by Cynthia Eden
“People?” Carmichael shook his head. “No way, man. Humans are off-limits. They can’t handle this—”
“Rio,” Stefan announced, ignoring the clueless shifter. “He’s the first one I need. The shifter boy Valerie raised from the dead.”
Calliope nodded.
“Then I’ll need a vampire named Magnus. The angry Scottish bastard has to pay his debt.”
Carmichael frowned. “A vamp? I thought you hated vamps.”
“I do. So does Val—most days. But once, Magnus was dying, and a beautiful witch saved him.”
Carmichael just shook his head. “Why?”
“Because that’s what she does.” Stefan tapped his chin as he figured out who else they should pull in for the battle. “We’ll also need a djinn. Ellya is conniving as the day is long, so just get her here before she can trick you.”
“Again…why?” Carmichael demanded.
Calliope smiled. “Valerie saved her life. She brought Ellya back from the dead.”
Carmichael’s worry was apparent. “It doesn’t sound like she should have come back.”
Maybe. Maybe not.
“You want them all here, don’t you?” Calliope said. “Because Valerie would want them? For the end?”
She’d finally caught on. “Use a locator spell. Get them here. It’s time for them to pay their debts.” Because this was it. The end. Valerie wasn’t going to die. Devon wasn’t going to win.
Today was the day that the wicked, dark queen…well, it was his favorite witch’s turn to rise.
***
“The only time he ever gave me jewelry,” Valerie lamented as she glared at her wrists, “and it was to bind my ass.” Not romantic. Not awesome.
And her chest still ached. She kept having to blink because her vision was all blurry. She was hunched on the floor, her head bowed like she’d suffered some great and tragic loss, and this was not her.
Her hands slapped against the stone floor. She wasn’t the type to give up. She never gave up. So she needed to think shit through.
She couldn’t pry the bracelets off her wrists. Only the person who’d put them on her could remove them, so the story went. That meant she had to find another way, another—
The ceiling caved in—no, it crashed in. Valerie gave a sharp cry and her hands flew over her head as she tried to protect herself from falling debris. From stone. From dust. From whatever hell else was raining down on her. Smoke seemed to fill the cell.
Smoke?
Heavy, oppressive silence settled around her. The place was as dark as a tomb. Ha, so fitting. Even with her enhanced vision, she couldn’t see anything in the darkness. She couldn’t see anything except—
Glowing, green eyes.
Her breath caught.
“My…my…” His voice came out of the darkness. Deep and gravelly, more beast than man. “What beautiful eyes you have…”
She scrambled back. She couldn’t see him clearly, but he could obviously see her perfectly. Only she didn’t know if he was there to help or…Valerie cleared her throat. “My eyes…they make it easy for me to see what a lying asshole you are.”
She heard the faintest tread of his footsteps. Or was that the scrape of claws? Crap.
“My…” His voice rumbled. “What a gorgeous mouth you have.”
Her mouth pressed into a thin line. Did he think she didn’t know what he was doing? She’d teased him this exact same way the first time they’d been in a dungeon together. “This shit isn’t funny.” She swiped at the stupid wetness on her cheek. “My mouth—it’s this way so that I can tell you to go to hell.”
A rush of wind battered at her. Valerie gave a quick scream, but he was already in front of her. His hands—tipped with claws—grabbed her. “Already there,” Griffin rasped. “Been there, will be there forever…if I’m without you.” Then his mouth crashed onto hers. He tasted like paradise. Like her every wish.
And her every bad dream. Because he was what she couldn’t have. A taunt. A joke. She’d wanted a lover, a mate, a man who’d have her back and always choose her, no matter what. Only he hadn’t been that guy. He’d been the one to bind her. He’d been the one—
Something snapped.
Shit. Was it her heart? Did a broken heart actually snap?
Valerie wrenched her mouth away from him.
“You’re free.”
The bracelets clanged against the stone floor. Valerie flexed her wrists, twisting them around, and making sure this was real.
