Corrigan Magic (Corrigan: Blood Destiny Book 2) (8 page)

I held myself back in the car on the way home.  It was mainly because Tom was in the vehicle behind us rather than right in front of my face but, still, I was impressed by my own forebearance.  Eventually, however, the silence grew too uncomfortable for Staines.

“She’s clearly taunting you, my Lord.”

I hadn’t told him about the fact she’d managed to use the Voice to contact me.  There was now the distinct possibility she’d done it from here in London, rather than from the unfathomable distance of Scotland, but it didn’t change how terrifyingly remarkable it was that she’d achieved such a feat in the first place.  I didn’t think Staines would take to the news particularly well so I didn’t respond, focusing instead on the far larger problem.

“Do you agree with the others?” I asked.  “That the vampires have discovered something potentially lethal about the red fever?”

“It’s already lethal,” he reminded me.

“You know what I mean.  Lethal for the rest of us.”

Staines sighed.  His large hands twitched uncomfortably at the shoulders of his suit.  “Maybe,” he said finally.  “Despite yesterday’s relapse, things seem to be getting better again in Somerset though.”

“Mm.”

“Talk to Higgins again.  See what he says.”

“He’s going to call with a sit. rep. in the next couple of hours.  I promised I wouldn’t interrupt him again.  If he’s in the middle of tending to a patient, it’s not fair for me to use the Voice and cause him to lose focus.”

“What about the lab?  Anything back from them yet?”

I shook my head.  “Nada.  Bloody science.  They want to test every variable and double check every damn thing.  Normally, it’s commendable but this is an emergency.”

He watched me for a moment.  “You feel impotent.”

“I can’t do this, Staines.”  I balled my fists up in frustration.  “I can’t fight a disease.”

“There are smart people working on it.  And the vampires might just be bluffing.”  He didn’t sound like he believed it.  “It’s difficult to believe the Cwnn Annwn have completely gone.”

I nodded in heavy agreement and we lapsed into silence again.

When Mara pulled up outside the Brethren headquarters, and we all piled out, it was apparent that Tom was terrified.  I’d thought he’d been pale before but now he looked as if he was a dead man walking.  I was bitterly angry but I wasn’t about to hurt him.  As much as it rankled that he still thought I was capable of such an action, I decided it might not be a bad thing.  It would be nice to get the truth out of him without having to compel him first.

I jerked my head in his direction, indicating that he should follow me.  The others, including Staines, hung back.  It was probably for the best.  Tom trailed after me, his head hanging.  I strode to my office and slammed open the door then pointed inside.  He walked in before me, then stood in front of my desk, hands clasped and posture submissive.

It took a lot of effort to control myself.  I made a point of sitting down first and shuffling through a few bits of paper.  It was only when I was sure I could keep a rein on my emotions that I spoke.

“What do you think your fiancée would say if she knew you’d been meeting secretly with Mackenzie Smith?”

Confusion flashed in Tom’s eyes.  It made me feel slightly better.  “Betsy likes Red.  I mean Mack.”

“Her scent,” I said, picking up a fountain pen and rolling it slowly through my fingers, “is all over you.”

“We, uh, we hugged.”

“Did you now.”

“I didn’t know she was in London!” he burst out.  “She was sitting in the restaurant when we entered.  No-one else noticed.  I didn’t think it was a big deal.”  That last part was obviously a lie.

“You didn’t think it was a big deal?  Her face has been plastered all over the Othernet for weeks.  We’ve been searching for her high and low.  Don’t you know how dangerous a rogue shifter can be?”  Not to mention one who might possess the potential to cause all out civil war precisely when we could least afford it.

His face turned red.  “I’m sorry, my Lord.”

“Where is she now?”

He met my eyes.  “I don’t know.”

“What is she doing in London?”

He hung his head.  “I don’t know.”

“Was she alone at Alcazon?”

His chin jerked up.  “No.  She was with a faerie.”  His mouth downturned at the edges to highlight just what he thought of that salient little fact.

“Let me guess.  Blond hair?” 

