Fire Maidens: Rome

by Anna Lowe

  But inside, he wanted to shrink away in shame. Sergio’s father and his uncle Salvatore were identical twins, though most of the malice and greed had filtered into his uncle — the very man Sergio had killed to end the family’s dynasty of crime. An uncle perfectly capable of knocking up a woman and leaving her to raise the child on her own.

  Vicente held up his hands as if to praise his dearly departed father. “For years, he ignored my existence. But when his other sons proved to be disappointments—”

  Sergio made a face. His cousins were as crooked as their father, though none possessed the same combination of greed, charisma, and drive.

  “One day, he came looking for me,” Vicente said. “When he saw I was the one who could carry his legacy forward, he took me under his wing. Secretly, of course. And oh, the lessons he taught me.”

  Every dirty trick in the book, Sergio had no doubt.

  “And the rest, as they say, is history.” Vicente folded his arms smugly.

  “If history remembers you at all, it will be as a villain,” Sergio barked.

  Vicente’s laugh echoed through the night, silencing the crickets. “Villain. Hero. History is written by those who triumph, dear brother.” Then he dusted his hands against each other. “Alas, my father had to die. Thank you for sparing me the trouble. And now, like Romulus and Remus, we will fight for supremacy.”

  “I am not your brother,” Sergio hissed through gritted teeth. “I am nothing like you.”

  “Ah, but you are,” Vicente all but purred. “An angry, frustrated boy. A man determined to prove his worth. A man committed to his cause.”

  Sergio’s cheeks heated. “My cause doesn’t involve cheating, stealing, or killing.”

  Vicente laughed. “No? What about my father, then? And your so-called military service?” He made air quotes around service. “I doubt you worked under a red cross and tended the wounded. But what do you have to show for it? Niente. Nothing. I, meanwhile, have invested the last ten years into building an empire.”

  Then Vicente paused, looking him over. “Of course, I could use a good backup man. Someone I could trust like a brother.” His teeth glinted in the darkness.

  Sergio’s stomach roiled. Did Vicente really think he’d join the mafia?

  Apparently so, because Vicente nodded, suddenly enamored of his idea. “It does have a certain appeal. We’re survivors — the fittest of the fit. The apex of the bloodline. If we combine our efforts, just think what we could accomplish.”

  Sergio didn’t want to think. He wanted Vicente dead.

  Vicente, on the other hand, went on enthusiastically. “We could revive the family empire. Make the Monserratti name great again. And you — no more begging for work from outsiders. You could be your own boss. We have it in our blood, you know.”

  Every word Vicente spoke disgusted Sergio.

  But inside, he felt a twinge. A tiny kernel of temptation.

  Family is family, his uncle’s voice ghosted through his head.

  No more begging for work…

  Somehow, Vicente’s offer didn’t sound as bad as it should.

  “Plus, you’d be rich. Very rich.” Vicente’s whisper trailed off, letting those seductive thoughts swirl in the dark.

  It shouldn’t have been so appealing, but it was. When Sergio’s mother had moved to the countryside to avoid his uncle, they’d been destitute, and he’d spent most of his adult life trying to make up for those days. That was one reason he wore quality clothes. He hated being poor and disrespected.

  Just think…

  It made Sergio sick, but there he was, thinking. Imagining, just as he had when his uncle tried to win him over, a decade earlier.

  Join me in running the business, Salvatore had said. It’s your destiny.

  The wolf guards around them wagged their tails as if inviting Sergio to join their little club. All but Tolino, who stood perfectly still. Overhead, a cloud slid slowly over the moon, dimming the landscape.

  Sergio’s heart pounded, and sweat broke out on his brow. It was as if all the ghosts of the past had clustered around, giving him a hundred reasons to cave in.

  Family…

  Riches…

  An empire…

  Bile rose in his throat, and he shook himself hard enough to push the ghosts away. Ten years earlier, he’d left Italy because he wasn’t sure he was man enough to resist such temptations. But that was then. He was a different man now. A better, stronger man — and a wiser one, capable of blazing his own path through life. An honest path, and an honest life.

