The Tainted Web (The Godhunter, Book 7) (34 page)

You will be as you are now with one difference, you will have had the gift of perspective. Choose.

“
Fine,” I sighed, my voice taken by the wind, “I accept your gift.”

A numbing sensation crept over me from my toes to my head and a buzzing filled my ears. My vision turned black, the voices of my beasts fading until I heard only one, that of my dragon/jaguar. She lifted her head and shrieked, the sound resonating through me like the frequency that broke glass, and finally it felt as if I did break, as if some kind of shell shattered and set my soul free. My Nahual lost all jaguar aspects and shifted into a pure dragon.

With a shriek of my own, I undid the harness and threw myself from Arach's back. I could feel him pull up in shock, the entire Hunt stalled by my actions, but I didn't care, I needed the open air. My body lengthened, ecstasy pouring over my skin and shaking my limbs as they transformed. My arms grew before me, muscle building and scales lifting out of my skin. My hands became black talons and I saw scraps of leather fall away, the remnants of my clothing, as massive wings sprouted from my back and spread out to block the stars. I felt them catch the wind, as one might reach out and catch a pole to swing around in delight, and I finally knew what it meant to fly.

The Host screamed their approval as I soared up before them, exulting in my freedom, in the magnificent ability to ride the air. I beat my wings, hovering as I faced my mate, a fierce joy and pride filling my heart when I beheld his magnificence. This dragon was mine, these fey were mine, and this Hunt would be mine as well.

I swooped up and around in an arc, my eyes easily piercing the darkness and finding my quarry cowering before me as he should. I let go of the air and dove, the ground rushing up to meet me and Kael fleeing before my pursuit. I laughed but the sound was more of a roar, thundering through the Forgetful Forest and then echoing back to me. I pulled up at the last second and continued to skim the tree line, gliding down barely ahead of Kael.

Around me, the phookas swarmed, ringing Kael in effectively while we waited for the rest of the Host to catch up. They arrived in a fog a magic, the sparks reaching for my scales and sending delicious tingles through me. I stretched my neck out to the moon, feeling her power call to me as well, and then threw my wings out behind me in a proud display as I screeched my dominance to the night.

Arach landed behind Kael, spreading his wings and shrieking back at me. Then it became more than a shriek, the sound altered in my mind, becoming feeling, thoughts; he was communicating with me as dragons do and I understood. He was proud and awed by the sight of me. He'd given up hope of ever seeing another of his kind and seeing me rising up before him was an image he would treasure forever. His head bent and knocked into Kael, sending him stumbling to the ground before me, Arach's offering to his mate.

Take the first blood, my treasure, my love.

My tail twitched in anticipation and I sent it surging forward, over my shoulder and into Kael's collarbone, cracking it and pinning him to the ground. His screams sent delight coursing through my blood, the call of a wounded animal, my prey was caught. I lowered my head and screamed my fury into my enemy's face, seeing a tiny image of myself in his wide, terrified eyes.

I wasn't red like Arach but a shimmering gold. My snout was leaner, more feminine than his, and my horns had a sexy curve to them. I shone like an angel in the mirrors of Kael's eyes and I couldn't help preening for a second, admiring the fire of my own eyes, burning violet around the slits of my pupils. Kael's pleas for mercy was sweet background music for my narcissism.

It was enough for me. I withdrew my tail slowly, stepping back and folding my wings to indicate that first blood had been drawn and the feast could begin. The Host whooped in delight and descended on their prey, tearing into him with excited ferocity that lifted my heart. I watched avidly, taking in each cut, each stroke of tooth or claw on kelpie flesh, knowing that my enemy was brought down by my own strength and would die here on my whim. He had tried to bring death to my door and instead brought the Host to his. Never hunt dragons unless you're assured of the kill.

The imps laughed and danced over the slowly diminishing kelpie, they drove their hands into him and pulled out pieces of bloody flesh to shake up at me in victory. I nodded regally down to them in approval and they leaped away happily. The Hidden Ones were masters of torture, they took their time carving and slicing, before reaching inside the kelpie to see what he was made of. I was a little impressed.

Then the phookas were growling, fighting over an arm, until I huffed at them. They whimpered and decided to share the meat as they should. Prey was scarce these days, if I could allow them to tear apart my kill, than they could share amongst themselves.

The redcaps shooed away the smaller goblins so they could dip their hats in the blood, the thick knit soaking it up like dry land drank rain. They each tore a little tidbit and munched on it as they turned away, making way for the leanan-sidhe. My blood angels, they danced gracefully up to Kael, then dropped around him like hawks, canines exposed and ready to strike. They fell on him viciously and all I could see was his remaining limbs, more bone than flesh, pummeling the ground frantically.

When the leanan-sidhe had their fill, they fell back and reached delicate hands out to the shadows. The pixies swarmed out of the darkness, their high-pitched shrieks making me smile as they covered the thing that was once Kael. They cut and slashed until I was barely able to distinguish the gore from the pixies, and then a deafening roar rent the night and the entire Host pulled away in deference to their King.

He strode forward, head lifted, wings folded along his back, and picked up the bloody mess of Kael's body. He came to me and held Kael between us. I looked down and saw the kelpie's eyes wide and aware, focused on me intently, pleading for an end. I looked back to Arach and he lowered his head to mine, running his cheek against my jaw and sending heat cascading through me. He snarled, the sound translating into an offer to share. He wanted to end the traitor's life together.

How romantic.

I smiled, feeling my lips pull back to reveal the length of my teeth and calling up the fire that resided in my chest. I felt the answering rumble in him and we released our flame simultaneously, using our element to end the fey's life.

