I could sense him hiding somewhere in this room.
Fucking coward.
“Stay out here,” I ordered without turning back.
“Yes, master,” my coven answered reluctantly, but then someone grabbed me by my shoulder and forced me to turn around.
“You can’t take him on alone,” Penelope argued with a scowl.
“She’s right,” Nyx added, and her own eyes blazed with determination. “You used every ounce of energy you had left to defeat that fucking bitch and bring down an entire palace.”
“And now you want to defeat a headmaster with twice your experience and at least three times your age?” Beatrix questioned with a raised eyebrow.
I looked at each determined and loyal witch and couldn’t help but smile at their willingness to see this through with me until the very end.
“Alright,” I sighed. “We’re going in, but you will follow my lead. Do you understand? This asshole is a powerful motherfucker…. who knows what kind of dirty tricks he might have up those dusty ancient sleeves of his? I need you all to be careful and look out for one another.”
The strong-willed witches all swallowed hard before they nodded and then took a small step forward.
“We’ll follow your every order, master,” Vesta purred with her head held high. “No matter what.”
“We’re united in evil for all time,” Faye added with confidence. “Together, we can be stronger than this one man.”
“Yeah.” Akira grinned. “Let’s kick his fucking bitch ass.”
“We can do it,” Morgana remarked with a shaky smile. “We’ve been training and studying like hell for a moment like this… we can take him on.”
“So, let’s stop talking about it and just do it,” Penelope chuckled somewhat nervously. “It’s now or never.”
“Are you ready, Cole?” Nyx asked.
“Yes.” I nodded with a forced smile, and then I turned back to the door.
I had no idea if we were about to face a bloody death or glorious victory, but there was no time to doubt myself.
Not when we’ve come this far.
So, I slowly pushed the door open and then took another careful look around before the others all stepped inside and then closed it. It was eerily quiet inside, but an intense chill creeped up my spine, and my heart pounded with a fierceness that made my brow prickle with sweat.
“So,” Ravana’s voice echoed through the room, “you finally decided to show yourself.”
“That’s rich coming from you,” I growled. “You fucking coward… come out where we can see you.”
“Yeah, you creepy motherfucker,” Akira sneered.
“Show yourself!” Faye added.
A deep chuckle emerged from the portrait, and when I looked closer, I noticed his painted dark eyes were moving back and forth. Then one black leather boot emerged from the picture, and another one followed. The headmaster was materializing from the painting, and as soon as he stood in front of me, his wormy lips curled into a malicious grin. He was wearing a long, black velvet cloak with fur trimming along the collar as if he were some wealthy duke or mortal king.
“Here I am, and I see you’ve brought your bitches with you, which is good since I’ll certainly enjoy killing them slowly, one by one,” he bellowed as he raised his bony hands into the air, and his golden rings and ruby jewels twinkled under the dim firelight. “My, my, my… you’re looking a little pale there, Cole.”
“Hmm.” I smirked. “Well, killing your precious queen and your team took quite a toll on me.” I smirked.
“What did you say?” he croaked as his beady eyes darkened.
“You heard me,” I snapped. “They’re all dead, and you’re next.”
His greasy mouth twitched into a strange smile as if he were harboring some kind of secret he was dying to share with me. Then he took a long stride toward us with his hands folded behind his back.
“You seem so sure of that,” he remarked as he clucked his tongue. “Yet, I can see that even standing pains you. Your legs are trembling like a newborn lamb’s… I almost feel sorry for you, Cole.”
As much as I wanted him to be wrong, there was no denying that I was running on fumes. The world was spinning, and even breathing was a painful endeavor, but I did my best to push the agony away and stand tall and unwavering. There was no way I would give him the satisfaction of knowing I was barely hanging on.
If I died, it would be on my terms.
“Why don’t we get this over with?” he asked as he tilted his head to the side. “You will never join us, so perhaps I will make this as quick and as painless as possible.”
Before I could raise my weak hands into the air, something pushed me backward, and I went flying into his dining table and onto the floor. I heard the others scream my name, and when I looked up, Ravana flicked his wrist. The witches’ wands went flying from their hands, and they were all shoved against the back wall and unable to move. As I tried to regain my strength, my head throbbed with an intense pain I’d never felt before, and I took in a deep breath before I forced myself to get back up and face the ugly bastard.
He cackled as soon as I stood weakly on my feet, and then he nodded his head in my direction once more.
Again, I felt a surge of force throw me into the stone wall, and I hit my head so hard, it was like my skull had split open. Then I slumped down against the wall, and Ravana took another step closer to me.
“Cole!” the women all screamed, but then Ravana whipped around to face them, and with one snap of his bony fingers, all their mouths were clamped shut.
It pained me to see the helpless looks in their eyes because I knew they desperately wanted to help me, but it was impossible.
Now, it was just me and this sinister son-of-a-bitch.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Ravana clucked as he lowered himself to meet my eyes. “Is this how you pictured your death, Cole? You know I could kill you with just one spell… but I think I’d prefer to torture you first.”