  One worthy of her love, his wolf added, glancing toward Lena.

  “Forget it, Vicente. You can burn in hell alone,” he grunted.

  Vicente’s fake smile turned into a sneer. “Oh, I’ll burn in hell, all right. But you’ll get there first. Any man who defies me dies.”

  Sergio was about to bark out his response. But in the moment of silence it took to inhale, something rustled above. A pebble tumbled down the nearby pile of rubble, bouncing off the jumble of stones. Something so tiny, no one ought to have noticed. But the timing was such that everyone whipped around. Vicente and Enzo, the wily leader of the Lombardi clan, both whirled, searching the shadows of the aqueduct.

  Sergio’s wolf tensed. Searching for Lena.

  Vicente leaned in with a smile. “To the victor go the spoils.”

  Sergio bared his teeth. Hair burst out all over his body, and the last word he grunted before shifting to wolf form was a deep, gritty, “Never.”

  He jumped at Vicente, prepared to die for the woman he loved. He would never let Lena fall into Vicente’s hands — or Enzo’s claws. Marco and the Guardians would have to deal with the latter. But Vicente was Sergio’s to kill. For honor. For the city’s future. For Lena.

  She’s mine, Vicente’s eyes glittered as he shifted into wolf form.

  Never, Sergio snarled. Never.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lena swallowed a yelp, cursing her misstep. Everyone had looked up at the sound — Sergio, Vicente, and even worse, the five dragons perched on the aqueduct ahead. The latter were on the very structure she was climbing, separated only by the gap where a section of aqueduct had collapsed.

  She hurried into the covered channel that ran along the top of the aqueduct. Once upon a time, water would have gurgled through there on its way to the capital of an ancient empire. Now, it was a hiding place, barely wide or tall enough for her to crouch in.

  And anyway, why was she taking refuge while Sergio faced danger below?

  Snarls boomed into the night as Sergio and Vicente broke into an all-out fight. Lena hugged her arms as she peered down from the dizzying height. The two wolves were easy to tell apart. Sergio’s shiny black pelt and intense eyes were a dead giveaway. Vicente was just as dark, but his fur had a dull texture, and his eyes glowed an evil red.

  “Stop,” she whispered. “Please, stop.”

  Of course, Sergio was a born shifter with years of experience in his animal body. A trained soldier, too. If she ventured to the ground, she would be more hindrance than help. But, damn. She hated hiding while he fought on her behalf.

  So, let me out, a voice whispered in her mind.

  She huffed. Right. Sure. So she could writhe around on the ground, changing between human and dragon form without being able to control her shift? What would that accomplish?

  Below, Sergio leaped at Vicente, who batted him away, then ripped at Sergio’s shoulder with claws and fangs. Lena winced at every snarl and pained cry. Marco circled above, his eyes darting between the wolves and dragons. He was caught in a situation as desperate as Sergio’s. If Sergio came close to winning, the Lombardis would dispatch their bodyguards to assist Vicente. How could Marco hold off five dragons on his own?

  To top it all off, Vicente’s thugs had formed a perimeter around the wolf fight. Two broke away to sniff around the base of the rubble Lena had climbed. One looked up with sharp eyes, and Lena’s skin crawled. One of the dragons peered ov
er too. How long would it be before they came after her?

  She squinted down the cramped, dark tunnel behind her. Did she really want to retreat through there?

  “No,” she muttered, trying to gather her courage. She’d never been a coward, and she didn’t intend to start now.

  But the two wolves had started climbing the rubble, and she had to think fast. She shoved a rock as big as a tire, setting off a rockslide. The wolves yelped and scattered. But her feeling of triumph faded quickly, because they shook off the dust and resumed climbing with eyes that shone with fury.

  Shit. Not good.

  Her knees shook as she peered back into the tunnel. Then she shook a little more, because one of the dragons turned toward her, sniffed, then spread his wings to take off.

  Run, Lena! Sergio called into her mind.

