Master of Wolves (22 page)

Faith hit the
ground hard and rolled to blunt the impact. Even so, pain radiated savagely up her legs. She ignored it and surged to her feet.

Overhead, some vampire shouted a warning, and the rogues spun. Magic shimmered, and a big black wolf leaped from their midst—Jim.

Shit,
she thought,
he must be hurt badly to risk changing to wolf form during a fight with that crowd.
One of the weres swiped at him, raking across his haunches. Jim bounded, barely avoiding capture.

He transformed, but as he did, she saw his magic twist and snake in a malformed surge. When he returned to Dire Wolf form, his face was twisted in a grimace of agony.

Something he'd said flashed through her mind—
if you Change too many times too close together, the magic can turn on you.

Oh, God. He was cutting it too close.

 

Dammit, he knew
it! There she was, rushing in to get herself killed for nothing.

With a roar of pure fury, Jim pivoted, grabbed the nearest werewolf by the muzzle and one shoulder, and jerked. The rogue's neck snapped like a green stick, and Jim let him fall.

“Taylor!” the heavyset rogue yelled, and drove his fist right at Jim's head.

Jim grabbed his wrist, opened his mouth, and crunched down on his hand, shattering the delicate bones. The rogue howled in pain and slapped him across the muzzle, raking his face with claws extended. Blood blinded him. Somebody grabbed him from behind in the same hold he'd used on Taylor and started trying to break his neck. Jim twisted, grabbed the man's arm, and heaved. The grizzled were went flying.

He looked around for Faith. To his horror, he saw Reynolds circling her as she pivoted with him, hot-eyed and wary.

Jim started toward them, but somebody slammed into his knees, taking him down hard. He kicked the heavyset were away just as Ayers landed on his chest. Clawed hands grabbed his throat and dug in.

He felt flesh tearing and drove both clawed hands for the other's gut. Blood spurted from his neck, but he ignored the pain and forced his talons deeper into fur and flesh. They started sinking into something slick.

With a screech, Ayers jerked away from him, transformed to wolf form, and scrambled away. Jim jumped up, meaning to grab the wolf and kill him before he had time to Change again.

But claws came out of nowhere, catching him across his wounded neck. He stumbled and went to one knee, as fanged jaws plunged toward his face.

Faith saw Jim stagger, and her heart stuffed its way into her throat. She had to get to him. She tried to dart around Reynolds.

The rogue stepped into her path, grabbed her, and slung her against the wall so hard, it drove the breath from her chest. “Uh, uh. You've got your own problems, bitch.”

She recovered her balance and her breath enough to bare her teeth at him. “Traitor.”

Ayers, a red-furred wolf, and the heavyset one she recognized as Young were attacking Jim from both sides. He couldn't last much longer, not with the blood pouring down his chest. He had to Change—but she wasn't sure he could without the magic turning on him.

The Spirit Link! Her eyes widened as she remembered the psychic bond he'd mentioned. He'd said they could just call the magic and Link. It was their only chance. But she had to get to him.

Reynolds started toward her, his jaws gaped, obviously expecting her to grapple.

Instead she feinted right and summoned her power. He saw it rise and dove for her, clawed hands outstretched, only to grab empty air as she leaped past in wolf form.

With a roar of rage, Reynolds wheeled to lunge after her.

Faith darted across the pit, saw Young blocking her way to Jim, and leaped, sinking her fangs into his hamstring. The big were howled and went down, grabbing for his thigh. She danced aside and plunged in. A red-furred were—Granger?—limped clear at her approach, but Ayers was bent over Jim as the two exchanged a flurry of blows. The chief's furry testicles hung between his spread thighs.

Faith sailed forward and sank her fangs right into them. The chief tried to jerk around, howling, tripped over her and fell, writhing in the dirt.

Bleeding from a dozen wounds, Jim rolled to his feet and aimed a clawed kick at Ayers. The chief ducked and scrambled off, transforming as he ran.

Swaying, obviously badly wounded, Jim stepped in front of Faith to provide cover while she transformed to Dire Wolf again.

“We've got to Spirit Link!” she panted, once she had vocal chords. “It's the only way you're going to be able to transform!”

