Corrigan Rage (3 page)

I grinned. ‘Thank you.’

‘Shall I come with you?’ she asked eagerly.

‘Actually, perhaps if you could give me a bit of privacy...’

Her face clouded with disappointment but she murmured a quiet ‘of course.’ I supposed there were some perks to being Lord Alpha.

I padded silently down the corridor. Clearly, Lydia hadn’t done a particularly good job of hiding my presence, however. I could hear Mack fiddling with something and moving around with the sort of careful measured steps you only took when you were preparing for a fight. She probably didn’t yet realise who I was so I switched tactics and made a show of being noisier, thumping my way back to the little reception area. Perhaps it would help her to feel less threatened. Surprising her might not have been such a good idea after all.

By the time I reached the corner, all was silent. I paused. It was very possible she was going to leap out and attempt to slit my throat. I took a deep breath, her familiar scent swirling round me. It was still odd – not quite human or shifter or mage – but it was all Mack. As far as I could tell, she had pressed herself against the other side of the wall. I didn’t know how good her own sense of smell was but when I heard her breathe in deeply and then hiss and curse, slamming her hand against the plaster, I knew she’d finally worked out it was me.

Mack sprung out, facing me with her features tight and her hackles raised. Her yellow flecked eyes were spitting fire. For some reason she was clutching a pen in one hand, thrusting it out towards me like it was some kind of weapon. Despite her obvious anger, her bald head with just the faintest covering of soft red stubble made her look vulnerable and scared rather than dangerous. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t help myself.

‘Hello, kitten,’ I smiled.

Mack’s reaction was predictable. She launched her free hand out towards me, pushing it into my chest as if to shove me away. I’d been expecting something of the sort, however, and managed – just – to hold my ground. ‘What the fuck are you doing here?’ she spat.

I needed to defuse the situation. ‘Why are you being so aggressive?’ I asked. ‘I thought we were friends now.’

‘We were never friends,’ she said, tossing her head. She was actually right about that. I had enough friends. For some unfathomable reason I still wanted more than that from her. She jabbed the pen in my direction. ‘Now tell me just what exactly you’re doing here.’

I took a step forward and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to drop the pen. ‘Are you going to ink me to death?’ It was a feeble attempt at a joke that didn’t go down well.

‘Get your hands off me!’ Her voice was high and strained.

I should probably have let her go to help calm her down. Instead I tightened my grip fractionally. She could probably break away from my hold if she really wanted to but, satisfyingly, I felt her defences start to drop. Her expression softened and I was beginning to think we could have a normal conversation when she abruptly changed her mind and pulled away.

I looked at her for a long moment. Knowing what I did now, her previous wariness around me made a sort of sense. But she was fully aware that no-one still thought she was a shifter. ‘What’s going on?’ I asked gently, trying to bring her fleeting look of softness back. ‘I thought we parted on good terms.’

She glanced down although not before I registered hurt on her face. ‘You told the mages all about me! About what happened in Cornwall and the fact that I wasn’t strong enough to beat Iabartu.’

I leaned back. She thought I’d been telling tales about her. Except all I’d done was make sure the Arch-Mage was fully aware of her worth. ‘No, I told the mages that you were stronger than virtually any shifter I’d ever come across, and that you did well by almost besting a demi-goddess.’ I was completely honest. ‘I wanted them to appreciate your strength. By knowing more about you, I figured they could help train you to be even stronger than you already are.’

If I’d thought my words would appease her, I was sadly mistaken. ‘Do you have any idea how patronising that sounds?’ There was a sudden scorching heat rising from her pale skin. ‘And besides, I know it’s bullshit. You’re just pissed off that I decided to go with them instead of stay with you. Well, guess what, buster?’ Her eyes challenged me. ‘I’m having a great time! It turns out I am pretty good at all this mage stuff. I don’t need you sticking your nose in.’

I felt my own ire start to rise. I’d been honest with her. She didn’t seem to think I deserved the same back. ‘Is that right? Because the way I hear things, you’re not doing so hot. In fact there was something about you almost getting kicked out for losing your temper. Isn’t that why you’re here?’

‘You’re getting reports on me?’ Her mouth dropped open in horror. ‘You have no right, Corrigan. I’m not part of the Pack so you can fuck right off.’