  Her blood went cold. Then she forced herself to hurry through the tunnel, listening to the echo of her panting breaths. The narrow chamber was a coffin that stretched on and on. The sounds of the wolf fight faded as she ran on, sliding one hand along the wall and the other over the ceiling to orient herself.

  Then snuffles sounded, and a shadow cut off the light filtering in behind her.

  She spun around. And, shit. The wolves had reached the channel and were closing in on her fast.

  A ray of dim light shone ahead, and she ran toward it at a crouch. A section of the ceiling had collapsed there, and she was able to scramble up and out of the channel. Hopping to her feet, she prepared to sprint away.

  But, whoa. She wobbled on the narrow surface, looking down a four-story drop. Four stories that felt like four hundred, and she almost seized up. With the wolves closing fast, she forced herself to shove at the rock slab that had once capped the aqueduct. It was tipped halfway into the water channel, providing the wolves a way out. But if she managed to push the slab a little farther…

  The diamond glowed in her pocket, giving her courage to try. The slab was huge, but when she kneeled and heaved, it moved. Slowly at first, and then faster, until it finally creaked and fell into a new position. The sprinting wolves yelped and scrambled back just in time to avoid being crushed. Then they snarled and poked their paws through the gaps, trying to get at her.

  Wait right there, bitch, their snarls said.

  She bared her teeth. Like hell, I will.

  Still, running was easier said than done, given those vertigo-inducing heights. Plus, being out in the open exposed her to the sounds of the wolf fight, and her heart bled for Sergio.

  But then her ears registered a disturbance in the air. A pounding sound that came with a whoosh of wind. She turned, gaping.

  “Oh God.”

  Four of the five dragons lifted off in a flurry of flapping wings and snapping tails. The din they created was that of a flock of birds taking to the air — magnified a hundred times. At first, the night sky swirled with sleek shadows, and she could barely tell one beast from another.

  Then one of the dragons shot out of the flurry, coming right for her. The one Vicente had called his business associate. Enzo Lombardi was the leader of that dragon — er, flock? — and he sped toward her, escorted by a second dragon. The other two, meanwhile, attacked Marco, who roared in challenge.

  Run, Lena! Sergio barked.

  She took off sprinting along the top of the aqueduct, heart thumping from more than exertion. One tiny stumble and she would plummet to certain death. But, hell. With the dragons behind her, death was only a matter of time, right?

  “Oh, we don’t intend to kill you, my dear,” Enzo called in a hypnotizing voice. “You are far too valuable for that.”

  His voice was a garbled rumble, but somehow, she understood every word. The sound of wingbeats grew louder, and wind pushed at her back as Enzo approached.

  Let me out, her inner beast cried.

  She dove instead, flattening herself against the rock. Enzo’s claws clacked an inch over her back, and he flew past, roaring in anger,

  “Get her,” he snarled to his accomplice.

  Lena rolled onto her back just in time to see the second dragon dive for her. Then she rolled sideways, grabbing wildly for a handhold. But the aqueduct was too narrow, and in the space of one terrifying heartbeat, she realized she was going over the edge.

  Whoosh! The second dragon sped by, missing her by an inch.

  Bang! Her knee smashed against rock.

  She cried out as her fingernails dragged over stone. She was falling…falling…

  With a sharp jerk, she came to a halt, dangling by one hand from the edge of the aqueduct. Her shoulder screamed, and she barely managed to slap her free hand up to the ledge. Then, heaving and scrambling, she hauled herself to the top.

  “Holy shit.” She lay panting, staring at the stars. How had she managed that?

  Warmth registered in her pocket, and she could almost hear the diamond chuckle. She pulled it out and stared, marveling at its glow.

  Dragon treasure, Sergio had said. Spelled pieces can have a will of their own.

  Lena crouched, hurriedly putting on the necklace. The stars were fading, and the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon. For the space of one heartbeat, she felt beauty and peace. But when she looked around…

  It was chaos. Sergio and Vicente were locked in a vicious battle on the ground. Marco was engaged in an all-out aerial dogfight with two dragons. The she-dragon remained perched on the aqueduct, cheering her men on. And as for Enzo and his bodyguard…

  Zoom! A dragon sped through one of the arches under her. It was Enzo, searching the ground.

