Ann Gimpel (23 page)

A sympathetic murmur rose from the crowd.

“What about their minions?” a voice called.

“The truth is, we don’t know,” Aislinn answered, aiming for absolute accuracy. “Without their dark masters, they may lose enough power that they’re no longer a threat. Or they may leave.”

“What about Perrikus and that mother of his?” It sounded like the same voice.

Aislinn peered into the crowd, but couldn’t see who’d spoken.

“We save them for last.”

“But if we killed them first,” the voice argued, “the others might pack up and go. There are only two of them and four of the others.”

A low murmur swept through the group, rising in intensity. The crowd seemed of two minds.

Fionn raised his hands. “Quiet.” His American voice was back. “In the first place, killing the dark gods will be very difficult. They have a nasty habit of not staying dead, even when you’ve driven a stake through their heart.”

“How do you know?” someone asked.

“Did you do that?” another chimed in.

“The short answer is
yes
. When I was certain the bastard was dead, I made the mistake of retracting my wards.” Fionn shrugged. “I have a hell of a scar. Would anyone like to see?”

Aislinn visualized the thick white line traveling from the midpoint of Fionn’s chest down to his pubis. She’d wondered how he’d gotten it. Good God, it was a miracle he hadn’t faded away to the
Dreaming
or wherever the Celtic gods went once they’d been gravely wounded.

Once the laughter and ribald commentary—mostly from the women—that followed Fionn’s question died down, Aislinn started talking again. “What I haven’t told you yet is that my mother was descended from Irish kings. Apparently, she was supposed to remain in Ireland and produce an heir for the MacLochlainn line. Instead, she fell in love with my father and skipped across the Atlantic.” She spread her hands in front of her. “My fate found me anyway. And that fate includes the dragon napping over there. She will battle the dark for us with me on her back.”

A cheer obliterated her next words. Aislinn’s heart thudded against her chest. She’d always been an intensely private person. To share so much was harder than she’d ever imagined it would be.

“Ye’re doing fine,” Fionn whispered against her ear. “In fact, ye may be done.”

Aislinn recognized wisdom in his words. She’d sat through lots of speeches that had gone on far too long. When the crowd settled, she said, “That’s really about all. We will decide where to strike first, travel there in small groups to maintain the advantage of surprise for as long as possible, and do our damnedest to get our planet back.”

The applause was thunderous. Aislinn wondered who hadn’t heard her and how many times she’d have to go over the same ground. Gwydion led her to another group, and she began anew. It wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. Anxious to hear, people crowded together. In all, she only had to deliver her message five times. Rune stuck to her through the hours she stood on her feet talking. She could tell he was tired, but he never sat down. During a lull, she asked how he was. He licked her face and told her he was proud of her.

She was just following Fionn into the house, intent on something to drink and eat, when she heard Dewi deep in her mind.
“You did well. Now is time for more practice. You have had far more than the half hour I allotted you to be away from me.”

Fionn looked at her. “What does she want?”

“You can’t hear her?”

He shook his head. “I know ‘tis her, but I canna hear the words. Would I be asking you what she said if I already knew?”

“Time for more aerial games.”

Fionn looked thoughtful. “Ask—and very carefully—if she minds you taking a handful of minutes to eat.”

Aislinn’s eyes widened. It would never have occurred to her to ask anything of the dragon. She was still in awe of her. But it wouldn’t do to pass out and fall off her back, either.

“Do you mind if I take just a short time to eat and drink?”

“If you must. Hurry, Daughter. I miss you.”

“She said yes.” Aislinn quirked a brow at Fionn. “Gee, she’s nearly as possessive as you are.”

“Mayhap we’ll be duking it out one day.”

“Ha! She already said she’d like to fuck you.”

“That,” Fionn said, an odd light in his blue eyes, “would be verra interesting. I could spin you a tale of one of my ancestors who lay with a dragon—”

“Later.” She made a chopping motion with one hand. “I need to eat. It’s a long way past dinnertime.” Aislinn stood over the stove and stuffed leftovers into her mouth, not bothering to heat them. Nearly everything they’d cooked was gone, so she ate dried meat and fruit to fill in once the pot was empty.

Footsteps sounded outside the door. She figured it was Arawn or one of them, so she didn’t even look up until she heard a muted snarl from Rune, who stood guard nearby. Fionn flowed between her and the doorway. She couldn’t see through him, so she took a couple of steps to the side.

