Unrepentant: The Reckoning - Book One, page 12
“I’ll get on it.” She would, too, though there’d be negotiation later- Johann would be insufferable if he gouged her into paying for a new replacement. He needed the occasional humbling.
She would be providing for two children soon. Mark required shelter and cooked food. The one she bore might take after Gaius and need those things too. Thriftiness was called for.
Bored with trying to get under the sideboard, Mark pulled his tablet out and sat on the floor as tinny music arose in counterpoint to the discussion.
“Do you know where the other two sidhe are?” Lily emptied the chips onto her plate.
“I have leads; I’m hoping to have a firm location by the end of the week. They ran; packed up what was portable, and abandoned the offices.” Johann stole a potato chip from her plate.
Yes, the fé was indeed acting out. He’d taken something of hers without recompense: it went against something deep in their nature and was, therefore, a warning. She had no idea what he was warning her about, though. And he wouldn’t tell her if she asked. Fé gave her headaches.
“Does Storm- my brother; I don’t think you’ve met- know where you live?” Lily took another bite of ham.
“Yes; why?” Johann stole another chip, wincing.
Gaius kissed her on the mouth and left. The heat of the gesture helped with the chill of his retreating back.
Silence pressed as Johann waited for her answer. “Because he’s to fetch me back to my family if I don’t go on my own. I think finding alternate accommodation for myself and Mark is a priority to avoid damage to your architecture.”
Johann nodded. “Where?”
“You could stay at my family’s place?” Anastasia offered.
“Neither of us breathes water, Anastasia.”
The rusalka’s appearance had become more human, eyes normal size and merely dark brown and warming, skin flushing to a human shade of pale as opposed to paper-white. She joined them at the table. “We also have a place to store things that can’t handle the wet, Lily. You two could stay there. I don’t think Storm could track you there by scent. And if he did, my family would have fun leading him every which way.”
“Yes, that reminds me. The spraying issue. Your brother would come here when you’re in season? That’s taboo- I know that about your kin. Why not just spray to let him know?” Johann’s wide eyes held an expression of perfect innocence.
Lily looked down her nose. “I don’t choose to be charged for scent removal.”
Johann laughed.
“He’s got a very long attention span for his age,” Johann tilted his head as Mark continued to play. Today, Johann wore the aspect of a handsome blond man with a close-cropped beard, dressed in a suit. He appeared suspiciously similar to an actor in a recent series of movies about superheroes.
“And an aptitude for water magic- he was making part of the fog.” Anastasia offered the information after a shy pause.
“Lily-flower, are you sure you want to try to make a stand about not participating in the Reckoning? This harassment is only the beginning, and it’ll get worse. You have to hide, or both sides will hound you until they kill you. Is the principle worth the price?” Johann’s expression was unusually sympathetic.
Anastasia shot him a startled glance, but she nodded in agreement.
Lily sighed. “Principles are worth the price, but now I have something to lose.”
“A relationship with an enkimmu was not usually considered a positive.” Johann’s tone went beyond dry.
“He’s one of them?” Anastasia’s physical form lost cohesion, clothing collapsing to the floor as flesh, bone, and hair all bled into swirling mist. It filled the room, glimmers of blue and green at its heart. Lily shivered in the sudden fog bank.
Johann spoke to the vapor without missing a beat. “Yes, but I’m calling in your old debt, Ana, the one for the willow I saved: don’t mention this to anyone who doesn’t already know. This way, if Lily needs to hide from multiple sources, you know what you’re facing. Is your offer of shelter going to remain open, knowing that?”
Lily ate the rest of her sandwich as Anastasia slowly reformed from the fog, stooping to retrieve the white sundress and pull it over her head. Free of the clothing, Anastasia’s chin lifted. Her face, thin skin stretched over bone, wide black eyes dominating the area above her cheekbones, was in no way human. “Yes.”
“If nothing else, it’ll take Storm two days to get ready and a day to fly here, so I have time to pack and go. What’s the address?” Lily opened her laptop. “I’ll ship some clothes there and things Mark needs.”
