by Morgan Fox
But it couldn’t last forever. Breaking, gasping for air, she hugged him so tight she thought she heard him wheeze. He never complained.
“Sebastian’s people are coming,” she whispered into his ear. “They’ll free us, and then I’ll go after Ryder.”
“I’ll be with you. You’re not getting rid of me so easily.” He kissed her forehead. “This is not good-bye, Bianca. This is only the beginning.”
She nuzzled against him, her face pressed against his chest. “Thank you, Brody.”
He eased back and cupped her face. “Ryder’s lucky to have you,” he said, his voice dipping low.
Bianca kissed his lips once more, lingering just long enough to lose her breath. “And I’m lucky to have you,” she told him.
Chapter 13
Masked behind the illusion of the forest, Brie and the others waited for a sign from Ryder, anything that would give an indication that it was time to attack. Strangely, Brie and the other fey witches couldn’t feel any energy shift within their magic. Nor could they sense Ryder, Bianca, or Brody. Even the link between wereanimals had been severed. It was as if they had been killed and their essences robbed from them.
A trap? Brie couldn’t shake the feeling.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, her spine tingling. Someone new approached. She could feel the presence before she saw it. Her senses were even better than that of the lycan’s noses. Sitting on a boulder beside Sebastian, she tugged on his jeans, and he glanced down toward her. With the nudge of her chin, he searched in the direction of her stare.
“Who is that?” Brie asked, just as the blurry vision came into full view.
Dominic’s heavy boots crunched down on the leaves and sticks that littered the ground. “It’s one of the guards that escorted Ryder into the cave,” he said, moving to stand close-by. “He seemed cozy with Bianca.”
The name of the woman who’d help abduct her daughter from her had Brie’s teeth gnashing tightly, her magic hissing like the electrical charge left in the air after a lightning storm.
Brie loved Ryder like a brother, and would always be grateful to him for guarding her sister, Tiffany, and for trusting Brie unconditionally. He was a good man, a protective, loving man with a heart of a lion. Most of the lycan men Brie knew possessed those same characteristics, and Brie hated that Ryder had been forced to mate with a vile creature like Bianca. He deserved better. If he would allow her to strip the mating bond from him, give him peace, she would.
If he wanted me to, I’d gladly do it.
Then she felt it, a need burning inside the blond-haired man stepping free of the mouth of the cave. He intrigued her. His red eyes told her he was a vampire, but he didn’t possess the same dark heart as the others guarding the entrance. She could sense it deep into her bones.
Compelled to speak with him, she demanded, “Capture him.”
Sebastian’s eyes widened, his hand gripping her shoulder gently. “Why? What are you sensing?”
Brie shook her head, her eyes narrowing on the vampire. “I don’t know what it is or how to describe it, but I need to speak with that man.” She stared up at her husband and gently clasped his hand. “I just feel…something.”
Brie’s instincts had always served her well, and right now they were ordering her to listen to them. This was the sign, the reason she’d been keeping her army hidden. She knew it.
She rose to her feet, shaky and unstable, and Sebastian held her. “I need to speak with that man.”
“All right,” he agreed. “Save your strength. I’ll not have you passing out on this mountain.”
She smiled. “Then don’t make me have to ask again and be quick. I’m…tired.”
Brie was flat-out exhausted, and Tiffany was only able to do so much more for her. She couldn’t take more energy from Tiffany. She needed to make sure her sister had enough energy to defend herself once things got heated with battle. Brie would gladly sacrifice herself for those she cared for. That was why she was here, and that was why it was so important she came along with the others.
Sebastian arched his chin toward Ryken and Luken, who were scurrying down the hillside to stand beside them. “That vampire, the one with the golden hair…bring him to us.”
Brie turned to see her parents hiding in the tree above them. Keep them masked as best you can. Once Ryken and Luken reach their target, hide the vampire as well. No sight or sound.
Her parents nodded.
Brie hated that she didn’t have the power to do it herself, but she had to trust that those around her would do as she needed.