“Arguments are breaking out,” a red-haired man with green eyes said. He was about five foot ten and looked like a tired, worn thirty-something.

“About what?” Aislinn asked, chewing.

“Whether we should throw in our lot with anyone who’s not completely human.”

“How do you feel?” Fionn asked softly.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” the man asked defensively. “Figured if you knew, maybe you could do something before a bunch of us leave.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

A
islinn looked at Fionn. Asking for advice went against the grain, but he had far more experience in battle tactics. “What should we do?”

He raked a hand through his hair. “I think you should get on Dewi’s back and give them a pyrotechnics display,” he said with a flawless American intonation. She wondered how he kept how to talk to whom straight.

Explosives, my ass.
“What am I, fucking Joan of Arc?” she demanded and wiped the remains of her meal off her mouth with the back of one hand.

Fionn smirked. “If you could channel that one, our problems would be over. Get moving.”

“Who’s Dewi?” The man sounded confused.

“The dragon.” Aislinn sprinted for the door. She’d no sooner yanked it open when the buzz of angry voices reached her. The man’s laughter followed her down the steps.
What the hell is so funny?

Sending her Mage gift spinning outward, she heard snippets of conversation. People thought she wasn’t what she’d told them. She’d disappeared, for God’s sake. Maybe it was because she needed to replenish her magic so she’d look human again…

She eyed the crowd. Fionn was right. By the time she wove through the mass of humans and tried to settle them down, many would have already left. She needed something dramatic to stop them in their tracks. Aislinn raced to Dewi’s side. “Okay,” she said, panting. “I’m ready. We have to do something to keep all of them”—she gestured behind her—“from leaving.”

“What did you have in mind?” Understated humor ran beneath Dewi’s words as she lifted Aislinn to shoulder height.

“Mostly fire from you.”

The dragon laughed, puffing smoke. “That can be arranged. Shall we?” Her powerful wings caught air under them, and she flew in slow, lazy circles. Her aim was incredible as she shot gouts of flame into the middle of small groups. It didn’t take long before everyone was looking up, pointing. Unbelievably, someone—probably a Hunter—attacked.

Aislinn flattened herself against Dewi’s neck, shock registering as a killing blow zinged toward them. The dragon evaded it easily. Once the danger was past, she didn’t hesitate. Fire spewed from her. Someone on the ground turned into a pillar of flame. “That should take care of anyone else who seeks to harm us.” An exultant note ran beneath the dragon’s words.

Grief for the unknown human filled Aislinn and left a bitter taste. Dewi was just so…casual about taking life. Then she thought of Fionn. He’d meant what he said about killing Travis.

Shouts rose from the crowd. Raised fists shook their way, and she knew she had to do something. Focusing her Mage gift to make herself heard, Aislinn cried, “There is an enemy out there. It is not me, or any here. You waste time in paranoia. It would be more productive for you to gather others to help in our effort.”

“You killed Richard,” someone shouted.

“He tried to kill me,” she countered. “What was I supposed to do? Deliver myself up to him?”

The crowd quieted. They were still talking amongst one another, but the edginess seemed to have dissipated. Aislinn projected her voice again. “Do what you must to ready yourselves. If you can bring more people here—or at least warn them not to heed the Old Ones—it would help.”

“What are you going to do?” a woman asked.

“Practice focusing my magic from up here,” Aislinn called back. “This is only my third time on Dewi’s back.” She waited, but her answer seemed to satisfy those on the ground. Aislinn drew in a shaky breath. At least for the moment, the crisis had been averted. Fionn and Rune stood on the back porch, looking right at her. Fionn gave her a thumbs-up gesture.

Aislinn shut her eyes for a moment, weary beyond reckoning. When she opened them, she thought she could actually see the warding around the house. She asked Dewi if that were possible.

“Of course it is. I have known it was there from the moment I arrived. The more you and I practice, the better you will get at seeing things through my eyes.”

Aislinn thought about that. It made sense. Rune could merge his senses with hers, so why not Dewi? “Do you agree with the men about how to go about this?”

“What men?”

“Fionn, Arawn—”

“Oh, them,” Dewi interrupted. “They seem like boys to me, since I have known them their entire lives.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Try for that target, and then I will.”

