by Raven Steele
“This way.” I motioned with my hand and turned in the direction of Korin’s private quarters. Up above me, just over the railing, I spotted Teddy rushing through the mansion. Our gaze locked for a fraction of a second, and his eyes widened as if he recognized me.
We didn’t stop, even when another explosion rocked the house. Angel was going to keep the fire to the rear of the mansion for as long as possible. The old stone walls wouldn’t burn quickly, but we still needed to hurry.
After leading them through a maze of halls, we reached Korin’s door. I touched it briefly, feeling for magic, but when there was none, I turned the doorknob. I half expected him to be on the other side, but when I saw the room was empty, I let out the breath I’d been holding. As much as I wanted to face Korin, I’d like to get the prisoners free first.
“Where is he?” Eddie asked, his voice slightly higher than usual.
“I don’t know, but the prisoners are over here.” I found the door leading to the basement and opened it. “Work quickly.”
They nodded and descended the stairs with me. I flipped on the lights. They flickered in protest before illuminating the space that smelled of sweat and chemicals. My heart sunk as I took in the scene. There were half as many prisoners as there had been the last time I was here. Where had the others gone? I checked the room Oz had been held in, but it was empty.
“There should be more,” I said in frustration.
Briar kicked down a door to one of the glass-enclosed cells. “Worry about them after we free these guys.”
Lynx used magic to blast open other doors, while Briar and I used our strength. Eddie came in after and, for those who were mostly coherent, told them to run upstairs and outside. Two of them were so weak, they needed help walking. Eddie and Lynx assisted them, moving quickly.
“Where do you think they could be?” Briar asked as she stuck her head into a closet I’d already checked.
“I don’t know. Maybe we missed a door upstairs.”
“Or Maybe Korin moved them after you broke Oz out,” she added.
We jogged up the stairs and began to search the other areas of Korin’s quarters. Lynx and Eddie disappeared into the hallway, just as Briar said, “Found something.”
I didn’t like the tone of her voice. I darted to her and stared into a dark room just off the side of Korin’s bedroom. It took me a moment for my eyes to adjust, but when they did, I brought my hand to my chest. Lying in front of us, deep into an otherwise empty room, was a pile of bodies lying in a lake of crimson blood. They looked recently killed, some of them missing heads. The smell of death and blood overwhelmed my senses.
“Think any of them are still alive?” Briar asked, her voice quiet.
“No.” Rage, pure and undiluted, raced through my veins, making them burn. I turned, darting away.
“Where are you going?” she called after me.
“To find and kill Korin.”
I raced through the mansion, my strides long and determined. Several vampires ran past me, all in a hurry to get outside of the home before it burned to the ground. Frightened voices filled my eardrums, fueling my anger. Behind me, Briar called my name, but I continued forward. Nothing was going to stop me from killing Korin this time.
One room after another, I searched them all, but Korin was nowhere to be found. Smoke plumed through the halls, making it difficult to see and breathe. The air had grown hot too, nearly suffocating.
Mateo rushed by the room I was about to exit, skidding to a stop when he recognized me. “Samira! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! We need to go.”
“Not until I find Korin.” I pushed past him. There were still a few more rooms to check.
“I don’t think he’s here.” He tugged on my arm. “He’s intelligent. He wouldn’t stay if the house was on fire.”
“Let go!” I jerked my arm free. “He can’t get away again. We must finish this!”
Mateo drew me close, gripping my arms tight. “Listen to me. I want him dead just as much as you do, if not more, but not at the cost of our lives! Look around! This place is burning!”
Sudden tears stung my eyes, and I hitched in a breath.
He wiped stray hairs away from my face tenderly, the motion countering the deadly look in his eyes. “We’ll find him. I promise.”
“I can’t.” I tried to pull away but Mateo’s grip was relentless. “I need to make sure.”
“And I need to make sure you don’t die.” Mateo’s words were soft but with a steel undertone. “There is no point if you are dead, Samira.”
That’s when I heard it, the desperation in his voice. This was practically begging for Mateo.
