Scorched Fury: A SkinWalker Novel #5 (DarkWorld: SkinWalker) (29 page)

Just for the briefest second.

"You're not Logan." I barely got the words out before he grabbed me by the throat and began lifting me off the tiled floor, began to squeeze the air out of me.

I kicked out, grabbing at the lapels of his coat, my fingers burning as it scraped something dagger-sharp, but his hold was impossibly tight. Shadows crept in at the edges of my vision.

A sound caught my attention, the door to my room opening with a rush and a creak. Sienna burst inside, staring at the empty bed in surprise.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Sienna's hair shifting around her face as she turned her head to stare out at the open balcony door.

Her eyes going wide with shock as she caught sight of me, so dangerously close to the edge.

The glass dug into my back as my attacker pushed me back, further, closer to death. I considered the fact that I was feline and wondered if at such a height I'd be lucky enough to land on my feet.

Part of my brain registered Sienna surging into a run as she raced to save me. I tried to shake my head, to scream at her to stop but no sound or movement arose.

"Kai!"

Sienna's voice cut through my mind so sharply that I blinked, aware that I hovered a foot above the air.

"Stop. What are you doing?" she screamed.

Her body hit my attacker's, causing him to push me further over the edge. I choked, desperate to tell her to stop. Not to save myself but to warn her that she was now also in danger.

They struggled as Sienna screamed, "Let her go!" She slammed her hands into his arms and I felt the vibrations of the blow around my throat.

The loud crack of glass rang out and even at this altitude the sound echoed.

And then we fell.

Shards of glass pierced the fabric my dress, my ankle twisted, and something tore painfully at my fingertips.

We were falling.

Sienna's arms were around my waist and she was screaming. Wind flapped against our gowns and I bore a faint hope that they would act as parachutes.

Air rushed around us, and behind me Sienna was panicking, struggling for air. I couldn't see her. I was about to apologize for failing her when a sudden gust of wind hit us sideways and we were airborne, as if we'd become weightless.

The grip around my waist tightened and when I looked down I saw giant claws encircling my torso. Where Sienna's hands had been only seconds ago.

Air billowed past me, and I craned to look behind me, knowing already what I would see.

Sienna, the golden dragon.

CHAPTER 41

T
HE
GREAT
GOLDEN
DRAGON
HELD
ME
gently, its wingspan thirty feet wide or more. It banked and made a gentle turn, then thrust its leathery wings. Wind rushed against my face as the giant creature skimmed the air currents before slowing in front of my balcony.

It angled its body, wings flapping high above, and lower legs stretched. The creature landed gingerly on the small balcony, only a tiny square of crystal, its giant claws clicking loudly on the smooth floor.

It unfurled its claws and released me, and before I could offer my thanks it began to shimmer. Gold and bronze light swirled while specks of sunlight sparkled within the haze of color. The giant form rippled, undulating into an even smaller shape and then it disappeared in a puff of bronze and gold light.

I slumped to the cool tiles, knees and hands slamming against the floor, my limbs too filled with the icy numbness of shock to move. Sienna lay on the floor beside me, her flaming hair fanned around her, her face pale.

Her clothing remained intact, not ripped to pieces like most shifters. Dracyr must have different magic from shifters.

She lay deathly still and I leaned closer, ready to perform CPR, but then her eyelids fluttered and she let out a soft puff of air. She frowned, groaning as she lifted her hands and pressed them to her forehead.

"What the hell just happened?" she mumbled.

"Don't you remember?" I crawled forward, my own shock forgotten as I worried over her.

She shook her head. "One moment I was fighting off your attacker and the next we were falling." She squinted back up at me, and gold flames flickered in her eyes. "How did we get back up here?"

"A dragon saved us." I didn't elaborate.

She scowled. "Who? Where did they go?" She got to her knees, reaching for the balustrade, and stared out over the city. Smoke curled from chimneys, and soft lights glowed from windows opened onto the dark streets.

Beyond, stars twinkled, silver and blood, in an inky sky. There was no dragon in sight.

I shrugged. "No idea." I'd never seen a dragon before today, much less been cuddled by one. Although the creature had been gentle with me, I had to admit I was a little freaked out.

Even though I knew that Sienna was the dragon, I decided that it was best not to tackle this new development with her just yet. Something was very wrong with her. Her memories must have been tampered with. It's what I'd expect from Omega so nothing surprised me now.

But as I studied her pale profile, her confused expression, I had to wonder how many other times had this happened. How often had she shifted into Dracyr form and then not recalled a thing?

The danger in this was unquestionable, and terrifying.

But it wasn't something I could just drop in her lap this minute. She needed time to process it all. I'd have to ease her into her new reality. And while doing that I had to understand what was staring at me in the face.

If Sienna is a Dracyr, then Logan is too.

It meant that Logan was no human fire mage. And Sienna was no human Dracyr slave.

Logan and Sienna, twins with powers that have been hidden even from themselves, watched over by people who don't seem to have their best interests at heart. Who would want to keep them powerless and ignorant of who they really are?

The Queen and the General.

My mind repeatedly looped back to the story of the powerful twins destined to sit upon the Dracys throne. Could Logan and Sienna be these twins? Were they caught up in some royal political power play? If so then that put Lyra's integrity in the spotlight.

Or was it more sinister? Perhaps an inter-realm power play with Omega at the head of it all? And considering Reid's death, was the mining of the Erulite of any importance?

And if all of this were true then were they the rightful Queen and General of Dracys?

I pushed to my feet, tracing a finger along my now throbbing throat. I'd have a bruise within a few hours. Would be fun explaining that to the Senate in the morning.

