by J. L. Weil
“I didn’t think so,” he answered himself, and took a step or two away from the cries.
“It could be someone we know. It could be Austin.”
He paused, and I knew I’d won. Then he huffed, his chest rising and falling heavily underneath me. “What are we waiting for?” he grumbled, sounding resigned. His fingers ran up to my hips.
“Thank you,” I said a soon as my feet touched the ground. If there had been time, I would have kissed him.
He angled his head at me, eyeing me with disbelief. “You know, you won’t always get your way.”
My lips twitched. That was debatable. My amusement was short-lived. Another long and tortured scream rang, louder and more frantic. “Hurry. We’ve got to stop them before they hurt someone!”
“If they haven’t already,” he said grimly.
And that was probably what Amara wanted. I had a bad, bad feeling about this. We were walking into a trap, but what else could we do? We couldn’t let those things run around. If we didn’t stop them, there was no telling how many people might get hurt…or worse.
It was always the or worse that made me prickly.
Chapter 9
I wasn’t fond of the dead….or the cemetery, for that matter.
Together we raced toward the cries. As I ran, I conjured my magic, preparing for the worse. When I reached the edge of the hill, I stumbled and came to a dead stop, Gavin skidding beside me.
It was almost too much to take in. The entire lot not far from the school campus was covered with about a dozen monsters, with more scratching and clawing out of the ground. And in the middle of monster mash pit was… I craned my neck, trying to get a better look without drawing attention our way. The dead hadn’t noticed the arrival of two witches, and it would be in our best interest to keep it that way, get the jump on them.
To my utter relief, it wasn’t Austin being cornered by the dead. It was Willow. Seriously.
There was no time to process the surreal fact that Amara put one of her own sorority sisters in danger. Then again, it shouldn’t have surprised me.
Right now, I had to fight, to put the skills Gavin had taught me to good use. I couldn’t allow Gavin to deal with the monsters himself. For a panicked moment, I realized I didn’t have a weapon, and then I remembered: I was a witch; magic was my sword.
Breathe…in…breathe…out.
The therapeutic exercise didn’t really help.
While I was having a semi-breakdown, Gavin jumped right in. When he fought using magic, it was as if he became a different person—a different version of himself. The one standing in front of me now was fierce and cold, a warrior. It was a calculated move, putting himself in the line of fire and giving me time to collect myself.
He conjured a bow, equipped with glowing green arrows. He extended the bow and launched an arrow straight for Willow. At the last second, the monster surged ahead in the direct path of the arrow. It sliced across its throat, spraying bits of flesh. The entire creature’s body shuddered, and then he just sort of stopped, his body exploding in darkmist that spread over the ground. The dust hadn’t even settled, and Gavin was locking and loading for round two.
A moan sounded from behind me. It was my time to shine. I whirled. Two monsters decided to join the massacre bash and another one was digging himself out of his grave. Lighting up my hands, I tossed an electric ball of power at the closest one. His black orbs glazed before he gave a feral howl and burst into mist. One down, and more than we could handle left.
These things had to die.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself and launched forward. My fist went through the air, packed with magic as the next one reached me. On contact, a wave of energy fizzled through my veins and the monster went kaboom.
It felt good.
Apparently, I could do this.
I arched back, giving my power time to rejuvenate before slamming my palm into the next creature’s nose. This was a female, except the bitch didn’t disintegrate. What the hell. The creature grabbed me, latching onto my arms, scratching me with its jagged, dirty claws. Panic set in.
I twisted, kicked, and bucked, basically anything I could think of to loosen this thing’s grasp. One of my blows landed in the creature’s stomach, propelling her backward. She went to the ground, but another one took her place. It would only be a minute before she was back on her feet and going for my throat.
Hands extended, the walking dead snarled and hissed inaudible noises that reminded me of tortured animals.
Like a puff of hot air, I blasted a sphere of magic, not wanting another up close and personal encounter. Not only did these things smell to high heaven, they were faster than they were previously. Then again, it was magic giving them life.
Taking a second to find Gavin, I was relieved to see he was up and fighting. He moved with fluid grace, bending out of the way when a creature lunged, only to circle around and blast them from behind.
He had made his way to Willow, and was trying to keep the monsters off of them both. But the moment they had a clear path, Willow took off, darting into the woods. And that left Gavin and I in the thick of it.
Typical. That’s the thanks we get for saving her life.
As soon as I made it out of here alive, I was going to march down to that stupid witchcraft sorority house and give Willow the tongue lashing of a lifetime. What a dick move, leaving us there.
But the battle raged on. The more we fought, the more excited they seemed to become. The faster my heart pounded, the faster they moved. It was an endless cycle.
But I had to survive.
I had to stop Amara, and there was only one way I knew how. All I had to do was make my way to her, and to do that, I needed to battle my way through the army of monsters she called upon.
“Why don’t you fight me yourself?” I yelled into the air. Instead she sent her bony and decayed goons.
Her response was the converging of four monsters.
I backed up, shooting a series of blasts—a glow here, a glow there. Grunts and moans came from all around me.