As I looked into his dead eyes, I remembered another entity that was devoid of emotion and filled with nothing but malice and pure evil. A force that could take on this bastard in a heartbeat, and I knew it was my only chance of saving Scholomance and my beloved coven. My wand was still tucked behind my waistband, and I wondered if I had enough mental energy and power for what I was about to do next.
“We’re not done here,” I finally growled. “Not by a fucking longshot, you ugly, treacherous bastard.”
His rat-eyes darkened, and before he could utter another word, I snatched his beard and then slammed his hideous face into the wall by my side. He grunted in pain as he struggled to recover, and then I recited the ultimate spell to end all of this.
“Qui vocat umbra mea,” I chanted.
Thick red smoke began to morph in the air, and all the candles started to wicker slowly away. Darkness took over as a violent wind swept through the room, and then the walls vibrated, and the floor trembled.
Ravana tried to quickly pull himself away from the wall and raised his hand in defense, but it was too late.
My evil shadow had already formed, and his massive, scarlet horns were curled like a ram’s as his eyes glinted like pale, yellow lightning. Then he outstretched a smoky hand and wrapped it around the headmaster’s throat.
“No!” Ravana cried out. “What the hell is it… I’ve never seen a shadow double like this before--”
“He’s me,” I grunted. “And he obeys my every whim… vinculum.”
I didn’t know how I had the strength left, but even without my wand, my fiery red double turned to me and then waited patiently for my next command.
“Kill the motherfucker,” I panted, and my lungs felt as if they were burning.
I knew I was on the verge of passing out.
Or even dying.
My blood-red double grinned a yellow smile and then slowly nodded, and with his large, red muscular hands, he squeezed Ravana until his face turned a deep shade of ind
igo. His beady eyes were bulging out of his sockets, and his tongue was lolling out of his mouth as my shadow squeezed even harder.
“Cole,” the headmaster gasped. “Please… make him stop.”
“No,” I said, “I’d rather he rip your measly head from your useless body.”
Before Ravana could utter the last word, my loyal shadow pulled Ravana’s head right off his neck, and blood spurted everywhere. Ravana’s headless body remained upright for a moment, and I could have sworn his fingers twitched before he collapsed to the ground. Dark, black blood pooled from his open wound, and when I looked back at my shadow, he grinned as he held Ravana’s head up in the air. As soon as Ravana was dead, the women were released from their hold, and they all collapsed to the floor and then tried to scramble toward me as quickly as possible.
“Cole,” Morgana gasped. “Are you alright?”
At first, I couldn’t find the words to speak. My tongue felt as dry as sandpaper, and it seemed like the world was growing dimmer by the second.
“Say something!” Nyx gasped.
“Cole?” Vesta asked in her soothing voice.
“We need to get him out of here,” Penelope added. “He looks like he’s on the verge of death!”
“I’m fine,” I whispered as I stared at the dead headmaster’s face with his vacant eyes and gaping mouth. His tongue was still hanging out of his mouth, and his beard was speckled with gore and blood.
My ruby-red double was still smiling as he held up the bleeding head like a prized trophy in his shadowy grip.
“Give it to me,” I said in a weak voice.
The shadow nodded before he handed me the head, and then I stood slowly on my feet before I headed toward the door with each woman trying to support me as we sauntered off.
“Oh,” I muttered before I turned to look at the shadow. “Sorry… but I need to send you back.”
The crimson shadow slowly nodded, and then I could have sworn it smiled knowingly at me before I pulled out my wand and aimed it at his chest.
“Forma reditus,” I muttered.
The scarlet phantom slowly dispersed into pale red tendrils of smoke and then seeped back into my wand. The frigid air settled, and the candlelight gradually brightened up the room once more. Then I slowly made my way toward the door, with Ravana’s head dangling from my hand, but everything was growing dimmer by the second.
As I reached for the doorknob, pain surged through my lungs and penetrated my heart, but I pushed through the pain and forced myself to open the door. As soon as it was open, I nearly stumbled forward, and the moment I did, all the witches gasped and tried to catch me before I fell to the ground.
“Cole, where do you think you’re going--?” Penelope started to ask, but I had to cut her off.
“We need to show the Mors students that their headmaster is dead,” I breathed. “As soon as they realize he’s gone, they’ll know they’ve lost… and don’t help me walk. I need to show them I still have my strength left… even if it’s a facade.”
The women all quickly nodded in agreement, and we headed back through the halls, down the dank fireplace, and past Theodora’s office. The familiars followed us, and I could feel my world growing darker as we sped through the castle and toward the combat.
Finally, we reached a crowded, burning corridor filled with Mors students fighting against Scholomance witches. I saw a broken statue, just above a staircase, and then I took a step on the dismembered sculpture and raised the bloody head as high as possible.
“Your headmaster is dead!” I roared at the top of my lungs. “You’ve lost!”
Warlocks slowly stopped casting spells as they stared in my direction in both horror and fear. Some of them immediately started to shadow port out of the academy, while witches snatched others to take as prisoners. As the attack came to a gradual halt, a heavy and overwhelming sensation took over my body, and it felt like the last droplet of life was leaving my consciousness before my entire world faded into blackness.
Chapter 22
“Cole?” I heard a soothing voice call out. “Cole, can you hear me?”
