Fires Of Solstice Part 35

"Ah, here it is."

Grabbing the phone, he punched in the number. "Mr. King, please. This is Jon Bowers."

James King was staring out his window when his secretary buzzed him. "There's a Jon Bowers on the phone for you."

For a moment, he was tempted no to accept the call, but if Bowers had kept some DNA evidence... "Put him through."

"Mr. King, Meredythe is in danger. The blood samples I retrieved from her apartment last night are a mixture of human and bear. I tried to reach her, but she's checked out of her hotel room."

James sighed. More evidence for Damian to steal. "Thank you, Mr. Bowers, but Meredythe is fine. She's with her aunt. Please don't worry about her. Thank you for calling."

Ignoring the voice sputtering on the other end of the line, he gently placed the phone back in its cradle. Something would probably have to be done about Jon Bowers.

Even though they were sure Slade was the one who'd vandalized Meredythe's apartment, it wouldn't hurt to call Bleddyn. He picked up the phone and punched in the number.

"Bleddyn," he began when the connection was made, "have Meredythe and Evelyn arrived yet?"

"No. Evelyn called saying they were stopping for lunch. I expect them any time now. Why?"

James s.h.i.+fted nervously. "It's probably nothing, but Jon Bowers just contacted me. He knows the blood in Meredythe's apartment is from Slade."

Bleddyn s.h.i.+vered as the phone fell from his hand. Ever since Meredythe had left yesterday, he'd been uneasy. None of them knew exactly where Slade was.

Outside, the wolves began to howl.

Heaving a table out of the way, Bleddyn leaped across the den to the doorway and headed out the hall and into the kitchen. He was barely halfway to the back door when Damian wrenched it open.

"Something has happened. The wolves are frantic."

Damian stumbled back as Bleddyn pushed past and leaped out into the darkening twilight. He sprinted toward the wolf enclosure, tearing his clothing off as he ran. Damian kept pace at his side.

"What is it?"

Evil has come, howled the one-eyed wolf from the enclosure. He has taken your mate.

"Slade. He's close. How could I have missed him?" Bleddyn growled.

A faint howl drifted up the driveway. Both men slid to an abrupt halt.

"That's Shadow," Bleddyn snarled. He reached down and wrenched off his boots and socks.

"I'll go," Damian said. "I'm faster." With those words he was gone, nothing more than a ripple of air signifying his pa.s.sing.

Finally naked, Bleddyn concentrated. Dark mist swirled and the huge, gray-eyed wolf lunged toward the driveway.

"Evelyn, Evelyn, are you all right?"

She forced her eyes open. Her voice was weak. "Damian, is that you? What happened?"

He wrenched the door completely off the car and gently lifted her out. "You were in an accident. Where's Meredythe?"

But Evelyn was unconscious again.

Shadow whined.

Damian s.h.i.+fted Evelyn to one arm and jerked the back door from the car. Shadow wiggled out and shot off into the darkness.

Bleddyn's wolf form hurtled over the downed tree and landed on the hood of the car. He leaped to the ground and stared intently at Damian.

"Shadow went that way."

Bleddyn followed.

Yowling wildly, Methuselah leaped out of the darkness and landed on Damian's shoulder, claws digging deep. Take her to the tower. Rhys is waiting.

Air s.h.i.+fted as Damian complied.

The scents of fresh pine and wood smoke tickled Meredythe's nose. Hard, craggy wood sc.r.a.ped her back and rough, scratchy rope abraded wrists that were tied above her head. She kept her eyes closed. Better to let whoever dragged her from her aunt's side think she was still senseless.

She let her chin drop to her chest, opened her eyes slowly and peered out from beneath her lashes.

Before her, a small fire burned. A superior feeling of satisfaction caused her to smile. Whoever had kidnapped her this time didn't know about what she could do with fire.

A shadow appeared at her left so she closed her eyes. A large hand grabbed her chin and yanked her head up. A rough voice said, "So you're awake, wolf's b.i.t.c.h."

She opened her eyes and stared into her captor's face. He was a huge man with wild hair and a bushy beard. Triumph gleamed from close-set, reddish-brown eyes. Her gaze left his face. He was naked. His chest, stomach, arms and legs were covered with a mat of dark hair. She kept her gaze away from his groin. She had no interest in what hung there.

