Someone landed on my backside, crushing a grunt out of me and pounding my shoulder blade while Blake gasped beneath me. “Bloody hell, Amun,” I said before realizing he’d done it to put out the flames eating up my shirt. “Oh, I see. Thanks.”
He pulled me up, and the three of us ducked behind a car in the parking lot beside the Whip and Tickle, a vampire fetish-wear shop. The owl-sized bat swooped over us again, blasting an inferno that exploded the front window of the shop, sending studded leather and melted mannequins onto the sidewalk.
Three of the other creatures we’d hunted lay dead on other streets, the scorpion included, all by my sword when I’d been left with two options: kill or die. We’d contained twelve more in three trucks. The bat remained the only unwelcome visitor in Fangtown. Other than us, of course.
“This is madness,” Amun said, panting beside me. His arms rose to shield his head as the bat exhaled on a Mini Cooper two cars over, the crackling and popping suggesting we should find a new hiding place.
“I agree with Mr. Bassili.” Blake’s drawl worsened with his fright. “What the hell in a hand grenade do we do now?”
Rudy poked his head out from behind the newspaper boxes he’d used as cover during the first fiery blast. Umikans changed their skin color to match their surroundings the way chameleons did. The more frightened Rudy was, the harder he was to see. At the moment, he appeared as little more than a shadow on the sidewalk. The poor guy shook so badly I’d have been surprised if he saw anything other than a blur. I gestured at him to stay put.
“We’ve scared it, not something you want to do to a dragon bat.” A deep exhalation centered me enough to think. “I seem to recall the pecking order in a colony of bats. If we want protection from the dominants, we must present an offering of food.”
“And that helps us how?” Amun, his face blackened with soot and smeared with dirt, tilted to rest against the tire of the car, appearing as frazzled as I’d ever seen him. The sight induced a belly laugh that wouldn’t be contained.
He took on a strange expression of one eyebrow cocked and a half-grin. “What?”
I waved him off. “Nothing, I think exhaustion is making me crazy.” I so hated to ask more of Rudy at the moment, but my idea would be useless without his help. Rising enough to see around the car, I shouted, “Rudy, do you have any rodents in your truck? Rats or mice?”
He cleared his small voice twice before he spoke. “No, but I can call some for you.”
I nodded. “As fast as you can.”
Flapping came from our rears. Crackling. A blast tossed the front of a car up until it crashed down on its hood, crushing a Mazda behind it.
“Move!” I shoved at Amun and tugged Blake toward the back of the fetish shop, since it was much closer than the front where flames still poured out of the broken window.
Amun kicked out with a startling force against the wooden door. It took three tries, but it finally gave. My, but he was strong. We rushed inside and crouched behind a cement wall beside a set of stairs leading down.
“What do you want the rats for?” Amun eyed me with obvious suspicion. “Tell me you’re not suggesting one of us should go and dangle something for that thing to come and snatch? Because I’ve grown a healthy dose of sympathy for marshmallows right about now.”
“Don’t worry, Amun. I’m going, not you. We just need to listen for Rudy to come back, if he hasn’t run for the hills. Hopefully rats like to hang out here and aren’t snapped up for evening snacks.” Poor little sod. Although he’d deal with the scarier stuff when the need called for it, he usually didn’t have enough courage to fill a thimble.
“You can’t be serious.” Amun gestured toward the door. “Have you been oblivious to the destruction that thing caused in the last ten minutes alone? It’s pissed, and I don’t think it’s going to care about some little morsel you offer it.” His frown deepened. “Why are you smiling like that?”
I shrugged, hopped up on adrenaline and enjoying the sight of the great Amun Bassili squirming. “This is what I do for a living.”
“You’re enjoying this?” he asked, squinting at me.
“Yup.” Blake chuckled from deep in his belly. “Weirdest broad I ever knew. Takes a bit of starch outta the ole manhood, don’t it?”
I wiped the char from my hands onto my jeans. “To do a job one takes no pride in is a travesty.” At Rudy’s shout from beyond the wall, I said, “Stay here. Don’t come out until I call, or you’ll send the bat into fits again.”
