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Part 9:

Iry Lupine was curious. It was his flaw. Well, one of many. But this evening had been odd, tension streaking the air so he could almost taste it and tonight, as the moon began to race across the night sky, it was intensified. He could feel the build-up in all six senses and relished it. Excitement was too rare around here.

He had seen the argument between this girl and the dragon, in the midst of the woods, and slunk off before the dragon could sense him. Although it was so involved in the girl, Herne only knew why, the dragon might not have been able to focus on one little werewolf hiding in the shadows.

Iry was a lone wolf. A rarity in his wish for solitude, and in his lack of territorial instinct. He played along with the turf wars, to keep the local Pack away from him, but he didn't give a damn whether this was his land or someone else's. It made him too human for the liking of most shapeshifters. Some of the reasons why he had come to Ryars Valley. Apart from the deaths and the bounty riding on his pelt. He kept himself to himself. But not when this dragon's hunt proved so amusing.

The girl ran past in a subtle blur of shadow. She was unusually light on her feet for a human, barely touching the earth. Faster than she had any right to be, almost Nightworld graceful but lacking the finesse of a vampire or the sense-ridden knowledge that guided the steps of a shapeshifter.

Her scent flowed to him on the wind. Fear, mingled with the sweetness of a delicate blend of herbs, rose and others that Iry didn't know the name of and that other odd quality that had drawn him to the clearing; age. That and the fierce fire-filled odour that dragons exuded. Iry had never seen a dragon and he wasn't about to pass up a chance to see a legend.

There had been a disagreement between the dragon-man who she had called David and the girl. Alisha. Iry had seen her around the school, seen her hit Cougar Redfern and liked her for that alone. She intrigued him; an odd combination of power and fragility, this one. And now this curious game of cat and mouse that she played with the dragon.

It was a fool's bargain, because Iry Lupine knew that even he, a century old werewolf, couldn't hope to outrun a dragon, but there had been the tang of desperation hanging in the clearing although - and this puzzled him - it radiated from both the girl and the dragon. She had no hope, because he could feel the dragon's power blazing out like a beacon that even the Pack could probably perceive on the other side of the valley.

Of course the dragon had given her a lead. He would catch her whatever.

But entertainment was rare around Ryars Valley, so Iry loped after the girl, soon breaking level with her long strides and keeping up, a silent ghost flitting around her with his curiosity holding him there.

* * * * She was in a mess.

That was Alisha's main thought. She was running automatically, letting her legs carry her further away from the dragon who stood smirking in the clearing. The sun was almost gone, just a line on the horizon.

Another world began here. The night started and she lost anything that made her equal with David. She had no vision, no attuned senses and she was crippled by the darkness.

Her options ran through her head swiftly. She could fight. But what would that gain her? David could be any creature he wanted, with superior speed, strength and stamina. She could run, but he would catch her eventually. She could try to hide, but he would scent her out. There was no place he couldn't go.

Except the one place he wanted to be most of all, the one place she had always denied him. Her heart had never been his. But she couldn't hide within her heart from a dragon on the rampage.

And that left her nothing.

So why wasn't she giving up and going back to David? Because that would mean acknowledging that he had won, that she was his and that everything he had done to her and her soulmate was justified. It was far too high a price to pay.

Come on, she told herself grimly. You haven't worked for Circle Daybreak for nothing. They teach you to survive. Not dragons, though, her gloomy conscience hissed. There's nothing on earth can kill a dragon in full fury except a Wild Power.

So maybe she didn't have to kill him. Just slow him down. Knock him out.

Alisha's hands flew to the pendant around her neck as hope began to rise. Daybreak's new drug, the last line, they called it. Guaranteed to knock out anyone who took a chunk out of you. It was fast acting, activating a residue they had injected into the bloodstream to trigger a chemical reaction that turned blood into quite literally a knock-out experience. There was a small amount in the glass vial around her neck. All it took was a drop; the drug was incredibly potent, devised by the most powerful witches there were.

With one small downside. It knocked her out, too, but everyone in Daybreak had an immunity injection. She grimaced, even as her legs still carried on with that smooth unbroken striding. It wasn't much of an immunisation. All it did was give you a couple of minutes of consciousness after your attacker was out for the count. But they were minutes she could use to get away from him.

Her shaking hands levered the seal off and she drank it. It was bitter, hints of lemon, but very fast - a couple of minutes. She had to provoke David enough to get him biting mad and fighting mad. This wouldn't work unless he - she winced at the thought - bit her.

