by R. E. Butler
After killing the four who had come for her in the room, she’d found the handcuff keys in the pocket of one of the dead. A small part of her knew she could simply escape and head for the club, that she didn’t need to kill anyone else. But a dark desire twisted inside her, a need for power so great that she hadn’t been able to think of anything else. She’d roamed the building, which turned out to be a warehouse, and sought out the people who were there. The newfound strength in her power had allowed her to read their minds. She’d never had that ability before, but she’d had a glimpse of their intentions – to destroy the coven, to make a deadly example of Mishka. They wanted all the vampires to die and anyone associated with the coven to meet a bloody end, from family members of mates to the paid food and vendors who stocked the bar.
When the building was empty, she was lost to the power completely. It had felt so good coursing through her. She felt like a god or an avenging angel. She wanted to kill anyone who would harm her people.
Harmony sat up and rubbed the space between her eyes. “I knew it was you, but the power was pushing against me to feed off you and the others too. I felt like I was trapped in my body and unable to stop. I could have killed you.”
Fresh tears surged over her cheeks, and he pulled her close and wrapped his strong arms around her. “But you didn’t. I knew it wasn’t really you. I tried to talk to you, and you looked at me as if you didn’t recognize me. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I was certain that I had to stop you before you did something you regretted.”
“I killed a lot of people,” she whispered. “A lot.”
“They’re murderers and people full of evil. They thought nothing of setting off explosions in the club and injuring innocents. Two humans were trampled to death in the melee.”
“I want to see. I want to see clearly with my own eyes what I did in the warehouse.”
Mishka stared at her for a quiet moment, and she thought he might protest. Instead, he nodded and opened the door. Slipping from the interior, he held out his hand to her, and she climbed out. Her legs were weak, but she forced herself to stand tall, rolling her neck and cracking her knuckles.
Brone looked down at her from his towering height, a ghost of a smile curving his lips. “I’ll bring up the rear.”
She nodded and took Mishka’s arm, allowing him to lead her into the building where she’d been captive. She could hear people moving about inside, and she paused at the threshold of the door. Taking a deep breath, she squeezed Mishka’s arm and stepped into the warehouse.
They walked toward the voices, following a short hallway into a large, open space. It smelled like old wood and machine oil, but underneath that was the cloying scent of blood and death. Vex, Rage, Finn, and Dolan were dragging bodies into the center of the room. She glanced around, seeing blood spattered on the walls and floor. Tamar, Bridge, and Wyst strode into the room, each pulling bodies behind them.
She swallowed hard, seeing the blood-covered faces and open, dead eyes. As her power had grown, she’d been able to drag their darkest fears from inside their minds and literally scare them to death. It had always been in the back of her mind that she could sing someone to death, but the rapid, violent way they died was stuck in her mind.
“They thought I was a vampire,” she said, telling them about the silver-coated room.
“If silver could hurt our people, we’d have been tortured,” Finn said as he pulled a body onto the pile.
“Their plan was to lure Mishka to the warehouse to find me. They didn’t know that I was his beloved, but they believed I was important because we were seen in public.”
Mishka growled softly, and through their connection, she felt his anguish. “My attempt to romance you could have ended with your death.”
She turned to face him. “You told me that being powerful didn’t mean hiding. We should be able to be somewhere and not worry about a group of nuts trying to kill us.”
He flicked his gaze to the dead before returning it to her. “They’re not trying to kill anyone anymore.”
“They’re not alone, though. This was a large group of them, but that woman was running the show here. She was the sister of the leader.”
Her hatred of vampires had been bone-deep and started when her family member had willingly been turned. Ultimately, she’d both hated and feared vampires, believing them to be evil pawns of some unholy creature, made to destroy all that was good. Her beliefs had taken on a hysterical nature when she’d followed her brother into the First Church of Humanity, where she’d found support from other nuts like herself.
“The leader isn’t among the dead. The threat against our people isn’t gone,” Mishka said.
The guards and Harmony’s friends gathered around them.
Vex said, “What do you want to do with the bodies?”
Harmony’s stomach twisted. “If we call the police, I would have a reason for killing some of them because of the abduction, but not everyone. I think the humans would hold me accountable.”
Mishka shook his head. “We’re not involving the human police.”
“We can’t just leave bodies here,” Rage said, gesturing to the pile behind him.
“I didn’t say we were going to do that. An example needs to be made, and I know just who to contact.”
Chapter 12
Mishka ended the call with the North Corner of the coven. The Cleveland Wiccan coven was the largest in the Midwest. It was headed up by four powerful Wiccans who each held power for one of the four elements: North for Earth, South for fire, East for air, and West for water. The head of the Corners was Lorene, the North Corner and most powerful Wiccan that Mishka had ever known.
It had taken only a few minutes to explain what had happened to Harmony, and Lorene has agreed to come with the Corners to help. While they waited, Mishka sent Rage and Vex to check out the building a final time to ensure that no one was hiding out somewhere inside, while he escorted his beloved outside.
