He saw her as he crested the last hill before Phelan’s tiny camp and knew that somehow, impossibly, the night had suddenly found a way to get ten times worse.
Jacqueline was nearly to the edge of Phelan’s camp, riding hard toward the thin figure in pale gray and completely ignoring the dreadlocked woman bathed in red-white light. Cameron’s mount pounded down the roadway behind her without his conscious direction, since the ex-pilot’s mind was still reeling from the sight of the Hecate hovering so close.
Beef with Phelan and Neve’s brothers and hunting for me because of Seamus. Hell. What’s she doing here? We were only supposed to deal with bloody Hamrammr, not her and the Dirae, too!
But he’d known as soon as they’d encountered the Dirae on the road that things had gone from bad to worse. He knew that their appearance couldn’t have been coincidental.
He just hadn’t allowed himself to entertain the possibility.
“What the hell do you want?” Phelan demanded of the former witch-goddess as Jacqueline threw herself out of her saddle and Cameron drew within earshot.
This isn’t going to end well. He was glad he hadn’t sheathed Caliburn.
The Hecate laughed at the question. “The same thing I’ve always wanted, you fool. Either you naked in my bed and begging me for it, or you dead at my feet with your power made mine.”
…yeah. This just got a lot worse than I ever could have imagined.
“Well, I’ve got news for you–you can’t freaking have him!” Jacqueline shouted, storming up to Phelan’s side and reaching down to help him back to his feet.
The Hecate tsked softly, looking at Jacqueline like she was an annoying bug. “Stay out of this, girl. It doesn’t concern you.”
“Like hell.”
“Jac,” Phelan said, “please, don’t do this.”
“Stop being an idiot,” Jacqueline told him. “I love you, okay? I’m not going to let anyone take you from us.”
Cameron grimaced, eyes scanning the array of figures around them. A half-dozen skinchangers. The Hecate. Leinth, a pair of daggers clutched in her fists as she eyed the Hecate warily. The other woman hadn’t noticed her yet, and it seemed that Leinth had no desire to draw any attention just yet.
No Dirae. Of course, they may be laying in wait. There were the three on the road that ambushed us. There must be more nearby.
Hopefully, Thordin and the others hadn’t finished their fight with the Hamrammr only to end up going toe-to-toe with a bunch of Dirae on their heels.
Cameron slid from his mount’s back and strode toward Phelan and Jacqueline. “You’ve got us at your back, Phelan,” he said as he took up position at the other man’s shoulder, both hands wrapped around Caliburn’s hilt. “You don’t have to play her games or give in to anyone. Not tonight.”
Phelan looked stricken as he met Cameron’s eye. “Déithe agus arrachtaigh, Cameron,” he said quietly. “Why the hell did you come? You should have stayed where it was safe.”
“Neve would never forgive me if you got killed and there was something I could do to stop it from happening,” Cameron said.
“How touching,” the Hecate said, smirking as she watched them. “Are the lot of you quite finished arguing and posturing? I’d like to get on with this.”
Cameron’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her. The Hecate drifted down until the hem of her robe touched the ground. She twitched a hand and sent the skinwalkers sprawling, crashing into each other.
“Get thee gone,” she hissed at them. “Tell your mistresses that they tread where they’re not wanted, where there’s prior claim.”
The hamrammr stared at her in confusion for a long moment.
“Go!” she barked, red light flaring in her eyes. “Or feel my wrath and suffer a fate worse than death.”
The lead skinchanger snarled and leapt for her throat.
Holeeeeeeee shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit……. (O.O)
Didn’t see that coming, huh?