* * * *

David was counting down under his breath softly. Less than a minute to go. She had a fair head start, but owl-shape would soon solve that problem. And then...he grinned savagely. Centuries of patience would pay off, culminating in a trade similar to the one which had given him power that David y Pelathas, human, couldn't have imagined. Power worth far more than any petty feudal system, that he had left his home for and killed for.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One. And the hunt was on.

He jumped into the air, hands reforming into claws and catching tree branches that he used to haul himself up. He concentrated, shutting out the forest sounds. Pushing the rustle of leaves and the laughter of water to the back of his mind, all senses focused on one person. The wolf hunting was ignored without a thought, the group of some four Nightpeople watched for an instant, just long enough that he picked up the thread of their conversation.

"...house is empty and where else is she going to be ambushed?" the speaker argued. David couldn't fix a name to him, but it was a vampire, the one Alisha had dealt with so effectively. A Redfern from the indisputable arrogance lacing the tones.

"Sssh," another one hissed. A vampire, too. Ruby Luthman if he wasn't mistaken, the illegally made vampire he had threatened at lunchtime. Obviously that hadn't put her off heroics in the middle of the night. "I'm trying to sense-"

"The dragon's here." The third voice was firm and David recognised it with hatred. The shapeshifter of the group, still interfering with Alisha. David made up his mind to kill Jepar as soon as he had finished with Alisha. "Which means Alisha probably is too."

He heard the Redfern swear. The fourth, another vampire had been silent until then, but now she spoke. "He's watching us," she said calmly. "I can feel him. And I know where he is..." They began to move in his direction, fast.

David leapt from the tree and coerced his body into owl form, screeching above in a mixture of triumph and panic. The exchange had taken no more than a few seconds, but it was another niggling worry to be dealt with later.

Meanwhile, Alisha was still moving. He glided ahead of her and dropped, twisting his body to land gracefully on his feet. He saw her stop short in her running, barely a foot away and stare at him with oddly dilated pupils.

"Time's up," he said cheerfully.

* * * *

He was so mocking, smiling at her in an almost debonair manner. So sure that she would keep to the agreement and Alisha could barely stop a sneer curling across her lips. In an inspired instant, she had the perfect way to provoke him.

"I've changed my mind," she said mildly. She was close enough to see shock in his stance for a moment, then his fists clenched slowly.

"I don't think that's really an option."

She snorted, and locked her muscles in place as she realised the drug was beginning to kick in. Loss of control of limbs was one of the first signs. As well as dilated pupils, light-headedness and nausea. None of which she could afford to experience. "Oh come *on*, David, you seriously think I'd want you? There are plenty more gorgeous Nightworld shapeshifters who aren't going to threaten me."

Fury flared so fast she instinctively stepped back. Everything inside her screamed danger, but somehow he still had control. Damn him.

"Besides," she continued sweetly, stepping a little closer, "you should know by now that I go in for blondes."

He lost it totally. She saw his form shiver, as he leapt at her with fully-fledged hunting reflexes, at first growing to something horrible and raptor-like before he retained some modicum of restraint and slithered into tiger shape with his body crackling in the change. He didn't want to kill, just teach her a lesson.

He hit her hard enough that she fell, praying and hoping, and trying not to scream as she felt teeth sink into her shoulder. It hurt, but the response was instant. The tiger staggered away from her suddenly, scrabbling at the earth as David lost his grip on the shape. He was hunched over, his face dazed and perplexed as he fell to the ground silently.

Alisha gaped and tried to smile as she forced herself to stand. Ironic, he had bitten her in the same place as his horse had kicked her those years ago. Without a backward glance, she began to run, aware now of a slight shadow following her.

It was David, she thought in a panicked instant, but how had he recovered so quickly? She tried to move faster, ignoring the dizzying waves the drug was producing. The world went in and out of focus, not helped by the darkness deepening to velvet-soft indigo.

She ran steadily, although everything seemed to low around her. Nausea rose, and she tried to ignore it. The drug was running swiftly through her system now demanding that she reduce from a run to a crazy, staggering walk that zigzagged shakily. The world was beginning to distort around her like a kaleidoscope as trees lurched into her path and dimly she felt the pain in her leg as she hit one. She looked like a puppet that had had the strings cut.

She had to get further away from David. Not far enough yet.

Her feet didn't seem to belong to her body anymore and she was hearing twigs snap around her as she hit roots. It didn't hurt at all now, her whole body was going numb. Even her mind was wheeling away, as her eyes fell shut of their own accord and her legs buckled. The world receded until it was a dot and then there was only darkness.

