by Cecy Robson
I clasp a charging Nyte by the throat and slam him on the concrete. “Where is your master?” I demand.
The thing hisses, his tongue lapping frantically, trying to taste me. The lower part of his body dissolves into a shadowy form. Sparky lights up with power, preventing him from fully vanishing. “Where is your master?” I scream.
A throaty hiss mixed with a sneer shakes through his core, rattling me. It’s unsettling, so is the creature’s voice. “Nyte has come. Nyte will end you.”
I clench my teeth. “You’re wrong.”
Sparky squeezes without my consent, cracking the multiple bones that make up its throat. The Nyte’s eyes bulge, and his tongue lashes in circles. Sparky wants him to suffer. I just want this to end. I take over, averting my gaze as I snap his neck.
The Nyte falls limp, what remains of him soiling the ground.
A rather perturbed snapdragon reaches out and smacks me across the face. I smack it back. “We’re on the same side, asshole!” I yell.
Explosive, popping sounds fill the area. Birch, ash, alder, and willow trees break free of their pots, their extending roots dragging them forward in a spastic rage. Mouths form along each knot, and they grow from plantlet to tree pretty damn quick.
Shayna is aghast and urges me back. “Dude!”
I bolt, dragging Shayna toward the closest exit. “Time to go, girls,” I say, moving faster.
Celia tosses the Nyte in her grasp in two separate pieces, her eyes widening when she sees a forest chasing us. Emme buys us time by throwing a Nyte with her force directly at the encroaching trees.
What these trees do to the Nyte… Let’s just say I’ve seen my share of alarming shit. This easily makes the top five.
Branches ram every orifice in the Nyte’s body, pushing through and back out. They knock out the eyes, slide out of the ears to wrap around his throat, and protrude through the stomach to wave bloody intestines at us. Oh, and it just gets rosier from there.
We haul ass. In all the battles I’ve faced throughout the years, I’ve never run so fast. Celia has Emme by the hand, dragging her so she doesn’t get left behind.
“Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness,” Emme says. “I didn’t know they were going to do that!”
The shrieks of the other Nytes the trees encounter cut through the air. “Oh, goodness,” Emme says again.
Shayna pats Emme on the arm. “It’s okay, Emme. They’re in the light now.”
I know she’s trying to make Emme feel better, but no way are those Nytes having tea with Saint Teresa.
My lungs burn with how hard I’m running and leaping over destroyed crap I have no business leaping over. I’m not a runner, damn it. I do Zumba, for shit’s sake.
We break through the exit, the cold air pummeling our chests and the damp lawn chilling our feet.
Celia grounds to halt. Even pregnant, she’s not out of breath. Shayna is breathing a little fast but is otherwise okay. Emme and I are doing awesome. And by that, I mean we’re not puking yet.
“Taran,” Celia says.
The tone in her voice is enough to alert us of danger. My right arm shoots up, lighting our surroundings. Celia’s claws are out. Shayna is flicking her wrist and spinning her sword. Her gaze takes in the Nosferatu Nytes that are suddenly there and have us enclosed.
The vampire steps out, holding Bridette by the throat. Her limbs hang loose at her sides. She locks eyes with me. It’s the only proof I have that she’s still alive.
The vampire is shirtless, allowing him to extend his white angelic wings. FYI, vampires don’t have wings.
That little turd Johnny somehow did this to him. Damn, what else has he done? And who else has he altered?
“What’s wrong?” he asks me. “Haven’t you ever seen a god?”
He flaps his wings, all pretty like, causing a feather to fall to the ground. It dissolves into the earth like a melting snowflake. At once, a plant grows, and a white flower blooms. Cute, but it won’t stop me from killing him.
“Honey, those wings don’t impress me.” I shrug. “It’s like sprinkling glitter on shit. You’re still shit, only sparkly.”
“You bitch,” he snaps.
I sigh as if bored. “That’s my confirmation name. Try something original, freak.”
This vamp isn’t one for witty comebacks and only smart enough to surround himself with those he thinks will get him far. “Kill them,” he orders the Nytes.
