“I want him, Markus. I want to rip him apart until he tells me everything. Her pain is my pain. I feel it with her.” Derek snarled, half-crazed and ready to destroy something, anything. Julia knew the Alphas connected to their pack and shared information via the pack link.
The pack thoughts, however, couldn’t be sent back to the Alpha. It ensured they didn’t get overwhelmed by outside thoughts since some packs had thousands of members. Plus, the higher up the chain of command, the more werewolves the Alpha could reach. The Coterie leader could send a message to every single werewolf in the world whereas Derek was able to send only to those in his territory of Ontario.
“I can’t let you near him, Derek. Not in this frame of mind. You’d kill him before we could learn anything useful.” Markus was immovable on this. Julia had seen that expression on his face too many times and knew nothing would sway him.
Derek blew out a frustrated breath. Guess he’d seen that look before too. “I want to know where she is. I can feel her pain. How, not sure, but it’s being sent along the pack link to me. I can’t talk to her though. It’s like it’s blocked or something. Make that fucking bastard talk or I will.”
He rolled his shoulders and Julia had to admit, the sheer size of them impressed her. He dwarfed most of the people here, including the other werewolves. The only one bigger than him was Roan. Thank goodness the Enforcers instilled hardened steel in her spine or she might have stepped back from him out of sheer fright.
A noise sounded to her right and she focused on the fight already in progress. Augustus had made his way to Logan, crossing when her attention had been on Derek. The Elites stepped out of the way and hung back, hesitant to step between Logan and Augustus. They yelled at each other and gestured wildly, fangs bared in aggression.
She couldn’t blame the Elites.
Only a crazy person interfered with an angry vampire and werewolf.
Oh great. She groaned inwardly.
Looks like she was one of the crazy people expected to interfere as her partner, Markus, made his way to them. Energy built up inside him, a familiar sensation to her. Many years of working together tuned her into his personal signature and she knew when he was readying himself to cast a spell.
Or at least a spell requiring a lot of energy.
Jackson hung back with Gavin, the best place for him. The other Enforcers would see it as an act of aggression if he tried to join the fray. No longer sporting the ball gag and handcuffs, he could at least defend himself if needed.
She had a bad feeling hell was about to break loose.
A shout and cursing drew her attention back to the fighting Coterie leaders and she picked up the pace. Markus reached them first and pushed his way between then, forcing them apart. Logan was in mid-swing, claws out, and clipped Markus on the side of the head. Julia gasped in horror, knowing the kind of damage a werewolf could inflict. Her pounding heart refused to settle even when she noticed the lack of bleeding on Markus’ part.
His shielding had deflected the damaged.
Now, Logan faced a pissed off Markus. She actually felt a little sorry for Logan. He had no idea what he faced. She winced as Markus attacked with one of his more powerful spells.
The Avenging Reaper.
An illusion, but a damn scary one.
He conjured a Grim Reaper out of smoke and lightning. Its scythe rested on its black cloaked shoulder with its bony hand gripping the handle. The cowl hid most of its face in deep shadows with a bony jaw barely visible, adding to the horror of seeing Death personified.
She understood why he used this spell - to scare everyone into submission - however it had the opposite effect on a few of the Mages Elites and the two guilty Elite werewolves. They went on the offensive, prepared to defend their leaders.
One of the werewolves, Jim, jumped towards the Grim Reaper, his jaw and teeth lengthening, ready to tear the threat apart.
Too bad he didn’t use his other senses, particularly his sense of smell. He would’ve realized he was attacking an illusion and not a solid creature. He went flying through the Reaper and slammed into Augustus. Had it been any other, they both would have fallen over. A vampire, however, was hard to move, never mind knock over.
The werewolf crumpled at Augustus’ feet, blood pouring from his broken nose, whimpering pitifully.
