Turning quickly, she went back to the bedroom and noticed a ripple in the magic, then a fuzziness until it dissipated completely. Then she heard Atticus scream in her head, “RUN!”
Fuck! That wasn’t the only thing happening. Her body was filling with so much dark magic, she couldn’t breathe. It was as if he was channeling everything in his body to her. She couldn’t take it, the pain so immense, it staggered her, causing her to fall back into the wall. Taking her head into her hands, Dani screamed. It wasn’t stopping, it just kept coming, flowing through her like lava, replacing her light and fortifying her with dark. Dani fought it, but she had no defense.
That small cup of coffee wouldn’t ward her against this type of magic. It was one of the things she had learned from Kaylee’s lessons. Coffee could naturalize harmful magic, but she needed something much more significant to dispel what was coming at her now, and she didn’t see a single piece of onyx laying around the fucking room.
Then it hit her like a ton of bricks what Atticus had yelled into her mind—RUN! He was in trouble, big trouble if he was telling her to run. Deciding to use what she had, she channeled the dark magic and stopped fighting. Allowing it to take over, she sent out her senses, trying to figure out what had happened. The room wasn’t shielded any longer, but something was preventing her from getting anything back. Going to the door, she turned the knob, and as expected, it was locked. Using the dark magic, she tried directing it like she did her healing power. When the knob turned to dust in her hand, she pushed the door open, deciding to examine what happened later. Once in the hall, she felt the presence of three people—Others like her. She knew two were Sage and Atticus. Dani had no idea who the third person was, but she was going to find out.
As Dani walked down the hall to the stairs, she could feel the dark magic leaving her, the light in her fighting back. It was making her weaker draining her energy, but she had to help Atticus if she could. He might not be a good man, but he was her mate. She would never run from a battle to save her own ass. Stopping at the last door, sensing Sage, she opened it.
Sage was in her bed, curled in on herself. Dani went to her, shaking her shoulder lightly at first, then more forcefully when she realized Sage wasn’t sleeping, she was terrified. Dani had felt that kind of terror in her life and understood it, but now was not the time.
“Sage, get up!” Dani demanded. Sage looked at her, blood tears dripping from her eyes.
“I can’t, I can’t go out there and face him, you need to run. Just leave me, save Atti. Please,” she begged, but Dani wasn’t having that, they were all getting out of there together. Whoever this person was who had Sage so scared, they all needed to get away. There was a small part of her that hated seeing this strong, seemingly fearless woman cower. They weren’t friends, yet not quite enemies either. Sage had threatened her and helped Atticus with his plans, but she hadn’t harmed Dani. She had also called her sister.
“Get up, NOW!” Dani demanded. “We will not leave him down there to fend for himself. Do you understand me, Sage? Atticus needs you, needs both of us, and we are going to help. Or do you want to be responsible for his death? Because I can feel him fading away. Do you understand he is dying down there while you are curled up in your bed in fear? If he means anything to you, get the fuck out of that bed and help me.”
“No!” Sage yelled, grabbing hold of her with way too much strength.
Dani knew if she looked down, bruises would already be forming. She tried to struggle out of the woman’s grip but it was no use, and she wasn’t willing to allow the dark magic to channel through her this time.
“It’s Draven, I can feel him, he will kill Atti, then come for you and me.”
“And you’re just going to let that happen?” Dani questioned. “I don’t have a fucking clue who Draven is, but I won’t be taken by him. If you and I work together, we can get out of here, all three of us. If you choose to stay cowering in this bed, I won’t look back, do you understand? I will get Atticus and leave.”
Sage was in a panic, continuously shaking her head, mumbling nonsense Dani didn’t have time for, but every time she went to move away, Sage would grab her again.
“You don’t understand,” Sage said, licking her lips. “Draven is worse than even Bane. He does things, has done things to me since my change. He’ll hurt you, Dani, hurt all of us,” Sage pleaded.
