Witch's Blade

by Jenna Wolfhart

  “It’s coming from that way,” Dorian said as he twisted in his boots to turn back toward the way we’d come. Heavy footsteps pounded in the darkness while at least a dozen bodies rushed past where we stood. The mages barely took any notice of us, their faces too clouded with fear. My heart hammered hard as I spotted a young boy racing past, his hand tucked tight into his mother’s arms. He must have only been about six years old, and his airplane pajama pants were covered in dirt.

  A woman stopped to grab my arm. “Run! Red Alert!”

  And then she was off, pounding her bare feet against the cracked earth.

  “Red Alert?” I said, turning to Dorian when the rush of sun mages had disappeared from view. “Something tells me that’s not a good thing. It doesn’t mean rainbows and ponies. Do you think it’s because of us? Maybe we set off some kind of alarm or something.”

  “Doubtful,” Dorian said as he inched closer and closer toward the source of the screams. “Their faces held pure terror. You don’t look like that unless you saw something terrifying.”

  “Well, then what the hell could it be?” I asked as we reached the corner of the building.

  But Dorian didn’t have to answer my question. It became clear enough when the temperature of the desert compound dropped instantly by at least thirty degrees. Cold wind shuddered around us, whipping the strands of my hair against my face. My teeth began to chatter as my blood ran cold, both from the temperature and from the realization of what we faced.

  Three demons towered before us, their massive black wings creating a dust storm of orange sand. And the sun mages were trapped. About a dozen cowered against a toppled building, their backs pressed against the broken wood. They huddled together while the creatures surrounded them. Screams split the air as a demon rushed in close, his mouth open wide to consume each and every one of their souls.

  Another mage hobbled past us with tears streaming from his eyes. His face was weathered and cracked, just like the dirt beneath our feet.

  “I’m not good at fighting,” he said in a wobbly voice as he continued to move past it. “I’ll go and alert the Elders. You young people stay and fight. We just weren’t prepared for this, were we? That siege wall is supposed to keep the demons out. I thought that meant it was down, but the damn thing is still there.”

  Dread pooled in my stomach as I watched the man hobble to safety. Twisting to Dorian, I read the same pain on his face that I felt in my heart. “Is this our fault? For getting the wall taken down, even if for a minute?”

  Dorian closed his eyes and tightened his grip on his dagger. “You heard the man. The only way they could have gotten in was if the wall was down. So yes, Zoe. I think it is our fault. We let those demons in, and now we have to make sure we get them out.”

  Dorian moved in the blink of an eye, and suddenly, he stood before the closest demon. He crouched before the creature, his blade held high in the air. Alarm jolted through me, memories threatening to overtake my mind. I’d seen him do this once before, and things didn’t go so well that time. Dorian was the best damn fighter I’d ever met, but his physical strength meant nothing to a demon.

  And neither did mine.

  With a whisper underneath my breath, I curled my fingers into a fist. I kept my hand behind my back to shield the swirling smoke that surrounded my arm. Right now probably wasn’t the best time to reveal to the world what I was, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t use my magic to banish these demons to their graves.

  Unlike other mages, I could harness the core of my power without using my blade or a rune. All I had to do was call upon the magic and know what I wanted it to do. Several times now, my shadows had helped me fight against the demons. There was something in the raw power that was able to take them down.

  Dorian slashed his dagger at the demon while I crouched and threw my power at the creature. The combined force caused it to cower back, just long enough for several of the huddled mages to escape down the pathway.

  But not everyone was able to flee. The demon twisted just in time to snatch a mage from the ground and toss him in the air. I watched in horror as his body fell to the earth. It landed with a loud crack, and the sound of his breaking bones echoed against the steel buildings. The demon tipped back its head and roared. Goosebumps stampeded my arms, and I rushed toward the fallen body. The warlock’s vacant eyes stared up at me, and a stream of blood spilled onto his chin from his open mouth.

