And then, Dhani woke up, her eyes wide as the witch in front of her opened her mouth and screamed.
“No, it can’t be true.”
Dhani knew she was a witch, yet her powers were still bound to whatever her grandmother had done. She just knew. But now the witch knew, too.
Before she could figure out what to do next, Aimee and Dawn were suddenly awake, fighting against their chains next to her as the door slammed open. Kameron, Max, and Cheyenne stood in the doorway, light surrounding them, and then she knew it was over.
Maybe they had a chance.
Maybe.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kameron howled, Max joining him by his side. Cheyenne let out a very inhuman growl, and he wanted to curse that she was there. But she hadn’t allowed them to leave her behind, promising that she’d stay out of the way and only use her skills as a vet to help, but now that she was there, ready to fight, he knew that he might have made a mistake.
But his wolf only had eyes for Dhani. His mate. His chained mate.
Fuck. This.
He’d followed his mate bond to a cellar that almost looked like a basement. Blade, four or five wolves, and the red witch stood in one area. Dhani, Aimee, and Dawn were chained, fucking chained to the walls in the opposite corner.
Blood would be spilled today, and it wouldn’t be his.
Fuck. This.
He repeated the words to himself before he jumped. But as soon as he did, a familiar wolf, a wolf that broke part of him deep inside, slammed into his chest. The action brought him down on his back outside of the cellar. Max grabbed Cheyenne and rolled to the other side before pushing her away to fight the other wolves that had come out of the brush and up from the cellar to attack them.
Fuck. The witch had hidden everyone’s scents, but Kameron hadn’t been able to wait for their own witches and backup to arrive before he tried to save his mate and the others. His family was on the way, but they were still at least twenty minutes out. Kameron and Max had been closer, and Gideon had told them to hold the line.
He just prayed to the goddess that they could actually accomplish that.
Dave snapped his fangs at him, and Kameron punched the man he had trusted in the face. The other man had shifted part of his face as well as his claws, telling Kam that the wolf was pretty dominant. But not as dominant as Kam. He had to blink away the images of Tino’s dead body from his mind. He’d been forced to leave the other man at the cabin, alone and growing cold. He knew there were other Pack members out there now, making sure to pay the other man the respect he deserved. Because the way the room had been destroyed, Tino had given his life to save Dhani’s.
And that meant Dave had to die.
No matter what.
Dave punched at him, but Kam was stronger. Faster. He gripped the other man’s fist and squeezed. The bones broke under his strength, and Dave screamed.
Then Kameron rolled and flipped the other man onto his back, pressing down on his neck with a forearm. “Why? Why did you betray us?”
“Fuck. You.”
“Wrong answer.”
Then he snapped the man’s neck, making the death quick because, as much as Kameron might want the other man to suffer, he wasn’t evil. And Max needed help with the Aspens who had come out of the woodwork. Maybe if they weren’t surrounded and weren’t on the losing end of whatever the hell was going on, Kam would have been able to get answers. But they weren’t, and he wasn’t going to let his anger and vengeance get in the way.
Max fought off two wolves, using his newly learned and adapted fighting skills to protect Cheyenne’s and Kameron’s backs. Cheyenne had a knife and was stabbing any of the foes that Max laid at her feet. It was an oddly decent way of fighting, and Kameron was not only surprised but also happy to see it. Cheyenne could hold her own. All of them could.
So Kameron fought by their sides, all the while trying to get closer to the cellar door so he could get to Dhani and the others. He couldn’t see her, but he could feel her, scent her.
A gunshot split the air, and Kameron snapped the neck of the wolf in front of him before turning to Blade.
Blade had the three women on chains behind him. They weren’t on their knees, but rather on their feet, fighting and growling. Kam and Max both went to lunge when Cheyenne called out.
“No. Look. The witch.”
Kameron cursed when he looked at Scarlett, the witch who was supposed to be dead. She had her hands covered in flame and was pointing at the three women, essentially forcing Max and Kameron to stand down.
“The humans were supposed to take you out, but it seems I’m going to have to do it.” Blade spat on the ground. “You were never strong enough. That’s why you and the Redwoods haven’t fought me. Now, you’ll see my strength.”
“You have women on chains behind you, and you call yourself strong?” Kameron asked. “A real man, a real wolf wouldn’t resort to that. They’d fight me head-on rather than using leverage to keep me at bay.”
Blade’s eyes glowed gold. “You’ve always been in my way. Just like your fucking Alpha and the rest of you Brentwoods. None of you deserve the limelight. None of you deserve the reverence the other wolves and the humans give you. Soon, the world will see the truth. Soon, they’ll see it all. You couldn’t even see that it wasn’t the humans that tried to kill you and your human bitch mate. It was Dave after Scarlett used her magic on him. It was always him. He was tired of the Brentwoods always telling him what to do and never giving him the position he wanted. You made him a sentry. I gave him power.”
Well, that answered that.
“Fight me like the Alpha you say you are. Fight me and let the others go. I’m what you want.”
“I want Gideon’s head on my desk.”
“You’ll have to settle for me.”
