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“Well, that was unexpect?—”

“There’s one thing you don’t know about me,” I cut in. “Actually, there’s two, but the most important one is the fact I’m not just the daughter of a pixie.”

His expression was surprised but not yet fearful. I’d wait for the fear. Savor it, as he had so often in the past.

My inner bitch had definitely risen to the surface.

“I don’t care what you are, Bethany, beyond what you can do for me.” His gaze raked me. “Produce the shield, or I will unleash the fire and melt little pieces off you until you do as I wish.”

“Hard to do when you don’t hold the ruby,” I said, and flung the full force of the wind at him.

He tumbled backward over the edge, but I didn’t let him fall. I caught him, raised him, and then ripped the ruby from his hand and tossed it toward Sgott.

Halak’s face was a picture, and gods, did it feel good.

I released the wind’s hold on Lugh and then tugged Halak closer. Lightning danced around him, an echo of my fury though not of my doing.

His fear filled the air, but he nevertheless raised and cast a spell. I had no idea what it was, but it felt foul, ominous, and deadly. I shredded it with the knives, watched the threads fall, even as he cast another. It met with the same fate.

“I can do this longer than you can, Halak.”

He stopped mid-spell and glared at me. Despite the bravado in his expression, fear now glimmered in his lovely eyes. “What are you?”

“I’m the daughter of a storm god, and you chose a hell of a day to kidnap my brother.”

“And the second thing?”

“I killed Mkalkee tonight.”

Rage and grief flooded his expression, but I gave him no time to retaliate or speak. I simply flicked him into the nearest tree hard enough to break a bone or two and knock him out.

It was tempting, so damn tempting, to kill the bastard, but I wasn’t about to give him an easy way out.

Not when Lugh was alive.

But Halak would pay for the deaths he and Mkalkee had caused, both now and in the past.

I released the wind’s hold on him but kept it close in case he revived before the cavalry got here.

Tree song reached out to me, telling me they were close. Lugh reached me first, his steps slowing as he entered the clearing. His lip was split, and he had the beginnings of an impressive black eye, but other than the serious-looking rope burns around his neck and wrists, didn’t appear to be badly hurt. His gaze swept from me to Halak and back again, then he stripped off his jacket and held it open for me. I shoved my arms in, then turned around so he could zip it up for me. It was so damn long it covered my knees.

“How did Halak capture you?”

“He was waiting for me when I left the museum. Leashed me with magic and shoved me into the back of a van. He’s obviously done that sort of thing before, given how fast and efficient the whole process was.”

He hadn’t been into kidnapping when I’d known him, but that was a long time ago.

Sgott and his people appeared. He motioned them over to Halak, then continued on to us and handed me my clothes. “No blood and nothing broken this time. The gray hairs are in retreat, at least until the next event.”

I smiled and hurriedly dressed. “Hopefully, the next hunt won’t be anywhere near as stressful or involve madmen intent on revenge.”

“From your lips to Fate’s ears.” He glanced at Lugh. “I’ve a car waiting to take you to hospital. Get those rope burns tended to. And you, Bethany, get the goddamn scans the medic wanted you to have.”

“Scans?” Lugh glanced at me sharply. “Why?”

I waved a hand. “Just a precaution. How bad are the rope burns?”

“I’ve had worse.” He slung an arm over my shoulders and gently guided me out of the clearing. “Did I ever tell you about the time I was captured by Pygmies in the Cameroon Highlands forests and hauled up a mountainside so their chief could decide whether to release me or eat me?”