Page 46 of Against the Veil (Endangered Fae #3)

The first sneeze to erupt echoed through the atrium.

Theo’s eyes widened as he found himself holding the long neck of a black goose.

He lifted the goose higher, backing up a step as if he couldn’t decide whether to take his prize right to Diego or to continue to face the rest of them.

The second sneeze turned Finn into a porcupine.

Theo cried out and nearly dropped him, but now the sneezes came rapid-fire.

Finn shifted through hare, Pomeranian, bat, iguana, stork and python, and while Theo was clearly flummoxed and distressed, he hung on doggedly through them all.

Lila took advantage of Zack’s distraction to twist out of his grip.

She took one last swipe at him and ran, yellowed eyes darting back toward the strange scene on the steps.

Marcus took a shot at her retreating back, but if he hit, the tranquilizer had no immediate effect.

The pounding of her booted feet faded down the stairs.

Jasper, with Nate’s help, managed to disentangle himself from the now-retreating vines. Will and Kara had picked up bits of broken furniture as improvised clubs, both wild-eyed and hesitating over which way to turn.

Just when Zack thought Finn might be finished with his uncontrolled changes, he gave a last, thunderous sneeze and shifted once more.

With a splintering crack, dragon-Finn sprawled on the steps, taking up most of the grand staircase from third-floor to second-floor landing, his wings spread out over the balustrades on either side.

Theo’s right hand protruded from under the dragon’s belly, evidence that he lay trapped beneath that huge body.

Finn twisted his long sinuous neck to poke his nose at that hand. “I did try to warn him,” he said in a voice much too small to belong to a dragon.

“Brandon?” Zack snarled. Damn. Why couldn’t he get his voice under control?

“I’m here, Sarge, don’t worry,” whispered Brandon’s disembodied voice somewhere to his left.

“Shit. Where?”

“Mink’s got me behind her…whatever it is she does. She thought it would be better.”

“Ah.” He couldn’t say anything to that, since it was a brilliant idea to hide Brandon. A hard shiver ran through him as he got up, one arm wrapped around his ribs.

“You okay, Sarge?” Marcus asked as he covered the stairs, watching for any more surprises.

“Yeah. Mostly. Yeah.” He heaved a hitching sigh and took the three steps to Finn. “Come on, bud. You gotta get up.”

“But what if I’ve…squashed him?”

“No helping it now, I’m afraid. Let’s see the damage.”

Slowly, gingerly, Finn got his forelegs under him, then his hind legs, rearing up so he wouldn’t drag his body over his fallen foe before he shifted back to just Finn. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t wish to harm him.”

“Deep breath.” Zack patted his now-naked shoulder. “Let me look first.”

It didn’t look good, and if Theo had been merely human, Zack would have called off the raid right then to improvise a backboard and call in a medical evac.

The long, lean body lay twisted at unnatural angles.

Zack was certain his back was broken and his right arm shattered.

He put an ear to Theo’s chest and while he didn’t pick up a normal human pulse, he did hear the once-every-few-seconds thud-thump of a vampire’s heartbeat.

“Jasper, stay with him. Don’t let anyone move him. I think he’ll be all right if he doesn’t take any more damage.” Zack took off his leather jacket and draped it over Theo, the only blanket he had. “Sooner we get this done, sooner he gets proper treatment.”

Gaze ricocheting between him and Nate, Jasper tried to protest. “But—”

“No. Better you than, say, Marcus. Someone he knows. And while you’re here, you might be able to talk your friend Auden out peacefully. Let him know what’s really happening.”

Realization dawned in Jasper’s eyes. He nodded and settled beside Theo, his expression a mix of resolve and anxiety.

“Good. Minky…” He searched the landing but couldn’t pick up a whiff of her or Brandon’s scent or even a hint of magic. “Wherever the heck you are, take Nate under your shield, too, please.”

“Why Nate?” Minky whispered, so close that Zack jumped.

“Damn it! Please, don’t do that. Because he’s where your magic starts for all of you. If you all start pulling power for something, we need a couple seconds where Diego won’t know it. Hide Brandon until the last second, yeah, but hide Nate, too. Every advantage we can get.”

“Why not Will?” Brandon asked softly.

“Because he finds Will interesting, I think as a possible protégé.”

“I’m a distraction,” Will said on a slow exhale.

“One of a couple, yeah. We can hope.”

