by Ann Gimpel
Gasping for breath, Aislinn straightened, ready to help Fionn. He was cleaning a wicked-looking silvery blade on his leathers. A feral grin split his face as he re-sheathed it. “We learned something,” he said between harsh, raspy breaths.
“Yes. Take them from behind.” Aislinn knelt and drew Rune into her arms. “You are the best, the bravest, the most amazing—”
“Stop it. I did what needed doing. Let’s get moving.”
“The wolf speaks true.” Fionn turned to Bella where she perched on a dead Lemurian, feasting on its eyeballs. “Well done, my lady.”
“Thank you.” She plucked an eye out, held it in her beak, and flew to his shoulder. “You’re forgiven.”
Aislinn snorted. The bird had reverted to mind speech because her beak was busy. “We must be getting close if they sent a greeting party. Do you think we should try for mind contact with the young dragons?”
Fionn shook his head. “Not yet. Let the Old Ones believe their kin killed us, at least for a few minutes.”
“You’re not thinking.” She strode to his side. “They already know these four are dead because they’ve checked out of the hive mind.”
“That may be, but I still doona wish to send our magic any farther than we have to. At the moment, there’s only one way to go.” He pointed straight ahead. “Unless we get to a choice point, there’s no reason to stir things up further.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Fionn moved forward at a brisk pace. Aislinn walked beside him, with Rune next to her. No need to be stealthy. The Old Ones knew they were here. He sucked in a ragged breath. He’d nearly had a heart attack when Aislinn had gone toe-to-toe with the Lemurian, but there wasn’t any other way to kill them, unless he could come up with a surefire way to dismantle their shielding. He replayed the feel of it in his mind, and an idea formed. Fire wasn’t the ticket. The reptilian aliens had been forged in fire, much like the dragons. Earth just might do it. Lots of earth power, with just a smidgeon of air woven in.
They’d gotten lucky this time. Four Lemurians against four of them. The odds wouldn’t be as favorable once they got closer to the dragon younglings.
“I have an idea how we might disable their wards…” He launched into a description, but before he finished, she cut in.
“I don’t have enough magic for that. Just keeping myself warded drains me.”
“Good to know.” He didn’t like the next part, but didn’t see any way round it. “I will test my theory on one of their wards. If it works, ye must kill and kill quickly as soon as ye can get through their shields. If the three of you tag team, we might stay alive.”
“Agreed,” Rune and Bella said in unison.
“As soon as I’m done with one Lemurian, I’ll move to the next. If we sow enough confusion, mayhap we can get them to retreat.”
She snorted. “You’re assuming they’ll just stand still and let us mow through them. And that a dark god or two won’t show up at an inopportune time.”
“Nay, I’m assuming nothing of the sort. Ye must remain vigilant and hold your warding in place while ye kill.”
“What about Rune and Bella?”
“They’ll have to be damned careful. Or else remain right next to one of us, within our wards.” Breath whistled through his teeth. He shook his head. “That would mean they couldn’t kill with the alacrity we’re going to need.”
“Mother says you’re coming to get us.”
“Goddammit!” Fionn slammed a fist into his thigh. “Did ye hear that?”
Aislinn nodded. “If we did, so did everyone else within earshot. Dewi’s trying to comfort her younglings, but she doesn’t think.”
“Of course she does, but only of herself.” Fury boiled so hot, a red haze settled over his vision. Damn the fucking dragon to hell. He took a steadying breath and then another. He wouldn’t do any of them any good if he gave in to his rage. Killing Dewi wasn’t an option. He hoped Nidhogg had gotten his mate under control, but the damage was already done. He also hoped at least a few Celts had heeded his desperate message and were even now on their way to help.
“Mother says you’re coming to get us,” a voice mocked from the darkness ahead of them.
“Shit! It’s one of the dark gods.” Aislinn moved closer to him. Tension radiated off her.
“Keep moving. He’s by himself.” Fionn latched on to the concentration that had always made him a worthy adversary. Feral energy smoldered deep within him; it burned bright, anxious to be unleashed. Now was a time for action, not for hoping or cursing.