“Wait,” Bridette says.
The Nytes pause and look to Bridette. They’re about as bright as the vamp.
“She is not the one you obey, fools,” the vamp yells at them.
They start to advance. Sparky flares, holding them back.
“My children,” Bridette says. Spittle leaks from her mouth from the effort it takes her to speak. “What will happen to my children?”
The vampire throws his head back laughing, the viciousness behind it telling me more than I want to know.
Oh, God…
“Stupid whore,” he tells her. “They’ve been dead for weeks.”
Bridette falls still, and so does the air around us.
The Nytes look high and low, noting something is different. Darkness is approaching, they just don’t realize it’s coming from Bridette.
Something evil fires deep within her, born of a mother’s broken heart.
“Muerte,” she spits.
My fist comes down against the earth as Celia screams my name. Ripples of power burn through the wet grass and into the ground surrounding us, sending blue and white flames shooting toward the sky.
It’s a beacon of beautiful and brilliant light, and our sole protection against Bridette’s death curse.
My teeth ache from what it costs me to maintain my flame and shield us against Bridette’s final spell. The Nytes are reduced to puddles of black liquid. The god the vamp claimed to be doesn’t fare much better. His wings dry and crumble, falling to the moist grass in portions. His stunned face follows, then his body, the remains covering Bridette’s naked corpse. One by one, everything dies around us, including the nearby foliage and the enchanted plants in the greenhouse.
In life, Bridette was weak in mind and in spirit. But she wasn’t too weak to avenge her family.
Chapter Fifteen
I maintain my shield for several minutes. I’m not sure how long a death curse of this caliber can last. So, I hold it, long after everything stops withering and dying around us.
By the time I finally drop it, we’re soaked with sweat, my sisters from my fire and me from the energy it took to hold it.
The salty sting across my eyes worsens when I wipe them. “Sorry,” I say. “That just really sucked.”
They swipe their faces, doing their best not to look anywhere near Bridette.
Celia’s big wavy hair is stuck to her face. “Don’t apologize, Taran,” she says. “If it wasn’t for you, we’d be dead.”
“Yeah.” I take a step, and man, does it cost me. I’ve been part of other fights that last for days. This is different. There’s no end and no time to rest. That little break on the concrete floor earlier was it. Even then, we didn’t exactly relax.
“We have to get out of here,” I say. “If the Nytes didn’t know where we were, they know now.” I motion to the sky. “No one can snag attention like me.”
“I hate what she did.” Emme’s quiet voice draws our attention.
My youngest sister is beyond exhausted. She wraps her arms around her body, protecting her cooling skin against the frigid temperature. She looks slightly beyond Bridette’s unmoving body and where her blank stare gazes in our direction.
“I hate it too,” I reply. We don’t have time to waste being sad, yet here we are. “But I hate what happened to her family more.”
Shayna flicks the knives at her waist in the air and juggles them. I can’t blame her. She doesn’t have to look at Bridette this way, and should another scary monster approach, she’s armed and ready to defend us.
; “Here’s the thing, dudettes,” she says. “There’s going to be a lot of Bridettes and Johnnies. Whoever is really in charge targets the weaklings all the time; they’re the easiest to submit.” She catches a knife behind her back and pockets it without losing her stride. “The ones with power are harder. The baddies can’t beat them down, but they can threaten their families and all that power they love.” She catches each knife, sheathing them one by one without dropping them. “That’s what I hate. It was Puppy’s biggest gripe about getting the super monsters together. Sure, they can agree to help Ceel, but we can’t trust it’ll happen. Look at how many of her sisters Bridette took out. And her wife?” Shayna shudders. “This whole war that’s coming will be the worst one yet. I say, we hole Ceel away somewhere where nothing can touch her.”
“There’s no place like that, Shayna,” Celia says. “Not if Aric stays with me.”
She walks toward the greenhouse, pausing to look at the dead trees, their dry and brittle branches leaning heavily against the glass. “Aric’s power makes everyone aware of his presence, even humans blind to our existence.” Her hands smooth across her belly. “I don’t want him to leave us, but it’s an avenue he’s exploring.”
