32. Moss

32

Moss

The house was in uproar, and there was a cold, empty space where his mate should be.

He'd frightened her off, at last. Maggie's vanishing act was a good excuse, but not the main reason Carol had left so quickly. She'd tried to find her way around the inevitable—it reminded him of his octopus, the way she'd delved into every possible alternative. Even if none of them were possible.

Then she'd finally let herself see the truth, and it had hurt her so badly, she couldn't even look at him.

This is what you wanted, he told himself. This is what had to happen.

He winced at the staccato of Lance's telepathic orders to scour the area. Carol had headed upstairs; great.

He would stay right here on the ground floor.

He'd barely made it a step into the corridor before his cousins burst through another door and charged towards him.

Ataahua paused, her eyes knifing him. "What did you do?"

"The dragonling's gone missing—"

"Yeah, we all know that." She narrowed her eyes. * That's not what I'm talking about. What did you DO?*

How the fuck could she see right through him like that? Oh, right. They'd grown up together. There was no hiding anything from either of them.

* Fucked everything up,* he said shortly, and shadows writhed around his thoughts.

Ataahua snorted. * Yeah. I can see that.*

Moss gritted his teeth. An external door slammed open, and the salt brought him an image of Carol— Stop that, he snarled. Carol wasn't his to stalk like that. If his powers wanted to be helpful, they could show him where Maggie had got to.

Something inside him snarled back. Which told him exactly what he needed to know. The kraken wasn't on his side. His new powers weren't, either. Any pretense at friendship was it playing the long game until it could trap them both, instead of only him.

He had to get it out of here before it lost patience with the game. Or won it, and damned them both.

* Well? Come on! Tell us what you did!* Ataahua smacked him on the arm.

Pania looked concerned. * You okay, cuz?*

And then, filtering up from a distance he didn't let his new powers show him, Carol's thoughts found his. * It's okay, I've got her .*

He relaxed. "Carol's got Maggie. She's safe."

"And Carol?"

Pania's eyes were as incisive as her sister's. Fileting knives, rather than a butcher's cleaver. He braced himself.

"I knew this wouldn't last. Couldn't last. Fate got it wrong; we're not going to be together. But I didn't want to leave her like this." He let out an aggravated sigh. "I hoped that being around her friends would help. But it didn't, or I didn't give her enough time, and now—it's over. I've ruined it." He glared at his hands. They were itching to do what always helped when he felt the world wobble on its axis. He wanted to be in the kitchen, chopping and slicing, balancing flavor and texture and heat and time in a dance that brought a sliver of the world back into his control.

Because that had helped so much the last time.

"Help what?" Pania insisted.

Moss sighed. What was the point in hiding it? "You saw it, didn't you? Carol's been caught in her shift since the storm. I thought once she was back around her friends, people she knew, she might feel safe enough to shift fully into human form. I should have given her more time."

Ataahua stared at him. He'd known her since she was born. He'd been on the sharp end of her temper more times than he could count. But she'd never looked at him like this before.

"You ass ," she hissed. "You absolute cack-headed fuckwit."

He threw up his hands. "What have I done now?"

"Have you not talked to anyone else here? Have you not talked to her ? For fuck's sake, Moss!"

"What?!"

She's not going to get better! She always looks like that!"

His body went numb. "What?"

Pania spun him around and pushed him against the wall. He barely felt the thud, or her finger as she jabbed it against his chest. "Her boss told me. She's been like that ever since her shark emerged."

She always looks like that. Carol's shark eyes and razor teeth were part of her.

And he'd told her—

"I've got to find her."

He raced to the door. Ataahua was right behind him, her mouth an angry line. "What did you say to her? What did you do?"

The cold night air hit him with a slap that he deserved. He took a deep breath, opening his senses to the ocean. Where is she?

I have to find her. I have to make this right.

The ocean would know where she was. Its salt-song had wanted to tell him everything about her from the moment he'd first set eyes on her. If he'd listened to it, would it have told him this? Why hadn't he listened?

Why didn't she tell me?

The salt-song was too loud, a symphony crashing to pieces. He breathed in again, concentrating. Show me her.

There—a single melody. A sweet, simple refrain, achingly beautiful. His Carol.

But before he could follow it, a flurry of golden scales exploded against his chest.

"Preep EEP! Preep EEP!" Maggie clung to him with all four sets of claws, her tail lashing. Distress poured off her.

"What's wrong?"

She clawed up to his neck, trying to bury herself under his collar. "Eep! Eep!"

Emotions barraged his mind. Sparkly water. Horrible waves. Brave brave brave. Horrible waves. Spiky-teeth cuddles and warm.

"You've been with Carol?"

