Page 37 of Against the Veil (Endangered Fae #3)

“Sheer, unmitigated terror.”

Zack lounged against the window partition under the Tater Red’s Lucky Mojos sign, right between the ‘Red’s’ and the ‘Lucky’.

If he really had been a tourist, it would have been one of his first choices to visit, if only to browse through the T-shirts and oils.

Too bad. Maybe when things were finished, he could bring Lugh and…

If Lugh’s all right. If I ever see him again, the big jerk.

He clamped down on the mess of anger and anguish in his chest. This wasn’t the time to get distracted.

Before they’d left the island, he’d asked one of his security men, a native Memphian, where the busiest tourist area would be.

“You think Graceland, Bobby?”

“Naw, Sarge. Sure, it’s busy there, but he’d want the most bang for his buck, right? Draw out the magic users, get as much chaos goin’ as he can.”

“So? Where?”

“Beale Street, Sarge. That’s where you wanna be.”

As far as he could tell, Bobby had hit it dead on. The street was packed with visitors and natives alike visiting the shops, clubs and restaurants, and Zack had picked up on the psychic scent of no less than twelve magic users just from the folks wandering in and out of the voodoo store.

He’d sent Angus up the street with Nate, and Sionnach down toward the river with Will and Brandon.

The big kid seemed to like Sionnach and responded to him with the least resentment, so it seemed the best solution.

Zack was on his own, with the reasoning that if he could get his hands on Diego, he was the only one who had a chance of holding their errant consul alone until the others could reach him.

His phone vibrated inside his leather jacket. “Morrison.”

“Look sharp, Sarge,” Marcus yelled over the tumult in the background. “He’s just done with Brooklyn. Might be headed your way.”

“Everyone all right? No sighting?”

“Finn and Kev are a little banged up, but we’re okay. We saw him, Sarge, but couldn’t get to him. No joy here.”

“Define ‘a little banged up’?”

Marcus let out a short, mirthless laugh. “They both got punched in the head by a girl.”

“The same girl?”

“Werewolf, Sarge. You watch yourself.”

“Always. Get ’em home, Marcus, and to the healers. Nothing more you can do there.”

God. Diego had a vampire and at least one werewolf now, and hell knew what else. This was too damn dangerous for the kids to be separated from him. He was about to call his troops in to regroup when a familiar yank on the world’s magic hit him. No time. Diego was opening the doorway now.

A woman in a Ramones T-shirt came running out of the shop, her eyes huge in fear. “What the hell is that?”

“Trouble, ma’am.” One sniff of her and Zack scented her magic. She was powerful, but probably not powerful enough. Diego would want to snap her up. “Get to cover. Something bad’s coming and you don’t wanna be out here.”

Her dark eyes regarded him with cool skepticism. “Who’s going to protect us, wolf? You?”

“No guarantees, ma’am. Here to do the best I can.”

Something flickered in her eyes, maybe recognition. He had been on the news a lot, after all. “Be careful then.” She gave him a curt nod and hurried back inside.

His earpiece beeped, Sionnach’s voice as clear as if he stood beside him. “He’s coming through, Zack. Close to you.”

“I know, bud. But I think he’s inside a building somewhere. Can’t see him.”

“We’re on our way back to you.”

“Zack!” Angus beeped in on the channel, his voice tight and clipped.

“I heard. Regroup on my location. Time to roll.”

Before his change, Zack would have been oblivious.

Now the magic sang across his skin, making the hair on his arms stand up.

Diego was opening a door—he was damn sure in one of the buildings across the street.

He just didn’t know exactly where. After a couple of minutes, it didn’t matter, though.

The man himself strode out of an alley, followed by four young people.

The dark glasses and broad-brimmed hat didn’t help to disguise him one bit.

Zack would’ve known him if he’d been wearing a Ronald Reagan mask.

Diego said a few words and the youngsters scattered fast, heading both up and down the street.

Sionnach reached him first, Brandon and Will trailing a full two blocks behind him. “Zack, he’s…”

“I see him. He’s got freaking minions, damn it. The dark-haired girl in the black tank top, see her? And the tall kid with her. Go after them. Cut it short, whatever he’s ordered them to do.”

Angus had joined them at this point, towing Nate by the hand so he would keep up.

“Angus, you guys follow those two, the redhead and the little blonde. Be careful. We don’t know what these kids can do.”

“And you, Zachary?”

“I’m going after Sandoval,” he growled as he pushed off the storefront. “I’ll hold him until Brandon can get to me. Go!”

His own companions scattered, mirroring Diego’s.

Before he could draw another breath and possibly regret what he was about to do, Zack moved with all the unnatural speed gifted him by his werewolf mauling.

This time he didn’t call out and give warning.

This time he simply struck, before even Diego could turn, become aware of him and react.

He snatched up Diego’s slender wrists in one hand and slammed them into the wall above his head.

With his free hand, he seized Diego’s throat, partially cutting off his airway so the Voice wouldn’t be an option.

The shock lasted only a heartbeat. Then Diego smiled at him. “Hey, Zack.”