Tom nodded.  I gritted my teeth.  Bloody Lord Sol yet again.  Just what was his deal?  Was that why Mack hadn’t been bothered by Tom’s engagement?  Was she moving up in the world?  Fae royalty would certainly be considered a coup by many young women.  The pen in my hand snapped.  I carefully laid down the two pieces.

“What is she really?”

Blind panic flashed across Tom’s face so quickly I wondered whether I’d imagined it.  “My Lord?”

“You can’t continue with the fallacy that she’s a werehamster.  She’s far too strong.  And her scent is off.  Tell me what she really is.”  I should have had this conversation long ago.  I’d just wanted both Tom and Betsy to feel relaxed and welcome.  I hadn’t wanted to compel them immediately and make them feel uneasy here in London.  I was trying, after all, to make the Brethren a better place, not somewhere shifters had to slink around feeling terrified of what I might demand next.  When I’d done this to Julia, she’d affirmed that Mack was just a werehamster.  It was bullshit though.  Mack wasn’t ‘just’ anything.  I used the Voice. 
Tell me.

Tom swallowed. 
She’s a werehamster. 
There were lines of taut tension across his jaw and his cheeks were suffused with even more red than they had been previously.  He gave off every impression of a bad liar.  But unless every damn shifter from Cornwall had the ability to break my Voice, then he was telling the truth.

“If she contacts you again, if you see her again, you tell me immediately.  Got that?”

He nodded.  “Yes.  Yes, my Lord.”

“Get out of here.”

He almost tripped in his haste to leave.  If I hadn’t been so filled with frustrated anger, I’d probably have found it amusing.  The only good thing about all this was that now Mack was in London, I could contact her more easily.  I stood up and paced around the room several times as I thought about the best way to approach her.  Then I straightened my shoulders.  I was the bloody Lord Alpha.  Her Lord Alpha, even if she thought she could disavow me by turning rogue.  I’d simply speak to her with the full force of my authority.

Why are you in London? 
There.  No ‘how are you’ or ‘hello kitten’.  I’d let her know who was really boss.

She shrieked in my head and I felt a flash of pain.  She’d hurt herself. Shit.

Kitten? 
The word was out before I could stop it.  I winced and tried again. 
I know you can hear me. 
Mack didn’t answer but I knew she was there.  I could still feel her.  Perhaps I could goad her into answering.
Don’t be upset at your little wolf friend.  He had a bruise on his neck.  I compelled him to tell me who had given it to him. 
The last thing I wanted to tell her was that I knew her strange scent well enough to recognise it on him. 
I’m disappointed that you didn’t come over and say hello,
I continued
.  Or introduce me to your new … friend.

Really, my Lord?
She finally answered.
Underlying the spite, was a note of pure hurt though.
Are you really going to continue to imply that I spend all my spare time shagging every male I can get my hands on?

I smiled to myself.  Gotcha.  I shrugged to myself and sat down, swiveling round in my chair to gaze out the window.  Screw it. 
Hello kitten.

Get lost, Corrigan.

You don’t need to stay out there in the cold, you know.  Tell me where you are and I can help you out.  It’s not too late to still be one of us. 
It was a long shot.  But I had to try.

Mack sniffed. 
You should stop this stalker-like behaviour.  It’s most unbecoming for the Lord Alpha.  Surely you’ve got better things to do.

Probably.  But…
I concern myself with every member of the Pack.

Well, I’m not part of the Pack, my Lord.  Get over it.

It occurred to me that she most definitely wasn’t going to come to me and most definitely wasn’t making any plans to leave London.  I thought about the red fever.  Civil war aside, she’d still be a damn sight safer in Scotland. 
Mackenzie, it’s not safe here.  You need to–

Staines opened my door without knocking and stared at me with wide eyes.  “It’s Higgins,” he said.  “He’s on the phone and says he’s got something important to tell you.”

“It’s good news, my Lord.”

I sank down in relief.  “Tell me.”

“The relapse I thought they were experiencing has all but gone.  This morning, three of the remaining affected shifters sat up in bed and said they were hungry.  We’re in the clear.”

It felt like a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders.  “You have no idea how pleased I am to hear it, Dr Higgins.”

“It’s my pleasure.” 