“You’re kidding?” I say. Back when Aric was a butthead and left Celia to report to his pureblood duties, neither held up well. No one could get near Aric without risking their limbs being torn off, and Celia fell into a horrible depression that almost broke her. “Ceel, do you really think either of you can handle the separation right now? Since learning you’re knocked up, he won’t even let you go to the bathroom by yourself.”
“That’s not true,” Celia says.
“Dude,” Shayna interrupts. “We’ve seen him standing by the door to the loo. He practically spins around in circles, wagging his big ol’ tail when you emerge.”
“I’m not saying it will be easy, on either of us,” Celia replies. “But we’re running out of options, and after tonight…”
Celia sighs, appearing more tired than I’ve seen in a long time. “Makawee finished warding the magical stronghold I’m to live in,” she adds quietly.
“I guessed as much when Makawee skipped the party and her duties as Omega in favor of assisting with the boathouse escape,” I reply.
Sadness marches across Celia’s features in a way that breaks my heart. “Aric plans to lead these things away so Bren can take me to the stronghold.”
I know Aric well enough to know where this is going. He’s going to kill what threatens Celia or die trying.
“Bren is supposed to take you?” Emme asks.
This is news to us. But it doesn’t affect me in the same way it affects Emme. Celia nods, appearing close to tears.
“Bren didn’t tell me,” Emme says.
“And Aric didn’t tell us,” I point out.
“Aric knows I want you with me,” Celia explains.
“Then why is Bren taking you?” Shayna asks. “And why aren’t we the ones getting you out of here like we planned?” Shayna asks.
Celia pushes her heavy hair away. “It’s a last-ditch effort in case we didn’t make it out through the lake.” She glances to the demolished greenhouse. “While we were in the foyer and as things started to take a turn, Aric developed this new plan.”
“I get it, Ceel. I do,” Shayna says. “But since the beginning, we were supposed to stay together, keep you tucked away where you can have Junior in peace, and we can watch over you.”
“That remains the ultimate goal,” Celia insists. She holds out her hands when we try to interrupt. “You have to understand, when those things started to attack and I was separated from everyone but Shayna, Aric had to develop a new strategy. At first, he was going to have Braeden take me, until he saw Bren.”
“Why wait so long to tell us? You had plenty of time for this big reveal in the greenhouse, Ceel,” Shayna says, sounding hurt. “I mean, before the Nytes showed up and the plants went all killer psycho on us.”
Celia shakes her head. “I couldn’t trust what or who could hear me.” She motions around the destruction Bridette’s death curse caused. “Everything that can listen now is dead except for us.”
“All right,” I mutter. Like Shayna, I’m hurt to be left out of things. I always want us together, not just because Celia is expecting. I do want to protect her and the baby, but I want us to stay together because the four of us was always the one constant we could depend on throughout our not-so-great lives. “I get we haven’t had much downtime. Still, you have to understand where we’re coming from. Us, breaking up like this, is a hard pill to swallow, Ceel.”
“We’re not breaking up,” Celia insists. “And I don’t want to go anywhere without you.”
“Then why leave without us?” Emme asks. “And why have an injured wolf escort you alone?”
Understanding finds a way into Shayna’s voice. “The baddies will assume you’re with the strongest wolves. With Bren being hurt, he’ll be ignored.”
“Hurt or not, he’ll die before he lets anyone hurt Celia,” Emme says. Her gaze drops to her small hands as if they can somehow stop this madness. “I have to be a part of this, Celia. I can heal you if you’re hurt, and I can heal him.”
“It has to be just me and Bren, Emme,” Celia says.
“Are you nuts?” I ask. “You’ll both be vulnerable.”
“I know,” Celia replies. Tears stream down her face.
“Oh, Ceel,” Shayna says. She runs toward her and hugs her tight. “Aric isn’t the only one trying to lead the super baddies away. You’re trying to lead them away from us too.”
Aw, hell, Shayna just nailed it.
