by M H Soars
Fear like I’d never known crushes my chest, not because I’m worried about my fate. I’m terrified what the archdemon is going to do to my mates.
“Let him go.” I take a step forward only to be yanked back by Martin.
Seth slowly staggers to his feet, wiping the blood from his chin. He throws a murderous glace in Martin’s direction, before limping toward his new master, Valerius.
Tristan, who has Sam pinned down with his jaw locked tight around his throat, looks in my direction. I try one more time to breach through his conscience. At first, I only encounter static, then I force my way in, hearing the command that’s pulsing in his brain loud and clear. He has to kill his brothers. Fighting the burn in my eyes, I use every ounce of mental strength I have, plunging through the dissonance caused by the chip. I bounce against the barrier and back into my own head. Tristan’s eyes remain soulless.
“Tristan,” I whisper, my heart breaking. I can’t believe this is the end. A fat tear rolls down my cheek.
“He’s gone, Amelia. There’s nothing you can do to help him,” Martin says.
“That’s right. Say goodbye to your precious little wolves.” Valerius squeezes Dante’s neck tighter, digging his talons in his skin, drawing blood.
“No!” I elbow Martin’s stomach, turning around when his hold on my arm slackens to scratch the side of his face.
He staggers backward, before glancing at me with red-tinged eyes. A great brown bear comes charging from behind, roaring as he comes. Martin pivots, but he’s not fast enough to avoid the blow of a massive bear claw to his head. He’s sent flying, and then I don’t care anymore about his fate. I turn around, ready to shift again when Tristan lets go of Sam, falling to the ground himself with a whine of pain.
Valerius is in halt-pivot motion, still clutching Dante by the neck, when Sam leaps on him, the momentum sending the three of them careening on the ground. Dante falls close to the archdemon’s shadow while Sam and Valerius roll around on the ground, snarling and biting at each other.
Harkon laughs before reaching for Dante’s prone form. I break into a run, yelling something unintelligible, a battle cry. I don’t reach Dante before the archdemon grabs him by his tail.
“Say goodbye to your pet,” he says in his garbled demonic voice.
Another dark portal appears to his side. With a flick of his hand, Harkon sends Dante flying through it. The portal disappears. Blinded by rage and despair, I charge the archdemon, knowing full well I’m heading for certain death, or worse, eternal damnation as his captive. I’m intercepted by someone who body slams me to the ground. Strong arms wrap around my shoulders as I fight against the hold.
“You can’t fight the archdemon directly, Red,” Alex says, holding me close.
“Set me free, Alex.”
“Harkon doesn’t have a tangible form in this plane yet. He’s using Valerius to tether himself here for the time being until he’s strong enough. If you want to stop him, you must kill the vessel.”
“I have to kill Valerius.”
“Yes.”
Alex eases off me, standing up and pulling me with him. Valerius has shifted into half human, half wolf form. He resembles a werewolf in that deformed state.
“Stay out of the way,” Alex orders before he runs toward the fight, magical dagger in hand.
No fucking way I’m staying out of this. I make a move to follow him, when a howl from Tristan makes me stop in my tracks. Seth is standing in front of him, gun aimed at Tristan’s head. I’ll never be able to stop him before he pulls the trigger. But Billy gets there in his wolf form, pushing Seth to the side. A shot is fired, but it misses Tristan.
I shift my attention back to the fight between Valerius, Sam, and now Alex. Damn it. I’m torn, not knowing who I should go to. Harkon begins to move again, toward the trio. He doesn’t want to lose his vessel.
Fuck. I need something to stop him. I think about the great wolf apparition. Now would be a great time for my guardians to show up. I focus on them, calling out, only there’s no surge of power from the ground, no intrinsic awareness of their approach. Something here must be blocking them.
I try once more to tap into my witch’s power, but I get nothing, not even a flicker of electricity between my fingers.