I hung up and glanced over at Staines who was waiting in the doorway.  When I gave him the thumbs up and grinned, he exhaled loudly and fist-pumped the air.  “I’ll go tell the others.  They’re all waiting to hear the news.”

I nodded, unable to keep the smile off my face.  “Please do.  I’m heading out to get some well deserved fresh air.”  I stretched and cricked my neck. It might also help assuage the emptiness I felt at losing contact again with Mack.  “It’s about time I let loose.”

“Go for it, my Lord.”

I quickly changed into a pair of sweats and set out.  The streets of London were only really suitable for running in human form but it didn’t hurt to keep all aspects of my body fit.  I pounded the pavement, enjoying every minute.  It was more because of the anticipation of finally being about to be able to shift in peace than because of the exhaust fumes though.  I ignored the catcalls from a group of young women, clearly heading out for a night on the town, as well as the annoyed glances from a few pedestrians as I swerved by them.  Less than two hours later, I was at the gate to Hampstead Heath.

I skirted down one path towards a copse of trees I knew was rarely disturbed by humans.  When I was sure I was alone, I pulled off my clothes and hung them on a nearby branch.  I stood there for a moment, stark naked, enjoying the sensation of the cool breeze across my skin.  Then I closed my eyes and allowed myself to transform.  It took less than three seconds but, then again, it had been some time since I’d had the freedom to come out here and do this.  I didn’t count my vampire session in the alley. 

Now that I was safely under the cover of darkness, and clothed in my black werepanther fur, I knew it would be easy to enjoy the moment.  It would take very keen eyesight indeed to spot me and I was planning to stay well away from any of the regularly traversed paths.  I stretched out my front paws, then my hindquarters, finishing with a long satisfying arch of my back.  I was ready.

I bounded forward, weaving in and out of the trees.  I could feel my muscles bunching up when I emerged into the open and sped up.  Soon I was flying across the grass.  I leapt over a small stream, ducked through the veil of green of a weeping willow and powered up a small hill.  When I reached the summit, I paused, permitting myself a brief respite.  Then I was off again.  Tingles of delight rippled through my body and all my worries and cares slipped away.  This was how I was meant to be.

The different scents added to the experience.  There were some late-blooming wildflowers only just dying out now with winter’s fast approach which tickled my nose and an errant urban fox who had gotten lost but spooked when he registered my approach.  Catching the faint whiff of bonfire smoke to my right, I veered left, almost colliding with a curious cat.  I pulled up short, making myself freeze.  Come on, kitty.

It was a bold creature, padding right up next to me and sniffing cautiously.  Its coat was as dark as mine, apart from a white patch just under its chin.  Miaowing just once, the cat circled round me.  Then, when it reached my shoulder for the second time, it head-butted me, purring.  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a small pink tongue darting out for a friendship lick.  I allowed it, then widened my pupils deliberately to engage the cat in some play.  It immediately understood, keeping its claws sheathed but pouncing forward with a swipe.  I was about to carefully attempt the same manouevre back when the cat jerked up its head in sudden alarm.  Then it raced away into the night, a streak of black against black.

“That cat’s got better sense than you do, Lord Corrigan.” 

I growled at sudden – and very annoying appearance – of Lord Solus.  This was a most unwelcome interruption.  Thinking of the fact that he’d been at Alcazon with Mack, my growl deepened to a snarl.

“Now, now,” he said, eyes dancing with typical Fae mischief, “there’s no need for that kind of attitude.”

My body tensed and I shifted back into my human form.  Placing my hands on my hips, I glared.  “What do you want?”

“Nice muscles.  I can see why she likes you.”

I stiffened.  “I’m going to assume you have a very good reason for being here.”

He eyed my chest.  “Would you like some baby oil for that?”

I bared my teeth, still feeling the remnants of the wild animal inside me.  Then I turned and started walking away. 

“Actually, oh wonderful, beauteous, most powerful and dominant Lord Alpha kitty cat, I do need your help.”

I turned slowly, sneering.  “Really?  What with, Lord Solus?”

“Well,” he said, inspecting his fingernails with studied casualness, “it’s not so much with what as rather with who.  And please, call me Solus.”

“Get on with it.”

He stopped playing around, lifting his violet eyes up to meet mine.  “It’s Mack.  She’s in trouble.”

