All eyes turned to me. Even I was at a loss for what to say. I hadn't seen my Sylph do this, but the sounds I'd heard, the scream, and then seeing him there above the two of them. The evidence suggested something I couldn't accept. So…I didn't acknowledge it. "I—I don't know. I was upstairs with Grey—"
The pack knew it. The wolf handed the brick back to the Witch and filed upstairs with the rest of them. Bastien stayed.
"You need to see to Jack," I told him. I needed to talk to Arden. Alone.
"No, chérie." He shook his head. "I stay with you. You're exhausted, and you could fall at any minute." He gave me a half smile. "I said I would be there to catch you."
"Bastien"—Arden stood and let her coven members treat Kyle—"could you help the girls move Kyle upstairs and make sure he's in my car safely? Sam and I need to talk. Privately. Don't worry. If she swoons, you'll know it." She batted her eyes sweetly.
He looked from Arden to me and then nodded. "I'll be upstairs." With a last look at me, he scooped Kyle into his arms and preceded the women up the stairs.
Arden faced me. "What the hell—"
"It was my Sylph, Arden," I said as the walls came crashing down on me. "My Sylph attacked Jack and Kyle!"
FOURTEEN
I'd been holding my sorrow and loss by a razor's breath, so when Arden put her arms around me, I let it flow down my cheeks as I babbled to Arden what I'd seen in the basement and about Tas Damali and what she'd said earlier in the day. I told her about Cosgrove's visit as well, and then I just couldn't talk anymore. And to my surprise, she held me in her arms and never commented. She was warm and smelled of wildflowers and ocean breezes.
"I think we have a few more pieces now, Samantha," she said as she rocked with me. I buried my face against her shoulder. I hadn't realized she was a few inches taller than me. Or maybe the weight of everything had pulled me down. "We just don't know how they all fit together."
I shook my head and finally pulled back, though she kept her hands on mine. "I don't know how Nadeen fits into this, or my Sylph…my delicate Sylph…"
"Oh, stop that!" She actually tapped me on the head with her finger. "Sylphs are anything but delicate. You of all people should know that, after what I heard you pulled in Faerie when you faced down your fiancé with your Sylph's help. They are strong…just as much as their Fire counterparts. They are what drive us; empower us. Our Gnomes and Undines inspire us. And where are they? Did you call them?"
"They helped me heal Jack. Oh Arden, he was beaten so much worse than Kyle."
"Kyle probably put up a magical barrier. Jack doesn't have that ability. Or maybe Jack tried to protect Kyle. That would be my vote." She stood to the side and looked at the safe room. "We can assume your Sylph came for the ring."
I nodded.
"And was it your Sylph that attacked Dharma, Ivan, and Crwys last night on Bourbon?"
"I—I don't know. I didn't even know it happened till this morning when Ivan and Kyle told me." I rubbed at my face with my hands, and then moved them up to rake my fingers through my hair in frustration. "I can't see this one. I should be able to understand what the point is, but I can't."
"No one said that." Arden redirected her attention on me. "You're doing what you can with what you've got. And right now, you're doing it with a hole in your power, injured coven mates, a hard working fiancé, and"—she looked up the steps—"a wolf who'd do anything for you, who's drowning right now because he's unsure where to go."
I knew she meant Bastien. His pack already didn't trust me. "I'm not good for him."
"For Bastien? Not like this. You've got a Dragon and a Werewolf who care about you. Two species that mate for life, Samantha."
"Dragons do too?"
"I'm just assuming that, but given he's bat-shit crazy about you and asked you to marry him, I'd put bets on him being committed. Look, it's getting late and you need comfort I don't have the right body parts for." She moved behind me and slapped my bottom. "Up those stairs so you can say good-bye to Bastien. He won't leave until you do."
"Is Kyle going to be—"
She held up her hand as we neared the stairs. "Kyle's going to be fine. I'll send him home when he's done healing."