Ryken and Luken’s bodies swelled with the power of their wolves, shifting only partially. They used the skills their beasts possessed to make their way down the mountain toward the cave. Almost catlike, they crept alongside vampires, unaware of the danger that lingered inches from them. Standing on either side of the blond vampire, they wrapped him in a fierce hold and waited for the struggle. It never came. The vampire seemed to welcome the capture.
What seemed like forever, Ryken and Luken finally returned holding the vampire within the tight grip of their hands.
“I will not fight,” he said, eyeing Brie. “I’ve come willingly.”
Brie stood alongside Sebastian for support, her legs shaking. “Why would you do that?”
“I am Gregory, lord of the vampires. I was captured by Lilly and forced into servitude. I do not wish for any of my brethren”—he cast a glance around him—“those unaffected by the virus, that is, to suffer any more at the hands of the vampire queen.”
“Why should we believe you?” Sebastian asked, his arm securely wrapped around Brie.
“Lilly has my family imprisoned. I’m risking not only my life, but their lives as well to be here.” He locked gazes with Sebastian. “You and I have never had cause for feud among our people. I have ruled honorably and will continue to do so, just as you have done.”
Brie tapped into her magic, only briefly allowing herself a chance to glimpse inside his soul. He truly was an honorable man. “Why haven’t you tried to overpower her with your vampires or take your family back on your own?”
Guilt reflected in his gaze. “I fear that I’m not strong enough to overpower Lilly. My men are frightened of the virus just as your lycans surely are. Lilly has an army of infected lycans and vampires at her disposal. She has also placed my family behind an impenetrable magical shield. I don’t even know where they are. Bianca was gracious enough to ensure they were well cared for, but I fear now that she is also imprisoned—”
“What?” Brie gasped, her hand tightening in Sebastian’s.
“After Bianca returned, Lilly placed her in a magical cell. I couldn’t get her out on my own. I’m hoping you can.”
“Where is Ryder?” Brie’s breath fled from her chest.
“Lilly has taken him. She wishes to use his body to bring back her former lover.”
“Mason Levi?” Sebastian’s voice cut through the air and left Brie’s thoughts spiraling.
“This just keeps getting better,” Dominic said, glaring at the vampire. “Can you give us directions through the cave?”
“Yes,” he said confidently.
“How many are we facing, once we enter?” Sebastian asked.
“A thousand easy,” Gregory replied, his gaze growing serious. “I am convinced that I can get my men out. But know that once I telepathically link to them, the infected vampires will know of our plan. So we must be ready the moment I do.”
“How soon will you be ready?” Sebastian asked, staring at Dominic as if to let him know they would be attacking at any moment.
“I’m waiting on you,” Gregory said, stiffening his spine. “You will have two more on your side, if you free Bianca and Brody.”
Brie gripped Sebastian’s hand and raised her chin to look up at him. “I’ll make sure Bianca and Brody get free. You just track down Ryder and Lilly.”
Sebastian nodded. “Are you sure?”
Brie g
rinned. “I’ve got this,” she told him.
Brie needed to come face-to-face with the woman who had been able to steal her child from her arms. She needed to see her beg for mercy as she held Bianca’s life in her hands. A sudden charge of power raced through her. She would do what needed to be done, just as Sebastian would make sure the vampire queen was stopped. Forever.
* * * *
Bianca felt the floor beneath her vibrate as if a herd of buffalo were racing above her. She could taste the dust that floated through the air. A fierce pounding sound drew her attention out into the darkness where she’d last seen Gregory standing.
A shiver chased along her skin as a powerful energy choked her. Suddenly, she was forced to her knees, clasping her throat, unable to breathe. Brody rushed to her side, but she couldn’t speak. Her body was on fire, a burning from beneath her flesh.
Brody hissed, pulling his hands away as the flames they couldn’t see licked her skin. “What the hell?” Brody cried. She collapsed onto the floor, rolling from side to side, death closing in on her. “Bianca! What do I do?”