"You're Slade," she said in a level voice, wondering how quickly his hairy face would catch fire. "What do you want with me?"

His teeth were large and white. "Your blood."

She kept her tone even. "In case you're too dense to figure it out, I'm not a virgin."

Dropping his hand from her chin, he threw back his head and roared with laughter.

When his laughter finally diminished first to chuckles then to an evil smile, he said, "You think I would mount a skinny, sickly woman such as you? Ha! I have a woman, a strong woman with big b.r.e.a.s.t.s and wide hips, a woman who does not tear in half at my first thrust. You are nothing to me. But your blood, that I will have. Then I will be invincible."

Meredythe shook her head. "You honestly believe that?"

His humor disappeared, and he scowled at the obvious scorn in her voice. "The druid seeress foresaw that your blood would grant immortality."

She tried to move her wrists, but they were tied too tightly. "You're already immortal."

"I can be killed. Your blood will prevent that."

"What a crock. Are you normally this gullible?"

His slap slammed her head back against the tree. Stars danced before her eyes as she struggled to retain consciousness.

Slade grunted and turned away.

Breathing deeply, Meredythe remained perfectly still, willing the pain to lessen. She would remain conscious. She couldn't call fire if she couldn't concentrate. Bleddyn would come and she would help him.

An enraged howl rolled out of the trees. Throwing back his head, Slade answered with a roar of his own. The air around him roiled sluggishly and he transformed into a huge, black bear.

A streak of brown darted from beneath the trees and leaped toward the huge bear standing on its hind legs.

"Shadow! No!" She ignored the pain that exploded anew in her head.

At the last minute, the wolf-dog feinted to the left. Leaping past the bear's sweeping foreleg, he tore a long gash in its hind leg. The bear roared with pain. Turning far more quickly than seemed possible, Slade lashed out at Shadow's darting figure. The dog yelped as one claw slashed his ribs. Spinning away, Shadow feinted right then left again.

He didn't fool Slade this time. The bear met his charge with a bone-shattering slap of his huge paw. Howling with pain, Shadow flew across the clearing and slammed into a tree. He dropped to the ground and lay silent.

Slade lumbered to the body, transformed back into a man, grabbed Shadow by a leg and threw him toward the fire. "This is not the wolf. Where is he?"

Meredythe struggled to control the pain throbbing in her head. She tried to concentrate on fire, but the pain kept interfering. "You son of a b.i.t.c.h," she screamed. "I'll kill you myself."

"That won't be necessary, Meredythe," Bleddyn said calmly as he walked out of the forest. "I'll do it."

Slade grinned. "I will keep you alive long enough to watch your b.i.t.c.h die, wolf."

Bleddyn ignored him and concentrated on Meredythe. "Are you all right?"

Clenching her teeth, she nodded. "Except for one h.e.l.l of a headache."

Slade s.h.i.+fted to his bear form and exploded into a lumbering run. In an instant, Bleddyn was the black wolf, jumping to the right as the bear barreled past him, leaping in enough to leave a long, b.l.o.o.d.y tear on its hairy shoulder. Roaring with anger, Slade rose on his hind legs and whirled, his huge paw with its razor-sharp claws reaching for Bleddyn. The wolf dove low under the swipe and ripped a chunk of skin and fur from the bear's stomach and leaped away. Again Slade roared, more with anger than pain.

Tears trickling down her cheeks, Meredythe struggled to concentrate, trying to form a clear picture of fire in her mind. Finally the image held. "Tanau!"

Flames burst from her fingers and ran up her arms. The rope tying her wrists together disintegrated to black ash. Dropping her arms, she held them before her. "Now you, a.s.shole, fight this." Pointing both hands at the bear, she screamed, "Tanau!"

Nothing happened.

As the bear and wolf continued their battle, Meredythe stared at the fire enveloping her hands and arms. Why didn't that freaking bear catch fire?

Frustration racked her body. "d.a.m.n it, what good is carrying fire around if I can't send it anywhere?" Pulling her arm back, she threw it forward. The fire still danced around her fingers.

"Oh s.h.i.+t." Reaching down, she grabbed a stick. It burst into flame. Awareness dawned and she grinned. She couldn't throw fire, but she could throw things that were on fire.

Holding the stick like a spear, she took a few steps forward and launched it at the bear's back. He howled with rage when the fiery missile connected, but it bounced off him and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Noting the still burning stick, Bleddyn jumped to his left. Slade spun to follow him and stepped squarely on it.