We walked up the steps in silence as I followed her out the back door. The pack van was gone. Just Bastien's motorcycle was left. Arden's Mercedes was parked near the parking lot exit, cranked and waiting on her.
Bastien sat on a nearby crate near the trash. The same crate that'd been out there for months after Kyle got his novena.
I walked Arden to her car and saw that Kyle was in good hands in the back. One of the other coven members was at the wheel. Arden faced me before she got in the car. "This is going to work out."
I nodded. There wasn't much else to say. I watched them exit the parking lot before I strolled up to Bastien.
He jumped up and invaded my space. He was good at that. "Chérie—"
"Bastien…I heard you came to the hospital yesterday."
He looked at his hands as he toyed with the single gold band on his right ring finger. "Oui."
"But you didn't come in and see me."
"He was there, and he wouldn't let me pass. It wasn't the place to pick a fight."
Not this again. "Bastien—there's no reason to fight."
"It can't be helped, chérie. You are my mate."
"Bastien—"
He held up a hand and his stern look stopped me. "Don't tell me to stop how I feel. I can't. I've tried. By the Goddess…I have tried, mon petite. But my heart is yours. I have stayed away—"
"I noticed."
He smiled. "You did?" And then he laughed.
I couldn't help myself. I missed him. And his brashness. His sometimes odd accent and his… Dammit. I missed him. And for the first time since he bit me…I didn't think still wanting him in my life had anything to do with that bond. Or the pack link. I honestly cared for Bastien.
He pulled me to him and held me. I resisted at first, but his warmth and the earthy, heady smell of him had a comfort to it I couldn't escape. I felt safe in his arms, and I didn't feel…young. I didn't feel like I was being coddled by a…Titan.
I felt the rumble of the Mustang's engine before I heard it and saw it turn into the parking lot. I pulled away from Bastien quickly, but not before Crwys saw us in the embrace. He stopped the car beside us, stared at me, and then pulled into his usual spot.
Moving back from me, Bastien mumbled, "This does not look good."
And it didn't. I started toward Crwys as he jumped out of his car and slammed the door. "Crwys—"
But he wasn't in the mood to talk. Staring at Bastien, he held a hand out to me and blasted me with some kind of heat…something. I was off my feet and rolling away on the asphalt before I could catch my breath.
"Mon dieu!" Bastien cried out. "Are you crazy? You could have killed her!"
I slowly brought myself up onto my hands and knees as I became aware of what sounded like a fight. But I heard a growl and then a full on roar-like noise that was going to alert the neighbors. When I could focus again I saw…
Lady Darksome…
A wolf and a winged man were literally throwing blows in the parking lot. Bastien had shifted into his huge red wolf form and Crwys…his shirt was pretty much burned off with only pieces of it hanging off his arms with singed edges. A pair of reddish, glistening Dragon wings sprouted from his back. They looked a lot like a bat's wings. I recognized them from his true form, but these were smaller, more man-sized, and he was using them to fly up, dart down, and literally pummel Bastien's arched back. Flames of red and amber licked around them both, and I smelled burning fur.
"St
op it!" I yelled as I got to my feet. That off-balance feeling wasn't going away, so I reached out and put my hand on my Jeep as I focused on them.
They have to stop. They're going to attract attention. Someone's going to snap a picture. Grey stood at the back door barking at them. I quickly decided the barking was a good thing; it might mask some of the sounds of this supernatural battle.
My Undine appeared in front of me in her larger size, gave me a sad smile, and then disappeared. Within minutes, they were both doused with water. I didn't know where she'd gotten the water, since we hadn't had any rain in over a month. And the clouds overhead didn't look like they were going to release rain anytime soon.
But it did its job. Bastien looked like a pitiful wet dog, and Crwys—steam rose from his entire body, visible under the parking lot lights.
"I said, stop," I finally managed to get out as I limped toward the two of them.
I thought that would end it.
I was wrong.
The water didn't have the same effect on Bastien it'd had on Crwys. The wolf went up on his back feet and shifted again, only this time into something more frightening. I'd never seen this side of him. This was a legendary Werewolf form, half man and half wolf.
