Fire Maidens: London

by Lowe, Anna

  Liam pointed to his sports car. “Definitely my car. If you’re done borrowing it, I mean.”

  She flashed a tight smile and held out the key. “All done. Thank you.”

  “Andiamo,” Sergio urged.

  “After you,” Liam murmured, waving Gemma on.

  She slid into the car and clipped on her seat belt just in time for Liam to peel out of the parking lot, scattering more gravel.

  “Ready or not,” he murmured as the tires screeched. “Here we go.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Driving wasn’t normally a pulse-raising experience for Liam, but his heart hammered all the way home. It had started to rain, and the swishing wipers added to his sense of urgency. He kept checking the sky and the mirrors. No one followed — except Sergio, who was tailgating, as usual.

  Can’t you get any more speed out of that thing? Sergio muttered into his mind.

  Liam shot a dirty look into the rearview mirror. It beats the Mini.

  Sergio sighed and muttered something about Italy, real men, and real cars.

  The sense of urgency was only one reason Liam’s pulse was through the roof. The other was having Gemma back, which made his heart race in a good way. He reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles. What a fool he’d been. A lucky fool.

  “I’m the lucky fool,” she murmured, caressing his cheek.

  He glanced over in surprise. She’d read his thoughts — a sure sign they were destined mates.

  Of course she’s my mate, his inner lion sniffed.

  Gemma just smiled. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed he hadn’t actually spoken aloud.

  “I did tell you about mates, didn’t I?” he asked. The last thing he wanted was to miss one of those details she had a right to know.

  She squeezed his hand. “I’d love to hear more, but right now, I’m more worried about the Lombardis. What do we do if they find us?”

  Exactly what he’d been trying to figure out, but his mind was still spinning.

  So, think, his lion growled. Think.

  “Still working on it,” he admitted. “The castle has its defenses, though.”

  The problem was, he wasn’t sure how well they’d held up over the years, nor how many dragons to expect. He mulled that over all the way back home. So many unknowns, so little time to prepare, and too little intel on what was coming their way. Being with Gemma helped calm him, but her presence reminded him how much was at stake too.

  Sergio revved the Maserati, reminding Liam he didn’t have to face the enemy alone. The brooding mountains of Wales offered some comfort as well. It was as if the ghosts of his ancestors were out there, telling him he would make his stand on home turf. His last stand?

  He pushed the thought away, as any good soldier would, and concentrated on factors within his control. Gemma gnawed her fingernails, and he wished he could reassure her. He knew that feeling all too well from his early days in the Legion — the agony of waiting out the calm before the storm.

  “Almost there,” he murmured as they swung around the last few turns.

  Finally, they raced into the castle’s forecourt. Gemma jumped out and threw open the barn doors, and both he and Sergio pulled their vehicles in.

  “Coming?” Liam called over his shoulder.

  Sergio stopped to touch the roof of his car, cursing the Lombardis if they dared damage his beloved Maserati.

  Liam ought to have laughed, but all he felt was sorrow. He had a mate to fight for. All Sergio had was a car. Well, and pride and honor, but those went without saying. Just one more reminder of how lucky he was.

  Then he ran to the main door, prepared for Gareth to bellow about his Mini Cooper being left behind. But when the old man appeared, he simply hurried everyone in.

  “The Lombardis. I know.”

  Liam stared. Most of the time, Gareth took pains to demonstrate how blind, deaf, and achy he was. But there he was, bounding along like a man half his age.

  “I have my spies, you know.” Gareth pointed to the ravens circling overhead. “I’ve already started to prepare the defenses.”

  Liam could have hugged the man, but of course, that wouldn’t do.

  “Hurry along. You there.”

  “Sergio,” the wolf shifter filled in, thumping his chest.

  “Come along. Help me with the drawbridge.”

  Sergio stepped forward, but Gemma waved him ahead. “You and Liam go on. How can I miss my chance to raise a drawbridge?”

  She flashed a thin smile, and Liam fell in love with her all over again. He would have stopped to kiss her if Sergio hadn’t groaned.

