Page 12

Chapter Twelve

Lallakai dove in front of her master, wings spread wide. The wolfish vargs flanked her, hackles raised and teeth bared. Shadows roiled around the eagle and she whipped them at the leviathan. It recoiled with a snarl.

Zak sprang through her dark magic and pressed both hands to the leviathan’s scaled muzzle. The creature went still, its pearly eyes shining with outrage. The fae was maybe a third the size it had been on the beach, but it was still a lethal giant.

Cowering in the corner, I crouched in a foot of cold salt water, arms wrapped protectively around my head. My body pulsed strangely, as though everything inside me were trying to expand through my flesh. I could scarcely breathe, my head spinning and lurching. The world had detached from my senses, my mind overwhelmed by a thousand zinging barbs of alien power driving through my skin over and over with each passing second .

“Tori?”

I didn’t realize I’d squeezed my eyes shut. I cracked them open.

Zak crouched in front of me, and the leviathan’s thick coils no longer filled the room. The serpent had shrunk again; now it was merely the size of a monster anaconda. With its pectoral fins braced on the floor, its horned head almost touched the ceiling. Its long body snaked through the water that filled my apartment, pointed dorsal fins lining its back.

Zak helped me up. I wobbled to my feet, disoriented and unsteady. The disconnected feeling between my mind and body had mostly faded, but fae power still shuddered through my limbs.

Ivory eyes gleaming murderously, Llyrlethiad waited with unnerving stillness reminiscent of a hunting reptile. Lallakai was back on the kitchen counter, and the two vargs stood on my sofa to keep out of the water.

“Are you okay, Tori?” Zak murmured.

I stretched my arm out. The fae markings were blazing as bright as the moon. “I can handle it.”

He nodded and guided me toward the serpent, which was large enough to bite my limbs clean off. I resisted the urge to flee. Or curl up in a terrified ball and cry like a baby. That was an appealing option too.

“All right,” Zak said in a businesslike tone. “Llyrlethiad, our goals align—to free you and Tori from this bond.”

“ Kill her ,” the fae commanded. His mouth didn’t move—it wasn’t even open—but I could hear his snarling voice nonetheless. “ I will reward you handsomely. ”

“Don’t insult me,” Zak snapped .

The serpent bared his carnivorous teeth. “ I will see you destroyed, druid. ”

“ You will retract your threats. Or would you prefer I claim a debt for helping you?”

The serpent snarled. I stared at Zak, goggle-eyed.

“Let’s be clear,” he continued impatiently. “Tori intervened in the ritual to save you from enslavement. She wasn’t aware she would be taking the witch’s place. You know this, because she didn’t complete the ritual.”

Llyrlethiad’s scaled lips curled in disdain.

“You may loathe being bound to a human, but this human wants to see you returned to your rightful autonomy. That is our goal, and with your cooperation, we can accomplish it all the faster.”

“ She will perish in a matter of weeks ,” the fae growled. “ I will wait .”

“So you lack all honor. I’ll make sure to inform the Gardall’kin fae.”

The serpent reared back in anger, its head rising to the ceiling, and its powerful body thrashed. My furniture rocked in the current and a wave crashed into my TV. It wobbled, then fell off its stand, belly-flopping on the water before sinking out of sight.

“Why are we playing this game, Llyrlethiad?” Zak asked in a steely, measured tone. “We both know you owe Tori a steep debt, and you can’t repay it by letting her die. If not for her, you’d be doing a black witch’s bidding.”

“I don’t want to do any bidding,” I whispered vaguely. “Let’s not do that.”

Zak glanced at me, his brow pinched with worry. I could understand why. My head was spinning and I was almost too exhausted to stand .

“Can you suppress your magic any further?” he asked the fae.

Llyrlethiad’s cold stare whisked across me. “ No more than I am .”

Zak curled his arm around me and I leaned gratefully against his sturdy—and soaking wet—side. I was drenched too.

“What can you tell me about the binding?” Zak asked the fae.

“ A being I am loath to call kin created it. Tuned to my power, it drew me to their circle and bound me. ” His pale eyes turned to my face. “ When she claimed the spell, she forced no commands upon me, therefore I accepted the magic before I could be thrust anew into a battle of wills. ”

“How do we break the spell?”

“ I do not know. Never have I been bound in such a way. ”

I cleared my throat. “What about Echo? He seemed to know what was going on.”

Zak made an irritated noise in his throat. “I called for him before coming here. He isn’t answering.”

“Why not? I thought you two were pals.”

“Fae aren’t anyone’s ‘pal.’ They’re your ally only until they decide not to be. Echo will show up when he’s good and ready, which won’t be in time to be useful.” Still holding me against his side so I didn’t tip over, Zak rubbed his jaw. “Llyrlethiad, what can you tell me about the fae who created the relic?”

“ A foul creature who prefers the worship of humans to any honor among his kind. We call him the Rat, but I know not where to find him. ”

“Guess that’s where I’ll start. He’s the likeliest source for magic that can break the bond. ”

The serpent dipped his large head in a nod. “ If you locate him, I will ensure his cooperation. ”

“Can you, without hurting Tori?”

