Dragon Hunter Book Two: A Dragon Shifter Serial (Dragon Hunter Chronicles 2) (4 page)

Probably.

She reminded herself after a time of what was awaiting them in London: a bloodthirsty assassin who probably hated her even more than his Dragon shifter target. But Lumen had been right; together, they were a formidable team. And there was no way that Vail could take them both on. When they’d extracted the information they needed from him, they’d be able to ensure that he would never bother either of them—or anyone else—again.

When they’d arrived they switched trains, taking the Tube to Paddington Station, where they climbed out with the other passengers. Both looked around warily as they walked up the stairs to the large, open space that made up most of the station.

Paddington consisted primarily of a long, arched building, not unlike the passageway they’d been in earlier in the day. The difference was in its natural light, pouring in through the glass ceiling and enormous windows at either end. Neko felt herself breathing in a quick gust of cool air as bodies moved to and fro around them, hurrying on their way to somewhere important.

After a moment she noticed Lumen sniffing subtly, no doubt looking for threats among the pedestrian traffic that seemed quite oblivious to their existence.

“Anything?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No Lapsed, and no Hashes. Not yet, anyhow. But I’d like to keep the advantage in this. I need you to find out where Vail lives so we have a starting point for our hunt. Can you do that?”

“Sure, but he probably lives under a rock,” she growled, remembering her last encounter with the jackass.

“Nevertheless, we’ll need a proper address if I’m to track him,” said Lumen. “Something more specific than ‘in the filth with the other vermin.’”

Neko made no attempt to conceal her smile, and the Dragon Shifter raised an eyebrow.

“I believe this is the first full-on smile you’ve ever allowed me to witness on that lovely face of yours,” he said.

“I just find it entertaining that
you’ve
suddenly become the tracker. Everything’s flipped itself upside down, and I no longer know my job—let alone
have
a job.”

“I don’t think that’s the worst thing in the world. After all, your job for a little while was to murder me. Perhaps we could alter your résumé not to include slaying Dragon shifters who only want to take you in their arms, strip you naked, and…”

“Stop,” commanded Neko, the smile still on her lips. “None of that.” She pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket. “I’ll get in touch with Bertie—my boss—and see what I can find out. You behave yourself.”

“Fine, then. I’ll stand here and daydream about your naked body while I watch your fingers dial, you sexy thing.”

“
W
ait
—You want
what?”

Bertie sounded stunned, and it was no wonder. Hunters never sought information on other Hunters or Hashes. Their unspoken code dictated that no one invaded the privacy of their peers. Too much potential for conflicts, client-stealing, and worse.

“Vail’s address. I—
we
—need to find him.”

“We?”

“The Dragon shifter and I, if you want me to be honest about it.”
Here we go.

Silence met her ear, and for a moment it sounded as though Bertie had hung up. When at last she spoke, she did it slowly and methodically. “Let me understand this clearly: the Dragon whom you were hired to kill has somehow become your
ally
in a hunt for a Hash who works occasionally for the Syndicate.”

“That about sums it up, yeah.”

“Jesus, Neko. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“So do I.”

“Is this Dragon of yours at least handsome? Please, for the love of God, tell me he’s pretty.”

Neko rolled her eyes impatiently. “Very. You would fall over dead of a massive orgasm if you saw him. Now, please. Are you going to help me or not?”

“Well, now, you know that I can’t give you that sort of information. It’s against everything we stand for.”

“Bertie—” Neko’s heart sank. Where the hell would she start, if she had no address?

“I can’t tell you, for instance, that he has a flat at number fourteen Wallis Street, or that he likes to frequent the Dirty Vicar Pub. I repeat: I can’t tell you those things, as it would violate our regulations.”

The Hunter breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Bert. You’re a peach.”

“Don’t die, would you? Not until I’ve met this new man of yours.”

“He’s not mine. And I won’t die.”

Probably.

“
V
ail won’t be
at his flat. That much I know,” Neko told Lumen when she’d finished her conversation and hung up. “He probably won’t be at the pub either. If I know him, he’s devoting all of his energy to finding you and me. Staying out of his home base for fear of retaliation.”