“I’m so fucking sorry.”
He was warm and strong and solid in front of her.
“I couldn’t stand to see you in pain. You were bleeding and burning, and I lost my mind.”
Sparks danced around her fingertips, lighting up his face. Hard planes. Square jaw. Bright eyes. Testing herself, she fluttered her fingers, and jeans appeared on Griffin’s body.
“I love you. I would give my life for you in an instant. I would do anything. But, Valerie, I can’t watch you hurt. Your pain tears me apart. I just want you to be safe.”
Her hand lifted. Her fingers touched his cheek. “You can’t protect me from everything. I don’t want to be protected from everything. I have to be able to fight my own battles.”
“You don’t have to fight them alone. Can’t you see that? You never have to fight alone again. I will always be at your side.”
Footsteps were racing toward them. Guards coming in fast.
“I love you,” Griffin told her, his voice so deep and hard. “And I’ll love you until I die.”
“Griffin!” Devon’s snarling voice echoed around them. “Get the hell away from her!”
Griffin put his body in front of her. He was protecting her, again. Valerie stood on her toes and peeked over his shoulder.
“You obsessed sonofabitch.” Devon stood on the other side of the bars. “You just couldn’t let her go, could you? I gave you a chance. I told you I’d break the mating bond, but you still flew here, determined to get her. Determined to save a witch who should have burned years ago.”
A team of witch guards stood just behind Devon’s glowering form.
“She can’t get out.” Devon gave an evil grin. “You think I didn’t consider that you might fly to her rescue, shifter king? Here’s the thing…you could get in, but she can’t get out. This cell is witch proof. You try to take her out, and lightning will hit her body, the volts pumping through her over and over again. That particular punishment will also happen if you sprout your wings and try flying through the fucking hole you left in the ceiling or if you use your enhanced strength to try and break these bars. I made sure Valerie can’t leave, not until I give the command.” He straightened his shoulders and glowered. “I have the power here.”
“You have nothing.” Valerie moved to Griffin’s side. She stared at her enemy and crushed the golden bracelets beneath her feet. “Soon everyone will know it.”
He smiled at her. “You’re dying at sunrise. I’m getting everything ready. It’s almost time. The witches will see you fall. Then no one will ever try to question the council again.”
Valerie peered at the guards behind him, then glanced back at Devon’s gloating face. “Where is Genevieve? Don’t you need to find her, and you know, ask permission for every single thing that you do?” She fluttered her lashes at him.
Devon slammed his hand against the cell bars. “You’re dead!”
“Not yet.” Valerie smiled. “I’m not.”
Devon lifted his right hand. At that command, every guard stepped forward and aimed their weapons.
Griffin immediately leapt in front of her.
“Stop doing that!” Valerie snapped. It was a fatal flaw far too many were exhibiting and—
“The silver bullets in these guns are for him, Valerie,” Devon told her with a satisfied smirk on his fat face.
She grabbed Griffin, used an enhanced strength no one had known she possessed—another secret I have and, yes, I did lie about that one—and she s
hoved him behind her back.
Griffin snarled.
But Devon just grinned. “Won’t do you any good to take the bullets this time, Valerie.”
And Griffin—damn him—had already moved to her side.
“Too many of them.” Devon shrugged. “And all the silver bullets are bewitched to find their target. You can’t block them all.” His laughter rang out. “You see, this scene was a trap. And, you, Valerie, were the bait.”
Valerie glanced at Griffin, her stomach tensing.
“I couldn’t kill him back at Calliope’s place. Not when it was just me. He was too strong. But I did learn from Calliope and that now dead vamp Enzo. They gave me a great idea. I just had to get Griffin in a confined space. Draw him in. And he’d be a sitting duck.”
“Because he came for me,” Valerie whispered. Oh, this was not good.
“I was curious, though…” Devon tilted his head as he studied Griffin. “Would he still be as crazy for you when your powers were bound? Had you put a spell on him?”
Her shoulders stiffened. “No.”