“Of course I am. And I have excellent hearing. Welcome to my castle.” Tokhots came into view. Long dark hair was pulled back from a beautiful face with high cheekbones and a sculpted chin. Fine dark eyes shone with anticipation. A crimson robe made of a silky fabric accentuated the perfect lines of his body. Like Perrikus and D’Chel, he was sex incarnate. Fionn didn’t bother to check for a full-blown erection. All the dark gods wanted to fuck Aislinn. Why should this one be any different?
“Last I checked, this castle belonged to the Irish government,” Fionn snarled.
Tokhots tossed back his perfectly-shaped head and laughed. The musical sound could have lured men to their deaths. “And last I checked, Celt, the Irish government had fallen, along with every other organized human structure on Earth.”
“If you’re the greeting party”—Aislinn sounded as if she were talking through clenched teeth—“take us to the baby dragons.”
Tokhots rolled his eyes. “What a handful two of them are. I can only imagine how it was with all eight. No wonder it was so easy for us to, um, borrow a couple.”
Dewi shrieked epithets into Fionn’s mind. He shook his head. “I don’t mind if you listen, but you have to shut up.”
Tokhots laughed again. “Their mother. She’s quite the piece of work.”
“Yes,” Aislinn said silkily. “Enough of a piece of work to steal Nidhogg from under your very noses.”
“I am in a good mood, human. Watch it. Things can change quickly.” The dark god moved closer. His lascivious gaze swept over Aislinn.
Her breath hitched.
Damn! Tokhots had spun a sexual net. It wasn’t Aislinn’s fault she was aroused. The dark ones used sex as a means of control.
Fionn stepped between them. “She’s mine. Leave her be.”
“Maybe we should ask the lady who she’d prefer. I can smell the heat from her sex from here.”
“The baby dragons,” Aislinn hissed. “You can fight over me later.”
“I suppose we could.” Tokhots nodded. “It might be amusing. D’Chel informed me you belonged to him. Now that I see you for myself, I believe I’ll give the old chap a merry go.”
“Like I said…” Fionn pushed Aislinn behind him. “She’s mine.”
Tokhots rolled his eyes. “You’re not even in the running, Celt. We’ll have sent you scuttling to the Dreaming long before her fate is decided.”
“Fine.” Aislinn shoved in front of Fionn and stormed past Tokhots, with Rune right behind her. “I’m not going to stand here while the two of you argue over me like I’m some prime cut of beef.”
“Sprirted,” Tokhots murmured. “I like that in a woman. It’s so much fun to watch them beg after I break them.”
“You mean after you kill them with your poison blood,” Fionn snarled.
Tokhots shrugged. “It is rather the same thing, don’t you think?”
Fionn judged his chances. He itched to take Tokhots on in single combat, but they were so evenly matched, they’d trade blows for days. Better to follow Aislinn and see what they faced. He tried to push past Tokhots; the dark god feinted and blocked the passage. Fionn went the other way. With the grace of a prize fighter, Tokhots blocked him again.
Fionn rolled his eyes. “Oh please. I’m not in the mood for your games.”
“I’m the trickster. Playing games is what I do.”
“Fine. Go back to the comics.”
“I’m surpr
ised at you, Celt. Marvel named their characters after us, not the other way round.”
“Are ye going to let me pass?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
Fionn stared down the dim passageway. He couldn’t see Aislinn anymore. He twitched the shoulder beneath Bella’s talons. The raven didn’t need a second invitation. She flew at Tokhots, beak open and talons extended. In the split second the dark god diverted his attention, Fionn swept past him, snapped up the raven as he went, and returned her to the relative protection of his ward.
When the blow came from behind him, as he’d known it must, it nearly knocked him off his feet. “Temper, temper,” he called over one shoulder. “What? Ye’re a sore loser?”
“Damn it, Celt. Turn around and fight like a man.”
“Sorry, I havena the time.”
“You like to play games. We could have some fun, you and I. Why, if you wanted to, you could even join up with us. Of course, you would never have our power—”
“Save your breath…and your compulsion. I doona even like most of my fellow Celts all that well. I am not interested in making new friends.”
