Shadow Realms- The Complete Series

by Kelly Carrero

  Max slipped his hands under my tank and rested his warm palms against the small of my back, rubbing his thumbs over my skin with the gentlest of touches. “You were defeated that day in the gym. It only comes with passion that’s driven by love. That’s when I noticed you weren’t a demon. No demon will ever possess those qualities.”

  I recalled that moment well, and that look on his face was burned into my memory. Staring into his eyes, it was hard to imagine Max had ever looked at me any other way than the way he did now. “If you’re searching for forgiveness, you needn’t bother. Because there’s nothing to forgive. If you hadn’t treated me that way, you wouldn’t have been there to come after me. You wouldn’t have needed saving, and I wouldn’t have figured out who I was. And for all we know, the Society already knew who I was and was going to hand me over to a demon to possess. So, you see, you saved me.”

  He smiled. “Leave it to you to turn it all around and find the bright side.”

  “That’s me. No point arguing.” I ran my hands down to his and held them tightly as I stood, pulling him up with me. “Now, let’s go get our revenge.”

  He cupped my face with his hands and pressed a gentle kiss against my lips that quickly turned into so much more. We pulled away before our emotions got the better of us. He gave me one more kiss then hopped off the step about to leave when I pulled him back. “Stay with me tonight?”

  Max slipped his arm around my waist and stared down into my eyes as he nodded. “Meet me in the armory when your finished getting dressed.” He pressed a kiss against my forehead then walked away, leaving me hanging for later tonight whilst feeling apprehensive about the mission we were about to embark on.

  15

  Fully dressed and raring to go, I entered the armory where everyone was getting their weapons and loading their new guns with bullets laced with magic strong enough to take down the hunters. We still had no idea what Lana had used on the demonic huntress that had taken her down in a second. What we had was the magic they’d used to keep me within their walls. It had affected Max, and we were hoping it would do the same to anyone who came at us, engineering the magic so that none of them could leave the walls of their own compound.

  Nessa greeted me, holding a set of three daggers laying on top of a black cloth, pointing the hilts toward me. “These are for you. They’ve been laced with a spell that will allow you to recall them at your will.”

  I was never going to say no to another set of weapons after what happened last time. I was only alive because Max had insisted I carry more. What I wanted was a gun, but these would do for now—especially with the recall spell added. “Thanks.”

  Taking them from her, I turned away, about to strap up, when she grabbed my elbow, stopping me. “I also have something else for you.” She opened her hand, producing five tiny capsules.

  I frowned as I tried to work out why she was giving me vitamins of some sort. “What are they?”

  “They’re blood capsules,” she explained. “You know, if you ever need a hit when there are no vampires around.”

  I picked up one of the capsules and held it up to the light to inspect. It was dark red, almost black, and carried no smell of blood, so there was no chance of tempting my restraint for them. “How long will they keep for?”

  “That’s the brilliant thing. Parker and Joel worked out a way to separate the…” She trailed off when she saw the look on my face. “You don’t need to bother with the how, just know that he was able to make the blood inside stay fresh for months.”

  Raising my gaze to meet hers, I asked, “Seriously?”

  With a grin, she nodded. “It’s one of their finer works I’m sure you can appreciate.

  “Hell yeah.” I slipped all but one of them into the inside pocket of my pants then popped the remaining one into my mouth.

  I crunched down on the capsule, and blood exploded into my mouth like a gummy, the casing melting away with my saliva. “My new favorite snack.”

  She laughed. “Don’t use them too frivolously. They take time to make, and we don’t have much of a supply.”

  Whoops. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken that one. Oh well.

  “Why don’t you finish getting ready so we can get this party on the road?”

  “Thanks again.” I headed over to where Max, Kade, and Finn were gearing up. I grabbed my sheaths, strapping them around my thighs, waist, and back, and slid in my babies followed by the rest of my weapons.

  “Got any more for me?” I asked Max.

  The grin he gave me made my knees go weak. I was a sucker for his smile—and everything else about him. “Glad to see you’ve come around.”

  “Finn?” Max said, getting my brother’s attention. “Hand me those.”

  After shoving the last of his arrows into his quiver, Finn reached over to the rack of small daggers he was standing in front of, grabbed two, and handed them to Max.

  Kade held out another sheath that looked small enough to go around my calf, ankle, or arm. “Here.”

  I took them from him, having no idea where they were supposed to go.

  Kade laughed then snatched them from me. “I forget you’re still a newb at all of this.” He proceeded to fasten them around my ankles.

  Once he’d finished, Max slipped the knives into the sheaths. “All set.”

  Doing a once-over, I made sure I had everything I needed and headed toward the door with Max and Kade by my side.

  “Kali?” Finn said, grabbing my arm. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

  I nodded, staying while the other boys headed to the van.

  Finn stood before me, an anxious look in his eyes and that vein on his forehead throbbing. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay because what we’re planning to do isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Things could get messy very quickly. And if they do, I want you to get out of there and not look back—no matter what.”