“Right. Of course, not. Because you wanted him to love you for yourself, didn’t you? I figured that out. You always wanted someone to see past your wicked ways.”
Griffin’s stare was on her. Heavy. Considering.
Her gaze cut back to Devon. “You didn’t put shit together. You had someone feeding you intel all along. You think I don’t know that?”
“You were caught far too easily the first time I had you.” Devon nodded, as if he’d gone over all of this in his mind, numerous times. The guards kept all of their weapons trained on Griffin. “You wanted to get caught, didn’t you? So once I figured that part out, it made me wonder…why? And then I realized—”
“You realized you were an asshole. Check.” Valerie was seething. And getting desperate.
Griffin caught her hand in his. Brought it to his lips. Kissed her knuckles. “He’s going to be a dead asshole,” Griffin promised.
A warm glow spread through her. A glow that calmed some of her desperation. Griffin could say the nicest things.
Devon’s eyes turned to slits. “You let yourself get caught the first time because you wanted to be close to Griffin.”
She smiled. “Did I? And here I thought putting me in the cell next to the big, bad dragon was your idea. Because you thought he’d toast me.”
Devon lunged toward the bars. Spittle flew from his mouth. “You already knew you were his fated mate, didn’t you? That’s why you allowed yourself to get caught, why you wanted to be in the cell next to his. You were fucking two steps ahead of me!”
“Um…” She squeezed Griffin’s hand. “Fated may be the right word.” She gave her mortal enemy a wide grin. “Have you talked to Fate lately, by the way? Because she is a fountain of information. I bet if you talked to her, she’d say something like…oh, I don’t know…you’re going to die at sunrise, burned by flames that are hotter than hell.”
Devon glared.
Valerie kept her smile in place.
Then Devon pointed at Griffin.
Her smile faltered.
“The dragon’s scales may very well be strong enough to stop the bullets, but he won’t have time to change before the silver hits him…so I guess we’ll never know for sure.”
Bastard. Bastard—
“I could shoot him now. Let him die right in front of you.”
“I’d just bring him back.” Her chin lifted. “Your mistake.” She could feel the sparks rising from her fingertips. Those wonderful sparks wrapped around her hand and Griffin’s. “I can’t get out, but I can work my magic inside this cell. If Griffin dies in here, then I’ll just bring him back.”
“But you’ll be weak, won’t you? Weak and helpless…” Devon’s eyes gleamed. “So very easy to kill.”
And that was his plan. To kill Griffin. To make her watch him die. She would save him and by saving him…
Well, guess my number will be up.
“Of course, you don’t have to save him,” Devon murmured. Sly as the devil. “You could just let him die. That way, you keep your power. And if you’re strong enough, then maybe you can find a way to defeat me. To take over. To win in the end with some crazy plan that you probably have spinning in your head.”
Valerie glanced at Griffin. His gaze was on Devon. Griffin’s profile was so strong.
“I mean…he has betrayed you,” Devin pointed out in a helpful tone. “Griffin slapped the binding bracelets on you, and come on, we both know that he had plans to ditch you as soon as he could. Griffin didn’t want a permanent mate. When he first took you to the realm of the shifters, he wasn’t going to sleep with you. He was going to cast you aside—”
Griffin’s head turned. He stared into Valerie’s eyes. “Do not save me.”
Oh, no, he had not just said those words to her.
But Griffin wasn’t done. “Don’t even think of bringing me back. If their bullets kill me, you let me die. Our mating bond will end. You won’t be hurt because witches don’t react the same way to the bond as shifters do.” His smile was heart-breaking. If she’d…had a heart. “That’s why I never expected you to love me.”
“She can’t love,” Devon threw in. “Dumbass.”
“Stay strong,” Griffin urged her. “Don’t you dare fucking save me.”
Valerie licked her lips. “You have…” Now she turned her head to focus on Devon and his goons. “You have incredible intel. Intel that I suspect a traitor gave you.” She pretended to think about it even as her nostrils flared. “Griffin, do you smell that? It’s not just witches here any longer…”
The soft tread of footsteps came closer.