Sam lets out a wail of pain when Valerius pierces his eye with his claw. Alex is on the ground, staggering to his feet, sans his dagger. I spot it between me and Valerius, partly hidden by the overgrown grass. It’s now or never. I sprint toward it, bending over to pick up the weapon without slowing down. Valerius tosses Sam aside as if he were a piece of rotten meat, then turns his attention to Alex, who is braced to face the alpha relying only on his fists. I don’t know what the hell Alex is, but he must have a death wish.
When I’m near enough, I leap, pulling my dagger-yielding hand over my head to pierce Valerius’s exposed neck through the back. The dagger’s blade pierces the monster as if it was cutting soft butter, getting buried deep to the hilt. The whole weapon turns bright blue, and as Valerius turns in slow motion, the light spreads through his dark veins, consuming the darkness in him. Now with my ass on the ground, I scoot back, getting closer to where Sam has fallen.
An enraged scream fills the square, and I’m not sure if it’s coming from Valerius or Harkon. Valerius’s skin begins to crack as he staggers in my direction, arm raised to reach me. The light from within him turns brighter before he explodes in a shower of dark matter, the smell too pungent to be simply ashes.
There’s no time to rejoice that the vile alpha, the monster who hurt so many people, is gone. With my heart in my throat, I veer my attention back to where Harkon stood, and then my entire world comes crushing down on me and I die inside. I would scream, but there’s no time.
Grabbing Tristan, he disappears.
Chapter 49
Red
I stare without blinking at the spot the demon disappeared from with Tristan. My chest is tight, a contradiction to the hollowness I now feel there. Focusing on the invisible thread that links me to Tristan and Dante, I can’t sense anything. The bond has vanished. They’re truly gone.
Dropping to my knees, I choke on an angry sob that bubbles up my throat. I forget that there’s still a battle going on, that at any moment I could be attacked by the enemy. Instead, I crawl to where Sam fell, finding him attempting to stand while covering his bloody eye with one hand.
“Sam,” I say, staggering to my feet.
He turns in my direction, then manages to stand as well. I break into a run, stopping only when I collide with him, almost sending us both down to the ground. He takes a step back to steady us, wrapping his arm around my shoulder to hold me tight.
“Are you okay?” we both ask at the same time.
“I’m not hurt,” I answer. “Your eye. We need to get you medical attention.”
“I’m not going anywhere until these fucking wolves are dealt with.”
It’s then I realize I can’t hear the angry snarls of wolves engaged in battle. Glancing around, I see that Valerius’s soldiers have stopped attacking. But there’s not complete silence. Not too far from us, Xander, in his great bear form, has his paw over Martin’s chest, about to crush it.
“Go ahead. Do it,” the hunter says in a chilling voice.
“No!” Alex yells before he and his companions break into a run toward Xander and Martin.
Xander looks over his massive shoulder. Sensing a threat coming his way, he stands on his hind legs. He lets out a roar so savage, it makes me tremble. Alex and his friends don’t seem one bit intimidated by the bear shifter. Damn it. Alex does have a death wish.
I break away from Sam’s side, running after the idiots and waving my hand like a madwoman, trying to catch Xander’s attention.
“Stop! They’re with us.”
A black blur collides with Alex, pushing him to the ground. His companions forget charging Xander to assist Alex, who is being dragged by the back of his shirt by a great black cat.
&nb
sp; “Is that a black panther?” I ask.
“No. It’s a jaguar. Fuck. I thought they were all gone,” Sam replies in awe.
Instinctively, I know things are about to get messy, when a gunshot sounds in the air, freezing all parties. Santiago is standing near the charred gazebo, looking pissed beyond reason. He turns to Xander, pointing a finger at the alpha.
“You, shift back now.”
When the bear doesn’t obey, Santiago sends a purple-colored energy sphere toward Xander, hitting him square in the shoulder. With a grunt, Xander drops onto his four paws and shifts back. On his hands and knees, he lifts his face to throw a murderous glare in Santiago’s direction.
“How dare you force me to shift?” His voice sounds more like a growl.