  “You fool!” he screamed at his backup man. “We must take the Fire Maiden alive.”

  Oh God. They meant her, didn’t they?

  She forced herself to run onward as quietly as possible. If the dragons thought she’d fallen, she had a slim chance of escaping if she acted fast.

  But she’d barely made it ten steps before a snarl sounded behind her. Not the urgent snarls coming from the raging fight below, but a closer, meaner sound. One of the wolves was pushing through a gap beside the slab she’d maneuvered into place, followed by its comrade. They both squeezed through, shook out their fur, then prowled forward.

  You bitch. Their eyes glowed red.

  One barked, alerting Enzo.

  “Shit.” Lena ran onward, though it seemed no use. How could she possibly outrun them?

  Still, she had to try. So she sprinted through the darkness, no longer caring if she fell. Would death be better than capture by an evil dragon clan?

  Footfalls sounded behind her, and the air stirred as Enzo and his bodyguard set their sights on her. Ahead, the aqueduct stretched on for miles, though Lena knew she would never make it that far.

  But something looked out of place on the next section of aqueduct. She narrowed her eyes. What was it?

  Watch out, sweetheart, one of the wolves chuckled from behind.

  Her heart sank, because another collapsed section appeared ahead. Not a handy, ramped pile of rubble she might be able to scramble down, but a sheer break. A cliff’s edge. A dead end.

  God, what now?

  Let me out, the beast inside her ordered.

  Tears flowed down her cheeks as she ran toward the edge. Pain stabbed her shoulders, and her fingers ached.

  Oh God, oh God…

  It was happening again. She was shifting. Well, half shifting, which wouldn’t help. She would flail through the air and plunge to her death. If Sergio ever found her body, he would be repulsed by the gruesome mix of human and beast.

  Not human, that inner voice snarled. All beast. Stop fighting me and you’ll see.

  For a moment, she concentrated on her fingers, just like Sergio had said. But the drop-off loomed ever closer, and her enemies were gaining ground rapidly.

  Concentrate, Sergio’s words echoed through her mind. Picture yourself as a human — one body part at a time.

  She glanced at her hands. Wait. Did that work the other way around? Or would she get caught between tw
o bodies like before?

  One body, her inner beast assured her. Now, let me out before it’s too late.

  The drop-off plunged into darkness before her, and she could feel hot wolf breath on her neck. If she hesitated, the wolves would be upon her. If she sped up, she would hurtle off the edge. Unless…

  She took a deep breath, picturing herself as a dragon. But what exactly did that entail?

  Broad, powerful wings, for starters. She pictured them snapping open and helping her glide effortlessly through the air, as she’d done in her dreams. Then she pictured a long, snaking tail, and heated nostrils filling with fire.

  Yes, her inner beast said. Yes.

  She sprinted toward the drop-off with a gulp. Either she would crash to the ground…

  She wavered, picturing her human body plummeting through the air.

  …or she would glide away unscathed.

  The edge was two steps away. Could she do it?

  “Wait, Fire Maiden!” Enzo roared from behind. “Stop!”

  The diamond flared on her chest, and her cheeks heated in anger. Who was he to say what she could or couldn’t do?

  She pushed off with her right leg, took one last step with the left, then extended her arms and leaped into the void.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lena’s eyes went wide as she sailed through the air. Her heart was pounding, her soul screaming. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  This was it. She was going to die.

  Lena! Sergio howled.

  No! Even Marco seemed reluctant to see her perish.

  But both were battling tenacious enemies, so this was all up to her.

  Not dying. Flying, that voice insisted.

  For a moment, she dropped through thin air, stiff with terror. But then she forced her arms wide.

  Wings, she ordered herself. I have wings.

  The webbing between her fingers stretched, and her nails stiffened into claws.

  I can fly.

  Behind her, something heavy whipped from side to side. A tail?

  I can do it, she chanted.

  Sergio had said she was the boss, right? Well, she’d boss herself right into dragon form if that’s what it took. She had to, for Sergio’s sake.