Ignoring Amun’s shouts, I dashed outside, ran along the side of the building, and peered around the corner. Smoke trickled out of the broken window around the bend. I scanned the street and located Rudy waving from a sunken doorway of a strip club on the opposite side.
I took in the rest of the street, almost every storefront offering products that involved sex. Massage parlors promising happy endings with every purchase. One displayed orgy-sized furniture, a spanking bench, and a photo of a ridiculously oversized bed in the display window.
Shaking my head, I scanned the sky, the first hints of dawn bleeding into the eastern horizon. Nothing moved, all the vampires having gone off to die for the day. A deep breath and a healthy dose of fear gave me an extra spurt of adrenaline as I dashed across the street and joined Rudy in his hiding place.
“I did not know if you needed them alive or dead, so I stunned them.” He held four rats by the tails, the shaking of his hands extending to the limp bodies.
“Either will do. Thanks.” I took the rodents from him and peered around the corner. “Have you seen it since you returned?”
“That way.” Rudy’s trembling finger pointed back the way he came, toward the trucks. “It’s perched upon a motorcycle parked in front of the Cuffs ‘R’ Us store.”
“Good lord. Do they sell any other kinds of products here?” I snickered at the absurdity of such a place.
A pink tinge crawled up Rudy’s face. “Other than a shoe store that looked normal enough, it would seem not. This is tame compared to what I noticed two streets over, when I was running from that hellfly.” A shudder rattled through his stout body from head to toe.
“Splendid.” I thought about asking what had disturbed him so much, but held my tongue. “Stay out of sight until I call. I’m going to try groveling, since all of my other efforts have done nothing but rile up this testy little dragon.”
“Go with care, Lou Hudson.” He touched my arm, startling me. Rudy never touched anyone, and certainly not females. If his wife Coulira discovered he’d laid his hands on another woman, she’d be within her rights to punish him. What that entailed, I had no idea, but whenever I asked Rudy, he shivered. At least the males had the same right, unlike the jinn. There weren’t many species that had evolved into a matriarchal society.
I offered him what I hoped to be a reassuring smile. “Thanks, old friend. Be safe.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Carrying four rats by the tail, I stepped onto the sidewalk, pausing to listen for the bat. The whole evening would have gone much smoother if I’d been able to use my abilities. Fire wouldn’t do much to a woman made of stone.
When I heard nothing, I started forward, trying to remember how far down the Cuffs ‘R’ Us store had been. Not more than two blocks if I remembered correctly. I continued across the intersection to the next block, scanning for the motorcycle and my cantankerous bat. The sound of my blood rushing through my head drowned out everything. A little fear wouldn’t hurt me, would only keep me sharp and, if my luck held, alive.
I crossed another intersection. The overhead lamp glinted off of something shiny and chrome behind a black Mercedes. Slowing my pace, I averted my gaze toward the charred sidewalk, using only my peripheral vision to take in my surroundings. I didn’t want to chance catching its stare and issuing a challenge I didn’t intend.
As Rudy had described, the bat had its claws wrapped around the handlebars of a Harley Davidson parked on my side of the street. Its leathery w
ings, showing a network of blue veins through the skin, stretched before settling back to its side. The coming dawn must have been making it drowsy.
Small steps took me nearer. It needed to see me before I took my pose. Another step. Still no movement from it. Another, and another, until I arrived within ten feet of the beast. A shriek and flap of wings warned me I’d come close enough. The air heated as it readied to defend itself with a flaming exhalation.
Pearls of sweat gathered along my forehead and between my breasts. I dropped to the pavement, abasing myself before it. One of the rats woke up and bit my index finger, using my momentary shock to escape. I winced but held still. Claws touched down on the sidewalk in front of me, tapping with impatience.
The bat shrieked again, a warning that pierced my eardrums and rattled my nerve, sending a blast of heat along my back. Still, I held my ground. Waited. Listened. Willed my pulse to slow so my fear wouldn’t perfume the air so much he’d be unable to resist the temptation to barbecue me and take me home to his flock of batlings for breakfast.