“You were lost in your bloodlust. I’m not going to apologize for it.” Santiago switches his attention to the black jaguar who still has Alex’s shirt between its teeth. “Don’t make me force you, too, lass.”
The jaguar lets out a low snarl before turning in my direction. A sense of familiarity hits me when our gazes lock. I know that shifter, but that’s impossible. It can’t be her. The jaguar releases Alex before bolting, faster than lighting, out of the square. She disappears around the corner before anyone can stop her.
“We have to go after her,” I say.
Santiago is still staring in the direction she disappeared before he shakes his head. “She’ll come back.”
The odious Martin begins to laugh, spewing blood from his mouth as he does so. Xander is on him faster than I can blink, holding the hunter’s neck in a vise hold.
“I don’t need to be in my bear form to end you.”
Santiago points his gun at the back of Xander’s head. “Step away from him.”
“Why are you so hell-bent on protecting that scumbag?” Sam asks. “He’s a fucking monster.”
Xander moves away from Martin slowly, his hands now up. Only when the alpha is far enough from Martin does Santiago drop his gun.
The hunter props his elbows on the ground, looking like he was indeed almost mauled to death. Three angry gashes cut the right side of his face, turning him into a stuff of nightmares. Now he has the looks to match his character.
Alex, to my surprise, drops next to the man. “Jesus fucking Christ, you’re a mess, brother.”
Brother?
Cold dread drips down my spine, while the heaviness in my chest becomes almost unbearable. Alex and Martin can’t be in collusion, can they?
“I fucked up, mate. I fucked up so royally,” Martin replies, speaking with a British accent now.
“Can somebody explain what the hell is going on here?” Sam asks.
Alex turns to us, glaring at Sam first, before connecting his gaze with mine. “Martin was an undercover agent. He infiltrated the Ravens, knowing the hunters were involved with underworld scum.”
He touches the raven tattoo on Martin’s neck, and it disappears. Martin closes his eyes for a brief moment, shuddering before he focuses beyond Alex, on the black-haired girl who is standing stiffly next to Maximus.
“I see that you passed the trials, sis. Congrats.”
“You look like hell,” the young woman replies. So, she’s Martin’s sister. I can see the resemblance.
Alex opens his mouth to say something else, but I’ve had enough, so I cut him off. “What are you doing here, Alex?”
His face becomes as hard as stone as he unfurls from his crouch. “I’m part of an elite task force called The Dark Blades. I’m a druid, Red.”
“Alex?” Sam turns to me. “Is that your ex?”
Ah, shit. How does Sam know about Alex? I guess it doesn’t matter how he does, only that now I have to keep Sam as far away from Alex as possible because the jealousy I see shining in his eyes means trouble, the deadly kind.
Chapter 50
Red
It’s been a day since the terrible fight in Shadow Creek. After I killed Valerius, his controlled wolves stopped fighting and then it was over. Rochelle and the other wolves with implants were put in quarantine until Dr. Mervina could figure out how to remove the chip without causing more damage to them. Because their controlling devices were tainted with demonic energy, the procedure wouldn’t be simple.
We’re back in the compound since Valerius had so easily been able to break through Brian’s wards. I’m in shock, refusing to believe that both Dante and Tristan are gone. I still can’t sense my bond to them, but I couldn’t when I was Valerius’s captive, either. I have to believe they are alive.
I’m locked in Sam’s room, refusing to talk to anyone while I veil his sleep. Zaya was able to patch him up, but he did end up losing his left eye. When we returned here, Brian filled me in on what happened after I disappeared through the portal. Peter had been ambushed by Martin’s hunters, stabbed in the guts, and then sent to the compound carrying some kind of magical device that not only broke Brian’s protective wards, but also opened up the portal to Shadow Creek. He was rushed to the hospital, but mercifully, was in stable condition. Brian assured me he won’t remember a thing about what happened. He’s human after all. I’m not sure how I feel about this whole scrubbing the memories of regular folks to protect the supernatural community. It leaves the inhabitants unprepared to deal with threats from evil creatures, such as Valerius and Harkon.