“But that one’s really far away,” Aislinn protested. “And it’s dark.”

“Stretch your wings. It’s the only way to expand your horizons.”

Aislinn extended all her senses, feeling for the target with magic, since she could barely see it. “Hey!” Pride ripped through her. “Got it.”

“Your facility with the Hunter magic is improving. Do it once more.”

Caught up in honing her skills, Aislinn forgot about her question until Dewi touched down. “You owe me an answer,” she said as Dewi helped her to the ground.

“So I do.” The dragon chuckled, pluming smoke. “I am of two minds. If we could eradicate Perrikus and that mother of his, and Adva who controls knowledge shared by all of them, the others would leave.”

Aislinn waited, but Dewi didn’t say anything else. “Why is that two minds?” she asked at last.

“Because agreement amongst leaders is key to success. The men, as you call them, felt differently. I was but one voice out of five.”

“How hard will it be to kill the dark gods?”

Dewi’s hypnotic eyes drew her in. “My, what a predatory question, my dear.” She hesitated. “I am not certain they can be killed. The best we may achieve is to, shall we say, declaw them for a time.”

“Would it be better to focus on the Lemurians?” Now that Aislinn had Dewi talking, she wanted to get as much information as she could. The Celts hadn’t been nearly this forthcoming.

The dragon narrowed her eyes. Scales clanked against each other. Apparently, Dewi was considering how best to answer her. “I do not think so. The one large unknown is how many human hybrids they managed to make. If the only ones are here, the Old Ones’ power is nearly at the end of a long cycle.”

“And if they made a lot of hybrids?”

Dewi snorted. Flames sprayed from her mouth. “Then there is a whole new race that needs to be exterminated.” Scaled lids dropped over Dewi’s eyes, effectively severing the link between them. “Go now. I will let you know when I have need of you again.”

Feeling cast adrift, Aislinn scanned the yard, looking for Rune. A newly risen moon was half full. It lent just enough light to help. Not seeing the wolf, she hunted for Fionn or the others. Finally, she caught sight of Gwydion and walked toward him. She tried for a brisk pace, realized she didn’t have the energy, and settled for just putting one foot ahead of the other.

He spotted her long before she reached him and closed the distance between them. “Ye look as if ye lost your last friend.”

Aislinn shook herself. “Sorry. Just tired. What’s happening?”

“Things settled once Dewi killed that boy. Some went to warn, some to bring reinforcements.”

“When do we leave?” She eyed him, taking in the hard planes of his face, blond braids, and chilly, blue eyes.

“With the dawn.” She must have looked nonplussed, because he laid his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward the house. Letting go, he gave her a swat on the rump. “Get some rest. Can’t have you falling off Dewi, now can we?” The laugh that followed her held a stony edge.

Hmph. Sounds as if he’d like to chuck me right off Dewi’s back…
Rune fell into step with her. She thought about asking where he’d been, but it didn’t really matter. “Where’s Fionn?”

“Inside with the other three.”

“But I was just talking with Gwydion.”

“And I just left all three of them sitting in the kitchen,” Rune insisted.

Gwydion’s a sorcerer,
she reminded herself,
with power I can only imagine.
As she dragged herself up the steps, she wondered about Fionn. Was she making a mistake not to be wary of the magic that blazed from him? When it came right down to it, who was anyone loyal to?
Yeah, probably not some young chickie they just met, prophecy be damned.

She let Rune and herself into the kitchen and tried to corral her sour mood. Gwydion looked up from where he sat and gave her a broad wink.

Aislinn couldn’t help herself. “How’d you do that?” she demanded.

“Do what?” Fionn moved his gaze from a piece paper, where he’d been sketching something with a stick of blackened wood, to her.

“I just talked to him outside. But he’s not there, he’s here.”

Fionn rolled his eyes. “Och aye, and that’s an old trick of his. Pay it no heed.”

From her perch atop the stove, Bella cawed. It sounded like the bird was laughing.

“While we’re at it...” Aislinn slid her body down a wall, ending up in a heap on the floor. “Why was that guy who warned us about the crowd laughing when I left?”

“I think ’twas because the idea of a real-life, fire-breathing dragon enchanted him, lass.” Fionn’s gaze sharpened. “There’s little enough laughter. Doona begrudge someone a wee bit of mirth.”