More tapping, nearer. Small twitters filled the silence, followed by a sharp squawk. If it expected me to say something in its language, I was done for.
The sound of it scrabbling across the sidewalk hardened my muscles. A rat screamed—I assumed the one who’d escaped me—and a crunch ended the sound. Warm breath blew across my fingers, but I didn’t dare raise my head to look. One of the rat tails slid from my grip. More crunching.
I backed away as it snatched the third furry treat, rising to my feet and walking toward the truck without looking directly at the beast. A challenge would break the rapport I’d begun to establish. They were typically greedy creatures, according to my readings. To prove its dominance over me, it wouldn’t let me be until I’d given it the last morsel hanging from my fingers.
I picked up the pace as flapping erupted behind me. Claws dug into my shoulder. My muscles cramped under the weight of the bat, but I kept going despite his hot breath warming the top of my head. It wouldn’t have been the first time I’d had my hair singed. If I made it to the stairs leading down to the subway tunnel from which Celeste had driven them, maybe the dragon would be happy to go home without a fuss.
Its screech in my ear startled me sideways before I righted myself and speed-walked toward the small maintenance building near the border. Only two blocks to go. The clawed fingers in the middle of its wing reached down for the rat. I noticed in time to switch it to the other hand. If it claimed its prize, it would have no more reason to follow me.
Just a little farther. It chirped in protest. I resisted the urge to rub the sonic ringing from my ears.
As I approached the building, the thought of that infernal witch destroyed the small amount of enjoyment I’d found in the dilemma I was almost at the end of. I had only two days remaining to come up with a plan to find her, deal with her, and convince Isaac I’d taken care of it. As far as puzzles went, it was a doozy.
The bat’s claws sliced into my shoulder as I tugged on the metal door leading down to the maintenance tunnels adjacent to the subway system. “Ouch, you stupid dragon. I’m trying to help you.” I tossed the rat down the stairs. When the bat dove after it, I slammed the door shut, turned, and slid my back down the cold surface until my rear met the ground.
“You can come out now!” I shouted for all I was worth. Which wasn’t much on so little sleep. In the distance, Rudy echoed my message. Quiet footfalls sounded from their direction as the three men approached.
My bed called my name. Cozy comforter, Lou, it promised. Soft sheets carrying the lilac scent of fabric softener. And Amun. His whole house smelled like him, a sensual cloud to lull me to sleep. Oh, yes. That sounded lovely. I frowned, realizing I’d claimed Amun’s spare bed, already thinking of it as mine.
An angry shout came from beyond the storefronts on Rouge, shattering my daydream. I came to my feet. Still two blocks away, Amun and Blake stopped in the middle of the street. Rudy ducked behind a trash can, only the crown of his bald head and his staff poking over the top. When the rage-filled wail came again, I dashed off without waiting for the others, lingering long enough only to pinpoint the general direction. The northeast.
“Wait!” Amun’s voice chased me down an alley between the Swinger’s Emporium and Randolf’s Shoes. My instincts were certain Celeste was at it again, and I’d be damned if she’d take another of Isaac’s people on my watch. So close to dawn, her prey wouldn’t stay conscious for much longer.
I stopped at the edge of the building near the rear delivery bay doors. Celeste’s infuriating laughter raised my hackles. I launched myself away from my hiding spot. A sudden wind pinned me to the brick wall. I blinked, and Amun appeared from the gust, his magnificent frame uncovered again.
“What do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to die tonight?”
Covering his mouth with my hand, I glared a warning at him. It took effort to ignore his hard, nude body pressing against mine.
Understanding flitted across his gaze.
At his nod, I removed my hand and gave a jut of my chin toward the direction I thought she might be. Together, we exited the alley and listened to her low voice beyond the dumpsters at the rear of the next building. No sound came from her victim.
I broke into a run, kicking off my shoes as I went in case I needed to transform in a hurry. With Blake and Rudy still out there somewhere, I’d have to keep my dimensions the same so as not to destroy my clothes. Damn Isaac for not returning my ebony.
