Midnight Reckoning

Lyra got tentatively to her feet and began to collect the scattered bits of clothing strewn on the ground. At least she wasn’t angry, Jaden thought. The boxer briefs that hit him in the head were a testament to that. And stepping away from him seemed to have restored a portion of Lyra’s usual spirit.



“Get dressed, hot stuff. If I bring you back naked we’ll give my father a heart attack.”



Jaden forced a chuckle and got to his own feet. He began to dress, but the meaning behind Lyra’s words hit him harder than he might have imagined. It was a reminder, and not too subtle, that however much they enjoyed each other, an actual relationship was impossible. Forbidden, if not explicitly by his kind, then very much so by hers. He hadn’t thought he would care. In fact, he’d convinced himself otherwise—before.



Now, though, having touched her, tasted her, Jaden was having a hard time imagining just walking away. She was… important to him.



He knew it was a problem.



He just didn’t know what the hell to do about it.



The hair on his neck prickled an instant before the familiar scent hit him. It was only then, too late, that he realized the night had gone dead silent around them. Jaden’s eyes widened.



“Lyra,” he said, a hoarse and urgent whisper.



She whirled around, eyes alight, body suddenly tense. Her gaze connected with his, and he felt something pass between them, a brilliant flash of understanding that was both bizarre and completely unexpected. He’s told her… something. But how? What had she just picked up from him?



There was no time to dwell on it, though. Four shadowy figures appeared around them, seeming to have pulled away from the fabric of the night itself. Jaden moved to Lyra, trying to shield her from what he knew was coming.



And Lyra, true to form, very deftly moved to his side.



“Jaden. Long time no see.”



That voice was unpleasantly familiar. He recognized it quickly as LaSalle, one of the Ptolemy court’s hangers-on. He’d always been looking for ways to curry favor with Arsinöe. It seemed he’d found a new one.



“I would have preferred it had been longer,” Jaden said.



He heard a soft chuckle. LaSalle stepped forward, and Jaden’s eyes, so well adjusted to the darkness, skimmed a face he had hoped never to see again. A quick glance at the other three was much the same story. Vampires he recognized, who would never mean him and his kind anything but harm. He and Lyra were far too exposed out here. He should have known better after the other night. But he hadn’t wanted to believe these adversaries would be so bold… not here, of all places.



“You know the song. You can’t always get what you want. And for you, in particular, there’s a nice reward to be had.” LaSalle’s eyes, shrewd and cold, gleaming a dark green, flickered over Lyra. “An interesting place to hide. And even more interesting company you’ve decided to keep. Stooping a little low, even for you.”



“If you’re the company he used to keep, you can color me just as unimpressed,” Lyra growled beside him. Jaden’s heart sank, even as LaSalle’s lip curled.



“You’ll be sorry for that, bitch. This cat is the property of the Ptolemy dynasty. There’s a big reward on his head for his return… and a slightly smaller reward for just returning his head. If you force me into the latter, I’m bringing yours along as a bonus.”



“Try it,” she snapped. “This is my pack’s territory. Once they find out you’ve been here, you’ll be hunted down. And we don’t take prisoners.”



“She’s the Alpha’s daughter,” Jaden said, torn between admiring Lyra’s bravado and wishing that for once she would step back and not come off as quite so sure she could destroy every enemy. “Killing her would be a bad move.”



LaSalle snorted. “Like we give a damn what a bunch of wolves thinks. You think we’re afraid of your kind, chere?” he asked Lyra. “The wolves only live because we let them. Now step away from the cat, or share what he has coming to him.”



“Lyra, go home. I’ll deal with this,” Jaden growled, his claws already curling from his fingertips. This was his fight, and Lyra didn’t deserve to be hurt because of it. These were no lazy courtiers. These were the sort of vampires who enjoyed hunting and killing his kind, and others, for sport. But he wouldn’t be taken without a fight, and there was no way he was going back to Arsinöe alive.



Naturally, Lyra did the opposite of what he wished.



“The hell with that,” she said, glaring at LaSalle. “This place belongs to the Pack of the Thorn. And Jaden is under our protection.”



Jaden winced, knowing how that would sound, and LaSalle burst into laughter.



“Oh?” he asked, barely able to catch his breath when he could finally speak. “The cat needs a bunch of mongrels to protect him, eh? My. How far the mighty have fallen, Jaden.”