One of the monsters snuck up behind me and managed to shackle my ankle with his skeletal fingers. Unbelievable. His grip was so strong, I couldn’t break free, and he tugged me to the ground, but not before I blasted the last of the group with a beam of magic.
As soon as I hit the ground, I was kicking and twisting, doing whatever I could to free myself. But no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break away. It was just one monster, but it was as though he had the strength and weight of a thousand. I fought and fought and fought as the thing clawed at my face and ripped at my clothes. He barred his teeth, trying to take a chunk out of my neck.
I screamed.
An instant later, Gavin was behind the bastard. He reached around, flattening his palm over the monster’s heart. A green light erupted between them, so it intense it was blinding.
I blinked. Gavin was hovering over me, and we were both panting and sweating. “Stay quiet,” he whispered, carefully securing his hands under my upper arms and hauling me to my feet.
I glanced at him. It was not surprising that he fared far better than I had, with only a nick on his cheek and a bruise.
“Are you okay?” he asked. He was still holding me, making sure I wasn’t going to crumble back to the ground.
I nodded. “I’m fine.” A tremor moved down my spine. But I couldn’t say the same about Amara, when I got my paws on her. The longer I stood there leaning on Gavin, seeing the pain and destruction she caused, for no good reason, the more my blood boiled. “I’m going to kill her,” I rasped, eyes burning violet.
Gavin’s gaze narrowed. “I agree she needs to be stopped, but I don’t think we have to resort to murder.”
“You know what I mean. I’m not going to literally kill her.” It was a proclamation I meant to keep.
“Oh, good. Just so were clear.” Concern rightfully clouded his eyes. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
We starte
d at each other, the ground littered with the darkmist of the dead. What I was proposing wasn’t to be taken lightly. There would be consequences if I took Amara’s power—serious-no-take-back repercussions, but she had to be stopped. It became clear raising the dead wasn’t a one-time thing for Amara. I needed to make sure tonight was the last time, and I would deal with the fallout once I knew she was no longer a threat.
I looked him in the eyes. “Yeah. I have to.”
He might not like my choice, but he would support me. Always. “Well, let’s go get us a witch.”
I stepped back, more than ready to blow this dead zone. My fingers were intertwined with Gavin’s as I swung around, giving him a tug, but something stopped him, his body firm.
Bri!” Gavin screamed.
My head whipped around at the sound of the sheer panic in his voice. There was a flare of fireworks sparking in front of my eyes. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. Bright.
I blinked.
And before my brain could compute what was happening, blackness descended.
Chapter 10
I woke up tied to a chair, with music blaring in the background, no doubt to mask my screams. The bindings that held me weren’t chains or loops of rope, but the magical kind, paralyzing my hands behind the chair and bolting my feet to the floor. Icy fear trickled down my spine.
Is that Madonna?
The pop acoustics of Material Girl pumped through the room at volumes that I hadn’t attempted since I was thirteen.
Wow. Someone had a weird complex for Eighties music.
As my eyes adjusted to the candlelit room, I took stock of my surroundings, anything to keep my mind from panicking over the fact I was restrained. The first thing I noticed was that the room was windowless, with no natural light to tell me how long I’d been unconscious. There was a damp coolness to the air, like the room was a basement or partially underground.
I looked down at my feet, willing them to move. Nothing happened. Fear and frustration tore through me, and I shuddered. I looked for something I could use, anything to aid my escape, when I noticed something unusual.
Runes.
They were charred into the hardwood floors, symbols I didn’t recognize. I knew they were runes, but what kind. Protection? Traps? Summoning? My knowledge of runes and the ability of them were extremely lacking. I’d only just recently learned of the magical symbols—tools of the craft. There was so much to learn. Just when I thought I was wrapping my head around this witch stuff, I discovered I had barely broken the surface.
Red pillar candles flickered around the circle, with me tied in the center. At least I knew the properties of burning red candles. Danger. Channeling. Strength.
And then I saw it. Or him. A body lay just to the right of my eyesight within the circle from me, unmoving and pale as a ghost. I wasn’t all that shocked Amara had a dead dude in her house; it was the green misty glow surrounding his body from head to toe that gave me pause for concern. A spell. But what kind of spell?
If I had to guess…a preservation charm. A spell that preserved the body after someone had died and their soul had moved on.
My throat felt as if it was going to close up. The picture was suddenly becoming crystal clear in my head. Amara was channeling the power of her sorority sisters to try to bring someone back from the dead. All those zombies had been practice, but to restore more than a body, she would need an exuberant amount of power.
Oh God, please let me be wrong. If that was Amara’s end game, then I understood what she needed me for. She needed more power. And I had enough to blow the roof off this place.
Forget regulating my breathing. It was coming out in short, hard pants that I couldn’t seem to control. The scent of melting wax and expensive perfume filtered through the room, burning my nose.
“Good. You’re awake.”
My body locked up at the sound of the familiar voice. I tried to twist in the chair so I could see her with my own eyes, but the invisible knots on my hands and feet prevented it.
“How are you feeling?” Amara asked. She came into my eyesight, candlelight flickering shadows on the side of her face.
I blinked, focusing on the belittling curve on her lips. “I’d feel a whole lot better if I wasn’t tied to a seat.”