When nothing was left but ash, Arach let it go, to blow away on the cool night air. He shimmered and shifted, turning back into his man form and holding a hand out to run against the slick sheen of my chest. I flung my wings out, showing off a little for him, and he laughed throatily, lustily.

I released the dragon then, shrinking down to become a woman again, and we faced each other with heat-filled eyes for just a moment before he pounced on me and lifted me into his arms. His smile was fierce as he ran with me into the forest. The sounds of revelry began behind us as he found a soft patch of moss to lay me down on.

“How?” He shook his head “Have you given up your other parts?”

“
No,” I touched his face possessively. “This is a gift from Faerie. She's suppressed my other natures temporarily. We only have this night.”

“
Then let's not waste it,” his mouth descended to mine and he filled me with fire, ecstasy, and himself.

Chapter Forty-Nine

For one joyous second, I remembered everything that had happened the night before with fondness, then my human and god natures slid back into me and my heart started beating frantically, trying to make peace with what I'd done. Oddly enough, that panic was a bit of a relief, it meant I was still myself, I hadn't become fully fey for good.

Thinking that, gave me the strength to calm myself and think rationally. What had Faerie told me? That it was the gift of perspective. I now knew that had I been fully fey, I would have behaved no differently than Arach or the rest of the Host. I knew also the soaring freedom of flight and with that memory came the sinking feeling that I'd never experience it again. I'd also never experience the delight I'd had in bloodshed, or that overwhelming ego, so there was that. I guess you can't be a dragon without having a few issues.

“
Vervain?” Arach rose up onto his elbow, beside me in our silver bed. “Are you alright?”

“
I'm getting there,” I blushed as more of the night's activities came back to me. “Will you miss her?”

“
Who?” He slid a hand up my hip and pulled me closer under the blankets.

“
The dragon me,” I whispered. “The woman I was last night.”

“
Yes,” he bent his forehead to mine briefly and I swallowed back the hurt that single word brought. “I'll miss having another dragon beside me, a fierce woman who rides the night and makes other women cringe in terror. But I'd miss you more.”

“
What?”

“
The woman you were last night, would never have cared for our people like you do, would never have shown
me
how to care for them or challenged me to think before I acted, to look closer and apply reason,” his eyes were soft and it made his whole face seem gentle, even with the scattered scales at his temples. “She would never have gone into the caverns below and brought the Hidden Ones out of the darkness, shown them that even monsters deserve love and light, and she definitely would never have spoken to Faerie, never would have given Faerie back to me. That's the woman I can't live without, the woman I'd miss every second of every day were she to disappear. Besides, that dragon woman is still here,” he moved his hand to rest over my heart. “More so, now that you're aware of her.”

“
Maybe I can let a little of her out once in awhile,” I stared up at him in wonder. When had he changed so much? From an arrogant, heartless bastard to a man of strength and character. Or maybe Arach hadn't changed at all, maybe I'd just learned to see him differently and it helped him see himself. “But not today. You know, I've just realized that I've never made love to you as myself. I've been amnesia Vervain and now dragon Vervain but never just Vervain.”

“
When Vervain's all I really want,” he said as he lowered his mouth to mine.

He smelled like hot coals and burning oranges, a sort of citrus ember kind of scent, and I breathed it in like I'd never smelled anything so wonderful in my life. Beneath my fingers, his skin was smooth but textured and cool where his scales started to appear in response to his arousal. I trailed a hand over the glassy surface of them, down his sides and between his legs.

He groaned and let his head fall back. His long, red hair trailed over his wide shoulders like dripping blood, which oddly sent my own blood racing. My eyes were drawn to the line of his neck, the muscles stretched taunt, the artery right beneath the surface, mine for the taking.

I pulled him back down to me and latched onto his throat. My teeth had remained sharp from when he'd initially brought me into my dragon-sidhe powers, and they slid into his flesh easily. He shuddered against me, sliding himself along my center as he groaned. And then I was inside him.

With the flow of his blood over my tongue, I knew him again, fully and completely. I felt the strength of his love for me and his people, the peace he knew now that I'd finally accepted him into my life. Beneath that lay his hopes for a family but his patience in the fruition of it. He was bright, burning with... happiness. He spoke the truth earlier, he loved the woman I was and it made me ecstatic to know it.

Arach hadn't had a lot of happiness in his life. The fact that having me at his side made him feel that way was more of a declaration of love to me than when he'd dropped to his knees at our wedding and vowed to love me forever. I was amazed at the man he was and humbled that I'd been a part of his awakening.

I pulled back from him, out of his body and soul, and looked up at him. He smiled back and it was a perfect moment, one of those moments you remember forever. I would always think of him like this, his face above me in beautiful stark lines, while his eyes filled with love.

“
You stop my world,” he whispered and the world seemed to truly stop for a second, waiting for my reply.

“
And you stop my heart,” I pulled his face down to mine. Then the world started to spin again, everything catching up with us at dizzying speeds.

His tongue lashed at me as if it could draw the words out of me again and again, get me to scream them for him. Instead, I reached between us and guided him home. He rushed inside eagerly, sending us both over the edge, as fire burst along my skin. He smiled at me through the flames and bent his head to lick a trail over my burning breast. The fire leapt from me to him, he sipped it from me and the pleasure of it made me scream.

“I didn't think we were in danger of lighting the mattress on fire anymore,” I gasped as I saw the linens begin to catch. “You said it was only that first time.”

“
This
is
our first time,” his face got serious and he stopped his delicious movements to stare down at me. “Forgive me, Vervain. I never should have taken you without you knowing who you really were.”

“
I forgive you,” I ran a hand through the hair at his temple. “As long as you make this time so memorable, even magic won't take it away from me.”