I thought Celia allowed me to take on the role as protector of the family. But then here she is, pregnant and bordering on defenseless, and she’s still protecting us.
“If I make it to the stronghold, we’ll be together,” Celia assures us, returning Shayna’s fierce embrace. “I need you with me. Who will help me give birth, change diapers, tell me it’s going to be okay every time I think it won’t be?”
Aric, I almost say. I don’t only because I hear her heart. As much as it kills her, she’s come to terms that Aric may not make it. Even if he does (God, I really hope he does), we’re her sisters. We’re the ones who laugh and cry with her, just like we do now.
Without looking up, Shayna and Celia lift their dirt-smeared arms and tuck me against them. Emme is already there, like me, doing a hideous job of silencing our blubbering.
“I need you to live,” Celia stammers. “If things don’t happen like I want them to, I need to know you’re safe.”
“You suck,” I say.
“Yeah, Ceel,” Shayna agrees, crying harder. “You kind of do.”
Emme sniffs. “It’s ru-rude to insult someone who’s pregnant,” she says.
“Not if they deserve it,” I say, bawling louder. “I hate this fucking plan.”
“I’m not happy either, Taran,” Celia says. She wipes her eyes. “We’re just desperate.”
I lift my head. “Bridette was desperate too, Ceel, and it cost her everything.”
Celia jerks away from me, growling. I think I really did it this time until Shayna leaps in front of her with her sword out. Slowly, she lowers it.
Celia places her hand over her heart. “It’s Aric,” she rasps. “He’s here. He’s coming.”
Shayna nods, staying alert to our surroundings. “All the wolves are here.” She frowns. “And some of the vamps are with them.”
She means Misha, but knowing Gemini is also near is what allows me to take that much-needed breath of air.
The ground rumbles at my feet with how fast they’re running. Either something is chasing them, or something isn’t too far behind.
“Is Bren with them?” Emme asks.
Celia closes her eyes and inhales, her nose wrinkling when she latches onto a scent. “I think so.”
Emme bites down on her bottom lip. “You don’t know for certain?”
Celia place
s her arm around Emme. “It’s hard to tell for sure. I can’t scent them, but I recognize the way they run. It sounds like Bren’s stride, and he’s favoring his hind leg.”
Shayna steals a glance at Emme. “Yeah, I hear it too. He’s hurt bad, Em.”
“How are the others?” I ask.
Celia takes a long breath. “I can’t scent anyone individually, but I do smell blood. Everyone seems pretty beat-up.”
“Why aren’t they healing?” Emme asks quietly. “If Johnny invaded the magic in the house, it would make sense that their healing powers were suppressed within the manor. But they’re out now.”
I fall on all fours, grimacing when the squishy and cold mud slides between my fingers and toes. From deep in the soil to the tiny blades of grass, I feel him and his magic.
“T? You okay there?”
I shake my head and swear. “Johnny has his meat hooks in the entire compounds. His magic…it’s everywhere.”
Celia stares hard into the night. “I can feel him.” She turns to me. “But I can also feel Destiny. She’s fighting his power.” She frowns and turns in the opposite direction of where I feel the wolves.
“Is something wrong, Celia?” Emme asks.
Celia turns back to us, appearing stunned. “The lake…it’s fighting Johnny too.”
Shayna does a doubletake. “How can the lake fight Johnny, Ceel?”
“I don’t know if it can directly,” Celia smiles softly. “But its power and purity are intensifying.”
I wipe my hands on my dress. “We’ll take anything we can get. Maybe the lake has the goods to help Destiny.”
Emme is usually our light. Her kindness filters through in her gentle touch, reminding us there’s still good in the world. Tonight, she shares that light with Destiny.
Destiny is out there mixing it up with Johnny. Her magic is fighting his, and now that she’s tougher and become something more, I really hope she can gain the upper hand. My worry is, it seems that Johnny is something more too.
Shayna edges closer to me, looking in the direction of the dense trees. Our wolves will be here soon, but it’s not soon enough. “Do you think Destiny can beat Johnny, T?”