Smoke and Mirrors (20 page)

She gave him a jerky nod, fingers tangling in the hem of her shirt in nervousness. Now that she was faced with the next best thing to a dragon, she wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself. Viper was perfectly capable of squishing her into a fine paste. If she said the wrong thing, he could very well decide she was too much trouble to bother with and destroy her.

Plus it was more than a bit intimidating to be faced by an honest-to-goodness wyvern. They were fierce hunters, intelligent winged serpents very similar to dragons in appearance, and often used as symbols of power, prestige and royalty. Unlike their larger counterparts, in addition to their wings, wyverns only had two hind legs, no forelegs. They used the claws attached to the wrist joint on their wings, similar to the thumbs on a bat, to make their way on the ground.

He may not have been a dragon, but he was close enough as to make no difference to her. Now she needed to figure out why Cormac had been so dead set about warning her away from him—and why he was so interested in her. If she wasn’t so intent on getting answers, she’d have been immeasurably pissed off at Cormac for trying to lead her away from Viper. It was beginning to look like he was exactly what she needed.

“I’m flattered—very flattered—that you’ve chosen to speak with me about this. I guess Rieva already told you what I’m looking for?”

“Yes. A temporary draconic familiar to ensure you find a place in the coven of your choice, if I’m not mistaken.”

She nodded. “Right. It shouldn’t be for more than two or three weeks, I don’t think. I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer in return. If you need an illusion, I’m your girl, but I’m not sure if you heard that I’m not good at elemental spells…”

She trailed off, a little uneasy by the way his eyes took on that subtle golden glow as his smile widened. Even in the sunlight it was noticeable.

“Not to worry, ducks. That’s just the sort of skill set I need. I’ll tell you what. You let me bind you—temporarily, of course—and I’ll return the favor.”

Kimberly jerked back with a gasp. Cormac hadn’t been lying. She’d never heard of a mage agreeing to such a thing. She’d honestly thought it was some bad joke or exaggeration since that sort of thing wasn’t supposed to be possible.

The thought of having the tables turned on her filled her with dread, but she wasn’t sure if there was an alternative that would handle all her problems so neatly as this.

“H-h-how long do you…?” she stuttered out.

“Give me the rest of today and tomorrow. Then we can do your little school project when you return to class on Monday.”

He leaned in, extending one hand in offering for her to seal the deal. She stared at it like it might bite, panic rising.

She had no idea what it meant to agree to his offer, and was frightened half to death of the potential consequences. Familiars could not control what power was ripped from them by their masters. If Viper intended to use her for that, she could spend days knocked out from exhaustion. She’d also heard the stories of what happened when an incorrectly summoned planar being managed to turn the tables on their summoner. The mage was often burned from the inside out once they were bound as the planar being took revenge by filtering too much energy for them to handle. Some magi had even lost their spark entirely, too fried by the influx of raw elemental energy to control or cast anymore.

It was nightmare fuel for a mage, and for good reason.

Seeing her hesitation, Viper let his hand drop, his eyes narrowing. “You feel my offer is inadequate?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just I… I didn’t think…”

“Didn’t think you’d have to return the favor,” he said, unamused.

She bit her lip.

“I wouldn’t hurt you, if that’s what has you worried. I’m quite skilled at finding the threshold of my partner and modulating the energy tap. It can be… quite pleasant.”

Judging by the heated way he was looking at her, he didn’t mean for him. Flushing all the way to her toes, she averted her gaze and held up a staying hand.

“This is a bit much for me. Cormac warned me you’d want something like this. I feel a little stupid saying this, but I didn’t believe him, and I just wasn’t prepared to make this kind of snap decision. Can I have a minute to think about it?”

Viper made a soft hissing sound of irritation between his teeth, pulling back from her. “Cormac has no vision. I know what I want and I’m prepared to offer anything to get it. You have but to ask.”

Well. There was one thing. Her cheeks flared crimson and she squirmed a bit before stuttering out another question, swallowing back her embarrassment.

“You keep a hoard like a dragon, right? I don’t suppose you would consider loaning me a little? I swear I’d pay it back.”

His head tipped to one side, and he looked her up and down anew. She suspected he was just noticing her frayed cuffs and cheap shoes. He’d been so intent on getting whatever it was he wanted out of her that he hadn’t paid attention to the package it came in until now. When she caught the very slight curl of his lip, there and gone in a flash, embarrassed heat filled her cheeks.

Feeling both dirty and humiliated, she ducked her head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do this.”

“Come now, I’m sure it’s not that hard. All it takes is a yes.”

“No,” she said, this time with a bit more vehemence. Cormac was right. There was something off about Viper, and never mind what a perfect ass she’d just made of herself. Worst of all, that flash of disgust showed he obviously had no respect for her. At least Cormac never made her feel tolerated. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll find some other way of getting what I need.”

He slowly rose to stand, heaving a sigh as he settled back on his heels.

“That’s unfortunate. This would have been much easier if you had agreed.”

Kimberly would have asked what he meant by that, but the look in his eyes froze her in place.

His eyes burned a molten gold as he spread his arms, which were expanding and shifting at an alarming rate. Faster than she might have thought possible, he was growing, his clothing melting and skin disappearing under a layer of metallic scales. Nearby, people were noticing, shouting and screaming in fear as they stampeded in every direction to escape the shape changing Other in their midst.

When he ceased growing, from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he was over thirty feet long, with a wingspan half again that size.

Kimberly sat immobile, unable to so much as squeak in terror as the beast before her lurched back to arch its neck and spread its wings, barbed tail lashing as it growled at her. One thick, talon-tipped paw lashed out, flattening her on the grass and squeezing the air out of her lungs. It gave an awkward, one-legged hop forward to catch its balance before clenching its claws to dig deep furrows in the grass and close around her waist and legs, pinning her.

