Forbidden Embrace

by Charlotte Blackwell

  Chapter 9

  The Arrival

  We’re prepared for the Cerberus’ arrival, although it’s been two nights since Cato informed us they would be here. The animal pack or shifters as we have now come to call them, followed the Cerberus last night, gathering Intel. There seems to be about 25 members in total; they have not Embraced anyone since their arrival in the county. Tonight is the night, I think we’re ready; we all remove our day crystals and place them in the safe in the office. We don’t want to take any chances of the Cerberus getting a hold of them; that would be bad. Having our day crystals would give them the ability to be out during the day. We are hopeful that the fight will end before day break as they will also need to take cover. No vampire wants to burn in the sun; it’s very painful. I have heard it’s similar to burning mortal skin with hydrochloric acid. The shifters share what they have learned; that the Cerberus are sensing the power of the clearing and are heading that way. They will outnumber us, but we are stronger, more knowledgeable and better prepared since we expect them.

  I’m getting concerned again; they’re too close for comfort, and I really don’t want anyone in Wenham to get hurt. I knew that this was going to happen; I just never realized how emotional I’d be about it. If we just stick to the plan all should be fine, so I start to go over it again in my head; okay, we strategically situate ourselves around the clearing so we’ll surround them.

  I decide to call Nathanial. “Hey hun, I can’t talk long. It’s time; the Cerberus are almost here. I just want to tell you I love you. Please make sure Danika stays with you and Matt.”

  “I love you too, be safe and don’t worry; Danika’s right here,” he says with deep concern.

  “’Kay, I will call you as soon as it is over. Just don’t leave your house for anything,” I instruct.

  ***

  Alexander has us all connected telepathically so that we can see and hear everything he does; we can also communicate throughout the fight. The Cerberus are closing in…we can sense them. Normally we can’t sense other vampires but tonight we have the help of Alexander’s gift. He has opened up to the area allowing their thoughts in, yet keeping ours safe and tight within our group. They are so hungry, ready for the kill, and ready to gain the powers of the area. I wonder how Alexander deals with the torment of others thoughts all the time.

  “It’s difficult, but I have had time to learn to deal with it. The Cerberus is horrible though. I have never felt anything like this before,” he replies back in our thoughts. “I’m just glad I only hear their thoughts and can block out their emotions, at least to a point.”

  We can feel their hunger; it’s so overpowering, really the only thing on their minds, and it’s intense, making us gain the thirst for blood that they have. We need to remain focused and not allow their feelings and thoughts to implant on us. The hatred they hold toward the Renata is almost as intense as their hunger; we can hear their thoughts and plans to take down the Renata. The Cerberus plan to increase their numbers and powers, then take over the royal palace to lead the vampires and eventually the world. All intentions they hold are pure evil; we feel it right through to our cores. Alexander’s capability of dealing with others thoughts amazes me. I’ve found a new admiration for him.

  Alexander announces through our connection, “I’m releasing the connection to the area, and we know they are closing in. I can tell how difficult it is for all of you to deal with, and that could weaken us. I will keep us connected and I will check in on them every now and then.” Alexander is able to withhold and permit certain thoughts; he has mastered this over the past century. He has enough control that he can remain connected to them and us at the same time, yet filter out what he doesn’t want us to hear: our own little censor.

  Time to focus on the fight; it is almost time. Telepathically we review our plan of attack.

  “Okay, so we lure them to the center of the meadow, where our Magnificent Ones will cast a spell to trap them inside the crystals that were laid out. It should hold like a jail cell, until they can use the power removing potion. Cato, you can then render their powers useless?” Elijah projects to all of us.

  “I can only render a few useless at a time, maybe a little more if they are weak,” Cato replies.

  “I think your powers will best be used to weaken the stronger ones further. At that point we will attack; once beaten and injured enough the shifters can rip them to pieces and we will burn them, placing the ashes in silver boxes and burying them in various places. Just to ensure there is no chance of repairing.” Wanting to ensure there is no chance for return.

  We all agree with Elijah and signal that we understand the plan.

  Our entire group prepares as we hear them getting closer, taking our fight stances and covering every point of entry. It appears they are only steps away.

  “Is everyone ready? It is time!” Elijah says through Alexander’s gift.

  The Cerberus begin entering the clearing. They are awful looking, at least most of them; their hair is a mess and their clothing is tattered and torn and very dirty. We can smell the scent of death on them. They are evil looking. The best way to describe one of them, who appears to be the leader, is...well, he looks like Charles Manson, back when he first got arrested. He is speaking softly to the others.

  “This is the place–I can feel the magic here. Someone is near, more than one. This shall be our greatest feast yet. Can you feel the energy? It is amazing,” he says softly, with great excitement and authority.

  The others begin joining him in the clearing, one by one. We continue to talk telepathically as the cult members draw near, not knowing that we too are vampires, until it is too late and they notice the difference in our heart rates from the others near us.

  “Remain calm everyone; fight your urge to attack…we must stay with the plan. Wait until they all reach the leader, and then cast the spells, girls,” Elijah instructs.

