by Kelly Hall
The shifters stopped circling and raised their snouts to sniff the air. As one, they turned their heads toward Rebekah and her friends. Jarreth followed their gazes and let out a cheer.
“That’s right, you mangy pricks! Not so tough now that the odds are even.”
His words were as cocky as ever, but Rebekah heard the relief behind them. She and the rest had arrived just in time.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Katie lunged at the nearest wolf, channeling all her rage into the strike. She brought both axe blades down on the beast’s skull, splitting it in two with a satisfying crunch.
Ignis gestured with his hands in front of him, and another wolf caught fire like it had been soaked in gasoline. It released a terrible howl as it writhed in agony. Oily black smoke filled the tunnel, obscuring the hunters’ vision and stinging their lungs. The other four shifters turned tail and ran back toward the central hub where the rest of their pack was.
Rebekah pointed Stella down the tunnel. “After them!”
The hunters gave chase, and Canter clapped Jarreth on the shoulder as he caught up to him. “You all right?”
Jarreth grinned. “Better now. Let’s kill some fucking wolves.”
They charged toward the tunnels end, steeling themselves for the biggest fight of their lives.
As they approached the opening to the central hub, Rebekah called over her shoulder, “Stay with your partners and watch each other’s backs. We’re all coming home tonight!”
She emerged into the wide circular room, kicking a snarling wolf in the mouth as she went. It tumbled to the concrete with a yelp of pain.
Chaos surrounded her. This shifter pack had greater numbers than she had anticipated, confirming her belief that something big must be going on. Her hunters were outnumbered almost two to one, but their training and discipline had kept them in the fight. They were battered and bloody, but they were still on their feet, giving hell to the rampaging wolves.
All except for Layne. His body lay crumpled in a heap, and a vicious gash in his scalp oozed blood. With her heightened senses, Rebekah could tell he was still breathing, but he was in bad shape.
Cooper knelt in the puddle of warm blood and elevated Layne’s head, but there was nothing else he could do for him but hold off the enemy. As he held out his sword protectively, he glanced down and panic set in as he realized the blood had soaked him to the skin.
Grady stood over them, preventing the circle of wolves from going in for the kill. He whirled his spear in a blur of violence, striking the creatures with deadly accuracy.
Rebekah scanned the room to find Layne’s partner. “Chris! Stay with them!”
The tall, blond-haired boy dealt a killing blow to the wolf in front of him, and he rushed to Grady’s flank to cover him, cleaving the air with his broadsword.
With the wounded hunter as safe as he could be for now, Rebekah focused on turning the tide in their favor. With both blades in hand, she moved gracefully through the pack of wolves like a dancer, spinning and dodging while carving a bloody trail through the room.
Her body thrummed with power, energized by the thrill of the hunt. The wolves were fast, but she was faster. Her blades tore through shifter flesh like tissue paper, and with Canter at her side, half the beasts were forced to regroup on one edge of the room.
Delilah watched the Immortal Huntress in all her savage glory. The woman was everything she hoped to be one day. She inspired Delilah to fight through the fatigue weighing down her limbs.
A flash of brightness from a nearby tunnel blinded Delilah through the night vision goggles. She shielded her eyes in time to see the dark mage step out of the shadows. Delilah had been wondering where the evil bastard was.
The warlock arced black energy through the air, forcing the hunters to dodge out of the way or be charred on the spot. His glowing eyes met hers, and she took off running, her feet leaving the floor as she ran up the wall and flipped over. A dark scorch mark marred the concrete where she had just been standing.
A line of wolves streamed out of the tunnel behind him, reinforcing their flagging pack. Delilah drew her gun. Its ammunition had enough gold in it to stop the shifters dead, but she needed to make every shot count. She took aim at the new arrivals and pulled the trigger.
A few of the shifters fell, but she’d caught their attention. They closed the distance with her, and she was forced to draw her blade again. She fired with one hand and slashed with the other, trying to be as deadly as the Immortal Huntress.
