Silver - By Kailin Gow Page 0,53

you, I wil start on her.”

Fear made Briony look around for help, but the battle was too chaotic to see where it might come from.

Several of Pietre’s vampires were on the run, their clothing aflame, yet Briony couldn’t make out Kevin, Fal on or even Archer. A dragon the size of a school bus shouldn’t have been that hard to spot, surely?

Then though, Briony saw the reason for it. Archer stepped up to them, back in the form of a young man.

“Let go of her,” he demanded.

Pietre ignored him.

It turned out to be a poor move. Archer’s hand snaked out, wrapped around Pietre’s, and with a force that brought the snap of breaking bone, wrenched it from Briony’s arm. The vampire screamed, as much in fury as in pain.

“You. I’l kil you. I’l …”

He lashed out, catching Briony rather than Archer.

The force of the blow sent her sprawling back. Archer met the move with a return strike that punched Pietre from his feet. Archer didn’t fol ow the strike though. Instead he turned and stooped, scooping Briony up in his arms as easily as if she had been a child.

“There is only one way to keep you safe, Princess.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, and Briony wasn’t sure that she was in a fit state to give one anyway. It felt like Pietre’s nails had gouged into her, and right then, she was having a hard time simply remaining conscious. Archer carried her toward the gate, paused only briefly at the entrance, and then stepped into the fog it held.

Briony had just enough time to see the gate closing behind them before exhaustion fil ed her, and she blacked out.

Epilogue

Briony opened her eyes to the sight of Aunt Sophie kneeling above her as she lay on what felt like grass. She wasn’t alone. Archer was there, stil in his human form and looking down at Briony with obvious concern. To Briony’s other side, and next to Aunt Sophie, stood a man with pale, delicate skin and hair that fel in a shimmering silver wave almost to his waist. His ears rose to delicate points, and Briony found it impossible to place his age. Though the fangs he revealed when he smiled down at Briony might have had something to do with that.

“Aunt Sophie?” Briony struggled to sit up, ignoring the sudden pain in her stomach. “The gate…”

“Easy now, darling,” Aunt Sophie said. “Try not to move too fast. We’ve had to take a large chunk of one of Pietre’s nails out of you as it is.”

“Briony.” The fanged man’s smile widened. “You’re here just in time.”

“In time for what?” Despite her great-aunt’s warning, Briony pushed herself to her feet. It didn’t feel too bad.

“For the transformation, of course,” the man said. He obviously caught the look of confusion that passed over Briony’s features, because he turned to Aunt Sophie. “Am I getting ahead of myself?”

“Only a little,” Aunt Sophie said. “I haven’t told her much.”

“Then perhaps now is the time to explain things.”

Aunt Sophie nodded, and Briony didn’t know whether to be glad or not. On the one hand, she had been hoping for a ful explanation of what was going on almost since she had come to Wicked. On the other, she suspected that the explanation was going to be every bit as strange as the things that had passed before it.

Aunt Sophie put a comforting arm around her shoulder. “You have to understand, Briony, that I didn’t think any of this would happen so quickly. Just a short human lifespan, and already, I am transforming into what I real y am. Into what we both real y are.” She looked back at the fanged man. “Do we have time?”

“I have waited fifty of your years and more for you to arrive, Sophie. I can wait a few minutes more.”

That was said tenderly, and Briony couldn’t help wondering if there might be something between the two of them. After al , there had been Uncle Pete, and Pietre, so why not…

“He’s my father,” Aunt Sophie said, and Briony found herself faintly embarrassed. She had forgotten about Aunt Sophie’s mind reading ability for a moment or two. Another thought came to her.

“Hold on. Your father? He doesn’t look old enough.”

“Thank you,” the man said, turning a smile on Briony that was ful of warmth and compassion, despite the fangs.

“Our people are long-lived. What we are… wel , one of the peoples of your world cal s us the Hugtandalfer. The