Zachariah came into view once again and she flattened her wings against her back, racing toward him as she wove between the treetops. He was almost back to his car. She adjusted her grip on the first stone and threw it at him as hard as she could. It hit the back of his skull with a loud crack and sent him sprawling onto the ground.
She was on him in the blink of an eye. Every point of contact with him burned like she was touching an open flame. She faltered for a moment and he twisted, throwing her off. His shield blinked out of existence, but he kept the sword.
He swung it, slashing through her wing as she raised it to protect herself. Cold, burning pain rushed through her and it felt as though he'd severed a limb. She shrieked in rage and kicked out, catching his wrist, flinging his arm and the sword backward. It fell from his hand, rolling away on the forest floor.
He turned and scrambled after it. She jumped on his back and grabbed two handfuls of his hair. It hurt and her hands began to go numb, but she refused to let go this time. She slammed his face into the ground as he struggled underneath her, still trying to get to his sword. Her arms grew weaker the longer she held on. With a furious shout, Zachariah yanked one of her hands away and pulled her off balance.
Right next to the sword lay the rock she'd thrown at him. Dropping the other handful of hair, she launched herself at it, her fingers closing around it right as he grabbed his sword. She grabbed his wrist to stop him from stabbing her again and slammed the rock down on the back of his head. The blow dazed him and his body went limp for a moment.
She brought stone down on his head again and again, screaming in rage. Power flowed through her as his skull cracked under her attack. Rage, glee, and hate fueled her, replacing the strength his cold magic had stolen from her.
Memories of the pain in her mother's eyes as the fire had crawled over her legs, the exhaustion as she struggled to heal from the injuries, and the constant fear they'd both had to live with blinded her with rage. He was already dead, but she didn't stop until there was nothing left of his head but a mess of gore.
She paused panting, and that's when she heard it. A twig snapped and she looked up in alarm. A group of werewolves stood all around her, and they did not look friendly.
One of them stepped forward, an older man with a gray beard and a scar across his face. He looked at her, and the lifeless body in front of her. "Why have you killed Zachariah Hudson?"
She raised her bloody hands but otherwise stayed perfectly still so as not to startle them. "He was working with the sorcerer. He tried to kill me, and Amber's pack."
The old alpha looked her over critically, giving nothing away with his expression. "Show us where the sorcerer is. If you try to hurt one of my pack members or flee, I will kill you."
Swallowing down the fear curling in her throat, she nodded and pointed behind her. "They're at the Witch's Castle, the old stone house. I think they're somewhere underground in the new no magic zone."
Jameson's face hardened at the mention of a no magic zone. "Let's go."
Chapter 69
AMBER
Amber tore another chunk of flesh from the zombie's arm but she knew it would just grow back. They were fighting a losing battle and she was beginning to tire. No matter how they hurt them, the zombies simply healed. They couldn't tear them apart fast enough to disable them.
A blast shook the walls of the cellar, threatening the cave the whole thing in. Amber dropped to her stomach, ready to run for the stairs if needed, but the walls and ceiling held.
The zombies went strangely still, the unholy light behind their eyes dying. Siobhan stuttered, the symbols on her body flickering before snuffing out completely. She collapsed into a heap on the floor, lifeless once again. Peter fell as well, the half-shift vanishing and leaving him fully human, and fully dead, on the ground.
Amber took a step back, looking around in disbelief. They couldn't have just given up. These twisted creatures must have only been meant to delay them.
"What the hell was that?" Derek asked, leaning against the wall and panting as he tried to regain his breath.
She walked hesitantly toward the door, peering down the short hallway it led to. Light flickered in the distance casting strange shadows, beckoning her. Glancing back over her shoulder to ensure the others were following, she crept carefully down the hall.
There were three heartbeats in the room. She could hear Ceri's labored breathing, but the other two people in there were waiting for them silently. She paused, looking into the pack bond, then realized why she felt so strange. Tommy was gone. She couldn't feel him at all.