This time when he pulled on me, I followed. The anger inside me turned bitter. This was not how I saw the night going. The disappointment crushed me, and I tried to keep my emotions from spilling out, but it bled through our bond. Mateo stiffened, but his steps were even more certain.
He sprinted down the stairs. Smoke burned our lungs, and we held our breath until we were on the front lawn, gasping for air.
In addition to my old coven, Briar was outside with Lynx and Eddie, guiding those we had rescued into one of the vans. Marge helped. Aris and Angel stalked down the lane and to the side, as if still searching for Korin. Samantha was there too, but standing apart from everyone else. She was staring up at Winter’s Cove with a strange smile on her face. It made me shiver.
Mateo’s arm came around my side and he turned me toward the vans and our friends. “We did it. Freed everyone.”
Even though we hadn’t killed Korin, there was comfort in his words. When Korin returned, he will have lost everything. His mansion, his coven, his belongings. All gone.
I rested my head on his shoulder, sighing. “We’re getting close.”
A cold and sharp laugh erupted behind us, chilling my blood. “That’s what you think.”
Mateo spun around, shoving me behind him, but before he could get too far, a blast of invisible pressure slammed into us, and our bodies flew through the air and crashed onto the paved road. My head cracked against it, making my ears scream a high-pitched sound. I looked back to see who had pushed us.
Korin stood at the top of the stairs, smiling as the mansion burned behind him.
Chapter 26
Despite my spinning head, I pulled myself to my feet, ready in case he attacked, just as Briar and Lynx rushed to my side. Angel and Aris had darted to Mateo to help him. Blood ran down the side of Mateo’s face.
Korin’s cool gaze eyed each of us, pausing on members of his own coven. “You would betray me?” he yelled.
Their silence was deafening.
Korin searched the crowd again. His eyes paused on Mateo and I for just a brief moment before moving on. He didn’t recognize us. His gaze, however, did stop on Aris and Angel.
“Is this the Ministry’s work?” Korin hissed at Aris.
“Your time is up,” Aris replied calmly. “You’ve caused too much damage to supernaturals, including the Principes Noctis. We cannot tolerate your existence any longer.”
Korin’s left eye twitched. “Is that so?”
“You’re finished, Korin!” Angel called up. “Turn yourself in and maybe we will let you live.”
Korin scowled. “You will let me live? That’s a kind gesture, not one I’ll extend to any of you.”
He snapped his hands forward. Fireballs appeared in their place.
“Son of a bitch!” Briar yelled. “The spell didn’t work.”
Before anyone could react, he shot flames into the crowd. They hit a vampire, one of his own members, and she burst into flames.
“You can’t beat me,” Korin roared. “I will destroy you all!”
Screams filled the air, making my heart hammer against my ribcage. I sucked in a breath, trying to calm it, watching as Teddy ran over, trying to smoother the flames, but it was useless. Anger beat inside me, a deep bass, resonating through my whole body. This man would die. Tonight.
�
��You’ll have to get through us first,” I growled.
As if we had planned it, Lynx, Briar and I all sprinted up the stairs. When he shot fire at us, Lynx lifted her hand and said a command. The heated flames turned to sizzling smoke as if she’d doused them with water.
Korin’s eyes widened at Lynx’s reaction, and he stepped back, creating more fire from his hands. This time he didn’t toss it in our direction, catching Lynx off guard. He shot it toward vampires in Mateo’s coven and somehow the flames grew bigger as they hit their mark. Two vampires burst into flames. Mateo was there in an instant to help extinguish them.
Removing the blades from my back, I slashed them in his direction, loving the whistling sound they made through the air. They felt good in my hands. Solid. Deadly.
Briar held her daggers high, attacking him at the same time as me. We swung our blades, but he outmaneuvered each blow with precision. Only a vampire his age could move that fast. Over and over we slashed, but he sidestepped everything we gave him until he was laughing. “You can’t beat me.”
So far he had yet to fight offensively. This worried me. It felt like he was toying with us.
“Move out of the way!” Lynx yelled at us.