“What about Gaius?” Johann regarded Lily, fingers tapping on the table.
Lily paused, resting her fingertips on the keys of the laptop. “I’ll give him a chance to follow if you’ll permit. Otherwise, I have to leave before Storm gets here because…” She stared at Johann.
“Your silence for this secret.” Her eyes shifted from him to Anastasia.
Anastasia assented, her curiosity obvious. Johann hesitated and then added his agreement to hers.
Lily drew a deep breath. Even if it hadn’t been a difficult thing to do, being able to talk about it roused an odd excitement. “I’m pregnant.”
“Then you can’t shift to tiger form.” Johann appeared truly surprised, rare for him.
“Is that rumor true?” Anastasia’s eyes widened.
Johann settled back in the chair, fingers steepled. “That explains you running rather than fighting; I was curious. Whose child is it?”
“Gaius’s and mine. I don’t plan to tell him until matters are settled here since it’s most likely the baby will be of the changing kin.”
“That’s a really stupid idea,” said Anastasia thoughtfully.
“If he’s going to leave, if he’s only wooing me because he wants what I know, I don’t want to give him the leverage the baby provides. And if he is here for me, he’ll understand.”
“You haven’t been in a successful relationship before, have you.” Johann tapped his lip.
“I have!” She stood up to emphasize the words. Anastasia regarded her with wide eyes, but Lily saw a hint of amusement in their dark depths.
“One that lasted beyond sex for three months?” Johann’s calm voice was relentless.
“…no,” Lily mumbled the word, unsure why she felt vaguely embarrassed.
“Even with your kin?” Amusement gone, Anastasia’s tone soothed even as she asked the awkward question.
Lily shrugged, old bitterness rising. “I’m the unattractive, awkward, undignified one, who happens to be deadly in a fight. Woo me for the Reckoning, and drop me after. I swore off my kin after the last Reckoning. I don’t expect him to be different even if I’d hoped. But he’s off to talk with people secretly now, so it’s not looking good.”
“Well. Don’t leave before he returns. There’s a chance I might get the location we need by tonight.” Johann rose and took Lily’s hand, kissing the air above it. “Congratulations.”
“I’ll go and let my cousins know to start getting the house ready. Mark shouldn’t be around things that are decaying, so some of the decorations need to change.” Anastasia smiled. “It’ll be fun, Lily! They’ve wanted to meet you for ages, but they’re too shy.”
Lily’s shiver had little to do with the remaining chill in the room.
Johann’s amused expression made Lily narrow her eyes. It only made his smile grow. “For the gift of the knowledge of your vulnerability, please sort through the clothing in the storage closets and take what you want. You need more garments, and these only take up space. There might be items for the boy and the dog, too. Search carefully.”
15
Lily sorted through the racks full of castoffs, deep in one of the storage closets. She’d placed the order for items for Mark but, since the items had already been paid for, had decided to take whatever might be of use. Johann never threw anything away, and the huge closets contained clothing neatly hung or folded, decades old. He must have a member of a housekeeping kin, a domovoi or brownie on staff since there was no dust, even in the furthest spaces of the closets or on the shoulders of clothing stored for a century.
There was old jewelry, a variety of watches, and notes in the pockets as well. She’d been stacking the paper to read later and made a pile of the trinkets on a shawl she’d found. Some were costume, some not, but all were attractive and finely made. She’d found a small collar studded with glittering crystal that she set aside for Spot.
Her newest find glittered in the light, tempting and utterly impractical. She smoothed crystals beaded on silk, a pretty dress, a reminder of lavish times a century later. Whoever organized the closet jumbled styles and times together but kept similar sizes, so it would fit if she fancied it. The roaring twenties had styles that suited Lily’s build.
Gaius might like it. She settled it on the picked pile.
Several pairs of jeans joined it though she passed on the orange and yellow bellbottoms. She liked the style and would have worn them but for the texture of the fabric. She’d forgotten how raspy old polyester was.