The fae didn’t reply, his silence a clear answer.

Zak straightened. “Llyrlethiad, I would have you vow to protect Tori from harm.”

An instant snarl. “ I will not— ” He broke off, then hissed angrily at me. That sound had definitely come from his fanged mouth. “ For as long as we are bound, I will do all in my power to preserve your life. By this pledge, I pay the debt between us .”

Zak squeezed my side. “Agree, Tori.”

“I agree,” I said faintly.

Apparently, that counted as a farewell, because the serpent began to fade from sight.

“Llyrlethiad,” Zak barked. He pointed at the submerged floor. “The water.”

The power buzzing in my bones flared and my skin felt like it was splitting open. The water covering the floor steamed, then boiled away in seconds. A moment later, the discomfort faded and I sagged in relief. Llyrlethiad was gone.

Zak pulled me over to my one bar stool. Twenty minutes ago, I’d owned two bar stools, but the other one was in pieces. Poor stool. So much life to live, snatched away too soon by an angry sea serpent.

I glanced guiltily at my TV, lying face down on the floor. Aaron wouldn’t be happy. Twiggy would have a total meltdown.

Zak tipped my head back and checked my eyes, then held my wrist and counted my pulse. Lallakai perched on the counter, staring at me with her green, laser-beam eyes .

Fetching his bag, Zak set it on the counter beside me. As he opened it, a scowl pulled at his mouth. “Everything that wasn’t sealed is ruined. Damn fae.”

“He ruined my TV.”

“He put a hole in your wall too.”

Craning my neck, I saw what he meant: the crawlspace door no longer existed. In its place was a hole with two broken studs, gaping like a toothy smile. Bye-bye, damage deposit.

Zak pulled out two vials and uncorked the one full of silvery-green liquid. “Drink it.”

Taking the vial, I cautiously sniffed. “What is it?”

“It’ll temporarily bolster you against the fae’s power. You won’t feel as tired.”

“You carry stuff like this around everywhere?”

“No.” He rolled his eyes. “I made it for you before I came. I knew you’d need it.”

I blinked at him, then at the vial, and mumbled, “Thanks.”

“Thank me by drinking it.”

Obediently, I poured it into my mouth and swallowed. It tasted the way pinecones smell. He handed me the second vial, this one filled with purple liquid, and I drank it too. Tasted like pure sweetness.

“What was that one?”

“A vitality potion. It’ll boost your strength and help you recover from your exposure to fae magic.”

“Wow. You’re pretty amazing, Zak.”

He snorted. “I prefer it when you insult me.”

“Do you?” My lips quirked up as I handed the empty vial back. “Then you’ve been enjoying all my texts?”

“They’ve been delightful. ”

I giggled, then realized I was giggling. Choking it back, I arranged my expression into a stern glower. “What now?”

“Now you’ll stay right here and try not to exert yourself. Don’t call the fae back, and don’t use his name in case he thinks you’re summoning him. I’m not sure how long that first potion will last, so let me know when you feel fatigued again. You’ll need to keep taking it.”

“What will you do?”

“Track down the Rat fae.” He eyed me, then gave my shoulder a hesitant pat. “Just hold on until then.”

I smiled at his awkwardness. “Thanks, Zak. You’re really not an evil bastard.”

He zipped his bag. “Don’t get the wrong idea about me.”

“Fine, you’re an evil bastard. But you’re still a good friend.”

His mouth twisted. “We’re not friends, Tori.”

“Yes, we are.”

“No, we’re not.”

I folded my arms. “Well, we sure as hell aren’t acquaintances. We got drunk together, remember?”

“We were poisoned, not drunk.”

“I saw you naked.”

“I wasn’t naked.”

“We slept in the same bed.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it, unable to dispute that claim. “Friends are dangerous when you’re a wanted rogue. Look what protecting one girl has cost me.” He slung his bag over his shoulder. “Don’t forget your oath.”

“Never,” I murmured, sobered more by the reminder that he was about to lose his home—a farm I was sure he loved more than any human being—than the reminder that my life was hanging by a magical thread. “Let me know if you need help finding a safe place for Nadine.”

He nodded, stepping away. “I’ll be in touch.”

I caught his arm. “Zak… thank you. I mean it.”

He met my eyes, saying nothing, then pulled away from my hand. As he grabbed his coat and strode toward the stairs, Lallakai took off, cuffing me in the head with her wing. I scowled after her. Sweeping across the room, the eagle blurred into shadows and merged into Zak’s back. Tattoos reappeared down his arms a moment before he pulled on his coat.

He drew up the hood and shadows shrouded his face. Then they swirled outward until the stairway was filled with darkness. He melted out of sight, and I didn’t hear the door open or close. Chances Kaveri would spot him on his way out? Zilch.

Heaving myself to my feet, I glanced around my disgustingly damp and trashed apartment, then faced my bedroom door with a wince. How would I explain this to Sin?