Boreal and John Grey Season 2 (15 page)

Darla shrugged. “It can get really bad, depending on lots of things, including the pain threshold of an individual.”

Yeah, but Finn’s threshold was somewhere above Mount Everest.

Dave said he felt the alterations in the Veil inside him. Granted, he felt it in his ancient machinery, he might even have bird nests in there for all she knew, but what if Finn could also feel it in his bones? Maybe elven bones twanged to changes in magic like human bones reacted to changes in the weather.

“We’ve got to go,” Ella said. “Work.”
A dragon to catch. Same old, same old
.

“I understand.” Darla stepped behind her desk and Ella paid for the session, wincing at the amount of money.

Dammit.
They wouldn’t be able to afford many more sessions with their salaries — and Finn’s temporary one was pitifully low.

Well, she’d sell the furniture and the car if she had to. Seeing Finn able to walk again and move without pain was worth every penny in her name.

***

“Let’s cut to the chase,” Dave said, seated behind his desk, his fingers drumming on a file. “Finn has to lead us to the dragon.”

Finn didn’t seem terribly impressed with that demand. He was toying with one of his bowie knives, twirling it on the palm of his hand. It was mesmerizing, the way the light reflected on the polished bladed as it turned.

Dave scowled at the obvious lack of reaction. “Did you hear me, son? If we don’t get to her first, others might and they want to harm you.”

“And you don’t?” The knife stopped turning, lying flat on Finn’s palm. “Won’t you use her against me?”

“We’re on the same side,” Dave said.

“Are we now?”

“Don’t test me,” Dave growled. “Yes, we are. That’s the only reason I spared your life.”

“Spared me?” Finn muttered. “You shot me.”

Exactly Ella’s thoughts.
You tell him, Finn.

Dave rose, planted his fists on the desk. “You’re testing my patience, boy.”

Finn pushed off the wall and strode to face Dave across the table. “I’m not delivering her to you.”

“I won’t kill her, Finn.”

“You’ll stick her in a cage.”

“For the safety of you both.”

“No.”

“You have some gall standing here and saying that to my face, when you swore to kill the damn dragon. And now see what happened. Why keep her alive?”

“None of your business,” Finn bit out.

“It’s damn well my business.
You
are my business.” Dave’s fists slammed on the desk. “What will it take to get it through that thick skull of yours,
aelfr
, that protecting the Gates is my sole purpose in this life, and you’re the tool?” He leaned forward, his thick brows drawn together. “
My
tool.”

And it sounded so much more ominous than it should. Was Finn goading Dave into admitting more?

“I don’t belong to you, Guardian,” Finn said quietly but his eyes gleamed like steel.

“Then who do you belong to?”

“I thought slavery was abolished,” Ella snapped, getting fed up with the interrogation. “Cut it out, Dave.”

“It’s a war,” Dave said. “The circumstances aren’t normal.”

Finn jerked forward, shoving the desk — and Dave — against the wall. His hands fisted. “Back off.”

Ella could see anger gather on Dave’s face like a storm cloud.

“Hey.” She touched Finn’s arm. “Dave may be right on this one. We don’t know if shooting your dragon was done on purpose or not, but protecting her means we protect you.”

Finn was breathing hard through clenched teeth, but he stepped back.

Dave pushed the desk back to its previous place and patted non-existent dust from his pants. “So, about the dragon.” He lowered himself in his chair as if nothing had happened. “Where is she?” He sighed when Finn didn’t answer. “I assume you can call her and she’ll come, am I right?”

Finn’s mouth thinned. He looked away.

That, as far as Ella could tell, was Finn-ish for,
‘damn you, Dave, okay.’

Dave seemed to get it, too, because he nodded. “Good. We’ll find a quiet spot for this. Tonight.”

Chapter Two

Clear

“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Ella muttered into the phone as she dug through her drawers for her gloves. “The
what
?” She listened to Sarah’s tinny voice as she triumphantly pulled out her leather gloves and threw them on the bed. Snow was falling outside and it was damn cold. She turned to look for her scarf and stopped. “The Weaver? You found information about him?”

A small noise from the door made Ella turn, her heart booming. It was Finn, leaning on the doorjamb, arms folded over his Kevlar-encased chest. His bandana was pulled low over his eyes.

“We should meet,” Sarah said. “I hate saying the same thing ten times over.”

“Yeah, life sucks that way.” Ella grinned and finally located her scarf. “So who’s the Weaver?”

Finn took a step into the room, his gaze dark.

“Well it’s not an elf, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Sarah muttered.

“I never said it was an elf,” Ella snapped. “What is he?”

“Uh-uh. I can’t tell you.”

“Why the hell not? You called me.”

“Only because Finn doesn’t have a phone. My deal is with John Grey.”

Ella considered throwing her cell against the wall, but she couldn’t afford buying another right now. “Fine. We meet tomorrow.”

“How about tonight?”

“No can do. Got important work to do.”

Sarah huffed. “Fine. Tomorrow morning. Nero Cafe, at the junction of Mason and Colby.”

