Free Swerve by Amarinda Jones Page B

believed the speculation about her being a Siren, he trusted Socia. If she was there for Mary, then it had to be important enough to rouse Socia from the old rambling house she lived in up in the rainforest. He headed after his nemesis.
    Sholto, with a fireball in his hand, his choice of weapon mainly because it was flashy as opposed to technically advanced as one expected time lords to be, was the loose cannon. He allowed passion to rule him. All time lords did. They started wars on it, killed for it and cared little that no one else understood them. Simon knew one day they would face each other and it would be the demise of one of them.

    “Simon!” June Dalton as she wigged towards him in a too tight dress and spiked heels that clashed with her age. She didn’t look happy. “I didn’t order entertainment.”
    Simon smiled at her. Some people were insensitive to everything except only what affected their selfish, little worlds. A fireball wasn’t entertainment. It was deadly when wielded by one with a grudge. “I’m just going to ask him to leave.”
    “Moth-er!” Fran stomped over to her.
    Simon wanted to say she looked beautiful because all brides were supposed to but frigid and very frosty were the only thoughts that came to his mind. That Fran ignored Sholto who now changed direction and was heading towards them, didn’t really surprise Simon. He had already worked out that Fran was all about Fran.
    “Yes, dear?” June queried her eldest daughter.
    “Will says he feels sick. How dare he do this to me on my wedding day?”
    Simon wasn’t surprised. He’d be sick if he’d just committed himself to Fran.
    “June, I suggest you and Fran go and look after the groom.” Poor bastard.
    June glanced once more at the fire wielding Sholto. “Is he married? He’s kind of cute in a dangerous way.” She licked her lips. “That can be sexy.”
    “He’s too young for you, mother. Besides that whole fire thing is not normal.”
    “It doesn’t matter,” June responded. “Everyone has quirks.”
    Fran stamped her feet. “I will not allow you to pick up men at my wedding.”
    “I will do what I want!”
    “Moth-er!”
    “Ladies, he’s gay,” Simon told them. Despite each being equally dangerous in their own ways, he didn’t have time to deal with them and Sholto.
    June sighed. “Shame.” She went off with her daughter.
    Simon waited from his enemy. Sholto sauntered up to him throwing the fireball up and down in his hand like a baseball. “Sholto.”
    “Mayhew.”
    Simon gestured to the mass of fire in Sholto’s palm. “You should try something new. The fireball trick is old hat.”
    The other man smiled. “Yet I like it.”
    “You weren’t invited,” Simon pointed out. Sholto showing up anywhere was not a good thing. People usually died.
    “I wanted to meet your girlfriend.”

    Simon’s hands curled into fists. “I will kill you if you touch her.”
    “You can try but you and I know it’s impossible to kill a time lord.”
    Simon didn’t completely believe that. Everyone had a weakness. He just had to work out what Sholto’s was. Blowing up the time portal would not rid him of Sholto. “What do you want?”
    “Your destruction.”
    “’Not going to happen, time lord.”
    Sholto nodded as if he accepted that as fact. He clasped his hands together and extinguished the fire within. “Then killing your woman will make me happy.”
    Simon tightened his mouth, reining in his rage. Getting angry at Sholto would not help anything. “If you want to kill me, then kill me.” They had been dancing around each other for too long. A showdown was inevitable.
    “You know I can’t do that, Mayhew. You’re protected.”
    “Not always.”
    “I can feel the angels at my back willing me to take a swipe at you so they can retaliate. It must piss the ethereal off that they can only react after the fact.”
    That was true. Angels did walk amongst them. Every human being had at least one good angel