The Forbidden

by Cheyenne McCray

  The rush of death only strengthened Silver’s resolve. Her skin tingled. Her senses expanded.

  “Make them pay,” a voice sang in her mind, and she wasn’t sure if it was hers or another’s.

  She didn’t even care.

  All that mattered was sending the demon who’d killed McNulty straight to Underworld.

  Her spellfire grew as her rage fed it, hot, hotter, so purple and fiery it almost singed her own hands. Rearing back, she flung the ball straight at the demon feasting on its prize.

  Dark flames engulfed the Fomorii. It stumbled away from the woman’s body. The demon hit the railing as it clawed at the fire searing its skin.

  The Fomorii dove into the bay. Water hissed and steam rose. Hair prickled on Silver’s scalp as the demon crawled back onto the boat, the fire doused, its skin burned in patches and its flesh and bone showing, yet it began to heal.

  Anger. Rage. Hate.

  Anger. Rage. Hate.

  “Kill the bastard,” the voice said in her mind, and this time she recognized it as not her own.

  Darkwolf. “It killed your friend,” he continued. “Burn it. Burn it to dirt and ashes.”

  Silver trembled.

  Yes. Kill the horrid, murdering abomination. Fire for the good. Fire for cleansing.

  She would use her witchcraft, her goddess-given strength, and she would burn the monster to protect.

  To avenge!

  The red beast bounded toward her.

  At the same time she felt a push at her mind. A nudge, really.

  Silver ignored the mind-touch.

  Her eyes fixed on the damaged red demon.

  “Come on,” she growled.

  Spellfire leaped between her palms, such a deep purple it could almost have been black.

  “Bastard!” she screamed. “This time when I kill you, die!”

  Her spellfire struck the Fomorii—and the demon exploded.

  Exploded.

  Into nothing.

  Instantly, Silver felt that same nothing, way down inside. Total quiet. Absolute emptiness.

  “Come to me,” Darkwolf said in her mind. Only this time she could feel his presence. He was close.

  Chills rippled across her skin.

  “I am here, Silver Ashcroft.” That voice. So seductive. So sensual. “Come to me.”

  As chaos reigned around her, D’Danann and PSF battling Fomorii, Silver turned her head to the dock, as if in slow motion.

  Darkwolf stood on the pier. As before, he was even more devastatingly handsome in person. His black hair curled just above his collar; his dark eyes looked directly at her. This time he wore a black turtleneck, faded blue jeans, and a pair of black running shoes. Around his neck hung the heavy chain with the stone eye.

  It seemed as if he had stolen her very breath. She felt nothing but that magnetic pull that had bound the two of them before. From his eyes she could tell that he felt it, too.

  Slowly she walked through the battle. Nothing came near her, nothing touched her. Purple shimmered around her and she knew Darkwolf was protecting her from everything.

  Everything but himself.

  Her steps were heavy, but she was powerless to stop herself. Did she want to stop? Or did she want to go to the man who commanded her in ways no one had ever done before?

  Her feet found the gangplank. Her boots echoed as she strode across it to the pier.

  * * *

  A demon drove itself toward Hawk, eyes glowing red. Hawk dodged the Fomorii just in time and it slammed its head into the houseboat’s cabin. Metal creaked and wood splintered.

  The beast shook its massive body. Stumbled back. Hawk thrust his sword and connected with thick hide and his weapon strike reverberated through his arm. With the D’Danann battle cry, Hawk raised his sword again, and this time hit home, slicing off the demon’s head and bringing the Fomorii down.

  And then the creature was gone.

  Roars, shrieks, and shouts rent the air. Through the haze and near darkness, Hawk’s fellow warriors dove from the sky while others fought from the deck.

  Piles of black silt littered the deck, giving him some sense of satisfaction.

  Slowly, slowly, the D’Danann were able to drive some of the Fomorii to the edges of the boat. Backing them up until one, two, then three tumbled over the sides, only to have the water demons climb back onto the boat.

  Hawk’s gut sickened when he saw one of his D’Danann warriors ripped from the air. The demon took Wynne down to the deck and tore out his heart with its iron-tipped claws.

