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"Gee, thanks, I love you, too." I frowned. My back felt like it was being pricked by a hot needle. "What the hell? Delilah, do I have anything under my shirt?" I lifted the cami so she could take a look. Morio stared with an unabashed leer. I stuck my tongue out at him while Delilah checked my back.
"Yeah, you managed to get a blackberry bramble under there." With a quick jerk, she yanked, and I let out a yelp as the thorn dislodged itself from my skin. "So much for sex in the woods," I muttered. Except for the wild places of Otherworld, brambles stayed in nice, tidy patches at home.
"Okay, let's get back to business. Chase is going to be wondering where the hell we are if we don't hurry up." I studied the barrow. "I'll focus on disrupting the barrier, you focus on sweeping aside any illusions that might be linked to it. You stand over there, a good arm's length away."
We took up position, with Delilah guarding the rear. As I raised my arms and summoned the Moon Mother's power, the energy of the lea shimmered. The rain stopped as a cold wind blew up, shaking the trees. I focused my concentration on boring a hole through the force field, turning myself into a magical power drill. Morio worked alongside me, dispersing the illusions that bound the area, breaking their hold on the land.
As the barrier began to weaken and we drove a wedge in it, a low rumble began to vibrate through the air, and the earth shook, waves rippling beneath our feet. I swayed, trying to keep my footing, but the quake magnified and sent both Morio and me sprawling. The force field cracked, shattering into a thousand invisible shards and then the lea was silent once more.
"Talk about shake, rattle, and roll," I said as I staggered to my feet.
"What the hell? Are we in the middle of a war zone?" Delilah asked.
The lovely grassland was now a blackened mound in the center of a ring of sickly trees that murmured dark thoughts and desires. The ground had been scorched, and tree trunks charred into carbon lay scattered around the area.
"Holy crap. Look at this place." Delilah sucked in a deep breath, her eyes wide.
"That about says it all." I looked around for Morio, who was rubbing his shoulder from where the quake had tossed him. "What happened here?"
"Look," he said, pointing to a darkened hole against the mound. It led deep within the earth. "Is that a cave?"
As I squinted through the rain—which was once again pounding the area—I saw that he was right. It was a cave. The cave. And I knew that somewhere within, Tom Lane was hiding.
"That's where we want to go. This is it, folks. Let's move." But as I moved forward, the rustle of wings caught my attention. Before we could take another step, a shadow rose up from behind the mound. There, snaky and huge and milky white, hovered a dragon. And he looked hungry.
* * *
CHAPTER 14
"Dragon!" Delilah fell back, a terrified look on her face.
"Stop shouting. I see it." What the hell were we going to do now? The pastoral woodland setting had suddenly become a field full of land mines, and any residual urge to dance had turned into an even stronger urge to turn tail and run. But that wouldn't help matters. Dragons were big. Dragons were strong. Dragons were fast. And most of all—dragons made lunch out of witches like me.
The wyrm was a blend of Asian and Western heritage. His body was long and snakelike, and his wings were large but ornamental; he didn't need them to fly. What looked like horns but were really antennae graced the beast's forehead. The reptilian grace hovered above us, milky and pearlescent, shimmering between pale pink and ivory.
As I stared into his icy gray eyes that were ringed with black and held twin diamonds in the center of each pupil, I couldn't help but wonder at how beautiful he was. It had been many years since I'd seen a dragon, and never this close. Part of me just wanted to stand in awe, but I shook myself out of my trance. Dragons were notorious for being able to hypnotize their prey—it made for an easier time of preparing crispy critters for lunch.
Actually, maybe I was doing him a disservice. After all, not all dragons breathed fire, but by the looks of the surrounding countryside I wouldn't put it past him. The meadow had been razed, and the perfect circle of debris convinced me that a forest fire hadn't been responsible for the damage.
I carefully stepped back, one foot at a time, my gaze fastened on the face of the dragon as I prepared to run or freeze-frame, whichever my gut told me would save my life.
The dragon let out a low rumble that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. An ominous laugh. Dragon jokes were usually at the expense of the listener, and little good could come out of a dragon's mirth, except for his own amusement.
I glanced briefly at Morio. He, too, was playing statue. Delilah was nowhere to be seen, and I hoped she'd had the chance to duck behind a tree. Out of sight, out of mind, out of stomach.
"So, should I eat you here or save you for later?" His voice was lower than any bass I'd ever heard. "You've had your last feast—each other—so now it's my turn."
I struggled to remember everything I knew about the beasts. What had I told Chase? Don't try to outshine a dragon, don't puff up in his face. Dragons were so arrogant that they'd make quick work of anybody who challenged their superiority. Yada yada yada. On the other hand, some seemed to value courage. Cowards weren't known for their luck in walking away from a dragon-fest, at least not with all their parts still intact. I cleared my throat.
"We apologize. We had no idea we were intruding in your territory. Please, if you let us go, we'll leave and never return." Compromise—that might just be the ticket. We made a mistake, we screwed up, take mercy on us, and let us go about our business. Grovel, grovel, beg, beg.
The dragon snorted, and puffs of steam flared out from his nostrils. "You expect me to believe that, little witch? You're one of those pesky Sidhe, aren't you?" His luminous eyes whirled, and once again, I found myself staring into them, but as his mind touched my own, I jerked away.
He laughed again. "Not full-blooded Sidhe after all. Half-breed. Human and Faerie… delicious combination. Dessert, that's what you are. But tell me, Witchling, what are you doing here? You're not earthbound, unlike your companion." The winding neck swerved in Morio's direction.
I let my breath out. I'd been holding it so tightly I felt like I'd just busted out of a corset. Morio casually slid his hands in his pockets and gave the dragon a nod. He was going for the buddy-buddy routine. I silently wished him luck.
"Greetings, Ancient One. We're truly sorry for the interruption. We were searching for someone and were led astray." Morio's voice was smooth and silken. He couldn't be trying to use his illusion to deceive the wyrm, could he? Dragons were immune to most charm. I forced myself to keep my mouth shut. Morio knew what he was doing. At least I hoped so.