“Where is he?” Zack snarled, the beast barely below the surface. He knew he held too tight, knew his grip must hurt. He was having trouble caring. “Where’s Lugh?”

“He’s safe,” Diego said softly, in a voice obviously meant to soothe him. “I can’t tell you where, Zack, you know that. He’s secure, but safe.”

“Why can’t I hear him? Damn it, Diego!”

“I will admit, there’s some iron involved—”

“Fuck! How is that safe ?”

“—but he won’t take any permanent harm.” Diego’s dark eyes seemed disturbingly sane as they bored into his. “You could come see him, you know. Come with me. I’d take you to him. All you have to do is swear to the cause.”

He hesitated, torn. To be able to see Lugh, to go with Diego, find out where he had set up his safe house, work on taking down his new organization from the inside…but they both knew he didn’t lie well. Diego would know the instant he did. They’d been through too much together for that.

“I can’t, Mr. S. You know I can’t.” He licked dry lips, trying to ease the growling in his voice. “Come home with me instead. Come home where people love you…where we can help you…”

“You know I can’t. I don’t want to hurt you, Zack. I don’t want to hurt the people I love. You’re going to have to come with me, or let me go.”

“You are hurting them! You’ve already hurt Finn!”

“I know he’s worried, but he’s safe—”

“He was in Brooklyn, Mr. S.! Damn it, don’t you see what you’re doing? Your little werewolf clobbered him senseless and you didn’t even know he was there?”

“In… He should have been safe at home. Zack…why was he in Brooklyn?” The first hint of uncertainty crept into Diego’s eyes. It gave Zack hope.

“He’s so damn worried about you. He wants you home. It’s tearing him apart.” Zack heard footsteps running toward him even as the shrieks and crashes began up and down the street from the blossoming magical riot. He had to stall. Just a few seconds more.

The war raged on Diego’s face for a few seconds longer, then those dark eyes narrowed. “I will retrieve him when it’s time. When it’s safe. Tell him that. I counted on you to keep him safe!”

“It’s not me who put him in danger.”

Diego let out a frustrated, wounded bellow and Zack felt the magic gather under his fingers a moment too late. Oh, shit…

The electric discharge surged through him, whiting out his vision.

His feet no longer touched ground, he knew that, but he wasn’t aware of much else until he hit sidewalk again shoulder first. A lot of yelling went on over his head, familiar voices close by, unfamiliar ones farther down the street.

Arms wrapped around him and dragged him a few feet.

He thought he saw Sionnach’s face hovering above him.

“Zack?” The little fox fae patted his cheek gently. “Can you hear me?”

“Yeah,” he answered in a hoarse croak. “I’m… Yeah.”

Sionnach turned his face up to speak to someone. “I think he will be well. He seems whole.” Then the pretty face returned to look in to his. “I’m sorry, Zack. He is gone again. We have kept the damage to a small amount here. His henchmen fled with him.”

He struggled to sit up, only managing with Sionnach’s help. Brandon and Will both crouched beside him.

“Sorry, Sarge.” Brandon’s gruff, taut voice held more apology than his words could. “Didn’t get to you in time. Fuck. Just a few more seconds.”

“Hey. S’okay. Did your best.” Zack pulled in a slow breath, trying to get the ground to steady. Magical lightning shock was definitely not fun. “Everyone all right? All here?”

“Angus and Nate are coming. I see them just down the…” Sionnach trailed off, surprised or puzzled by what he saw.

“What?” Zack blinked hard, trying to focus his fuzzy vision. That was Angus closing in on them, yep, Nate beside him, but Nate was carrying something…someone… “What the hell?”

“Um, okay, so I guess we didn’t get him, huh?

” Nate said as they came within earshot.

The person cradled in his arms was the redhead who had come through with Diego, a shockingly pale waif of a boy with a mop of dark red hair that looked like dried blood against his pale skin. “Got one of his vamps, though.”

“You got…” The strange urge to tell Nate to put it back gripped Zack and he shook his head. “How did… What happened?”

“Well, fine, I didn’t do it. But there was this guy who lives here who got all ticked off or scared or something that someone was messing with his neighborhood. He pulled a wall down with his mind and it landed on the vamp.”

“What, his mind?”

“No, Sarge. The wall.” Nate beamed at him. “I figure we’d take him with us.”

“Nate, he’s dangerous. We can’t do that.”

Nate’s smile faded. “He’s hurt pretty bad. I think things are broken besides his arm. We can’t just leave him for some hospital to find out what he is. And I figured it would be good to have a, you know, prisoner. To question and stuff.”

Zack rubbed both hands over his face. “Nate. He’s a vampire.”

“And you’re a werewolf.”

“How would you even feed him?”

“There’s gotta be blood in medical supplies on the island, right?” The impish grin returned. “Please, Dad, can we keep him? I promise I’ll clean up after him and everything.”

“It’s probably the after-shock-treatment headache talking, but fine. Let’s get going. And we’re taking the damn vamp with us.”