Just as we jumped to the side, Korin produced a line of fire at his feet. He mouthed some words and the flames grew and raced toward Lynx.
“Murus!” she shouted. The flames roared upward as if they had hit an invisible wall.
Korin continued to mentally push the inferno toward her. At the same time, fire exploded from his other hand and shot toward us. I shoved Briar back and dived to the side, feeling hot flames graze my skin.
Mateo, Angel, and Aris rushed up the stairs to help. “Give in, Korin,” Aris shouted. “How long do you think you can last? You’re all alone.”
A slow smile curled up his face. “Am I?”
My head snapped behind me and scanned the tree line. Mateo and Aris did the same. That’s when they appeared. A whole legion of Hydes sprinting from the forest as if they’d been there the whole time. How had we missed them?
Fear, cold and sharp, pierced my insides.
Briar sucked in a breath, but on her exhale, she cried, “Fight!”
Marge was the first one to respond. She roared a great and terrible cry, an ax raised high in her hand. Her battle cry incited the others, and they also rushed forward, weapons drawn, a few of them holding Oz’s blasters. Even Eddie joined them, using his skill at illusions to expertly fight them. Mateo, Angel, and Aris were right behind him, compelled to fight the hordes of Hydes storming toward us.
About half of Korin’s coven hesitated. They seemed torn on who to follow, but Teddy was right there, encouraging them to fight the approaching Hydes that were pushing through Briar’s shifters.
Without warning, a tight pressure squeezed the air and made me stumble. I searched for the source, my gaze landing on Lynx. Her eyes had turned all back, and her vibrant red hair lifted into the air.
“Imperium inferni, veni ad me,” she began to chant in ancient Latin. Her words chilled me to the bone. “I summon the powers of hell to reclaim this demon.”
I had no idea she could do something so powerful … and dark.
By the fearful look in Korin’s eyes, neither did he. He growled and dropped his control over fire to fight us with the blade at his hip. He darted away from Lynx and turned on us, slashing his blade down and around, giving us both wounds across our arms and legs.
“Screw this,” Briar snarled. She yelled, releasing her Komira powers. This time when she fought Korin they were on a more even playing field. I joined in, not able to help as much. A deep, painful ache of regret filled my gut. If I had the Kiss right now, there’s no way Korin could withstand its power. As it was, he was barely able to combat Briar’s ancient power. Much more of this, and he could easily lose.
Lynx had turned her attention to two Hydes who had made it past Aris and the other men. She wasn’t able to fight physically like the rest of us, but her ability to use magic was more accurate. And, by the way she just exploded a Hyde’s head, blood misting the air in front of her, more deadly.
Down below, Mateo’s coven and the Silver Claws fought against at least four dozen blood-thirsty Hydes. Those who used Oz’s blasters fared much better. They used the weapons to help the others, knocking down several Hydes to the ground using either electricity or wind.
Just then, Korin stepped back away from Briar, giving me my shot. I stabbed my blade forward, convinced the tip of my sword would impale him, but at the last second, he spun and caught it in his hands. He jerked the blade toward him, taking me with it. He crushed me to his chest and stared down at me.
Hissing breath as foul as his soul, he said, “How do I know you, vampire?”
I didn’t have time to answer before he let me go and whirled around to stop Briar from jamming her dagger through the back of his head. He kicked at her, his aim true. His foot crashed into her chest and sent her flying back several feet.
With his back turned toward me, I tried again, this time darting when he tried to stop me, but once again he was too fast and blocked my move. It was as if he could sense me coming before he saw me.
But I didn’t let that stop me. I lunged again, one blow after another. I moved so fast that my last swing caught him across the chest, slicing into his silk shirt.
“Your fighting style,” he said, breathing hard, “where have I seen it before?”
I didn’t engage in words with him. I swung again, repeating the pattern.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a Hyde running toward Briar who was struggling to get up.
“Lynx!” I cried. “Help Briar!”
While I continued to fight Korin, Lynx turned her attention to Briar. I didn’t have time to see what she did; Korin had shot flames at me again, making me dive to the ground.
