seers’ visions of the Prince’s location match up with an actual street address.

  “This way, my lord,” she said, trying to sound firm and decisive, and not at all like she was picking a direction at random.

  The streets were becoming more crowded as the evening darkened into night. They were some way off the main strip, thank the sea, but there were still more than enough bars and casinos around to attract tourists. Seven led Lord Azure through the thickening throng, uncomfortably aware of the eddy of amusement and curiosity swirling in their wake. Even in Vegas, a pair of people dressed in armor tended to attract stares. She wished she’d been able to persuade Lord Azure to swap his mother-of-pearl greaves for a pair of jeans.

  Human thinking, she chided herself. She lifted her chin, mimicking Lord Azure’s aristocratic disdain for the double-takes and raised cellphone cameras. She tried to view the gawking tourists like a sea dragon would—mere land dwellers, to be pitied for their inability to ever understand the wonders beneath the waves.

  Still, she found herself dropping one hand to the hilt of her sheathed stunsword. The smooth pearl pommel comforted her sweating palm. If the worst happened—if all those wide eyes narrowed, if the whispers turned to shouts, if the crowd surged forward with yells of freak, freak!—at least this time she could defend herself.

  Her animal stirred, somewhere in the depths of her mind. Seven drew in a deliberate, calming breath, banishing the old memories before they could rouse her beast any further. That was the last thing she needed right now…or ever.

  Go back to sleep, she told the silent, mindless killer that shared her soul. There’s nothing for you here.

  To her alarm, her animal refused to settle. She could usually banish its sleek, silent presence without trouble, but now it surged up from her subconscious like a whale breaching the surface of the ocean. The glare of neon signs was abruptly brighter, shimmering with unnamed colors beyond human perception. The dry desert air rasped against her skin, stirred by the breaths of uncountable living creatures.

  So many warm bodies. So much prey…

  Not now! Seven clenched her teeth together as hard as she could, but it was impossible to block out the flood of tastes. All around her, a thousand thousand trails stretched out, each with its own unique, tantalizing flavor…

  And one that tasted of home.

  “Seventh Novice?”

  She hadn’t been aware of closing her eyes, but they flew open at Lord Azure’s voice. The sea dragon was frowning at her with an expression of mild annoyance, as though she was a cellphone with a flaky signal.

  “The Prince.” She took a shallow breath through her mouth, struggling to separate out that salt-sea whisper from the barrage of human scents. “I think…I think I can find him.”

  Lord Azure made a noise somewhere between a cluck of exasperation and a sharply plucked harp string, which translated as a distinctly uncomplimentary comment if you happened to understand sea dragon language.

  “No, I know that’s what we were trying—I mean, I can actually sense him, my lord!” Seven rotated on the spot, grasping for that tenuous thread. “He’s close…this way!”

  She plunged down a side-street without waiting for a response. Her beast seemed as eager to follow the trail as she was, pulling her onward with mindless determination. She’d never before felt so close to her animal, not even when wearing its form. An aching, maddening hunger hollowed her guts. She needed this prey, to catch him, taste him, claim him…

  Okay, that’s enough. Alarmed, Seven hauled her animal back. It fought her even harder than before, thrashing in the net of her willpower. For a heart-stopping second, she wasn’t sure she could hold it.

  The bright, maddening flavors in the air faded as she regained control. It was like having a weighted blanket dropped over her head. She blinked, feeling muffled and confused, struggling to make sense of the world through merely human senses.

  “The Prince is here?” Lord Azure said, sounding distinctly dubious.

  Blurs of color resolved back into recognizable objects. Seven found herself squinting up at a flashing neon sign depicting a winking cat rubbing up against a…chicken?

  “I think it’s a nightclub,” she said, not entirely sure herself.

  Lord Azure sniffed. “It is a hovel. But what can one expect of humans? Wait here, Seventh Novice. You are just a squire, but they cannot deny my right to enter.”

  It took Seven a second to work out the misunderstanding, by which point Lord Azure was already storming down the street. She pelted after him, dodging a giggling, stumbling hen party. “No, Lord Azure, wait! Not a club for knights!”

  The bouncer lounging by the club’s door did a double-take at the six-foot-nine fully armored figure bearing down on him. A brief moment of pained calculation flickered over his face—am I being paid enough for this? Apparently he was, as the man straightened.
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  “Hold it, Jon Snow.” The bouncer barred the sea dragon’s way. “Security check.”

