Dreams of a Dark Warrior

THIRTY-SEVEN

The magister’s blood was delicious and drugged. Yet what a bitter aftertaste!

No matter. Lothaire couldn’t remember the last time he’d tasted blood so powerful. His skin began regenerating in a rush, strength filling him.

Out of his countless victims only a handful had ever fueled him as Chase had.

Berserkers. Those rare creatures. Who knew?

If he could have blood like this and lose the torque …

“You filthy parasite—I will kill you for this!” Chase’s muscles began to swell, his eyes glowing, but he’d probably burned through his berserkrage surviving that plane crash.

“Admit it, Magister, you liked it a little.” Lothaire hauled him to his feet.

“One day I’ll cut off your fuckin’ head.”

“Words hurt, Chase.”

The man opened his mouth to say more, then gritted his teeth. “This isn’t finished.” Through the pouring rain, he lumbered in the Valkyrie’s direction, following the swath of the plane’s landing.

Lothaire trailed him, keeping a keen eye on his new investment and blood supply. When they reached the other half of the plane, the berserker, the fey, and Thaddeus had just crawled from the wreckage.

The fey’s cheek was gouged open. Thaddeus appeared unscathed, sounding out some primitive Texan-esque whoop, then yelling to the sky, “We freaking lived!”

Brandr had an unconscious Regin cradled in his arms. One of his eyes was swollen shut and blood trickled from his nose. But Regin looked no worse than before the crash.

When Chase sagged in relief, Lothaire yanked him upright.

The man’s scarred hands clenched and unclenched behind him as he so clearly longed to have her in his possession.

Lothaire drawled at his ear, “You want her so badly? Perhaps you oughtn’t have had your lackeys mutilate her. Just a thought.”

Natalya reached for her charge thrower. “What is the leech doing here? Again?” But her weapon had been damaged.

“Chase is my prisoner, and the Valkyrie goes with us.”

Brandr nodded slowly. “You are as crazy as they say.”

To keep his bargain with Chase, Lothaire would have to defeat these three and take the Valkyrie.

Or I can use them. Lothaire assessed them one by one. A ragtag army.

The fey had skills, the berserker would be an extra sword. Thaddeus’s hidden strength could come in handy. Currently, the lad was dragging an overstuffed backpack out of the tail of the plane. Seemed he was smart enough to provision himself.

“Chase is leading me off the island,” Lothaire said. “He knows of an alternate means of escape. We could include you. For a price.”

Natalya rolled her eyes. “What now?”

“Allegiance to me, until we depart this place. You’d vow no malice against me.”

Brandr shook his head. “That thing, that La Dorada, will be coming for you. Unless you killed her?”

“She’s out of commission for a time.” The sorceress had been rash, coming for him before she’d regenerated enough. He’d capitalized.

Natalya pressed her fingers to the wound on her cheek. “Do we have a choice but to side with you?”

“Not unless you want to stay here. And Chase informed me that the Order will be retaliating soon. Unite with us, or die.”

“Then let’s allegiate or whatever!” Thaddeus said. “I want out of this place! You’ve got my vow.”

Natalya gritted out, “Mine as well.”

Brandr scowled. “I vow it.”

Lothaire tensed as a new scent wafted in the air. A foul scent. Through the rain, he spied glowing eyes in the woods. “Wendigos. On three sides.”

When Declan spotted the creatures skulking closer, his instincts screamed for him to get Regin away. There were three times as many as before.

“Only one place to run.” Natalya turned her gaze toward the dark forest just beyond them.

“No, we can’t outrun them with these torques.” Brandr swiped at his bleeding nose. “And we’d be going directly into their most advantageous terrain. We need to stand and fight.”

Natalya scoffed. “All of us barely defeated a fraction of their number.”

“If we run, you know what will happen! They’ll infect us. I’d rather die—in a fight!”

“You could run, and I could stay to fend them off,” the vampire offered. “For some reason, I feel amazingly refreshed.” He swung an amused look at Declan that made him grind his teeth. “And it seems I’m quite handy against them.” He fingered something in his pocket.

Natalya tossed away her busted TEP-C. “So, Lothaire, you’re going to fight them out of the blackness of your heart?”

Lothaire said to Declan, “Mortals always have a rabbit hole. There’s a secure shelter somewhere on this island, isn’t there? Somewhere you’d all be safe this night?”

Beginning to recognize Lothaire’s calculating look, Declan gave a tight nod, not bothering to hide the scathing hatred boiling inside him. “And what would it take for you to fight the Wendigos?” What more would he want?

“Whenever I ask for something in the future, you will do it for me. Anything. Without hesitation. Vow this.”

Another deal with the devil?

“Make no bargains with vampires,” the fey murmured. “You always lose in the end.”

Too late.

Brandr shook his head. “You can’t agree to an open-ended deal like that, especially not with a leech like him.”

“Do I have a bloody choice?”

“Chase, they’re pure evil. I’ve fought them all my life,” Brandr said. “Hell, I’ve probably fought him!”

Lothaire calmly said, “An unlikelihood, as you still live.”

Brandr lunged for the vampire, his free hand balled into a fist, but Natalya stepped between them.

“The Wendigos are closing in,” Lothaire said. “I’m going to need your answer.”

“Chase,” Brandr said warningly.

“This is the only way to save her, and you know it,” Lothaire said. “Don’t you want to safeguard her?”

At that, Brandr cursed under his breath.

Because he knows I’ll make this deal and any other to protect her? “You have my vow.” Put it on my goddamned tab.

“Very good.” Lothaire’s red eyes glowed as he so obviously relished the upcoming fight. “Go. I’ll stall them.”

The halfling began shucking off his heavy pack. “I’ll stay with Mr. Lothaire and fight.” To Brandr, he said, “You get Natalya and Regin to safety.”

With an eerie menace, Lothaire slowly turned to Thad. “No. You won’t, young Thaddeus.”

“I can help you—”

Lothaire’s fist shot out, connecting with the kid’s mouth, sending him flying onto his pack. “Run. Along.”

Glaring over her shoulder, Natalya helped Thad up. The boy ran his forearm over his bleeding lip, casting Lothaire a stunned look. As he clambered to his feet, his eyes flashed black.

Brandr said, “Let’s go. We’re running out of time.”

Thaddeus adjusted his pack, and Natalya snagged their only weapons, a pair of swords. Brandr still carried Regin—the sole thing Declan wanted.

They set off. But at the edge of the forest, Declan turned back to Lothaire. “How exactly will you know where we go?”

He laughed. “You won’t get rid of me that easily, Magister.” Fangs glinting, he murmured, “I’ll pretend that you’re prey and hunt you.”