Which meant the time for a decision was coming. I spread my fingers in the water, calling to the power, letting it play lazily around me.
“What other safety measures have been employed since we got out?”
“I’ve been here, chasing after you, so who knows?”
“How many of you are here in America?”
“Six.”
But again his eyes did that shifty little flick. I raised a hand, let the sea swirl around him a little stronger.
“Okay, okay,” he said quickly. “There’s nine.”
One had been killed in the car explosion, and I’d killed one last night. Trae had gotten rid of two others, so that left five. Four if I got rid of this one. Better odds by far, even if the thought of drowning him had a bitter taste rising in my mouth.
“And who is holding the device that tracks the microchip signal?”
“Take me to shore and I might tell you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think I’m stupid enough to believe that?”
“Then what do you intend to do?”
“What do you think I intend to do?”
He flung fire at me. This time, I stopped it with the waves. He didn’t say anything, but the fear that had stayed mostly in the background until now was etched all over his face.
The vibrations in the water were becoming stronger. I looked over my shoulder, saw the boat becoming visible on the horizon.
“Hoy!” he shouted, waving his hand wildly. “Over here!”
“I wouldn’t do that,” I said mildly, gathering the lazy net of energy.
“If that boat is ours,” he said, “you’re in deep shit. And I intend to make you pay—”
I didn’t wait for the rest of the threat, just flipped underwater and finally unleashed the dragon within.
Energy ran across my limbs—energy that twisted and changed my form, until what floated under the wat
er was long and slender, with scales that ran from the deepest green to the brightest blue. In looks, we were very close to the traditional depictions of Chinese dragons, but there were still some similarities to our winged cousins. The spiked tail and deadly claws, for instance.
With my sea body reclaimed, I unleashed the net of energy I’d been gathering and snagged his legs, dragging him deep down, past the twilight layers and into the dark and gloomy waters that never saw sunshine or surface-dwelling sea life. Down to where the worms, crustaceans, and rattail fish played. Down to where the pressure was beyond even fire dragon endurance and the air in his bloodstream expanded to the point that it blocked the flow of blood to brain and limbs. Death after that was almost instantaneous. If I had to kill, then I would kill quickly. Not that this type of death was in any way easy.
I released the energy of the sea and let his body float away on the current. The rattails would have a good feed for the next few weeks.
I flicked my tail and rose slowly toward the surface. The feel of the cold seawater slithering over my scales was sensual, making me want to wriggle in sheer pleasure. I loved my sea form, and part of me wanted to remain like this for a while. But if that boat did belong to the scientists, they might very well have the short-range receiver with them. Which meant I had two choices—destroy the boat and kill those on board, or escape.
I flipped over onto my back and swam slowly toward the vibrations of the boat. Even if they did have the tracker, I was deep enough that they wouldn’t see me. But I would see them.
The hull of the boat came into sight. I swam underneath it, then angled away until I could see who was on board. The boat was a luxurious one, so didn’t belong to Marsten’s men. Unless they’d commandeered it. Inside it were two men. One of the men held what looked to be a cell phone, but when he swung around in my direction, I realized it had to be the receiver.
I spun around and headed under the boat again. The man with the receiver was shouting for the driver to turn, which meant I was left with little option. I couldn’t let them follow me again.
I snapped my tail and dove deep, gathering speed. When the ocean was little more than a dark blur roaring past, I flipped around and headed back up, swimming straight at the underbelly of the boat. At the last possible moment, I twisted, hitting the hull with my back, sending it flipping up and over. As those aboard fell into the sea, I located the man with the tracker and swam toward him. He spun and saw me, and frantically began to swim away. As if he could ever beat me in the water. I caught him in an instant, and snapped with my teeth, grabbing the receiver out of his hand and tasting blood in the process. Nausea rose, but I ignored it, crunching down on the device before spitting out the remains.
Then I turned and swam away. I couldn’t kill them. I might regret it later, but right now, I had enough blood on my hands. Besides, Marsten’s men weren’t the real problem—they were just paid employees, doing what they were told. Even the dragons in his employ wouldn’t present such a problem once Marsten and the scientists at Drumnadrochit were taken care of.
That had to be my first priority. Leaving a trail of bodies behind me held no appeal, especially when Marsten and his investors had more than enough funds to easily replace those bodies.