Part 22 (1/2)
”Not yet, but I hope to one day,” Fiona said. He could tell she found the question to be overly personal and slightly offensive, but she presented a calm, smiling face to their hosts.
”Did you hear that, sorcerer?” Evan laughed and threw an arm around his mate's shoulders. ”Are you ready to be a daddy?”
”Have I done anything to offend you?” Christophe was getting a little tired of the man's att.i.tude. Sure, being mated to the alpha female must be exhausting, especially with Lucinda's obvious power, but there was no need to vent his anger all over Christophe.
”Not yet,” Evan replied, a dull red light glowing in his pupils. ”I'm sure you will before you leave. I don't like sorcerers.”
”Neither do I, fur face. Not a sorcerer. Deal with it.”
Fiona sighed. ”Really? Is everything about proving who possesses the bigger man parts?”
Lucinda roared with laughter. ”Man parts? Oh, that is priceless, human. Now tell me what you need while I'm still amused.”
”We are trying to find out information about the theft of Vanquish,” Fiona said. ”Anything you might know could help us out, and we'd really appreciate it.”
The alpha stared at Fiona in disbelief. ”Anything we might know? You'd appreciate appreciate it? You dare ask us of Vanquish when it contains the Siren?” it? You dare ask us of Vanquish when it contains the Siren?”
Evan growled, deep in his throat, and Christophe got a sudden impression of predators stalking squealing prey. He smiled, a simple baring of his teeth, and Evan subsided. Wolves weren't the only predators who hunted in the night.
”Have you heard the rumors of what that gem can do?” Lucinda snarled the words. ”Enthrall my kind, perhaps permanently. What kind of a death wish do you have to come in here and tell me you're looking for it?”
”That's one of the reasons we're after it,” Christophe said. ”We in Atlantis don't want it to fall into vampire hands any more than you do. If you know Lucas, then you know about our mission.”
”Protect humanity, n.o.ble sacrifices, whatever.” Lucinda shrugged. ”Nothing to do with me or mine. I have heard nothing of the ones who took it, but if I do, they will regret the day they first conceived the idea. This Scarlet Ninja is already a dead man, though he doesn't know it yet. If, to compound his transgression, he is working with the vampire Telios, we will make sure his death takes hours. Perhaps days.”
Christophe very carefully did not so much as glance at Fiona.
Lucinda planted her hands on the table and leaned forward, all crouching, feral fury. ”If you discover anything, you will tell me about it. Immediately. You can consider yourselves emissaries of the wolves from here on out.”
Fiona shook her head. ”With all due respect-”
”Anyone who uses that phrase is generally going to be quite disrespectful, I've found,” Evan said.
”I don't intend to be. I simply want to say that we all want the same thing-the Siren off the market. It's an Atlantean gem and belongs to them. We're going to find it and restore it to its original place of honor. A strictly ceremonial thing, of course. Since there are no s.h.i.+fters in Atlantis to be enthralled, you have nothing to worry about.” Fiona smiled and nodded as if everything were now solved.
”Princess, life isn't like one of your books. You can't tie everything up neatly with a bow all the time,” Christophe said, casting a resigned look at Lucinda. ”Now we're in trouble?”
”Now you're in trouble.”
The first wave of s.h.i.+fters came at them hard, fast, and low. Christophe barely had time to pull his daggers again before they were on him, but they ignored him and went for Fiona first. There were far too many, and they were far too fast.
Christophe shot out of his chair so fast it flew through the air and smashed into the wall behind him, but Evan dove for his legs and knocked him flat against the table so hard Christophe's head bounced off the wood. The two s.h.i.+fters in the front wave of the mob coming after Fiona grabbed her and yanked her away before Christophe could reach for her. He roared out his fury and denial, and the sound took shape into a glowing ball of forbidden fire, the flames as scarlet as Fiona's costume.
Flames licked the edge of the table and Christophe took advantage of the distraction to slam his elbow back into Evan's face. The s.h.i.+fter howled as the force of the blow caught him in the nose and mouth and flung him back and off Christophe.
Lucinda jumped up, the predatory grin on her face fading into a scowl at her mate's pain.
”Release her, or I'll burn this whole d.a.m.n place and everyone in it to the ground,” Christophe snarled, standing his ground. The s.h.i.+fters who held Fiona could kill her before he could reach her, which neutralized any potential move.
”I don't think so, sorcerer,” Lucinda said, pointing to Fiona. ”If you so much as blink, they will rip her throat out. Now make your pretty fire go away.”
Christophe a.n.a.lyzed every option available to him in the s.p.a.ce of a single breath, but the d.a.m.n alpha spoke the truth. She had the upper hand, for now. He extinguished the fireball.
”Now you're in a great deal great deal of trouble,” Lucinda said, and then she started laughing. of trouble,” Lucinda said, and then she started laughing.
Chapter 30
Fiona had the craziest urge to give in to the giggles. The entire situation had a distinct evil villain vibe to it, and she half expected Bond, James Bond, to show up any minute and get Lucinda to launch into a monologue about her plans to take over the world. Didn't look like that was going to happen, though. Instead, Fiona drew a deep breath and a.n.a.lyzed the situation.
Chance of escape? None.
Chance of winning a battle, against these odds? None. Or at least none before she'd be dead and bleeding out on the floor. Christophe might be able to fight them or escape, or both.
Chance of negotiating? Better than average.
”Lucinda-”
Somebody smacked the back of her head, hard.
”Speak to our alpha with respect, human. You're not fit to say her name.” The words came out in an animalistic growl, but she had no problem understanding either their meaning or their menace.
”I do apologize, but that is how she introduced herself to me. Is there a form of address you'd prefer I use?” She smiled calmly, as if this were any c.o.c.ktail conversation in any drawing room in the country.
”You've declined my very reasonable request,” Lucinda said, stalking her way across the room. ”I don't care what you call me, you're in trouble.”
Christophe roared out a warning, and Evan, his nose crooked and bleeding, smashed a chair into the back of Christophe's head. Christophe went down hard but was back up in a few seconds.
”If you touch her, I will kill you all,” Christophe said, his voice carrying throughout the room. His eyes burned like deep green pools of molten emerald and flashed a warning or a signal to Fiona. She had no idea what he was trying to convey, not that there was much she could do about it anyway. She was surrounded by drunken, angry, excited, and possibly hungry s.h.i.+fters. That last adjective alone accounted for the s.h.i.+ver of terror trailing its cold fingers down her spine.
”You should watch your mouth, warrior,” Lucinda replied. ”She will be dead before you can make your first move.”
Fiona could tell by the way Christophe clenched his fists that he knew as well as she did that it was the truth.
”Please let them entertain us, my mistress,” one of the s.h.i.+fters called out to his alpha. ”If we are not amused, they can be food.”
”I can be very entertaining,” Fiona said quickly.
A few of the s.h.i.+fters laughed, and she smiled at them. Diplomacy never hurt, though she didn't think they'd go as far as disobeying their alpha. Lucinda was the key.
”You offer, then?” Lucinda smiled. Her mouth surely hadn't had so many teeth in it before.
”No,” Christophe shouted. ”She doesn't understand. Take me.”
”Too late, Atlantean. Offered and accepted,” the alpha replied, never taking her eyes off Fiona. ”Well, little human, which will it be? Fight or f.u.c.k?”
Fiona gasped. ”I beg your pardon?”