  Nothing but silvery dust remained where the warrior had been.

  With a battle roar, sword held high. Hawk charged the demon that had taken his comrade down.

  His weapon connected with thick hide and he stumbled. Nearly lost his footing.

  The green Fomorii slid then bounded toward Hawk. Bloody saliva dripped from its massive jaws.

  Hawk whirled. Dodged the snap of the demon’s teeth.

  He twisted in a movement too fast for the Fomorii to react. Hawk sliced his weapon down on the back of the beast’s neck, aiming for the thinnest part of the skin.

  He missed, his blade glancing off the tough hide. The demon growled, lunged, and took Hawk down to the deck.

  Pain slammed into Hawk as his head hit unforgiving wood. Gut clenching, he blocked the demon’s jaws with his sword. At the same time he thrust his booted feet at the beast’s chest and shoved.

  The demon slipped on the bloody deck and slid toward the railing. Its force was so great, it flipped into the bay.

  Hawk bounded to his feet, ready to take on the next foe.

  But everything and everyone had gone still.

  His blood went cold as his gaze cut to the ramp.

  Silver stood face-to-face with Darkwolf and a Fomorii warrior—and that warrior was no mere foot soldier.

  * * *

  Heart pounding, Silver faced Darkwolf. Perhaps ten feet separated them, and it was all she could do to remain rooted to where she stood on the wooden pier in the near darkness. She clenched her hands and her teeth.

  Somehow she knew she had to fight him, no matter how much she was drawn to him.

  Yet...why shouldn’t she want him? His power, the things he could teach her—he took her powers seriously. He understood about gray magic.

  She took a single step forward and stopped. She blinked. There was someone else. Someone else who mattered to her.

  Right?

  Colorless fog seemed to swirl through her mind, hiding truths and lies alike.

  Darkwolf gave her such a carnal smile that her knees almost buckled. Vivid images of him stripping her of her clothing and sliding between her thighs filled her mind.

  “You want me,” he murmured in her thoughts. “I want you.”

  Silver shook her head. Or tried to. It felt as if a huge weight had been tied around her neck and she couldn’t move.

  Yes, there was something she should remember. Something she should be doing. Someone she cared about. Many that she cared for. That damned fog—what was it hiding?

  But Darkwolf—he was everywhere in her mind. Invading, taking, persuading.

  Silver wanted to take another step, and another, and throw herself into his arms. Somehow she knew his touch would be beyond electric.

  A blue demon loped up beside Darkwolf and the warlock’s attention snapped to it. He scowled at the beast.

  The fog in Silver’s brain thinned. Just enough for her to shake her head and realize she had been seeing images, feeling emotions projected by Darkwolf.

  An enchantment? Some kind of mesmerizing spell?

  Vaguely, she understood she had to try to force Darkwolf from her mind. She had to get rid of the fog.

  But he was so powerful. So seductive. And she wanted him.

  Didn’t she?

  Silver shook her head again. She ground her teeth. With all her might she tore at the fog around her thoughts. Almost gone. She could...almost see...

  What did sh
e need to see?

  Darkwolf shoved the blue demon away from him and returned his attention to Silver. His eyes narrowed.

  Silver felt the fog surge back, battling her will, turning darker by the second. There was no way she could stop it.

  Did she even want to stop it?

  The gorgeous man drifted closer, almost floating like the fog. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he sprouted wings and—

  Wings!

  With one mighty burst of consciousness, Silver burned the fog off her mind.

  Darkwolf actually stumbled backward. His lips drew back in a furious, pained snarl.

  Silver felt a rush of strength, followed by a wave of awareness. She could feel Darkwolf’s essence lurking at the fringes of her essence, but she did her best to keep it at bay.

  Goddess. Hawk! My friends! What’s been happening? He’s kept me blind!

  So much hatred shot through her that sparks crackled at the end of her hair. The bastard. He summoned the Fomorii. He is responsible for all this death and destruction.

  Silver formed a purple ball of spellfire between her palms. She fed everything into it. All the fury she could muster. She would burn the warlock alive and the blue beast with him.