Fury rushed through her. She refused to consider that he might be dead. They must have taken him too, somehow. A growl escaped her throat as she wrapped what was left of the pack bond around herself and rose up to her full height, letting it burn in her eyes before rounding the corner and facing them.
The sorcerer stood in the center of the room, blocking her view of Ceri. In the corner, half hidden in the shadows, stood the last person she expected to see. Selena. The witch grinned at her, tapping a wooden wand against her thigh. She barely looked like herself. Her hair had been buzzed off and she looked ill.
Behind them, it looked as if the earth itself had split apart. A chasm filled with rubble stretched farther than she could see away from them.
Caligo grinned, spreading his arms wide as though he was welcoming them. "When Selena said she knew how to deliver you to me, I must say, I was skeptical. It looks like I was wrong to doubt her."
"Werewolves are utterly predictable," Selena said, her manic grin matching his own.
They were both insane. Amber lowered her head and growled. Ceri was so close, but she wasn't moving and her eyes were shut. She could smell her blood from here.
"Ah, I see you don't want to talk," Caligo said, throwing his head back with a cackle. His eyes were solid black when he looked back at her. "I guess it's time to finish this."
The rumble of falling rocks startled them both and Caligo took a step back so he could see behind himself while keeping Amber in his view.
Tommy stumbled out of the chasm in human form, but completely naked. He kept one hand on the wall to keep himself upright as he looked around the room. Amber wanted to howl in relief. When he took a step out of the opening, she felt the pack bond snap back into place. Tommy shuddered and seemed to instantly regain his strength. His eyes flashed yellow.
“The whole pack is here. How sweet.” Caligo lifted his hand toward Tommy, magic pooling in his palm. Amber wasn’t about to let him hurt Tommy. She raced toward him with Genevieve close behind.
Chapter 70
AMBER
At the last moment, Caligo turned the spell on her. A black blur shot in front of her, blocking the attack right before it could hit her. Genevieve crashed to the floor, yelping in pain and black flames burned away her fur. She rolled, smothering it against the floor.
Amber howled in rage and ducked down, charging at him low. Her claws scraped against the stone as she launched herself at him. He yelled something in Latin and swiped his hand across her path. Her vision went completely dark for a split second and she was thrown to the side.
She hit the ground as gunfire cracked through the air. Her vision returned, though it remained slightly foggy. Derek shot at Selena again, driving her back as Tommy circled behind her, now in his wolf form. There was blood on his muzzle and dripping from Selena's arm.
Amber tried to stand but her muscles only jerked erratically. The floor under her was slick with what smelled like blood. As she twitched, the red stains grew darker, glowing with an unholy light. The spell seeped into her body, twisting dark claws into her mind. Her front paw moved, claws sliding against the stone. She hadn't moved it. She couldn't.
A growl came unbidden from her throat as she stood. Foreign rage filled her. The wolf howled, eager to kill. She screamed inside her mind, trying to wrestle back control of her body, but it did no good.
Caligo's voice whispered th
rough her mind. Kill them all.
Amber's head swiveled around to face Genevieve, who was back on her feet and watching her carefully. Her lips curled back over her teeth and she growled at the small black wolf.
Kill.
She charged at Genevieve, her powerful muscles propelling her across the distance in the blink of an eye. Her jaws snapped close on air as Genevieve ducked underneath the initial attack, darting away to her left.
Kill.
Her next strike caught Genevieve's leg and blood filled her mouth. Genevieve yelped and tried to jerk away, snapping at her shoulder when she couldn't pull her leg free. Amber used her weight to shove Genevieve off balance then lunged for her throat. The smaller wolf twisted out of the way, putting space between them. They circled each other, heads low and ears flat against their head.
There was a loud crash as Selena threw Derek back with a wave of her hand. His head struck the wall and the shotgun clattered to the floor as he lost consciousness. She turned her wand on Tommy who yelped in pain. Green flames engulfed him as he writhed on the floor, twisting in a frantic attempt to get them off of him.