“So what do you think we should do, Hunter?” Lumen asked, bright eyes revealing a look of slight amusement.

“You’re actually enjoying this, aren’t you?” she asked. “You like the hunt.”

“I do, I suppose. Of course, it helps that the hunt involves having a beautiful creature like you by my side. But tell me—don’t you get off on this sort of thing as well?”

“I don’t know about getting off,” she said. There were, after all, other ways that might be more enjoyable. “But yes. I much prefer being the stalker to the prey. As for what we should do…you have quite a nose on you. Could you track him from his place?”

“No doubt.”

She looked at their surroundings; the long, arcing brightness of Paddington Station. People were scurrying around their stationary forms as though she and Lumen didn’t even exist, oblivious to what they were. Ignorant of the fact that the two very out of place figures were looking for a hired killer.

“So let’s find it. He doesn’t live far from here, if the address is correct. I must say, he obviously does a lot of killing if he can afford a flat in this area.” She led the way, walking out of the station and down the street.

“Ah, wealthy entrepreneurs,” said Lumen. “You know, some say that prostitution is the world’s oldest profession, but I’d give the title to killers. Vail’s got hookers beat by a mile for the honour.”

“Good for him. Self-made men are so admirable, aren’t they?”

Lumen smiled again. He could feel Neko beginning to loosen up at last—they were almost becoming friends, even. Though it would no doubt be short-lived. A woman like her never let her guard down for long. Particularly not when she was about to involve herself in a potentially deadly situation.

“Speaking of freelancers and other resourceful types, Neko, why
did
you accept the job of killing me?” he asked.

And there it was. All semblance of relaxed friendliness obliterated in one instant. The smile on her face erased, renewed tension in her shoulders, her neck, her whole body. He’d struck a nerve with the question.

But he wanted her to answer. The truth needed to come out, for both their sakes.

“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “Wait—yes, I do. It was money. I wanted the pay, and I didn’t want someone else to take the job.”

“I see. And what would you have done with that money?”

“Bought food? I don’t know. I don’t really need anything.”

“Right. You don’t need anything, and you’re not a cold-blooded murderer. So let me ask again: why did you accept the job?”

Neko’s jaw clenched shut, her fingers rolling her hands into tight fists before releasing again. “I was curious, I suppose.”

“Ah, there’s some honesty.”

“You don’t think I’m a psychopath for accepting a job that entails slitting your throat, then?”

“You’re far from it. You wanted to find me, I believe, but you had no intention of killing me from the beginning.”

Neko flashed her face towards him as they walked, her brows meeting in annoyance. “That’s not true. I had every intention of doing it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Well, maybe. Until I realized who you were. I’d met you already, remember? And I suppose I had a suspicion that the man Umbra described was you. I couldn’t quite imagine anyone else having the eyes that he described.”

Lumen was silent, his stare focused ahead.

“What are you thinking?” asked Neko. Some part of her felt ashamed that she should ever have contemplated taking the life of the man who accompanied her now, who’d been so defensive of her under the Heath.

“I’m thinking only that my eyes aren’t nearly so wondrous as yours,” he replied, turning towards her. For a moment she felt herself go hot under his gaze, the words melting her from within. She opened her mouth to reply, with no idea what she was about to say. How did one respond to such a compliment from such a man?

He saved her the trouble of formulating a response by interrupting her thoughts. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her against a wall, each of them peering around and assessing the vicinity.

“I’ve got his scent,” Lumen said, though he didn’t need to; she knew exactly what had happened. “I’d recognize it anywhere. The stink of a drunk woman’s nether regions combined with overpriced soap is a pungent mix.”

Neko glanced around, realizing that she’d slightly lost track of where they were. Once again Lumen had destroyed her ability to concentrate. They’d somehow already arrived at Wallis Street.

“Is he at his place?” she asked.

“No, he’s some distance away. But I can track him from here. Keep your knives at the ready, would you?”