  The large blue demon slowly paced toward her, its wicked eyes almost laughing.

  Darkwolf glared at the creature, ignoring Silver’s spell- fire. “This one is mine, bitch. Back away.”

  The demon paid him no heed and took another step closer to Silver.

  Silver’s stomach pitched, but she was prepared to make the demon explode. Yes, yes. She would kill this worthless beast.

  She was vaguely aware that on the pier, behind the beast, behind Darkwolf, stood several men and women, presumably Fomorii in human form.

  They held guns. All trained on Silver.

  Silver could have thrown up a spellshield, but she wanted to wipe this demon and warlock off the pier. She had to keep her shield down in order to use her spellfire.

  Before Silver had a chance to make a move, the demon before her began to shift. As it rose up on its hind feet, it slowly morphed. Its features smoothed. Its blue flesh turned to a creamy ivory. Black hair tumbled down the back of a beautiful woman with a finely curved body.

  The woman’s smirk made Silver want to slap her.

  “Do it, Silver." Darkwolf edged into Silver’s mind again when her concentration faltered. “You and I—we will control these beasts together. Use your hate and destroy the bitch.”

  Yes, it is no more than the demon deserves.

  Silver raised her hand to lob her spellfire at the Fomorii, when the woman spoke. “Would you like to see your parents again?”

  Darkwolf cut his gaze to the woman.

  Shock stilled Silver. She barely pulled back her blast in time. Her hand trembled and the sparks within it sizzled and then faded away. “Where are they?”

  The woman gave a slight tilt of her head toward a group of cars waiting on the abandoned pier. “In one of the cars. I’ll let them live if you join us.”

  Vaguely Silver heard almost complete silence behind her. No more roars. No more D’Danann shouts. Not even Darkwolf’s voice in her mind. Just the lap of water against the pier and a foghorn in the distance.

  A pair of boot steps approached. Hawk, she knew instinctively.

  Darkwolf’s eyes grew darker and his handsome face twisted into a scowl as her lover came to her side.

  “I am Junga, legion leader.” The Fomorii woman barely spared Hawk a glance as he reached Silver. “You, your mother, and your father die now if you and the other witches do not come with me.”

  “She’s mine,” Darkwolf growled, and the stone eye around his neck began to glow.

  “No.” Hawk’s spoke with fury in his voice. “You will not have Silver.”

  Silver held up her hand, indicating she wanted him to be quiet. He audibly sucked in his breath.

  Raising her chin, she spoke only to Junga, “Let my parents go and I’ll come with you.”

  “No!” Hawk shouted this time and grasped Silver’s upper arm, jerking her against him.

  She shot her elbow into his gut and shook off his hold. She never took her gaze from Junga.

  Darkwolf smiled. His eyes were solely for her. As if she were the only being in this world at this moment.

  That magnetism, she felt it was stronger than ever. Why did she feel such an attraction to this—this monster? Yes, that’s what he was. A monster.

  Her resolve strengthened and she used her will to block his pull on her.

  “I want all three of you.” Junga gave a sound like a low purr. “I always get what I want.”

  Silver did her best to ignore Darkwolf. She stared at the Fomorii woman head-on, even though her knees threatened to give out from fear for her parents. “You won’t kill them. You won’t kill me. You need me too badly.”

  “Come now. I demand it. Aid me in bringing all of my people to this city.” Junga scowled, fierce, predatory. “Do, not think to defy me. I assure you, I will not hesitate to kill anyone who stands against me.” The demon-woman smirked again. “You choose.”

  Chills rolled over Silver and this time her gut pitched as panic for her parents engulfed her. “Take me,” she said. “But first prove you really have my parents here.”

  Junga nodded to the men and women behind her, who held the guns trained on her and Hawk.

  Why haven’t the Fomorii shot the PSF or D’Danann? Silver wondered. Perhaps they haven’t mastered the unfamiliar weapons, or don’t know what to do with them... Unless they had taken over the bodies of cops or criminals, and then they would know.

  At that thought her heart beat even faster.