Dani knew there wouldn’t be any getting through to Sage, she was too scared. Getting up quickly, she managed to get away from the bed and close to the door without Sage latching on to her again. But before she left, she had to offer the woman something.
“I will help him, Sage. Once it’s done, I’ll come back and get you. We’ll get through this, and I will keep this man from causing you any more harm, you have my word on that.” Dani didn’t wait for a response.
Chapter 9
Atticus could still feel the blows coming against his body, but for just one moment, he had felt sweet oblivion. He should have known it wouldn’t last. Draven was a trained tormentor, and he loved his job in the coven. He knew exactly where and how to hit to cause the most pain without permanently damaging his victim—unless he wanted to, but Draven preferred to play, drawing out the pain and humiliation. Atticus’ head was pounding with every breath. Every draw of air added another bout of excruciating pain, causing him to feel nauseated. Things were coming to him more slowly than Atticus would have liked. He knew exactly where he was, but what Atticus couldn’t figure out was why exactly he was there, in this position. Something else was nagging at him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Atticus did know one thing though, Draven was biding his time for a reason. He could have ended him easily, but the blows and taunting just kept coming. His strength was gone. His ability and gifts were nonexistent. None of it made sense. When he was able to open his eyes, the glee he saw reflected in Draven pissed him off. This was a man who held an evil in him almost unmatched by others. There was a reason he was now second only to the Master himself.
Atticus had held that title for a while, relished in it until he realized everything was a lie and found he didn’t especially like the more brutal side of the coven’s life. Bane accused him of being too soft, made him pay for his tender heart as he liked to call it, but Atticus knew better. Both of these monsters reveled in breaking people in their charge. Heart and soul had nothing to do with it.
Right now, Atticus would just love to figure out why the fuck he was so weak, where his beast was hiding, and how this fucker got the upper hand on him. It shouldn’t have been possible. Things were coming to him slowly, Draven’s words registering even slower. From what Atticus could tell, everything led back to Micah. The wards Atticus had asked to keep Danica safe, but within his home, the potions purchased to complete and start the ritual to banish Bane from his blood—all of it had come from Micah.
The Warlock had owed him, Atticus had saved his ass several times, knowing having the man in his debt would pay off someday. Well, apparently, that was another thing he had been wrong about. Atticus had felt they had somewhat of a friendship, not precisely all buddy-buddy but a common interest that served both of their purposes. Micah had a strong dislike for Bane and his practices. It was fucking with Atticus’ head that the witch would side with Draven, help him.
Draven did so love to gloat, it was making Atticus’ headache worse, but he still listened because between all the nonsense, he let more information out. Atticus needed that information.
“You really believed that witch without a coven would keep your secrets safe, Atticus?” he taunted, another blow landing on the side of his head. The blurriness was coming back, but Atticus was determined to stay cognizant this time. He needed to hear what this fucker had to say to figure out the rest of what he had missed, then hopefully, a way out of this fucking mess.
More blows and words came his way. The man might be skilled in torture, but he was predictable. Atticus gritted his teeth and bore the beatings and pain that
followed.
“All it took was the right kind of motivation, and the boy folded like the infidel he is. Do you know what I had to pay him?” Draven was laughing now.
Atticus thought, This has got to be good.
“One hundred dollars, Atti, that was all it took for him to turn on you. A measly, one hundred bucks. I almost laughed when I had to pull that change from my pocket. I must say, I’m ashamed of you. I thought I trained you better in the art of negotiation. Too bad you won’t get a chance to relearn those lessons. The Master has plans for you, and I’m sorry to say if you survive, your leash will be shorter than before. Such a pity, it’s been fun watching you fumble along, thinking you were one step ahead when you were miles behind.
“But since we have a little time before the mutt and whore decide to come join us, I think I’ll remind you, for old time sake.” The crash of his booted foot collided with Atticus groin, causing him to curl in on himself, all the breath in his body expelled with the blow. “Do you remember the first rule, Atticus?”