  Demons didn’t usually murder like this. They cornered their prey and sucked a victim’s body dry of his soul. By killing the mage like this, the demon wouldn’t be able to feed on his life-force, a pointless, murderous death that gave the creature absolutely nothing of value. Which could only mean one thing.

  “These are Wagner’s demons,” I called out across the clearing to Dorian. “He’s controlling them, which means he must be somewhere close.”

  An alarm split through the night, causing the demons to rise up from the ground with their voices shrieking in rage. Frowning, I watched them, the way their monstrous hands covered what looked like ears. They didn’t like that noise. Something about it caused them pain. It might just be enough to give me a chance against them, to banish them back to their realm before anyone else got killed.

  “They’re distracted by the alarm. We need to get these mages to safety,” Dorian called back.

  One of the mages grabbed my arm, a wild look in her eyes. “That’s the Red Alert alarm. Come on, we need to go.”

  “What’s a Red Alert?” I asked. “I don’t know what it means.”

  “It means we need to get inside those buildings over there. When that alarm sounds, it means the shields go up. The safe houses get specifically warded against demon attacks at times like these.”

  “Then, we need to get you inside those buildings before the demons get over the sound of this alarm,” Dorian said as he motioned for me to gather the remaining few mages from where they were curled up against the broken pile of wood.

  Quickly, I pulled them from the rubble and reminded them what the Red Alert meant. Their bodies trembled as they stumbled through the swirling dust and sand, shaking hands blocking their eyes. As Dorian and I turned our feet toward the passageway to follow, the demons roared from behind us.

  Everyone stopped short and froze. The air was so thick with fear that I could taste it myself.

  “Go,” I whispered to the terror-filled group. “Dorian and I will hold them off. Just get inside. Now.”

  The mages scrambled down the road as I turned to face the demons, Dorian by my side. I licked my lips, steadying myself for the fight. Their bodies were shifting shadows with cords of black winding around vague wing-like shapes. These demons were not yet corporeal, which was a good sign, at least. Wagner had been in prison when the Blood Hunter Coven had cracked that particular supernatural code, and while I had no doubt he’d crack it, too, I was relieved to see we weren’t there yet.

  Still. Three demons, all of which were being controlled by a murderous mage? This fight wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

  “You hold them off,” I said to Dorian. “I’ll throw as much shadow magic at them as I can.”

  Once again, I called upon my magic as Dorian whirled through the clearing with his dagger. He sliced through the corporeal skin, but the damage he caused was minimal. But that didn’t matter. It kept their attention focused on him, and while I was scared as hell they’d just reach out and snap his neck, I channeled that fear into my power.

  Dark strands streamed from my hands, and I threw a dark hot ball of shadows at the nearest demon’s gut. It hit the creature hard, smashing like a ball of sharp glass. As its bones began to shatter, it dipped back its head and cried out, a noise that split my ears. The two demons rushed to its side as its body continued to crumble, breaking off into rock-sized chunks until there was nothing left but a pile of ash.

  My lungs heaved as I summoned the next ball of sharp and painful shadows. The last spell had left me a little bit shaky, an
d a hell of a lot tired, but I couldn’t stop now. Only one demon down. Two were left. Regardless of the toll the darkness was taking on my body, I had to summon the strength to keep going until every last one of them was destroyed.

  Dorian was by my side in an instant, his body blocking mine from the demons. “You okay? I can feel pain through our bond.”

  “I’m fine. That spell just took a lot out of me. Nothing to worry about.” Nodding my head, I gritted my teeth. The power sparked to life once again, building into a roaring fire of darkness. I focused my energy on the two demons before us. They were rushing in our direction, their mouths open wide and their claws curled into frightening points. Heart hammering hard, I punched both fists in the air, each arm aimed in a demon’s direction.

  My knees cracked underneath me, and the world began to spin. Somewhere nearby, I could hear the sound of a million screams. Was that the demons? Or had they attacked someone else? Or worse, could even more have arrived?

