Supernatural Syndicate: A Limited Edition Collection of Magical Mafia Stories

by Thea Atkinson

  Micheline

  It was a brutal battle. I leaped over the wolves’ dead carcasses as I ran toward Matias. He had backed himself against the wall on the third level and a dozen sorcerers surrounded him. He was happy to steal my life and I was ready to avenge myself. Leaping over a nearby car, I ducked as the grey wolf from that night lunged at me. Shooting at him, he managed to slide underneath a navy-blue Hummer.

  Dang, the wolf had gotten lucky.

  “Come back for more, sweetheart? You should be thanking me. If I hadn’t killed you, Domenico would’ve never turned you,” said Matias.

  Firing several shots at the sorcerers blocking him, I groaned when they disappeared. One reappeared before me, wrapping his hands around my neck. He slammed me against the wall.

  Wham! My ears rung as my vision blurred. Behind him another sorcerer appeared. He wasn’t one of them that was with Matias, but that didn’t make him any less scary. He waved his hand, and the man flew off me and into the red corvette a few cars down.

  “Micheline. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jorel Milien. Mind if I give you a hand here?”

  Bending low, I tried to catch my breath. “Sure.”

  Smiling, I fired at Matias. He threw several of his men in front of him before he disappeared. Clenching my jaw, I walked toward the next row. The grey wolf lunged for me, but I was knocked to the ground. Axel leaped on the gray wolf and tore a gigantic chunk out of his neck. The gray wolf howled and sank to the ground. His blood coated his fur and Axel was still tearing him limb from limb. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw four more wolves rushing toward Axel and me.

  Firing several shots, I hit them all but one. I fired at the last one as he jumped left and right from car to car. My gun was out of bullets. I looked around for a weapon, but there wasn’t anything. The wolf opened his mouth and leaped high in the air toward me.

  Pow. Pow. Pow.

  Three guns shots rang out and the wolf grunted and fell to the ground. Bartolome` walked up to the wolf as he heaved his last breath and fired two shots into its head. “He won’t be getting up from these bullets.”

  Nodding my thanks, I saw Axel back up from the dead wolf, or what was left of him. His entrails were littered all over the cement.

  “Here, take this. You need it more than I do,” said Bartolome`. He reached inside his suit jacket and handed me his gun. He winked and walked away.

  Running after Bartolome`, I spotted Domenico and another group of vampires. They were in front of the sorcerers, fighting the werewolves. I couldn’t tell the bad wolves from the good ones, so I didn’t fire on any of them. The sorcerers that came with Matias, were trying to retreat. Jorel and his men had done something, and the sorcerers were paralyzed, and they were decapitating heads as they moved through them.

  Where was Matias? This would all be for nothing if he got away. Where are you, you weasel?

  At the end of the row, Matias sprinted away.

  Pointing, I screamed over the noise and carnage around me, “Matias is getting away.”

  A tall man with dark hair raised his hands and brought Matias back up the row, and Axel latched on to his neck. Matias pulled a dagger, and I shot several times. He fell to the ground and Axel kept biting his neck. His screams were music to my ears, as I watched, with my gun lifted, for any sign that I needed to unload my clip into him.

  Too bad I couldn’t have shot him in the head. Axel was so close; I couldn’t risk shooting him too. The hair on the back of my nape lifted as everything started to come to a stop. A dozen vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers strolled inside the garage. The tall woman, with brown wavy hair, waved her hand and sent Axel flying into the wall. His body hit it and slithered to the ground.

  Several werewolves formed a circle around Axel blocking him from their view.

  This must be the council. They didn’t look old or weak. It didn’t look like they had come to talk. The way all of them stared at me, it looked like I was about to taste death yet again.

  The dark-haired beauty lifted her hand and Matias’ body lifted off the ground and floated to her. She waved her hand over his neck, and his wound started to heal.

  Salty tears pricked my eyes and I bit my tongue, tasting my own metallic blood. Matias spilled my blood, but he would never spill my tears.

