by R. E. Butler
“The ego on that male,” Arissa said, shaking her head. “Mishka said the book was useless and unable to be translated. It seems like he didn’t know about the Key book at all.”
“That’s because it was a closely guarded secret,” Atlas said. “Only the coven members knew, and when Aram cast the spell to protect the books and ensure the Key book would go to the Keeper in each generation, he never anticipated that the books would be separated. Vampires tend to think of themselves in immortal terms, so I don’t believe it crossed his mind that he and every member of his coven would die.”
“Did you live with the coven?” Kelly asked.
“For a while. I was a hired guard for the coven while my sister was there, but I returned to the Medes Realm to care for our mother. Time moves differently there, and by the time I came back, the coven was destroyed, the books gone, and my sister dead.”
“I’m so sorry,” Kelly said.
“It’s the way of supernatural creatures sometimes,” he said with a sigh. “Especially ones who amass power. They tend to be targets. Aram and Napor just wanted to live in peace, but because of their sheer power and wealth, it was impossible for them to remain low key.”
“Did you know about me?” Kelly asked.
He shook his head. “When I found the remains of the coven, everything was gone including the books. I searched for a hundred years for them, but never located them. I assumed that the warring covens had taken them, but while the original book was taken by one of the masters, the Key book seemed to have never been located.”
“It might have been the spell,” Elizabeth said. “When Aram and his coven were killed, the spell might have been activated to send the Key book to whoever the generation’s Keeper was for safe-keeping.”
Bell looked at his mate and then Atlas. “Are you suggesting the Key book put itself in the hands of someone who would deliver it to Kelly?”
“Magic,” he said, drumming his fingers on the table. “It’s often hard to explain.”
“I’ve heard crazier things happening,” Elizabeth said. “Magic’s like that. Particularly old magic like this.”
“I was wondering,” Bell said, “why I didn’t see anything about the Key book in Kelly’s memories when we became beloveds.”
“Mm,” Atlas said. “I don’t know, but if I had to hazard a guess, part of what made her the Keeper hid that memory from you during the exchange when you became beloveds. It might be a supernatural defense mechanism to keep that information a secret within her memories.”
Bell thought that was as good an explanation at any.
“So what now?” Kelly asked.
“We need to get the original book in your possession,” Atlas said. “It belongs to you.”
“It does?”
“It’s your heritage,” Atlas said, matter-of-factly.
Bell put his arm around Kelly. “We just need to figure out how to find Danlier.”
Margot took that moment to rise to her feet, the chair clattering behind her. Her eyes were an unearthly green.
“He’s here!”
Chapter Sixteen
Kelly’s heart leaped into her throat at the news that Danlier had come to the bear den.
“Are you sure?” Bell rose to his feet.
Margot slumped in the chair, the strange color of her irises returning to normal. “He’s coming with his coven, and they’re near the edge of the territory. I cast a protection spell with Elizabeth around the property to alert us to trespassers. It’s Danlier, I’m sure of it.”
“To arms,” Adriel shouted, rising to his feet. In moments, weapon-clad males raced up the stairs.
“Stay with Margot,” Bell said to Elizabeth and Arissa.
“Wait! You’re leaving me?”
“We need to end this. You’ll look over your shoulder your whole life if we don’t stop Danlier and get the original book back.”
“What if he doesn’t have it?” she asked.
“Look at your hand, sweetness.”
Kelly lifted her hand and found the metallic tattoo was glowing, the silver appearing molten.
“What the hell?” She flexed her fingers, marveling at the strange marks.
“It must know the original book is close,” Bell said. “One way or another, we’ll get the book.”
“I’ll protect her with my life,” Atlas said, coming to stand next to Kelly. “She’s my family.”
“She’s mine too,” Bell said. He gave Kelly a swift kiss and then looked at Atlas.
“Go,” Atlas said.