  “Enough kissing,” the wolf shifter huffed. “Concentrate.”

  Liam nodded to Gareth. “We’ll check the defenses and rendezvous in the dining room.” Then he glanced at Gemma and sent the last part directly into Gareth’s mind. If the Lombardis strike before that, keep her safe. Promise me you will.

  Gareth pursed his lips in a stiff expression that said, Do you have to ask? But for the first time ever, his eyes sparkled with something bordering on respect.

  Gemma turned and apologized to the raven shifter. “I’m sorry I left. I panicked.”

  Gareth put on his best sour face. “Mr. Bennett does have that effect on people, miss.”

  Liam forced himself to run ahead. The next three hours passed in a flurry of activity as they battened down the hatches, so to speak. The problem was, a castle had a hell of a lot of hatches to see to. That, and the niggling question of what exactly to expect.

  Still, rushing through last-minute preparations was the easy part. Sealing entrances, removing loose kindling, closing fireproof shutters — all that kept a man’s hands and mind busy. But then the waiting began. Everyone met in the dining room, feigning interest in the tea Gareth had served or the pattern of the stone floor. Hardly a word was spoken, though Gemma’s touch spoke volumes.

  I love you. I trust you. I know we can get through this.

  Liam flashed her a thin smile. I love you. I trust you. I…

  He couldn’t bring himself to say, I know we can get through this, because that would be a lie. No one could promise that, not even a man ready to fight to the death for the woman he loved.

  Instead, he added, I love you, and gave her hand another squeeze.

  Gareth turned to Sergio. “What exactly do you know about the Lombardis?”

  He made a face. “We have identified two. Petro, the older brother, recently returned from America…”

  Gemma’s brow folded into lines.

  “…to join Lorenzo, the younger brother, in London,” Sergio continued.

  “Is he the one I saw on the subway?” Gemma asked.

  Liam gave a grim nod. “Sounds like.”

  Gareth didn’t look impressed. “The question is whether those young guns are working independently or under a seasoned commander.”

  “Like who?” Sergio asked.

  Gareth frowned. “Enzo Lombardi. One of the old guard. We can only hope he won’t stray this far from his lair.”

  Liam thought that over. The name sounded familiar, but why?

  Silence set in again, and he stared out the window, listening to the tick of the grandfather clock. When the silence stretched, he looked around, waiting for someone to utter a few last-minute words. But then it hit him that he wasn’t in the Legion any more, and the only commander present was… Well, him.

  Gareth’s eyes lingered on him. You’re the man of the house, lad.

  Liam took a deep breath and gulped down that stark reality. All right, fine. The question was, what to say? There was no need for a pep talk, not with a group as determined as this.

  At first, all that came to mind were the guaranteed-to-work jokes everyone loved. A lion, an Englishman, and a clergyman go to a pub…

  He scowled. That might do for a foot soldier who wanted to keep the mood light, but not for the position he found himself in.

  Finally, he glanced around and spoke straight from the heart. “Funny how
things circle around.”

  Everyone looked at him, waiting for more.

  He studied the ornate wooden ceiling, then the heavy mantelpiece. “One generation lives in a place… They love the place, really, and turn cold stone walls into a home.” His throat felt dry and scratchy, but he pressed on. “Then a child is born, and the home fills up more than it would with a hundred suits of armor.” He looked into the fire as memories drifted through his mind. “Then everything changes, and the child becomes a man. Or so he thinks.” He sighed. “He moves to a place as far from home as possible. To explore. Discover. To fight battles dictated by his commanders. But eventually, something pulls him back.” He flashed Gemma a smile. “And that empty place feels like home all over again.”

  Sergio stared off into the distance. “Not everyone can go home.”

  Liam looked at his friend. The Foreign Legion wasn’t big on digging through any soldier’s past, so he’d never heard Sergio’s full story. But, hell. If they made it through the next few hours, maybe he should ask.

  He hunched his shoulders. “I thought I couldn’t, but here I am. Maybe we end up where we started, no matter how far we wander in between. In a good way, I mean. And if—”

  Cold air sliced through his nerves, and he broke off in mid-sentence, holding up a hand. Everyone froze. He listened, then pointed. Did they sense what he did? That feeling of a cold front sweeping in from the sea — except it was speeding in from the east.

