Her eyes crinkled. “He did appear rather thunderstruck. Good for him. Now, dear, are you happy to mind the shop while I prepare us something to eat? I’ve got lots of fruit and vegetables and healthy things to keep you on the right track.”

I shrugged. It saved me from going out to grab a sandwich. “Sure. Thanks.”

She patted me on the shoulder. “Good girl.”

I watched her carefully for some kind of reaction now that she’d touched me. Mrs. Alcoon’s precognition wasn’t the strongest – it wasn’t even enough for the Ministry of Mages to take notice – but she did occasionally catch glimpses and snippets of the future that were often made stronger through physical contact. And she had been acting oddly of late. If that behaviour was somehow tied into what the wichtlein stone was predicting then it would start to make more sense. Nothing flickered in her face, however.

I debated whether to ask her outright about it, but figured instead it would be easier not to know. Que sera sera. When the wichtlein stone had found John, it had been mere hours before his death. Aubrey was safely in the land of nod so I knew he was alright. If hours were all I personally had left, then there were worse ways to spend it than having dinner with my old friend. Corrigan’s face floated momentarily into my head, but I pushed the image away. He’d made his feelings clear enough. I’d leave the Lord Alpha in peace.

Chapter Seventeen

Several hours later, long after Mrs. Alcoon had wandered off home, Slim had gone off to goodness knew where, and I’d done all the reading I could on kelpies, I sat myself down in a corner of the shop and opened my laptop. I had to admit that I was curious to see the photos of myself at Circle after I’d transformed. However, the machine was just whirring into action when there was a sharp knock at the door. I frowned. It was, after all, the middle of the sodding night. The wichtlein stone flashed into my mind and I considered, just for a moment, running away as fast as I could and hiding. Unfortunately I knew doom-laden prophecies would merely laugh in the face of such frivolous action. And I wasn’t the running away type. Whoever was out there rattled the doorknob loudly and violently in a bid to enter. Initially, I ignored them, wondering what exactly would happen if I didn’t acknowledge them, but they continued to knock incessantly so, eventually sighing loudly to myself, I got up and unlocked the door.

I stared out at the visitor. Sodding hell.

“Miss Smith, may I come in?” It was the vamp who’d stopped me at Alcazon.

“No,” I said shortly, hoping that Aubrey was still fast asleep in the back room.

Her face remained expressionless, but somehow I got the sense from her flat red eyes that she was furious I was daring to refuse her entrance.

“I was in the neighbourhood and thought I would drop by. I had been wondering whether you had considered my proposition,” she said glacially.

Great. I was an outstandingly bad liar so how I’d extricate myself from this I had no idea.

“Look,” I replied, “I don’t have time to go traipsing around all over the country to find one misplaced bloodsucker who probably doesn’t want to be found.” That was true. I didn’t have time, and he didn’t want to be found.

“And yet, if you find him, you will only be helping yourself. I told you that we can help you locate your necromancer.”

I waved an airy hand. “I already know where he is.”

She looked momentarily amused. “You know where he’ll be. Not where he is right now. I’ve seen all the preparations your little council have been doing. Are you really prepared to put their lives at risk by having them face Endor? He’ll squash them like flies.”

My face was stony. “They know what they’re getting themselves into.”

“Just like the bear did?”

Bloodfire boiled in the pit of my stomach. Don’t do anything stupid, Mack, I told myself. I stepped back and started to close the door. The vamp snapped her hand out, stopping it. Her blood red fingernails curved round it like claws.

“Wouldn’t it be better,” she said softly, “to find out where the necromancer is and confront him on your own? I hear you’re a Draco Wyr. I’m sure that means you’re powerful enough to bring him down without anyone’s help. That way there’s no danger of anyone else getting hurt in the process.”

It was a nice idea, and six months before I’d have jumped at it. I was learning the value of teamwork, however. And everyone knew what they were risking. As much as I wanted to make sure no-one was killed, I had to respect their democratic choice to involve themselves. It was a new feeling for me, I admitted to myself, but it felt right.

“How nice of you to be so considerate,” I said, sarcastically, “however I think I’ll pass. Let’s face it, you’re a bloodsucker and I don’t like bloodsuckers. I regretfully decline your offer.”

A dark shadow passed across her face. “Very well. If the carrot doesn’t work then we shall merely try the stick.”

