Out in the main room, Aria screamed again. It was as though a spear pierced clear through his heart, and Lucas’s lips pulled back from his teeth. He couldn’t leave her with that monster. If he went along with the Dires, he might be able to help her.
His brain shrieked that he was being an idiot, and idiots invariably ended up dead. But it didn’t matter. For the first time in his life, he was letting his heart rule.
Lucas slipped among the storage racks, and targeted a solitary Dire stuffing glittering crystals into a sack.
The Dire was perfectly situated—separated from the others nearer to the entrance. He’d partially shifted his front paws to enable him to grab the crystals, but most of him was beast.
As Lucas paced up behind him, he prepared his poison claw. It took more concentration than he would have liked. Another warning that he was nearing the end of what he could handle.
He turned a little, as though perusing the shelves, and slammed sideways into the Dire. The moment he made contact, he reached up and jabbed in his claw.
The Dire whirled on him, confused and angry. Lucas had hit him hard enough to momentarily distract him from the claw’s prick, but the Dire shook his head at the sting.
“Watch it, yoou idioot,” the Dire snarled at him, the o’s rolling. Then he staggered.
“Whoot...”
The gleaming eyes dulled and the Dire slumped over. Lucas’s gut twisted as he reached to administer a second dose. Dires had amazing recuperative powers, it was possible the creature could survive this. But if he managed to follow them—
It couldn’t happen. Lucas closed his eyes and jammed the claw in deep, letting the poison drain into the Dire.
As he withdrew it, a wave of nausea passed through him. This was a deliberate killing. Even though he had little doubt the Dire would return the favor in a heartbeat and without remorse, the creature had done nothing personally to threaten Lucas.
He should have bolted when he had the chance. Why was he doing this?
Yet it didn’t stop him from dragging the body deeper into the storage racks and cramming it behind some crates in a corner. Or from reaching to absorb the new DNA that subtly altered his appearance and scent.
With his transformation complete, he was about to turn away when something gleamed from within the fur at the Dire’s throat. A crystal, attached to a thong around the creature’s neck.
Why was it wearing a crystal? He didn’t know, but the fact it was on a longer thong meant he could wear it in beast form. It would replace the one he’d had to leave behind. He partially morphed his paw to a hand in order to pull it off the thick neck and place it over his own.
For just a moment, the hand threatened to become nimble, long fingers. He battled it back into a paw. As he took one step toward the entrance, the entire world spun.
Lucas leaned against a rack and fought for mental and physical coherence. Another Dire came around the corner, heavy sacks thrown over his back. “Hey, Toby, get the lead oout.” He shrugged out of two of them and tossed them over Lucas’s back. “Demeti wants us oout in ten.”
Lucas plodded into the main display room. Demeti stood with his hands raised, facing the stair exit. Around him gathered the Dires, heavily laden with packs of loot. At the Torshin’s feet lay Aria. The Dragon shifter appeared dazed, her beautiful amber eyes fogged with pain and shock. A trickle of blood trailed from one nostril.
Lucas’s heart twisted. What had those blasts done to her? Should he have tried to attack the Torshin? Perhaps his poison could have ended Demeti...
But the room was full of Dires. Even if he’d managed to get to the Torshin, and that was a big if, with all that energy flying around, the Dires wouldn’t have stood by and let him kill their leader.
No. This was the right call. If there was a right call. But if he didn’t figure out a way to save her soon, he’d lose this form. And his natural one wouldn’t be much use against that Torshin. Or teeth and claws, for that matter.
He mingled with the waiting Dires as Demeti’s hands began to glow. What was the Torshin doing? Then every bit of Lucas’s fur stood on end, and he knew.
His blood turned to ice in his veins. The Torshin was building a gateway, right here in the basement of Udo’s stronghold.
Only the Watchers were supposed to have the power to create new ones. And to do it away from lodestones—the concentrations of living energy—meant that the Torshin was pulling tremendous power.
The pack Lucas carried grew hot against his back. Comprehension dawned—the Torshin was using what was stored within the crystals. The doorway lit up, and then with a crackle, the stairs beyond vanished.
Lurking at the rear of the pack, all Lucas could make out was interlocking stones. Another building? Was it still in this realm? As though it weren’t already risky enough, this adventure had just taken a dangerous turn. Lucas knew Zakaron like the back of his hand, but if he passed through that gate, he might be totally lost.
The pack stepped forward and, one at a time, leaped through the glowing archway. Now the crystal on a thong made sense. Lucas fought to appear nonchalant as he approached the gate.
He tried very hard not to look at Aria. He was afraid of what he might do if he did. As he walked by Demeti, the Torshin’s head swung his way. Lucas’s hackles bristled beneath the crimson-eyed regard. It was all he could do to step forward, and pass through the gate.
Beyond the gate was a hall—they were inside another building. The Dires didn’t pause on the other end but kept moving. Lucas hugged the wall and slowed down, waiting to see what Demeti did with Aria.