Arms full, she carried the clothing to the bed to fold and stuff into a discarded trunk. She put the shawl into the go bag, just in case a swift exit became necessary. It had less bulk and could become money if it came to that. Since she had a bill hanging over her head.
Mark had turned the other trunk into a fort, climbing in and out of it while Spot danced around him, barking excitedly.
The dog had grown on her. She had a weakness for small, fierce things. Spot was all that and joined her in chasing Mark when he demanded she play tag with him.
When he had been reduced to a giggling heap, the canine licking his face, she started packing the castoffs into the other trunk. She eyed the clock. Johann had a fondness for them, and even in this age of cellphones, every room had its own. The elaborate brass and mahogany gleamed with polish, the quiet ticks soothing in the background.
Gaius had said evening, still hours away.
Recovered, Mark jumped on the bed, burrowing under the remaining clothing she’d folded. He peeked at her from under the pile then scooted away when she lunged, slow enough to miss him.
He shrieked and ran to the other side of the room. He reminded her of other cubs she’d played with when she lived with her family though they were quieter.
She cornered him, scooped him up, and tossed him in the air. He giggled, and she nuzzled her face into his belly, held up in the air.
The roar of an engine revving hard reverberated through the open window, even on the river-facing side of the house. She set Mark down.
The floor shook.
He grabbed her leg, brown eyes huge, trembling.
She scooped him up again, settling him on her hip. Lily checked out the door and saw people running toward the entrance of the house. A fire alarm whooped, hurting her ears. The acrid odor of smoke and hot metal reached her nose.
Not again.
Repressing the urge to scream in frustration, she kept Mark on her hip as she grabbed the ammo bag from the shelf where she’d put it out of his reach. She slung it over her other shoulder.
A deep-throated roar from the front of the building decided her. Spot growled and then let loose a stream of barks, loud and hoarse. Though she itched to join the canine and answer the challenge, she had Mark along with the child inside her.
She scooped the bristling, wriggling dog up in her free hand.
Instead of the hall, she walked out onto the small balcony. Even in human form, she could do a two-story drop without injury. She jumped, holding on to Mark and the squirming Spot, keeping her knees loose.
She dropped the dog and drew the gun. Another roar thundered, making her ears hurt. The telltale staccato pop of automatic gunfire rang through the air plus the scent of smoke. She needed to get Mark and the dog away from all of the stray bullets.
“Heel, Spot!”
For a wonder, the dog obeyed. The Five-seven was clutched in her left hand and Mark on her other hip, and the dog followed on the ground as she retreated from the house toward the trees, seeking cover. She coughed as more smoke swirled past them. The telltale scent of dragon fire rolled over her.
She froze for a moment. A dragon moved the situation into dire territory. An explosion from the front of the building rattled her teeth, followed by guttural bellows. Vittorio and Santo were out there, at least.
Johann appeared from the darkness cast by the trees at the edge of the patio. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. I heard cars. Now gunfire, and there’s a dragon. I have to get Mark out of here.”
Mark shook with fine, continuous trembles, his arms wrapped around her chest as far as they would reach, silent as a wounded animal. She hugged him close. “Don’t worry, nothing will get you. I’ll take care of you.”
He whimpered, a tiny breath of sound.
Johann bared his teeth. “If I get him to a safe place, will you help here? I’ll take the dragon when I get back. You and the trolls can handle everyone else.”
Lily stared at Johann, jaw dropping. If he claimed he could fight the dragon successfully, he believed it, but she’d never seen him show that level of skill or power. On the other hand, she was trapped in human form, and his request was a compliment. Regardless, there was no choice.
She nodded and kissed Mark’s cheek before passing him to Johann. She grabbed Spot and shoved him into Johann’s other arm. The child clung to the dog and wailed in the flicker of a moment before the three of them vanished.
For a fleeting second, she wished Gaius hadn’t left. Then, she put that thought away to focus on survival. Using the side of the house as cover, she ran, keeping herself bent almost double.