When I slowly opened my eyes, I was surprised to see Theodora sitting in front of me with a small smile on her beautiful face, but I was even more shocked to see I wasn’t in the infirmary. Instead, I was inside my bedroom, and there were candles lit in every corner of the room.
“What happened?” My voice was slightly hoarse.
“After you declared our victory, you passed out,” Theodora explained. “I’m both surprised and pleased you didn’t die.”
“Thank you?” I chuckled, but I winced when pain flared throughout my tired body.
“Cole, you saved Scholomance,” the headmistress said after a long moment. “What you did was beyond brave.”
“I just wanted to do whatever I could to protect my women,” I responded with a light shrug.
“Well, you were right about Ravana,” she sighed. “I had sensed something was wrong, but the high court wouldn’t listen to me. It turns out Ravana was the one who rigged the maze Evanora created, and he also made sure you and all the teams ended up in that abhorrent woman’s palace.”
“The elder goddess?” I questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes.” Theodora nodded before she stood up from my bed.
“Well, what are we going to do now?” I asked as I sat up. “We need to inform the high court or whoever that there are schools aligned with the elder gods. We need to prepare for war--”
“In time,” the older witch said in a soothing voice. “Cole, you’ve been in a deep sleep for days. What I want from you right now is to rest while we finish cleaning up the school and interrogating the captured Mors students.”
“But--” I stubbornly interjected until she placed a slender finger against my lips.
“That was an order… now please, get some rest,” she said. “We can talk more in the morning.”
The headmistress winked before she left my bedside, headed for the door, and closed it behind her.
When I was alone, I leaned back into my pillow and sighed. I thought about closing my eyes, but then I heard a soft knock on the door and wondered if it was Theodora. Did she need something else?
I forced myself to get up, but when I pulled the door open, I was face to face with my coven.
And Penelope.
Akira and Faye held the bright-haired witch by her slender arms while Morgana and Vesta stood on either side.
“See?” Akira scoffed. “He looks fine. Morgana is such a worry wart.”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “I’m feeling a lot better.”
“Master, may we come in?” Vesta purred with twinkling silver eyes.
“Of course,” I drawled as I stepped aside.
The women forcefully pulled Penelope into my bedroom, and then I shut the door. The orange-haired witch’s brown eyes were filled with a mixture of desire and fear, and as I looked at the stubborn but sexy witch, all my exhaustion instantly faded away and was replaced with feral desire.
“How did you know I was awake?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“We’d been waiting in the common room,” Morgana explained. “When Theodora left your bedroom, she informed us you were awake… so we took the initiative to bring you a gift… after all, you saved all of Scholomance again.”
“A gift?” I purred as I looked at Penelope.
“Yessss… master,” Vesta purred. “Isn’t she beautiful? And she’s all yours now. You just have to… claim her.”
“How thoughtful,” I answered with a satisfied grin. “She’ll make a fine addition to our coven… now, take off her clothes.”
“Yes, master,” my coven answered in unison.
They practically ripped off Penelope’s white blouse and short, black skirt, and as she stood there in nothing but a pair of black lace panties, I could see her knees were trembling.
“Take off her underwear,” I commanded, “slowly.”
“May I do the hono
rs, master?” Akira begged, and her dark eyes sparkled before she bit down on her plump lip.
“You may.” I nodded.
Akira grinned like a wolf as she hooked her fingers along the edges of Penelope’s panties and then gently pulled them down to reveal the small strip of orange hair between her legs. Penelope took in a sharp breath, and her small, perky breasts heaved up and down as she tried to control her erratic breathing.
“Get her down on her knees,” I growled.
Akira and Faye forced the orange-haired witch down to the floor, and Penelope yelped as they squeezed into her shoulders in a silent warning not to move or speak.
“Where is her blood bonded weapon?” I demanded.
“Right here, master,” Morgana replied as she eagerly pulled a small dagger from the back of her waistband. The blade was silver and curved, and the hilt was made out of deep, scarlet leather. “She was reluctant to give it up at first, but I was persistent.”
“Well done.” I winked. “I’ll be sure to give you an enriching gift when we’re through.”
“Thank you, master.” The brunette blushed. “I can’t wait to feel your delicious cock inside me.”
“You’ll have it soon enough… as long as you obey me.” I smirked before I looked down at the quivering Penelope and placed a finger under her chin. Then I forced her to look up at me with those bright brown eyes. “You’ll be thanking me soon, too… trust me.”
“You’ll be begging him for his cock in no time,” Akira added with a low growl.
“It will feel so beautiful inside of you,” Vesta purred into her ear.
“You’ll want him to just fuck you raw like an animal,” Faye added with a sigh. “And he will… over and over and over again until you lose your mind in delicious primal lust.”
“We’ve made a good decision for you,” Morgana added as she stroked the other woman’s orange hair. “Soon you’ll be one of us, and you’ll wonder why you ever resisted at all.”
Penelope gulped as I took a step back and then looked at the others. I could sense their trembling, hungry pussies, and I knew they were already soaked and eager for my dick, so I didn’t want to make them wait too long since they’d been such dutiful and obedient witches.
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