by Rae Foxx
“Okay, everyone knows what the fuck to do?” I snapped, my skin prickling in either exhilaration or mind-numbing fear as they all turned to me, clearly expecting something. Ha! Not going to happen. "Don't expect some kind of speech, you all should know me enough to know that sure as hell ain't happening. Don't die. Don't be a dip shit. And I'll see you all on the other side of this mess."
They all nodded, fists clenched, jaws tight, murder in their eyes. Good, they would need it.
"Let's kill us some bitches," was the extent of my speech as we turned, shifted and ran down the hill concealed by the Fae's magic as we made a beeline for Nicky, for the books, for the end of everything.
God, I was so excited to see Nicky’s surprised face while her head rolled across the sands. I could almost taste her blood in anticipation of it.
'Heads can’t really roll on sand. Unless it’s going downhill,' Howl snarked in my mind, his wolf overtaking mine thanks to his practice in the desert and mountains and you know, being a wolf for longer.
'Fine. Then I will put her head on a pike. I know for sure that's a thing, and I would gladly take either.'
Our banter died off as we hit the floor of the desert, all of us slowing down so as not to send up too much dirt, although, with as fast as we were going I was sure it would look more like a dust storm than an approaching militia ready for lynching.
Nicky was only a few hundred feet away, oblivious to all of us charging in silence. She didn't even look towards the dust that was ripping toward her, she was focused at the trees her army had left through, the Nascence book under her arm like a fucking football player.
My phantom heart rate turned into a stutter, everything picking up at the fucking gift from god that was opening up before me. Nicky and the book, and she was steps away now. If I moved fast, I might be able to yank it from her, throw her across the desert and declare victory before she even knows we were there.
It was worth a shot. I was going for it.
I broke away from the others, my wolf's paws galloping through the dirt as I opened my mouth, ready to bite at the book or her, my magic already prickling in expectation of finishing off the rest of her.
One... bite...
"He will be back and then we will go to stage two--" Nicky was saying, her sentence cut off as she turned to me, not a drop of shock on her face as she knocked her head toward Oberion and said. "Or you can take her now."
Shit! I must have moved too fast and pulled out of the Fae's shield of something. So much for surprising the shit out of her.
Oberion’s eyes were dead as he turned to me, blinked once and moved to stream over the desert like the mechanical death machine that he was. Although this time he was faster, his moves smoother, and Nicky didn't even have to point him in the right direction.
My wolf growled and jumped into the air, arching over the shell of my father to land in front of Nicky who grinned and folded her arms over the book. She held it like it was a shield and not the prize that it was. didn't matter, it wasn't going to stop me from ripping the thing from her and her head from her body.
'I'll get the pike,' Howl provided, his wolf emerging beside mine as they all burst into existence, and moved right to their supposed targets. Mama was already bantering with my father like they were arguing over toothpaste squeezing positions.
“Don’t you ever fucking give up, trash?" Nicky side-stepped, looking between me Howl and Finn who has stepped up to join us. It was only after Finn arrived that she started to look scared. Scared of a Fae... interesting. "I should’ve followed my first instinct when I met you. Drugged you, killed you. But no, I wanted to bring your power along for the ride. It would have been easier to get your blood as it dropped from your neck. I bet Tommy would’ve helped back then before he was one of your manwhores--"
"Are you really going to monologue?" I asked, giving one last growl before I shifted into my human form. "Because you know what happens when you do that?"
Her eyes narrowed, lip curling as she tried to figure out what I was saying. But it was too late, I flicked my hand once to the side, sent her in one direction and the book in the other.
"Get the book," I said to Saxon, the vampire's super-speed sending him into the desert after the book as I went the other way, after Nicky who was now writhing and screaming in a plume of dirt.
"Well, that was easy..."
'Too easy,' Howl finished as I sent Nicky soaring through the air again. Straight up, and straight down, sending more dirt into the air on her impact.
