“Come, Sister,” Fazion whispered. Irulan took a second to scowl at me before turning to follow them. For a brief moment, all I could do was stare and try not to explode.
“Val, she’s down but not out. Those slugs are already working their way out. What are you waiting for?” Tamerlane barked. Shit. This is why you don’t work with your significant other. I got a grip on my emotions and looked for a street sign, College Street. I think I knew where to go.
While Center City wasn’t the ideal setting, I wasn’t about to drop our plans for fear of a little property damage, even if it was going to piss Daddy off in the long run. That’s what disaster insurance was for, right. I led the way, running through uptown Charlotte looking for the structure that would suit our needs.
We made it a block away when I felt the Banshee’s cold aura wash over me. She’d found us, and she was pissed. I ignored it and kept running. She unleashed a wail and a pair of wolves flew by me, knocked senseless by her blast. That’s when Tam opened fire. I heard the rapid fire pops of his weapon and her wail became a scream.
“She’s hit, woolybooger, but I don’t think it’s gonna count for much,” Tam said. “The bitch heals faster than we do…and I think she’s found my hiding spot, gotta jet.”
The next wail was aimed high. The windows above us exploded, forcing us to slow down as we began dodging the hail of broken glass. I heard the whimper of a wolf as it was hit, and Ire grunted her pain when a shard sliced open her arm. Damn it all to hell. I wanted to stop, to turn and make a stand. Running wasn’t part of my makeup.
“There, Princess,” Stryfe yelled from behind me. “That building is perfect.” I cut my eyes to see what he was pointing at and almost cut a cartwheel. It was latest client of our fledgling construction department, the newly renovated convention center. It was the first building the city chose to be redesigned with Extras, and our various strengths and abilities in mind. The steel was endowed with rune magic. There were psi-dampeners at every entrance. The windows and doors were made with the latest, Trumaine ballistic glass. The place was a magic-proof, Fort Knox.
“Alright, people, this is it,” I called out to my crew as we headed for the large, steel and glass dome that made up the front entrance.
I was inches from the door when Tamerlane dropped to the ground in front of me, with a lopsided frown plastered to his face, “Thought you’d never get here.”
“Can we do this later? You need to override the dampeners on this door,” I huffed as I pulled open the door, waving everyone inside.
Tamerlane went right to a hidden panel and set to work. Fazion stepped beside me and sighed. His head darted back and forth as he took in our surroundings. “Good choice. Ire, we need to prepare.”
“Better hurry,” I said as I looked up at the darkened, cloud-filled, sky. There was a slender form floating through the air, heading in our direction; the Banshee, no doubt. “We’ve got company.” I slammed the door closed and threw out my arms, channeling fae energy and forcing it into a shield. The energy spread, fanning out until the entire area was protected. It was the biggest shield I had erected on my own, but to say it was the strongest, remained to be seen.
“You do know that your efforts are useless,” the Banshee drawled as she descended from the darkened sky. I looked into her face and shuddered. For as dark as the sky had become, her hollow eyes were darker. She raked them across the front of the building and clicked her tongue. “For all your bravado, all your efforts to prevent it, your demise is inevitable.”
“You’re very sure of yourself,” Stryfe answered, waving Fazion and Irulan, away. They backed away, leaving me with the Manticore. The Banshee paused and narrowed her eyes at Stryfe before she shrugged a shoulder. “My quarrel was never with you and yours, brother. You could have taken your men and returned home when I gave you the opportunity. Yet here you stand, siding with them. So with them you shall die.”
“I stand in service to the royal family,” Stryfe announced. “If that calls for my life, it’s a price I’m willing to pay.”
“You’re a bigger fool than I thought,” she whispered, “as you wish it.” She lifted a palm toward the glass and my stomach lurched with the surge of power she fed my shield. Without help it wasn’t going to hold for long. I could feel Irulan’s magic wash over me as she began her spell. My mind began to race as I tried to remember everything she tried to teach me about using fae glamour. I tried to ignore the doubts that were running through my mind, but it was harder than I thought.