Amun flanked me on the left, a cushion of air beneath his feet. An air walker’s version of emergency shoes, I guessed. I rounded the dumpster. Celeste, in full water form, squatted beside a male vampire who appeared human enough he must have been high in Isaac’s ranks. He lay there, the tendons in his neck straining. Black veins wove across his forehead and down his throat. He, too, had been starving. Why?
I tasted the stone beneath my feet and used its structure to mold my arm into a beating stick, which I threw at her as she saw me. Her watery hand shot up between us, and I stopped, welded to the ground.
Amun growled from beside me, and I guessed he’d met the same fate.
Of course! Water made up most creatures’ bodies. She could control us from the inside the way I called stone from within any other substance. Why hadn’t she done that to me at the aquarium? Did she have to be in chameleon form to evoke that power? I’d already been stone when she knocked over the water, so I assumed that meant I had to be in flesh form. That information would be useful.
“Did you have fun at my little party, Baylou?” Her shifting water form obscured the location of her mouth.
“You will not harm him.” I glanced at the struggling vampire. He moved his head, but only my eyes and mouth obeyed me. My magic, however, didn’t fall under her control. I continued soaking up the stone through my feet, into my bones, intending to leave my skin for last so she wouldn’t notice what I was doing.
If all the water left my body, so would her control of me. If my hypothesis was accurate. I’d have thought Amun could do the same by becoming the wind, but if he didn’t think of it on his own, I wouldn’t risk telling him until I’d broken free myself.
“If you wanted to watch me destroy him”—Celeste solidified to resemble a glass figure, passing a fingertip over her liquid lips—“all you had to do was ask.” A stream of water extended from where her index finger should have been. Her other hand motioned around it, curling it into a circular shape that spun at an incredible speed.
The saw. That’s how she cut into them, using a super thin, ultra-fast stream of water, like a power tool. No sound. No mess, as the water would wash away the blood.
Brilliant.
Insane, but brilliant.
She knelt, her amused gaze locked onto me as she dipped the spinning blade far enough it ate into the pavement, which squealed and sparked in protest. A hairline gouge appeared in its path.
The vampire’s rage evaporated as his protests
turned to whimpers. “What are you doing?” he asked. “You said if I didn’t feed you wouldn’t hurt me or my family.”
Her cackle filled the night. “You silly creature. I lied, and it’s been so much fun watching you starve in a pathetic attempt to save yourself. That damned lord of yours must be furious by now—and terribly afraid. That’s the price one pays for hurting one born of water.”
Unlocking my jaw, I said, “You’re despicable.”
She bobbled her head. “Perhaps, or simply practical, depending on how you look at it.”
The vampire’s terror spilled into his voice. “If you kill me, my lord will destroy you.”
“No.” She shook her head, passing her liquid hand over his brow in a disturbingly tender gesture. “But he will kill her.”
My legs regained some of their control, but my upper body took longer. I needed to distract her. “You’re ensuring your own funeral, you know. If Isaac doesn’t rip out your throat, I’ll do it for him.”
Amun made a disgruntled sound, but I didn’t look at him. I took it he didn’t approve of antagonizing the crazy woman, but I didn’t concur.
“The stronger of us will prevail, my dear Baylou. I am pure water, pure jinn. You are but the child of a traitor and a human whore.” Her focus shifted to Amun. “Even my future sperm donor must admit my bloodline is better for our future than yours. No hard feelings.”
“Mum was a proper lady, unlike you.” She knew my father? But he was no traitor, was he? Was that why Mum believed he deserved to die?
Celeste moved her water blade toward the vampire. With a tremendous effort, I finished the change to stone and leapt forward. I couldn’t move Celeste, but I could move the vampire. Fingers curled around his ankle, I yanked him away, her blade slicing into his shoulder instead of his chest.
She roared, surging up like a tsunami wave. “Why won’t you just die gracefully?”
“Stone beats water, bitch!” Building a thicker rock crust around myself, I ran into her, causing her to splash in a few directions. “Who was my father? Why do you call him a traitor?”
Stone Chameleon (Ironhill Jinn #1) Page 25
