He gasped with surprise and looked at the half-moons I’d dug in his arm. “Zoe? Are you okay? You don’t look so good. Your face is as white as a full moon. Maybe you should go inside and lay down or something.”
I shook my head, my vision swimming. “I feel—”
A boom shuddered through the night like a cannon firing. Something crashed into the water, and a massive wave rolled over the beach. A black figure rose from the middle of the lake, its soaked robes flapping heavily in the wind. Before anyone could move, the figure had floated over the lake toward us, reaching for something behind its back. As soon as the cloaked figure closed half the distance, an identical body emerged from the same spot in the lake, followed by another and another. Before long, a steady stream of creatures had materialized and headed our way.
“Jackson!” I screamed. “Those are Mar—”
Someone howled and chaos erupted. People scrambled, the food tables were flipped onto their sides, and the bonfire blazed intensely after more wood was thrown on to brighten the beach area.
“How did they get into our territory?” Jackson roared. “Everyone stay calm. This is what we are meant to do.” He grabbed my hand and jerked me behind his body. He looked for his little sister. “Era? Era, get back to the house and find Dad.”
“I’m on it, Jacks!” came a high-pitched shout from across the yard.
“I didn’t think the Marquises demons could come here,” I yelled over the screams. “Kieran said—”
More and more demons rose from the water’s surface, lifting their swords as they glided onto the beach. The pack transformed into their wolf forms, and each took an opponent.
“They’ve never been able to before.” Jackson tugged me toward the house. “Come on. You have to go inside. You’ll be safer in there.”
“Will I?” I demanded, digging in my heels. “Because they’re here on your land now. I won’t be safe anywhere.”
“Do as you’re told, Zoe.”
Vash ran out of the house and grabbed my shoulders, squaring them. “Go watch over Cali for me. Era’s in there with her now.” He gave me a shove toward the house before joining in the fight.
With no other choice, I sprinted through the foyer and up the stairs, stopping momentarily to glance out the picture window. More Marqs rose from the lake, except now they carried something on their backs. As soon as their forms cleared the water, they flung whatever it was onto the beach. The packages rolled ... then stood.
Great. They’d carried DKs with them.
I flung open the door to Cali’s room. Era already sat on the bed, guarding her, so I ran to the window to watch the battle. The DKs added to the disorder, though they were easy to pick off. They died like humans, and once they were decapitated, their bodies returned to Hell to regenerate.
The wolves raced all over the property, killing the demons, but there were too many. More than the pack would ever be able to handle. Beside the raging bonfire, I spotted a lone wolf lying on the ground, not moving. He didn’t get back up.
“Is it bad out there?” Era asked softly. She sounded close to tears. “I want to join them, but the Alpha and Beta told me to to stay here. But ... but I can feel the call of my pack. They need help, and I can’t do a thing.”
I didn’t bother turning to look at her. “Yes, it’s bad. And I know exactly what you mean.”
All at once the moon’s rays flooded the grass—or at least I thought it was light from the moon. Then I saw a stream of white light circling onto the ground, just outside the fighting. A figure stood within the ray, golden wings extended.
“Kieran!” I slammed my fist against the glass. “Kieran’s back.”
Era bounced off the bed and stood next to me. “He must’ve heard my prayer.”
At least fifty demons had risen from the water, taking on only twenty wolves, but now we had an angel. Watching Kieran fight was like watching a ballet. His movements were graceful but deadly. His Angel Light obliterated the DKs.
“There’s my dad.” Era pointed toward a massive white wolf running from the house into the fight. As we watched, Keegan slammed into the nearest demon. Without stopping he rolled, and was back on his paws, running again. He headed for the cluster of Marqs who had landed on the beach, where he joined Vash. I knew Vash’s dark chocolate-brown fur from two nights ago when he’d helped defeat the Marqs at my house.
The groups of Marqs had thinned. We were making a dent, or so I hoped.
“Look,” Era cried, pointing at the lake.