I felt myself losing control of the situation. ‘You saved my life,’ I said, trying to salvage what I could. ‘In some cultures that means that you’re now responsible for me for life.’

‘Well then it’s just fortunate that’s not my culture then, isn’t it?’

My insides tightened. No matter what I said, she was determined to remain aggressive and angry. ‘This is not going quite how I’d planned it.’

‘My heart bleeds for you.’ She flounced away to the couch and sat down. The strange flapping gown she was wearing fell open to reveal a heart-stopping amount of smooth skin. If she only knew just how much effort it took to keep my eyes on her face instead of her bare thigh...’Now please leave,’ she stated firmly. ‘I have a very important appointment to keep.’

There was no way I was leaving her like this. I walked over and joined her, trying a new tack. ‘Your new haircut, it, um, suits you. It’s quite dramatic.’

‘Oh, you’re going to have to do so much better than that, Corrigan.’ Damn. Apparently Mack wasn’t as easy to win over as Lydia the receptionist had been. I rather liked that about her. At least she stuck to her guns.

I lowered my voice and leaned in towards her, still forcing myself to look at her face and not her bare legs. ‘So give me the chance then.’

‘Fuck off.’

I sighed. I was wasting my time. Mack obviously didn’t want anything to do with me and maybe it was time I respected her wishes. I could try again after she’d had some anger counseling and was in a better mood. Before that thought could formalise, however, I noticed an ugly wound on her hand. It looked incredibly painful. I stiffened. ‘What the hell happened to your hand?’

She seemed surprised that I cared, which annoyed me more than it should have. ‘Nothing. I just needed some air so I punched a hole in a window, alright?’

‘Did someone hurt you?’ I demanded.

‘No.’ She twisted her hands away out of my sight, as if she were ashamed.

My anger continued to rise. ‘Mack, I mean it. Did one of the mages do this to you?’ I would raze their damn academy to the ground if they’d hurt her, whether she wanted me to do it or not.

‘No, Corrigan. I did this to myself.’ Her voice was tired and resigned but there was a ring of truth to her words.

I gritted my teeth. Why did every conversation with her have to be so difficult? ‘Fine, then.’ I met her eyes, attempting to prove to her that I wasn’t the enemy. ‘But, know this, I’m on your side, whether you believe it or not.’ She let out a tiny, adorable snort, followed by a fleeting look of horror as if she couldn’t quite believe she’d made that sound. I almost smiled. ‘And anyway, Mack, if you really want to avoid my attentions quite this much, then you should perhaps not flash me quite so much skin.’

She jerked her head up at me, for a moment patently confused. I grinned and pointed downwards. Her eyes widened when she realised just how much of her body she was inadvertently revealing and she stood up, a flush of embarrassment lighting her cheeks. It made her look younger than her years and reminded me that, despite her continued prickliness, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to stay away from her. Not while there was still hope that I could bring her round to my side. I reached out and gently chucked her chin to try and assuage her blushes.

I’ll be seeing you, kitten.

She growled at me but there was less anger than previously. I chuckled to myself. One thing I could say about Mack – I was never bored when she was around.

I
was sparring in the garden with Staines, distracting myself from thoughts of Mack, when Lucy arrived with the news. It was easy to tell from the look on her face that something was wrong.

‘What is it?’ I asked, calling a halt to the fight.

‘That ... thing is here again. The vampire.’

I frowned. ‘You mean Aubrey.’

‘I think that’s his name.’ She sniffed. ‘Although it’s a stupid one.’

I exchanged a wary glance with Staines. ‘Did he say what he wanted?’

‘Nope.’

I chewed the inside of my cheek. Even though he’d agreed that the bloodsuckers would host the upcoming Otherworld gathering, the way Aubrey had acted when the entire Pack was under threat from the red fever did not exactly make me particularly keen to sit down and chat to him. I’d set upon this course of achieving greater harmony across our different groups, however. The vampires, who were always on the periphery and tended to concern themselves solely with their own self interests, were by far the most dangerous of them all. It stood to reason that the closer I could keep them, the more I’d have a chance of controlling them. Or, if not controlling, then at the very least preventing them from causing chaos whenever they decided they were at a loose end.