Augustus took exception to Jim crashing into him, even though he was unharmed. Possibly Augustus thought the werewolf a valid target for his anger over the use of vampire blood on other races. Either way, he picked up the whimpering and bleeding werewolf with one hand and bared his teeth. Augustus buried his fangs deep into Jim’s neck before anyone could react. With one hand he kept the throat exposed while his other hand gripped Jim’s arm tight. The sound of his humerus snapping was swallowed up by furious yelling.
Vampires, as a rule, couldn’t stand the taste of any blood except human. Fury didn’t begin to describe Augustus’ emotions as he ignored the horrid flavour to dole out punishment.
Jim’s whimpering escalated to howls of pain.
How’d he survive training, especially Elite training? Julia thought with loathing.
Systematically tortured as part of their training, werewolves prided themselves on their strength. They never broke nor turned tail during war. And with their phenomenal healing recovery, they had it worse. A broken bone healed within hours. They spent most of their time in pain during their years in the Enforcer Academy.
Elites proved themselves as the strongest, smartest and most dedicated to their Coterie leader. A broken arm was a minor inconvenience compared to everything else they’ve had to endure. A callous thought, yes, but it didn’t stop her feelings of repugnance toward this weak, pitiful excuse of an Elite.
The other werewolves hung back, not jumping to the aid of one of their own. Satisfaction flittered across many of their faces, deeming this a fitting punishment for his crimes.
Logan glared at Jim in disgust before shifting his attention back to the Reaper. He tensed, waiting for an opening to attack which would never come. Markus didn’t used the Grim Reaper for aggression, but instead to draw attention away from him.
The real threat - Markus himself.
It wasn’t often she saw him in action as most people tended to give up as soon as they saw him. Seldom was someone dumb enough to take him on in a fight and Logan was about to find out why. Eagerness wiggled inside her, wanting him bloodied and put in his place.
As Markus released a magic arrow aimed at Logan, the other Werewolf Elite, Kim, attacked. Teeth clamped on Markus arm, viciously shaking it. The arrow went wild and careened near Mara and Roan. Neither flinched as it whipped past them, burying itself into the cement wall behind them.
Relatively weak magic, the arrow wouldn’t inflict much damaged on an unprotected person. And no way were the Coterie mages unprotected. If she opened her sight, she’d see layers upon layers of defensive magic.
Once she made the mistake of viewing Mara with her sight and it took hours for that nasty headache to disappear.
While neither one of them viewed the arrow as a threat, the Mage Elites were less inclined to ignore possible danger to their leaders. These Elites trained daily, rigorous, painstaking routines, honing their bodies and spells into lethal weapons. Their goal, safeguard the leaders at all cost. Any one of them would intercept a death spell.
Julia watched, or more accurately she blinked, as they formed a barrier to insulate Mara and Roan from any harm. Damn, they moved fast. One moment, they lined the wall behind the Mage Coterie, the next, they were several feet forward. A sea of black clothed men and women, unyielding and grim with their hands resting near their spell components, ready to defend.
They made no other move to engage in the fight or step between Markus and Logan. Their main concern was keeping the Mage Coterie safe.
Mara wasn’t too pleased with their actions though. She shoved one aside in order to watch the unfolding event, glowering at the unfortunate Elite in front of h
er. Roan simply towered above the Elites, no worries about them blocking his view.
Markus never took his gaze off Logan, didn’t even acknowledge Kim gnawing on his arm. Logan, however, made the mistake of glancing at Kim. Those few moments of inattention allowed Markus to strike.
Proving why most feared him, Markus casted in quick succession an electrical shock spell followed by sleep. His body thrummed with energy, eyes blazing hot with contained power. These spells scarcely caused a dip in his reservoirs. Julia had witnessed him slinging massive amounts of magic before, drawing from a near limitless well.
Few could cast as swiftly as her partner without a few seconds in between to replenish their energy levels. He did it flawlessly. She loved watching him in action.
Incapacitating Logan with as few casualties as possible drove his spell choice. Shock him, make him susceptible to the sleep.
Taking out a werewolf wasn’t suicidal if the mage had access to their spells and not silenced.