“Forget it.” He didn't even look around, all his attention on their foes. “If you're Linked to me when I die, it'll kill you.”

“If you die, I'm dead anyway!” she said savagely, watching grimly as the rogues regrouped. “I already thought you died once tonight, and it almost killed me then. It's the only chance we've got!”

“Fuck!” Ayers, Young, Granger, and Reynolds were edging around them, obviously preparing to charge. Jim grabbed her hand.

Faith licked her lips. “How do we…?”

“Damned if I know. Just go!” He called the magic as she let her own surge. The pit lit up around them with a hot blue glow.

Having no idea of what to do or how to do it, Faith simply threw her consciousness toward his. For a moment, she touched him, felt the warm, solid strength of his mind.

And then the magic started to burn.

Startled, Faith screamed as Jim's body began to blaze hot and blue.
Shit!
Horror rolled over her. She sensed its match in him and knew what he was thinking.

He was losing it! He was going to die, and the rogue fire would destroy her, too.

Jim tried to force her consciousness from his as his body blazed brighter and brighter, the pain building to a searing burn. She felt him start to die.

No! You're going to live!
Faith told him fiercely.
We're going to live!
Dragging in still more of the magic, she sent it streaming into him, picturing him as he was—handsome, stubborn Jim, the man she loved, the man she couldn't stand to live without.

The man she damned well wouldn't give up.

Even in the midst of his agony, she sensed his startled joy as he felt her love. Seizing her magic with his will, he drew it into his. Strengthened it. Together, they forced their mingled magic to obey. The fire began to cool, swirling around them, shaping itself into their Dire Wolf bodies.

Until at last it vanished, leaving them standing in the center of the pit on shaking legs, whole again.

Panting, they stared at one another, hardly daring to believe they'd survived after all.

“What the fuck was that?” Ayers demanded, his voice a bit too high.

Jim turned to bare his teeth. “Your curtain call.”

As one, he and Faith bounded toward Ayers. She circled to the chief's left and went after him, forcing him to defend himself from her slashing claws as he retreated—right into Jim's waiting hands. As Faith turned to fend off Reynolds, he grabbed Ayers by the muzzle and whipped his other arm around the rogue's throat, jerking him violently off his feet. The werewolf flailed, raking Jim's face with his claws, ripping at his ears. Jim gritted his teeth and jerked, snapping Ayers's neck with a crack.

He dropped the chief's body and turned to meet Granger's furious charge. The red-furred were struck out at his eyes with his claws. Jim blocked, just as Faith, ducking Reynolds's roundhouse, suddenly spun in and rammed her clawed foot against the side of Granger's knee. The joint snapped. The rogue toppled with a howl of agony. Jim stepped forward and kicked like a football player going for a field goal, catching the rogue right under the chin. The force of the blow flipped him up and over to land on his head. His body toppled with a thud, neck unnaturally twisted.

Jim turned. Young and Reynolds had gone after Faith in a flurry of snapping teeth and ripping claws. Jim plowed into the heavyset were's side, knocking him into the wall. Young twisted, raking Jim's shoulders with his claws, trying to rip his neck with his teeth. Jim ducked his head, protecting himself, feeling Faith running up behind them through their Link. Before Young could get a grip, she dragged back his head and raked her claws across his throat. Yelping, he transformed to wolf form—and Jim broke his back.

Dropping the furry corpse, Jim turned just in time to sense Reynolds's fist hitting Faith through their Link. Her pain made him stagger, and he looked around to see the rogue smirking down at her. “Remember me?”

Jim leaped on him with a bellow. “Remember
me
, you son of a bitch?” They hit the ground together, clawing and biting.

Faith shook off the punch, rolled to her feet, and dove into the fray.

She and Jim went after the rogue without mercy, each feeling the other's intentions through their new psychic bond. Reynolds quickly realized the last place he wanted to be was in a close quarters fight with the two of them, so he tore himself free and raced off. They followed, grimly intent.

As Jim went for Reynolds's throat, forcing the rogue to back away, Faith raced around to his rear and hamstrung him with rake of her claws. He went down with a bellow, sending a last vicious kick into Jim's gut. Jim fell back, the wind knocked out of him.

