48 AURORA
The moment my skin dissolves into pure wind, the tether to my human fear snaps.
I focus the entire weight of my storm on the massive, shadowy raptor cutting through the airspace towards my people.
Motherfucker.
My focus is split between Sky and the airborne monster that looks like it could destroy us all. But not today, big bird. Not today.
I throw a wall of pressurized, freezing air directly beneath its path, making a thermal updraft that forces its twenty-foot wingspan to stall mid-air. The bird flaps frantically for several seconds, then tilts, almost rolling over the top of my winds.
OK. Two can play at that game.
I start to twist, become the tornado that will take it down.
But another movement makes me stutter. What now?
Whooshing higher, I see him. Golden wings, beating heavy and strong.
Dragon.
He opens his jaws, releasing fire. But not a lot of fire. Seems like my brother could do with a helping-gust.
Channeling carefully, I fuel his flames, sending them towards the feathers of the bird-thing.
The predator lets out a piercing shriek as Cosmo’s boosted flames hit, filling the sky with the putrid stench of burnt feathers.
Neither Cosmo nor I can speak aloud, but it’s like we can read each other’s movements.
He angles right, soaring above the bird. I start to whip myself, round and around, containing the beast in my walls of rushing wind. Into this funnel, Cosmo roars again.
More fire, but still, a weakened amount.
Cos basically dying has left his dragon in a bit of a state. I’m sure that does not land well, knowing his ego.
But once again, little sis to the rescue.
I narrow the tornado until the flames shoot downward in a hungry blast. The vulture, or whatever, can’t get away, trapped in my vortex.
Cosmo dives down, underneath our flaming whirlwind and attacks from below. I widen the maelstrom, allowing his chunky body through.
His fierce jaws widen then snatch down on the curved talons. He tethers the creature by its feet, and I understand what I have to do.
Whip that fucking duck in the cyclone until its legs break clean off.
It’s gruesome. The thing screeches and flails, but then it falters—desperately trying to peck at Cosmo.
But Cos releases the broken bird-femurs and swoops higher, this time clamping his jaws around its neck.
Game over.
Just one giant crunch and the job is done.
Drakeward’s for the win.
If only we could have fought together so effectively against father.
No time to mull on those thoughts. I rush back to earth where the world is a scene of mayhem.
Ludo the minotaur is charging while one of Grieves’ gunmen is desperately firing back. The bullets don’t stop Ludo. He lumbers over the shooter, hand locking around the hot barrel of the rifle and twisting it into a pretzel before goring the man in the chest.
Holy fuck.
OK, leave the gunmen to Ludo.
Where is Sky?
I finally spot her, in Regan Grieves’ grip.
He’s half-human and half-bear, dragging her up the gravel drive towards a couple of trucks in the distance. The second bear is a monstrous thing with ratty gray fur.
It snaps and growls as my wolf and giant snake try to get past it to rescue our girl.
More movement.
Behind the two bears, springing from tree to tree, I see my faun.
Hurling my wind-form into the chaos, I aim for the gray bear’s legs.
Fuck, he’s heavy, like trying to push over a mountain with a breeze, but at least it makes him stagger, which opens up a moment for Francois to strike. His massive form leaps and coils around the bear’s throat as Tally buries his jaws around the creature’s ankle.
The bear lurches, and I take the momentum, and exaggerate it with a pointed blast. Now the thing does go over, landing heavily on its knees.
Leaving the guys to finish it, I rush to Sky.
The younger Grieves is cursing and screaming, throwing Sky into a truck cabin. Shit, she’s unconscious now.
London flies off a high branch, his shiny, razor-sharp hooves smashing into the bear-man’s shoulders. I thump down a high pressure draft to keep Grieves pinned, as London’s ridiculously muscled faun-arms encircle the bastard's neck.
“DIE, COCO THE WORST CLOWN EVER!” he screams in the strange faun-voice that sometimes erupts from this form. “DIE!”
I think he has this, but I split my attention between London and the guys taking down the other bear just in case.