Blade grinned. “Deal.” He turned to his other wolves. There were only four others, and Kameron thought that was odd. Maybe the whole Pack wasn’t on their Alpha’s side. But that was something they’d have to deal with when they got out of this. “Don’t kill the women. Just the half-wolf mongrel that no matter how many parts they chop off of him, can’t seem to die. Leave the asshole Enforcer to me.”
Then Blade leapt.
Kameron lunged out of the way, letting his claws out to fight with all his strength. Dhani yelled from her spot, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Cheyenne throw a rock at Scarlett’s head. Somehow, the witch hadn’t seen her, and Scarlett went to her knees.
Damn good throw.
Cheyenne immediately went to the women’s sides and tried to get their chains off. Dhani’s looked to be weaker than the others, and he had a feeling between the four of them, they’d be free soon.
Thank the goddess.
He saw all of that without truly looking, his attention on the far stronger wolf in front of him. There were many reasons why his Pack hadn’t fought Blade and the Aspens head-on. Blade’s strength was the main part of it.
Because Kameron wasn’t strong enough to fight Blade alone. The only way he figured he might live through this was if, somehow, his Pack made it to them on time. Or if Max could fight off his wolves and the women got free, away from the witch, and were able to help. It wouldn’t be easy, and he wasn’t going down without a fight. He’d use every ounce of energy and strength he had, and he would damn well try to win.
Blade clawed at Kameron’s chest, and though he moved quickly, it wasn’t quick enough. Kam let out a growl as his blood scented the air. Blade grinned in triumph, but Kameron wasn’t done. Kam lowered his shoulder and ran into Blade’s gut. They both hit the ground, rolling. Blade punched and kicked and used his claws. Kameron fought back, trying to get the advantage, but he knew he wasn’t strong enough.
And he resented the hell out of it.
They rolled again, Blade pressing down on Kameron’s chest, and Kameron felt a few ribs snap. He sucked in a ragged breath, knowing that one of the bones had pierced his lung. He’d be okay. For now. He’d nee
d Walker to Heal him soon or he might not heal at all, but he still had time. He just had to make it.
Then Blade had his hands around Kameron’s throat, and Kameron used his claws to dig deep gouges into the man’s arms. Kameron gasped for breath, his body shaking as he tried to pull the Alpha away, but that was the difference between an Alpha and an Enforcer.
Kameron just wasn’t strong enough.
But he was also a Pack wolf, and that meant he wasn’t alone.
Max ripped Blade off of Kameron, and Kameron rolled to his feet, ignoring the pain and the fact that he couldn’t catch a full breath. He needed to stop Blade. Needed to protect his mate.
Needed to do it all.
Even if it took everything he had to accomplish it.
“You’re all insane!” Scarlett yelled with a laugh. “And that’s why you wolves will never win. It takes a witch!”
Blade stopped fighting. Max stopped fighting. The three remaining living wolves that Max hadn’t killed stopped fighting. The women stopped fighting.
Because Scarlett spread her arms and screamed.
And flames shot toward them all. Toward Blade. Toward the Aspens. Toward Max. Toward Cheyenne. Toward Dawn. Toward Aimee. Toward Dhani. Toward his mate.
“Dhani!” he shouted.
But it was too late.
Dhani stood in front of them all, her hair blowing in a wind he couldn’t see, couldn’t feel. When she crossed her arms over her chest, he didn’t understand, then she spread her arms, and his world shifted.
Silence reigned.
And the flames engulfed her in one breath.
And into the next.
And then, there was nothing.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Stand up.
Open up.
Give up.
Sacrifice begets sacrifice.
Dhani knew what she needed to do. The fire would come. The magic would come, and she would be the sacrifice. But unlike the visions of her grandmother before the binding, this would not be the end.
Because she was a witch. A spirit witch. One who spoke with the dead, who touched the magic of others and saw beneath it.
The flames licked her skin, just like in the dream, but it didn’t hurt. Others screamed and shouted around her, but this wasn’t the end. Dhani tilted her head to the side, studying the magic around her. She had no idea how she knew—then again, this was her, so she went with her gut. She wrapped the flames around her arms and pulled and then pushed. Instead of the flames going around her and enveloping her friends and family, instead of the fire burning her mate, she sent it back to its creator.
Scarlett screamed, the fire surrounding the witch who had never truly understood, who had never really felt the flame. And then she was no more. She was just ash, and the fire slid away, turning to smoke and a past she knew she would always be entangled with.
She was a spirit witch. A formidable power. A mate. A woman who would and could protect all.
The war wasn’t won. It wasn’t over. The battle wasn’t even finished, but this time, she could fight back.
Finally.
“Dhani!” Kameron was at her side as the smoke faded. He cupped her face. “What the fuck? I mean, goddess, Dhani.”
“I’m a witch.” She swallowed hard. “Long story.”
He snorted, kissed her hard, then turned to where Blade was coming at him. “I want to hear it. After we finish this.”
She gripped his arm. “Deal.”
Even more wolves came out of the woods. Soon, there were a dozen Aspens against the rest of the Talons. Dhani had no idea what she was doing with her powers, but she could somehow create a shield that could protect her friends and mate for short bursts. For now, she was working on instinct, and one day, when everything finally hit her, she’d learn more. She knew she would because that was who she was, but for now, she would just do what she could and try to stay out of the way, as well.