Bell nodded sharply, gave her shoulder a squeeze, and then joined Brone, Traz, and several of the vampires grabbing weapons from the bears and heading up the stairs.
Elizabeth rose to her feet slowly, strange blue flames licking up her wrists from her fingers. “Margot, Arissa? We need to help and get the book for Kelly.”
“But the guys said we should stay here,” Kelly said, thinking of how Brone had made Arissa promise to stay put.
Arissa snorted. “Much easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Plus, as a beloved, my immortality is tied to his, and no way I’m letting him go fight on his own.”
Kelly looked at Atlas, his arms crossed over his muscular chest and a frown on his face as the females hurried toward the stairs. He turned his attention back to her and a slow smile spread across his face. “Want to go for a ride?”
* * *
Bellamin had never seen anything like the wall of vampires who strode across the bear’s territory toward the barn as if they owned the land. The protection spell that had been cast by the Wiccans disappeared with a crackling sound as a tall male with gray hair at the front of the vampires shoved his hands outward.
“That’s a fucking wizard,” Axe, one of Adriel’s sons, said as he came to stand next to Bell. “Elizabeth is going to shit a brick. They’re dangerous.”
“What is?” Elizabeth asked.
“Damn it, woman, I told you to stay down there,” Axe said, grabbing her with his free hand, a sword in his other.
“Yeah, but you need us. And after all these years together, you know I can fight.”
A huge bear pushed between the two, and Elizabeth chuckled and hugged him. She looked at Bell. “This is Ash, my other husband.”
Around them, half of the bears shifted into their beasts, bellowing angrily at the approaching vampires.
“Which one’s Danlier?” Elizabeth asked.
“Good question,” Bell said.
“Let’s just kill them all,” Brone said, tilting his head and cracking his neck.
Arissa, Elizabeth, and Margot moved behind the bears and vampires, stopping a few hundred feet in front of the barn, the front door of which was now closed and guarded by several bears to protect the people still underground. He let out a breath, anxious because he was away from Kelly.
The females spoke words in a language Bell didn’t know, but he could feel the power at his back and suspected they were casting a spell. He knew next to nothing about Wiccans, and aside from the protection bracelet that Arissa had given to him when she first mated Brone, he hadn’t had a ton of interaction with her. Now, though, he was grateful she was on their side, as were Margot and Elizabeth.
Adriel, standing at the front of their people, raised his sword, and everyone grew quiet. There were several dozen vampires who stopped behind the wizard a handful of feet away from Adriel, who brandished the sword with a growl.
“You’re trespassing. Leave.” Adriel said, his voice low and rumbling with power.
“We have business with a witch,” the wizard said.
“You have business with no one,” Adriel said. “Everyone here is under the protection of my den, and you’ll leave. Immediately.”
“I think we’ll stay,” the wizard said. “My boss has need of the witch, and he will have her.”
The male raised his hands and Bell felt power emanating from him, but it didn’t feel the same way the Wiccans did. It felt dark and dangerous. Evil.
Bracing himself, Bell lifted his sword. All at once, a huge wave of heat blasted out from the wizard, knocking many of the males off their feet. The attacking vampires shouted war cries and breached the line of bears and vampires at the front. Bell leaped to his feet and swung his sword, cutting through the offending males. He knew he needed to get to the wizard, who was casting spells quickly and knocking their people off their feet. Blood and screams of pain filled the air.
Behind him, the Wiccans’ combined power fought back, blue flames lashing out to kill the attackers, roots shooting up through the ground to trip and trap them, and gusts of wind buffeting them. Bell ducked a blow from a short sword, coming up under the male and slicing through his neck. As his head disconnected from his body, he exploded into ash and flames, and Bell moved on, hacking his way through the attackers toward the wizard.