Fuck.
My poor wolf is covered in gashes, blood pouring from his fur, but I can’t worry about that now. Francois coils and coils, squeezing enough to keep the monster captive, but the gray bear is still roaring and struggling. Why won’t the fucking thing die?
The dragon lands with a massive thud next to the truck. Cosmo quickly shifts and runs to London’s aid. I see him pull a pistol from somewhere, and shoot the half-man-half bear in one kneecap, then the other.
Effective.
I shift myself back to human as Cos raises the gun to Grieve’s head. “STOP!” I command.
He glances at me. “Why the fuck should I do that?”
“Because we need to know why they are so desperate to take Sky.” That can’t go unanswered. “She’ll never be safe unless we know the reason—and deal with it.”
Cosmo lowers the weapon and nods, but keeps his boot pressed onto Regan's bloody thigh.
Casually, he turns and tries shooting the foot of the bear that Francois is still struggling with. The bullet doesn’t even enter the creature’s weird, stone-thick hide, but I know the guys will handle it.
Time to get my friend to safety.
Then get some answers.
???
Inside the truck, Sky is a limp knot of pale limbs. I lift her carefully from the bench seat, glad I can use a little wind-power to help carry her.
She’s awake now, but doesn’t say a word.
“You’re OK,” I whisper, carrying her toward the porch. “It’s over, Sky. I’ve got you.”
Fuck. I’ve said those very words to her too many times.
This time it sticks.
I take a wide berth around the clearing so she doesn’t have to see the bloody battlefield.
Tally and Francois are looming over the older Grieves. He’s in his human form, with matted gray hair and a face full of old scars and hard, cruel lines.
Cosmo stands in front of Regan, the son, who is clutching his shattered, bleeding kneecaps and moaning. I watch Cos cast some kind of spell.
I can’t see London, but knowing him, he’ll be checking in on Basil.
Fuck. Basil. I move faster, rushing towards the doublewide, then stumble to a stop for a moment, as I see London and Ludo both tending to a grumbling Basil.
“I’m fine,” the kid says. “Fuck off.”
A quiet growl comes from Ludo’s throat as he parts Basil’s messy hair and examines what I can easily see from here is a nasty bloody bump.
I shift Sky in my arms. She’s closed her eyes again.
London hovers over them with a rag. “Come on, Fuckwad, let me clean it, then I’ll make you a nice cup of tea.”
“I could do with one of those,” I say, stepping inside.
“Kitten!” He leaps up, spilling a bottle of antiseptic, and in one bound is putting his arms around both me and Sky. “Little Skylight, come into our hospital ward. I hope you’re not as grumpy as our other patient.” London shakes his head. “Between you and me, he’s acting like a big girl’s blouse.”
I’m sure that makes sense somehow.
Even if it doesn’t, it’s enough to make Sky giggle. Hallelujah!
Ludo moves to the side, so there’s space for me to place Sky next to Basil.
I expect her to be wary of the white-haired giant but she’s not. She holds the gaze of his mismatched eyes for a minute, then takes his hand.
That, I didn’t see coming.
“Me, Lulu, Fuckwad and Skylight are all in the same club,” my faun pretend-whispers. “It’s not the best club, to be honest, but as members we have a special thing.” He lifts up his sweater to show the red tattooed numbers.
“Yeah, yeah, she gets it,” Basil mutters. “We all got fucked-up by the assholes outside.”
I look at Ludo.
Like he can feel my eyes, he turns and solemnly nods, then redirects his attention to washing Basil’s scalp laceration.
“Ow, that fucking hurts, you douche,” the kid hisses.
I can’t stop the tears that fill my eyes. All these precious people, so hurt by those awful men.
“What do you four want to do with them?” I ask, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me.
If they can be blasé, so can I.
“Smash their heads in,” Basil replies instantly. Ludo nods in approval.
“I think that is a smashing idea, young Fuckwad,” London agrees, excitement rising in his voice. “We can take turns duffing them up.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I tell them. “But first we get some information. Are you OK if I go check in with Francois and Tally?” I ask Sky.