Kill.
Amber charged Genevieve again. They collided in a tangle of limbs and teeth. Her teeth sunk into Genevieve's shoulder, ripping away a chunk of flesh. She yelped in pain and struck back with two vicious bites that grazed Amber's side, cutting almost down to the bone of her ribs.
Shane was circling Caligo, attempting to get close. The sorcerer held his hands out wide as if welcoming an attack. "Perhaps you should help Amber. It looks like she's having a little trouble controlling herself."
Shane growled and took another step forward, all his muscles tensed for an attack.
"The longer you wait, the less likely it is she'll––" Caligo's words were cut off by Shane's attack. The sorcerer brought his hands together with a loud crack. A shockwave caught Shane and tossed him back. He slid across the floor and hit the wall. As he scrambled back to his feet, a brilliant, shimmering cloud engulfed him. His legs collapsed beneath him and he clawed against the ground, trying to get away from the powdered silver.
Genevieve clawed at her gut and pushed her snapping jaws away with her other paw. She bit down on the leg, and the bone cracked. Genevieve yelped in pain but didn't stop fighting back. Amber had to jerk away as the other wolf snapped at her throat.
Something heavy hit her in the side, knocking her off Genevieve completely. She struggled against the arms that wrapped around her, trying to cut off her air supply.
Kill.
She snapped at the hand that held her, grazing it and drawing blood. Derek refused to let go but she was stronger than a human. Getting leverage with her back legs, she jerked free and turned on him, forcing him to the ground.
"Amber, look at me!" Derek shouted, pinned beneath her weight. "Don't do this! Fight back!"
“Am…ber…” Dylan choked out, blood bubbling out of his lips. “Hel…p…hurts…”
The memory crashed over her mind like an ice bath, shocking her into stillness as her jaws closed around her brother's neck. She trembled as the urge to bite and tear coursed through her. Something wasn't right.
Hands sunk into her fur, the touch gentle. "It's okay," Derek whispered. "If you remember this later, I forgive you."
Kill. The command came again. She hesitated, trembling under the weight of the magic.
No. It couldn't happen again. Amber whined and tried to let go, but her body was fighting her. She squeezed her eyes shut and sunk into her mind, searching for the wolf. The angry, hateful thing howling in her mind was all wrong. It wasn't the creature whose soul had joined with hers.
Wind ruffled her fur, bringing with it the sweet scent of Ceri's magic. Amber growled and fought back against the black magic that clung to her mind. Slowly, the wolf's power joined hers. The pack bond reignited inside her and she wrapped herself in its protection. Turning toward the darkness in her mind, she shredded the spell.
Her jaws released and she jerked away from Derek, chest heaving. He looked at her wide-eyed, staying perfectly still as if he was afraid to set her off.
The breeze blowing through the room turned into a sudden gale, almost knocking her off her feet. The sorcerer shouted in rage and turned toward Ceri with a furious expression. Her eyes popped open and she ripped her arm free of one of the restraints.
Shane was the first to move this time, though he was slow from the silver he'd inhaled, attempting to draw Caligo's attention away from Ceri. He darted in, barely dodging the first swipe of the sorcerer's blade, then latched onto the arm that held the dagger. Caligo didn't even hesitate. He flipped the dagger to the other hand and stabbed it into Shane's back, then kicked him away. Shane fell to the ground and didn't move.
Caligo ran toward Ceri, who had one hand stretched out toward Selena. The witch clawed at her own throat, choking as though she couldn't breathe. Ceri curled her hand into a fist, her face set in determination. Selena's lips began to turn blue as she was deprived of oxygen.
The sorcerer cast a spell that hit Ceri with a flash of light. Her spell faltered and she slumped back to the table, her body shaking erratically. Selena, freed from the spell, took off at a run. She disappeared through some door that hadn’t been visible before.