Brody’s voice pulsed in her brain. Sheer panic rocked her. Sweat poured from her flesh as if she’d stepped from the ocean water. Her heart pounded fiercely in her ears. The suffocating spasm of her body shook her with a vengeance. Moments were all she had left, and all she could think about was the love she’d never got to have with Ryder and Brody. The love she was desperate to prove to them both.
Then the magic that held her prisoner vanished, and air quickly filled her deprived lungs, stinging as she gasped and gulped for breath. Brody helped her stand, holding her trembling body close.
“What the hell happened?” Brody asked, his body just as rattled as hers.
Bianca licked her dry lips and wondered if that was all she would endure at the hands of Brie McCarthy. Her magical signature was easy to decipher. She knew she deserved worse, but prayed the Lupinari would show her mercy and understand that she’d never meant the child any harm.
A burst of white light filled the space in front of the cell. Brie stood like an angel in the darkness. Her eyes were trained on Bianca like a hawk in search of its prey. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. Bianca sucked in a sharp breath, a quiver of nerves chasing along her once burning flesh.
Bianca wanted to tell Brie how sorry she was to have hurt her so much, but the words were lodged in her throat. She was still unable to speak. Brie was keeping her magical grip securely around her neck.
Brie glided through the magical barrier like it wasn’t there at all. She closed the distance between them. She glared up at Brody, who took a step back, understanding the heated gaze. Her eyes snapped back to stare at Bianca. She swallowed hard, fearing the powerful hold Brie had on her. The Lupinari would kill her just as easily as Lilly could, but she deserved the wrath that Brie was about to deliver. Bianca couldn’t deny that.
Brie’s eyes widened, and Bianca could see the soft blue of her eyes deepen. “I’ve waited for this moment for too long,” Brie said, her hand rising up to connect with the side of Bianca’s face.
Bianca hit the ground, stunned by not only being struck, but by the strength Brie used to strike her. It wasn’t magic, it was pure emotion.
“I’m so sorry,” Bianca said, shoving to her feet. “I can never take back what I did, but I promise you I never would’ve hurt your baby.”
“But you did,” Brie shouted, hitting her once more. Again, Bianca hit the ground hard.
Spitting out the blood that filled her mouth, Bianca stood again. Tears stung her eyes and she confessed, “I deserve all the punishment you wish to give me. I don’t know what I would do if someone took my child from me.”
“No you don’t,” Brie cried as an electrical current zapped between Brie’s fingers.
She gripped Bianca’s throat, squeezing hard. Her power filled Bianca’s body as if she were being electrocuted. Brie’s gaze was wild and consumed with rage. A mother’s love for her child was something Bianca couldn’t wrap her head around. Her mother had left her, abandoned her when she needed her most. Brie’s love for her daughter was a gift, a gift she wished she could have experienced herself.
Bianca didn’t fight Brie’s death grip. Instead she relaxed her body and let the power tunnel through her veins, destroying her. Ryder and Brody would be saved now that Sebastian had arrived. Justice would be served. Bianca prayed that Ryder, Brody, and Gregory would reveal Bianca’s truth and allow her memory to go untarnished. She didn’t want to be hated.
“Stop,” Brody cried, reaching his hands out to cover Brie’s.
The jolt of her power raced up his arms in a blue haze of magic. He held on, unwilling to separate himself from her even with the pain ripping through them both. Brie released her hold.
“What are you doing?” Brie snapped.
“She’s wasn’t trying to hurt you or your daughter. Bianca was trying to save us all,” Brody replied, gasping for breath. “She sacrificed herself and her mates to try and put an end to this damn situation. And if you weren’t so enraged you might actually see that.”
“No,” Bianca gasped. “She has every right to be angry with me.” She shifted to sit up, her body humming with residual energy. “I did aid Lilly, I can’t deny that.” She locked gazes with Brie. “But I knew Ryder would come for the child. I had always planned to hand her over to him. I didn’t know Lilly had done anything to hurt you or her. I had no knowledge of Lilly’s plans past that night in Germany.”
Brie clenched her teeth and growled. “Lies!”
“No,” Brody shouted. “Bianca is telling you the truth. Since being banished from our people, she’s been alone in this battle.”