  At first, everyone looked at him strangely. But a moment later, Gemma paled, and Sergio’s ears perked. Gareth looked up exactly at the same moment the ravens outside started cawing wildly.

  “They’re coming,” Gareth murmured without a trace of emotion.

  Liam’s eyes locked with Sergio’s. Battle stations.

  Battle stations. Sergio nodded.

  Liam’s station was the roof, but he pulled Gemma into a hug first. She slid her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

  “Be careful. Please.”

  “You too. Stay with Gareth. Stay safe.”

  She grimaced, making his heart ache. He hated relegating her to hiding away, but there was no other way. Not with deadly shifters closing in.

  Then he kissed her — all too briefly — and glanced at Gareth.

  I promise to keep her safe. Gareth nodded, waving to the stairs.

  Which left Liam with no choice but to shoot Gemma one last, heartrending look before charging away. Sergio was ten steps ahead, and that wouldn’t do. Around and around, Liam went, following the spiral stairs to the roof. Then he thrust aside the heavy metal door and burst outside.

  Gemma… his lion mourned.

  He forced himself to focus. In the past, he’d fought hard, and sometimes, even fought smart. But if he wanted to see his mate again, he would have to do both.

  So he dead-bolted the door behind him, using the hidden mechanism that slid steel bars into place from the inside. Then he scanned the sky through the increasing drizzle. Somewhere behind the clouds, the sun was setting, casting everything in weak, yellow-gray light.

  “Over there.” Sergio pointed to the east.

  Liam tapped the sky with a finger, counting shadows that didn’t fit among the clouds. “One…two…three…four.”

  His gut tightened. Four dragons against two land-bound shifters? Not good.

  Sergio shook his head. “Three dragons and something else.”

  Liam stripped out of his shirt. Whatever that was, he would challenge it in lion form.

  A rhythmic, chopping sound reached his ears, and Sergio shot him a grim look. “Three dragons and a helicopter.”

  Liam frowned. What the hell?

  A long plume of fire lit up the sky, and the first dragon cackled. Ready or not, here we come.

  Liam nodded to Sergio. Oh, they were ready, all right.

  He split off to the left, while Sergio went right, hunched over so as not to be spotted behind the ramparts. Within a few steps, they shifted and trotted to opposite points of the roof. The central area was as big as two volleyball courts and ringed by watchtowers and ramparts. Narrow, walled walkways radiated to the outer defenses, but for now, he and Sergio stuck to the central roof as they had agreed.

  Liam crouched, peeking through a slit in the wall. One dragon led the way, with two flanking its wingtips and a helicopter not far behind. How on earth were he and Sergio going to stop so many at once?

  But the first dragon swooped upward and started circling, letting the other two race ahead. The commander, from what Liam could tell — Enzo Lombardi, watching his young guns, Lorenzo and Petro, at work.

  Fine. Let him watch, his lion growled.

  He made eye contact with Sergio. I’ll take the first one. You take the second.

  Sergio nodded grimly. Liam slowed his breathing, though his heart hammered away. The air above him rushed, and the incoming dragon roared.

  He coiled every muscle, ready to strike.

  The dragon roared a second time, spitting a line of fire that scoured the roof. A moment later, the beast’s head and long neck zoomed into view.

  Now!

  Liam jumped out, claws bared. For one thrilling moment, he was sailing through the air. Then, smack! — he crash-landed on the dragon’s neck and dug in with everything he had. Claws. Teeth. Even his long, tufted tail whipped the dragon’s side. When the enemy roared and twisted, Liam ditched, rolling to one side.

  By then, the second dragon had swept in, ready to fire-blast Liam. But Sergio attacked it from the other side, and the dragon’s spray of fire sliced wildly through the air. When Sergio jumped clear, the dragon shot onward, screaming in fury.

  Liam watched as the dragons wheeled and regrouped. Well, fine. He and Sergio would regroup, too.

  Incoming, Sergio murmured.

