“What happened?” Paige asked.
“This nymph would not let us help you!” Milosh roared.
Tristan stepped onto the shore and lowered herself to sit with both legs tucked beneath her. “I needed to use what you could gave me. The pain. The fear. It was strong enough to open a bridge and send her away.”
“Away to where?”
“Deep into a Japanese bamboo forest where one of our temples was built,” Tristan replied. “The gargoyles should have plenty of space to hide themselves when they’re through, and Minh should be disoriented enough to let them finish what they started. Someone should check to make sure she was contained, though. Also, some Half Breeds were sent with her as well, and the ones who don’t fall prey to the gargoyles will make trouble if they catch the scent of civilization.”
Blinking as if none of that had sunken in, Paige gasped, “Did you say Japan?”
“Cole will explain. We just needed to separate the Full Bloods before they got too powerful.”
“You mean return them to their territories?”
“Exactly,” the Dryad said. “Didn’t Cole warn you?”
Rubbing her shoulder, Paige winced and looked around. “It’s a lot quieter now. Can’t figure out if that’s a good or bad thing.” She watched as sections of the sky sprang to life with gargoyles gliding up and down to attack the remaining Half Breeds. “You seem to know a lot about those things,” she said to Tristan.
“Yes. We have many gargoyles back home. Dangerous, but merely pests if you know how to handle them. After feeding this much in one night, they will find a place to hibernate for a few months.”
“Will they kill her?”
They all looked toward the spot where Minh had stood.
“No,” Milosh sighed. “They will not be able to kill a Full Blood.”
“But can one be contained?” Tristan asked. Now that she’d gotten to her feet, she took on a presence that made her seem somehow beyond human. The sight of her supple body encased in wet veils and moonlight was enough to calm even the most raging soul.
Milosh looked at her with the same mix of awe and arousal that showed up on everyone’s face the first time they gazed upon a Dryad. “I think so, but not for long.”
“How long?” Paige asked. When she didn’t get an answer or even a glance in response, she reached out to snap her fingers in front of his face. “Hey! How long?”
“I don’t know! Maybe a few days or weeks.”
Placing a hand gingerly upon Paige’s shoulder, Nadya asked, “Do you need a sling?”
“No,” she replied while gently flexing her arm. “You must’ve popped it back into place when you dragged me away. It’s already healing. At least something went better than expected tonight.”
“Where is the trickster?” Tristan asked.
Paige’s head drooped forward. “There goes the better than expected thing. How the hell could I have forgotten about him?”
“The same way your civilization has forgotten him throughout every human era. The First Deceiver survives through lies and being able to slip away after telling them. All he needs to do is distract someone long enough and the memory of him will fall to the wayside.”
“And there,” Paige said while cautiously approaching one of the many Half Breed statues, “is one hell of a distraction.”
“What do we do now?” Nadya asked.
Tristan placed a hand on Paige’s shoulder, but not in a comforting manner. Using the Skinner to keep her upright, the Dryad said, “Cole is alone with Liam. That animal cannot be allowed to claim his prize from this night.”
Paige felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her that was the instantaneous equivalent of two nights of sleep followed by a cold shower. “Where are they?”
“Finland.”
“
“The Torva’ox will be drawn to the Full Bloods more than any other creature on this earth,” Tristan replied. “Now that they are spread out, the power they seek is unfocused. I can’t take you to him without the energy to open another bridge.”
“Tell me where the closest strip club is and—”
“No,” Tristan snapped. “We don’t have time for that. We need more power than a local temple can provide. Cole and I tapped into darker energies before, and I’m willing to do that again.”
“How dark are we talking here?”
Before Tristan could answer, the distant howl of a few Half Breeds drifted through the air and a lithe body separated from the shadows within the nearby trees. It bounded toward the reservoir in swift, agile steps. Judging from the shape of its head and body, along with the fact that it stopped when it caught sight of the humans, Paige guessed it wasn’t a Half Breed. The creature trotted closer, favoring one of its forepaws. When it shifted to walk on two legs, it became a naked woman who held one arm across her chest for reasons that had nothing to do with modesty.
“The remaining Half Breeds are scattered,” Quinn confirmed. “My pack is almost completely destroyed, but we should be able to get you to safety if you come along with us now.”
Tristan lowered her head and closed her eyes. “Let them come.”
“They’re stronger than we’ve ever seen,” the Mongrel said. “Perhaps they are drawing from the Breaking Moon, but the fewer there are, the worse they get.”
“Take him to shelter,” Paige said while nodding to Milosh. “He’s wounded.”
“To hell with that!” he said. “If we are to die here, then we all die.”
“Bring the wretches to us,” Tristan said, ignoring the Amriany. “They can produce the energy I need.”
“You can draw strength from Half Breeds?” Paige asked.
“A little,” Tristan replied, “but I need a pure source that only comes from humans. We take our power from your spirits, which is heightened by emotion. There is no time to collect in our normal way, so I must draw from your fear.”
Paige had heard about wicked forest sprites and beautiful witches who drained humans of their essences and souls, but hadn’t connected them to Dryads until now. “There’s one problem,” she said while driving the thorns of her weapon handles into her palms. “I’m not afraid.”
“That is not the only darkness within the human soul,” Tristan replied. “Stand your ground and don’t fight the wretches. Let them overtake you.”
“There are maybe two or three Half Breeds left,” Quinn said. “Even if they were anywhere close, we couldn’t bring them back here.” When several gargoyles shrieked in the distance, she added, “I think you see why.”
Tristan’s eyes were closed, and even in the moonlight, the subtle shading of her skin and the smooth texture of her flesh was plain to see. The fact that she was still wet from the water spray coming from the reservoir only added to her sensuality. “There’s nothing I can do for you.”
“What?”
“There’s not enough in you for me to use. I won’t be able to do this.”
“
The Dryad shrugged and turned her back on the Skinner and Amriany. “You’re right. It was a stupid plan. Sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” Paige bellowed as the Half Breeds thundered toward her. “And now you’re leaving?” The air around her started to crackle, but Paige was too fired up to notice.
Tristan propped a hand casually on her hip and said, “Sorry, sweetie. Guess we have to leave Cole on his own. But that’s nothing new for you, is it?”
“
Nadya and Milosh spoke to each other in clipped phrases pulled from their own language. For once they truly didn’t seem to know what to do.
“Fuck you, lady!” Paige roared. “If the world’s going to hell right now, then that’s the last thing I want to say!
“There we go,” Tristan sighed as the crackling in the air turned into a spark that blinded every human eye in
