by Bailey, G.
“Enough of this,” I hear Hawthorne command. “Finish him off.”
With a burst of renewed energy, I summon the biggest blast of fire that I can from deep in my chest and exhale it directly onto Theo. His vampire body goes up in flames, and even the stoic rebel leader is unable to keep from screaming in pain as his legs give out. The smell of burning flesh fills the room, the sounds of suffering and violence all around me. But it’s the look in Theo’s eyes that makes me freeze: that same half-plaintive expression of disappointment and lost hope.
I tell myself not to give in, to stay focused on what truly matters, but then I hear one of the guys—I’m not sure which one—let out his own cry of pain, as frightened and anguished as Theo’s.
And just like that, I snap out of it.
Chapter 82
For a moment, it’s like having a bucket of cold water dumped over my head. No, more accurately, it’s like finally being allowed up for air after being held underwater almost to the point of death. Suddenly the world is too bright, the colors too vibrant, all of my senses thrown out of whack by the abruptness of the shift. Whereas the first shift came almost as a relief, bringing with it the freedom of having my ideas shaped around apathy, this one comes as a shock. No more than a couple of seconds have passed, and Theo is still lying on the ground in front of me. All around me are the sounds of battle, but whatever bloodthirst Hawthorne induced in me is gone, shaken off like some kind of meddlesome pest.
The carnage…
I realize I’m shaking as I stare down at Theo, his body still smoldering from the heat of the flames. My eyes drop to my hands, which are shaking, covered in scrapes, bruises and blood. Blood that isn’t my own. My ears pick up on a cry of anguish, and it’s a moment before I notice it’s coming from me. What have I done? What the hell have I done?
“What are you doing?” Hawthorne’s voice, sounding like it’s coming from far away, makes its way to me from across the room. “Kill him, Millie!”
But the command doesn’t hold up anymore. The guilt, disgust, and shock of what I just did is too much for even the most potent of brainwashing spells. Finally, I get my body to work, and this time there’s no malice behind my actions—nothing but cold despair and desperation to make things right. Thinking fast, I shift into my dragon form, the bulk of my reptilian body immediately dwarfing those around me. There’s no water around here, but if I can just use my mass to help Theo...
I drop to the floor, pressing my armored torso over Theo’s body. The effect is immediate, considering the heat-resistant properties of my scales: the flames are smothered in an instant, giving way to smoke and ash as I roll off of the other hybrid shifter. For a terrifying moment, I wonder if he’s dead already, but I notice that his chest is still moving, albeit shallowly, and that’s all I can do for now.
“Millie, stop it! Kill him!” Hawthorne yells, and out of the corner of my eye, I see him shift into vampire form. It’s the first time I’ve witnessed him change forms completely, and it only fuels the anger bubbling up in my chest.
“Boots!” I hear Silas say in a tone of triumph. I turn to the other dragon shifter, our eyes meeting briefly, and nothing needs to be said. On the same wavelength, he disengages from the shifter he’s currently fighting and flanks me, and together we expel an enormous blast of flame directly onto Hawthorne. He should really know better than to pit his vampire form against two dragons, but it’s clear that he hasn’t quite learned the strategies of transformation yet, which is our saving grace. The flames lick at his skin, blistering it the same way they did Theo’s. Unfortunately, he gets his hands up in time to surround himself in his own force field, rendering our attacks useless.
Grabbing the rune again, Hawthorne shouts out to his mysterious collaborator. “Again! Bewitch her again!” The blast of light hits me dead-on, but this time, it has no effect. My convictions are rock-solid. It’s as if the trauma of what I did to Theo has granted me immunity against the spell’s effects, and with a broad sweep of my tail, I knock Hawthorne off his feet. With an outraged roar, he turns to his other minions. “Kill them, all of you! No one leaves this building alive!”