Ella put down her cell and sighed.

“She doesn’t know who the Weaver is?” Finn asked. His hands were balled by his sides, the knuckles white.

“She says she does but wants to tell you face to face, because her deal is—

“— with John Grey.” Finn ground his jaw. “
Faen
.”

“Yeah.” She grabbed gloves and scarf. “We should get going. Dave’s waiting.”

Finn’s fists trembled and she wondered if he’d punch the door; wondered in fact if he’d end up breaking every door in the apartment. She understood the need for an outlet for his frustration, the pent-up anger that boiled behind his eyes, but if she didn’t have money for a new cell she certainly didn’t have enough to repair so many doors.

But he only spun on his heel, grabbed his jacket from the sofa and led the way out. He pulled it on as they waited for the elevator. Ella zipped up hers and wrapped the scarf around her neck. Her breath formed white ghosts in the air and they weren’t outdoors yet. They were in for a hell of a frigid night.

They stepped out onto the snow-covered street. A passerby hurried past them, huddled in her dark parka.

The engine of her old Honda took a while to warm up, and she rubbed her gloved hands together as they waited, her fingers frozen under the thin leather. Sunlight reflected off the snow, striking gold across Finn’s face and the jagged fall of his hair. Soon the sun would set.

Ella avoided crossing the busy city center and drove toward the suburbs. Last time she’d driven through the area, Norma was having a heart episode next to her and Finn was bleeding in the back seat. That was right before Sarah had saved their ass by inviting them to a clinic controlled by the mysterious Organization and before she threatened to kill Finn for being John Grey.

Ella shivered.

The street lamps came on as the light faded, but in the darkness in between she saw bright lines flash on Finn’s skin.

Stress.

The dashboard lights glowed faintly, and he gave off a mist of silver light as they exited the city. They took a secondary road that wended through marshes and groves looming in the dusk like lurking monsters.

Yeah, funny. Get a grip, Ella.

They headed toward a military airstrip Dave had sworn would be free of military presence. It belonged to the Organization, which Ella had come to consider as a sort of all-powerful mafia controlling half the globe, and he’d said his men would be waiting there to capture the dragon.

They both knew, however, that capturing the dragon depended on Finn’s control of his pet. She wondered as they saw the spotlights of the airstrip from afar whether he’d thought to bring his dragon a treat. What would she like to have? A steak? Half a cow? Ella was somehow sure carrots wouldn’t cut it.

They parked at the edge of the strip. A hangar stood on one side, a hulking shadow. A couple mini-vans were parked in front of the hangar doors. Dave stood there, a statue washed silver by the harsh lights. He waited as Ella and Finn climbed out of the car. Men spilled out of the mini-vans behind him, dressed in dark uniforms.

“How will you transport the dragon?” Ella asked by way of greeting. Finn was a brooding presence at her back, the air was wet and chilly, and although she saw the necessity of what they were about to do, she didn’t have to like it.

The men held what looked like oversized tasers and she hoped the guns held tranq darts and not bullets.

“Your men know they can’t kill the dragon, right?” she asked.

“They’ve been briefed,” Dave said and nodded at Finn. “Are you ready, son?”

Finn seemed to be chewing on the inside of his cheek. “You won’t hurt her.” It wasn’t a question, but Dave nodded.

“I swear it.”

Finn scowled, clearly not trusting any oath taken by Dave. “Move back.” He glanced at the men. “All of you. And whatever happens, don’t step in until I tell you.”

Dave raised his hand and the men stepped behind the vans. He followed them, drawing his gun as he went, cocking it.

Ella turned to join him, when Finn reached out a hand.

“Stay,” he said, his voice quiet.

“But the dragon...

“She knows you.” He hesitated, his hand still hovering in mid-air. “I may need your help.”

She nodded, speechless, and took his hand. It wasn’t every day Finn asked for help, and if he did, then he must really need it. Together they walked to the center of the airstrip.

And waited.

Finn’s eyes closed, his fingers slackening around hers. She was shaking from head to toe. Nerves. Fear. She hoped the dragon remembered her and didn’t take her for the treat Finn hadn’t thought of bringing.

Moments slipped by, and it was as if the air thickened, pulsing with energy. Something flashed in her vision and she blinked but saw nothing but the airstrip. She frowned when it happened again —
a streak of light, a murmur of agreement, and a shiver of pleasure.

Then Finn’s fingers clenched around her hand, grinding her bones, and the image coalesced into a dragon descending from the clouds. A booming noise like thunder echoed overhead and she was glad for Finn’s crushing grip, because her knees felt weak and trembling.

The white dragon dived headlong toward them, long neck winding, wings gathered close — plunging through the air like a heron into water. She began to spread her wings and slow as she descended, bringing down her clawed legs for the landing. Her bony crest gleamed and the scales of her underbelly sparkled like pearls. She showed no sign of being hampered by her bullet wound, though Ella could see a dark stain that might have been blood below one wing.

Wind rose as she approached the ground, a whirlwind that whipped Ella’s hair into her eyes. The dragon’s wings crackled as she beat them once, then a shake went through the ground when the huge talons gouged grooves into the concrete.