Thinking about that fucking archdemon makes me more enraged than afraid. Brian has not had the chance to forge my weapon using the sacred stone, nor have we heard from Albert Saint regarding his stone. So for now, I have no means to defeat Harkon.
A soft knock on the door makes me tense up. I’ve asked to be left alone. Dr. Mervina pushes the door open a sliver, sticking her head in.
“How is he doing?” she asks.
“Still out.”
She enters, then closes the door behind her. I open my mouth to say I don’t want any company, but she raises her hand and says, “You can’t hide here forever.”
“I’m not hiding.”
Dr. Mervina pinches her lips into a scowl. “I’ve left you alone for a day, sensing you needed time to recover. But the time for a pity party is over. There’s much to be done.”
Rage simmers low in my gut. Crossing my arms, I glare at the alpha. “I’m not throwing a pity party. I needed time to think.”
Dr. Mervina nods, lacing her hands together. “Very well. Anything you would like to share with me?”
“I can’t sense the bond to Tristan and Dante anymore, but I refuse to believe they’re dead. I couldn’t sense any of them when I was in Shadow Creek, so it’s possible some great power is blocking my link to Tristan and Dante now, right?”
“They aren’t dead.”
A wave of relief washes over me, but still, I have to ask. “How do you know?”
“You wouldn’t be able to sense the bond to my sons if they weren’t in this plane.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m their mother, I know they’re alive. The thread is weak, which is why I don’t believe they’re in the same dimension as we are.”
Running my hand through my hair, I yank at a strand. “How are we going to discover in which dimensions they are?”
“There’s where Zeke Rogers and the Dark Blades come in. The imp took off as soon as he suspected you were the reincarnation of the Mother of Wolves. He went after the Blades.”
Bitterness pools in my mouth when I think about Alex. A person doesn’t suddenly become a druid; they’re born a druid, which means he lied to me during our entire relationship. It’s hard to believe another person close to me was deceitful, but just because it happened again doesn’t make the bitter pill less difficult to swallow.
“Alex is my ex,” I say, and I don’t even know why.
“I know. I heard he’s one of the best Dark Blades fighters.”
I snort. Of course he is. He was always good at everything he tried. I never once stopped to consider that maybe his excellency in every single sport he attempted wasn’t natural,
or how he never seemed inclined to stick to any in particular.
“You’re angry.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“I get your frustration, but you’ll need Alex’s help to find Dante and Tristan. I hope you can move past the rancor you’re feeling right now.”
Dr. Mervina is right. I have to push Alex’s deceit aside. But talking about him won’t help me, though, so I decide to change the subject.
“My new witch powers are flaky. I could only tap into them once during the battle.”
“You need time to harness them. It was already a great feat that you were able to use your powers at all.”
Sam makes a small sound while he sleeps, drawing my attention to him. I touch the side of his face, glad I have him with me still.
“Did you hear anything from Kenya?” I ask, only knowing that Zeke took Kenya to her mother, Sheriff Arantes, yesterday.
“She’s fine. No harm was done to the girl during her brief captivity.”
I release a breath of relief. “And her memories? Are they getting scrubbed, too?”
“No. Kenya is a special case.”
“Because her mother is the sheriff,” I say a little stiffly.
“Among other things.”
I watch Dr. Mervina closely now. Her reply makes me suspect she’s hiding something. Maybe sensing my suspicious thoughts, she changes the subject.
“Your grandmother is also fine.”
“Why wouldn’t she be fine?” I ask.
The fact she didn’t come to see me wasn’t strange considering everything she has done in the past. I figured she was busy doing more important things.
“Keeping that portal open long enough for my sons to come after you took too much from her. She’s with her sisters from the rogue coven, recharging her batteries per se.”
Dr. Mervina doesn’t elaborate, but I get the gist that wherever Grandma is, she’s not to be disturbed. I’m relieved for more reasons than one. I’m not ready to talk to her yet, especially when I have to deal with another ghost from my past.