That’s all the warning I get before one of the enemy witch shifters summons a glyph under our feet. Immediately I feel the strength going out of my limbs, but I manage to shift into my witch form and summon a counter-spell of my own, the two sigils lining up underfoot and effectively neutralizing one another. It takes energy to maintain, but I have enough cycles left to conjure a force field around myself, each of the guys, and Theo. The enemies’ barrage continues, but we’re at a stalemate. The tide, for now, seems to have turned.
“She won’t hold out forever,” Russo yells to Hawthorne from across the room.
“Maybe not,” Landon grunts from within his force field, “but we will.” Extending his arms, he lets out a fresh wave of sound vibrations that encases us in another layer. It’s not as strong as the barrier I created, but the combined strength pushes the rest of our attackers back. From his place on the floor, Theo also summons another layer, and between the three of us, we’re completely ensconced.
Hawthorne meets my eyes, his expression one of pure hatred. “This isn’t over,” he says after a tense moment, before turning to his cronies. “Evacuate. We return to the Academy. We’ll have the numbers there.” Shooting me a vicious smile, he adds, “Enjoy this while it lasts, Millie Brix. Next time, there won’t be a second chance. I’m going to kill you, and I’ll make sure it hurts.”
“I fucking dare you,” Shade yells from his own spot. His wolf’s eyes meet mine, and I can see the relief on his face at the confirmation that I’m back to my old self.
That’s all that happens before the others make their retreat, stalking out of the apartments and up the stairs. I maintain the barrier long enough to wait for their footsteps to retreat completely before letting it down, pausing to telekinetically move a chair in front of the door to barricade it. Then I shift back into my human form, breathing hard. “I’m sorry,” I pant, rushing to the guys. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
They all but flock to me, enfolding me in their arms in a group embrace. “Shh, it’s okay,” Hunter murmurs against my scalp. “It’s okay, you’re okay.”
A ragged sob escapes me. “I can’t believe I… I-I almost…”
“You broke free,” Silas says, brushing my hair out of my face. “That’s all that matters.”
“I knew you were still in there somewhere,” Landon says, grinning. “Hawthorne will never tie you down, Boots.”
It’s only after a moment that I remember Theo and pull myself away from the guys to rush over to him. Almost as soon as I reach his curled up form, my heart leaps into my throat. The situation isn’t good. His entire body is covered in what look like third-degree burns, charred and scorched beyond recognition. The fact that he’s even still breathing is a miracle in itself. Kneeling beside him, I shift into my witch form again, already scrambling for some kind of spell, but then his hand bats mine away. “Don’t,” he rasps. “Save your energy. It’s too late.”
“No, it’s not,” I insist, my eyes welling up with tears. “It can’t be. We have supplies. We can get you to Josie. You’re not going to die, Theo!” But I’m not sure who I’m even trying to convince. One look at him is enough to tell me that he’s beyond any help I’m able to give. Moving him would probably kill him.
“It’s okay.” Theo reaches up and strokes my cheek with the backs of his knuckles. “I told you you were special, Millie Brix.”
“I’m not,” I say, my voice shaking. “Look what I did to you.”
“If this is what got Hawthorne’s hooks out of you,” Theo says, taking a labored breath, “then it’s a sacrifice I’m happy to make. I’m sorry that I didn’t… That we didn’t…” There’s an adoration in his eyes that makes my heart break. “You need to lead them,” he tells me. “Take the fight to Hawthorne.”
“What? No!” I protest. “I’m no leader, Theo. I can�
��t—”
“Yes, you can,” he says. “You will. The others will follow you. You can’t let him get away with this. Please,” he adds, taking my hand. “Consider it a last request.” There’s a dry smile on his face.
I realize I’ve started to cry. “I don’t know how,” I whisper. “I’m not you.”
“No,” Theo replies simply. “You’re better.”
“Theo…”
“Don’t let them win,” the hybrid leader says, and then he dies.
I stare at him for a long time, crying silently. The feeling of Hunter’s hand on my shoulder almost makes me jump. “This isn’t your fault, Boots,” he says.
“How can you say that?” I demand. “I killed him!”