Sam! Grey called out. He's using warform. He'll kill Crwys!
Kill a Dragon? Not likely. I'd stopped my advance when I saw Bastien shift, but Crwys hadn't been paying attention to the wolf. His eyes were on me. He didn't see the blow coming; the one that raked long claws down his back and side and sent him spinning into the air. Crwys slammed against the side the building and dropped with a thud to the ground. He wasn't moving.
"Stop it!" I screamed at Bastien as I started toward him.
Bastien wasn't listening. He was too zeroed in on his fallen opponent.
-Do you want me to stop him?-
DO IT!
It'd been several months since I'd released control of things to the Arcane. The power that surged forward and coalesced into a single red sparkling ball in front of me had an odd, familiar feel. I aimed at Bastien just as he lunged for Crwys. The ball of Arcane connected with him in mid-leap. It knocked him away from the building, away from Crwys, and into the fence. But it didn't stop there. It surrounded him, wove itself inside of him as red arcs twisted and punished him. His warform slipped away as he became Bastien the human, but he still writhed on the ground, screaming.
No…no…no stop it. Stop it. Stop it! Stopitstopitstopit!
-Are you sure?-
Yes!
The Arcane ball of power vanished. I blinked a few times and looked to the right at Bastien, who lay on his side, nude, curled into a fetal position as he panted, and then to the left where Crwys lay sprawled on the ground, still unmoving.
With both of these men down before me, I felt a tug in both directions. To Bastien or to Crwys? Should there really be hesitation? In the end, I ran to Crwys. I ran to my heart. "Crwys!" I stumbled to the ground beside him and put my hand on his neck, just as I had with Jack and Kyle. I felt a strong pulse. His face was cut and bruising, and so were his shoulders and arms. Even his wings looked as if they'd been damaged as they rested at odd angles. He was a Dragon. He would heal. He had to heal.
I put my hand on his shoulder and willed everything I could into him. And after a few minutes, he stirred. His wings moved, snapped, and bent as they folded themselves against his back. I felt Bastien vanish. He was there…and then he wasn't. As Crwys pushed himself up onto his feet, I heard the cry of a wolf howl through the half-empty streets.
"Crwys—" I put my hand on his arm, and to my surprise, he brushed it way.
"Don't," was all he said.
I pushed myself up on my feet and watched as he struggled with the added weight of the wings. Why didn't he put them away? I'd never seen him use them before. Why did he do that? Why did he rush at Bastien? Needing answers, I followed behind him as he limped through the back to the break room. I locked the door and set the alarm as Grey padded in behind me.
Crwys stopped at the break room sink and turned the cold water on full blast. He splashed it on his face, making steam rise as it cooled his skin. He finally stood back, bent forward, and braced himself against the sink. When he didn't say anything, I did. "Crwys…please don't be angry. Nothing happened with Bastien."
"I know," he said in a low voice. It wasn't his usual tone, but something…tired. Worn down. "I would know if that were to happen. I have a keen sense of smell too."
Oh. I took a step forward. "He was here because Jack and Kyle were attacked in the basement."
That bit of information brought back a little of the Crwys I wasn't frightened of. And I was really, really scared at that moment. "Who attacked them?"
I cleared my throat. "I think my Sylph did. It used those bricks in the safe room to beat the crap out of both of them. Jack took the worst. The pack knew and they came. They took Jack, and Arden arrived and took Kyle."
He leaned back over the sink and rested his forehead on his hands. "Are they okay?"
"I think Kyle is. I don't know about Jack."
"And the ring?"
"Gone."
"I see. You saw your Sylph?"
"Yes, but he looked…Crwys he looked upset. And I think he wanted to tell me something, but he couldn't."
"You sure that wasn't just wishful thinking?"
His words stung, and I switched from frightened girl to bitchy Witch on a dime. "Screw you, Crwys Holliard. I know more about Elementals than you ever will. And I know my Sylph. If he did attack Jack and Kyle, he did it under duress. He's not like that! I could feel his confusion and angst."