  Matias smirked. “Council, there she is. Kill them all.”

  The man next to the woman looked at me. “This female is Micheline Lambert? She is so weak.”

  Domenico roared. He had an amber light surrounding him and his clothes were being shredded under the light. The light didn’t stop after it touched his skin. It ripped open his flesh. Looking at them, I noticed a man with his eyes closed, as if in deep concentration. His fingers were moving like he was playing an invisible instrument.

  The council wants to kill us.

  “Come my child, and I will make his death quick,” he said.

  I laughed. “You lust for power, but you won’t gain any power from me.”

  The woman flung her hair. The werewolves next to her advanced but she held up her hand. “You laugh in the face of your death.”

  “No, I laugh at your death. All of you will be annihilated.” I lifted my chin and stared them all down. I wasn’t afraid of death. I knew what it felt like and I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of fearing them.

  Things could be worse. The Shadow King could kill me. He was the one that I feared. If the stories mom and dad had told me were true, he would make any pain these idiots inflicted look like a toothache.

  “Come, Micheline, I’m Pierre. This won’t hurt for long.” He smiled, then disappeared. He reappeared in front of me, his hand wrapped around my neck.

  His fangs elongated. “I’m going to drain you dry.”

  The werewolves growled behind him and several footsteps made him turn away from me. “I will leave you all some blood. You know what I meant.”

  When he turned back toward me, his smile fell. His attention was centered directly behind me. All of a sudden, the other council members were encased in a purple dome. They pounded on it while the sorcerers attempted to reverse it. Torin grabbed Pierre’s neck and snapped it.

  Torin waved his hand over the others and they regained movement. Everyone except Domenico. He was still paralyzed, and he now stood in a pool of blood.

  Torin was like lightning, disappearing and reappearing. Sometimes he only reappeared to kick the severed head away from him. The council members were being killed. The woman punched some black oval shaped button before laughing.

  “You can kill me, Torin, but you’re already dead,” she said. She laughed until he snapped her neck and cut off her head.

  Waving his hand, he gathered their heads, and set them on fire. “Where is Tobias?”

  I ran to Domenico, who fell to the ground and collapsed into unconsciousness. “He’s at the house with Madeleine.”

  Torin shook his head. “I went there first. They aren’t at the house.”

  I jumped to my feet. “Oh my god. The council must have attacked them there. Did you search for their…? Did you look through the entire house?”

  He nodded. “They might have been attacked, but it wasn’t there. Where would they go?”

  A gust of wind flew inside the garage and everything felt chilly. I looked at the others, but they had surrounded Axel and Domenico.

  “Torin, you killed the council. I wasn’t ready for them to die. I guess you know where the royal bloodline heir is that I seek,” said Valen. He appeared at the end of the row and started walking.

  Torin clenched his jaw. “Don’t do anything until I come back.”

  “I can help you.” I fired my gun, but the Shadow Spirit vanished.

  Torin waved his hand and all of us disappeared, leaving him to battle the Shadow King alone.

  We appeared back at the house. Shaking off my confusion, I ran through the house.

  “Madeline, where are you?” I sprinted down the hallway and up the stairs. Breathing heavy, I ran thro
ugh each room. My heart slammed against my ribcage as I bellowed her name at the top of my lungs.

  “She’s not here,” said Domenico. He grabbed me from behind and held me close to his chest.

  “They have to be here. Where else would she go?” I pulled away from him.

  Where could she be? She wouldn’t leave town, would she?

  Rubbing my temples, I paced back and forth.

  “Don’t panic, we’ll find your sister,” said Domenico.

  Shaking my head, I headed for the bathroom. Rushing into the bathroom, I shut the door, leaned against the cabinet, and rubbed my temples.

  What if she went to find the royals?

  The Shadow King appeared in front of me. “Don’t bother searching further. I have Madeleine. If you want to see your sister alive, you’ll come to the Dark Realm.”

  Backing from him, I opened my mouth to scream, but he disappeared and reappeared right in front of me. The fluorescent lights flickered, and he radiated raw power.