There were too many. Four wolves advanced on her relentlessly and backed Delilah against the wall, trapping her in a cage of snapping fangs and lashing claws. One of them moved in, and she sliced at it, opening herself up for another beast to grip her wrist in its jaws. The wolf shook her like a rag doll as its teeth pierced her skin.
Jarreth heard Delilah scream, and he looked up from his own fight to see her swarmed by wolves. One had a hold of her, making it difficult to keep the others away.
“Hold on, Delilah!” He vaulted over the shifter he was fighting and rushed in her direction.
From behind him, he heard Katie call out. “Jarreth, wait!”
His sense of duty warred with his affection for Delilah. He knew he should stay with his partner, but nothing could keep him from helping the love of his life. Katie would just have to hold her own for now.
He barreled into the fray, murdering the shifter who dared hurt Delilah and freeing her from its grip. Together, they took down the rest of the wolves, working seamlessly as a team like they shared a brain.
She breathed a sigh of relief and shot him a warm smile. “Thanks.”
He grinned back at her. “Any time.”
With their enemies slain, Jarreth looked back to the partner he’d left behind. A massive beast had her pinned to the floor, while another snapped at her flailing limbs. His sudden departure had left her flank open, and the shifters had taken advantage of the opening.
“Son of a bitch,” he said. “Come on.”
Jarreth and Delilah rushed to help Katie.
“Dammit.” Delilah ran closer, and Jarreth kicked the animal off the struggling Katie. Delilah considered shooting the shifter, but she feared if she missed, the bullet might hit Katie. Instead, she opted for her knife. As Jarreth killed the first wolf, she lunged forward and stuck her knife in the other creature’s neck.
Meanwhile, Canter was busy protecting Rebekah and Ignis while they focused on the warlock. Ignis cast shield spells as fast as his hands could move, but the dark mage’s bolts shattered them like glass. Rebekah diverted what spells she could with her magical blades, although she couldn’t ricochet the blasts toward the shifters like she’d done in the parking garage. The barrage of spells came so quickly, she barely had time to think, much less use that kind of finesse.
Still, between the two of them, they just barely managed to keep the warlock from hitting the hunters with his devastating attacks.
As strong as she was, her muscles burned with exhaustion, and even Ignis was starting to show signs of fatigue. Somehow, the warlock’s spells never slowed. If anything, they seemed faster and more powerful.
Rebekah deflected a beam toward the wall. “Is this son of a bitch getting stronger?”
Ignis wiped sweat from his brow. “It’s the blood. He’s using it to power his magic. The more shifters we kill, the stronger he gets.”
Rebekah frowned. “Well, that’s inconvenient. How do we counteract something like that?”
“We keep fighting,” he said, raising his hands to conjure another shield.
The dark mage gathered a crackling ball of power above his head. When he released it, the energy shot out in a hundred directions. The warlock didn’t seem to care if he hit his shifter allies. The searing needles tore through the air, and Rebekah leaped across the room to keep Grady from getting hit.
Ignis planted his feet and struggled to maintain the protective spells he raised around the hunters. He’d spent the
last two thousand years training to increase his magical strength, but even he couldn’t keep fighting with this intensity forever. Something had to give soon, or things were going to get ugly.
Aziel felt the warlock’s evil power intensifying, and he knew he had to do something about it before everyone died around him. While the mage directed his missiles at the others, Aziel made his way directly in front of him, and he let his inner light shine outward.
The warlock reared back, stung by the holy light. The divine power sent the mage retreating back into the tunnel, and Aziel gave chase.
Silence enveloped the angel as he followed the mage. Away from the noise of the battle, all he could hear was the pounding of his heart and the panting of his breath.
He knew breaking off from the rest of the group was dangerous, but he couldn’t let the warlock escape. Aziel could end this fight by capturing the mage, saving his hunter comrades from further harm.
Back in the hub, Rebekah sensed the chaos ebb around her. The hunters still fought shifters, but the constant stream of arcane attacks had stopped. She looked at Ignis. “Where’s the warlock?”