Then those wide, ribbed wings began to flap, the sun playing off the tones of brass and copper and gold. The ground fell away, people scattering before the airborne monster.

And Kimberly could do nothing but pray, staring up at this great beast that had her in its claws.

She’d gotten what she’d asked for. Now she would have to pay the price.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Cormac was beside himself with a combination of worry and frustration. When Kimberly had disappeared the night before, he had been ready to tear apart the city to find her.

Then realized what a terrific ass he would make of himself by exposing his nature to her that way.

As damnably frustrating as it was, he thought he should give her the space she so obviously wanted. He had been too heavy handed and cagey with her. It was in his nature to be so, after all, but it appeared it was necessary for him to back off for a little while.

The time apart would be good for both of them, he told himself. It would give him time to think of a way to tell her what he was without sending her fleeing straight into the arms of that snake-in-the-grass, Viper.

Yet his instincts were urging him to hunt her down and make her talk to him, to make her understand.

It took a great deal of effort, but he beat down that animal urge. That was no way to treat her. Not if he wanted her to continue to look at him like she had when he had first offered to help her. With that sparkle in her eye, all hope and warmth and gratefulness. To sink into him like she had when he had pinned her against that wall, melting against him like they were made to fit together. Sneaking those coy, curious looks at him under her lashes, leaning into his touch, laughing and talking with him like he was a person instead of a monster.

He wanted that back. He wanted it so badly he thought he might even agree to let her bind him if only to keep her from experiencing that intimacy with anyone else.

But he didn’t want to see the inevitable look of betrayal on her face when he told her the truth.

It was maddening. He stayed in his shop, pacing the labyrinth of furniture, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides as he fought the urge to leave and find her. What if she came to the shop to tell him why she had fled his protection? What if she called? He shouldn’t leave, just in case.

He had neither the need nor the desire to sleep that night, so he attempted to focus on polishing the furniture. Then reorganizing his books. Then rearranging his herbs, spices and incense.

None of it was working. All he could think about was how he needed to find a way to fix things with Kimberly before he could make it worse. His many mistakes in how he had dealt with her from the beginning were a constant litany in the back of his mind, worried over again and again like a sore tooth he just couldn’t leave alone. If only he had told her what he was, if only he had asked one of his contacts directly instead of making that foolish announcement at the Black Star…

One day, he promised himself. He would give her one day to have some time from him, and he would leave her to her own devices for the time being so he could think of the words to make things right.

Sometime after midnight he had flown out over the Long Island Sound for a couple of hours to clear his head, then returned to his shop to see if she might come to him there. He had never been moved by such a primal urge to keep a woman close, safe, and—strangest of all—happy. Not knowing where she was or being certain that she was safe and well was turning into a constant worry, a pebble in his shoe, always present in his thoughts.

Come the first light of morning, he had sent a couple of his allies to check Allegretto’s throughout the day for him, advising them to call him with urgent updates. To bring him back some of that excellent hazelnut coffee and biscotti, too. He would give Kimberly the space from him she desired, but he had no intention of leaving her open to attack or danger.

When she finished her shift, he knew about it within minutes. One of his informants trailed her from a discreet distance, reporting when she stopped to speak with a couple of the local centaurs. Not dangerous. Nothing for him to concern himself about.

When she arrived at Sheep’s Meadow, he relaxed a measure. No one would be so foolish as to accost her there. He went so far as to head up to the roof to get some air, hunkering like a gargoyle on the ledge overlooking the street above the entrance to his shop. Watching over his territory like that was usually one of his favorite ways of spending his time when he needed a little space.

This time, it was nothing more than a distraction. He kept breathing in the potent bouquet of the city, taking in the mixture of humanity, cats, dogs, vermin and birds, an assortment of foods, smog, oils, hot asphalt, refuse—a variety of aromas that usually soothed him with their familiarity.

Now, he found low growls escaping him when he failed to capture anything more than a ghost of her scent lingering near his doorstep. Kimberly was beyond the range of his natural senses, and he did not want to alarm her with the type of casting he might have to do to pinpoint her location.

And then he received the phone call.

When his cell phone rang, he almost didn’t answer it. Just before it went to voicemail, he shook his head and plucked the tiny piece of plastic out of his pocket. Seeing it was one of the young earthbound elementals he had employed to run his errands, including keeping tabs on Kimberly for him, he tapped the answer button. Then hissed when it didn’t work, sliding his finger along the touch screen, picking up the call. He still wasn’t quite used to using the technology.

“Boss, it’s me. You’re not going to believe this. Viper just took off with Kimberly. He has the girl.”

He very nearly exploded out of his skin in a blind rage when he heard the words “Viper” and “Kimberly” in the same sentence. Then the rest of the news broke through his haze.

Gone. Taken.

By that cowardly snake.

His roar of outrage shook the heavens. Up and down the street, windows shattered, and people cried out in shock and fear. No sound like that should have been able to escape a human throat. The plastic shattered in his grip as he clenched his fingers, then fell with a clatter on the rooftop.

Then he was gone, a snarled Word teleporting him to the center of the node where the ley lines in that part of Central Park converged. More cries of surprise from human throats rose around him as he appeared in their midst, pigeons scattering as a dark apparition that radiated deep fury perched upon the shoulders of the bronze angel statue atop the center of the Bethesda Fountain. In moments, he was leaping from the statue, landing far from the surrounding pool and speeding toward Sheep’s Meadow in a blur.