Ella’s breath froze in her throat as the dragon took some running steps on the airstrip, sending tremors through the ground, the sound like distant cannon fire. The creature was like a mountain of snow and ice, an avalanche rushing at them.

Then she slowed and halted, claws screeching, not ten feet from Ella and Finn. She flapped her wings one last time and settled down on her haunches to stare at them, still and terrible like a sphinx, her halo of horns shining atop her lizard-like head.

Ella realized she’d stopped breathing. She sucked air into her lungs and pulled her numb hand from Finn’s.

He stepped toward the dragon, his pale hair fluttering around his face, and placed a hand on the white, scaly neck. Ella watched, not daring to approach, as he leaned against the beast, as if about to hug her — then he somehow climbed up, grabbed her horns and swung his legs around her long neck.

Ella jerked forward, her fear forgotten. “Finn?” What was he doing? He was supposed to lead the dragon to Dave’s men.

Finn sat easily as the dragon turned her head, trying to find him. He reached down, placed his hand again on her neck, and she calmed. She puffed tendrils of acrid black smoke and laid her head down on the concrete.

Was that a sign for Ella to approach? How could she be sure? Ella looked from the dragon’s slitted eyes to Finn. He nodded at her and smiled.

Looked like an invitation, right? But for what? Ella stepped closer, and closer, until she stood below Finn, saw where his black boot pressed against the dragon’s snowy hide. When he reached down a hand, she rose on tiptoe and took it, aware of what she was about to do, and yet moving as if in a dream.

Finn pulled her up as if she were a child, until she could grab a horn from the dragon’s crest and drag herself higher. He hauled her in front of him, pressing her between his hard chest and the dragon’s horns. The scales of the winding neck chafed against her thighs even through the thick cloth of her cargo pants.

“Hold on tight,” he said.

Oh no, he wasn’t! “I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” she stammered. God, her hands shook.

“It must be done,” Finn said, his voice rumbling against her back, his breath tickling her neck. “Hang on tight.”

The dragon rose from the ground in a slow, powerful movement and started to run, each step rattling Ella’s bones. Her hands slipped on the horns, but Finn was there, she sat in his embrace, and his heartbeat was slow and steady, anchoring her.

The dragon splayed her wings, enormous like a small plane’s, and they took off. The icy air kissed Ella’s cheeks like fine needles and her hands ached with the cold. The clouds were closer now, mist and shadow.

Then she made the mistake of looking down and vertigo gripped her. Oh god, oh dear god, she was going to die, there was no doubt about it. The air whistled past. They were flying higher than the highest building in the city, higher than she ever wished to be without a seatbelt, and...

Black spots swam in her vision and she couldn’t breathe. She was going to pass out. Might be for the best.

And then the images hit. Ice palaces and turrets, dark forests crawling up mountain slopes, steep gorges and cliffs, and silver vehicles hovering in mid-air like zeppelins, an aura of wavering sails above them.

Then a jolt and a different world opened underneath — dark buildings and the sea rolling, sparkling, tiny cars moving in the grid of streets and—

—a sudden sense of loss, of disconnection, a pain in her head like a spike, a cry... and Ella knew.

“Oh my god, Finn...” She leaned her head back against Finn’s shoulder, her stomach roiling with nausea. “She had a rider when she arrived.”

He sighed, his lips brushing her ear. “I know.”

***

Ella was vaguely aware they were circling back the way they’d come. She couldn’t feel her legs or hands, but she felt detached, as if floating over her body, hazily hoping that Finn was in control.

She didn’t open her eyes, faint images still playing behind her lids —
a pier, a warehouse, a ship, dark water
— and besides, she was sure she’d hurl if she did.

Finn didn’t seem to require her help to direct the dragon, which made her wonder why he’d needed Ella with him in the first place. They were flying lower now, descending toward the ground — but more images of the seafront flashed in her mind.

The warehouse.
One side crumbling, the wall torn down, facing the heaving sea. Seagulls crying. Dogs lying about. A heap of broken carton boxes and other trash.
Warmth. Home.

It was Pier 02. The abandoned harbor.

Hands grabbed her waist and Ella lifted her head, blinking. A man she didn’t know was dragging her off the dragon’s neck. “Who’re you?” she slurred, her lips frozen with cold. “What’s going on?”

“Just helping you down,” the man said, his voice half-drowned by the wind, and against the glare of the floodlights on the airstrip Ella saw Dave standing apart, arms folded over his chest, and a cluster of men in dark uniforms, holding someone down.

The unknown man was tugging on her arm and she painfully unclenched her fingers from around the dragon’s horns. She let him haul her off and was handed down to another man — might as well; her legs were so numb they felt like lumps of ice. The man below caught her and she sagged in his hold, dizzy, her knees rubbery. Leaning against him, she took a few unsteady steps.

She glanced back at the dragon who crouched, unmoving, one bright yellow eye watching her.

Breaking the cold gaze, Ella turned forward and stopped.