  He laid a finger to his lips. “Scream and I will kill all of them. You don’t want to be the cause of their deaths, do you?”

  “No.” Narrowing my eyes at him, I backed up a step.

  “If you decide you care for your sister, all you have to do is call me, and I will come for you.”

  “If you want me there so bad, why don’t you take me?”

  “You’re special, or should I say, your bloodline is special. I can’t force you to come to the Dark Realm. It’s a place you must voluntarily enter.”

  “You have until the moon appears before her life is forfeited. It’s your choice.”

  He disappeared.

  Placing my hand in my mouth, I bent my head and wept. It seemed like I would have to taste death a second time to save Madeleine. Opening the cabinet, I got the liquid diphenhydramine and poured some in the cup. Opening the door, I Rushed to the kitchen. I poured some red wine in a cup for myself and poured some blood in his cup. Mixing the blood with the diphenhydramine, I swirled one last time before heading back upstairs.

  “Domenico, come have a drink with me.” I walked up the stairs looking in the rooms. Stepping into his room, I saw him conversing with Genziano.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” said Genziano as he walked out the room, closing the door.

  “I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done to help me. I handed him the drink. I watched him drain the liquid in one long gulp.

  13

  Madeleine

  I put the damp cloth against her cheek. Nolani was out cold. She was terrified of werewolves. What we did was a bad move, but we didn’t have time to coddle her. We are in danger and she needed to understand that.

  Tobias glared at me. “This was a mistake. You’re always being reckless. Has your sister’s ultimate sacrifice shown you nothing?”

  That was a low blow. My sister died for me. I know. I didn’t want her to, but she did. I should’ve never left her there alone. I’m making up for it the best way I know how. We need to form alliances just like Matias and the council. We are standing still while they make power moves to destroy all of us.

  “This was for the best. One day she’ll agree with me.”

  Tobias frowned. “You’re dreaming but whatever. We don’t have time for this. Move.” He pushed me out the way and lifted her into his arms and headed for the door.

  When we stepped out on the street, things seemed different. Looking around, I motioned for him to rush toward the car. Running across the street, I pressed the unlock button.

  Boom! We flew back. The car erupted in a fiery explosion.

  Strong hands wrapped around my waist and I elbowed and kicked to get free. My hands were trapped, and I couldn’t reach for the gun underneath my shirt.

  “Stop. It’s just me,” said Nicenzio. He set me on my feet, and I swung on him. Looking around I sighed in relief when I saw Tobias pulling Nolani along with him. He was scanning the surroundings.

  She glared at me. “Great you’ve doomed us to death.”

  “You jerk. You almost gave me a heart attack. Did you blow up the car too?”

  His lips thinned. “Nope.” Grabbing my elbow, he dragged me to the sidewalk.

  “Where are you going? Let’s just take your car.”

  “My car met with the same fate as yours ten miles down the road. I tracked you by your scent.” Nicenzio opened the front door and slammed it behind us.

  Turning to Nolani, I ignored Nicenzio. “Do you have a car?”

  “No, I don’t leave the house ever. That was why I had been safe the entire time until you showed up.” Nolani rolled her eyes and ran up the stairs.

  I took off after her. Maybe she had guns. She could be running but, after watching a car blow up, I doubt she wanted to be outside exposed like we had been a few minutes ago.

  Following her into the second small bedroom, she pulled the bed away from the wall. “Don’t just stand there, help me unless you want to die.”

  Throwing the bed aside. She ripped a poster off the wall and there was a section of the drywall cut out. She pulled it off the wall and reached in and pulled a lever.

  Glass shattered downstairs. Nolani looked at me then rushed over to the dresser and pulled out a backpack. She put it on her shoulders and reached in and took out two guns.

  I pulled out my gun and stood away from the window. A second later, Nicenzio came in dragging Tobias.

  “What happened to him?”

  “A gun shot with silver bullets. I blocked him, but a piece of the bullet shrapnel pierced his leg. I got it out, but he’s wounded and weak,” said Nicenzio.