  As they enter the clearing one at a time from various points as if to surround what they find, we start counting them, 28, 29, 30, 31...36, 37, and 38.

  “My God they have 38! That’s twice as many as us! We only expected 25; they must have not all been together,” Constance notes.

  “We can do this; they are not prepared for us,” Florence encourages.

  They appear to be confused by the heart beats of the witches and shifters versus ours. They prepare to fight for the food, fight to win our friends…as if we would allow that to happen.

  “Now girls!” Cato screams.

  The three witches begin to chant....

  By the power of three

  We entrap thee

  By the power of three

  We entrap thee

  By the power of three

  We entrap thee

  So mote it be,

  So mote it be,

  So mote it be.

  Ms. Edwina assists with the spell to provide extra energy, like a power boost.

  The crystals surrounding us and the Cerberus begin glowing as bright as stars in the night sky. As each one of the Cerberus notices they are caught off guard and begin to scramble, they even begin to fight each other.

  Ms. Edwina calls to the girls. “Girls, come here quickly, the faster you act the better,” she hands each of them a potion to remove powers.

  We all take our spots around the circle but remain back from the girls slightly.

  “As soon as the potion is thrown the entrapment spell will weaken and with every hit or pressure put on it, the shield will eventually break. We need to destroy as many as possible, before the trap breaks allowing them access to our friends. Alright girls, on my count, 1, 2, 3....,” Ms. Edwina yells.

  The girls circle the Cerberus and throw the potions trying to hit all of them. Now that the potions are thrown, the girls run for cover, and we can begin our attack. The shifters are all waiting slightly behind us, ready to stake and rip the injured Cerberus apart, or to attack any that may get past us. I am starting to wish we would have t
hought of flaming arrows; that would have done the job all at once…one wood arrow to the heart and instant burnage.

  One after another we are physically beating the Cerberus down. The shifters are doing a great job. Ebony, and Eliza are behind all of us throwing potions that help us, either to enhance our powers or to weaken the Cerberus more. Ebony’s power of telekinesis is helping her with her aim of the potions. During a fight like this it is hard to ensure the potion hits the right target, but with a moment’s notice she is able to redirect it if for some reason the vial is coming too close to one of us. It’s only a few short minutes before the entrapment breaks. The shifters charge, and swoop down ready to attack and tear the Cerberus to sheds.

  We make our way through the newest wave of Cerberus; they’re very easy, almost too easy. They are like worms crawling across the sidewalk on a rainy day, slow and easy to defeat. Now it appears we are down to about ten, and the remaining Cerberus appears to be older, more knowledgeable and stronger; they know how to fight. We can tell their powers are weakened but they still seem to retain some. I assume this because they are hiding in the middle of their clan when the potions hit.

  “We can do this. There are only ten left, now we outnumber them,” Elijah encourages. “Keep it up, great job. Isaac behind you!” Another one snuck in from the bushes, and the shifters do a quick sweep to see if they can find more.

  Vampire to vampire we are outnumbered, but we have help off to the side if things get out of hand. Growls roar through the area like wild animals, as we go head to head with the monstrous vampires that threaten our way of peace.

  Isaac, is having a good fight, but is matched well. When he sees a chance he takes his fight mate down to the ground, jumps up and Eliza hits the Cerberus fighter with a stun potion. Isaac jumps on top, staking him with a broken tree branch. The shifters come in and begin to destroy the fighter, ripping his head off, followed by all his limbs. Isaac turns his attention to another fighter that begins to attack. Muay Thai style, he begins using all his kick boxing moves, with stealth Isaac moves punching and kicking. For a brief moment as I watch him I remember how he described the difference between Muay Thai and other martial arts such as Taekwondo, ‘we break bones not boards;’ I chuckle at the memory as I return my thoughts to the fight.

  We’re all still linked telepathically, and Elijah is struggling; his opponent is strong, he must be the leader. He needs our help; Isaac prepares all of us, and he shakes things up a little. Isaac causes a small earth quake, just enough to take the Cerberus off their guard. The ground begins to tremble, we take our stances and prepare. The grounds movement increases, the Cerberus appear confused…and we attack. They are completely unprepared, caught off guard as we hoped. Instantly we take out another five, leaving four Cerberus remaining. Alexander interjects their thoughts; Elijah is battling the second in command. We now see that, they had all been protecting whom we believed to be the leader. But we now have the numbers to win.

  The Cerberus members continue to protect their leader, looking for a way for him to escape. We need to ensure his demise, to ensure the safety of Wenham residents; more importantly for me, that Nathanial and his family remain safe. The shifters close in the perimeter as we fight, and The Magnificent Ones close the perimeter even more, fighting within the crystal circle the witches created to trap the Cerberus. As soon as we take a few more Cerberus out, the wolves can destroy them, and Ebony along with her sisters can repeat the spell to entrap the remaining fighters and the leader in the circle with us. This will leave them no escape, and lead them to their impending demise. The shifters dive in to the center so they can help destroy the Cerberus.