“Don't worry, Nicky, I never give up," I called over to her as Howl and I reached her, the woman snarling as she stared at us, covered in dirt, heaving on all fours. "It’s one of my many charms."
"Charms?" She cackled, dust shaking from her hair as she threw her head back and dusted off her pants as though this shit were over. Far from it, Pencil Skirt. "The only way you will ever charm me is when the last of your blood glitters on the desert floor."
Now it was my turn to laugh, "yeah okay,"
Nicky smiled, her teeth glinting as they elongated, as they stretched into the fangs identical to the ones that were already trying to push out of my gum line.
'Shit.' Howl snapped in my head, and I had to agree.
She shifted then, into that tiny wolf that hadn't been that ominous before, but with giant vampire fangs pulling below the maw of her wolf she looked absolutely terrifying.
'Keep her busy,' I instructed Howl, tossing myself to the side as Nicky's wolf lunged for me, teeth snarling and gnashing. 'I'll try to get her under control.'
She lunged again and I used my magic to set her off course. Which also set me off course and into the dirt the smashing teeth of the wolf who was inches away.
Holy fuck! I had no idea what those fangs would do to me, but I had no interest in finding out. Or let anyone else find out, they were all completely busy trying to subdue Oberion all of that screaming and lunging as the old man whisked and attacked and Mama cast spell after useless spell.
We needed that book, but turning back to Saxon and the stretch of desert I had thrown the precious artifact into revealed a problem. Saxon hadn't gotten there first.
The king of the demons held the old leather-bound volume in his hands, laughing as he lifted himself up on a cloud of black smoke, the man massive against the tiny vampire.
"Tommy!" I yelled, pulling his attention toward the monster that was about to take down Saxon. his face turned white, all the blood draining from my face as Gorath moved to smother Saxon, Tommy raced to get there in time and I was rammed into by a wall of hair and teeth that ripped at skin, blood pouring from my arm as I scuttled back and away from the victorious wolf.
'Ivy!' Howl yelled in my mind, his wolf racing toward me, only to be surrounded by a wall of black smoke. his wolf snarling and fighting at the nothing as Nicky approached, shifting from her wolf to snarl at me, licking my blood as it dripped from her fangs.
“Delicious. Nearly as delicious as your daddy. Delicious Daddy. I was worried about him for a bit there, but he really has proven quite...useful for my needs.” She did that thing where she scissored her legs and I almost dry-heaved right there.
This bitch was getting pervy on my father. That was gross, even for Nicky.
I needed to end this now.
“The only thing you need to do is die.” I lunged for her while she cackled, socking her right in the abs causing her to double over in pain, sputtering and coughing out a mixture of our blood all over the hot sand. While she was bent over, I sent my knee up and got her again, right in her gut.
She collapsed, heaving and gasping and I knew I couldn't wait any longer. Letting all my magic buzz and bubble I let out a roar, letting all that anger and fear out as I tried to connect my magic to my mates, tried to bring back that roar of electricity over my skin.
I got barely more than a buzz; it would have to be enough.
My skin broke out with goosebumps as I the power took over and reached out for Nicky.
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“Call off the demon and give me the book,” I commanded my voice not nearly as brassy and ominous as it had been before. I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my foot, waiting for the magic to reach her. I fully expected a dazed and confused Nicky to walk over and hand me the book, fucking smile on her face.
Instead, she turned around in a circle, flapped one of her arms like a chicken and slurred like a crackhead on their first mushroom trip. “Oisndva weihdjgnaiejnv iiiibbbb.”
Okay, maybe close enough wasn't good enough. closing my eyes, I coaxed all of that electricity to grow, to buzz over my skin and turn into a firestorm. A firestorm that was completely focused on Nicky and getting in her head, the same as I did the queens.
“Call off Oberion.” I tried again, and she cried out as she clawed at her temples, falling to her knees in agony before her eyes flicked to mine and she snapped her face up.
