Shadowed Threads (16 page)

“You’re an asshole.” I spun on my heel and strode across to Blaz. No one said anything, not even Alex. Pamela sat in front of me on Blaz, and O’Shea jumped onto the dragon’s back, wedging himself between two of the dragon’s back ridges as if he’d been flying by dragon all his life.

Eve gathered up Alex and the two winged creatures launched into the air, one right after the other.

We’d been flying for about ten minutes before anyone said anything. And it was the Dragon who decided to try and draw me out.

Once we are in Venice, where are we going?

“I’ll tell you when we get there.” I bit the words out, gripping the whip handle. How the hell could I have ever thought Faris was on my side? That he was here to help me? I closed my eyes and tipped my forehead down until it was pressed into Pamela’s shoulder. Faris. My whole world had been turned upside down because of him.

“Rylee? Do you have a plan this time?” Pamela’s voice made me open my eyes.

“Jack is first. When we find him we’ll send him home with Eve right away.”

“And after?”

She knew that I was going to try and kill a child, which went against every oath I’d ever made. Then again, a vampire child would look young, but that didn’t mean she would be young. Probably hundreds of years old, trapped in a child’s body.

“I don’t know, Pamela. If I can, I’ll find the Child Empress.”

She twisted around to look at me. “And?”

Pamela had no idea, had no fucking idea what was being asked of me. “You know the answer to that.”

Her eyes watched me, like she was trying to see if I was serious.

“Fuck, kid. This isn’t a gods-be-damned Disney movie. You can’t save everyone, and not everyone deserves to be saved.”

Her chin trembled, but she nodded, her jaw tightening and stilling the tremble.

Yeah, good job with the mentoring there, Rylee.
My own voice in my head mocked me. Then again, it was the truth. A hard truth that she would have to learn at some point. Better that I tell her, than she learn it first-hand.

Fuck. What a mess.

Yes. A mess for fucking sure.

I rolled my eyes.

Don’t roll your eyes at me.

I clamped my jaw shut, since I had a sneaking suspicion that Blaz was only speaking to me.

I am only speaking to you.

I wished that I understood how the bond worked, or if it was just a pain in the ass.

Yes, it is a pain. But it means that no matter how far you are from me, we can communicate like this. It means that what you feel in terms of pain or strong emotions, I can feel them if I’m close enough. Fortunately, the bond doesn’t work both ways, at least not for the most part. You can only get some emotions from me, but you can’t read my mind as I can read yours.

I wanted to groan and cover my face. Just … fucking fantastic.

My thoughts exactly.

Chapter 19

W
e flew through
the night, stopping every hour or so for Eve to give her wings a rest. They had healed, but were still weak from the damage Blaz had inflicted on them. However, she wouldn’t stop unless Blaz stopped first, much to his displeasure.

“What does it matter who stops first?” I grunted at the third stop, stretching my legs.

Eve glowered across at Blaz, but wouldn’t say anything. Maybe it was some sort of code of conduct. Who the fuck knew?

The eastern coast of Italy, at the top of the boot, stared out across the Adriatic Sea and the so-called ‘floating’ city of Venice lit up the sky. We stopped there just before sunrise. Eve was sucking wind hard and landed in a heap, her legs buckling under her.

“Shit, Eve. We could have stopped earlier.” I ran to her side, but there was nothing I could do to help the thousand-pound Harpy.

“I’m fine.” She pushed me away with her beak and I considered that again, this had more to do with some code I was unaware of. I shook my head. Pride and supernaturals went together like peanut butter and chocolate. I should know, I was as bad as the rest of them.

“We’ll wait here until the sun is fully up; if you can find something to eat without resorting to eating one another, do so.” I looked around, giving them each a hard look.

The beach wasn’t far and I found myself working my way down to the water’s edge. Waves rushed up over the sand and rocks, the sibilant whisper of the tide pulling at the earth. I sank down, dropping my knees to the soft wet sand. I trailed my fingers in the water and lowered my chin to my chest. I was about to go into battle with a bunch of young, half-trained supernaturals. But they were all I had and I needed their help to get Jack out. For one of the first times in my life, I wished that I’d been cursed with a better ability. Something that could save lives, rather than just find them.

A warm body pressed up against my side, O’Shea coming to sit beside me, as Alex went spinning by me like an out of control top into the water. So much for a moment of contemplation.

“I wish you were here. Really here, Liam,” I said softly. He put his chin on my shoulder and stared out across the water with me, watching the sunrise over Venice. Beautiful, haunting, surreal. All those words applied and yet, they seemed damn inadequate.

Jack was in the city, his life threads hummed alongside my own. Not strong, but not dead. With Jack that was as good a sign as any. I reached up and curled my arm around O’Shea’s neck, holding him to me. What if this was all I’d ever have of him? What if Milly was right and there was no bringing him back? Fuck, I wouldn’t let that happen.