The water pulled back from the shoreline as the lake formed a wave. Sidelle now stood in the spot from which the demons had emerged, her arms waving high above her head. She sent the water crashing onto a small cluster of demon knights, sending them to their watery graves.
Now, we had a fairy on our team.
Sidelle could hold a few of the Marqs at bay, but she couldn’t stop them. During battles the Marqs were usually left to the Archangels, so she concentrated on the DKs. With her help, more demons were disappearing, which evened the score. Glancing down, I noticed a smaller, tan-colored wolf lying on the ground in a pool of blood. With a pang of fear, I wondered if it could be Jackson.
“It’s not,” Era said.
“What?”
“It’s not Jackson.”
“Can you read my mind?” I asked, frowning at her.
“No. I just saw you staring and made the connection. I’m worried about him and my family, too. You’re probably—”
A shadow moved across the door, and my heart raced. “I hope you know how to fight,” I whispered to Era. “Because it looks like you’re going to get your chance.”
Era turned and as she did, she fell to the floor. In her place stood a beautiful white wolf, the size of a husky, with a brown spot covering one eye and the tip of her tail. Era howled as she launched herself at the Marquises demon standing in our doorway. The creature stood before me in all its deathly glory, strands of long, black hair whipping from under his hood. Hollowed spaces stared at me instead of eyes. Era stopped him from entering the room, and I ran in front of Cali’s sleeping body to protect her. I wasn’t sure what I could do, or how I would stop a Marq, but I sure as hell had to do something. How had he managed to slip through the barricade of wolves?
Normally by this time, a purple, protective orb would have formed around me. For some reason it hadn’t. I could sure use one right about now.
The snarling Era was no match for the demon warrior. She tried her best, but she was only a pup. The Marq easily lifted her body and threw her across the room. She stumbled onto her paws and charged the demon again, determined.
I couldn’t ask her to lay down her life for mine. I didn’t have a protective orb this time, but I wasn’t helpless. I knew it was in me somewhere: the Light that made me a Seraph angel. I left Cali’s side and advanced on the demon, determined that Era and I would take it down. Stupid move? Maybe. But as soon as I joined the fight, the demon stopped trying to slice Era in half with its sword. With my head held high, I summoned every ounce of Light I could find within me. I thought of the other night, of everything Cali had gone through today, and of the wolf whose body lay still outside.
A spark of purple light showed in my mind. There. Now I just had to call it, force it out, and find more. But in the split second it took to summon the Light, the demon had advanced the few steps to get to me. Its sword lashed out, and a yowl of pain filled the room. Era’s white fur was stained red, and she limped toward me, still doing all she could to protect Cali and me. I had to do something. Era wouldn’t stop fighting back.
“No,” I screamed. “You will not kill us.”
My palms thrust outward, and purple light shot out of them. The black color drained entirely out of the Marquises. Vaguely, I remembered that this was how Kieran had helped defeat the demons. The fading color of the demon meant its powers were weakened. The light pulsed once more, and then an explosion came from the room. I flew backward from the force, thankfully
landing on a soft bed, before scrambling to my feet. I scanned the room for the demon, but it was no longer with us; however, its empty black cloak lay heaped on the floor. I ran to Era’s side and lifted her paw, checking it. She slowly rose.
“You stay here.” I told her. “I’m going outside to help.”
She shook her head frantically, but I ignored her and bolted for the door. Something huge and furry blocked my path. Vash.
“I thought I told you to stay in the room.” I stared at him, dumbfounded. He was still in wolf form, so he couldn’t speak, but I could hear him in my mind. I’d never been able to hear the wolves before. I swallowed my amazement and got back to work.
“You did, and now I’m leaving.” I tried pushing past the huge brown wolf, but he didn’t budge.
“There’s nothing you can do out there.”
“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be out there?”
“I heard an explosion and came to check on you two.”