  Lord Azure drew himself up to his full height, regarding the smaller man coldly. “I do not know this ‘Jon Snow’ of whom you speak. You have the honor of addressing—”

  “Aragorn,” Seven panted, grabbing Lord Azure’s arm. It was impossible to squeeze it in warning through the plate mail, but fortunately the flagrant breach of etiquette appeared to have stunned him into outraged speechlessness. “From The Lord of the Rings. Sorry, he takes his cosplay very seriously. Hates being misidentified. Can we come in?”

  With the expression of a man who was regretting all his life’s decisions, the bouncer produced a metal detector. “Can you pass a security check?”

  Seven looked at the metal detector. She looked at Lord Azure.

  The sea dragon knight glowered at them both. “I fail to see the problem. I am extremely secure. Carry out your check, if that is your duty, small human male. And be quick about it.”

  With a shrug, the bouncer waved the device over Seven. It let out a few hiccups over the studded rivets of her stingray-leather armor, but was otherwise silent. For once she was grateful that as a squire she wasn’t permitted to carry a real blade. Her stunsword was made from coral and pearl, so didn’t register as a weapon to the metal detector.

  Evidently the bouncer didn’t recognize it as a weapon either, as he waved her aside without comment. The instant he turned the metal detector in Lord Azure’s direction, the machine let out a shriek like a howler monkey being fed into a car wash. Seven was only surprised it didn’t actually burst into flame.

  “Next time, try wearing pants that don’t clank, buddy.” The bouncer holstered his metal detector. He jerked his chin at Seven. “You can go in as you are, but Spartacus here is going to have to strip down.”

  Lord Azure’s broad shoulders bunched ominously. “I am a Knight of the Order of the First Water, oath-bound and honor-sworn to complete my mission or die in the attempt. The Pearl Empress herself entrusted me with this duty. Do you truly wish to stand in my way?”

  The bouncer’s brow furrowed. “I don’t remember any Pearl Empress in The Lord of the Rings.”

  “One of the lesser-known appendices,” Seven said, grabbing Lord Azure’s arm again before he got them arrested, shot, or both. “My lord, may I beg your indulgence for a moment?”

  Lord Azure grumbled something under his breath in sea dragon but allowed Seven to drag him away a few steps. “If I but had my blade, I would challenge that sea slug to a duel for his impudence.”

  “Alas, my lord, we do not have the time to retrieve your weapon from our hotel.” Seven was very grateful that even Lord Azure had been forced to accept that it was not possible to carry an enormous golden broadsword through the streets of a human city without attracting unhealthy amounts of attention. They’d had more than one police cruiser slow to a crawl as it went past them as it was.

  “Please, my lord,” she said. “Let me go in alone. Your skills and expertise would be wasted in such a menial task.”

  Lord Azure started to make a retort, then hesitated. His gaze went from her to the nightclub and back again.

  “The Imperial Champion did promise the…honor of guarding the Prince to the first warrior who found him,” he said slowly.

  He had indeed. It was possibly less of an incentive than the Imperial Champion had intended. Seven had a sneaking suspicion that the other knights were searching the rest of the city very, very slowly.

  Lord Azure was evidently having much the same thought. “Very well. Seventh Novice, it seems fate that this quest falls to you.”

  “A quest?” Her heart gave a great leap. “My lord, you would consider this a formal quest? Sufficient to qualify me for knighthood at last?”

  Lord Azure blew out his breath. “I cannot deny that dragging the wayward Prince away from this den of vice and back to his duty would indeed be a great feat. Perhaps one difficult to write a heroic ballad about, but a feat nonetheless.” He paused, studying her. “You realize that should you accept, you will have to go with the Prince. Guard his life with your own, as he performs his duties on his fire crew. You will be far from the sea, landlocked, surrounded by dangers unknown.”

  Her pulse thrummed with excitement. Like the rest of Atlantis, she’d heard rumors about the perils that the Prince’s firefighting crew had faced last year. Demonic creatures, foes worthy to test the strongest knight…

  If she saved the Prince from something like that, no one would doubt her honor or abilities ever again.

  She adopted a formal attitude of humble beseeching, dropping to one knee. “Please, my lord. I am not afraid. Honor me with this quest, I beg you.”

  Lord Azure gave her a long, considering look. Then he nodded. “Very well, Seventh Novice. If you can convince the Prince to accept you into his service, you may consider this your quest. Protect him well, and you shall be a Knight of the First Water.”

  Seven saluted, fist to heart. “Thank you, my lord. I shall not fail you.”