A pair of kobolds rounded the corner. Their builds- inhumanly broad- combined with their short stature informed her of their kin. Kobold parents were forced to sell their children to the daoine sidhe, and these soldiers were survivors of a training process that killed all but the best; only one in a hundred survived, leaving lethal, highly trained combatants.
So this mission might have to do with her. Would they try to kill or capture?
Her pistol jerked up a hair before their submachine guns. The armor-piercing bullet penetrated the helmet of one partner as she dove for the other.
She swallowed the cry as a bullet gouged her arm. Then, she was in close quarters with him, much more survivable than his gun. She’d killed his partner; even if his orders were to take her alive, his instincts would be to kill her.
Lily had a little reach on him and was stronger than a human woman of her height and build, which didn’t mean much since a kobold could take groups of trained human soldiers in hand to hand without raising a sweat.
His huge red eyes glared at her from under thick brow ridges as the three-fingered hands, talons trimmed short, gripped one of her arms, trying to twist her into a submission hold. He bit her, wide tearing teeth biting deep into the muscle of her upper arm. He shook his head side to side, worrying at the wound.
She gritted her teeth against the pain and wriggled, shifting to work her way to place the Five-seven in his armpit, a place where the body armor wouldn’t matter, where he had no ceramic plates to stop bullets. It was useless to try to force his mouth open. Kobold’s jaws were as strong as a wolf’s.
A second bite, near her elbow, had her shoulder straining near to popping when she reached her goal.
The sky thundered as the dragon took flight. She double-tapped the kobold in the armpit, respecting him as a foe. Her other arm hung, barely usable as she panted, leaning for a too-brief moment against the house. Despite her passionate desire, body armor in her size did not materialize. She moved, hugging the house to avoid catching the dragon’s eye.
Fire blazed across the back lawn; grass gone in a flash. The rush of heat baked her mouth dry.
Another bout of fire blazed across the sky, the dragon rearing to its full height, towering over the house. They’d brought a young lig-na-paiste from their dominion. The greatest of the dragons in the sidhe’s dominion, larger than a skyscraper when fully grown. Not a fight she could win in this form, nor in tiger form unless she caught it sleeping.
Size mattered. Reach mattered. The ability to breathe flame mattered, a lot. Though she’d rather face a dragon than a platoon of goblins, which also looked to be here.
The head, large as an SUV and patterned with green and gold scales, bore teeth the size of a fighting knife, wickedly serrated. The amber eyes blazed balefully with almost enough brains to scratch its own back at its age. This young, that kind of dragon didn’t have much in the way of intelligence.
Claws, teeth, venom, and fire it had in abundance, however. And the young drake would follow wherever the daoine sidhe led.
If Johann’s people didn’t win this fight, there’d be repercussions; if the dragon wasn’t killed, it would rampage through the neighborhood, burning and killing indiscriminately. While some races didn’t value humanity, none of them wanted enraged mobs or helicopter gunships taking an interest in their business.
The sharp odor of the dragon, acid, and soot burned in her throat with the smoke. She only had a knife and wasn’t as good at swordplay as she was with guns. Dragons were mostly bulletproof, and the ammunitions that could penetrate their scales were a higher caliber than would fit in hers.
They didn’t have the best sense of smell in their giant reptilian form, so she hugged the side of the house and moved carefully. One of the trolls, Santo, ran at it. He took a full blast of dragon fire. Burned flesh sloughed off, and Lily winced. That would sting tomorrow if he survived the fight.
Vittorio, who’d climbed to the burning roof, smacked it with a two-handed blade. The battle fury on him, he bellowed and dodged as the teeth almost closed around his torso. The dragon was serving its purpose as a huge distraction.
She stood patient at the mousehole, waiting for the instigators. There would be at least two more goblins; no squad was smaller than four and each had a minimum of one handler. Working her way to the front, she should only find those left to guard rather than the teams sweeping for Mark and probably her.