I froze.  “So go and help her out.”

He sucked in a breath through his teeth.  “The thing is that I can’t.”

“I thought you were Fae.  What happened to that superiority complex?”

“It doesn’t tend to do so well when iron and anti-Fae wards are concerned.  You see, she’s at the Ministry of Magic.”

“What the hell is she doing there?”

“It’s a long story.  Suffice it to say that she should have left by now and she’s not.  I rather fear the Arch-Mage has decided to, well, keep her.”

“Keep her?” I roared.  “He has no right!  She’s a goddamned shifter!”

“If you say so,” Solus answered.  “I wonder if you could pretty please go and see if she’s alright?”

I took a step towards him.  “What concern is she of yours?”

He put his palms up.  “Now, now, don’t get all territorial.  My little dragonlette will make up her own mind about who she wants.”

“Dragonlette?”

“A pet name.  Because she’s so … fiery.”  His eyes gleamed.

“Why,” I snarled, “do I get the idea you’re just toying with me?”

The amusement vanished from his face.  “I apologise.  She really is in trouble and I really do need you to go and talk to the Arch-Mage to see if she’s alright.  He won’t take anyone else seriously.  But with the new alliance you two have formed, you’ll have the best chance of getting him to see sense.”

I watched him carefully.  “You really are worried.”

“Me?  Nah.”  He still didn’t smile again though.  “But in the best interests of inter-species communication, it might be good if you went and rescued the damsel in distress.  Just, please don’t tell her I told you about her predicament.  She really wasn’t very happy last time I got the two of you together so…” he scratched his neck.

“I’ll go and get my clothes and call a car.  I’ll be there in an hour or two.”

“Or you could be there sooner.”  He raised his voice towards the end of the sentence as if he were asking a question.  Or trying to play the innocent.

I sighed.  “Go on.”

Solus grinned at me.  “It’s easy!  I’ll transport you right there.  You’ll be in front of the Arch-Mage in a jiffy.”  He snapped his fingers and a shimmering purple portal appeared.  “See?  Wouldn’t you love to have that kind of power at your fingertips?”

I gazed at the Fae in exasperation.  “I still need clothes,” I said, gesturing towards my naked form.  “I realise my toned body and perfect muscles showing my strength might not be a problem for you, but the Arch-Mage I know is a bit of a stickler for propriety.”

“I wouldn’t make too much of a thing about the muscles, Lord Corrie.” He leaned forward, dropping his voice to a mock stage whisper and plumping up his hair.  “And I think Mack prefers blonds.”

I pulled away.  “Apparently, time is of the essence.  So the more you want to stand there and tease,” I snarled, “the longer it will take to get to her.”

Solus lifted up an index finger in my direction.  “Just wait one minute.”  He blinked out of existence – at least as far as this plane was concerned anyway.

I stared in frustration at the spot where he’d been standing. Goddamnit.  I’d known deep down that Mack was in London for more than just a jolly up the bloody London Eye.  Why on earth had she gone to the Ministry?  And who did that fucking wizard think he was?  Assuming the Arch-Mage really was keeping her against her will.  I wouldn’t put it past the glib Fae to be making all this up. 

Solus flashed back, tossing me a pile of furry material. 

“What’s this?”

“It’ll save you time.” He clapped his hands together twice.  “Chop chop.”

I stared down.  “I am not wearing this.”

“They’re all the rage, I can assure you.”

I shook out the material.  “I am not wearing a onesie.”

“But it’ll really suit you!”

“I am definitely not wearing a onesie of a green dragon!”

Solus bit his thumb, glancing at me archly from under his eyelashes.  “Don’t you like dragons?”

“It’s not happening, Fae.”

“Look, Corrie,” he said, slapping his hand on my back, “either you put on the onesie and I transport you lickety-split to the Ministry where you save sweet little Mack and become her one true hero for the rest of time or,” he shrugged, “you let her hang.”

I lifted up my eyes up to the heavens.  I could not believe I was about to do this.  “Fine,” I snapped, pulling the damn thing on.

There was a flicker of relief in Solus’s eyes that concerned me.  I zipped up the suit and looked at him.  “You’d better send me there now then.”