‘You should go, my Lord,’ Staines said. ‘Find out what he wants if nothing else.’

‘Maybe I should be optimistic,’ I agreed. ‘Perhaps he’s made the choice to turn vegan and bring every damn vampire along with him.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘It’d certainly make the world a safer place.’

I sighed. ‘I have the feeling that the only thing that would keep the world safe from the vampires would be to de-fang the lot of them.’

‘One day, my Lord, one day.’

I grabbed my t-shirt from the side and pulled it over my head. It felt slightly sticky and unpleasant against the sheen of sweat on my skin but it wasn’t like I cared what Aubrey thought of my personal hygiene. It was tempting to make him wait while I took a shower but, after speaking to him, I’d probably just need to cleanse myself again anyway.

I strolled through the mansion to where he was waiting at the front. He seemed to be inspecting one of old paintings which had been displayed there for as long as I could remember – a young girl of around sixteen or seventeen with dark hair, clear innocent eyes and an open book on her lap.

‘Do you know who this is?’ Aubrey asked without turning.

I stared at the painted woman. As far as I was aware, no-one in the Brethren, not even the ancient librarian, knew the painting’s provenance or subject. ‘No,’ I said slowly, wondering what on earth all this was about.

‘Her name was Jane. Jane Grey.’

I frowned. That rung a tiny bell.

Aubrey continued. ‘As far as the humans are aware she is the only English monarch of whom there is no contemporary painting.’

‘You mean...’

‘On the throne for nine days.’ He looked over his shoulder at me and smiled coldly. ‘Before her execution, of course.’

‘You knew her?’

He waved a hand. ‘Before my time. But it’s because of us that she died.’

‘You meddled in the succession of the throne?’

‘My dear boy,’ he laughed patronisingly, ‘we meddle in everything.’

‘Why did you kill her?’

‘As I stated, it was before my time. But we disposed of her because it suited our purposes. And it wasn’t actually us who did the killing. It was far more delicious for us to manipulate the humans into executing her on their own. Of course with hindsight, when we eventually got Elizabeth as monarch instead of Mary, we probably should have kept poor little Lady Grey.’ He shrugged. ‘You can’t have everything though. We definitely didn’t want another Brethren sympathiser leading the country.’

I blinked. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Henry tried to stamp you all out. His son, Edward VI tried to bring you back.’ His expression took on a chilling look of satisfaction. ‘We dealt with him swiftly enough.’ He laughed at my expression. ‘You had no idea did you? The only reason Henry didn’t succeed was because your lot pledged allegiance to the crown. The Brethren signed away half of their property and a good deal of their valuables to secure their own safety. Not to mention agreeing to twist the facts of history by never mentioning the deal to anyone again. So it’s not really any wonder that it’s not in any of your dusty old books.’ Aubrey winked at me. ‘You’d be amazed at what us vampires know that you don’t.’

Frankly, I had no idea whether he was telling the truth or not. It was similar to what Corux had told me. Maybe the ravens had brokered the deal. Or maybe it didn’t matter what you did or who you spoke to, the truth about the past would never be entirely revealed. If we allowed it, I was certain Aubrey and his chums would use their theoretically superior knowledge of history to lord it over us and twist our own self-beliefs. Except I didn’t care all that much about what had happened five hundred years ago. I only cared about the next five hundred. Learning from your mistakes was one thing – allowing them to define you was something else entirely.

‘Is that why you’re here? To give me a history lesson?’ I exaggerated my bored tone. ‘Perhaps you could just email over the salient facts instead. I’m rather busy.’

Aubrey made a show of looking my sweaty clothes up and down and wrinkling his nose. ‘So I see.’

I had to bite my tongue not to snap that at least I didn’t reek of rotting meat like he did. ‘If that’s all then?’

‘No. It’s not. Although it is, in a rather roundabout fashion, related to all that time.’

I suddenly thought of my recent trip to the Tower. Maybe I had an inkling about where this was going after all. ‘Go on.’

‘You’ve been talking to the ravens,’ he said.

I rolled my tongue around my mouth, debating whether to answer truthfully or not. Eventually, I shrugged. ‘What of it?’