Bloodfire (Blood Destiny 1) - Helen Harper Page 0,79
me!” The growling continued and his fangs sank deeper into my flesh. It was as if he’d not heard me. “Tom! It’s Mack. Look at me!”
The rumble in his throat died and a pair of pale yellow eyes gazed up at me balefully. He immediately released my arm. Blood was streaming down it, and I could see a smear of red on his teeth. His huge tongue lapped at his lips for a second and he looked briefly puzzled. Then, he turned back into the kitchen and I followed, grabbing a dish towel hanging on a hook and wrapping it around the wounds.
“Tom, what the fuck is going on? Where is everyone?”
He whined, but didn’t turn back to look at me. Instead he padded out of the kitchen and through the small door that led into Julia’s herb garden. I had no choice but to follow. What met my eyes when we emerged back into the cool night air was a scene of controlled chaos. Limp bodies lay around the space, with shifters in various stages of transformation tending to them. Part of me noted the squashed herbs underfoot and thought of how angry Julia would be when she saw what had happened to her precious plants. But then I saw Julia.
She was lying in a corner, face turned away from me. Her arm was broken, and spread at an awkward angle. A man I’d never seen before was crouched down beside her. It looked like her right leg had been ripped off at the knee. Corrigan was stood, naked from the waist up but wearing jogging bottoms below, with his arms folded. He was staring down at her with a look of intense worry and concentration. Several members of the pack were doing the same. I spotted Lynda, with tears running down her face, clinging onto Anton for support. Betsy was there too, and Johannes, both covered in blood.
I was rooted to the spot with fear and felt my tongue cleave its way to the roof of my mouth. Was she…?
“She’s not dead,” a soft voice said beside me. It was Lucy. I ripped my eyes away from Julia, even the image of her broken body was still seared into my eyeballs, and looked at her blankly. She was pale and clearly still in a lot of pain after the ispolin’s attack. No doubt the Brethren doctor had helped her already impressive regenerative powers, but she still would need a considerable amount of time to heal. I wondered if she’d been involved in the fighting despite that fact and felt frustration that even a shockingly wounded shifter had been there to help when I hadn’t. She continued, “She’s not far off though. The Doc will do what he can for her, make her comfortable, but…” her voice trailed off.
I found my voice. “What happened?”
“We were attacked. I don’t know by what. The mage is trying to work out what they are. They came completely without warning, from the front and the back. A few got in through the doors,” she nodded towards the other side of the keep, “and others came here. Your alpha was in the garden. I don’t think she had time to even shift. We’ve lost three other shifters altogether.”
I wanted to ask if they were Brethren or pack but I didn’t dare. Lucy understood though and her gaze hardened slightly. “They were ours, not yours.”
She limped away inside, back ramrod straight. I couldn’t worry about her hurt feelings right now though so I turned back to Julia but caught Corrigan’s eyes blazing angry gold at me instead.
“I called you. Why weren’t you here?” he snarled.
The other shifters looked at me. I could the weight of their accusing glares and my whole body tensed. I’d failed them, and Julia. Again.
“I…was trapped. There was a faerie ring,” I stuttered.
He took a step closer, and his eyes seared into me. “Then how did you escape?”
“I don’t know. After I heard your Voice – and Julia’s – I hit the edge of the ring. A lot. And then it gave way. I don’t know why.” I was aware that my voice was high-pitched with stress, trying to justify to everyone listening that my reasons for not being present to protect the keep were genuine.
“That’s not possible. Did you have iron?”
I shook my head, mutely.
He towered over me. “Seems awfully convenient, that this is the time you chose to suddenly get yourself trapped by the Fae. And then miraculously escape.”