“So they didn’t want you either,” Brie said with a smirk.
Bianca felt the sting of her tears, but wouldn’t let them surface. She couldn’t let the pain of her past haunt her any longer. She rose to her feet.
“I was banished by my people and sacrificed so that Ryder could have a future. I was a distraction in their eyes and easily dismissed. My own parents didn’t want me.”
“Do you expect me to pity you?”
“No, but I do expect that you will listen to what I have to say.”
Brie narrowed her eyes.
“I have been trying to find a way back into Ryder’s life, back into my pack. This was my only choice. Mason approached me, and I took the offer to fight our enemy from right beside her. I made sure that your daughter wasn’t left with those virus-infected bloodsuckers. I made sure she made it to Ryder. Just as I protected all I could from Lilly and her damn evil.” She licked her lips. “Brie, I’m sorry I didn’t think things through more thoroughly. I’m sorry I didn’t ask for help, but I have been fighting this battle alone for so long, I honestly didn’t know how.”
Brie turned, running her hands through her hair.
“Brie, it’s all true. Please believe her,” Brody begged.
Bianca steeled herself. “I need to get to Ryder. Lilly has him, and I can’t let her hurt him. I can’t let her resurrect Mason.”
Brie glared at her, her jaw flexing with tension. “No, we can’t have that.” Brie’s voice was even. The trance of hatred slowly seeped from her.
Bianca glanced around, realizing that Brie had simply walked through the invisible wall as if it hadn’t even been there. “How did you get inside my cell?
Brie arched a brow. “That bitch stole my magic. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t come back to claim it?”
* * * *
Sebastian’s claws ripped through the vampire’s throat with the ease of slicing through air. His mind was ablaze with fury. He and his men fought, clearing a path for the fey witches. Not that they couldn’t handle matters themselves, but ensuring their safety was all that mattered.
Brie had promised to stay back with her parents, hidden in the safety of their magic. But he recognized the gleam in her eyes, and knew she had plans of her own. She pulled Gregory aside, as if he didn’t notice.
Bianca.
Brie wanted to get her magical hands on the werepanther for what she’d done to Kayla. Sebastian knew his own pain at watching their child being ripped from their arms. The anguish of not being able to protect his family had nearly killed him. He could never fully comprehend the loss and despair that Brie had felt. Carrying Kayla, sharing a magical link, and giving birth to their daughter had magnified the bond between mother and child, and having Kayla stolen away like the wind, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around the emotions that had ravaged Brie’s heart.
Sebastian’s thoughts were stripped away as he heard Jonah’s roaring shouts. He was under attack. Four snarling vampires had him pinned. Charging toward his brother, he was rammed by a vampire he hadn’t spotted. Rolling to a stop, he shoved to his feet. Locking onto the bloodsucker, he growled. His upper body morphed completely into his wolf. The vampire lunged at him, but he was ready, sidestepping with a quick sweep of his claws. The vampire’s head rolled on the ground like a bowling ball.
In seconds, he was off again, racing toward Jonah. Like him, his brother was mostly in wolf form. All had changed but his lower half, still covered by dark-blue jeans.
Sebastian sailed his body into the first two vampires, hoping to give Jonah an advantage against the two left remaining. Sebastian jumped onto the first one, catching him off guard. Immediately he tore his head from his body, tossing it with all his might at the other vampire. Slapping it away, the vampire snapped and bit at the air, his face dripping with blood. A sinking feeling ate away at Sebastian’s gut. The vampires were infected, and they’d obviously fed off someone, but whom?
Shaking the troubling thought from his mind, Sebastian returned to the fight. As the vampire’s fists slammed into his face, Sebastian quickly righted himself, flipping himself around to take hold of the vampire’s hand, sending him face first into the nearest wall of rock. A dust cloud surrounded the vampire’s body as he hit. Sebastian launched himself onto the bloodsucker’s back, sinking his claws into the soft flesh of the vampire, ripping upward to extract his head from his body. Again the head of his enemy thudded to the ground and rolled lopsidedly.