There was a thump from the other room. Shit. That meant Aubrey was stirring. I pulled the door away from her hand, and stepped outside into the street, closing it behind me.

The vamp’s eyes narrowed. “Do you have company?”

“Pet cat,” I grunted, trying to offset the lie. “Bring on your stick. I’m not afraid of you.”

She smiled. “Oh, it’s not me you should be worried about.” She raised her long white arm into the air, and snapped her fingers.

“I’m not afraid of the merengue either,” I commented. “No matter how badly you manage to dance it. If you start singing though, then that’ll be a different matter.”

She snarled at me. “You won’t be making jokes for much longer.”

From the other side of the street, a car door opened, and another vamp got out. I pasted a bored expression onto my face.

“You were only just now suggesting that I had enough strength to take on Endor by myself. Do you really think I can’t take on two fucking vampires?”

She smirked. “Watch.”

The other vamp reached back inside the car and grabbed hold of something – or rather, someone – and dragged them outside. Whoever their victim was, their arms were tied behind their back and their head was covered with a dark hood. Damn it. I tried to think about who they might have taken to force me into capitulating. It couldn’t be a mage, a Fae or a shifter. Those respective organisations would rain so much hell down on the vamps in retribution that surely it wouldn’t be worth it. So who the fuck could it be?

The vamp pushed his prisoner forward, causing him to stumble. He picked him up and continued, jabbing at him until the pair of them had crossed the street and were standing in front of me. Nervous flames uncurled themselves and starting licking at my insides. If this was some bloody innocent who they’d scooped up, then they were going to feel the full force of my wrath. No, screw it, whoever it was - innocent or otherwise - the vamps were going to pay. They couldn’t go around acting like terrorists.

I sparked up the green fire at my fingertips. “You’re going to regret this,” I said.

“No, Miss Smith,” she answered. “I don’t think I will.”

She flicked a nod at the other vamp who then pulled the hood off from the hapless prisoner. While the mystery man who’d had the unfortunate delight of crossing the bloodsuckers’ path blinked under the street lamp to try and adjust his vision, I stared at him, then shrugged.

“I don’t even know who this is.” Unbelievable. They really had just picked up some random guy from the streets.

The female vamp tinkled out a small laugh. “Oh, Miss Smith, you are funny. I know that. The thing is,” she leaned in towards me and licked her lips, “he knows who you are.”

I turned back to the prisoner and watched in confusion as his vision apparently came into focus. He registered the two vamps first, hatred spitting out from him as he did so. Then his eyes travelled over to me. His pupils narrowed into tiny dots and, bizarrely, I thought I saw a flash of green in his enlarged irises. Before I had time to think about what that meant, however, he spoke.

“The Draco Wyr.”

The tone of his voice was filled with malevolence, but there was also an odd hint of satisfaction.

“Indeed,” smiled the vamp. “Undo his restraints.”

I stood there watching, utterly baffled, as the henchman fiddled with the piece of plastic cord holding the guy’s wrists together.

“Look,” I began, “this is really…”

And then he flew into me. I was knocked off my feet, more in surprise than anything else, and landed backwards on the pavement.

“Hey!” I protested, starting to rise up on my elbows. “What gives? It’s not me you want to be attacking, it’s them!”

He ignored my words, straddling my body with his legs and raised a hand, his fingers tightly curled into a fist. What the fuck? I brought my knees up, blocking the blow adequately, then twisted to the side pulling away from his legs, and got to my feet. All the guy did was come at me again. He shoved his shoulder into my chest, then looped round one arm and cuffed me on the side of my head. I jumped backwards, head ringing, and sent out a jet of flame to create a barrier between me and him.

“I don’t want to hurt you, but you need to…”

He leaped over the flames, seemingly unbothered by them, still completely ignoring everything I was saying. Another fist shot out, this time connecting with my cheekbone in the exact spot where the bruise already lay. I hissed in sudden pain, and reacted, lashing out and hitting him back. He barely registered it, coming for me yet again.

“Stop!” I cried out.

He didn’t. I only just managed to dodge out of his path. Okay, now I’d had enough. I flicked out flame towards him again, this time aiming at him rather than the ground. It reached his body, however, and fizzled out. I stared in surprise. That was new. Shrugging, I stared down at my hands and brought my little imaginary match back into my head. Try this for size then.