“No, Hawthorne killed him,” Silas says, his voice filled with disgust. “Everything that’s happened, all this tragedy, it’s all because of him. And we owe it to Theo to take him out, once and for all.”
“I don’t trust myself to,” I reply, voice trembling.
“You don’t have to,” says Landon, kneeling down beside me. “We do.”
Trembling, I look up from one of my boyfriends to the next. In spite of everything I’ve done, the faith and love in their eyes is profound and unshakeable. They believe in me, even when I don’t.
And maybe that’s enough.
Slowly, I get to my feet. “I can try,” I say at last, “but we’re still screwed. We couldn’t even get someone to wear the amulet.”
“I’m not so sure,” Landon muses. “Do you think that amulet works on former mind control victims?”
The corner of Shade’s mouth twitches. “There’s only one way to find out.”
The amulet vibrates as it pulls me along, tugging me instantly in one direction as we make our way up through the foothills. We’re on another island in the region, just a short flight away from the now-abandoned facility. It makes sense that the spellcaster would be quartered here. My only hope is that he hasn’t left by the time we get to him. We don’t speak much as we follow the medallion’s trail, each lost in our own thoughts. We sent Theo’s body out to sea; it’s not much, but I couldn’t bear to leave him on the basement floor. It was the least he deserved.
“What if it’s not working right?” Hunter pants as we ascend the top of the cliff. “Could it be misleading us since you’re not technically enchanted anymore?”
“Even if it’s right, the spellcaster is going to have guards,” I reply. “We’ll just have to hope Hawthorne isn’t there too.”
“I wouldn’t mind the chance to rip him limb from limb,” Shade growls. “After what he did to you, Boots…”
“I don’t think he will be,” says Landon. “They don’t know we have a way of tracking the guy down. There’s no reason they wouldn’t go straight to the Academy.”
“It’s possible,” Hunter agrees. “Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Silas, who is at the head of the group, stops in his tracks as he crests the hill. “Lucky isn’t the word I would use,” he says, and points. Where the ground levels off, we find ourselves face-to-face with a cottage, although “cottage” might be too generous of a term. It’s more like a shack, run-down and battered by the wind and the water. The amulet around my neck pulls even harder at me, nearly dragging me forward as it points directly at the source of the enchantment. Whoever it is, they’re in that house.
The only problem? There are two very familiar-looking figures flanking the entrance, and now I understand Silas’s hesitation; it couldn’t have been more cruel if Hawthorne had set it up on purpose, and for all I know, maybe he did.
Standing on either side of the cottage door, their hands behind their backs and utterly dead behind the eyes, are Silas’s parents.
Chapter 83
“Mom,” Silas rasps. “Dad.”
“Son,” sneers his father. “Have you finally changed your mind? I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Silas shakes his head. “We’re here for the spellcaster.”
His mother cackles. “Isn’t that sweet? What was your plan, exactly? To ask us nicely? To bargain? Maybe you thought you could somehow talk us down?”
“It’s happened before,” I snap, stepping forward. If I could break free of the enchantment, maybe they can, too. “We’re not here to hurt you,” I insist. “Please. Remember what you used to stand for.”
“Idealism,” Silas’s father spits. “Pathetic, sugar-coated idealism. And we’re never going back.”
“That’s the spell talking, not you,” I insist, reeling back Theo’s fight with me as I search for a way to get through to them. “I know you’re in there somewhere. I was, too.”
“Shame, that,” muses Silas’s mother. “You would have been such a valuable asset, too.”
“It’s no use, Boots,” Landon murmurs to me. “They’re not going to listen.”
At that moment, the door to the shack rattles open, and a scrawny figure appears in the entrance. It’s a guy, I realize, and he can’t be more than a few years older than me. Hell, he might even be mistaken for an Academy student. The only difference, however, is his eyes, and when he turns them on me, I nearly freeze to the spot. They’re filled with a terrifying, unadulterated hatred, one that can’t even be chalked up to mind control. No remorse, no mercy, not even a flicker of doubt.
Who the hell is this guy?