“Don’t worry. I took care of the Marq, with Era’s help.” The spotted wolf was licking her paw. Her brown eyes flickered when I said her name. “And now I’m going outside to help you. Move out of my way. You’ll have to bite me to stop me.” I sidestepped past him and sprinted down the stairs.
“You know I can’t and won’t do that,” Vash said as he trailed behind me.
The battle outside was chaotic. Sidelle flung trees, dirt, and debris at any demon, and rays of Angel Light shot through the sky. Howls and metal clanks filled the night air, but I could see no more knights; they must’ve all been sent back to Hell. A few Marquises demons still stood on the beach. Seeing them, Vash ran ahead of me and joined the Alpha wolf, as well as a dark gray one.
As I came across the bodies of dead wolves, I paused at the shock of seeing the bodies slain, but grief only fueled my rage.
I stopped where the grass met the sand, and Kieran landed softly at my side. Sidelle appeared on the other side. We watched for a brief moment, wanting to assess where we could help the most. The wolves seemed to be holding their own with the remaining demons. Kieran opened his mouth to speak, but I raised my hand to stop him. I had a plan. I searched within and found my Angel Light again. I grabbed both my friends’ hands. With our linked fingers, I knew we would be strong enough to handle whatever came our way. I drew on that knowledge.
Then I saw the body of the white wolf—the Alpha—lying on the ground, a silver sword protruding from his stomach.
A purple haze filled my vision. As I felt my body’s power growing, a scream cut through the night, coming from inside the house. We turned toward a shadow in the third-floor window: Cali was awake, her hands pressed desperately against the window.
A dark purple hue emitted from my palms, unlike anything I’d produced before. Because of our joined hands, it amplified and created a star-like effect. Kieran and Sidelle blinked down at our linked fingers, then at me. Without a word, they both took a step back. In that instant, purple light shot out from every part of my body that wasn’t covered by clothes. Even then, you could still see a glow from underneath. The power felt stronger than it had the other night, when I’d drawn on Kieran and Shay’s Light.
This was a beast all its own.
My head tilted back, and I let out a gut-wrenching roar, so loud and fierce I thought my head might explode. I thrust my hands forward, and the dark purple light streamed out like whips, slashing the black cloaks and reducing the Marqs to nothing. They disintegrated on the spot.
Chapter Twelve
Zoe
The lake had sucked back all the demons’ cloaks when my purple light destroyed them. A calico-colored wolf bolted from the house, running full speed toward the beach. She dropped to the side of the white Alpha and desperately nuzzled his neck, but the white wolf didn’t move. After a terrible moment, her head tilted to the sky, and she let out a lone, mournful howl that twisted my heart. In that call I could feel all her heartache and loss. The other wolves congregated around us and lowered their heads in respect of their fallen Alpha and all their brave comrades.
Then Cali’s form appeared in the doorway of the house. Her hands held onto the threshold. Vash, still in wolf form, ran to her side, beating me to her. I wanted to pull her into a tight hug, but someone grabbed me from behind. Strong arms held me back.
“Wait,” Jackson, now back in human form, whispered. “Let Vash. She needs to hear it from him.” I tried to shake him loose, but his grip was like a vice. “You should be dead. No human has ever gone up against a Marq and lived. No one.” He hung his head. “I need to go be with my parents. Let them do their thing.”
“What’s going on?” Cali asked, her voice trembling with fear. “Who are you?” She stood as if in a trance, staring at the huge wolf, and then she shook her head. “No. This makes no sense. How’s that possible? How can you be Vash? You’re a wolf.” Her eyes grew huge. “And how are you speaking to me in my mind?”
“Let it out,” I heard Vash say. “I know you feel the animal inside, melt into it and feel it. Let go. It’s safe, just let go.”
Her body shuddered, and her knees buckled. “I can’t. What’s going on?” she cried.
“Relax. Trust yourself.”
Her blue eyes pleaded with mine. “Zoe. Help me.”