Howling, he reared to his hind feet, momentarily off guard. Recognizing the opening, Bleddyn leaped straight into the bear's grasp, his sharp teeth and powerful jaws tearing at Slade's throat.

Roaring in pain and desperation, Slade raked Bleddyn's body with his deadly claws. Bleddyn shuddered but kept his jaws locked around the bear's jugular. Slade fell to the ground, thras.h.i.+ng and rolling. Bleddyn dug his blunt hind claws into Slade's belly. Finally, after one especially violent roll, the bear loosened Bleddyn's hold. The wolf bounced to the ground with a painful yelp and lay still.

Blood streaming from his neck, Slade rose over Bleddyn, jaws wide.

Leaping forward, Meredythe grabbed a handful of black hair and screamed, "Tanau !" Fire exploded from the hunk of fur she held and spread rapidly up his back. Bellowing with pain, Slade whirled to face his new attacker, his swiping claws catching Meredythe's arm as she scrambled away. She grabbed a dry branch and fire surged down its length. Pointing it at the bear, Meredythe stumbled backward.

The bear's shoulders continued burning while blood streamed from his ripped jugular. He was weakening rapidly. But the rage in his eyes told Meredythe he still had enough strength to slap the branch from her hand and tear her to pieces. She threw the branch at his face, turned to run and tripped over a rock. Screaming, she threw her still burning hands over the back of her neck.

Nothing happened.

Clawing at the dirt, she leaped to her feet, turned to face Slade and froze. Damian Winterbourne stood two feet from the burning bear, his dark, hypnotic gaze locked on Slade. The fiery air s.h.i.+mmered and Slade returned to his human form. Then, with a final, painful roar, he collapsed. The nauseating stench of burned flesh permeated the clearing.

Extinguis.h.i.+ng the flames on her hands, Meredythe darted to Bleddyn's side. He too had reverted to human form, a form covered with blood. She pulled his head into her lap. "d.a.m.n it, Bleddyn Glyndwr, if you die on me now, I'll strangle you."

After Meredythe settled Bleddyn's head on her lap, he opened his eyes, his smile a grimace of pain. "Meredythe," he whispered, "you're safe now. That's all that matters. And I-I will finally...be free...of the monster in...my soul." His eyes closed.

"No! You are not going to die. You can't," Meredythe sobbed. "d.a.m.n it, I love you."

His eyes fluttered opened and he smiled weakly. When she moved slightly, he gasped with pain. Blood began to trickle from his mouth.

Meredythe jerked her eyes around the clearing. She would not let Bleddyn die! There had to be a way. Damian watched her, commiseration and sadness on his face. Her eyes locked on the fire Slade had built.

"Throw more wood on that fire, Damian."

He opened his mouth.

"Now, d.a.m.n it. I don't have time to argue."

Shrugging, Damian darted around the clearing, heaving branches and chunks of deadwood on the dying flames. Soon a ma.s.sive bonfire leaped toward the sky. The waning but still almost full moon drifted from behind a cloud and luminous white light bathed the clearing.

Rising to her knees, Meredythe hooked her hands under Bleddyn's armpits and began to drag him toward the fire. The blood from the cut on her arm smearing against cuts on Bleddyn's back. She looked back over her shoulder and glared at Damian. "He's heavy. Help me."

"Meredythe, are you sure about this?"

"Do you have a better idea? If Rhys could save me like this, then I should be able to save Bleddyn."

Damian grabbed Bleddyn's feet and helped her carry Bleddyn to the fire. "I can't let the fire touch me," he said.

Meredythe glanced at him, her expression softening momentarily. "Just help me get him there."

When she felt the fire's heat against her back, she straightened. "Tanau," she said and stepped back into the flames.

Damian heaved with all of his strength, dropping Bleddyn's feet before the flames reached his hands. Stepping back, he stared at the fire. Shadowy figures seemed to leap and dance in its center. A low whine drew his attention. Back broken, hind legs dragging behind him, Shadow struggled toward the fire.

Stepping to the wolf-dog's side, Damian lifted him effortlessly and strode toward the flames.

"Meredythe," he called. "Shadow is dying."

Flames melted away from a slender arm. It motioned toward the fire. Taking a deep breath, Damian heaved the wolf-dog into the flames.