She nods. “Yeah, I’m good here.”
“Back in a minute.”
Outside, Tally is in wolf form, dragging corpses into a pile.
What the fuck are we going to do with all the bodies?
I walk over to Cosmo who is doing some more spell-casting.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a tight ward around their bodies,” Cos tells me. “They can’t shift or even move. Barely breathe to be honest, but I heard what you said, Rory, and I agree. We need answers.”
It’s dark now, so he throws some light globes into the air, allowing me a clear view of the two hateful men.
Regan has stopped groaning, but his eyes are desperate and full of agony.
“The old one is Doyle Grieves?” I ask.
“Yeah, that’s the fucker,” Tally answers, coming to join us., then turning to Francois, who is striding our way. “Hey, can you do your hypno thing on them, so they’ll answer truthfully?”
“No need,” my brother smirks. His fingers trace a sharp, geometric sigil in the air.
Fucking Cosmo, always has to be the top dog.
“You might want to watch this de Vaux,” my brother chuckles. “Learn something for once.”
Before they get into any boring back and forth, I raise a hand for them to shut up, then look down at the two disgusting men.
The architects of so much misery.
“Why did you want Sky so badly?” I demand. “Tell me.”
Both their mouths open and shut but nothing comes out.
“Stellar work, Drakeward,” Francois snarks.
Cos frowns. “They’re spelled to only speak the truth. They must not have an answer to your question.”
Suddenly it hits me. Right. They know her by a different name. “Why did you want Candy so badly?”
“Leverage,” the younger one, Regan, croaks immediately. “A passport to a new life.”
That makes no sense. “Why would Candy give you leverage?”
“She’s the daughter of Dennis Kaelen. He’d want her back. Help us.”
Kaelen? I guess Sky really was Candy K.
“Who is this Kaelen?”
Regan groans, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. “Mob boss in America. We were gonna flee to the states.”
Interesting.
I stare at the older man. “How did you have Candy in the first place?”
Doyle's face twists, like he’s trying to beat the spell—but he can’t. “Snatched her on a visit,” he gasps. “Retribution for Kaelen doing us wrong. Make his daughter pay the debt.”
I stiffen, and Francois takes my hand.
“Fucking disgusting,” Tally snarls. “Lowlife scum.”
I think Cosmo isn’t listening, but he’s been looking on his fancy phone. “Dennis Kaelen,” he says, reading some information. “Boss of a Pacific Northwest Crime syndicate. He’s also known for human trafficking, but he specializes in selling body parts. Livers and kidneys for rich alcoholics.”
Poor Sky. That’s her dad?
I suppress a shudder. “At least we know the ‘why’ now.”
“It’s one piece of the puzzle,” Cosmo grunts. “But I've plenty more questions yet.”
Suddenly I feel absolutely exhausted, and I just don’t have it in me to listen to any more horrors. “You go ahead, Cos. I’ll leave you to it.”
Tally and Francois move in synchronicity, surrounding me. “Rory? You OK?”
“Aurora. What do you need?”
I sigh, gesturing around the orchard. It’s scattered with torn-off limbs, discarded weapons, and dead people. “What I need is for this to get dealt with. Basil and Sky don’t need to see this.”
They nod in perfect synchronization. “Leave it to us.”
“Thanks.” I’m about to go back to the trailer, when I remember something. “Don’t kill the Grieves yet. The people they hurt most will take care of that.”
Cosmo grins at me. His expression is warm, full of an alive mischief that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on him before. “Thanks for the reminder, sis. I'd have been in large amounts of trouble if I’d stepped on Ludo’s toes. That minotaur knows how to hold a grudge.”
His eyes soften when he talks of Ludo.
It’s absolutely wild.
Cos and I are completely different human beings from the ones we were a year ago.
“Get London and Ludo when you’re done questioning,” I tell him. “The Grieves story will end tonight—in the most painful way possible.”