Alex was doggy paddling out into the deeper water, oblivious to the cold and the severity of the situation.

I held O’Shea tighter. He wasn’t like Alex, even though he too was trapped inside a wolf body. O’Shea was still … O’Shea. Even if he was stuck, even if he couldn’t talk, he’d retained so much of his personality.

I closed my eyes and O’Shea let out a low whine.

“I’m still here.”

Gods, what I wouldn’t give to have his arms around me.

There was the crunch of sand and gravel, and then Pamela sat on the other side of me. “I’m sorry, about what I said up there.”

“Forget about it.”

“I can’t, I just … .” She brushed her bangs off her forehead. “I know there are people out there who are bad people. But you saved me. What if this Child Empress isn’t a bad kid, what if it’s the people around her?”

Now that was not a question I’d even considered. “Shit. Well, I guess I’ll deal with that when I get close.”

“And how is Faris going to invoke your bite if he’s asleep? It will be daylight when we go in, won’t it?”

I let out a groan. “Damn it all. I hadn’t thought of that.”

O’Shea gave a grunt and pushed me with his nose. Like an “I told you so.”

Screw this.

I stood up. “Come on. We’ve got Jack to rescue and a vampire to kill.”

Pamela scrambled to her feet, and Alex came sloshing into shore, looking like a drowned rat. He was grinning from ear to ear. His body was thin under all that hair; no wonder he was hungry all the time. Next to O’Shea’s bulk, Alex was a scrawny, gangly teenager.

I strode back to Eve and Blaz. Blaz let out a bone-cracking yawn, and Eve glared at him from where she sat, feathers all fluffed up. At least he wasn’t trying to eat her.

I said I wouldn’t.

“Stay outta my head, Blaz.”

You don’t want me listening in on your lusting after the wolf?
He grinned at me, a big, lecherous grin and gave me a wink. Fuck, that was the last thing I needed. I took a deep breath.

“Shut your pie hole, dragon. Before I turn you into a pair of new boots.”

Eve let out a cackling laugh and flapped her wings. “I want a purse if you get new boots.”

An image of Eve packing around a Blaz-colored purse flitted through my head, and he frowned at me, scales catching the morning light.

Not funny.

We mounted up again and Blaz launched into the air first, Eve close behind him. I tapped into Jack’s threads and, through me, Blaz quickly honed in on the Tracker. That was fucking handy, I had to give him that.

Yes, I suppose there are a few benefits. But not enough to be warranted other than on this trip.

“And whenever you decide to have me do some Tracking for you.”

That too.

Across the water we flew, skimming close to the ocean. Eve flew higher than us and I could see her labored efforts, see the strain of holding not only her own body aloft, but Alex too. Shit, this was going to get bad if she had to—

Eve stumbled in midair, her wings just giving out.

Blaz cut sideways and the three of us clung to his back as he grabbed Eve out of the sky. Like plucking an apple off a tree, it was just that easy for him.

Now we had a problem.

Yes. I will drop you, the witch and the wolf off and take the Harpy, and the other wolf back to the forest, then I will come back for you.

There was no other way to make this happen.

I leaned over the dragon’s side. “Eve, Blaz is going to take you and Alex back to the shack.”

“I’m fine, just tired.”

I can feel her wings, they are still fractured, probably just the strain of flying too soon.

Damn it, I shouldn’t have let her come with us so soon.

Not your fault. She knew and she let you believe she was better. Harpies can be like that. Stubborn and prideful. Not like Dragons. It’s why we kicked them out.

“What?” I couldn’t help the question that popped out of me.

Pamela cranked around to look at me, her eyebrows raised. I shook my head, clearing it of everything but Jack. We were just coming up to the first canal, and with Blaz feeling what I was feeling he flew straight toward Jack.

We kicked them out of the Winged. That is partly why they hate us and we hate them. Or in my case, eat them.

Banking up, the dragon flew about a hundred feet above the tops of the buildings.

“I can’t believe people don’t see him, he’s bloody well huge!” Pamela pointed at the people moving about their business below, and I shrugged.

“Most humans never see what’s right in front of them, though some do.” I pointed to a single person who stared up at us from the street, his hand in the air pointing at us.

“And they’re the crazy ones. Aren’t they?”

“Yes. The people who believe in what’s truly out there, the masses label them squirrely as a bag full of fucking nuts.”

Blaz let out a chuckle as he spun lazily in a downward spiral toward the top of a huge building that, for some reason, filled me with an undeniable sense of dread. Shaped like a ‘U’, the rooftop was flat with pikes around the edges. There looked to be enough room for Blaz to land, which was a perk. On the far side was what looked like a church … .

