Apparently, we"d had the weaker ogres come for us, because the seven that were left were not dying so easily. The triplets had their backs against each other, their roars raised above the clash of the black-skinned ogre"s clubs against the finer swords and axes that the triplets carried.
Three more of the black-skinned ogres peeled off and faced us. Close up, I could see the battle scars on their bodies, glimmers of faint silver against their skin. These were the battle-hardened warriors. Whoever we had faced first, I"d bet it was their introduction into raiding. Or whatever the h.e.l.l this was.
Fan-freaking-tastic. A chill of fear swept me and I forced it down. Liam moved up beside me.
"Don"t let them separate us," He growled.
Easier said than done. The ogre closest to Liam had a club with no spikes, just a solid smooth wood made for bashing, and he swung it hard, catching Liam in the stomach and sending him flying into a door on the building closest to us.
Which was rather bad because Liam didn"t slide to the ground like I"d expected.
He disappeared.
d.a.m.n it! There had to be a doorway through there, and the courtyard was like the castle, a G.o.ds-be-d.a.m.ned gateway for travelling through the veil.
But all that pa.s.sed my mind in a flash, and then I was dodging two ogres and had no time to worry about Liam.
Liam hit the wall hard, the sounds of the fight ringing in his ears, but as he slid downward the world twisted, and then he was face down on a rocky beach, waves crashing up around him, startling him out of his momentary stupor.
"What the h.e.l.l?" He pushed himself to his feet. The sh.o.r.eline stretched for miles on either side of him, the smell of rotting fish and salt water filling his nose.
A t.i.ttering laugh spun him around. There, just behind him lay a stunningly beautiful woman, her blonde hair studded with pearls and curling around her heart-shaped face, with luminescent blue eyes that stared up at him. Her soft curves were bared to the open sky, but there was no shame in her. He blinked a couple of times and she reached for him.
"Stay with me, wolf." There was a command in her voice, a spell that stirred his wolf and the strength to deny her more than anything else could have.
He snarled, reached out, and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her high. She let out a scream, high-pitched and warbling, the lower half of her body coming clear of where she"d hidden it. From the waist down she was all fish, a pearlescent collision of scales, a rainbow of colors that danced in the lights.
"How do I get back?"
Fury lit her pretty features, twisting them into something ugly and monstrous. "The darkness will rise and he will swallow you, wolf. I see it, even now. You will die. And your death will be meaningless."
"TELL ME OR I"LL SNAP YOUR NECK."
She trembled in his hands, but he didn"t care. With a thrust, she pointed at a rock, somewhat more square than the others, one that almost resembled a doorway.
With no ceremony, he dropped her to the jagged rocks and ignored her grunt of pain. Leaping past her, he didn"t hesitate, but hit the doorway at full speed, expecting it to give way to him.
Thank the G.o.ds it did.
Liam was gone all of three minutes, but it was enough to land me in a seriously bad spot. The triplets had dispatched two of the interlopers, screaming obscenities at them the whole time. In another place, I would have been laughing at the ridiculous, imaginative cursing they came up with.
The triplets still faced two of the black-skinned ogres, and Dox and I faced three. But we"d been separated, and while Dox was holding his own, he didn"t have the experience with a full-on fight to the death. Bar brawls he was used to, but throwing drunks out of the Landing Pad was a h.e.l.l of a lot different than trying to actually kill someone. This did not bode well for his long-term health. h.e.l.l, it didn"t bode well for his short-term health.
I, on the other hand, had plenty of experience with this kind of fighting. Didn"t mean I was faring any better against the big b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.
A blunt club smashed into the ground, missing me by a single hairsbreadth. I rolled to my feet, then spun, arms outstretched at the full reach of my blade. I caught the ogre in the thigh, but while blood spilled, it was not a killing slice. Or even a particularly crippling one. But I couldn"t focus on just one of them, I had to dance between the two, dodging blows without being able to get much in by the way of strikes of my own.
Fast, these ogres for all their size were d.a.m.n quick: both with their swings and their feet. A booted foot swung at me, sweeping my legs out from under me. I hit the ground hard and rolled before a club could finish the job.
A snarling growl brought their heads around, but for all their speed, it was too late. Liam hit the one on the left from behind, driving both blades through the ogre"s neck, nearly severing his head from his shoulders. While the second ogre was distracted, I drove both my swords through his guts, jerking my blades up and sideways in an attempt to bisect his body.
The black-skinned ogre slowly turned his head toward me. "Well done, Tracker." He slumped forward to his knees as I yanked my blades free.
I didn"t stop to thank Liam for the help or acknowledge the ogre"s words, just pointed at Dox. Liam leapt from the back of the ogre he"d nearly decapitated to hamstring the ogre facing Dox. As the black-skinned ogre fell with a scream, I cut it short with a hard strike from my own blade. His head rolled from his shoulders, the sightless eyes staring up at the rain clouds hovering above us.
