Corrigan Fire Bloodfire - Helen Harper Page 0,52

often a natural response when the Brethren Lord, no matter who he happened to be, came calling. I wasn’t about to chew him out for not being able to save the day. It was hardly as if I’d been there to help things along.

You did what you could. Describe the ispolin for me.

It was big. Bloody big. At least ten feet tall. It only had one eye but that was enough.

Could you sense what it was after? What it wanted?

I don’t know, my Lord. It headed down the beach at one point, thundering towards Trevathorn.

I sucked in a breath. Did it…?

No. Mack managed to turn it back.

A faint smile crossed my lips. I guess werehamsters move fast when they’ve shifted.

I only received silence as an answer. What is it? I prodded.

Nothing, my Lord.

I wasn’t about to give up that easily. And I had the feeling that, even without compulsion, Anton wanted to tell me. Spit it out.

She didn’t shift, my Lord.

I sat up, my spine ramrod straight. Say that again.

Mackenzie. She didn’t shift. She fought the ispolin as a human.

Unexpected anger ripped through me. It was one thing being stubborn when it came to me or the Brethren. It was quite another to be that stubborn when lives were at stake. I couldn’t believe she’d be so reckless. Werehamsters couldn’t have that much strength to call upon but I knew what Mack was capable of. And no matter who you were, you were stronger when you shifted into animal form.

Thank you. I cut the connection and slammed my fists down onto the desk. Despite her occasional enforced meekness, Mack was not afraid of violence. This was no gymnasium duel. The thought that maybe she’d not bothered to shift because it was only Brethren lives at stake made my blood boil. We were pack animals, all of us. And the pack was supposed to fucking come first. Not to mention how likely it would have been that she’d have been killed while in her more vulnerable human form too.

Staines, where exactly is Mack right now?

Lord Corrigan?

Who else? I asked drily.

Are you already in Cornwall?

No. I’ll have a portal set up soon though. There’s a mage on the way.

That’s…that’s a long distance to project your Voice.

I thought about it. I guess so.

You have more power than Brady.

Considering the bloodshed I’d already had to deal with since his demise, I wasn’t so sure. Where’s Mack? I repeated, unwilling to continue any further comparisons.

She’s the one I sent to Trevathorn to assess any potential fallout from the locals, he answered.

I nodded grimly. That was a good idea. As a Cornish inhabitant herself, she’d be better placed to find out whether anyone had been alerted to the ispolin’s attack on the beach. At least she was doing as she’d been told for once. I drummed my fingers on the desk and switched connections. I was still angry.

Why didn’t you shift?

Mack started. I’d obviously caught her completely unaware. Good. It might mean I’d get some real answers out of her. I didn’t give her any time to recover from her surprise.

Answer me.

Are you trying to suggest that it was my fault that this happened, my Lord? If I hadn’t been there it would have been even worse. It wasn’t me who decided that only two guards were going to be a good idea.

Despite – or perhaps because of – the spitting rage I could feel emanating from her, guilt suddenly sprung deep inside me. I’d stayed calm with the Winter King and the Ghillie Dhu. Why did Mack make me act out of character? Besides, what had I wanted? For Mack to die too? A surprisingly stabbing pain shot through my heart at the thought and I felt the weight of my authority on my shoulders. I wasn’t sure if I’d have assigned more guards. But I’d have made damned sure I was one of them. If I’d been there instead of dealing with Otherworld politics here in London, then maybe I’d have been able to stop the ispolin myself. It wasn’t my fault that I’d been absent. But it wasn’t Mack’s fault that the beast had shown up either.

That was a mistake. It won’t happen again.

So I guess none of us is completely infallible then. There was a surprising note of shame in her answer. Maybe both of us were recognising our mistakes.

I don’t suppose we are. I sighed. I wasn’t going to keep her in line by snapping at her. Regretting my implied accusations,