“Factors Walk. This is the old cotton exchange.” Lucien waved one hand at a deeply shadowed inset in the brick wall to his right. “They used to bale and sell the cotton here.”
Now it was largely a parking area with entrances to some quaint local shops. The street traffic was significantly lighter here and there were some spots they could duck into if they needed.
Footsteps quickened, echoing off the cobblestones and up the walls. Tapping into the birds once again and summoning even more, he called them into the sky. Baer sped up and grabbed Lucien’s shirt, pulling toward his right.
“In!” he shouted. Thank God, Lucien didn’t hesitate. The man darted into one of the insets used for the cotton close to two hundred years ago. Baer followed him in as dozens of birds poured down into the narrow path like a torrent of water rushing through a gulley. Their cries grew louder and louder. Baer looked back and directed the birds at the quartet of pestilents that had been closing in on them. Beaks and sharp talons pecked and tore at their flesh. Two of them waved knives in the air, trying to fend the birds off while the other two tried to protect their face and eyes with their arms.
“Call the birds off,” Lucien said.
Baer changed the command, sending the birds into the air and away from the alley. Lucien leaned out of the inset around Baer and threw out his right arm. Flames shot out in a long tube of fire, pummeling the four pestilents. They screamed and fell back.
Unfortunately, Lucien needed to work on his aim a little more. Some of the flames bounced off the pestilents and hit a car, setting it on fire as well.
“Shit!” Lucien hissed.
“Extinguish the car and let’s go!”
Lucien put out the flames engulfing the little coupe and took off down the alley again with Baer on his heels. The bag with Wiley’s gift swung wildly on his arm and Baer clamped his hand on it again. He swore nothing was going to happen to this mountain lion. If jealous Queenie knocked it off something and smashed it, well…that was another story. But Baer was going to hand it over to Wiley in one piece.
They charged up a narrow set of stairs and ran out on to Bay Street, starting what would become an extended game of cat and mouse through the neat grid of streets and squares that made up Savannah’s historic district. As they slowed to catch their breath, they spotted two more pestilents. Baer growled and ran off with Lucien to find a new hiding spot in order to take out their would-be attackers.
He and Lucien spent the better part of an hour on the run from pestilents throughout the old city, trying to avoid the tourists where they could.
They were both winded and lightly scratched when they made it to Baer’s Jeep in the parking garage. He thrust the box at Lucien and started the engine. They had an opening to get to the garage before they were found again, and Baer was determined to take it.
“Baer, I’ve got some good news,” Lucien said as Baer drove to the exit.
“What’s that? We lost them?”
Lucien sighed. “God, I fucking hope so. But I was thinking that your cougar is still in one piece.”
Baer’s heart skipped as he quickly looked over at Lucien. The Fire Weaver had the box open in his lap and the paper pulled back enough to reveal that the glass figure was, in fact, still in perfect condition.
“Hell, yeah!”
“The bad news is that I don’t think it’s safe to get crispy pig.”
“Fuck,” he groaned, but he didn’t argue. They were both exhausted and were going to be lucky to grab Lucien’s car without further trouble. Something they should have just done in the first place instead of Baer’s extended shopping trip for Wiley.
Looking over at Lucien, he smiled. The man was grinning while he carefully wrapped the figure up again and placed it on the floor. They were a little battered and bruised, but in truth, it had been a good training exercise for both of them.
“Thanks for your help today.”
Lucien shrugged. “I don’t mind shopping.”
Baer snorted and drove to the garage. The pestilents certainly didn’t know what they were in for when it came to the cocky Fire Weaver.Chapter 19Baer and Lucien walked up the front porch steps and into the house. They surprised Clay and Dane, who were obviously not working. Both had swollen lips and visible erections as they pushed away from the wall next to the stairs where they’d been making out. Dane flushed, but Clay crossed his arms and stared them down.
“Sorry to interrupt. We ran into a little trouble in town,” Baer said.
“Pestilent trouble,” Lucien clarified.
Clay immediately dropped his arms, his face tightening with concern. “Either of you hurt?”