A Top Alpha, though, was another matter. With the strength of their pack behind them, an Alpha is almost immune to magic. It takes a hell of a lot more to bring them down.
Not surprising, Logan didn’t succumb to sleep. The shock spell, though, had him howling for a few moments. A powerful jolt slammed through his nervous system.
If the situation hadn’t been so tense, Julia would’ve giggled at the sight of the menacing Alpha howling like a pup. He deserved all the pain he received for the atrocities he committed against humans. She wasn’t above enjoying the payback.
Sweeping his arm wide, Markus tossed the Werewolf Elite to the side. Kim slammed into the wall as the other Werewolf Elites stepped aside. He crumpled onto the floor in a daze. Scratches formed on Markus. His shielding had taken its maximum amount of damage and it’d worn off.
The scent of blood had the werewolves and vampires sniffing the air. Damn it. Everyone was edgy enough at this point. Add blood into the mix and it would be harder for the two races to contain their baser nature. The vampires, though, cringed when the full scent hit them. Dawn tried to describe the scent to her, something akin to rotting eggs and moldy sweat socks.
She saw another werewolf, one she didn’t recognize, charge toward Markus and Logan. Unsure of his target, she touched her garnet earring and released the spell stored in it. Satisfaction coursed through her when he froze in place mid-leap. She wasn’t as strong as Markus, but she held her own.
The Werewolf and Mage Elites were tense, waiting to join the fray. They only needed the go ahead from their respective leaders. Logan was too busy with Markus to order them to attack and Aaron didn't seem inclined to help. Mara and Roan were content to let one of their more potent mages deal with the situation.
The main double doors crashed open, dragging her attention away from Markus. Mage Enforcers poured through the entryway. The silent alarm must’ve notified them to the usage of battle magic. They assessed the situation in a glance.
Unfortunately they were missing some key information, such as Jackson's proven innocence and the guilt of Logan and his two Elites. Several locked their attention onto Jackson immediately, taking in the lack of restraints. Julia saw the tension in their posture and several gathered energy for offensive spells. Their training, however, was stronger than their needed for vengeance and they held off casting. As the Elites and Coterie leaders were in the room, they knew to wait for instructions.
Markus threw another electrical spell at Logan and several of the Mage Enforcers twitched, wanting to join in, but protocol demanded they wait. They muttered to each other, trying to understand the situation.
Blood, stronger now, coated the air with copper. Even Julia’s relatively weak nose picked up the smell. The Elites restrained their baser instinct, but the desire for carnage waged within the werewolves. Less trained Enforcers would’ve lost control. As it was, several of them struggle to contain their cravings.
A few of the werewolves, the ones under Logan’s leadership, fought against shifting. Hair sprouted on exposed flesh, teeth lengthened and eyes glowed an eerie amber. The affected few refused to let go fully, holding on to their humanity. Those unaffected touched the others, lending silent support.
Kim, however, didn’t fight it and within moments, a noticeably crazed large grey wolf stood in his place. Torn clothing lay on the ground with a few scraps of cloth clinging to him.
He snarled and shook his head, his ears flat. Julia hung back, knowing in a room filled with Elites, she was a little more than a hindrance. They knew the score and would try to keep the casualties down to a minimum. And, without question, protect the leaders that needed it. She doubted many would try to protect Logan, especially since he was up against Markus.
No one was stupid enough to direct Markus’ temper towards them.
She inched closer to Jackson, signaling to the newcomers she had him covered and not to interfere. A few heads swiveled her way and astonished shouts of her name sounded above the ongoing fights.
My, she’d become immensely popular. Get kidnapped and suddenly everyone knew her name. She had a sinking feeling the notoriety would take awhile before it died down. Giving them a quick shake of her head, she indicated for them to stand down. Without a proper debriefing, they had no idea who was friend or foe and she had no time to explain.
Logan had recovered from the second lightning bolt Markus threw at him and looked seriously pissed off. His teeth and jaw lengthen, his hands changed into sharp claws and deep growls rumbled from his chest. Partial shifting, when not forced by an Alpha, was hard to do and harder to maintain. It showed the raw power contained within him.