“Call off Oberion,” She repeated, parroting me. Her voice was empty and lifeless and I put my fist on my hip and cocked it to the side, pretty damned proud of myself.
Fuck yeah. Nicky was under my control.
"Who has the power now, bitch?” Me. For now, she was clearly fighting my power. I could feel her fighting me from the inside out, almost like she was ripping into the seams of my magic, trying to create a tear to break herself free. I closed my eyes and sent a fresh wave of this new strength straight at her.
"Say... ummm... 'Oberion down." Yeah, I clearly should have thought that out.
"Oberon down," she repeated, and I turned expecting my parental zombie to sag to the ground like a broken waxworks.
Nothing happened, well, nothing but Nicky laughing and all of that electric energy falling to nothing. Her laugh multiplied, and when I turned back to her she stood with Gorath who was twirling her hair and smiling at me with a grin that was tailor-made for the king of the demons.
"Nice try," she crooned, making me question if I had controlled her at all or if she was just that strong.
Maybe from the book.
"It's time we stopped playing," she continued, snapping her fingers and pulling Oberion right back to her, all of the fighting falling to nothing.
Everyone gasped and shrieked in shock, turning toward the three who smirk with a haunting grin that was as chilling as the breeze that was moving around us, the scent of blood strong. None of us had died, thank god, but the coppery aroma was strong enough that we clearly hadn't come out unscathed.
"It's time we end this." I agreed, squaring my shoulders and planting my feet in a clear challenge for battle. She just grinned.
"You're right, Ivy. It's time we end this. Good thing I have lots and lots of help.”
The ground beneath us rumbled, dirt and tiny stones rattling around our feet as the earth shook. The trees along the ridge shook, their leaves walking the plank of their branches and taking the plunge down to the land. Birds flew away in groups, cawing all the way. And still, the ground shook. I tensed, expecting the ground to open up beneath us. It wasn't an earthquake, however, it was a flood.
A flood of her army, storming over the ridge like a stampede, ready to drown us.
Chapter 18
Danvers stood on the top of the ridge, smiling and leading the army of hybrids toward us.
Shit. in
We were so fucked. We were fucked six ways to Sunday and back to Wednesday again. The Fae and Vampire armies were miles away, and these guys would be in here in seconds. A wall of hybrids that were gunning at us at a feral speed.
There was no way we could take them all, we had one chance to take Nicky. That or we would die trying.
Howl had clearly heard me, his wolf lunging toward the woman and her minions with a snarling roar of one last chance. Everyone else followed, screaming as Nicky smiled. She and her army were ready to fight until their last breath.
I couldn't let them do it.
Change of plans.
“Tommy,” I yelled over the noise, grabbing his arm and pulling him back, leaving the others to charge the psychotically laughing woman. "You have to get the armies here. You have to bring them here.”
"I can't leave, Ivy. I'm the only one who can fight my father--"
"And we can't fight through this on our own!" I yelled back, my voice raising as Nicky's armies grew closer, as our window of hope closed to a sliver. “You have to fucking go now or we are gonna be dead where we stand,” I whispered the last sentence more to myself than anyone else.
Tommy's face paled, his focus shifting from his father who laughed as he juggled two sand cats and a fox, to the wall of people who were growing closer and closer, and back to me.
"Please," I moaned, my hands tight around his forearms as his eyes flashed yellow, his lips pulled into a tight line.
He said nothing as he leaned forward and planted a kiss on my forehead and vanished to smoke before his skin had fully made contact.
I watched the last bit of him leave before I twisted to the wall of people, the first line seconds away now.
‘Okay, time to put all of my valuable schooling to the test,’ I thought and took off into the sky, my wolf ripping from me as I jumped right towards Nicky.
Scarlet screamed my name as she fell from the demon king's grasp, the man rounding on me, ready to pull me out of the sky. I let my magic flare, focusing on his bones as I attempted to crack them, to send him crumbling to the ground.