Sienna turned to me. She weaved on her feet for a moment then came to curl an arm around my waist as she helped me to my feet.

"What happened to you? Who was that man?" she asked as she helped me into the room. Her voice was tinged with uneasiness; she asked a question to which I suspected she already had the answer.

"Someone . . . Someone was in my room."

"I saw . . ." She sent a panicked glance at the empty balcony behind me. "He looked . . . familiar."

"It wasn't Logan." I said his name, even as I wondered how wise it was to discuss him here, considering the invasion of my room. But a man had attempted to murder me, I should be far more careful about the real reason I was here.

The mention of Logan drew an unexpected reaction from Sienna.

She stiffened. "You . . ." She let go of me and put her finger to her lips.

I sat on the bed and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. I think it may have just been a hallucination." I stared hard at her and she got my drift.

She nodded, turning on her heel and heading out into the living area. She opened the door, then over her shoulder she called, "I believe that some fresh air would do you good. I know the perfect place."

I pushed to my feet. At least breathing was a little easier now, although it still hurt to swallow.

As I reached the door, she placed an arm around my waist, offering to help me out of the apartment and into the hallway. I steeled my muscles, taking my weight onto my own feet and gave Sienna a smile of gratitude before sending her a pointed glance at the pair of guards who bracketed the entrance to my room.

Despite appreciating her help, I didn't want either them, or any passers-by, to see me weak, and she appeared to understand, giving me a supportive smile and removing her hand.

We continued along the hall, Sienna's twin guard-dogs a dozen yards behind, Sienna herself walking slowly to ensure I didn't get worn out, but she didn't have much experience with Walkers. A mere five minutes passed before the ache in my throat subsided. I knew the bruises would have faded a little too, it was only bullets and arrows which managed to bring a walker to their knees.

At the end of the cavernous hall, we reached a set of stairs that led up and around, along a tower wall. The clanking and tapping of the guards' armor and heels drew to a stop as they contemplated our next move.

Without a glance backward, we followed the stairs up two flights, the tap of my boots on the stone risers echoing up and down that tower stairwell. Sienna's guards maintained a decent distance.

At the landing we were halted by a giant metal door and two fierce looking guards.

Fierce Guard One scowled. "Counsel Sienna."

He tipped his head the tiniest bit, as if deferring to her seniority, but there was a burning of some emotion in his eyes. Had it been malice, I may have been tempted to dispatch him then and there. But then, in my new position I wasn't allowed the privilege of doing as I wanted.

"Hello Fes." Syn's smile was at loggerheads with his icy demeanor. "The Emissary of the Elders wished to see the view and I told her the battlements here provide an incomparable one."

The two guards shifted away and Fes opened the door. He closed the door and attempted to follow us outside but Sienna turned and said, "We will be discussing private Senate and Treaty issues. I'm afraid you need to keep your distance."

He paused, then took up position beside the door without a complaint. Behind the slit it was easy to see he wasn't happy.

Sienna didn't seem to care. She took my arm and began walking me toward the parapet. Black gravel crunched beneath our boots, and a cool breeze fanned my heated cheeks; a welcome relief.

Safe at the edge of the parapet, Sienna faced me, her eyes showing the strain of our recent encounter.
 

I sighed. "I was poisoned."
 

"I figured as much." She nodded, a dark look in her eyes. Her profile was shadowed, light from the torches cast strange accents on her bone structure, and yet they couldn't erase her beauty. "Who?"

"Whoever it was used Logan's form to trick me." Anger strummed my vocal chords and I had to take a deep breath. "I don't know for sure, but I'm beginning to suspect it was Andyr."

Sienna's eyes widened. "What makes you think that?"

I opened my fist and revealed the diamond clasp in my palm. Sharply angled, it looked like a naturally formed crystal but from the workmanship it was easy to tell that the gem was Fae and hand-carved. "When I first laid eyes on it, I knew it was familiar. I'd seen it only two days ago, on Elan, the Winter Prince."

"The
Fae
Winter Prince?"

"That's the one. And when I met Andyr this morning, I felt something familiar about him. I didn't recognize the clasp. That was stupid."

"Why would he think nobody would recognize it?" Sienna shook her head, perplexed.

I made a face. "Elan is arrogant. I doubt he'd have expected to meet anyone that he knew here in Dracys."

Sienna tapped the black crystal of the parapet wall. We stood between two merlons, looking out at the dark valley. "This is too much. I think my head is going to explode." She moved her hand to cradle her forehead.

The transformation must have taken its toll on her, even if she didn't know it. Now, more than ever, I had to get her to leave with me.

I took her hand away from her head. "I'm here to help you."

"Logan sent you." She eyed me warily. "He said he would."

I nodded, relieved I didn't need to fight her.

"He made me promise to find you. To tell you about the danger you face here, and to ask you to come home to help him."

She frowned and faced me, fear lighting the flame in her eyes. "Help him? What's wrong with him? Is he okay?" Her hand was back on the wall, this time clutching the edge hard enough that the white of her knuckles gleamed.

I shook my head. "No. He's in a coma. We don't know how to save him and he wanted me to tell you to come to see him."

She stared at me. "That makes no sense. How does he speak to you if he's in a coma? How is he speaking to me?"

"His thoughts can still touch you, as long as you allow him in." I smiled. "We used a DeathTalker to communicate. He showed me where you were in Sand Beach. And he's in a coma, not dead.
 

"That
was
you. I knew it." She managed a brief smile. "The Goth look suits you. And I should have guessed considering goth had been my choice of disguise in Sand Beach."