  Lord Azure narrowed his eyes at her. “Behave with utter decorum, Seventh Novice. Remember that no matter how he may act, the Crown Prince is of the blood royal, and our future Emperor. I am trusting you to act as my right hand. Do anything to shame me, and I shall strike you off without hesitation.”

  Seven was certain that Lord Azure would cut off his own literal right hand if he decided it had offended his honor. She hid the flutter of nerves in her stomach with another deep bow, then hastened back to the bouncer before Lord Azure could give her any more motivational pep talks.

  The cover charge turned out to be eye-watering. Seven reluctantly peeled twenties from her rapidly diminishing roll of bills, all of which had come from her personal bank account. Money, like so many things, was an unknown concept to Lord Azure.

  Oh well. It’s not as if I ever planned to live on land again. Nonetheless, Seven couldn’t suppress a pang as her hard-earned money disappeared into the bouncer’s pocket. In her previous life, that would have fed her and her mother for the better part of a month.

  Of course, that was mere spare change to the Crown Prince, born to inherit all the treasures of the sea. She’d always tried to ignore undersea gossip, but it was impossible to live in Atlantis without hearing about the Prince’s extravagant exploits.

  He must go through money almost as fast as he goes through women, Seven thought sourly as the bouncer held the door open for her. Born with everything, knows the value of nothing.

  Stepping into the club was like getting hit by a tidal wave. Glaring, whirling lights and harsh, thudding bass overwhelmed her sensitive shifter senses, leaving her deafened and blinded.

  She sucked in a gasp of air—which was a mistake. Lust and sweat and frustration and glee...the heady cocktail of hormones spiked straight to the deepest, most primitive parts of her brain. Her inner beast surged, mouth gaping wide.

  For a moment, it was all Seven could do not to turn and flee straight back into the night. Only the thought of her quest kept her feet rooted in place. She scrunched her eyes closed, fighting her animal instincts while the pulsing music shook her bones like a dog.

  How can the Prince stand this? Why would any shifter come to such an awful place?

  “Welcome to Cock and Pussy!” said a professionally bright, cheerful voice.

  With heroic effort, Seven forced her eyes open, and found herself staring at a pair of nipples.

  They had tassels on them.

  Pink ones.

  Now Seven understood why the Prince frequented this particular establishment.

  “You look a little lost,” said the owner of the nipples. “I’m Carole, and I’ll be your hostess for the evening. Would you like me to show you around?”

  “Uh…” With some difficulty—how are those stuck on?—Seven managed to wrench her gaze upward. “I’m, uh, I’m…looking for someone.”

  Carole quirked an eyebrow. “Well, we pride ourselves on cat
ering to all tastes here. What kind of ‘someone’ did you have in mind?”

  “No! I mean I’m looking for a man. A specific man.” Seven stretched one hand above her head as high as she could reach. “About six foot eight? Dark brown skin, turquoise eyes, black hair with blue highlights?”

  The hostess’s glossy smile cracked for a moment, revealing a flash of true interest. “He said he was waiting for someone. Is that you?”

  Surely the Pearl Empress must have sent at least a few texts to her errant son before dispatching armed warriors. “Yes,” Seven said, trying to sound confident. “He’s expecting me.”

  “Huh.” Carole’s gaze swept over Seven’s armor. “Gotta say, you’re not what I was expecting. Well, well, well. Follow me, hon. I’ll take you to him.”

  A nearby woman, who must have been eavesdropping, barred the hostess’s way. She wasn’t the sort of person Seven would have expected to see at a tacky strip joint. From her Manolo Blahnik shoes to the black cocktail dress clinging to her curves, everything about her discretely murmured money and class. A long, scarlet silk scarf wound around her long, elegant throat. She wore a second, matching scarf as a head wrap, pulled low over her forehead. A lush mane of midnight hair tumbled down her back.

  “Excuse me, but I couldn’t help overhearing,” the woman said to Carole, not sounding at all apologetic. Even Lord Azure would have envied her aristocratic hauteur. Her hard, light brown eyes flicked to Seven. “I was here first.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am,” Carole said, in sweet tones that carried a distinct undercurrent of screw you, bitch. “I’ll get to you as soon as I can, and do my best to make sure you leave satisfied. Please, enjoy another drink in the meantime. On the house.”

  Seven found herself dragged onward, Carole’s arm firmly wound through hers. She could feel the scarf-wearing woman’s stare through the back of her armor.

  “Gah. There’s always one creep,” Carole muttered. She patted Seven’s hand, releasing her again. “Sorry about that, hon. This way.”