Cursing, the rogue tried to regain his feet, realized his muscles wouldn't obey, and transformed to wolf to scuttle away. Faith pounced, in no mood to give the bastard any mercy. God knew he'd never had any for anyone else. A swipe of her claws sent him flying into the pit wall. She started to jump him, then thought better of it and held back, letting him transform again. Reynolds hadn't had to Change as often in as short a time as Jim, but he had to be pushing his limits by now.

To her disappointment, he didn't burn. Instead, he faced her in Dire Wolf form, panting, his eyes flicking to Jim's as the big man moved around to his left. “You really think you can win?”

Faith's grin was slow and nasty. “We're doing pretty well so far.”

Jim just bared his fangs as they gathered themselves to charge. The rogue scuttled away from them both, fear in his eyes. He shot a look up at Celestine, who stood watching from the top of the pit. The rest of her vampires surrounded her, wearing identical expressions of hot anticipation.

Faith, following his gaze, saw the witch held an ornate gold cup in one hand. Was that the grail everybody was after?

“Celestine!” Reynolds called. “Help me, dammit! They're cutting me apart!”

There was absolutely no pity on the vampire's face as she leaned over the pit, contempt in her eyes. “And you deserve nothing better. You had six-to-one odds on London, and he beat you all anyway.” She smiled coldly, tauntingly, and toasted him with a mocking lift of the grail. “But you've done a really good job of feeding the rest of us. Thanks.”

Reynolds stared up at her in growing fury. “You're just going to let them kill me?”

She shrugged. “Why not? Afterward, we'll kill them. Eight magical sacrifices are a lot better than two.”

Oh, she is a bitch,
Faith thought. She exchanged a worried look with Jim, realizing the vampire witch might be able to carry out her threat.

Reynolds stopped retreating to stare up at his former colleagues in helpless fury. “You're all just going to stand there and
watch
?”

“Well, Keith,” one of them drawled. “You always were a bit of an asshole.”

Sheer, blazing hate leaped in the werewolf's eyes as he returned his attention to his former mistress. “Remember when I told you a thirty-foot pit was too deep for a werewolf to jump out of?”

She lifted an arrogant brow. “Yes.”

“I lied.” Reynolds sprinted across the pit and threw himself at the edge. Catching the marble lip, he vaulted over it, slamming into the witch before she had time to scream.

The grail shot from her hands, revolved lazily, and hit the pit floor with a clang. Jim and Faith stared at the cup as it rolled across the ground, then dove for it simultaneously. As Jim scooped it up, a thunderous magical boom sounded, followed by a piercing female shriek.

The vampires howled. So did Reynolds.

Something plummeting over the lip of the pit, accompanied by Celestine's scream of fear and fury. The witch hit the ground with a meaty thud and a splatter of blood.

For a moment, Faith and Jim stared at the still body as the howls and screams increased in volume overhead. They exchanged a cautious glance and started toward the fallen witch.

“Get away!” The hiss was low and broken, but it stopped them in their tracks.

Celestine lifted her head. Her eyes glared wildly from a blood-smeared face. She peeled her lips back from her fangs as she fought to roll onto her side, freeing her right hand.

It was glowing.

“I'm going to heal myself,” she snarled, “and them I'm gonna fuckin' kill you if it's the last fuckin' thing I do!”

“No,” Faith growled, “not this time.”

She didn't hesitate as she pounced on the vampire. Ignoring Celestine's clawing hands and the death spell they sent sizzling into her fur, Faith grabbed the witch's head and gave it a ruthless, efficient jerk. Something cracked, and Celestine went limp.

Faith let the body fall, and stepped back, swallowing hard.

She looked up to meet Jim's compassionate silver gaze. “You had no choice.”

“Yeah.” Faith straightened, feeling exhausted to the bone. “That's why I did it.” Her attention fell on the grail he still cradled in one big hand. “Think there's any way we can destroy that thing? I'd love to get rid of the rest of these damned vampires without yet another battle to the death.” She'd had about all of that she could stomach.

He frowned. “I think it takes some kind of magical spell. Just stomping on it won't do the job.”

“Too bad.” Faith bit her lip and looked upward, dreading the coming fight. “Damn, I wish we could do magic. A gate spell would come in really handy right now. We're going to have a hell of a time getting out of here.”