  Two more down, and the shifters are taking care of them; the spell is cast and now we are trapped with the leader and one last fighter. Constance and Florence are injured, Florence has a broken leg and Constance has a tree branch embedded in her abdomen. I tend to them as the boys and Matilda continue to fight. Florence’s fracture appears to be a compound fracture of the femur bone, and Constance appears to be doing alright. She tells me to tend to Florence first; she is positive no internal organs have been damaged. I can’t believe how lucky she is, a little higher and we would have lost yet another family member we love. My healing of their injuries is complete in seconds. Because they are vampires and can self-heal, my extra healing just helps to speed the process.

  Once their healing is complete all four of us girls take on the one remaining fighter, and with all of us he is quite easy to defeat. The boys are involved in battle with the leader; he is a good fighter, but with Cato’s help he no longer possesses his extra powers. Cato is able to render his powers useless, but his strength, we can’t take away. Alexander is being tossed into the crystal shield like a rag doll. Elijah jumps the leader from behind, tearing at his flesh; piece by rotting piece it falls to the ground. Cato punches completely through the leader’s chest and he collapses helplessly to the ground. Cato tosses the undead heart off to the side and shakes his hand free from the blood it is now covered in.

  As the boys rip him apart, the sister witches remove the spell shield. We begin tossing pieces of the last two Cerberus remains to the shifters, and they proceed to toss the pieces in to the fire. Once all the pieces are burned to ash we put the large blazing fire out. We collect the ashes and place them in silver boxes Alexander and Nathanial made, and seal them. Gathering all the boxes, we bury them deep into the ground in various spots throughout the forest, taking no chances of a hiker finding the remains.

  Now that the job at hand is complete we begin to celebrate; the shifters, the witches and the vampires, what an awkward combination of allies. I can’t help but wonder if our little group of supernaturals has come up with something here. Maybe those like us can choose to work together, an idea I may have to revisit at another time. We cheer and hug, then Elijah decides to say something. “I would like to thank each and every one of you for your assistance in handling the Cerberus. It could not have been successfully accomplished without your help. We will be forever indebted to you all.”

  Everyone continues with the celebration. Ebony and I decide to sneak off to the other side of the clearing. “I think we should call Nate and Matt. I assume they are going insane,” I suggest.

  “You are probably right…not to mention that, as much as I have enjoyed Dakota’s company, I miss Matt so much my heart aches,” Ebony admits.

  I push the speed dial on my phone to call Nathanial, and he answers on the first ring. “Sophia, is that you?” he asks in a panic.

  “Yes, it is me. Are you doing okay?”

  “You are asking if I am okay? How is everyone? Did anyone get hurt? Did you defeat the Cerberus? Where...”

  “Stop! You can calm down, I will explain everything. The Cerberus are now destroyed and we are all fine. Why don’t you and Matt meet us at my house? I guess you should bring Danika too,” I try to reassure him and make a little joke.

  Nathanial will ask if he can spend the night, it’s teacher’s convention tomorrow, so no school. Matt will stay as well; we can tell them everything that way. I’m excited to see him, but want to converse a little more with our little army.

  Because of the kills we could all receive a few new powers; normally we can sense our powers, but because most of us had never killed another of our kind we don’t know what it feels like to acquire new powers. Elijah, Isaac and Cato try to explain it to us. Cato and Elijah will be able to explain which power or powers we have attained. Because we did not get a chance to witness their powers, due to binding them, we don’t know what to expect, and they both have the ability to detect others power. Due to the shifters involvement in destroying the Cerberus, I doubt many of us will get new abilities. We injured the Cerberus and the shifters destroyed them. From my understanding we have to complete the destruction of another vampire to acquire their abilities or powers.

  Cato and Elijah start explaining how when an immortal destroys another immortal their powers are gained by the one left st
anding. These aren’t always good powers and to ensure proper usage of the new power they must be learned and controlled properly. With all of us there together it becomes a jumble of powers; Cato and Elijah are only able to make out the powers, not who they belong to. We will have to figure that part out later, but for now we talk about the new powers they sense.

  “I want all of you to understand that some of the powers we are sensing are very powerful; they can be very dangerous because if others sense them they would destroy you for them,” Elijah warns.

  “We will work with you to control them,” Cato offers. They begin listing the powers. “We have sensed age shifting, appearance alteration, aura absorption, clairvoyance, danger sensing, pyrokinesis, and health optimizing/degeneration since the Cerberus arrived. These are the strongest powers we sense; not all the Cerberus will have had powers and younger ones would not have developed them, so they could take time to discover,” Cato explains further.

  “Now there is also the fact of the shifters causing the final kill. I’m not sure if they will absorb the power, if it will just be like normal, like it is for us. We will determine later if any of us acquired new powers tonight or not. I also find myself wondering if the power just stays in the area for any entity that requires these powers, or if no one is getting the credit do they just reabsorb into the earth,” Elijah reinforces.

  Well this is all very exhilarating and no one knows what to think. We are happy to destroy the Cerberus and protect the people of Wenham, but it isn’t pleasurable to kill another, no matter how evil they may be. We had sworn against violence and tried to live that way; if not it would likely lead to the temptation to kill innocents.