Julia suspected he also pulled strength from his pack. No way did he have the stamina for a partial shifting after taking two blasts of electricity through his body.
As Julia processed that thought, Logan leaped at Markus, deciding to ignore the Reaper to his left. He brought up his claws, ready to rip apart his foe. Julia gasped as Markus refused to move. He had no shielding left and wouldn’t remain unscathed if he didn’t move out of the way. She brought her hand up to her ruby earring and released a fireball, throwing it directly at Logan.
Hitting his right shoulder, it skipped upwards and slammed into the side of his head. She stared in disbelief as the fireball disappeared without causing any damaged. A faint shimmer from his shielding became visible when the spell hit him. Damn it, he had a mage in his employ. He wouldn’t have shielding otherwise. Wasting magic on those who could protect themselves wasn’t standard procedure.
Had he been expecting trouble?
Horrified, she watched as his claws raked across Markus’ exposed face. She dug her fingers into Jackson's arm, drawing from his strength. Could she heal him fast enough? Were the other mages readying spells as well? She scanned around and felt no energy signatures, no gathering of magic. Why wouldn’t they help him? She swiftly looked back at Markus and saw no blood. No rending tears in his flesh. She exhaled in confusion as the Reaper moved toward Logan.
The truth of the situation dawned on Julia and she nearly cheered at Markus’ brilliance.
When attention had shifted to the newcomers, Markus switched places with the Reaper. Logan attacked an illusion, unaware of the real threat now behind him. As Markus swept his bony, and horrifying, hand towards the oblivious leader, Kim again interfered. He’d recovered from the wall slamming he’d received. Julia was disappointed to note he appeared fully healed.
Most days, she envied their fast healing.
Today she cursed it.
At least Jim stayed indisposed thanks to Augustus heartily feeding on him. How much blood did he have? He thrashed about, trying to break free. Shouldn’t he be unconscious by now?
Her fireball earring was recharging, its energy depleted from the useless shot at Logan. Electricity was her next option. Kim shouldn’t have the same threshold against it as his boss. While an Elite, she doubted he had any magic shielding and lacked pack strength to draw on. Vulnerable and she’d take full
advantage of that fact. Touching her amethyst earring, she released a magic arrow and sent it racing towards him. While he had preternatural speed, certain magic moved faster.
The bolt slammed into him as he closed in on Markus. His whole body convulsed. Unfortunately, his momentum kept him going forward and he succeeded in reaching Markus, knocking him off balance.
Logan spun around, warned of the danger at his back. Julia wanted to scream in frustration. Her aggravation increased when she noticed no one else assisted. They all stood back and watched, like it was some damn drama show unfolding and not a life and death situation.
None of them would do anything unless told to by their leaders. Leaders who didn’t want to interfere with one of their own.
What a bunch of bullshit, such complete and utter bullshit. Politics, plain and simple, kept them silent. Even Mara and Roan held the rest of their personnel out of the fray so they could claim ignorance on Markus’ actions. If they sent anyone to help then they cemented their position against Logan. Even with all the evidence against him, there hadn’t been a trial and it would be political suicide to aid in any harm against him.
Pissed off beyond belief knowing they’d let him die to safeguard their political careers, Julia cursed them. Bunch of damn cowards. Good thing she had no political career to worry about. This bastard wouldn’t leave this room a free man. Anyone who tried to stop her would become a casualty of her anger.
Markus steadied himself, recovering from Kim knocking into him. She focused on the Avenging Reaper, her partner and no longer an illusion. It seemed apt. Markus was now Death.
She mentally checked which earring was available to her. The fireball and magic arrows out of commission, still recharging. Use the earthquake, perhaps? Though it might throw Markus off balance too. The hold spell was recharged and she hadn’t used the gust of wind yet. The rest were useless as they were self-only spells. She didn’t have enough time to gather energy and overcome her resistance to cast a regular spell. Imbued or nothing.
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