Neko’s right hand was already on the hilt of her Khopesh, her left prepared to pull a dagger out of its sheath. No doubt Vail was tracking them, just as they were him. But he was at a massive disadvantage, of course. He didn’t have a Dragon’s nose.

They stopped talking, advancing in silence, one next to the other. Neko found herself realizing with a jolt of nerves that they had no real plan of action. This would be an improvised and perilous situation.

But that was nothing new for her, and somehow she thought Lumen was used to thinking on his feet as well. The trick was to coordinate their non-existent plan.

The Dragon shifter led them down the road, turning to their right before he stopped once again. A few shop fronts lay on their side of the street, one of which was mostly glass. A sign in the doorway read “World Famous Fish and Chips,” though the establishment looked less than savoury.

“The fish joint,” he said quietly. “He was in there a little while ago. I suppose even assassins need to eat.”

“But he’s not anymore?”

“He’s outside,” he said. “But close by.”

Slowly he stepped forwards, his hand gesturing Neko to stay back until he arrived at a narrow opening next to the shop, leading between two buildings.

“There’s a bathroom down this way,” he said.

“Down the alley? You can smell that?”

Lumen chuckled. “Unfortunately I can, and all too well. But I also know because I’ve eaten in this place before. And it’s not the most high end of restaurants, as you can tell.”

“So Vail’s in the loo,” Neko smiled. A good chance to castrate the fucker. “Let me go first.”

“No. It’s too dangerous.”

“What? Are you intending to corner him in a tiny bathroom and then transform into a Dragon? Because if not, I think you should let the woman with the sharp knives go first. Besides which, I may be able to get him to talk. He’s not likely to answer questions if the first thing he sees is your massive—body.”

Lumen thought about it only for a second before replying. “You raise a good point. But I won’t be far away. Remember that, and be careful.”

“I will.”

Neko slinked down the narrow passage, slipping stealthily between the brick walls until she came to a diagonal branch to the right. Looking down the way, she saw a rusty metal door with an M scrawled on its once white exterior in black marker. A few feet farther along, a door with a W.

“He’s still in the men’s room,” whispered Lumen, maintaining his position of concealment just around the corner of the wall. “And he’s alone. Good lord, it smells like death in there.”

“In a few minutes it’ll smell even more like it. Stay back.”

She stepped ahead on the tips of her toes, reaching for the handle to see if the door was locked. But a moment later it flew open, Vail stepping out, clearly oblivious to the threat that awaited him. It only took a split second for him to register what was happening, but that was too long.

Neko moved with the speed of a pouncing cat, one hand instantly slipping around his neck, pressing the dagger into his skin as the Khopesh laid an even pressure on his spine. With a loud, tinny slam, a set of keys fell out of Vail’s hand and hit the ground.

“Enjoy your fish?” she growled in his ear.

“Neko. Jesus,” he said. “It’s you. You startled me.”

“Yes, it’s bloody me,” she snarled. “The woman you tried to kill this morning. Unless you’d forgotten about that.”

“Oh,
that.
Well, you know, I can explain all of that. It was the Dragon I was after, but I…”

She dug the dagger into the stubbled skin on his neck, drawing blood as Vail let out a yelp. For all his killing, he really was a snivelling coward.

“Get back inside,” she hissed.

“Oh, I see,” he winced. “You want me alone in the loo? Kinky.” Even with a knife at his throat he managed to be disgusting.

“Don’t make me kill you before I’ve got my answers,” she growled. “Go.”

And a few seconds later she had him in the tiny bathroom, his front pressed hard into the chipped sink as her blades maintained their pressure.

The door shut behind them, and Neko found herself separated from Lumen for only the second time in many hours.

Alone with a killer.

L
umen watched
from outside as Neko went rogue, pushing the Hash back into the bathroom and out of his line of sight. His fists clenched tight, the Dragon inside him calling out, aching to make an appearance. But he restrained it, assuring it that the time would come.

This was the plan, of course; for Neko to get Vail alone. But something about it didn’t sit at all well with him. Leaving her alone wasn’t in his nature; she was in danger, and he was there to keep her safe.