He heard a whooshing sound a moment before a knife embedded in his shoulder. He reached for the handle but felt something menacing at his back, and he spun out of the way, narrowly missing being beheaded by a tall vampire’s battle ax. As he parried to defend himself, Traz appeared, his sword clanging as the ax was hefted downward, a blow that would have done grievous harm if it hadn’t been blocked. Pulling the knife from his shoulder, Bell snarled at the pain and charged at the ax-wielding male, taking him down and stabbing the hunting knife into his chest.
Bell paused as he stared down at the dying male’s eyes, feeling something evil rolling toward him. He grabbed the knife from the male’s chest and jerked himself out of the way, taking aim at the wizard in the melee and sending the knife flying. The wizard looked at Bell and raised his hand, stopping the knife mid-flight. It clanged to the ground.
“Fucker,” he growled.
Margot knelt next to him. “You have to kill the wizard. He’s protecting Danlier.”
“How can you tell?”
“We can feel another presence, someone hidden by powerful magic. If the wizard falls, I believe Danlier’s location will be revealed. I think he’s right behind the wizard, and I bet he’s holding the Book of Aramnapor.”
Bell grabbed the ax out of the dying male’s hand, feeling the heavy weight of the weapon. He stayed crouched next to Margot, whose eyes were suddenly glowing that weird green color. She grasped his hands where they held the ax, and the whole weapon turned bright silver before returning to its normal dull, metallic color.
“Strike true, Bellamin,” Margot said, a small smile curving her lips. “Kill the wizard.”
“I’m on it,” he said, rising to his feet and ducking away from the main battle, where shifted bears were standing on their hind legs and swiping big paws, knocking vampires off their feet. Weapons clanged together, metal on metal, mixing with the grunts of exertion. His gaze sought the wizard and he hacked his way toward him, intent on destroying the male who was protecting the one coming for his female.
Danlier might not know Kelly was the Key Keeper, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to get an opportunity to chat with her. Bell would do anything to keep her safe.
* * *
“A ride?” she asked as she looked at Atlas.
“You know how to wield a sword?”
“You’re kidding, right? I’ve never held a weapon in my hand ever. Unless you count play guns when I was a kid.”
“No matter,” he said. He called to a young male who was standing at the tent entrance. “Find her something light to fight with.”
The young male nodded and darted away.
“I don’t know how to fight.”
“Experience is the best teacher.”
Her heart started to pound. There was a serious battle going on above ground. She could hear the fight, the sounds of clanging metal and screams of pain. This was way over her head.
Atlas put his hand on her shoulder. “Your beloved is fighting for your life. Are you the sort of female who wants to hide, or are you like your ancestor? A fierce female, willing to stand by her male.”
Kelly ground her teeth together for a moment. “You’re manipulating me, that’s not fair. Wouldn’t I be a liability? I have zero knowledge about weapons.”
“Let me share something with you,” he said. He took a ring off his left hand and lifted her hand, where the leaf tattoo was glowing brightly. He slid the ring onto her index finger, then her vision went dark and she was thrust into the memories of someone else.
She saw a woman who reminded her of her grandmother, with jade green eyes and long, dark hair. She leaned over a cradle, touching the cheek of a baby wrapped up in soft blankets. She smiled down at the child, then raised her head and stared at a closed door. Someone was banging on it, the door rattling on its hinges. The woman moved in front of the wooden cradle and exhaled loudly, snow-white wings springing from her back. She took an aggressive stance facing the door and grasped knives in both hands.
The door shattered as it opened, and she wasted no time rushing the intruders—two males who were flashing fangs and brandishing swords. She was faster than they were, her wings seeming to lend her speed. She cut the males down in a frenzy of strikes, moving out of the way of their blades as if guided by some unknown hand. Panting for breath, she stood over their dead bodies and let out a war cry as she beheaded them, sending them to their maker in a flash of ash and flame. The baby began to cry, and she turned back, collecting the knives in one hand and rushing to the baby’s side.
“There’s nothing to fear, my sweet baby. Mama’s got you.”