  From her side vision she saw Hawk clench the hilt of his bloodied sword in his good hand. He looked prepared to take off Junga’s and Darkwolf’s heads with one swift blow. Yet Silver knew he was holding back, holding back to protect her.

  “My parents will never help you. If you kill them, you’ll never get me,” Silver hurried to say. “Turn them over and take me, or no deal.”

  “Oh, I will have you,” Darkwolf said in her mind in a tone so full of conviction that Silver could almost believe him. “Now or later, you will be mine.”

  Silver shivered with a strange awareness as he projected the thoughts. Her. Darkwolf. Her and Darkwolf. The two of them. What they could do together—

  “Fight him, a thaisce.” Hawk’s deep Irish brogue flooded her mind. “I cannot hear what he says, but I can see it on his face, I can sense it. He is in your head. Fight him.”

  Hawk’s words, the endearment he used whenever they made love, sent a flood of warmth through her chest.

  She took a step closer to her true lover. He was the only man she wanted. Not this—this scum.

  “Get out,” Silver snarled in her mind. “You’ll never touch me.”

  Darkwolf scowled.

  “Me in exchange for my parents.” Silver forced the words out as she turned her focus on Junga and kept her gaze from straying to Darkwolf. “Now or never.”

  * * *

  Junga pursed her lips in consideration. The Ashcrofts had been exceedingly difficult. The pair had been willing to sacrifice their own lives rather than participate in the summoning. The idiots.

  Of course, Junga had lied. The Ashcrofts were not with her.

  Perhaps she would arrange to take Silver and the other witches to the hotel, and release one parent. Not both. She required something to ensure Silver’s cooperation.

  Junga opened her mouth to give Silver her terms, but she never had a chance to speak. A D’Danann shout split the salty night air. The man at Silver’s side swung his blade at Junga, and she barely dodged his blow in time.

  A purple fireball snapped and crackled in Silver’s hands, and that look of rage flooded her features again. She flung it at Darkwolf, but he had thrown up a force field. The purple shimmer surrounding him simply absorbed her power.

  With a furious roar, Junga shifted into her demon f
orm. The D’Danann lunged for her and she swiped her claws at him, barely missing him with the iron tips.

  At that second, the other D’Danann attacked from above. From the boat. From the pier.

  The air filled with the sound of powerful wings. The cries of humans. The snarling of Fomorii.

  Gunshots rang as Junga’s warriors tried to use the weapons they carried. PSF marksmen easily picked off a few of her warriors in human form. They had the same vulnerabilities as humans and dropped to the pier.

  Dead.

  A couple of Junga’s own shooters hit their marks and two D’Danann plunged from the sky. Not dead, no. Only injured, as there were no silver sparkles indicating their deaths.

  One by one, Junga’s legion began to fall.

  Again!

  Fury surging in her blood, Junga growled the order to retreat. She could ill afford more casualties. If the queen would even let her live after this defeat. After the loss of so many Fomorii lives, and the loss of the witches.

  Darkwolf casually strode to his own car, his purple shield shimmering around him. Bullets bounced off the force field as he climbed into his black Jaguar. Even as bullets continued to ring out, his car was protected with his magic. A mighty roar, and then the car sped into the night.

  The remaining Fomorii—those who could move unassisted—piled into the waiting cars at Junga’s sharp command. She shifted into human form and slipped into a vehicle just as a D’Danann’s talons raked the back of her neck, ripping clothing and flesh from her body.

  Pain seared Junga. Tears of agony nearly blinded her human eyes. She slammed the door of the car, blocking another attack.

  “Drive!” she ordered, ignoring the rush of blood down her shoulders.

  Junga felt faint, even dizzy, which doubled her fury. Asserting her will over the pitiful strength of her host, she raised her chin and glared out the windows into the darkness.

  This wasn’t over. Come tomorrow night, Darkwolf would have his thirteen. One more was all he needed, and Silver Ashcroft would be the one.

  * * *

  When Hawk raised his head to take on the next Fomorii, he saw only the blonde-haired and yellow-winged Aideen battling the remaining beast. She fought from the air. Took the demon down with a slice of her sword across its throat, beheading it.