She felt Griffin stiffen. Then he was lunging for the cell bars. She jumped in front of him. “No, don’t give them what they want.”
Rage.
Pain.
Death.
Griffin’s eyes were burning with emerald fury, and his incisors sprang to razor-sharp points.
She schooled her features and turned to face another foe. “Ah…you were on my suspect list. My top three, in fact. It feels good to be right.”
The traitor glared at her. Then he lifted his claws—and Elliott rushed toward the cell.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Griffin hauled Valerie away from the bars just as Elliott’s claw-tipped hands reached for her. Elliott strained, but the fool couldn’t reach either of them.
Griffin glared at the man he’d considered to be his friend. “You sonofabitch. I’m going to make your death slow and painful.”
Elliott snarled. His bear was close to the surface. Not close enough, though. “You fucked her. I knew you would. You came in, spouting BS about it just being a temporary mating, but I could tell the truth just by hearing the way you said her name. You were going to bring the witch into your life, into our lives, and you were going to keep her.”
Hell, yes, he intended to keep Valerie forever.
Elliott had jerked his hands back through the cell bars. His body vibrated with fury. “I was at your side. For years. I was waiting, biding my time. I knew I’d have the chance to take over. I just had to wait long enough. Then she appeared. My moment. Finally.”
“Uh, yeah,” Valerie cleared her throat. “I’m not your moment. I’m not your anything.” Her hand went to Griffin’s chest. “I’m his.”
Damn right she was.
“Told you,” Valerie muttered to Griffin. “In my top three. He was too flirty. I mean, I’m awesome, but not that awesome. He was obviously trying to seem too friendly.”
Elliott’s face was changing. His jaw hardening. His nose flattening. The guy could barely contain his shift.
“You never had any real control.” Griffin glanced over him in disdain. “You think you can rule all the shifters the way you are? Chaos, that’s all you’ll bring.”
“No.” A frantic shake of Elliott’s head—his hair was getting thicker. “Devon has promised to help me. He’ll give me—”
Valerie didn’t sound afraid. They were facing really shitty odds. Guns were trained on them. They were trapped in the cell. But his witch sounded brave. She was all but laughing in the face of death. And he had never loved her more. “You own my heart, love,” Griffin told her. “And you always will.”
Her gaze slipped toward him. “Griffin?” Her eyes widened.
“How sweet,” Devon drawled. “And that is the perfect note we should end on.” A pause. Then, “Shoot him.”
“No!” Valerie screamed. “Don’t, don’t you—”
The bullets fired. Griffin pulled up his beast, calling for the dragon because he knew that he needed his strongest monster. Scales burst onto his skin. The bullets were rushing toward him.
“Stop!” Valerie screamed. Sparks flew from her fingers, hitting the bullets, but they didn’t stop. They were all trained right on him.
Valerie leapt toward Griffin, but he wasn’t going to let her take bullets meant for him. Hell, no. Not again. Not ever again. He grabbed her in his arms and twisted, shielding her. Hunching his back—
His wings burst out.
The bullets tore through them. The bullets ripped through his wings. They slammed into his back. Into his sides. Into his legs.
The gunfire sounded like firecrackers exploding, over and over again.
Then there was only silence.
“He’s still on his feet.” A hushed announcement that came from one of the guards.
Another demanded, “How in the hell is the bastard on his feet?”
Blood poured from Griffin’s wounds. He could feel the burn of the silver inside of him. Griffin couldn’t lift his head. It had sagged forward, but he felt his witch’s fingertips tracing over his cheeks.
“You own my heart, shifter,” Valerie whispered.
He forced his eyes to open. He was still shielding her with his body.
“And you always will.” A tear leaked down her cheek. “I will bring you back.”
He wanted to speak. Wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but his legs wouldn’t hold him up any longer. He fell to the side and crashed onto the stone floor. Valerie fell with him, scrambling to hold him in her arms.