I scrambled to get up, but Korin was there, gripping my neck so fast and hard, my throat made a strange gurgling sound. My swords fell from my hands and clanked against the stone floor. He stared into my eyes, his pupils expanding.
“You are a gnat but a skilled fighter. I think it’s time you switched teams.”
“No!” Mateo yelled, but Korin had already captured me in his sway.
“Listen to my voice. You are my sword now. Kill anyone who tries to fight me.”
I struggled to fight against his compulsion, but without the Kiss, I was at his mercy. A blanket of power settled over me, and my thoughts became singular.
Protect Korin at all costs.
“That’s it,” Korin cooed. He released me, turning me around to face Briar and Lynx. “They want me dead. Kill them.”
Briar glanced back at me after decapitating a Hyde. “Don’t do this, girl! I know you can fight it.”
Her words meant nothing to me. Scooping up my swords, I stalked toward them, readjusting my grip on their handles.
Lynx stuttered, her arms slightly up. “You don’t want this. We’re your friends.”
I stabbed the tip of my blade forward toward her gut. All I wanted was her blood.
Briar met my blade with her dagger. She shoved me back. “Back the fuck up and snap out of it.”
“Kill them!” Korin raged at me, then he turned his attention to his own coven. More fire shot from his hands. Some avoided the flames, others weren’t so lucky.
Obeying Korin’s order, I attacked Briar, striking her as hard and as quickly as I could. She stumbled back, barely managing to keep her footing beneath her. I knew she wouldn’t fight me, not like she had Korin. I was going to use our friendship against her until she no longer breathed.
“Stop!” Lynx screamed at me. She turned and yelled, “Aris!”
I needed to hurry. I couldn’t fight all of them at once. Time to change tactics.
I stopped fighting and lowered my sword. I spoke, making sure to keep my tone sweet. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“You sound weird.” Briar paused and narrowed her eyes. �
�Are you back?”
I forced a smile. “I’ve returned. It took me a second to break his compulsion.”
“Are you sure?” Lynx asked a short distance away. “Are you really better?”
“Yes, Lynx. I’m better.” My hand tightened on the blade. Behind them, the battle raged. Mateo was currently occupied with two Hydes. However, he kept glancing between me and Korin, with hatred burning in his eyes every time he looked at Korin. After I killed Briar and Lynx, I’d have to kill him, too. No emotions followed that thought, except that I could not allow anyone to harm Korin.
“Phew.” Briar exhaled a breath. “Glad your short psychosis is over. Can we kick some ass now?”
She walked toward me, relief painted all over her face. It didn’t last long.
I lunged forward, flipping my blade upward. Lynx screamed Briar’s name just as I rammed the tip of the sword through her stomach. Her eyes widened in horror, her face twisting in pain at my betrayal. It meant nothing to me.
Angel reached me first. I didn’t even see him coming before his fist crashed into my jaw line. I flipped backward and landed hard on the ground. But my pain didn’t matter. I had a job to do.
I moved to jump up but Mateo was suddenly on me, pinning me to the ground. I rotated out from under him and reached for my sword. My fingers curled around it, and I slashed it backwards, intent on running it through whoever might stop me. Whatever Mateo meant to me before, those feelings were gone. All I felt was rage for those who might harm Korin.
Mateo jumped back but the tip of my sword managed to slice through his side. He winced, staring at me with pain in his eyes. His hurt didn’t slow me down.
“I won’t fight you,” he said softly.
Aris stepped in front of him and raised his blade. “But I will.”
A slow smile crept passed my lips. I’d always wanted to know if I could beat the genetically-created super vampire.
I raised my blade, acting as if I was going to swing it toward his head, but when he flinched to move away, I changed directions, and swung toward his stomach. As if reading my mind, he blocked my sword and spun away.
Behind him, Lynx stood guard, mentally fighting any Hyde who came near us. Mateo tried to help her, but he was also trying to watch me and Aris. Angel knelt on the ground with Briar, healing her. I had to stop him.