"Now what?" Liam panted.
"Now we make some friends." I ran toward the battle, saw Tin go down to one knee, stunned from a blow to his head. As the ogre opposite him lifted his club to finish the job, I swept my sword upward, taking his arm.
The black-skinned ogre stood as the blood flowed, stunned long enough for me to drive the point of my second blade through his neck. Liam and Dox pinned the last ogre between them and the triplets. The triplets worked over the ogre with shouts of glee blasting the final black-skinned ogre, literally pounding him into a pulp, the spray of flesh and blood like some sort of macabre splatter paint art on the courtyard tiles. That wasn"t what shocked me, though. Dox joined in, sprays of blood flicking up along his bare arms and face. He didn"t seem to mind; no, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
I backed up, unable to stop the way my stomach rolled. Even for me, that was a bit much. Overkill suddenly held new meaning. I needed to stop their spree or I was going to lose my lunch.
"You boys done?" I calmly wiped my blades off on the few sc.r.a.ps of un-bloodied cloth left on the bodies. The triplets paused in mid-swing, turned, and stared at me and Liam. With grins splitting their faces, they rushed us, scooping up Dox in the process. I let Tin grab me in a crushing hug, seeing it for the camaraderie it was. Liam dodged their advances, lips curling in a snarl.
Lop gave him a salute. "d.a.m.n, that was some f.u.c.kery, wasn"t it? We"d have been toasted without you three. Mind-blastingly brilliant, that was!"
Tin put me down and gave me a salute. "Respect, in our world, is earned. Tracker, you might be, but you fight well enough to have that much from us."
Dox let out a big sigh and clapped his hand on Dev"s shoulder. Something in him had loosened, the fight bringing out the ogre in him. I wondered if he"d ever killed anyone before. I doubted it.
I sheathed my swords. "We need your help, if you"ll give it."
They shared a glance. "Does it involve fighting?"
I nodded. "Sneaking past a number of Gangs and stealing a unicorn foal back from a Roc. Probably some high speed chases, knowing my luck. We need you to help us avoid as much detection as possible."
Dox"s eyes bugged out, and even Liam lifted an eyebrow at me. They thought me reckless, but I knew when a gamble was weighted in my favor. These three might come off as goons, but if I remembered my recent studies correctly, now that they respected us, there would be no going back.
Dev, who turned out to be the oldest, put one hand on his knee. "And if you"re wrong?"
I shrugged. "We"ll find you someone, or something, to fight. Sound fair?"
He held his hand out and I set mine in it, shaking it as firmly as I could, considering the size difference.
"We need to go now-"
Lop interrupted me with a swing of his ridiculously large hands. "Tonight, under cover of darkness is best. If your unicorn truly has been taken by the Roc, it roosts at night and getting past it will be easier."
Before I could answer, things took an unexpected turn.
A set of high-heeled footsteps turned us all to the side.
What had to be the most striking woman I"d ever seen swayed toward us. In heels, she was well over six feet, close to Dox"s height. Her curves flowed from the gentle swell of her hips up to the rather large swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Sheathed in a cream-colored low cut, sleeveless dress, there was a lot of skin showing. Pale violet skin that peaked in a rosy color across her cheeks and the tops of her ample b.r.e.a.s.t.s seemed to have every male"s attention. Even Liam"s. Not that I could blame him. She really was stunning, right down to her violet eyes, which were shadowed with silver dusting that only accentuated the color. c.r.a.p, I suddenly felt how very tomboyish and unfeminine I was. This felt like standing next to Milly when she was all dolled up. I let out a resigned breath; at least I was used to it.
Her hair was done in tiny dreadlocks beaded up with jewels and stones that clinked lightly with each step she took toward us.
"You three boys, are you done with the fighting for today? And more importantly, are you ready to move on with the more interesting activities I have planned?" Her voice was husky and sensual and it curled around the six of us. There was magic in her voice that skittled off me, but I could sense it nonetheless.
The three triplets bobbed their heads, the crotch of Tin"s pants swiftly tenting. That, along with the way they looked at her-I was guessing they weren"t related, despite their similar skin color. Her eyes drifted over us, pausing on Dox. "And you brought me a new friend. Who is he?"
Dox cleared his throat. "h.e.l.lo, Sas. It"s been a long time."
Her eyes widened and she put a hand to her throat in an elegant gesture that I never would have applied to an ogre. Then again, I"d never met a female ogre. To say she surprised the s.h.i.t out of me was an understatement.
"Dox." She breathed his name, and the triplets let out a collective groan. Dox smiled at her, but it was sad and wistful and full of a past I was pretty sure we didn"t have time to dig into.