“Now who’s the grumpy one?”
Another bolt of power hit Fionn’s back. He broke into a run. He still couldn’t see Aislinn, but her energy trail had just disappeared around a bend in the corridor. Something shifted in the air currents behind him. He spun, intent on protecting himself and Bella, but Tokhots was gone.
“Aislinn, wait,” Fionn called. “He’s gone.” She didn’t even slow down, so it took him a few minutes to catch up to her. “What are ye doing? Why’d ye run off?”
“Two reasons,” she panted. “The main one was I needed to put some distance between myself and that lecherous bastard. I can’t think when they send out those fuck me vibes.”
“The other?”
“We need to hurry. Every instinct I have says if we don’t get those babies out of here, either the Lemurians or the dark gods are going to kill them. I’ve passed a few branching passageways. I think it’s time to have the younglings tell us where they are.”
“I’ll find them.” Fionn threw his mind wide open, searching. Fortunately, the dragons had a unique energy signature. “This way.” He motioned them forward and then cut hard right down a side corridor. “Not far now.”
“Even I can feel them.” She lowered her voice and pointed to a closed door. “They’re in there.”
Aislinn stood in front of the door with Rune by her side and girded herself for a second go-round with Tokhots. She’d been desperate to get away from him. Each of the dark gods she’d had the misfortune to meet in person—Perrikus, D’Chel, Tokhots, and Slototh—made her want to throw her clothes off, lie on her back, and beg them to take her. The tender nub between her legs still felt hot and swollen. Her hypersensitive nipples rubbed against the rough fabric of her top. She felt dirty and used, even though he hadn’t laid a hand on her.
“No time like the present.” Fionn pushed the door open and strode inside.
She followed him and instantly wished she hadn’t. The baby dragons were in a cage in the middle of the room, surrounded by about thirty Lemurians, Tokhots, and Perrikus.
The auburn-haired god inclined his head. “We meet again, human.” Green eyes flashed a challenge. “I see you recovered from our last meeting. Too bad. I thought I’d killed you along with that brat of yours.”
Fury coiled like a snake in her innards. She got a firm grip on her temper. If ever she needed a cool head, it was now.
“What are you waiting for?” Dewi screeched into her mind. “Get my children.”
“Come get them yourself. Try that trick you used when you linked us in the halls of the dead.”
“Not a good idea,” Fionn muttered. “Ye canna control her.”
Aislinn’s gaze swept the room. She waited for the jolt that meant Dewi had joined her. It came with a force that nearly knocked her off her feet. While she tried to get her bearings looking through Dewi’s eyes, all hell broke loose. The dragon commandeered her body and threw herself at the pen where the younglings were. Lemurians mobbed them. Fionn pulled magic and worked furiously to neutralize the Old Ones’ wards.
“You’ve got to help Fionn,” Aislinn screamed at Dewi. “We need to kill everyone in here. Then we can get your young.”
“No. We’re going to get the younglings and leave.”
“I’ll fight you every step of the way. We are not going to abandon Fionn, Rune, and Bella. It doesn’t work like that. You don’t throw your allies to the dogs.”
“But they’re my children.”
“Fionn is my husband—or he will be. Rune is my bond animal. It’s sort of the same.”
Magic pummeled her. It bounced off shields Dewi erected and maintained, without breaking a sweat.
“You’re strong, Dewi. Lend your magic to help us all.”
Aislinn breathed a ragged sigh of relief. Maybe her last plea got through, because it no longer felt as if her body was being torn in two. Dewi sent power spiraling across the room. A Lemurian fell in its tracks, gurgling in death throes.
Fionn ducked and wove his way to her side. “Got her under control, did ye? I’m impressed.”
“Shut up and help me kill this scum. Opinions are a luxury,” Dewi spoke through Aislinn.
Like it had been every time Dewi shared her body, Aislinn felt like a spectator. The dragon didn’t use Aislinn’s magic at all. She killed effortlessly, with an atavistic power strong enough to break through the Old Ones’ warding. Aislinn wondered just how strong the dragons were. If Dewi’s current demonstration was a bellwether, she and Nidhogg could take on entire armies and come out victorious.