  Frowning, I asked, “What do you think is going to happen?”

  He shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. But Orphelia is extremely powerful, and who knows how many demon-possessed descendants she has? Then there’s the very real possibility Lana is luring us into a trap.”

  “Is that what you believe?”

  After a few moments, he shook his head. “No. I think she wants to fight for the right side—even if that’s against her family. She’s too honorable, righteous, and kind. She sticks up for what she believes in even if it goes against everyone else. Like she did with you.”

  “But she could’ve known who I was and it was all part of her elaborate plan to earn my trust.”

  “It could’ve been,” he acknowledged. “But do you really think so?”

  I shook my head without hesitation. “I think she’s on our side.”

  “Me, too.” He sighed as he looked me in the eyes. “Promise me you’ll stay safe.”

  A small smile formed on my lips as he chipped away yet another piece of the wall in our relationship. I wanted with him what I had with Mason—and Kade, who wasn’t even my brother. I wanted to feel loved, needed, and above all else, accepted for every part of me. “I’m not into making promises I can’t keep, but I’ll try my best.”

  Finn wrapped his arms around me, squeezing tightly. “Let’s go get our Mom back.”

  We headed to the van, where our crew was waiting for us. As soon as our asses were in seats, we were on the road, heading toward the old psych hospital. I sat between Max and Finn, with Kade on the other side of Finn, and Nessa and the other witches on the opposite side of the van.

  It was comforting to know that every single person in this space had my back. We were all fighting the same fight.

  All too soon, we were in the street one over from our destination. The van pulled up, and we filed out into the darkness of the night, dark clouds covering what was a clear sky at the village. Kade stayed behind with Liam, ready to meet up with Lana at the side entry, hoping she wasn’t going to screw us over.

  Liam needed time to pe
rform the illusion spell that would cover the missing books, and it was our job to provide him with a long enough distraction.

  Nessa, Parker, and Joel would stay around the perimeter, ready to momentarily create a small break in the wards, allowing Kade and Liam to slip inside to meet Lana.

  Evil was in the air; I could taste it, my senses going into hyperdrive as I prepared for what was to come.

  Max grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly as he pulled me back toward him.

  I twisted around to face him, my stomach going to jelly the moment our eyes locked on one another. “Don’t deviate from the plan. We are not really here for the sword, okay?”

  Nodding, I smiled and placed my hand on his chest. “Stop worrying about me. I’m not going to do anything stupid.” I stood on the balls of my feet and planted a kiss on his lips. “Besides, there’s no way I’m risking our date later tonight.” I winked at him then turned my back and hurried to meet up with the others.

  16

  Sticking to the shadows of the night, we made our way as close to the compound as we could without tripping their alarms. Next, it was up to Nessa to allow us to slip through undetected.

  As soon as she gave us the go-ahead, we were in. She nodded to me, letting me know she had our backs.

  Finn led us through the estate, sticking to the parts of the grounds that weren’t under heavy guard. We entwined through the trees as stealthily as possible. My bubble of protection was already covering my ass, but the others were on their own. I thought about trying to extend mine to include them, but there was a very real possibility I would stuff it up, exposing myself and putting them all in danger.

  Orphelia wasn’t looking for them.

  Or, at least, I hoped that was the case.

  The compound was deathly quiet, and the hairs on the back of my neck were standing tall. My fangs slightly stung with anticipation, aching to feed on the damned. It was as if my body sensed what my mind could not.

  And I trusted my instincts enough to know that something wasn’t right.

  There was danger lurking, smothering the air around us. Orphelia’s presence was far greater than I had remembered. Then again, the last time I’d seen her, that part of me was still bound. Now, I had been set free, and I could almost taste her in the air.

  There was an evil to her far greater than anyone I’d encountered. I wondered what exactly she’d done to gain so much power. What deal had she made with the devil?

  A locked door stood in front of us, and with a flick of the hand, I opened it. I almost expected to be pounced on by a thousand hunters the second the door swung open, but there wasn’t a soul to be seen or heard.

  I hoped that meant Lana had been right and had picked the perfect night for us to break in.

  Either that or we were about to walk into a trap we might not walk away from.

  Max’s hand slid around my hip as he followed me through the door, his comforting touch doing more for me than he’d ever know—even if it was only brief.

  We slipped through the halls undetected, making our way toward the gym. If someone didn’t find us soon, we were going to have to make some serious noise because I didn’t believe for a second that they didn’t know we were here.

  By the time we reached the large, wooden doors to the gym, I was going out of my mind with anticipation. Adrenalin was flowing through me, ready to be released on my prey, and the longer it remained inside of me, the stronger it became, twirling like a tornado, waiting to cause unimaginable destruction to anything in my path.

  I just hoped they didn’t have a tornado of their own waiting on the other side of these doors.

  What I could tell was there were no vampires around us, which meant the Society was still leading their people to believe they were fighting on the right side, just as Finn, Max, and Kade had thought for so many years.

  With another flick of a wrist, the double doors to the gym swung open, and we entered the room. All looked normal, but my senses were going into overdrive. “They’re here.”