Enraged, Amber howled as she charged the sorcerer. Her legs were shaky but they were responding to her once again. This bastard was hurting everyone she cared about, and for what? Power? Money? Nothing could be worth this amount of suffering.
Amber ran as fast as she could toward him, her heart pounding in her ears. Caligo slid to a stop next to Ceri and lifted the knife high overhead, his eyes locking with Amber's.
She launched herself at him, but it was too late. The knife plunged into Ceri's chest and she convulsed, her one free hand clawing uselessly at Caligo's arm. He ripped the knife free in a spray of blood in the same moment that Amber clamped her jaw around his throat.
She ripped out his throat with her teeth. Caligo crumpled to the floor as blood poured from the wound. Pain shot through Amber's chest as the demon mark dissolved, but she didn't care. All she cared about was Ceri.
Amber shifted back and pressed her hands against the wound in Ceri's chest. Her blood ran freely under Amber's hands. She'd seen wounds like these before in the emergency room. The victim was normally dead by the time they got to the hospital. She just had to stop the bleeding. She had to. Somehow.
Ceri gasped, blood bubbling up between her lips as it filled her lungs. Her eyes were wide with fear, but she still lifted a trembling hand to Amber's face, her mouth opening and shutting around words she couldn't quite form.
"Please don't die," Amber begged. She couldn't watch someone she loved die again. She wasn't strong enough for that. "Just hang on. I'll stop the bleeding."
Desperately, she pushed all the strength she had left through the pack bond, trying to give Ceri a little more time, but she was bleeding out so fast. The pack bond was a mess of pain and fear. Every single member of her pack was hurt. They had no strength to give. Ceri gasped for air she could no longer take in. Her lung had probably collapsed.
"Ceri!" Derek shouted, running over. Horror spread across his face as he took in the extent of her injuries. Looking up at Amber, he asked. "Can you save her?"
She stared back at her brother, tears slipping from her eyes. She couldn't say it out loud. She refused to.
Angel appeared in front of her, near Ceri's head. He was barely visible, just an apparition. "I can heal her."
"How?" she asked, pressing down so hard she feared she’d break one of Ceri’s ribs. The witch didn't even flinch, she was too far gone to feel pain and barely conscious.
"Take another mark from me. I can't act without it."
Amber hesitated, hands trembling. She couldn't think, not with Ceri laying here like this.
“Amber!" he shouted as his body began to fade even further. "Take the mark or I cannot help you!"
His face flickered, shifting from the demonic to
something almost...human. Amber reached her hand up, trailing her fingers across his cheek, then grabbed his hand and placed it against her chest. “A debt for a debt.”
As painful as the first time, the magic seared the skin under his hand, burying itself in her chest where the other mark had been. She could feel him once again. His eyes met hers and she saw the satisfaction there.
She knew he hadn’t planned this but he had found a way to take advantage. Dropping his hand, she put pressure on the wound once again. “Help her.”
Chapter 71
CERI
Magic burned through her body like a lightning bolt. Ceri gasped as she was finally able to take a full breath. Every wound and ache was gone. For a brief moment, she wondered if she’d died and gone on to the afterlife, but then Amber was above her, tears dripping from her cheeks.
“Ceri? Can you hear me? Please say something, please,” Amber gasped, shaking her lightly.
“What…” she blinked, still disoriented. What had happened? She remembered the knife. The pain. And darkness overtaking her.
Derek shoved his way in close and wrapped her in a hug. He was shaking and she felt still-wet blood in his hair when she put her arms around him.
Her eyes met Amber who was standing a few steps away. She was pale and looked like she was trembling as well. Amber's eyes strayed to the left and she nodded.
Ceri frowned. Caligo was dead at her feet. The demon's mark should be dissolved now.
Derek released her slowly, gently pushing her sweat-soaked hair back from her face. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, but I shouldn't be. What happened?" she asked, eyes flicking between Derek and Amber.
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