“I am also under the protection of the Lilim,” Jaden said, curling his lip. He pulled aside the collar of his shirt to bare the mark. “Lily is well aware that the Ptolemy have taken some of the Cait Sith who have come to us. Move against me, and you’ll have the full wrath of the dynasty upon you. Our leader is not afraid of Arsinöe… or war.”



He hoped it didn’t come to that, though. Lily wasn’t ready for what the Ptolemy could rain down upon her, even in their weakened state. And the Council would always side with what they knew. She would find little help there.



LaSalle glared at Jaden’s mark, his eyes flashing bright red for an instant before he turned his head and spat on the ground.



“The Lilim are no dynasty. They’re an aberration, and they need to be stamped out. The Ptolemy do not recognize you as legitimate, cat. And the war you seek will come soon enough. Until then, Arsinöe has us find and return her property. You, especially, she would like to see.”



“Lyra,” Jaden said softly, trying not to sound like he was pleading even though he was. “You need to get out of here.”



“No. You need my help.”



He knew there would be no budging her, so he offered all the advice he could muster as the four Ptolemy began to look at one another and shuffle on their feet, getting ready to pounce.



“Go for the kill as soon as you get a clear shot,” he said. “They’re fast.”



LaSalle reached into a pocket and withdrew what looked like a length of thick silver chain. He grinned and dangled it in front of Jaden, whose blood went cold. He remembered the collars. All too well.



“I found your old collar, Jaden. I’ve brought it as a present.”



Memories stirred in the depths of his mind, things he would rather keep buried: the burn of the enchanted metal around his neck, being forced into his cat form with no hope of returning to the human one until his punishment was ended and the collar removed; the kicks and food and objects hurled at him while he was forced to belly-crawl across the floor; the vicious, mindless laughter.



“No,” he snarled, knowing his fury was exactly what LaSalle wanted but unable to control it. Jaden leaped at him, knocking the collar out of the other vampire’s hand but missing the man himself, who stepped easily out of the way.



“You’ll have to do better than that,” LaSalle taunted him. “Or have you lost your touch?” Jaden couldn’t miss the eagerness written all over the vampire’s face. He wanted his kill. And so, Jaden discovered, did he. A small compensation for all the wrongs the Ptolemy had done, and were still doing, to his kind.



Jaden leaped again, this time catching LaSalle’s arm as he tried to flicker out of the way. He heard his own furious roar, almost as if it were coming from someone else. And dimly, somewhere behind him, he heard Lyra’s fierce shout, a scream of anger that quickly shifted into a howl.



He hoped to the gods she remembered what he’d been teaching her.



The frenzy as all four Ptolemy came at them was quick and brutal. The night turned bloody as claws tore into flesh; claws slashed and blows strong enough to send a mortal flying pummeled Jaden. He fought as a man, as a cat, hoping to gain some sort of upper hand. But the fight was difficult when he was so outnumbered, though he caught glimpses of Lyra fighting like hell.



She was holding her own, though thin rivulets of blood streamed down one side of her face as she fought a creature who was making it as hard as he could to land a hit. Fear and anger coiled inside Jaden, a toxic combination that had him striking out and opening up one Ptolemy’s throat, the vampire’s grin freezing as blood sprayed Jaden’s face and chest. A furious snarl sounded behind him, and Jaden spun to see LaSalle leaping into the air, his moves so lightning fast he was little more than a flicker. Speed was the gift of the Ptolemy and the curse of their enemies.



LaSalle caught Jaden’s eye and smiled. Then he vanished into a blur as he streamed right at Lyra.



“No!” Jaden shouted, knocking another Ptolemy to the ground as if he weighed nothing at all. He knew what was coming, knew he wouldn’t reach her in time. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and he lunged toward Lyra, who was fending off a vampire just a few feet from him. He saw every tiny nuance of her movement as she looked to her left, the slight widening of her eyes when she realized what was coming for her.



Then, to his amazement, he watched LaSalle slam to the ground and roll as Lyra sprang from the balls of her feet, graceful as an acrobat, and back-flipped out of reach. Jaden had to shake off his surprise quickly, seizing the opportunity to jump onto LaSalle while he was down. Jaden’s hands were around the vampire’s throat in an instant, squeezing, his claws digging in. Fury that came from one of the darkest places in his soul, a place that they had created, quickly pulsed through his entire system.



LaSalle looked up at him, his eyes bright and gleaming and full of shock. It was clear he had not expected this turn of events. Behind them, Jaden heard Lyra engage the remaining two Ptolemy again, and he knew he had to be quick. They would not flag simply because their leader was down.



“She,” gurgled LaSalle.