Together, Carrie and the Banshee had outsmarted, or overpowered us at every turn. Now we were placing our hopes on me being able to keep Carrie at bay, while they took care of the other. I looked at Thade and his wolves standing with my family’s deadborns that refused to leave when they had the chance. They were all pursed, waiting for the Banshee to begin her worst. Our odds at victory were a wild-shot at best and everyone here knew it. But taking the wild-shot was a better than the alternative…war in the FaeLands and an icy death for my home. Everyone held their ground, everyone except for Constantine.
My brother has fought and suffered in self-imposed silence, never addressing the fact that the Banshee was responsible for his love’s death. So you can imagine my surprise when he pushed his way to the front of the crowd and pressed his hand against the glass.
Constantine tilted his head and sighed as he gazed into the hollows where her eyes should be. I felt Valerian and Tamerlane’s apprehension as they watched our older brother. They were afraid of what he might do, that he’d finally reached his breaking point. That was the least of our worries. My shield would contain him if it came to that. What the Banshee could do to him was much worse.
I had experienced the Banshee’s gaze, the black emptiness that filled me. I never wanted to feel that again, and Constantine damn sure didn’t need that on top of everything else. I jumped into his thoughts; ready to act the moment it appeared the Banshee’s doom gaze was beginning to have an effect on him. It never came. Instead he shook his head and pressed a hand to his heart.
“I can feel you. Sorry, your trick isn’t going to work on me. You can’t take what’s already gone,” he whispered to the Banshee. “Fee was my light, my hope, and you took that.”
“I needed to look into her eyes,” he projected walked away from the glass. “Now it’s time for her to pay for what she did to my Fee.”
Irulan’s voice took the place of Constantine’s. “Just a few more minutes,” she said. “Once Fazion and I are linked, I’ll use our connection to bond with you.”
I nodded and blocked out everything except the sound of Irulan breathing. In spite of everything with Carrie, in the middle of all the chaos, she was my center. As long as I had her by my side, I could ignore the nagging doubts and focus on what needed to be done.
“Almost there,” Fazion said, moments later. The wolves lowered their heads and began to growl, their hackles rising on their necks. My family’s vampires nodded and spread across the room as my brothers moved to my side. Fazion pointed and Irulan took position.
“Mark my words, you will die today if you attack me, Your Highness,” the Harbinger growled. She flexed her fingers and another jolt of energy flooded my shield. I flinched under the added strain, praying that I didn’t have to hold on for much longer.
“We shall see,” Fazion frowned. “We’re ready,” he whispered a moment later.
“I can’t do this anymore,” I croaked, my arms shaking. “I’m tired of running, and putting off the inevitable.” The Banshee drew her sword and twisted it through the air before bringing it to the ready. This was it. I sighed and dropped my arms, releasing my shield. “If you want me, come and get me.”
She was inside before I finished my sentence, rushing toward me with incredible speed. I dropped my shields and backpedaled, eager to put as much distance between the two of us as I could. A group of vampires flashed into her path, buying me a few precious seconds. “You’re going to have through us first,” a d
eadborn announced. She didn’t slow down.
The Banshee flicked her wrist, swinging her sword with deadly precision, cutting down two vampires with one stroke. The deadborns hit the ground screaming, their skin blistering and turning to black ash where the fae blade cut. The next vampire managed to land a blow to her midsection, but he made the mistake of turning his back to her, and almost paid with his life. The Banshee unleashed a wail so tangible that it punched through his flesh as if the bone, muscle, and sinew were no stronger than a wet paper towel. The vampire fell to his knees, clutching the basketball-sized hole that was now in his stomach. The injury wouldn’t kill him, but it was gonna hurt like a bitch until it healed.
“Who’s next,” she hissed as she twisted her head, taking in the collection of bodies that surrounded her. Thade pushed his way through to the front of the pack and lowered his head with a growl. Shit. He was my best friend. I almost forgot what I was supposed to be doing, and went to his side, but Ire’s voice blared inside my head, bringing me back to focus.