No, Neko,
he thought.
Please don’t do this on your own.

There was now a thick door separating them, and no telling what the Hash might attempt. A cornered man was a dangerous one, as the Dragon shifter knew all too well.

After only a moment’s hesitation he slipped forward to silently pull the door open, stepping into the tiny room behind Neko. His gift of stealth meant that he was able to do so without drawing Vail’s ears or eyes. He even managed to suppress his scent, difficult though it was in Neko’s presence.

But his concern, he saw immediately, was unwarranted; the Hunter had Vail’s helpless body shoved against the sink, hands grasping the worn porcelain, useless. Neko’s complete control over her victim sent a surge of pride shooting through Lumen as he watched her do what she did best: incapacitate a violent being, her body a machine built for such tasks.

Quickly Lumen took stock of the room: one foul toilet that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months, the pedestal sink and a few rolls of toilet paper. No mirror hung on the wall above the sink, which meant no glass to use as a makeshift weapon. No doubt if there had ever been one, it had long since been destroyed by a drunk on a bender or a drug addict.

He let the door shut quietly behind him, silently watching the Hunter at work.

“Tell me where he is,” Neko was hissing between her teeth as she pressed the sharp Khopesh into Vail’s spine. “Where’s Umbra?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” said the Hash. “He said he was going to be in touch with me in several days, to check in. He didn’t exactly give me his phone number so we could chat. I don’t even know if he has a bleedin’ phone.”

“Was your order to kill the Dragon shifter?”

“I…no.” From Vail’s tone, Lumen deduced that he was surprised at the question. “He wants him alive. Said he needs something from him. Neko, listen—you and I can team up now. Don’t you see? We can take him together. Both of us working as one. We’ll split the fee…”

“Shut your fucking mouth,” Neko growled, the curved blade pressing so hard into his back so that it had begun to cut through his thick jacket. “I’ll never work with you, you murderous bastard. Never.”

Lumen spoke at last, giving away his presence. “Don’t kill him, Neko. Not yet, at least.”

Vail began to squirm when he heard the voice, fear seeming to take him over in earnest as the large shifter made himself known.

But fear was a dangerous instinct, one that made people panic and do stupid things. This Hash would have to be dealt with carefully.

A moment later Lumen stood next to their captive, the whites of the Hash’s eyes revealing his horror as he turned his face towards the tall man. In all likelihood he’d never had to face one of his targets; not like this, at least, with two blades threatening major arteries.

Lumen spoke again, staring down at Vail’s face. “One of my friends was murdered last week. Tell me, who killed him?”

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Neko tightened her grip and Vail winced again.

“You’re really telling me that you weren’t hired for a hit on a Dragon shifter a week ago?” asked Lumen, his fingertips tapping against the edge of the sink.

“No. Not on any Dragon shifter. But Umbra—when he hired me, he did say something about a Dragon who’d met his maker. Said that he’d gotten some information out of the guy. I have no idea what he was referring to, or who killed him.”

Lumen paused for a moment, and Neko could tell that something had struck him—something serious, and painful.

“Did he say what information he obtained? Or what he wants from me?” Lumen asked. “Tell me now.”

Vail seemed to calm, stiffening, some sort of resolve empowering him for a moment. He was, after all, a professional—usually. He probably knew that they wouldn’t kill him. Not yet, at least; not while he was useful.

“Tell this bitch to let go of me if you want answers,” he said.

Neko dug the Khopesh deeper into his back and Vail let out a strangled cry.

“You need to learn to address the lady with the respect due her,” said Lumen. “Or I can’t be held accountable for her actions.”

“I’m sorry,” Vail winced, a tear streaming down his cheek. “Please, tell the
lady
to let me go.”

“Fine. Neko, please let him go.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she shoved Vail towards the wall of stained tile next to the toilet, wedging herself between him and the door, both knives ready to cut through his flesh before letting him by.

Lumen stepped forward, looming tall over the cowering man. “Now, tell me what your boss wants with me,” he said again.

