Dreams of a Dark Warrior

dregs of the Lore—a motley collection of creatures with viper eyes, forked tongues, and scales. Some had crocodile fangs and plated skin.
    Regin cocked her weapon, brought it to her hip. “You don’t want to mess with us. I’m about to mince meat and make hay with this thing.”
    The largest one laughed. Until Natalya’s glass shard plugged his jugular. Regin aimed and pulled the trigger. The gun kicked as bullets sprayed.
    It was shredding their torsos like
cheese,
halving their bodies. “Let’s
do
this! Rock out with your cocks out!”
    When they’d all been dropped, Regin’s injured chest was screaming in pain, her ears ringing. Her gun was hot, and she thought she might be a little infatuated with it.
    Natalya said, “Let’s go!”
    “Right behind you—”
    Volós stepped in front of them, blocking their way, his body stretching nearly the width of the corridor.
    “You killed that evil woman, Mister.”
    Lothaire gazed up, spied some young male peering past the edge of the overhang. In no way had Lothaire destroyed La Dorada. He’d only bought himself time.
    “I saw you do it—we’re going to be all right now!”
    He wanted to sneer, “Do I look all right, boy?” But his cause was greater than merely himself. And now victory was possible. He simply needed assistance with this predicament.
    His lips curled at the naïve immortal above him.
And then I need to replenish my strength
. “A hand, if you please.”
    “Sure thing.” He lay flat at the edge, extending his arm down. “I’m Thaddeus Brayden. Call me Thad.”
    Lothaire took his hand, his eyes locked on Thaddeus’s neck, on the spot just below the metal torque. His fangs throbbed for that skin.
    As always, he had to be very careful whom he fed from—he balanced forever upon a razor’s edge—and younger was ever so much better for him.
    With a surprising strength, Thaddeus hefted him up to safety. “What’s your name?”
    What manner of creature was he? Usually Lothaire could tell at once, but this boy’s species eluded him. “I’m Lothaire. The
Ally
of Old.” Not a lie. A female had once called him that. “On to terra firma, then.”
    “Terra whatta? Oh, yeah, sure thing.” Once they’d moved from the gorge to more stable ground, the boy said, “Good to meet you, Mr. Lothaire.”
    “Seems I owe you a debt of gratitude, Thaddeus.” Lothaire seized him by the neck, yanking the boy’s back to his own chest.
    “Wh-what the hell are you doing?” he demanded, futilely struggling.
    As Lothaire lowered his head, he murmured, “Now I’ll owe you a blood debt as well.” He sank his aching fangs into the male’s hot neck, drawing deep. …

THIRTY-FOUR

    Y ou don’t want to mix it up with us tonight, Flicka,” Regin warned the centaur king. Of course, he did
not
have a torque and had somehow scored not one but two swords. “Just let us pass.”
    He stalked closer, swinging those swords with super-natural speed. Eyes on Natalya, he said, “Vengeance is
mine
.”
    “You have no quarrel with the Valkyrie,” Natalya said. “Let her go.”
    “She’s a leader in the Vertas. This is our opportunity to crush all of you.”
    Regin calmly aimed her rifle. “You’re an easy target. Lots of surface area to wound. Big-game hunting’s my new fav—”
    He charged them; Natalya screamed, “Regin, fire!”
    “I’m going to grease him right now!” she yelled, pulling the trigger.
    Nothing.
    She banged the gun against her upraised knee, then tried again.
Oh, shit.
    Volós bore down on them with his swords swinging, one ton of irate centaur male.
    Regin ducked and chucked her rifle at him—hesliced through it. Natalya flung six shards of glass at him. They plunged deep into his flanks, but he didn’t seem to feel them.
    With a scream, the fey leapt for Volós’s side, swiping her poisonous claws across his body. But the centaur was unaffected.
    Regin realized why. The torque had neutralized all her powers—which meant her poison.
    While Natalya gaped, Volós kicked out his back legs, his hooves speeding for Regin’s chest.
    Fire. On me? Wake up. …
    Declan forced his eyes open, shaking off the blackness.
    Fuck! His armored vest was on fire. He jerked upright, shrugging free of the armor, knowing it was the only reason he still lived.
    He scanned the area for the Sorceri. But they were gone, no doubt certain they’d killed him.
    And while he’d been out, the Queen of Stone’s mountain had risen until the