She crossed her arms and put a single finger to her lips. “It does seem a bit extreme, but in my defense, I did try to get you here without the theatrics. You didn’t make it easy.”
“Relentless,” I laughed, the freaked-out-scared-shitless-shrilly kind of laugh. “I guess you weren’t kidding.”
She blinked, and the look she gave me sent chills up my back. “I have plans for you, little witch. Big plans. You’re the last piece I need…what I’ve been waiting for. And to think when I’d lost all hope, you practically fell at my feet.”
“Plans? What plans?” My voiced was pitched high with fear.
“You’ll see,” she announced, a demented excitement in her voice. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. I’m not a serial killer or anything.”
Her words did nothing to ease the terror seizing me. “Good to know.”
She walked the rim of the circle. “The other girls will be here soon, and then before you know it, this will all be over. Nothing but a memory, and you can trot back home to your boyfriend.”
Gavin? Oh, my God. He’d been with me when I’d lost consciousness. “Where is he? What did you do with him?” I demanded, the fear I was feeling turned to anger, making my tone gravelly. If she’d hurt him…
Well, she didn’t want to find out what I would do to her if one hair were harmed on his body.
“Your boy toy is fine, at least he was when we left him comatose in the cemetery,” her green eyes focused on mine. “I’m sure my loyal minions are taking good care of him. His head might be throbbing, and he could be a little disoriented when he wakes up, but other than that, he’ll live.”
I fought against the bands of magic, but it was pointless. They didn’t give, and I hadn’t expected them too. “If you’re lying,” I seethed, nearly foaming at the mouth.
She lifted her chin. “Everything I’ve told you has been the truth.”
“But not the whole truth,” I interjected. “Whatever you’re planning to do, Amara, I won’t let you.”
She smiled in a not so friendly way. “You don’t have a choice.”
The hell I didn’t. There was always a choice. Amara had no idea who she was dealing with, or the kind of witch I was. These binds might physically hold me, but it wouldn’t contain my magic. She had another think coming if she thought I was going to stand by and be a puppet in her spell.
I let out a shaky breath. “I have more power than you know.”
She made a dismissive gesture, like I was nothing but an annoying fly buzzing in her ear. “That’s what I’m counting on. You’re not the only one who would do anything for someone you love. I understand the lengths you’re willing to go, to protect Gavin. More than you know.”
“I understand love, and how hard it must be losing someone you love. Who was it you lost?” I asked.
“No one that concerns you,” she barked. “That’s all you need to know.”
Holy crap. I knew in my gut, I was right. The pieces fell into place. She was going to try and bring someone back from the dead. One thing I learned was, just because magic could do all sorts of phenomenal things, doesn’t mean it was right. “I see a guy in my crystal ball,” I replied, part smartass, part investigator.
“Enough!” she snapped, clenching her fists. The candles in the room flickered before the flame shot up, quadrupling in size and washing the room in burning glow. Someone had an anger management problem. That I understood.
I flinched before the candles returned to normal soft light, darkening the room.
After a calming breath, her gaze jerked to the corner of the room. As far as I could tell, nothing was there, but when her eyes began to glimmer in the dark, I things were about to get real. “The moon is high and full. It’s
time,” she said, more to herself than me.
Time for what? It looked like I was about to find out.
She spun around, and footsteps sounded behind me. One by one, her fellow sorority sisters and witches came into the room, include Ophelia and Willow. If I wasn’t tied to this chair, I would have flown out of the seat, straight at Willow, for her part in this shenanigan. Sitting around the drawn circle, they joined hands, beginning and ending with Amara.
An electric shock trembled in the air as soon as the circle was complete. The room was swathed in a reddish light, and within seconds, the temperature in the room went to subzero. A chill radiated over my body. My blood pressure accelerated, and the tightening in my chest couldn’t be a good sign.
Power gripped me, and my head tipped back. Frustration bounced around inside my already tightened gut. I was unable to stop it. I pulled against my binds, to no avail. What a bunch of cuckoo witches, I added silently to myself.
Amara and her followers began the chant to what I recognized as a channeling spell. They were allowing Amara to borrow their gifts. Tonight was one of those times it sucked to be right. The other girls had power, but it was mediocre. Amara herself had more than the lot of them put together, but not as much as I had. I had given her a chance to be reasonable, and she was a fool if she thought her magic would hold me.
Forcing my body to relax, I took control of my gift, trying to calm the spark that begged to be unleashed. A boom of thunder crackled outside. “If you think using magic is the answer, than you’re a bigger fool than I took you for. All of you,” I ranted in a last desperate attempt make them see the mistake they were about to embark. “Dark magic comes with a price. It’s dangerous and destructive. Whoever you’re trying to bring back, this isn’t the way. It’s not natural. Not even magic can reverse death.”
“Thanks for the buzzkill,” Amara snarled. “Now keep quiet so I can concentrate. I wouldn’t want to screw up the spell and hurt someone.” Her insinuation was clear. If I didn’t cooperate, Gavin would pay the price. “I’m only going to borrow a bit of magic. No harm done. You’ll only be a bit tired. I’d prescribe lots of rest for the next few days.”