He flinched and stumbled, laughing as he realized what I had done. I may not have broken a bone, but I had sent him back, leaving me out of his reach and free to land right beside Howl and Saxon, the three of us facing Nicky who was laughing and prancing, still clutching the book to her chest.
A mad man in the middle of the war. The demon king had already recovered, grabbing Evan in an attempt to bite his head from his neck, the monster had grown to twice his size. He didn't get very far before Owen lunged for the monster, but when he got close, Gorath threw Evan into the air, laughing as he burst into smoke, catching the man, now in cat form before he hit the ground. Scarlet was already headed that way, Alias at her heels as they left Mama and Finn with Oberion, who was throwing what appeared to be rocks at them.
“Oomph,” Mama yelled as something hit her square in the chest, Nicky laughing harder at the chaos that surrounded us.
“Give up now," Nicky laughed, "If you do, I might let you live longer. Longer than they will." She nodded her head toward the wall of people, their screams audible now.
I rolled my eyes, "When are you going to learn not to monologue," I lunged before I had finished speaking, sending her to the ground, face first, sputtering and spitting sand. Howl was right behind me, paws on her back as he held her down. I hoped it lodged in her throat and suffocated her slowly.
"Give up, Nicky," I taunted forcing myself to stay focused on her, and not look at the army. This was our last chance. "Give up, you've lost."
It was a lie, and she knew it as well as I did.
“Oberion, kill Ivy. Now.” Her voice was soulless as she commanded my father to kill me. Ivory reached out her hands, a scream leaving her lips as she tried to hold him, but Oberion turned, his eyes soulless saucers.
I got one look at him before the wall of people hit us, surrounding us in a flood of teeth and fur and claws and everything that we could never hope to defeat. I couldn't keep track of whose hands were who, where my mates had gone, where anyone had gone. The world had turned into gnashing death, and all I could do was claw and push and magic my way out of it.
Not that I didn't try, that electrical buzzing was back. I sent Nicky's army soaring through the air, limbs flailing this way and that as I tried to track down her royal majesty of fuckedness.
'These fuckers are like roaches. I hit one and they…’ Howl’s voice broke through the screams before it trailed off with an oomph. I turned toward where I knew he was, but I couldn't make anything out beyond his white fur. He was fighting. We were all fighting.
Howl's teeth gnashed against anyone that came near h
im, but his movements were slower than normal. He was tired and losing strength fast, but I was surrounded and couldn’t even wave my arm, much less help him. The army was packed in around us like snails in a tin can, all of us worming around, trying to make headway and failing.
Saxon flitted between enemies, biting at some and gracefully sent others toppling over to the ground before they even knew what hit them. With a wicked grin, he picked up three hybrids at once and threw them over his head before he turned, heaving and caught my eye to smile at me, smug as fuck.
“They are coming,” Tommy grunted as he appeared beside me, smoke wrapping around the vampire hybrid that was lunging for me and sending them back. "The vampires will be here in seconds. The Fae not far behind. We have to hold out a little longer."
I nodded, a little longer, I could totally do that.
"Go check on the others," I said, sending another hybrid away from me and punching another on the jaw. There was a loud crack and I was sure I broke a bone, but I didn't care. My wolf would heal it by the time I found Nicky. I hoped it would.
“I’ll take care of them,” Tommy yelled and then swished in a black, thick mist toward the cliff face. That gave me a sliver of hope, despite the fact that we were being taken down by this army like quicksand. The more we fought, the more we lost. The more I kicked, the more they kicked back. The more we struggled, the more we drowned.
Seconds. The vampires would be here in seconds.
Sure enough, a scream headed down from the ridge, the hybrid army turning as the new enemies arrived, and all of that screaming, battling raucous cranked up to biblical proportions.
‘Yes! Shit’s going down the toilet!’ Howl yipped, having clearly caught sight of the vampire army.
Though his words were meant to be comical, I couldn't force a laugh. I forced my way through the crowd, a whiff of Nicky's scent pulling me forward.