A small, disembodied hand appeared in the air near Nate and took hold of his elbow. He gave a cheeky wave as he faded from sight, joining Minky behind her wall of obfuscation.

“She’s rather good at that.” The corner of Finn’s mouth twitched up.

“You don’t have to look so damn smug.”

Finn pulled his jeans back on, the one piece of clothing to have survived his shift-storm since they had fallen off the pooka-goose first thing. “I understand one is supposed to be proud of one’s offspring.”

“True, but how about later, okay? Let’s move.”

Up the stairs again and to the left, as Jasper had described, they hurried toward the corner room Diego had claimed as his.

Roars and ominous crashes echoed from the floors below, a rumbling as of a small earthquake momentarily blocking the other sounds.

Zack hoped to hell the rest of his team was having better luck securing the kids without damage.

The third floor only covered the center of the main building, a squat tower brooding over its domain. Here the four doctors who had run the asylum apparently had decided would be the least distracting place for offices doubling as consultation rooms.

The door was ajar, a soft glow sending fingers out into the hall. Zack had the oddest urge to knock first, but he was saved from such bizarre impulses by Diego calling out, “Come in! Please, come in! I was wondering what was taking you so long.”

Cautiously, Zack pushed the door fully open.

The glow emanated from Diego, who sat cross-legged on top of a worn metal desk near the far wall.

Most of the office had been gutted, books and light fixtures long gone, drapes and carpet removed.

All that remained was the huge desk. Diego had obviously added the mattress in the corner, and a few bits of detritus—sandwich wrappers, a towel, a razor—things that indicated a brief, temporary residence.

Bright motes of magic whirled around Diego in a white-gold sphere.

Even in such dilapidated surroundings, he looked more god than man, a comparison that scared the hell out of Zack.

He suspected the sphere was as much shield as it was show, and he set aside his initial plan of taking Diego down in a sudden rush.

“Hey, Mr. S. You doing all right?”

“Oh, yes, quite well. Especially now that you’ve come and brought my Finn and William both. Miss Kara, Marcus, nice to see you.” Diego’s smile seemed truly pleased, only adding to the surreal atmosphere. “But where’s Theo?”

Finn leaned against the doorway, unconsciously sexy in nothing but his black jeans, or maybe the pose was completely purposeful. “We had a small mishap. He made me sneeze into dragon.”

“Is he…” Diego hesitated. “Did he survive, mi vida ?”

“Oh, yes. Dragon-squashing doesn’t seem to kill vampires. But Zack says he needs medical attention.”

“That I can do.” Diego’s smile returned. He twirled a miniature tornado on his index finger. “Even my healing ability is stronger now.”

Zack shifted to the side of the doorway to give the others room to come in.

“All right, Mr. S. I think we’ve been through too much together for games.

You had to know we were coming, if not tonight, then soon.

You had to have heard us on the stairs. But you’re still here and you haven’t called in any troops.

Like you’ve been waiting for us. What gives? ”

“Right to the point, Sergeant.” Diego’s tone was almost wistful. “I’ve missed you almost as much as Finn, do you know that? Solid, reliable Zack, the best man to have at your back and never one to stand for bull crap.”

“Thanks. But that doesn’t answer the question.”

Diego laced his fingers together and stretched, cracking his knuckles. The spinning golden lights jerked and crackled before settling into their previous orbits.

Zack glanced at Will and Kara out of the corner of his eye. Are you watching, kids? It’s not solid and it’s dependent on his movements, his concentration.

“Things will happen soon, Zack. I have a conference scheduled with UN officials. Two U.S. senators have agreed to draft a bill from my proposals. Congress wants to push through a vote in light of the current crisis. Governments all over the world have begun to debate the issue.”

Diego glanced out of the office window where the sun had begun a painting project on the gathering evening clouds. He looked so tired, something that would normally have concerned Zack. Right then, he’d take any advantage he could get.

“We’ve watched the television, love,” Finn said in a soothing tone. “You’ve been rather busy.”

“Yes. Busy.” Diego shook his head, as if to clear stray thoughts.

“In any case, I need the people I trust with me now. I need you by my side through this. It’s been difficult, I know, to understand my methods.

But with you here, I can show you why all this is so important. Especially for you, Zack.”

“For me.”

“Yes. You’re a monster now, an abomination.”

“Insulting me’s not really helping your case, Mr. S.”