“I’m sorry.” I tried to pull free of Jackson, but he held me tight. “You need to do this without me. Vash is here to help you. He’s—”
Her body convulsed, and she rolled onto her hands and knees. She screamed as her back arched, and her clothes started to disappear. Tears streamed down my face, and I looked away, helpless. Bones audibly cracked then broke, and white fur sprouted between Cali’s skin and what remained of her clothes. Her nose and ears elongated in a process I couldn’t bear to watch, and a tail grew on her backside. Within a minute a beautiful wolf stood before us, her coat glistening as white as a freshly fallen snow. Confused blue eyes looked at me.
“Zoe?”
Cali’s soft voice spoke to me in my mind. I looked at Kieran and Sidelle, but their attention was on her wolf form.
“Yes?” I silently answered.
“Can you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“I’m a wolf?” Cali lifted her paw and examined it. “Why ... how ...”
“Zoe?” Vash’s voice echoed inside my head. “How is this possible?”
“I don’t know what’s happening either. Could it be an angel thing?”
“Angel thing?” Cali asked. “What’s going on?”
“Cali, don’t freak out or anything, but I have a lot to tell you,” Vash said. “Right now, though, I’m needed on the beach.”
I watched the snow white wolf swish her tail, examine it, then wrap it around herself. I imagined it would be somewhat daunting to learn that you’re a wolf. I sort of understood what she was going through—except for the learning to walk on four paws part. Without another word she marched behind Vash, turning to look at the tan wolf’s dead body as she passed.
“Hey, K?” I said.
“Yes?” Kieran and Sidelle both replied.
“I can talk to and hear the wolves.”
“How?” Kieran asked.
I shrugged and continued on to the beach without answering. There wasn’t anything I could do to stop my powers from emerging, so I decided to go with it. When I glanced back, I noticed they were still standing with their mouths hanging open like fish out of water. I ran to catch up with Cali.
“Hey, you’re taking this well,” I told her. “I thought you’d freak out or something.”
“It’s still early,” she replied.
When we arrived, the calico wolf’s body lay over the white one. I suspected she was the Alpha female, Vash’s mom, Lilli. She barely lifted her head, but she glanced at her sons and daughter—all in wolf form—as they approached.
“Vash,” she whispered. “Your time has come, and you will be a great leader. Listen to your heart to know what’s right. When you falter, seek guidance from your m
ate. She will need you as much as you need her. Now, more than ever. Be strong, my son.”
The rest of the wolves stepped forward, creating a semi-circle around the group. For a moment I was confused. Why did she look so weak? So ... resigned? Then I remembered a conversation I’d had with Vash not long ago. He’d been explaining to me about the wolves’ soul mates, and I hadn’t thought it fair at the time.
“So you only get to find love once?” I had asked. “What happens if you don’t find her, or if one of you dies?”
His explanation had been matter-of-fact. “Usually, fate seems to work it out that we find each other. A force draws us to find each other. But if you die after you are mated, your mate will follow. One half of the soul cannot live without the other.”
It certainly wasn’t fair now.
Lilli’s eyes went to Cali’s. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to spend any time with you, to introduce you to our world. But my son will be a great Alpha with you at his side. Behind every pack leader is a strong, capable female. He will need you now more than ever. Pack, listen to your new Alphas. Encourage them. Respect them. Support them.”
She took a deep breath and nuzzled her husband again. Alpha Vash and Cali, Era, Jackson, my pack ... remember me as I will always remember you.
Her last breath died on the wind, and a white flame flickered out from both their mouths. The fires joined together and traveled as one into the sky and out of sight.
The members of the pack bowed their heads for a minute then turned to look at Vash. The brown wolf sat quietly next to a small, white one. His head bowed over his parents’ still bodies. A long, low howl filled the night. Small white paws stepped forward, and Cali nuzzled the fallen Alpha pair. She stepped back to join Vash, and together they howled again. More members joined, mourning with them, and paying respect to their dead leaders.
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