“I’m right here, Val. Let me in so Faze can make the connection.”
I turned away from the fight trying to not imagine the worst, as I heard weres snarls turn to pained whines. I stood in front of the glass and cleared my mind, hoping that it would make Irulan’s task easier. There was a slight flutter at the edge of my conscience and she was in. Just like before, the connection was so complete that I had a hard time separating her thoughts from my own.
My awareness flared away from me, jumping into the frightened minds of humans that had been evacuated. I was a reporter standing on the edge of a police perimeter, speculating on what the latest tragedy was all about. I was the officer cursing the day Extras were given equal rights.
“Pull it back, Val. Focus on me,” Ire called out. I latched onto her voice and pushed everyone away until it was just Ire and I. Even still, it was a struggle not to drop my shields.
“Don’t fight me, baby,” she said. “Let my thoughts guide you. We’ve got to do it together.” I felt her racing through my mind, searching for the right combination to unlock the abilities we needed to make our plan a success. When she found what she was looking for, she pushed them to the front of my thoughts.
“For this to work you’re going to have to make contact. Press your hands to the metal beam and think ‘wood’.”
“Think, wood, that’s it?” I hated to come off as skeptical, but it sounded too easy. The important stuff never is.
“You can’t just think it, you have to believe it,” Ire said. “Your total belief is what will allow you to control both forms of glamour. Carrie is strong. She’ll be able to feel the metal underneath ordinary fae glamour. You’ve got to use vampire glamour to make her think otherwise.”
No pressure at all. I reached out, pressed my hand to the cool metal and thought ‘wood’, but how the hell was I supposed to know if it was working or not?
“It’s not,” Fazion said dryly, “Irulan, try something different because Carrie is on her way. If your leech can’t block her powers-”
“I’ve got this, fuck face. Just be ready to raise your shields.” I closed my eyes and imagined the tall oak that Valerian and I climbed as children. That tree was over fifty feet tall and we would race to the top, ignoring the danger it posed to a pair of four year olds. My mother would soar up through the air and land on the last branch above us, chastising us for once again breaking her rules. The next night we’d do it again. To us, it was a game…a dangerous, thrilling game that we always won because we didn’t consider the possibility of defeat.
I felt the metal swell toward me, and shook my head. “Not today,” I grunted and pushed back. “I can feel you, but your powers are useless against wood.” I opened my eyes and saw her standing on the other side of the glass. A deep scowl was plastered to her face. She was definitely not happy.
“Performance problems, Carrie, it happens to the best of us…so I’ve heard. I’ve never experienced it personally, but-”
“You bitch,” she sneered. “What have you done?”
“Not as much as I’m about to.” I locked my gaze onto hers, and pushed my way inside her mind. She tried to keep me out, but she didn’t have Irulan’s training. Most Sidhe had no idea how to effectively lock their shields, and Carrie was no exception. They fell like the walls of Jericho.
I pushed the image of that tree inside of her head, believing with all of my heart that the year was 1917 and I was back in New Orleans, climbing that tree with Valerian at my side. I put so much into the notion, that I expected my mother to show up at any minute, but I didn’t get her. Instead, I was rewarded with the sight of Carrie clutching her head as she stumbled away from the glass. I did it.
“Ire, its working!” I screamed inside her head.
“I knew you could do it. Duck!” She yelled it reply.
I didn’t question. I slid to my knees, keeping one hand on the metal. A second later the pony-sized body of a wolf, came sailing over my head. It crashed into the shield, bounced off, and hit the ground next to me. His thick fur brushed against my leg and I gasped.
“Thade!” I reached with my free hand and ran my fingers across his muzzle. When I pulled them away, they were covered in blood. Fuck. This so was not happening. I leaned toward him and Fazion’s voice exploded in my head.
“Don’t you DARE move one more inch!” He yelled. “This is bigger than one wolf!”
“He’s my best friend, asshole,” I spat aloud, fighting to hold back tears. “He needs help.”
“He won’t need anything if you allow your emotions to get the better of you, because he’ll be dead-frozen by your grandfather’s arrival.”