  Nolani locked the bedroom door and flung aside the rug. Lifting the floorboards, she started climbing down. I followed, and Nicenzio carried Tobias down with him.

  Nolani shook her head. “After we hike for twenty miles, that should put a little distance between us. Then they will have to search all of the tunnels down here to find us. If we’re lucky, we might escape.” She looked at Tobias. “We can take turns carrying him. You need your strength to help us fight.”

  Tobias looked pale. Biting my lip, I silently prayed that his life wouldn’t be sacrificed because of me.

  It seemed like hours before we had hiked twenty miles. Nolani and I had taken turns carrying Tobias. The longer the time passed, the more I worried because he hadn’t woken.

  I looked at her. “How much further before we can stop and tend to his wounds?”

  Nolani looked down the dark tunnel but Nicenzio had disappeared. “We aren’t far enough into the tunnels. I don’t think they are far behind us. We must keep going.”

  These tunnels were dark and narrow. He wasn’t familiar with them and I didn’t want him getting lost and running into more enemies.

  Nolani kept moving. I was carrying Tobias on my shoulders, so she was speed-walking down the tunnel. “Do you think he’s lost? He’s been gone a while.”

  “He’s a vampire. There’s no way he would get lost. He can smell you. There were probably more enemies than we thought.”

  I followed her, restraining myself from choking her. Nolani was pissed that I had come for her, yes; but that doesn’t help things now. Her nonchalant attitude about Nicenzio running into more enemies made me want to beat her tall willowy ass.

  When she finally stopped and turned right into a small alcove that I didn’t see, I sank down with Tobias. My feet were killing me, and I worried that Nicenzio had been gone too long. I was going after him.

  No one else dies for me. I can’t handle it. If it’s my destiny to die today then I was going out in a blaze of glory, or at least try to anyway.

  “I’m going after him. It’s been too long. How do I get back to where we left him?”

  Nolani stopped rummaging through her backpack and glared at me. “Going back by yourself is a sure way of getting yourself killed. He can handle himself and, if he didn’t, then going back means you’ll die for nothing.”

  “It won’t be for nothing.”

&n
bsp; She shrugged. “Suit yourself. Go back forty-five miles then turn left and then a right. When you’ve gone an additional ten miles, take the fourth left and go down a mile and turn right.”

  Breathing, I nodded. Ignoring her rolling her eyes, I turned and walked into a wall of muscle.

  “As touching as that was, you will never willingly put yourself in danger,” said Nicenzio. He grabbed my elbow and jerked me back near Tobias.

  When he tossed me down on my butt, I winced. “What took you so long? I wasn’t going back empty-handed. I still have my gun.”

  “A gun with twelve bullets is not as much help as you might think it is.”

  “I never heard any gunfire,” said Nolani. She pulled out a metal flask, lifted Tobias’ head, and poured some water into his mouth.

  “I didn’t shoot anyone. The Shadow King showed up.”

  Nolani closed the flask. Her hand trembled and she licked her lips. “You fought him?”

  There was so much hope in her eyes I wanted to turn away. I knew that nobody would fight the Shadow King and live to tell the tale.

  Nicenzio shook his head. “He was upset that you guys had gotten away, and he killed them.”

  “How many men were there?”

  “There were three dozen. I took out a dozen of them, but I needed to strategize how to take down the other twenty-four, since I was running out of places to stash their bodies.”

  Several hours had passed, and Tobias had only woken up for a few minutes before passing out again. We were in a tough jam for sure. I wasn’t sure we would make it out of here alive and, if we stayed, Tobias would surely die. Fighting the council and their imperial assassins was different than fighting the Shadow King. This was the worst place to fight. These tunnels were narrow and didn’t allow room for error. I looked at Nolani. We had both taken turns staying up and keeping guard, since neither of us could sleep.

  She was a beautiful woman and if we had met under different circumstances, she and I might be friends. I didn’t want to be her enemy, I just wanted everyone that I cared for to be safe.