Ignis looked around and shrugged.
Delilah pointed at the tunnel’s entrance and screamed as loud as she could. “He ran that way! Aziel went after him!”
Rebekah cursed. The angel got points for bravery, but she would catch holy hell if anything happened to him.
“We have to find them,” she said. “Delilah, grab Father Timms, round up the others, and fall back out of the tunnels.”
Delilah nodded and pressed her fist to her chest. “Will do, Huntress.”
Rebekah hurried off toward the tunnel, followed by Ignis and Canter.
“Be careful!” Jarreth reached out and caressed Delilah’s face, but then he turned and hurried down the tunnel after the others.
Canter ran behind Rebekah and Ignis, making sure none of the shifters ran up behind them for a sneak attack. The wolves kept coming, but even as he cornered a wolf which had seemed to appear from nowhere, his heart and thoughts were still back down the tunnel where he knew Katie and his friends were. He kept telling himself that they were okay, that Jarreth would have her back, but then, as he spun around to jab his knife into the neck of another rogue, Jarreth ran up the tunnel.
Canter didn’t have breath to spare to ask Jarreth why he wasn’t with the others, and Jarreth didn’t offer an explanation. Together, they fought off the wolves while doing their best to keep up with Rebekah and Ignis.
They burst out of the tunnel into another smaller room. Aziel squared off against the warlock alone, dodging sizzling bolts of energy with supernatural agility. Still, the angel didn’t seem like he could get close enough to the dark mage to score a hit.
Just then, the mage shot his power straight at Aziel, striking him in the chest. The angel was fearless, but the magic was so strong, so evil, that he fell to his knees.
Rebekah rushed forward as the flesh began to rip open on Aziel’s side, and that was when a light so bright, brighter than they’d seen earlier, poured from his hands and side, straight at the warlock. Their power, good and evil, crashed together, creating a ball of energy so powerful that neither one could stop it.
The few wolves backing the mage turned and ran, and Ignis turned to mist and rushed around behind the warlock, still hoping to capture a wolf.
Rebekah took the opportunity to lunge at the dark mage, bringing Stella down hard into his neck. As he fell, his magic dimmed, and blood spurted from the wound, slicking her hands. Then it was over. The warlock was dead.
Aziel wobbled to his feet, and he met her eyes. His body was torn and bleeding, and as his strength seemed to fail him, he fell to the floor.
Rebekah feared that he was dead. The dark magic had been too much, even for him.
She walked over to the angel and knelt, running her hand along his strong arms, down to his hand which bore the stigmata. Behind her, Grady and Chris appeared as Ignis re-formed.
“Layne is hurt really bad,” said Grady. “Father Timms and Cooper stayed with him.”
Chris caught his breath. The boy’s blond hair was soaked in blood, and it ran down his face with his sweat. “We dropped right into the middle of their den.”
Canter and Jarreth caught up about that time, after finishing off a few more wolves. Canter looked down at Aziel, who was still and pale. “Is he okay?”
“I’m not sure,” said Rebekah, knowing the outlook was grim. She waited any moment for Michael to appear and chew her a new one, damn her with heavenly fire, or whatever he did. But then the angel moaned. She looked down where she’d gripped his hand tight, and the marks were healing.
She breathed a sigh of relief as he opened his eyes. “Did we get him?” he asked.
Rebekah smiled. “Yeah, we got him alright.”
Canter looked at Jarreth. “Where are the girls?”
Jarreth didn’t know how to tell him that Katie was down and it had happened on his watch. “Katie was injured, and Delilah took her to the car to check her out.”
Canter didn’t say a word as he took off running down the tunnel.
Chapter 26
The sun was rising on a new day, and although Rebekah was glad the warlock was dead, the cost had been too high. Three had been injured, and if it hadn’t been for her experience, Ignis’s magic, and Father Timms’s years as a field medic, Layne might not have made it out of the tunnel alive.