Wyst, Tamar, and Bridge stood next to them, with Harmony’s guards, Finn and Dolan, nearby.
“Harm?” Wyst asked.
She glanced at him and then returned her gaze to the warehouse. “Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes and no.”
He snorted lightly. “More yes than no?”
She blinked several times and then smiled, but it faltered swiftly. “I’m not sure yet. I just…want to go home.”
Mishka slipped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close. She melted against him, burying her face in his chest. “Never again,” he whispered. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”
She shuddered.
An hour later, two vehicles arrived as Vex and Rage stepped out of the warehouse. All four Corners of the Wiccan coven joined their small group. Lorene, the North Corner, shook Mishka’s hand. He introduced Harmony. As Harmony and Lorene’s hands met, both females gasped.
“What are you?” Lorene whispered. “I hear music.”
Mishka arched a brow. He wasn’t hearing any music.
Harmony blushed. “I’m a musical muse. I wasn’t trying to get a read on you, but you’re so powerful you made my power flare in answer.”
“I’ve never met a muse before. Arissa told me that Mishka had found his beloved, but she didn’t say what you were. How amazing!”
Mishka cleared his throat.
Lorene smiled at him and said, “Right. The Corners and I were discussing this situation on the drive here, and we’ve decided to raze the building. That has the added bonus of erasing any evidence of the dead and what transpired here.”
“Raze?” Bridge asked.
“A magical burn. You’ll need to stand back because this will get hot,” Bitty, the East Corner, said. She stubbed out a clove cigarette on the bottom of her shoe and tucked the half-used cigarette behind her ear.
Mishka and the others moved back to stand near the two SUVs. Harmony stood in front of him, leaning against him.
; “I’ve never heard of this power,” Brone said.
“I haven’t either,” Mishka said. “But I trust Lorene. If she says this is appropriate, then it is.”
As they watched, the four Corners stood in a circle and raised their hands. They linked fingers and began to chant. The earth rumbled, the wind blew, and the sky darkened. A strange red glow, resembling a shimmery dome, rose from the ground and enclosed the building. The chanting grew louder. Inside the dome, the building became engulfed in flames. Mishka could feel the heat of the fire, but he knew that the dome was keeping the heat to a minimum.
“Holy shit,” Dolan said under his breath.
“I didn’t think that good magic could be so destructive,” Finn said.
“Magic is balanced, both good and evil, but what they’re doing isn’t evil. They’re protecting our people by erasing the trace of those who set out to harm us,” Harmony said. “I feel bad because I killed people tonight, even in the name of saving myself. But I just keep telling myself that they were also planning to kill everyone who is associated with the coven. So many more people could have died tonight than those miserable assholes.”
The ground shook again, a great rumbling from deep within the earth. The Wiccans’ voices rose above the trembling noise, and the building collapsed within the dome, ash rising to fill the interior as the flames receded. The dome lowered slowly, and Bitty stepped toward the ashes and lifted her hands. The ashes swirled together into a coil, looking like gray ribbon weaving and dancing in the air. Lorene lowered her hand and made a cutting motion, which split the earth until a two-foot-wide chasm opened underneath the swirling ashes. Bitty directed the ashes downward with her hands, and the ashes disappeared into the chasm. Lorene drew her hands together, and the chasm closed.
All four Wiccans knelt and pressed their hands to the earth, whispering their thanks. Mishka had never seen anything quite like what had just transpired. Great power had aided them, asking nothing in return.
The Wiccans walked solemnly by them, touching each person on the shoulder with their hands. At Harmony, they stopped long enough to embrace her, whispering words too soft for Mishka’s keen hearing to pick up.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Mishka said when they stopped before him.
Gwen, the West Corner, said, “The alliance between our groups is important to us. Any who would come against innocents as these church members do is nothing short of evil.”
“Take your beloved home, and trust that what happened here today will be whispered in the shadows so that the leaders who encouraged such behavior will think twice before coming against the vampires again,” Lorene said.
The Wiccans departed, but not before Vex and Rage followed them to their vehicle and spoke to them quietly. Mishka opened the door for Harmony, but she didn’t get in. Instead, she walked to where the building had been and stood in the center of the empty space.
“This is so strange,” she said. “There was something here, and now there’s not.”
Mishka smiled at her. “We have powerful friends.”
“Clearly,” she said.
“Are you ready to go home?” He held out his hand to her, waiting for her to come to him.
“Very much. I want to put tonight behind us and focus on the future.”
They settled in the second row of the SUV, Harmony tucked against his side, with her friends in the row behind them. The second SUV followed close behind as they they made their way back to the club.
Mishka asked, “What did the Wiccans say to you?”
“They told me that my actions were pure. Using my power to set myself free while protecting you and the coven was worthy of honor. I didn’t expect anyone to think that what had happened was honorable.” She tilted her head up to look at him.
“I do. You saved yourself and all of us. Whatever road you had to take to get back into my arms was worth it.”
“I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I’m happy to be going home.”
“We’ll face tomorrow, together.”