“He didn’t say much,” said Vail, tugging at his jacket as though in an effort to make himself presentable. “Just something about a relic—a trinket, he called it. He said that you would lead him to it.”

“I see. And you were to follow me about, keep tabs on me—keep me from flying off, I take it? He wanted you to report my behaviour to him?”

Vail’s eyes shifted to Neko and back. “Something like that, yes. He said that you weren’t to be killed, not until—”

He stopped himself, and at last Neko could see what was happening. Lumen was using the same truth-extracting technique on him that he’d used on her when they’d first met. Vail had realized now—almost too late—that the Dragon shifter was controlling him.

“Speak,” said Lumen. “You know that you want to divulge the information.”

“I do,” Vail spat out the words. “But only because you’re fucking with my mind. Listen, I don’t know what you’re doing to me, but my job is to obey my client. Not to spill his secrets to the likes of you.”

“I think it’s fair to say that your job is terminated,” said Lumen. “You are no longer his employee.”

“No? Well then, I wonder who’s going to pay me?”

“I will, if you give me what I want.”

“Fine. You want information? He wants you—and the others—dead as soon as he knows how to find this item, this relic of yours. Whether I’m to slay you or someone else, I don’t know. I don’t particularly care. This was an easy job, or should have been. No killing. Only watching. That’s why I’m not even bloody armed.”

“So when you shot at us this morning—” Neko began. “You’re trying to say you missed on purpose?”

Vail looked her way, his eyes narrowing in a smug sneer. “You know that I don’t miss unless I want to. When I shot at you I avoided any major organs deliberately. I had no reason to kill the Dragon. I only wanted to bring him down to earth so that I didn’t lose track of him. I wanted to nick a wing, or whatever would keep him from flying.”

“Well, you did a shit job of that, didn’t you?” Neko hissed.

“Maybe not. After all, I have you both here with me now, don’t I?” Triumph briefly tainted Vail’s voice. “Umbra said that I needed to keep you two alive and together—that the two of you are the key to what he’s searching for.”

“The
two
of us?” Neko choked. “Why the two of us?”

“I don’t fucking know. He also said he hired you for a hit, but that he knew it wouldn’t happen. That he knew what you were. It was all a part of some plan to throw you two together, though I don’t know why he’d want to do that. You’d be better off with the likes of me.”

“He knows what I
am
…?” Neko muttered, confused, her focus waning.

Lumen interrupted before their altercation could go any further. “Tell your boss, when you speak to him—because I know you will—that he will never get his hands on the Four. They are not his for the taking, and if he sends another wretch like you to take on the Dragons, he will be very sorry for it.”

Vail stroked his hair, tidying the strands that had fallen loose, and turned to the sink as though intending to wash his hands. Turning on the tap, he said, “All right then. I suppose I can deliver your message. I can also stop pursuing you, as you asked. For a fee, of course.”

“Name it.”

“Fifty thousand pounds.”

“It can be arranged easily enough.”

“Lumen—” Neko turned to the Dragon shifter, and for a moment their eyes met. She wanted to tell him not to trust the Hash. That he would never side with the likes of the Dragon Guild. Even if he took the money, he’d only betray them once again, as soon as he got the chance. He wasn’t exactly made of kindness and noble intentions.

But even as she turned Lumen’s way and began to speak, Vail pivoted rapidly, the water still pouring out of the tap behind him. With his right hand he grabbed a dagger from Neko’s bandolier, slicing the blade along her lower arm and forcing her to drop her Khopesh to the floor with a loud clang as she cried out.

Vail attempted to dash by her, his hand grasping at the door handle, but Lumen had him in an instant. With one arm he grabbed Vail’s right and twisted it behind his back, forcing him to drop the small dagger. The Dragon shifter’s left elbow rammed into the back of the Hash’s head, shoving it hard into the metal door.

“You know, you’re an appalling example of humankind,” Lumen uttered from between clenched teeth. “And you’ve just hurt the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. The woman I—” He cut himself off mid-sentence. He wouldn’t say the words aloud. Not yet. “In short,
Hash,
you should have some idea of what I’m about to do to you.”