She stood leaning back against the gymnasium wall, her mind lost in whatcouldhavebeens and howitshouldbes.
“Are you okay?” Jarreth asked. Rebekah looked over as he planted his back against the wall beside her. “I know you’re the Immortal Huntress and all, but I can’t imagine you’re not affected.”
“I’ll be fine. My hunters are always my main concern.”
Jarreth couldn’t get over how strong and relentless she was in battle. He knew it was a longshot, but with Delilah watching him from across the room, he decided it was time to get things over with. He turned to face the Immortal Huntress, but as he started to speak, a frog found his throat. After giving a cough to clear it, he tried again. “I was thinking that maybe when this is all over and things settle down, we could have that lunch date we missed.”
Delilah stood a little straighter, waiting to see what would happen. She didn’t miss the Immortal Huntress as she turned her eyes toward her.
Rebekah had heard Jarreth and Delilah talking about the bet, and while he seemed like he was perfect for the younger girl, he was nothing like the men Rebekah was used to. “I think you owe that one a foot massage.”
Jarreth’s face warmed, and he had a feeling he was as red as a beet. “You knew about the bet?”
“I do have superhuman hearing, you know? And besides, I don’t date men who are in love with other women. You might have the blood of a warrior, but she’s got a warrior’s heart. Together, you’ll be unstoppable.” She pushed off the wall, and flashing Delilah a wink, she walked away.
Jarreth was disappointed, but not as crushed as he thought he might be, mostly because Rebekah was right. He was in love with another woman, and he tried not to be bitter that she was tending to the angel’s bandage.
“This is improving,” Delilah said. She hadn’t ever seen a wound so severe stitch itself back together quite so quickly.
“I heal faster than you, even with the Huntress’s blood in your system, but this one is taking some time with the dark magic the mage was using.” Aziel lifted his hands and looked at his palms, which were completely healed. His feet were healed too, and there wasn’t a trace of the crown of wounds on his forehead.
Jarreth couldn’t stand to see the two become so chummy. Even if they were only friends, it was still a sign that he was replaceable.
He found Canter standing outside in the hall, and though his friend turned away when he saw him coming, he wanted to offer support. “How is Katie?”
“One of the wolves broke her ankle, and she’s cut up all to hell. Th
ey had her pinned, and she couldn’t get away from them.”
Jarreth raked his hand through his hair as the lump in his throat grew bigger. “I left her alone for just a second—”
“Exactly. You left her.” Canter’s glare was an accusation.
Jarreth held up his hand defensively. “Delilah was in trouble, man. We did all we could as soon as possible.”
Canter turned away even more as his hands closed into fists. “You were assigned to watch Katie’s back. To protect her. But you didn’t because Delilah distracted you.” He’d had enough of the two of them and all of their selfishness.
“That’s not fair; we saved her life.”
“After it was your fault she was in danger in the first place,” Canter said.
Jarreth knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with him, not when Canter was that angry. He went out to see Delilah still doting over the angel and decided he’d seen enough. Retreating to his room seemed like a much better option.
Rebekah retreated to Merik’s office, and before she could even sit down, the phone rang. Still in her blood-stained clothes from the night before, she answered, expecting it to be a call from Michael, who Doc had notified about the angel’s injuries. There was no way to get around it, and by letting him know, she knew it would only be a matter of time before the Church found out.
“Hello.” She took a deep breath and waited for Michael’s smooth voice, which even though it was like warm honey, could still give her chills. Instead, it was much worse.
“Ms. Ward, this is Teri from the hospital.”
“Yes? Is there a problem?” Rebekah knew there had to be, or they wouldn’t have called.
“I’m calling to inform you that Ms. Riley’s condition is worsening, and the doctor is requesting that any family members who want to say goodbye please come as soon as possible. Her body is shutting down, and he expects it won’t be long now.” Teri’s voice was kind and sympathetic, but it did nothing to comfort Rebekah, who was losing the last member of her family.