“Promise?” she asked.
“Promise.”
* * *
It took two days for the club to be cleaned and repaired. The bombs, while noisy, hadn’t done much damage, but the stampeding, panicked people had done a tremendous amount. Mishka stood near one of the bars and surveyed the final cleaning on Sunday evening.
Rage and Vex stood near him, watching silently.
“Do you think it will interfere with business?” Rage asked.
“I’m sure there will be a drop in attendance for a while, but it will recover in time.”
The club had issued a press release about the bombing, and two of the local news stations had shown up the day before to take footage of the repairs. The First Church of Humanity had been surprisingly silent. He’d expected that they would publicly claim responsibility for the attack, but they hadn’t.
Along with the repairs, the storage room exit door had been replaced, and the security had been updated in the alley. Now, instead of relying solely on security cameras for the exterior of the building, coven members would be patrolling in shifts.
Plans for a restaurant were being drawn up by an architect who was a coven member. The coven owned every building on the block, which was something Mishka had chosen to do as a security measure when he first planned the club. Most of the buildings contained vampire-owned businesses, but the building next to the club was empty and used mainly for storage. It was the perfect place to convert into a restaurant that would serve vampires and non-vampires. He had left the naming of the restaurant to Harmony, and she’d chosen Bistro Rouge.
Mishka turned his attention to the twins. “I meant to ask what you talked to the Wiccans about after the razing.”
“We told them that we’d had a shared vision of a she-wolf and wanted help to locate her. Lorene said that if we came to the bluffs on the next full moon when they did their monthly meeting, that they would cast a revealing spell that would show us who the female is,” Vex said.
“Arissa told us that the spell might not work, but outside of us showing up at the wolf alpha’s home and asking to see all the unmated females, it’s our only chance,” Rage said.
“You should take Arissa and Brone with you. Having a Wiccan with you when you go to their ceremonial place would probably help them feel more at ease.” The Wiccan coven and the vampire coven had an alliance because the Corners knew it was important to the safety of all of the supernatural beings in Cleveland, but there were many Wiccans who thought of vampires as being monsters and wanted nothing to do with them. The fact that Arissa had been willing to live with the vampires before she knew that she and Brone were beloveds had been nothing short of amazing.
Vex smiled. “Arissa already volunteered to come with Brone. She said that the Wiccans might not be so skittish about us if she was there.”
“Mishka?” Bellamin, a coven member, said as he joined them. “Brone sent me to find you. You’re needed in the office.”
In the reception area of the offices, Mishka found Brone, Arissa, and Cella.
“Laurie emailed her resignation tonight,” Cella said. She held a tablet in her hands and turned the screen toward him so he could read it. He scanned the email in which the human manager of the food shared that “recent events” had convinced her that she was no longer safe working at the club.
Arissa shook her head. “The offices weren’t affected at all by the bombs, so I don’t know why she’s quitting.”
Cella closed the email and laid the tablet on the reception desk. “It doesn’t matter what her motives are. We need a dedicated food manager, and it needs to be either a shifter or a human.”
“Why?” Arissa asked.
“Because all of our food is human, and they feel more comfortable having someone manage them who is not a vampire,” Cella said.
“So we put an ad in the paper?” Arissa asked.
“No, we have a supernatural headhunter we use,” Cella
said.
Arissa’s brows rose. “What?”
“You know, a headhunter? An agency that finds quality applicants for supernaturally run businesses. In the interim, I’ll handle the food myself and let them know it’s temporary.” Cella’s tablet beeped, and she lifted it from the desk and then cursed. “We just lost our coat check girl, too.”
Mishka shook his head. “Find a coven member to handle it for now, and add it to the agency’s positions to fill.”
Cella nodded. “I’ll make sure that both positions are temporarily filled by night’s end.”
Mishka looked at Arissa. “I was wondering how the church members were able to get into the club with bombs.”
She shook her head. “They shouldn’t have been able to get past the protection line. Clearly, they carried the bombs in with the intent of causing harm, but they weren’t stopped by the protection. Brone and I checked out the witch glass, and it’s still sealed in the foundation.”
When Arissa first came to work for the coven to provide Wiccan protection for the members, she’d made a witch glass that had proven on more than one occasion to literally fry a person with bad intentions who tried to cross the barrier.
“I asked Lorene, and she said that it was possible that the people who came into the club were either so devoted to the cause of the church that they didn’t believe they were doing anything wrong – so their actions didn’t trip the witch glass’ protection. Or they were cloaked with some kind of protection ward that was stronger than the witch glass.”
“What’s stronger than the witch glass?” Bellamin asked.
She shrugged. “Fae magic, that would be my guess. If the church employed a fire fae, that could explain not only how they were able to literally melt the door without the sensors picking up on it but also how they had wards strong enough to bypass mine.”
Fae lived in their own realm. If they chose to live in the Mortal Realm, they had to remove their wings, which took away some of their power. Although it was possible for fae to live in the realm and keep their wings, it wasn’t the norm.