That is the Basilica of St. Marks, and where we will land is the Doges Palace. Not only is it the seat of power for the humans, it contains the seat of power for the vampires. You are going into a nest of them, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, kinda.” Shit, a nest of them? I was hoping for less than three.

I cannot help you once you are inside.

“That wasn’t part of the deal.”

Just making sure you understand, Tracker.

The courtyard between the Palace and the Basilica crawled with tourists. I mean like a freaking ant hive of activity.

I can help with that.

Before I could say ‘yes thanks,’ or ‘fuck no,’ a bolt of lightning forked out of the sky and danced along the courtyard. It didn’t touch anyone and didn’t cause any damage, but as the light show continued all the humans drew closer to watch. Idiots.

“Don’t they know that lightning is dangerous?” Pamela stared at the humans, her mouth hanging open.

“Yes, they know. But they’re drawn to it, like they’re drawn to so much that is dangerous.”

Like you should talk. Walking into a nest of vampires.

Pamela slapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a giggle; obviously, that had been audible to everyone. Blaz landed and the light show continued. I slid from his back, O’Shea leapt off, and Pamela scrambled down his side. I caught her partway and helped her to the ground.

“Eve, we won’t be long. Then we’ll just wait until you’re healed.”

“I don’t want to go,” she said, her eyes flicking toward Blaz almost imperceptibly.

“This isn’t a choice. You have to trust me, and in this, I trust him.” I put a hand out and touched the arch of her wing. “You are a liability when you’re hurt like this.”

She let out a shuddering sigh. “I know.”

“Alex, you look after Eve. Okay?”

He bounded over to me, his big eyes tearing up. “Sending Alex away, always away.”

I bent and gave him a hug, squeezing him hard. “I love you, Alex. And you can’t stay with me this time. It just … it just isn’t good, buddy.”

“Alex loves Rylee too. Pamie too. Evie too. Boss too.” He whispered into my arms, sniffling. Gods, I’d barely spent any time with him since we’d been in London.

“Listen, after this, we’ll go home. Back to North Dakota. No more being sent away.”

His head jerked up, eyes lighting with eagerness. “Home? Yuppy doody! Home, home, home!” He barked and then spun on the spot, chasing his tail, finally grabbing it and yelping with pain. I touched him on the head.

“Easy, you go with Eve, and then we’ll go home. We’ll all go home.” I only hoped that I was going to be able to keep this promise.

Because if I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure that any of us were going to make it out of this alive.

You are right to be wary. I will be back as quickly as I can. You can call for me, if you need me.

I put a hand on his leg closest to me. “Thanks.”

A heartbeat later, he launched back into the sky, the lightning still dancing in the courtyard. The humans surrounded it, staring and pointing where it struck, where it burned the ground and scorched the stones.

Locking onto Jack, I headed toward the closest door. Pamela and O’Shea walked on either side of me. For all his animosity earlier, O’Shea seemed to be able to control himself now. Although he watched Pamela warily, there was no lashing out, no growling.

We reached the door and the handle turned, but it was locked. Before I could grab my sword, Pamela put her hand to it and the door melted. Like hot wax dripping, the whole metal door melted right down to the hinges.

I stared at her, knowing I was going to hurt her feelings, but knowing I had to. I pointed at the puddle of metal at our feet. “Much as that’s a nifty trick, and would be amazing in certain situations, it is going to be fucking hard to hide that we’ve come this way.”

She blushed. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Yeah, learning curve.” I stepped through the doorway and over the metal. Pamela followed, and O’Shea brought up the rear. The door opened into a storage room, coated in dust, cobwebs and scurrying things. Pamela gave a squeak and jumped into me.

I spun and grabbed her by the arms, again, knowing that this was not going to seem nice. But she was going to get us killed. “Vampires. If you see a vampire or some other fucking nasty supernatural, then you can scream, pee your pants, whatever. But bugs don’t get screamed at. Got it?”

Her eyes welled up, but again she nodded, and I could feel her spine stiffening. I gave her a smile to soften my words and she smiled back, tremulous and uncertain. But she was trying.

O’Shea was the one who found the trap door leading down and out of the storage room. He dug at it, his nose pressed against the dusty carpet covering the large ringed handle.

Pamela put her hand out and I shook my head, pressing a finger to my lips. I wrapped my hands around the ring and pulled. The hinges were well oiled, and the door lifted easily. With it open, I could peer down to see where we were. Kinda.

The room below looked like it had been closed off to the public, which was perfect. I took Pamela’s hands and lowered her down first. Next went O’Shea, and I went last, dropping lightly to a crouch. The walls were covered in oil paintings, as in the walls themselves were painted and accented with gold gilt scrollwork that was fussy and overdone.