“You’re the one who broke free,” he says flatly, stepping forward. Silas’s parents move to flank him, but he shakes them off and extends a bony finger in my direction. “I guess congratulations are in order.” A sickening smile spreads across his face.
I don’t take the bait. “Undo the enchantments,” I tell him. “All of them.”
It’s futile, and I know it. The spellcaster barks out a laugh. “And why would I do that?”
“Because they’re my parents,” Silas says, hands clenching into fists. “Last chance, you son of a bitch.”
“Who, these fine folks?” The spellcaster glances between Silas’s mother and father. The corner of his mouth twitches up, and without any warning, he shifts into his witch form. Moments later, he’s lifting the other shifters up telekinetically before sending them flying over the stony cliff.
“No!” Silas yells in anguish, and that’s when all hell breaks loose. He’s the first one to transform, his mighty wings launching him off the ground as he bolts towards the spellcaster. I can see the retaliation coming from a mile away—the dragon shifter is blinded by emotion—and shift into my wolf form in a mad dash to prevent catastrophe.
The spellcaster pulls a similar move, lifting Silas up in the air with obvious intent, but I barrel into him at the last moment, breaking his focus just as Hunter sprints forward. Arms outstretched, he crashes into the witch shifter like a missile, but rather than cast another spell, the scrawny man shifts again.
For a moment, I don’t even believe my eyes as I find myself staring down a new vampire. A hybrid, I think with a sense of dawning dread. Another hybrid. And he’s on their side.
That’s all I have time to process before the spellcaster is turning on me, locking an arm around my throat. His vampiric strength practically crushes my neck, but I manage to shift into my siren form and yell, “Get off!” The command works, and I feel his grip loosen for a split second as he visibly battles with my siren song. Within moments, however, he’s shifting again, changing into a wolf and tackling me.
Shade appears out of nowhere, knocking him off my body, only to yelp as the hybrid locks his jaws around his throat. The aggression is terrifying, and I’m still so flabbergasted that a fellow hybrid would be behind this that I can’t seem to think straight. Thankfully, I don’t have to; Landon lets loose a supersonic blast that, while deafening, makes the hybrid cringe back. I follow Hunter’s lead and shift into my vampire form so we can flank him, but in the blink of an eye he’s shifted into his dragon form, spraying a jet of fire out and around us in a circle. I’m forced back, the heat on my vampire skin unbearable, and a cry of pain escapes me.
“Get behind me,” I tell him, just as I shift into my dragon form. Falling in line with Silas, we circle the spellcaster high above the others. At the very least, this should keep him distracted from the rest of the guys. His dragon form is bigger than either of ours, though, and one swipe of his tail is enough to send me spinning out of control. I steady myself with my wings long enough to breathe fire in his direction, but it’s no use; even if he were susceptible to the heat, he’s too agile even for Silas to keep up.
Thinking fast, I extend an arm and conjure a force field—not around myself, but around him. “What the fuck are you doing?” he yells from within the bubble, but I ignore him as I try to decide what to do.
Not about to be on the receiving end of my magic, the enemy hybrid shifts into his witch form once more, holding up his own hands as he fights to undo the barrier I’ve created around him. Immediately, maintaining it becomes harder; I can feel his energy pushing against mine with enough force to make me pant from exertion. I can hear the guys calling to me from below, but I can’t even focus on what they’re saying. It’s suddenly become an impossible task, and I can feel myself faltering.
I have to let go of the dragon form, I realize. I won’t be able to contain him while I’m multitasking. Dropping to the ground, I shift completely into my witch form and channel a fresh burst of stamina into the force field. The hybrid does the same, and before I know what’s happening, both of our barriers are bursting in a massive explosion of energy that sends me stumbling back. It’s like a bomb going off, and it’s only after the blinding light and debris clear that I see the result: the spellcaster has been completely vaporized. Just like that. The result of two powerful hybrids going head-to-head until nothing is left but ashes.
I stand there, staring and catching my breath, as the guys convene around me.