"You two, break it up. We have a job to do, remember? Dox." I breathed his name out like Sas had. His body shook and he shot a glare my way.
"Rylee, we have to wait until dark, you heard them." He waved a hand at the triplets who were openly grinning now, their eyes darting from Dox to Sas and then to each other. An image of the five of them in bed together flashed through my mind, and I shook my head to clear it. Dox didn"t seem the type, then again ... Liam spoke in a low whisper that I thought only I could hear.
"Fighting and f.u.c.king, that"s what you said, right?"
Dox at least had the grace to look chagrined. Apparently, he heard Liam too. "I can"t, Sas ... ."
She sashayed to him and ran a hand over his well-muscled blue shoulder. "Dox, tell me you"re going to stay awhile. Please." Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. s.h.i.t, I would have had a hard time saying no to her. There was a compulsion in her words, and her voice tugged at me. That wasn"t magic; that was whatever chemistry she had going on. Liam put a hand on my lower back as if he knew.
Dox shook his head, disappointment etched into his face. "I can"t. I have to stay with my friends."
Now I felt like a G.o.ds-be-d.a.m.ned ogre. What he said was the truth, but if the triplets were going to make us wait anyway, there was no reason to make Dox suffer. And suffer was the right word, he looked freaking miserable standing there, denying Sas.
With a laugh, Dev darted forward and scooped Sas up, taking her away from Dox, her long, bare legs dangling over his arms right under Dox"s nose. But he never looked away from her face, nor did she look away from his. s.h.i.t on a sharp stick. Why did things always have to get complicated?
"We meet back here in three hours time. You should be fine, no other ogres frequent around here, and if they do, just punch them in the b.a.l.l.s," Lop said, giving me a wink.
Dox stared after them, a longing in him that was plain as the three colors swirling in my eyes.
I was going to regret this. d.a.m.n it. "Go with them. You can make sure they keep to their word, and then we"ll meet you back here." I pushed him after the brothers, and though he paused, he gave me a smile. h.e.l.l, Sas gave me a smile that made me blush with all it promised.
They welcomed him, arms slung over his shoulders, pulling him along with them. But more importantly, Sas welcomed him. She grabbed his face and kissed him long and hard and deep.
I gave a shiver, the pheromones they were throwing off suddenly making me h.o.r.n.y. Not something I was terribly wanting in the middle of a salvage. Liam pressed himself up against my back as the ogres disappeared through one of the metal trivets that led to the G.o.ds only knew where.
Liam slid his arms around me and nipped the side of my neck, his body hard against mine. Fighting and f.u.c.king, the books weren"t kidding. Whatever the ogres had going on, it seemed to be contagious.
"Let"s go get something to eat-unless you want to follow their example?" Liam said, his voice softening even as he gripped me tighter.
I spared a glance for the bodies at our feet. Eat? No, not likely. s.e.x? Yeah, that"s what I wanted, the ache in my body a steady thrum.
"Yeah. Let"s get something to eat." I stepped away from him and over a puddle of blood and dark grey matter I chose not to identify even though my own brain did a quick comparison.
We slid back through the veil over the metal trivet we"d come in by, and I crouched beside it to get a better look. Anything to distract me from what had just happened. The trivet was indeed not functioning, which was apparent by the sudden spout of water around us from all the other miniature spouts. Clever, very clever. No doubt the triplets were a.s.signed this area to keep the humans from it, maybe even direct them back if they accidently stepped through. No, I knew that wouldn"t be what happened. If a human stepped through, either they"d be killed or sold into some sort of slavery. At least, that is what the books on ogres I"d found had called it. The description, though, had been less like slavery and more like bondage.
I shook it all off and headed toward the truck. There were a few humans wandering about now; the rain had slacked off and apparently that was enough to draw them out into the weather.
Back at the truck, we cleaned up, getting the worst of the blood and gore off-meaning it wasn"t obvious unless you looked really close. Liam brushed a strand of my hair back and tucked it behind my ear, his eyes lingering on my mouth as if he were hoping I"d change my mind. I shook my head ever so slowly. I wasn"t an ogre, and now that whatever pheromones had been floating around had eased off, I could think more clearly. I couldn"t go from fighting to s.e.x in the s.p.a.ce of a few heartbeats. "Do you smell coffee?"
His eyes widened. "You"re asking me if I smell coffee?"
Around the corner was indeed a small coffee shop, and within ten minutes I had a hot raspberry tea cupped in my hands. Liam had two sandwiches and a large coffee.
"You need to eat," he said between sandwiches.
I glared at him and sipped my tea. "You don"t find this weird?"
He shrugged and took a bite out of his sandwich, answering around it. "You and weird are tight like a fat kid in spandex. I"m getting used to it."
I burst out laughing, stunned at the unexpected joke. "Yeah, I guess you"re right. But even for me, going for tea after a fight like we just had is a bit much."