“No—please—I didn’t intend—”

Neko’s wounded arm was folded to her chest, her other hand still grasping one dagger. She wanted so badly to shove it into Vail, to rob him of the last trace of his life. But Lumen stood between them, preventing any such act from occurring.

“Intend?
I suspect that your intentions are all but noble. You’ve killed humans and shifters, in cold blood,” hissed Lumen. “And you’ll do it again.”

“I won’t. I promise.” Vail was whining now, his voice high-pitched, pathetic. Neko almost enjoyed seeing him forced to submit in this way, particularly with Lumen’s large arm rammed into the back of his skull.

The shifter released him, bending to gather the dagger from the floor. Swiftly he grabbed Vail’s right hand and sliced deep into his palm, eliciting a cry of agony.

“You’ll find it difficult to grasp a blade, or anything else, for some weeks, Hash. Now get out of here. If I see you again I’ll tear your face off and feed it to my kin.”

Vail didn’t turn back to them. He simply opened the door with his one intact hand and ran.

When Lumen had shut it again, he turned back to Neko, who was picking her Khopesh up off the floor.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“I’m okay,” she replied, examining her arm. “The wound isn’t deep.”

“Good. But nevertheless we should clean you up. And then we need to speak with a friend of mine. Come.” He turned towards the door, opening it to let her through.

But Neko didn’t move. She was staring at him, her expression rapidly turning to one of annoyance.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I wanted him—I wanted to take him down. And you let him go.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why would you let such a shithead escape with a mere scratch? He deserved to die.”

Lumen let out a deep exhale. “He’s right-handed, and the wound will keep him from hurting anyone for a while. But tell me something, Neko: have you ever killed a man? I don’t mean a Lapsed, or even a shifter. I mean a human.”

Her eyes narrowed. She wanted to tell him that yes, she had. Many times. But she knew she had to be honest.

“No.”

“Well, I hope you never have to. Because killing any man, even one so undeserving of life as Vail, is enough to drive the strongest person to madness.”

“I could have done it. He asked for it. It would have been self-defence, anyhow.”

“Would it? Or is that your way of rationalizing murder? He was unarmed, remember. Intending only to stalk us.”

“I don’t care. I don’t see why you’d protect someone so amoral. He’s a fucking monster.”

“And so am I, in the eyes of some. But I don’t believe you think I should be killed.”

Neko closed her mouth. No. It wasn’t the same. “You’re no monster,” she said softly.

“So tell me,” he said, stepping closer, the door shutting behind him. “What am I to you?”

Her large eyes focused on his. “You’re…beautiful,” she said, the words being pulled from her as though they were attached to a chain, withdrawn slowly at his command. “Kind and gentle. You’re the opposite of a monster. I wouldn’t hurt you for anything, Lumen.”

“Good. So you should know that you can trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to kill a man, unless it’s absolutely necessary. Revenge isn’t reason enough to take a life.”

“Fine.” Her anger was waning at last. “I suppose I should thank you for looking out for me.”

“Not at all. But I will continue to do so until you tell me to stop. And I’m sorry that he hurt you on my watch; I was foolish to look away from him, even for a moment.”

“It’s fine. I can look out for myself. I’ve been doing it all my life.”

“Yes, you have,” he said, his hand moving to cradle her chin, fingers stroking her cheek. “My beautiful, independent Neko.”

A shiver moved along her torso, settling into her chest. Once again she found herself wondering if their lips would finally meet.

“Listen,” he said, disappointing her with a new thought, “I want to take you somewhere, then we need to go and meet my friend Aegis. He may have something that I need. Will you come with me?”

“Yes. Though if we’re about to wander through another dark series of passageways, I might just have to kill you after all.
That
would be justifiable homicide.”

“We will have a few corridors to venture through, but only for a little. I believe you’ll like these ones. And if you choose to kill me for it, then I won’t try to stop you, beautiful woman.”