  17

  The moment the words left my mouth, figures emerged from within the walls, surrounding us. We were only yards from the sword.

  Joel threw his hands up, sending balls of light into the air, allowing the others to see what we hunters could already see.

  Baring weapons ranging from daggers to iron maces, they circled us, thinking they had the upper hand.

  It was time for the show.

  We had to make it believable that we were there for the sword.

  Sirens blasted into the air, the ear-piercing ringing grating on my nerves as the Society hunters went in for the attack. There were no words spoken. We were the enemy, and there was no room for negotiation.

  Breaking free from the group, I pounced into the air, coming down on the glass box encasing my ancestor’s sword. The air around me began to swirl, quickly building momentum. I pushed the forcefield surrounding me out, taking cover under its sanctuary as I fumbled with the button that released the glass enclosure.

  The mechanisms clicked, and the box began to rise into the air.

  Just as I reached out to grab the sword, the floor began to rumble and snap as the wooden planks bent upward as if they were made out of rubber. Rubber with sharp splinters of wood splitting off, piercing the supposed impenetrable wall I’d placed around me.

  Ignoring the wood, I wrapped my hand around the hilt of the sword. A jolt of electricity exploded through me, and I thought Orphelia was to blame but quickly realized it wasn’t painful. It was the sword glowing under my touch.

  Averting my gaze, my heart leaped into my chest as my eyes locked on my crew, matching blow for blow in a fight against people they used to call family.

  The Society hunters were relentless, fighting to kill, whereas my crew was holding back, not even using the guns against them. They’d been in their shoes, oblivious to the truth, and I could see the turmoil in everything they did. These hunters didn’t know they were fighting for the wrong side, so how could we kill them in vain?

  But there were always casualties in war. And we were definitely at war.

  Raising my glowing sword, I raced forward and slid onto my knees, taking the hunter out with one slice to the calf muscle. He wouldn’t die from the wound, but he also wouldn’t be able to stand and fight against us.

  Jumping onto my feet, I grabbed the small dagger from my waist and flung it into a woman’s favored shoulder, making her drop her weapon. In one smooth move, I spun around, snapping my elbow into her head before I plunged the tip of the sword into the guy to her right.

  The woman collapsed to the ground with a thud as the guy clutched his hand over the wound in his stomach.

  Both would live to fight another day.

  Spinning around, I locked onto my next target and was about to go in for the attack when I saw Finn holding his hand over his chest, blood dripping down his shirt as he stared up at the hunter who was about to go in for the final kill.

  Absolute rage coursed through me as I lost my shit.

  One second, I was standing there, watching Finn’s life spill from his body, and the next, I was coming down on the one responsible, blade piercing through his back as I landed on the floor.

  Withdrawing the sword, I flicked it up into the air as I grabbed my babies from my back and brought them together with such force that sparks exploded when they touched, decapitating the guy responsible for my brother’s wound.

  The sword pierced the floor inches from my feet, no longer glowing, as the guy crumpled into a heap, his head rolling into the commotion.

  I sheathed my babies then forced Finn to move his hand, allowing me to place mine over the wound.

  Remembering the spell that had healed Max’s scars, I drew on the earth, calling to it through the wood we stood on, the air we breathed, and even the foundation this place was built on, not only for healing powers, but also to extend the wall surrounding me to include my brother as well.

  There was nothing like
the motivation of a hurt family member to bring out the very best and worst in me.

  Finn let out a soft gasp as heat radiated from my skin into his. I could feel the magic at work, repairing his internal organs, muscles, and ligaments that had been damaged. Last was his skin.

  The heat in my hand began to subside, alerting me it was done. Letting my hand slip from him, I gave him a warm smile and gestured for him to look at his stomach.

  Finn’s expression made me suck in a sharp breath as his gaze shot between his chest and my eyes, obviously having no idea I wielded the power to heal someone so close to death.

  Me neither.

  I grabbed the sword. “Ready to kick some ass?”

  “As I’ll ever be.” He drew his gun then shot a bullet into the knee of the guy going after Kade.

  Even after what that hunter did to Finn, he still held the higher ground, choosing only to disable the hunters instead of killing them.

  I didn’t regret the one I’d killed. He’d crossed the line, and there was no coming back. Whereas I could see the turmoil in the other hunters’ eyes as they tried to understand why their friends were now their enemies.

  They’d been taught to kill even if it was someone they loved, but the confusion was evident in everything they did. They had to wonder why everyone had left—including me, the one who was supposed to save them all.

  “It’s time,” Finn said, letting another bullet find its target.

  I nodded. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Rather than going back through the house, we opted for the quickest exit.

  Finn holstered his gun and loaded his bow with the single arrow with a purpose other than killing, then released it, sending it flying into the window.

  Lodging into the glass, a crack slowly appeared, spreading out like a spider web as the specially crafted arrowhead released a magical shockwave through the glass, breaking its makeup, the only way possible to get through the two-inch thickness.