"So…you ran into that wolf's arms to reassure yourself."
"Oh right and you just conveniently forgot to mention you had an attractive new detective working with you and Levi?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Detective Damali? Is she the real reason you've been working late so much?"
There were times in my life when I didn't where I'd screwed up. This wasn't one of them. I saw it in his face. I'd crossed some line somewhere, an invisible barrier I didn't know was there.
But then again, he'd crossed my limits as well. I knew he didn't like Bastien, and the feeling was mutual. It was pretty clear the riff between them was me. But Sweet Lady…I agreed to marry Crwys, to spend the rest of my life with him. Didn't that count for anything? And was this always going to be his reaction whenever I spoke to or was near Bastien LeBlanc? For crying out loud, I hadn't seen the man in months.
When I took a step closer to Crwys, I sensed anger. Lots of it. And frustration. No real hatred but…a lot of mean. "I didn't deserve that, Crwys. Kyle and Jack were attacked by my Sylph in my own basement. Bastien was here because of the pack link he shares with Jack—"
"And with you."
"Dammit!" I folded my hands into fists. "I told you I shut that link off. He didn't come because of me, but because of Jack. Jack's his pack mate." When Crwys didn't say anything else, I found I didn't like the awkward silence between us. I wanted to run to him as I always had. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, kiss him, and tell him I loved him. Show him I loved him. But…I hesitated for the first time since we'd rekindled this relationship. Why? Why couldn't I go to him? The answer was clear as I again felt something standing between us. Something old, and dark, and very, very dangerous. "Your wings are showing."
"I know they are."
"So…make them ago away." And I won't be so damn scared of you.
There was a long pause. "I can't."
"What do you mean you can't? Crwys, talk to me."
He straightened and faced me. I have to admit, he looked hot like that. Bare-chested with little to nothing left of his pants. No shoes. And the tips of his Dragon wings poking up over his shoulders. If his eyes hadn't been so full of hurt and anger, I'd have jumped on him.
"What's…going on?" I looked at Crwys. "Why aren't you healing?"
He wasn't looking at me, and that made me nervous. Inst
ead he grabbed something off the break room counter and walked past me without so much as a glance or even a nod. I stayed where I was, not sure what to say, or how to react as the alarm was disengaged and the door opened.
I was still standing there when I heard his car start up and drive away.
FIFTEEN
I didn't sleep that night either. I was too accustomed to Crwys's body, his heat and his smell, beside me. And I hadn't really understood just how far into my heart he'd placed himself. Guilt pushed me out of bed to one of the sofas in my living room. I made coffee—didn't drink it. I even poured myself a bowl of cereal when the morning sun brought with it the first heat of the day—didn't eat it.
What I did do was stalk my cell phone. I willed a message from him. Anything. I knew on some level if I just called him and apologized he'd be here with me. But what was I apologizing for? I hadn't done anything wrong. Regardless of how he and Bastien felt about each other, that really wasn't my problem and was something the two of them needed to get out of their systems.
Only…I was afraid if they did, Bastien wouldn't survive. I knew Werewolves were strong, and he was the strongest and the fastest, but to fight a Dragon? There wouldn't be anything left of Bastien LeBlanc but ash, and then I would hate Crwys.
I stood in the middle of my bathroom. I wore a gray tank top, with matching shorts and nothing else, except a stricken expression and puffy eyes. I hadn't realized I'd cried in the night until I took a good look at myself in the mirror.
My Undine appeared then, waiting for me to fill the sink for her. I did, absently, and water ran over the sides before she turned it off herself and then looked up at me.
-She's worried about you. All of us are.-
It was my Arcane. I'd grown to feel an odd comfort with her voice in my head.
"I wish I could hear them."
-You could, if you listened.-
"We can't hear our Elementals."
-Why not? I hear her. I hear your Gnome and your Salamander as well. And…I hear your Sylph.-
Elemental Storm (The Eldritch Files Book 6) Page 12
