Chapter Five #2
Oh. Right. Those two had worked together long enough to mentally communicate. In the few weeks I’d spent around them, I’d consciously blocked them out, but maybe it was time to rethink that.
Another twig snapped — on the opposite side of the driveway this time.
Shit. That meant we had two stalkers — or more.
Hurry, the magic woven into the stonework of the chateau urged.
“Roux…” I murmured nervously.
He kept my arm in a vise grip. “Don’t run. Not until I say so.”
Branches snapped as our stalkers picked up their pace.
Roux pushed me forward. “Run. Run!”
I sprinted, with Roux half a step behind, but our stalkers were faster.
I glanced back just as one broke out of the woods directly behind us. A man with long, glistening fangs and eyes that glowed red with the thrill of the hunt.
Vampire! my instincts screamed.
Then I caught a glimpse of a forked tongue and a weird, flaring neck.
“What the hell is that?” I whisper-yelled, running for my life.
“Naga,” Roux grunted.
I had no idea what a naga was, but if Roux was concerned, I was concerned.
He pushed me forward. “Run. Run!”
“What about you?” I slowed when he did.
He didn’t answer. He was too busy shifting.
My eyes went wide. Oh, right. Tiger.
“I’ll catch up,” he said in a choked voice. “Run!”
I jogged backward, watching as he hunched and dropped to all fours.
He held his jaws painfully wide while his teeth extended, making a terrifying sight. His back stretched, and his shoulder blades went from flat on his back to sharp, vertical ridges. A thin, silky coat of fur broke out, covering his skin.
He lashed his tail and snarled at the naga. I dare you.
The naga hit the brakes, then advanced when two more emerged from the forest.
“Come on!” I yelled. “Run!”
I ran, worried that he wouldn’t follow. But soft footfalls sounded a moment later, and a huge, dark body glided into view beside me.
And I mean, glided. Muscles rippled, and his motion was more a flow than a series of steps. The stripes probably enhanced the effect, but boy, was I impressed.
Faster, Roux’s low huff ordered.
I was trying, dammit, but we had no hope of beating them to the front door.
Still, reaching the chateau wasn’t our only option.
A pair of small pavilions flanked the driveway, just a few hundred yards from the main building, the sole features punctuating that long, straight road.
But they weren’t just there for decorative purposes, according to my grandmother.
Safe harbor, I remembered her saying.
I’d never had occasion to test them, but it sure looked like the time had come.
Light flared ahead as the front door of the chateau flew open. Growls split the night, and a shadow blurred through the doorway.
Bene! I nearly cried in relief, though he was a good quarter mile away.
I raced down the middle of the road, counting down the distance to the pavilions. Twenty steps…ten…
When Roux disappeared from my side, I glanced back in alarm. He spun to attack the nearest naga. Snarls and cries pierced the night as they tussled.
Run! I sensed him hollering.
I ran, covering the last five steps…three…
The pavilion had four arched, open entryways, one for every cardinal direction. I veered across the road, leaped into the structure, and whirled, gesturing wildly in the shape of an X.
“Close!” I yelled. “Close, dammit!”
Fangs flashed as a man raced up. Then, bam! He crashed into an invisible barrier and staggered backward.
“Mais qu’est-ce que…” he muttered. What the hell?
I stood with my hands raised, not sure what I’d done, but desperate for it to keep working, especially when a second naga appeared beside him.
Roux broke away from the first stalker to charge them with a blood-curdling snarl. At the same time, another feline hurtled in from the direction of the chateau.
“Bene!” I cried when the tawny lion sailed in to tackle one of the nagas.
The night exploded into earsplitting screams and thunderous growls — so many and so loud, I wanted to slap my hands over my ears and wish this all away.
Not an option, however. Especially when leaves crunched nearby. I whirled, spotting the third naga, who had slipped by Roux and Bene as they fought with the other two.
“Close! Close!” I yelled, gesturing frantically at the east entryway.
With a grunt, the naga bounced off an invisible barrier. A cloud of something like fairy dust glittered in the entrance, briefly highlighting his features before fading away.
I gaped at the horrible sight — a cross between a man and a snake — and sent quiet thanks to whichever ancestor had woven magic into this structure.
The naga reached cautiously for the archway. Then he yanked his hand back, and more fairy dust twinkled.
His forked tongue flicked, and the sides of his neck flared like a cobra’s as he cursed me.
“Garce!”
How was I the bitch here?
I shot him the finger. “Get the hell off my property!”
He smirked. “Not yours for long, honey.”
What the hell did that mean?
When he circled the pavilion, I yanked magic over the next entryway to block it. But the air wobbled, telling me the protective force was overtaxed.
The naga must have sensed the same thing, because he slammed against the invisible barrier. It held — barely — and swirls of magic dust flew at me. Not good.
I raised my left hand in front of that space, desperately keeping those threads of magic together. With my right, I waved at the west door, releasing the magic and redirecting it here. The next time the naga slammed against it, he jerked back in pain, and sparks flew outward, following him.
I didn’t know whether to cheer or cry. Why build a pavilion with four entrances when there was only enough magic to protect one at a time?
The naga circled back to the east side, and I repeated the procedure, only to have him dart around and try another arch. We were playing a deadly cross between chess and basketball — minus the board, the court, and a ball, and with an angry, fork-tongued opponent.
Well, I was angry too, dammit! This was my home. My property. Furthermore, I was a nice person. (Okay, mostly.) I certainly didn’t go picking fights. Why were these monsters picking a fight with me?
Meanwhile, Roux and Bene battled on. I caught flashes of fangs, fur, and lashing tails.
The cats had a size and power advantage — not to mention those terrifying roars they made. But the nagas moved lightning-fast, dodging and slicing with their fangs and long, sharp fingernails.
Roux wrestled one to the ground, going for the throat. The naga fought back savagely, raking Roux with his teeth and nails.
Roux grunted in pain. Extraordinary healing powers allowed shifters to bounce back quickly, but certain supernaturals carried venom that could kill even the mightiest shifter. I prayed nagas weren’t among them, but judging by Roux’s grunts…
Stop! I wanted to scream. Stop!
Bene fought more cautiously, standing on his back legs to batter the second naga with his front claws, then retreating to a safe distance. But Roux was going all out for a kill, taking all kinds of crazy risks. Why?
I whirled to seal off yet a different entryway as my stalker changed directions. Then cold air sliced through the night, and I cried in relief.
“Henrik!”
Yes, relief. Not an emotion one normally associated with a vampire’s arrival, but hey. The circumstances were far from normal.
Bene’s foe took one look at Henrik and made for the woods. Roux snarled as his opponent slipped out of his grasp and sprinted after his comrade. Seeing them flee, “my” naga joined them.
Henrik followed, cursing in…Polish? Lithuanian? The man spoke so many languages, I couldn’t keep track, but his tone made it clear he wasn’t asking nicely. Bene bounded after him, while Roux circled the pavilion, snarling ferociously, as if someone had threatened his most prized possession.
Which was…what? Pride? Honor? I doubted it was a physical thing since tigers, unlike dragons, weren’t hoarders.
He glanced over to check on me, then snarled twice as loudly into the night, hell-bent on defending his territory.
And, yikes. What if that territory was me?
I dismissed the thought immediately. My sister had probably made him swear to protect me, her baby sister. As far as he was concerned, this was just another mission. No reason to flatter myself.
But boy, did that tiger snarl as he circled me.