He popped the last of the first sandwich into his mouth and leaned back. "I"m not the one to talk about normal, not anymore. Besides, there was another option." His lips tipped upward and his golden eyes began to dilate. Heat flared between us and the lingering effects of whatever pheromones Sas had been throwing off reared up. He slid his hand under the table and up my thigh, ma.s.saging as he went.
I shook my head, took a deep breath, and pushed his hand back. Nope, not going there. At least, not today. "Ease up; after the salvage."
The coffee shop was busy, humming with people, and I"m going to blame our stupidity on that. If you"d asked me, I would have told you that with that many humans around, another supernatural wouldn"t have shown up. Certainly not a supernatural we both hated. Not one that I had told on more than one occasion that I would be removing her head from her shoulders ASAP.
Milly slid into a chair at the table next to us, a drink in her hand. Frozen, that"s what I was, and Liam seemed about as stunned as me, his eyes widening and jaw dropping. Her brown locks flowed down over her shoulders, the b.u.mp on her belly the obvious show of her budding motherhood. Green eyes regarded me with no malice, but with a soft sorrow that ate at me; d.a.m.n, she knew my weaknesses. Liam"s hands clutched the table, shaking it with the force of his fury. Not good, this was not good at all. Three seconds. That"s how long I was betting she had before he strangled her in front of all these humans.
"Liam, believe it or not, I am happy that Rylee brought you back. What I did, I did because I had no choice. But if I must, I will hold you down with a spell. Please don"t make me do that. It will scare the humans, and if you two are truly on a salvage, the last thing you need is human interference by way of a police tail. Or worse, your old boss showing up. I"ve heard that Agent Valley is hoping to keep tabs on you, perhaps trying to get you to work for him again." Milly took a sip of her drink, and I just sat there and stared at her. Surely I"d drawn a smash to my head in the fight and this was some semi-conscious waking dream.
But no, the tremor in the table, the uncertainty in my gut, the smell of Milly"s rose perfume. Too real, this was happening whether I liked it or not. Liam held himself together, but the wolf was strong, and I could feel the rise of it along my skin like a forest fire gathering speed. We had to get out of here. I made a move to stand and Milly lifted her hand, palm out.
"Please, I know that you owe me nothing, but give me a moment to explain. Things have changed for me."
"What are you doing here?" I managed to get out, lowering myself back into my seat. There had to be a good reason she was here, putting herself and her baby directly in harm"s way. With her, there was always a reason; the whole problem was just figuring out if the reason she gave would be the truth or another lie.
"I am trying to keep you safe. That has been my goal all along. Though you would be hard-pressed to see that, I suppose." A tear slipped from her eye and trailed down her cheek, and I fought the twist of pity in my guts, seeing her cry. The pity was followed quickly by a spurt of anger I didn"t bother to repress.
"Enough of the fake waterworks."
She nodded and wiped her tears away, her voice soft. "I have made a mess of things."
"You can f.u.c.king well say that again." I leaned back in my chair, to get a better look at her, but also to give me room to move. If she made one flinch toward Liam, I was going to tackle her. "Do you feel bad at all about killing Giselle, about almost killing Eve and Alex? About taking Liam captive and essentially trying to kill him by letting his wolf take over?"
"For all those things and more, yes, I grieve every waking moment. But I can change none of it; my soul was sold long ago, Rylee. Long before we ever met. There has been very little in my life that was because I decided it. Ethan was one of my few choices, and I loved him fiercely for that." She lifted her eyes to mine, shimmering with intensity, as one hand dropped to cup her belly, Ethan"s child. I could see her desire to make me believe her one more time. But that wasn"t the worst of it.
I wanted to. I wanted so badly to have her back in my life, to believe that all she had done wasn"t really her. Yet I knew that for what it was-a childish wish for a time long gone.
"Why would I believe you now? After everything you"ve done?"
"Because in my own way, as much as I could, I have been trying to thwart him and he has found out. It is why I asked you to protect my child. I am only good to him as long I carry my baby, for he seeks to kill my child, to use my baby"s blood to help him free himself." Her hand slid around her belly again, cupping it protectively.
Liam slid his chair backward, his breathing evening out, and a surge of pride whipped through me. G.o.ds, he was a man to be proud of. The fact that he"d held himself together, when she sat within inches of him, was beyond what anyone else could have handled. "Who are you talking about?"
If I"d thought I"d understood Milly and her treachery, if I"d thought I could pinpoint where she"d gone bad, where Giselle and I had fallen down, I couldn"t have been more wrong. Of all the things I expected her to say, it was not his name. The world spun out from under me as the name she spoke rocked it.
Not Faris, as I"d thought she"d spit out. Not even Berget, as I was thinking perhaps it could be.
"Orion."