She didn't see the wolf that had been following her, that had put such fear into her, ripple uncertainly, until there was a young man sitting on his haunches, hands resting lightly on the ground. He shook coarse hair out of his eyes, brown-green and intelligent, and walked over to her with a stalking motion.

Iry Lupine debated for a minute. His face was cunning, obviously weighing up the risks. Then he picked the girl up as though she weighed no more than a feather, and began to walk out of the woods, towards his home.

It was a scant minute or two before Alisha half-opened heavy eyes. The world was shaking madly and everything was the wrong way. There were trees, dark against the sky as the moon sailed by overhead, graceful and luminous. She felt the pulse of a rhythm in her ears and her body, a thumping sound. And bars, under her knees and her back. Warm bars.

No, she thought as her mind sluggishly started to wake. She was being carried. But who? David! She tried to struggle, but the drug had left her weaker than a kitten. She managed to elbow whoever it was and heard a muttered curse.

"Easy," said a growling voice. Youthful, hunt-rasping and deep. "'Less you want to be meetin' with the ground again, I'd recommend you relax. You're in a sorry state, girl." He stopped and then added, more to himself, "Not surprisin' though, when you're runnin' round these woods tonight with a demon like that chasin' you."

A stranger, not David. That didn't mean it was a good thing. Alisha ignored him and continued to struggle, feeling more strength flowing into her limbs as the drug wore off. That was what the immunisation had been made for; to give you time before it knocked you out - there was no way they could stop that - and to help you recover quickly. She slammed her elbow back again and felt it connect with more force.

Far away the murmur of voices reached them. The man carrying her stopped at once, turning his head towards the sound.

"Chatoya was right," a girl's voice said grimly. Her carrier picked up his pace again. The noise was some way away, and her rescuer, though that status was dubious, was moving further from them. "I can smell blood. Fresh." There was a harmonious quality to the voice that made Alisha think of tribal lays. Lisa.

Her struggles increased. They were looking for her, she was sure of it.

The next was voice was blade-sharp and quick worded. "I don't see 'Sha. But that looks like the dragon to me." Cougar Redfern had no emotion colouring his voice.

"So where is she?" Jepar asked, seeming as unaware as the rest of them that she was barely a hundred yards away from them and the distance growing with every word.

She opened her mouth to try and cry out but her rescuer unceremoniously managed to clamp a hand over her mouth. She squirmed angrily, using her elbows and feet.

"I told you to stop that," the voice snarled. Whoever it was sounded harassed and angry.

Then Cougar Redfern's voice again, nearer and moving towards them. "I hear something." Intense voice.

The man carrying her swore and sped up until he was running, silent as light rays and fast enough that the sky above became a formless blur. She was fighting now, the last traces of the last line disappearing in a flood of enraged panic.

"Stupid girl," spat out the growling voice. "I warned you. I have had enough of idiot humans who try to fight someone obviously more powerful than them. If you don't keep still, I'll rip your hands off."

That just increased her violence and she was trying every dirty trick she knew to free herself. None of them worked.

The man carrying her shook her hard, with the ease of a terrier that had a rat in its jaws. "Enough persuasion." Then she felt a mental impact that knocked her out again.

This is getting tiresome, she thought as it hit.

* * * *

Ten minutes earlier:

In the Black Dahlia, there was no conversation between the remaining three of Circle Strange. Tension hung in the air, unspoken concern for the Nightpeople. Chatoya was fiddling with her necklace when the door was opened and Ria came in.

Ria Lutinne was Cougar soulmate and a lost witch. She was learning to come to terms with her power and they had found she had more control over the witch fire than Chatoya or Cern. She was a clairvoyant and her link to Cougar was strong to the point of shared pain, even if they were in separate countries.

She was pale now, her eyes burning too brightly and her lips trembling. "Where's Cougar?" she said at once then answered her own question. "Oh Goddess, they've left already, haven't they?"

"Yes," Chatoya said and then she gasped. "You've foreseen-"

Ria cut in, shaking her head impatiently. Red-gold hair flew like a halo. Her voice was sharp, but Chatoya could see it was from fear. "Really a dragon?"

At their nods, the girl seemed to go even paler. Cern was nearest and he pulled her onto a chair. "Sit down before you faint," he said quietly. His eyes met Chatoya's and she knew he was thinking the same thing. Something had gone wrong.

"We have to go," Ria said suddenly. She looked determined now. "They can't fight a dragon on their own. Brute strength won't do it. They need us. Witchfire won't kill him but it can stop him."