She dropped her head into her hands. A headache pounded behind her left temple. Her eyes ached. When she took a general inventory, scarcely a body part had escaped damage. Everything was complaining. Her eyes fluttered closed, and the rise and fall of conversation turned into a muted hum. She felt Fionn’s energy beside her. He lifted her, cradling her against his body as if she weighed nothing.

“Rest,” he murmured into her hair as he laid her on their bed. “I’ll wake you once we’ve put a meal together.”

He commanded Rune to watch over her. The wolf’s growl was the last thing she heard before darkness fell like a heavy curtain, obliterating everything.

She woke long enough to eat from the bowl Fionn brought and wriggle out of sweat-soaked clothes that had dried on her body. The next thing that awakened her was his mouth trailing kisses up her leg.

“Is it time to go?”

“Soon.”

Bella flapped around the room, looking for a place to light.

Aislinn reached for consciousness, feeling fuzzyheaded. “I talked to Dewi. She thinks we should target Perrikus first.”

“Aye, I know she thinks that.”

“She’s old and wise. Maybe we should listen to her.” Aislinn scooted to a sitting position. The chilly bedroom air turned her upper body to gooseflesh.

Fionn interrupted his kisses long enough to shoot her a patronizing look, brows furled.

Damn, he’s playing the god card again…

“I am not.” He repositioned himself so he was sitting on the bed and looking at her with a solemn expression. “Even with all the human help, ye need to understand that the odds of us prevailing are not high.”

“Why not? Until they showed up here, the dark gods were just characters in Marvel Comics.”

He barked a harsh laugh. “Never believe that, lass. Whoever penned those illustrated books had run-ins with the dark gods. ’Tis why they ended up memorialized in what ye call comics. The dark gods are real. And they are old. Far older than any of the rest of us.”

“Dewi said the best we could hope for was to slow them down.”

“Did she now?” A corner of his mouth twitched. So did the muscle under one eye. “I am not surprised. She has battled them afore.”

“So have you.” She traced the scar that ran up his midline with a finger, realizing as she did so that he was naked. Aislinn set her teeth in a determined line. “Both of you are still alive, so maybe it’s not as hopeless as you think.”

“Why do ye suppose the lot of us were waiting to see what would happen? No one wants to throw their life away—”

“Can you die?”

He snorted. “Och aye. Mayhap not dead exactly, but I can be driven to a place where I might wish I were.”

“I can Heal whatever happens to you.”

“If ye find me in time.”

“What happens if I don’t?”

“I wander forever, soul separated from body, longing for you.”

He traced a fingertip around one of her nipples, then bent and kissed it. His tongue felt warm, swirling around mounded flesh that had already hardened into a point from the cold air in the bedroom.

A jolt of desire rocked her, and she closed her arms around him, pulling him close. “Do we have time?”

He raised his mouth from her breast. “Not much. But Aislinn, this may be the last time we have together. Battles are never certain. One of us may not come out the other end of it intact.”

Her throat closed. Between lust and dread, breathing became a struggle. His mouth covered hers. His kissed her as if they had all the time in the world. The spicy, musky scent that was his and his alone enveloped her. She pushed thoughts of the battle to come aside. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen combat. But the stakes had never been so high. Before, she’d trusted that the Old Ones were orchestrating everything. They’d provided a buffer between her and the dark. She was just thinking how stupid she’d been, and how naïve, when he shoved the covers down more and spread her legs.

“I am all that will be in your mind,
mo leannán
,” he murmured just before his mouth settled between her legs, breathing heat into her.

He licked at her, tasted her. She lifted her hips and twined her fingers into his hair, trying to get closer. What he was doing felt incredible, but he amped the intensity tenfold when he sucked on her clitoris and sank fingers inside to press something that made her crazy. She wasn’t even sure what he was doing, but it made her come over and over, the orgasms so close that she wasn’t sure when one stopped and the next began.

He slid his body up hers and buried himself inside her. She raised her legs, locking them around his hips. He told her he loved her in Gaelic over and over before he closed his mouth atop hers. She tasted herself on him; it made her wild with lust. They rocked together for an eternity that ended all too soon. He made that sound she loved—a purring low in the back of his throat—when he came, juddering hard. She’d come so much that another climax seemed impossible, but he carried her with him, hands gripping her ass and pulling her even tighter against him.