“Thade is tough, Val,” Irulan chimed in. “His advanced healing will kick in and he’ll be alright.”
I watched him for a tense, few moments, blocking out the sounds of the battle behind me; waiting for a sigh that he would be okay. The steady up and down of his chest proved that he was alive, but aside from breathing, he wasn’t moving.
I shifted position, sitting down so that I could pull Thade closer. His furry head covered my lap. There was dried blood caked around his mouth and nostrils, but at least it had stopped. I looked across miniature battlefield and saw Irulan staring at me.
“Give it a minute, baby. I’ve been on the receiving end of the Banshee’s stunner. He’ll come around.”
“You, needed my blood,” I reminded her.
“But Marcus didn’t.”
Someone yelled in pain, jarring my attention away from Thade. I looked into the melee and saw Constantine standing before the Banshee. She was doubled over as if she was in pain. I dropped my eyes and saw that he was holding the hilt of his sword. He’d driven it through her stomach. The blood coated tip saw sticking out of her back.
“I hope it hurts!” He growled.
The Banshee snarled with a jerk, pulling herself free from her Tino’s blade. Tamerlane was waiting in the wings. The second she was clear, he opened fire, hitting her with round after round. Gridlock and Ballistic shoved their way through the crowd and joined him, unleashing an automatic hell. Vampires protected their ears and the weres whined as they backed away, leaving the Banshee in the center of the room, swarmed in a hail of gunfire. Each slug hit home, rocking her body, but she refused to fall. When the gunfire stopped, the fae was hunched over with an arm wrapped around her stomach. Her body oozed blood from what looked like, hundreds of entrance wounds.
For a few brief moments the room was silent, and then the walls began to shake. The Banshee slowly lifted her head to look at me with an off-center sneer. I frowned and saw that her body was vibrating in time with the tremors. Crap on toast, this wasn’t going to be good.
She nodded her head, as if she could read my mind, and her sneer became an outright grin. “My turn,” she exhaled.
The Banshee threw her head back and began to wail, but this wasn’t like the others. Her entire body buzzed with the sound, her battered flesh quivering as the slu
gs that filled it, began to work their way out.
“Everybody get down!” Valerian yelled as he dove for the floor. The rounds flew out of her body in multiple directions, pinging against Ire, and Fazion’s shield, to ricochet across the room. I leaned over Thade, protecting him as best as I could.
I heard Gridlock grunt and knew that he’d been hit. A second later a wolf yelped. Tam ordered the vampires to form a wall around Marcus’s pack. I lifted my head and watched my brothers place themselves in the line of fire. Other vampires followed suit. When the Banshee stopped her wail, the wounds on her body had already healed. Every vampire was hit and for the moment, out of commission while their bodies healed.
That left about twelve wolves to face the Banshee. Even Stryfe had disappeared. Thade shifted against my lap and I looked down into human eyes. “Did we win?” He croaked.
“No. I think we just lost,” I whispered.
“Indeed you did,” the Banshee answered. She turned and took a step in my direction. “As I knew you would.”
Thade pushed to his feet and hobbled the few inches to stand in front of me. He growled and forced his hands to shift. “You’re not going to touch her.”
“You aren’t strong enough to stop me,” she warned him. Behind her Marcus’s hackles raised as he lowered his head and began growling.
“Maybe not by myself, but a wolf is never alone,” Thade said. The remainder of the wolves joined Marcus. Together they began to circle the Banshee, cocooning her in a wall of fur.
“Enough!” She yelled and the fight began. She darted forward, swinging her sword with incredible speed. One gray haired wolf yelped as it bit into his side. Another leapt into the air, its deadly claws aimed at her chest, but she leaned out of the way, hitting the wolf with a quick wail as it sailed by.
Thade jumped into the air and caught his flailing pack-mate before it hit. They landed with a soft thud and the wolf shook its shaggy head then jumped back into the fray. Thade rolled his shoulder and followed.
Black Moon Rising (DarkLife Saga) Page 26