"You've seen it?" Chatoya demanded, aware that she was already standing up.

She noticed a slight hesitation before Ria replied. "Yes. At least...it might not work. But if we don't try they will die and if we do try," she paused and Chatoya was startled to see tears in her eyes. The calm façade Ria put on was starting to crack. "If we do, they might die anyway." Her face begged Chatoya silently. It said more to Chatoya about Ria and Cougar's relationship than anything else could.

She's in love with him all right, the witch thought. Enough that she'd risk us to save him. Even though they haven't talked for the last week. Maybe there's hope yet.

"Come on," she said decisively, sending a prayer to the Goddess that Ria had seen true. "You remember the fire spell?"

* * * *

David y Pelathas was awake and instantly aware of where he was, and what had happening. He had lost the grogginess he used to feel waking up along with his humanity. There were people above him, the gold-eyed Redfern vampire talking casually to the shapeshifter.

"She knocked out a dragon?" someone was saying in tones that rang with disbelief.

Then a voice that David remembered only too well. A voice belonging to a young man who he hated more than ever. "I guess she's a little more than human." A wry undercurrent to the voice that countered the despair David had heard when last they spoke.

David's fury burst into life and in the next instant, he had slammed his body upwards into a pouncing stance and hurled himself at Jepar, raking claws across his face, narrowly missing the blond boy's eye.

The shapeshifter was in cheetah form before David could do anymore damage and pelted up the nearest tree as the Redfern vampire snap-kicked David hard from behind. He turned to face this new enemy, knowing his human form was merging into a combination of tiger and wolf as he sprang with deadly accuracy.

He saw horror flare in the vampire's gold eyes as he realised that David could kill him, would kill him. The vampire moved like lightning, but David was every bit as fast and somehow snapped his body round in mid air, losing none of the terminal velocity that would make this a kill.

He hit the vampire with a force that slammed him into a tree while David leapt back and snapped a branch of a tree as if it were nothing more than spun glass.

A snarl behind him was all the warning David got, but it was enough. He turned, whipping the branch round and hit the red- haired vampire. She fell back with a cry, her face and throat bleeding. He hit her again, quickly, and she fell back, unconscious or dead, he didn't know or care which.

The Redfern boy was moving again, but with less ease this time. David guessed he had broken bones from the impact with the tree. David narrowed his eyes and waited patiently.

He was hit from two sides by the fourth vampire, an exotic African girl with savage savannah eyes and - to his complete rage - Jepar, who had jumped from the tree. It knocked him back for an instant, before he seemed to disappear, dropping into spider shape as he moved behind them. The makeshift club he had been holding dropped to the ground with a thud, making the two Nightpeople stop in astonishment.

"Where the hell's he gone?" the African girl said breathlessly. She was looking around, muscles tensed and ready for another attack.

"God knows," Cougar Redfern rasped from where he was slumped against the tree that had caused all the damage. He was in pain from the grimace on his face. "Ask Him."

Jepar was crouched by Ruby, apparently oblivious to the claws marks scraping down his face. "This looks nasty," he muttered. "I think-"

But what Jepar thought, they didn't get the chance to find out as David hurtled into the clearing - in raptor form. It looked like something from a nightmare and was one of David's favourite shapes. It was a combination of creatures, and was a killing machine.

It hit Lisa with a speed to match a cheetah, and Jepar caught of glimpse of hooked black claws that wrenched into the vampire's shoulders before she was slammed into a tree in what appeared to be one of the dragon's preferred tactics. It knocked her out, and the raptor dropped her carelessly, leaving two sets of gouges in her torso.

It turned on him next, and Jepar dived to his left with reflexes he didn't even know existed, rolling up on to his feet easily. The raptor stopped and swung to face him. He caught a clear look at it.

It was human height and walked on two legs. But there the resemblance ended. From what Jepar could see, it was a deranged concoction of animals combined. Something like a crocodile's head, with long sharp teeth that were bared and yellow. Powerful legs that could spring forwards, adapted from a kangaroo, he guessed, sharp claws on all four feet and a long tail that had strange grey-brown spikes on it that were like bones protruding. Mottled green and black skin and a speed to match his own. Jepar knew he was in trouble.

A cheetah was no match for this, even a cheetah that could *think*. Jepar had come up against a dragon before, and he had gotten off with a few bruises and broken bones, thanks to the intervention of another dragon. But the silver haired girl called Dragon Tiamat was far away from here now and there was no one who could help him.

It charged.