Atticus did, in fact, remember the rules he had been so brutally taught. Never leave someone alive if they can turn on you in any way, whether by giving information, costing you money, or costing you your prize. But Draven wasn’t reminding him or teaching him any type of lesson, he was gloating, letting Atticus know how badly he’d fucked up, and Draven was now on top. Shit! Just knowing both Danica and Sage were in the house and Draven could get to them whenever he wanted curdled Atticus stomach more than the pain.
Then he remembered sending out the dark magic to Danica, telling her to run. Maybe they had gotten away. It was a possibility, one he prayed had happened, but he didn’t have enough energy left to check. He was getting vague echoes of Sage but nothing from Danica. Without his ability, those echoes could be anything even remnants of her essence from the past. Both he and Sage had been all over the house. They had been coming here, getting ready for his big plan for the last couple of years, making preparations. It was all bullshit now. He had been so sure, smug, and confident no one knew, but Draven being here proved how terribly wrong he’d been.
That was when he sensed her and wanted to cry out—Danica hadn’t listened. She hadn’t left the house like he hoped, she was coming closer. With each step, her scent and presence heightened in his mind. He could feel the bond he had slowly been cultivating pulse as she came closer. He wanted to scream out, warn her not to come in the room. There was still a chance she was just looking for a way out, trying to figure out what was going on. He needed to distract Draven, make him concentrate solely on him before he noticed Danica.
Atticus struggled to get up, only finding enough energy to force his body up with his arms, landing on his ass, his back leaning up against the wall, and smiled at the bastard.
“Fuck you, asshole.”
“Ah, there’s that spirit. You’re lucky. I was starting to get bored with all of this, wondering when you would at least give me a touch of challenge.
“Finish this,” Atticus yelled, “or tell me what the fuck you want to say before you get on with it.” Even if he wanted to, he wasn’t going to plead for Danica’s and Sage’s lives, it wouldn’t do any of them any good. It would also give Draven precisely what he wanted, and Atticus wasn’t about to give the monster a damn thing.
“So disappointing,” Draven said, looking down at his fingernails, picking at them, then licking at the blood he pulled from underneath. He was a disgusting man, and Atticus had always hated him, sometimes even more than Bane. Draven sat back down in the chair, picking up his drink, taking a couple of swigs. It was all still just a game to him; the sad part was if their roles were reversed, Atticus might have done the same. Seeing himself in the man made Atticus realize what Danica must have thought of him. At first, that hadn’t mattered to him, his reputation was well earned. But now, thinking she would see him as he saw Draven sickened him. He was no better than the monsters he was trying to rid him and Sage of.
“The Master wants you back, but I’m thinking you won’t make it out of this house. I’m sick of him placing your worth above others and waiting for you to finally realize your place in the coven. That position is mine. So, I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen and what I’ve already done. That way, when you are standing at the gates of hell, you’ll know exactly how you got there and who was responsible,” Draven preened.
Atticus knew Danica was standing at the door. He still hoped she would run, but the longer she stood there, the more he realized that was just another dream.
“Oh, please do enlighten me. I’m sure it will bore me as much as your attempts at breaking me. Even all those years ago, when I was just a boy, you never did measure up, did you, Draven? Never had exactly the right touch to get things done, not like I did. Our Master always noticed me, still does if he sent you all this way to get me.” Atticus could see the red deepen in Draven’s eyes. It had been precisely what he was hoping for, this man’s arrogance wouldn’t allow such a slight from Atticus or anyone else.
Draven took another drink, not taking the bait as Atticus had hoped.
“I have my orders,” Draven said shrugging his shoulders, “but accidents happen all the time. Our Master will be understanding when I explain how you took the dark into your body, and it splintered your mind. Happens all the time, magic is a tricky thing. Just like the wards and potions you purchased—a little tweak here, another one there, and their purpose is changed. It’s amazing how the jailor can become the prisoner without even realizing it, wouldn’t you say, Atticus?” Draven taunted.