It wasn't the big dragon. It smelled like him, but it wasn't him. Someone else wearing his magic, stealing up, stealing his magic, dangerous dangerous—

An image. Carol, her eyes wide as she threw Maggie into the air. "Go!"

And something rising up behind her from the waves.

Moss went cold. "Get up!" he roared, whipping out with his telepathic voice as well. "We're under attack!"

Everyone in the house had relaxed with relief when Carol said Maggie was safe. Now they exploded into action. Lance called something, but Moss was already gone.

He raced for the path to the beach. Something struck him in the shoulder and he stumbled, swearing. He looked down and stumbled again.

Ataahua swore. "Get Maggie inside!"

"I have to find Carol!"

"You have to protect the dragon!"

His shoulder ached, but no more than the stabbing pains where Maggie was holding on to him for dear life. He shook his head, strangely woozy. "Someone's attacking—"

"Yeah, and they just fucking shot you, dick, so take the baby inside!"

He looked down. Blood seeped from his shoulder, slowly, as though it was as reluctant to believe what was happening as he was.

There was a hole in his shoulder.

Only an inch or two from where Maggie was clutching on to him.

They'd almost shot her.

Ataahua shoved him back to the house, and he let her. Telepathic voices pummeled his mind as she slammed the door shut behind them.

* What's happening?*

He touched his shoulder, winced, and broadcast what Maggie had shown him. *Didn't see how many. They're coming up from the beach.*

*The beach? Not the air? Who's got eyes on them?*

Chloe's voice came in staccato bursts. *Not birds. They look human. Scale-shielded. I'm going up on the roof to see more.*

*Scale-shielded?* Moss asked.

Ataahua made a frustrated noise. "She means they're using shadow dragon scales to turn invisible. Come on! The safest place for her will be in the basement." Luminescence ghosted over her eyes. "The safest place for you, too."

Because if the kraken came out now, they were all doomed.

Maggie chirped weakly, her pulse fluttering against his neck. Who would attack a child like that?

He and Ataahua ran for the basement stairs. There was a bang, and all the lights cut out. Moss felt Mathis's frustration like gravel scratching the inside of his head. * Why bother? They're shielded anyway . It's not like we can see them LESS. *

Shielded. Using dragon magic. Stolen dragon magic.

They'd been afraid the bird shifter's people would come after them. This was something different. Wasn't it?

Lance found them in the foyer, his eyes glowing green. Keeley was right behind him. "You've got Maggie. Thank god."

"Any idea who's attacking us?"

"Let me get a clear look at them and I'll tell you." He motioned to a band on his wrist. "Once I shield, you won't be able to see me. Keeley, you and Maggie go to the safe room."

"You think they'll be safe with that bird woman down there?"

"She's still sedated—"

A crash. The front door burst open. Nothing came through it. Lance cursed and vanished.

* Two of them. Take Keeley and—*

His words cut off with a jolt. Maggie screamed, and suddenly Moss could see Lance again, and two black-clad figures running towards them, guns raised. He reacted on instinct. Tentacles snapped out of him, grabbing the attackers and throwing them back out the smashed door.

Lance tapped his wristband and stared at him. "What the fuck was that?"

The numbness in Moss's arm was giving way to a low, throbbing pain that promised to get worse the more attention he paid to it.

"Remember how I said you should all be a lot less comfortable with me being around?"

Keeley bundled Maggie into her arms. The little dragonling whimpered. "We'll go downstairs. Whatever it was I just missed, sounds like you should stay up here."

"That's not a good idea—"

A scream tore through the air. Lance's jaw set. "Keeley, go!"

He grabbed Moss's arm as he went to follow her. "Don't you dare."

"You don't know what you're saying. I can't control the kraken. If it gets loose—"

"Then it had better happen up here, not locked in a room with my mate." Lance's eyes glowed snow-leopard green. "Understood?"

* Cuz! Outside!*

Ataahua's shout caught his attention. He followed her to the hole in the wall that used to be the door. Two groaning figures lay on the ground outside. Whatever they had used to make themselves invisible must have broken when the kraken tossed them out.

Lance swore and vanished from sight. But without Maggie, neither Moss nor Ataahua could see their other attackers.

* Help!*

*Pania! Where are you?*

Ataahua was already running. Moss lurched forward and grabbed her, throwing them both to the ground as gunfire crackled overhead.

They were sitting ducks. And Carol was somewhere out there.

He had to—

Protect them.

That was what Carol would want.

Yes.

The world wavered. Shadows thickened around him. His shoulder hurt. He glanced at it. How was there that much blood?

He needed to find Carol. The ocean would tell him where she was. He let his senses open up, tasting the air and listening to the thousand salt-songs dancing on it.

The kraken opened eyes like black moons, and then he didn't feel anything.