She knew her mate was hurting to the point where his breathing was labored, and she could feel the pain along the bond. Max was bloody, and he had Cheyenne by his side, stabbing anyone he threw to her. Dhani honestly didn’t know how the two were doing it, but when Max couldn’t get the killing blow because the other wolf came at his bad side, he’d find a way to make it so Cheyenne was there to help. Her friend was a woman of healing, and Dhani knew that all of them wouldn’t be walking away from this battle whole, but she would do her best to make sure they all made it out alive.
Dawn and Aimee had been training to fight in their animal and human forms and were working as a team against two of the Aspens who had come at them. They were winning because they weren’t fighting each other like the two Aspens were. The two males seemed to be dominants, yet not as good at fighting as Dhani thought they should be. Or maybe she was running out of energy because she was pushing everything she had into her new magic and keeping the mating bond as full as she could to give Kameron strength. She noticed that every time she pushed some energy along the bond, Kameron could breathe easier. She knew she wouldn’t be able to do it forever, but as long as she could give him what she had, he could fight Blade.
“Kam! Behind you!” she screamed as a final wolf jumped at him, and Kameron turned to slam the wolf to the ground. Dhani found herself facing Blade, who grinned at her.
“Little witch, you shouldn’t be here. Seems you have more than you bargained for. Come with me and you’ll be with a real man. Not this trash who can’t even fight me like a true Alpha.”
“Fuck. You.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself, baby,” Kam growled. Then he flung himself at Blade, and she fell to her knees, her energy waning. She knew she didn’t have much left in her, but she wasn’t going to stop until her mate and her family were safe.
Kameron sliced Blade’s face open, blood pouring to the ground below them, and then Blade threw Kam back. He slid along the bloody ground into her, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
And just when she thought that Blade would land the killing blow, the other man staggered to his feet, covered his ruined face with his hand, and ran.
The asshole ran away. If he’d been in wolf form, he’d probably have had his tail tucked between his legs.
Dhani blinked as the others on Blade’s side ran behind their Alpha, leaving her people surrounding her, shaking. Then she heard the chopper blades, and knew the real reason Blade and his people had retreated.
“We need to go. We can’t be here when the humans come, or we won’t be able to answer their questions.” Max held out his hand for Kam, and her mate slowly, achingly made his way to his feet.
“It’s not over. But it is for today.” Her mate helped her to her feet and, somehow, the group of them made it through the trees and to Max’s SUV before the helicopter landed and the humans found more than they bargained for. Dhani didn’t know what would come of it, but she knew that soon they’d have to answer the tough questions.
As soon as they got to the SUV, three other vehicles drove up, but they belonged to the Pack. Walker and Mitchell jumped out, running to their mates, but Max somehow got everyone into the right vehicles and on their way to the den and out of danger.
Dhani knew Kameron would have normally been the one to order people around, but she knew he was fading just as fast as she was. She leaned into his hold, thankful that Walker was beside them, doing his duty and Healing.
Warmth spread over her, and she closed her eyes as she let her body relax into her mate.
They had fought. They had bled. But she hadn’t stopped. She hadn’t let her fear of the visions and what was to come take over. She knew that Kameron wasn’t happy that Blade had gotten away, but they’d fought.
They’d won in her mind, because they hadn’t backed down, and all her people were alive.
Bloody and broken, but alive.
And that had to count for something.
It had to.
CHEYENNE
Cheyenne wanted to go home, but o
nce she did, she was afraid that she wouldn’t leave. Instead, she stood in the clinic’s bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. Bruises covered her arms and side, but that was from when Max had thrown her to the ground. She didn’t blame him for that. He’d saved her life.
And in the end, she’d saved his, as well.
He’d let her fight by his side, a man she knew didn’t let anyone do anything for him if he could help it. But in doing so, she’d taken a life. She’d taken more than one life.
Who was this person in the mirror?
How had this happened to her?
She was a vet. A woman of medicine and healing. And yet she’d taken lives to save lives.
She wasn’t sure she could come to terms with that. This wasn’t her world, wasn’t her reality. And yet she’d become immersed in it.
Over the past few months, she’d tried to find her balance as she had one foot in her human world and the other in the world of the paranormal. But she was afraid that she’d never find the balance she actually needed. She didn’t think she was strong enough, didn’t think she would end up sane enough.
Now that Dhani was mated and, apparently, a witch, she wouldn’t age. Dawn wouldn’t age. Aimee wouldn’t age.
They would all stay as they were, and they would find their true happiness in a world where they were connected on a level she would never comprehend.
And Cheyenne would be left behind.
Again.
Maybe it was time for her to be the one to walk away. Before she lost herself. Before she lost them. Before she lost it all.
Maybe it was time for her to take that step.
Maybe.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kameron could breathe, he could stretch, and he could see. But he knew this wasn’t the end of it, not when Blade was still out there, and the world was getting that much darker.
But he had his mate, had his Dhani, so that had to count for something.
Strength Enduring (Talon Pack Book 8) Page 17