Rune and Bella joined the melee. As soon as Fionn neutralized a shield, one of the animals closed in with a killing blow. In less than fifteen minutes, half the Lemurians were dead. The rest cloaked themselves in magic and faded from the room, which didn’t surprise Aislinn. She’d never known them to stand around and embrace death. She grimaced. They’d been quick enough to send humans on risky missions. Never mind that the whole thing had been a sham. Part of her wanted to race out of the room and run down the cowards who’d left, but she was tethered to the dragon.
Tokhots made a dive for the wooden pen that held the younglings. He yanked it open, grabbed a dragon, and tossed the other to Perrikus. “You want to play, momma dragon? Let’s have some real fun.” He twisted the dragon’s foreleg.
Aislinn heard a bone snap. The youngling bellowed in pain, bent its head, and bit the dark god’s hand. Aislinn swallowed a sick horror. Surely only a drop or two of blood wouldn’t hurt—
“No,” Dewi shrieked. “Nooooooo.” She raced forward, heedless of Aislinn’s body. Cuts opened where she careened off solid objects. The room spun wildly out of control. The dragon shifted back to her own form with Aislinn locked inside. Dewi drove her talons through Tokhots’s neck. He crumpled to the floor. She pulled her child away from him and cradled it against her, crooning. The youngling nestled close, but Aislinn sensed its life energy ebbing. Sadness filled her. The young dragon’s bite had been small, almost experimental; it couldn’t have exposed the youngling to enough of Tokhots’s blood to kill it. Fionn’s words played in her head. Deadly poison. She knew she was deluding herself. If she’d been in her own body, Aislinn would have cried.
Tokhots stirred. Dewi kicked him with a powerful hind foot, followed him across the room, and sank her talons into his chest.
“Did you kill him?” Aislinn asked.
“Probably not. But he’ll be out of commission for a while.”
“You touched his blood. Why didn’t it kill you?”
“The short answer is I tangled with Majestron Zalia years ago. I became very ill, but Nidhogg cured me and I developed immunity to their poison.”
Aislinn pushed out a tense breath. It emerged as dragon steam. “I think we should kill Tokhots if we can,” she persisted, “while we have the chance.”
She felt th
e dragon’s internal struggle. Dewi didn’t want to take the time. She was focused on the youngling dying in her arms. The dragon bent close to Tokhots’s prostrate form, opened her mouth next to his—careful not to touch him with her lips—and breathed fire down his throat. The god screamed, but it came out a gurgling retch. Dewi moved nimbly out of the way. “You got part of your wish,” she told Aislinn. “He will burn from the inside out, but it probably won’t be the death him.”
“Thank you. Suffering isn’t as good as death, but I’ll take it.”
“Prepare yourself. I’m going to separate from you and take my child to Nidhogg. If anyone can save her, he can.”
“What about the other youngling?”
“Do the best you can.” Dewi’s mind voice was surprisingly gentle, as was her exit from Aislinn’s body.
Fionn stomped across the room and stood in front of Perrikus. “Ye killed my bairn. I ask you for the one in your hands.”
“Ask all you like, Celt. I’m not giving it up. Maybe it will make the same mistake its sister did.”
“No, I won’t.” The dragon writhed defiantly.
Aislinn strode to Fionn’s side. She met Perrikus’s green gaze, grateful he wasn’t running the libido fountain. “You’re the only one left.” She made a sweeping gesture with both hands. “You gambled and lost. Give us the youngling.”
“Never.”
Rune and Bella rushed the dark god from behind. While he fought to stay on his feet, Aislinn jabbed her knife into the hand curled around the dragon. As she hoped, Perrikus’s fingers loosened. The dragon howled and jumped to her; its talons clung precariously to her clothing. She wrapped her arms around it. “You’re safe now. Shhhh. Safe. Just hang on in case I need my hands to fight.”
The air shimmered. Power erupted all around her. Celts poured through portals in full battle regalia, poised to fight.