  Liam watched as the helicopter hovered over one of the outer towers. One…two…three…four shadowy figures sprang out, and the helicopter flew off into the intensifying rain.

  Mercenaries, Sergio muttered. Three wolves and a lion.

  Liam stared. Fighting three dragons was a tall enough order. He and Sergio had to take on four-footed shifters too?

  The newcomers split up and circled the outer walls, creeping along the narrow walkways to the central keep. With a hellish howl, they all closed in. Behind them, the dragons roared.

  Liam charged through the rain, roaring in defiance. The first wolf, he batted aside with one huge paw. Then he lunged for the neck of the second wolf before rolling away. Sergio fought the third wolf, and behind them, something growled.

  We meet again, a familiar voice rumbled.

  Rutland, Liam spat, recognizing the scarred lion. Apparently, the mercenary had switched from Archie’s payroll to the Lombardis’. That figured.

  Mr. Bennett, Rutland chuckled.

  Liam fumed — so much he nearly overlooked a sweeping shadow. He rolled clear at the last moment, and a dragon zoomed past, clicking its claws an inch over his head.

  Coward, Liam cursed through his next roar.

  Now he saw the dragons’ plan. They would let their mercenaries do the dirty work, while they darted in and out opportunistically. How long could he and Sergio possibly hold out against that?

  Not long, Sergio grunted as the enemy split into two groups for their next attack.

  Anger bubbled within Liam, threatening to slip over into sheer fury. Not the best way to keep a clear head in battle, but hey. The next time the mercenaries closed in, he parried quickly and leaped at the oncoming dragon. Lorenzo? Petro?

  For one brief, glorious moment, the dragon’s eyes went wide with surprise. You, a mere lion, dare attack me?

  But with a flick of its long tail and two beats of its mighty wings, the beast moved out of reach. Liam extended his paws as far as he could, barely nicking the dragon’s wing. Then he landed with a lurch and roared in frustration. How was he supposed to beat an enemy who refused to fight fair?

  Keep cool, Sergio barked in the brief
calm before the next assault.

  Liam didn’t want to keep cool. He wanted to tear those bastards out of the sky.

  So, do it. Get them, something inside him growled.

  Briefly, he registered that the something wasn’t his lion. But his focus was trained on Rutland, who was rallying the wolves into another attack.

  Behind them, three pairs of dragon eyes glittered, saying, The sooner you fall, the sooner we get our Fire Maiden. The sooner London will be ours.

  The mud-brown dragon had to be Lorenzo — the scents matched. That meant the other was his brother, Petro, and the copper-colored old-timer watching from the sidelines was Enzo.

  Liam roared in fury. Gemma will never be yours, and neither will London.

  He was in lion form, but it felt as if there were another beast inside him, growling and prowling around, demanding to be let out.

  You’re already out, Liam wanted to scream.

  A flock of ravens appeared out of the clouds, cawing loudly.

  Liam nodded. Reinforcements were always welcome.

  Look out, Sergio barked.

  Liam spun just in time to fend off Rutland and a wolf, while Sergio took on the other two. They met with a jumble of snarls and roars. A flurry of raven’s wings surrounded them, pecking wildly. Meanwhile, Rutland feinted forward then hung back, letting Lorenzo rush in from overhead.

  Now we’ve got you, Rutland laughed as the dragon opened fire. Fire so intense, it cut right through the rain.

  Liam dove, rolled, and came up behind Lorenzo. The dragon chuckled and beat its wings, ready to shoot out of reach.

  Not so fast, asshole, Liam roared, jumping.

  It was the highest jump of his life. The longest, too, taking him awfully close to the roof’s edge. Part of his mind registered the long drop, but somehow, he didn’t care. He reached out, straining to claw the enemy.

  And somehow, that jump — and the stretching sensation — went on and on, making him feel as if there was no need to land.

  Watch it! Sergio yelled as Liam sailed over the edge of the roof.

  Several stories below, the cobblestone courtyard loomed, ready to shatter every one of his bones — an injury not even a quick-healing shifter could recover from.

  Liam! Sergio cried.