“Jovina?” A man yelled, racing into the room. He stopped short at the dusty remains on the floor, surprised at first but then smiling. “You couldn’t wait for me?”
She smiled, meeting him in the center of the room in a fierce hug. “They’re the ones who wouldn’t wait. Aren’t you glad we shared memories so I know how to fight?”
“I am ever grateful for our beloved bond.”
The memory disappeared, rolling away from Kelly like a fog. “Who were those people?”
“That was my sister. She and I were able to share some memories from time to time thanks to a Wiccan who gave us the ability during a Solstice celebration. We wore matching rings, and whenever we wanted, we could access each other’s memories. My sister, Jovina, is your ancestor.”
“She’s so fierce. I’m not like that.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t show you that memory to make you jealous or to feel inadequate. I showed it to you to prove a point. Jovina never learned how to fight, but when she and her mate became beloveds, they shared their memories. He was a fiercely trained warrior, and when she accessed his memories, she knew how to fight too. Didn’t it seem like she was being guided in a mysterious way?”
Kelly nodded.
“It’s because her beloved was one of the best warriors of the coven. I wish I could give you Jovina’s ring so you would have her memories, but it was lost in the end battle. You have Bellamin’s memories because of your beloved bond, and that means you know how to fight too. Just access his memories.”
“I don’t know how to do that.” She shook her head and straightened her shoulders. “Tell me, so I can help.”
“Close your eyes, Kelly. And do exactly as I say.”
Chapter Seventeen
Bellamin couldn’t get close enough to the wizard to kill him. Every time he made some headway, vampires would appear, and he’d be beaten back. The battle was raging around him, and while he was exhausted and wounded, he knew he couldn’t stop or drop back. He had to get to the damn wizard. Slamming the base of the ax into the head of an attacker, he shook his own head as his ears rang from the percussive sound and the shock waves that rode up his arms. The male hit the ground and didn’t get up.
Rysk and a huge bear appeared, both bleeding from various wounds. Bell didn’t know for certain if the bear was Tyrant, but judging by how big he was compared to even the largest of the den’s members, he was betting it was him. “We’ve got your back,” Rysk yelled over the battle. “Let’s get to that fucking wizar
d.”
The bear rose up onto his hind legs and Bell and Rysk moved slightly behind him, staying out of the path of his swinging paws as he plowed through the attackers. As the males fell on either side of them, Bell and Rysk took the final blows and sent them to their maker in a blaze of fire and ash.
His thoughts turned to Kelly suddenly. He could feel her drawing near, and his adrenaline spiked as worry for her safety rose within him. Had she left the protection of the underground city? Had their attackers gone after her another way? He couldn’t see Danlier because of the wizard’s protection spell, but that didn’t mean the male hadn’t snuck off looking for the book.
Fury raced through Bell. He hacked down on a male who had avoided the bear’s sharp claws. Then he heard the sound of hooves on wood, the pounding growing louder. He looked over his shoulder toward the barn, past the sea of males raging against each other.
The barn doors blew open and an enormous white-winged horse galloped forward, wings outstretched as it leaped upward and took flight.
Pegasus!
Nearly every male stopped fighting to look up as the Pegasus swooped over them.
On his back rode Kelly, one hand gripping Atlas’s mane and the other raising a sword.
Bell had only a heartbeat to appreciate his gorgeous beloved looking like a warrior on the back of the Pegasus before fear for her safety overrode his awe.
* * *
Atlas tucked his wings and dove down. Kelly stifled the scream in her throat, trusting him to keep her safe. She squeezed his sides with her knees, thankful the young bear male had brought her hide trousers to put on so she wasn’t wearing a battle-inappropriate skirt. By the time she’d changed and been given a sword that was normally given to the young bears when they started training as warriors, Atlas had changed into his Pegasus form. He was huge like a Clydesdale but pure white, with wings so big he had to keep them close to his sides to get out of the tent.