Bloodrage - Helen Harper Page 0,76

the now lifeless tongue of the vamp hanging out of its mouth.

Corrigan, still shaking his head slightly to rid himself of what was no doubt considerable fuzziness, returned to my side.

You know what it wants. His Voice was grim.

“Yeah,” I said aloud. “But before you say anything, I don’t have it. The vamps do.”

Because it wasn’t the more dangerous Ancile that was digging uncomfortably into my back that the wraith was after. It wanted the pointless and powerless Palladium that was now sitting snugly behind the glass of the vampires’ trophy room.

A figure joined us. “So, Initiate Smith,” the Arch-Mage stated calmly, “we find ourselves on the same side.”

“That we do, sir,” I agreed.

The Arch-Mage jetted out a snake of blue light. It circled round the wraith, binding it into one place. I flicked my own flame forward, this time catching it on the side of its face, and sending it recoiling backwards. The wraith screamed. Not in pain but in sheer unadulterated rage. I could feel Corrigan’s were-panther body tensing at my other side, preparing for another attack.

Don’t. You can’t win this one, my Lord.

He growled, but I ignored him, and flicked out another arc of green fire that rose high into the air then curved back down, landing squarely onto the wraith’s face.

“I’m starting to wonder whether it was such a good idea to host this party,” came the chill tones of Aubrey from somewhere behind me. “There seem to be far too many uninvited guests.”

“Hey,” I snapped irritably, “this one’s all on you.”

As if to illustrate my point further, the wraith shrieked again. “I waaaaaaaant it!”

“It’s after the Palladium.”

The vampire started. “How do you…?”

He didn’t manage to finish his sentence, however, because right at that point the Arch-Mage groaned. “It’s too strong,” he gasped.

I half-turned and realised that he was drenched in sweat and shaking. Shit. We didn’t have much time left. I twisted back towards the wraith again and sent out as much fire as I could potentially muster. But it was too late. The Arch-Mage’s binding light was wavering and the wraith grinned emptily then pushed against it. The blue circle snapped and the Arch-Mage collapsed to his knees. The wraith snapped itself away from my approaching flame and drew itself up towering over us. It pulled back one shadowy dark arm. I concentrated. Focus the fire, Mack, I told myself. Focus the fire. If I could just muster up enough energy…

Corrigan barrelled into me, knocking me down as the wraith’s lethal swipe came whizzing over my head. Then it shot up into the air and vanished.

Chapter Eighteen

I picked myself up off the ground, aching all over, and turned angrily to meet the were-panther head on. “What the fuck did you do that for?”

Corrigan began to shift, black fur retreating against his skin and bones cracking as he re-formed back to human. He pulled himself up and bared his teeth at me. “For the same reason you told me not to attack.”

I cursed him, trying very hard to ignore the fact that he was stark naked, all tanned steel muscles set into an aggressive stance of flat out male perfection, and turned back to the Arch-Mage who was still on his knees.

“Are you alright?” I asked, helping him up.

“I’m good,” he gasped, although the pallor of his skin suggested otherwise.

I turned to look at Aubrey, whose gaze was on my fallen dagger that was gleaming against the grey tarmac of the road. He flicked his eyes up at me and I shot him a disarming smile and shrugged, as if to say that it wasn’t my fault that his bouncer hadn’t noticed it.

His red eyes flashed. “I hadn’t realised that were-hamsters were so aggressive.” He leaned forward, displaying his fangs, the corner of his tongue curling round to lick one, lapping at the sharp point. “Or that the pack was capable of using magic.”

Corrigan planted himself in front of me. I scowled. I didn’t need his sodding protection.

“Why don’t you tell us exactly what it was that thing was after,” he growled.

I couldn’t see Aubrey’s face any longer but I could picture the expression on it.

“Ask your girlfriend,” he spat. “Somehow she seems to know.” He began stalking back off to the house.

I side-stepped my way out from Corrigan, and called after him. “Hey!” He ignored me. “That was Tryyl, wasn’t it? You didn’t kill him, you just tortured him and then let him go. No wonder he’s pissed.”

The vampire spun round. “Idiot. You can’t