That answered the other question—the wards and potions had been played with. The reason he couldn’t feel his beast or use his senses correctly was the spells he had commissioned had been turned on him. He had foolishly thought only Danica would be affected, it must have been a slow release, a long-standing spell taking days to complete. That was why Draven hadn’t made his move until now. He had needed to make sure Atticus was weakened to the point of no return, it was also why he had come alone.
If what he was saying was true, Bane wanted him back. Draven had other plans, but the rest of the coven wouldn’t go against Bane’s orders. They wouldn’t allow Draven to follow through with killing him. Everything was clicking into place. His desperate need to be free of his bonds was going to get them all killed. He was prepared and ready to die. Atticus had been building toward that since he’d been banished from his pack. But Danica and Sage didn’t deserve this type of end. He knew Draven would take great pleasure in breaking both women before he was done with them.
Atticus heard the doorknob start to turn, his heart in his throat. Struggling, he used the wall and the strength left in his legs to push himself up until he was somewhat standing, making himself a bigger target for Draven. But all his efforts failed when Danica walked into the room, smiling, holding her hand out to Draven like she was greeting an honored guest.
Atticus watch in horror as Draven stood, walked over to her, bowed slightly, and kissed her hand. Danica even fucking giggled like she was some stupid little school girl. The rage he felt was palpable. The woman was even fluttering her eyelashes at the monster as if she was smitten. This wasn’t the woman he had gotten to know the last few days. The Danica he knew would never act so naïve and fucking stupid. Hadn’t the Valentin Pack taught her anything about self-preservation?
One did not just walk into a room and give their hand to an enemy! Atticus was outraged and fucking jealous she hadn’t once looked his way, her focus entirely on Draven. Shouldn’t their bond have at least dictated a fucking look to see if he was okay? Draven pulled her closer, wrapping Danica up in a hug, turning her so that they were both facing Atticus.
“Oh, my boy, this is going to be fun,” Draven said, flicking his tongue against his fang.
Chapter 10
Dani stood at the door, listening to Atticus and some other man and knew nothing good was going on. The man, she had heard Atticus call him Draven, was going to kill him, then “
play” with Sage and her. Seeing Sage’s response to just having the man in the house was proof enough, Dani wanted nothing to do with him, but she couldn’t turn her back on Atticus. As she stood there listening, she tried to come up with a plan.
The only thing that kept on coming to her was stupid, foolish even, but it had worked in the past. People, including Atticus, had a tendency to dismiss her because of her size and the way she looked—something about childlike innocence or some shit. Knowing the man in the room was a vampire kind of freaked her out, but from his tone and taunts toward Atticus, she knew he was also arrogant.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, Dani fixed her nightgown, making sure nothing important was showing, yet still wishing she had something else to wear. This wasn’t exactly the outfit a person went into battle wearing. Running her fingers through her hair, fluffing it a couple of times, Dani figured this was about as good as it was going to get. Pasting a silly smile on her face, Dani put her hand on the doorknob and turned it—it was now or never. Letting a breath out, she pushed open the door.
Dani noticed several things all at once. A man she had never seen before was sitting in a chair, the waves of evil coming off him enough to dissuade her, but she wasn’t going to let that happen. He was handsome in his own right, but the evil made him ugly. The other thing was Atticus standing, braced against the wall, beaten and bloody. She wanted to go to him, see if he was okay. She also wanted to rip the smirk off of the evil man's face.
Adapting a coy, shy little girl persona Dani had often employed with her former Alpha, she walked into the room like it was no big deal. She needed to have skin contact with the man to call out the dark magic still in her veins. It was the only defense she had, and with the way it was leaching from her body, she didn’t know if it would be enough. Atticus was no longer feeding her, and neither were the wards placed on the house. She briefly wondered if she could siphon from the man, but one touch proved that wasn’t possible. His evil was natural, not magic made.
Dirt Road Redemption (Dirt Road Series Book 2) Page 7