She spotted the Fae first. Bran stood with his back to her in the opening of another tunnel, his knuckles white where he held onto the rock. She skidded to a stop next to him, ignoring him the moment she spotted the man crouching in the middle of Lucan and Kel.
Something around the guy’s neck glowed, his gaze wild, like one of the Forgotten.
“Con?” Lucan stepped forward at the same time Kel’s head snapped around, shock burned into his face.
The man growled, the sound deepening to an animal’s.
Con? As in Constantine?
By the gods, was there a part of the Gauntlet that she’d ever be able to wrap her head around?
Lucan nodded at Kel, and the dragon let his sword hit the floor. The gesture didn’t faze the immortal who looked crazy enough to try taking on everyone in the competition.
And that was before a blinding light sparked from his chest. Briana ducked her head to escape the vicious light, and when she peeled her eyes open, she caught only a glimpse of the man shifting into a creature that reminded her of a black tiger, only much bigger.
And then he launched himself straight at Lucan.
Briana didn’t even think about it. She threw her body forward, slamming into the tiger the moment the other cat knocked Lucan off his feet.
Eyes an eerie gold followed her as she circled around her mate, never looking away from the tiger that shuffled back to its feet. Her whole body throbbed like she’d been run over by a tank, the worst of it easing the second Lucan sank his fingers into the fur at her neck.
“Briana.”
As anxious as she was to rub herself against Lucan’s side, she didn’t dare take her eyes off the other knight who had somehow become a gargoyle. Or something.
“Con, you know us,” Lucan tried.
The tiger showed off its teeth, lowering his head like he was going to attack.
“You have to get him to the altar. The chains,” Bran explained without taking a single step toward the animal. “Don’t hurt him. There is no way of knowing what affect that will have on the blood-bond with Arthur.”
Lucan looked as bewildered as she felt. Why did the Fae care about the bond between Arthur and his heir? There wasn’t time to figure it out or how they’d get the massive tiger anywhere. Constantine turned and fled.
She scrambled after him, aware of Lucan yelling for her to stop. Too quickly she lost track of where she was, but the tiger’s scent was unmistakable. He was smart enough to try and lose her, backtracking to confuse his scent trail.
Shadows stirred as Lucan’s phantom shape emerged next to her moments later. “The altar is that way.” He nodded to the tunnel ahead.
She padded to the opening on the left. Constantine was hiding down there, and she could tell by the scrabbling of claws over rock that the former knight had confused and trapped himself.
Lucan took a step toward the opening, but she darted inside ahead of him. He opened his mouth to argue, but she butted him with her head, pushing him so he blocked the only other way leading away from the altar.
She could see in his eyes that he wanted to stop her.
“We don’t know what he’s capable of.”
Showing off her feline teeth, she reminded him that right now she was the only one who might be able to understand the feral instincts guiding the cornered tiger.
Lucan gripped the scruff of her neck, his fingers sinking into her fur. “Be careful.”
Bumping his hand with her head, she turned around—and was slammed into the wall. Claws sank into her side, and she snarled at the pain that ripped through her middle.
Clamping down with her jaw, she narrowly missed the tiger’s throat.
Lucan yanked her back. “Con!”
The tiger stilled, and for the first time she got the impression the animal was really hearing him. Then the tiger’s ears flattened, his body sinking low to the floor in a deadly coil.
Lucan dropped to his knees, his hand stroking her fur. “This is Briana,” he said softly. “She’s my mate.”
The tiger hissed, but didn’t look quite like he wanted tear Lucan’s arm off.
“You gave her the Blade of the Black Heart, remember? Told me how stupid I would be to turn away from her. You were right.”
Another snarl and then the tiger was gone again, running in the direction of the altar.
Moving slower than she wanted, Briana followed when Lucan pursued, skidding around the last corner and back into the altar room. Briana watched the tiger slink backward.
The chains lay only a few feet behind them. There was no sign of Maeve, Aren or Morgana…
Briana’s gaze darted back to the chains and she knew exactly what Morgana was there to claim.
Before she got the opportunity to warn Lucan, Kel’s body shot out of the shadows and nailed the tiger in the side. Shaken, the animal regained its footing, but Lucan was already on him, and the tiger’s huge body crumpled under the force of another staggering blow.
The sounds of the chains clinking together sent the tiger into a keening frenzy, though he made no move to get up.
“I’m so sorry, my friend.” Lucan closed the cuff around the tiger’s neck, and by the time he finished securing the chains, the tiger had been once more replaced by the man.
“Con?” Lucan dropped to his knees if front of the former knight. He shot a helpless look at Kel. “What the hell happened to him?”
Kel didn’t offer any theories to explain how Constantine ended up here after his disappearance centuries ago.
“Con?” Lucan reached a hand out, but the other immortal didn’t so much as lift his head when Lucan tried to talk to him.
“Well done.” The burst of applause jolted Briana, her body overloaded with adrenaline. Soon she’d feel every ache and slice from the tiger’s claws, but at the moment all she felt was relief and a little worried when the gods joined them.
Morgana, who Briana hadn’t noticed until then, walked to where Lucan stood. Her lips parted in a surprised grin. “Lancelot.” She nodded to where he held the end of the chain. “You don’t mind, do you?”
Lucan jerked the chain out of the sorceress’s reach.
“Is that supposed to stop me?”
Growling softly, Briana positioned herself between them before the sorceress tried physically removing the chain from Lucan’s hand.
Morgana glanced around the room, then back to Briana, having no problem recognizing her. “Really? This one?” She couldn’t have sounded more disappointed if she’d tried.
“Briana, don’t.” Lucan set his hand on her back, but didn’t grip her fur.
More amused than annoyed, Morgana shook her head. “Don’t you ever get tired of trying to save everyone, Lancelot? Hasn’t history taught you that it’s a waste of time?” She cocked her head. “I do wonder though, if you had to choose between her and your brethren, who would you pick?”
Briana snapped her jaws, wanting the sorceress’s complete attention.
Morgana huffed out a breath. “You’re becoming a little inconvenient, kitty-cat. I have no doubt he’d choose you, but would he keep you?” Eyes narrowing a fraction, she studied Lucan’s face. “I cannot imagine what the gargoyle sees in you, knight, but it pays to be selfish sometimes. Selfless acts are overrated.”
Lucan gave no indication he knew what the sorceress was talking about.
Briana stayed next to Lucan as the sorceress nodded to Aren, and whatever the god did transferred the chain from Lucan’s hand to hers. “Better. Now my other item,” she prompted.
Aren vanished, reappearing a moment later with a chalice in his hand.
“No!” Lucan lunged forward, too late to prevent Aren from handing it to Morgana.
With the chalice in hand and Constantine on his knees next to her, Morgana gave Briana a little wave, and all three of them disappeared.