  I twisted my head to the side, but a sharp pain exploded behind my eyes.

  “Stop moving.” Dorian’s strong arms wrapped around my body, and suddenly I was lifted into the air. “It’ll be okay. Just stay still.”

  His feet pounded on the ground, and the movement rocked my body back and forth against his hard chest. Moaning, I closed my eyes. Everything hurt. Everything looked and sounded like I’d fallen into a hole in the ground. If I didn’t keep a grasp on Dorian and keep my mind in the present, I might never climb out.

  “Get into one of the safe houses!” I heard a voice call out from far, far away.

  Dorian’s feet hit wood, a door creaked open, and then darkness was replaced by blinding light. He lowered me onto something soft and pressed his wrist to my mouth. It was slick, warm, and wet. The taste of sweet iron made my head spin even more, though the dark clouds fled from my vision.

  Strength began returning to my limbs. I reached out and grabbed his wrist, pressing it harder against my lips, drinking his delicious blood.

  Chapter 24

  My cheeks flamed when Dorian finally pulled his wrist away from my tight grip, but the amused twist of his lips showed that he didn’t truly mind. I’d been practically devouring him, but not a single part of him wanted to push me away.

  “Feeling better?” He raised his eyebrows when I jumped up from the sofa. I paced over to the tiny window that looked out onto a street that still blared with that impossibly loud alarm, searching for demons. No more stalked the streets. Yet.

  “What can I say?” I shrugged. “Fighting demons makes me a little thirsty.”

  “Speaking of,” he said, watching me carefully. “What was that spell? It packed quite the punch, though maybe too much of one from how your body reacted.”

  Frowning, I tried to put my magic to words, which was difficult since I was still learning about it myself. “It wasn’t a spell. It was just…my raw power. As much of it as I could muster. Turns out I’m not quite ready to use it like that, but there wasn’t another option at the time.”

  “Well, it worked. Those last two went out like the first,” Dorian said with an appreciative nod. “That said, maybe don’t harness all your power next time.”

  “The result wasn’t so bad, was it,” I asked, lifting an eyebrow in his direction. “Took out the demons. Got carried in a hunky warlock’s arms. Had a taste of vampire blood.”

  “Zoe,” Dorian said with a frown. “As much as I enjoy it, I can’t give you my blood every day. Just because I’m incapable of turning you doesn’t mean there aren’t long-lasting effects of daily feedings.”

  “What are they?” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall, still feeling a tad dizzy from the residual magic.

  “What are what?”

  “The long-term consequences.”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never been in this situation before.”

  Outside, the alarm suddenly cut off. The silence that followed was deafening. Turning back toward the window, I scanned the road for any sign of movement. None followed. Even though the Red Alert might be over, people were clearly still scared out of their minds. They probably wouldn’t leave the safe houses until morning. Not that I could blame them.

  “Sounds like the coast is clear.” Dorian crossed the room and stared hard at the sky. The flashing lights were gone, and nothing but a deep dark permeated the streets. “Now might be a good time to go find the council. At least we know they’ll be awake after that.”

  “Attention,” a voice crackled through static. Whirling, I turned toward the ceiling to find an intercom mounted in the corner. “Earlier, we had a Red Alert due to a demon attack in the southwest corner of our compound. According to reports, two of you were able to banish them from our home, which means our Red has been downgraded to an Orange. Because it is night, a curfew is now in effect until sunrise. All safe houses have been warded. No one comes out and no one goes in. This is just a precaution in case the demons return, but we have no reason to believe they will. We will be available to speak to anyone with concerns first thing in the morning. Good night and bright hope to you all.”

  The voice cut off, and the prickle on the back of my neck went up. “Might have to push pause on that pow wow with the council. Sounds like we’re locked inside until morning.”

  “This is unacceptable. They can’t just lock their own members in houses all night.” Frowning, Dorian pushed against the door, but it didn’t budge for him either. He wiggled the doorknob, but it stayed glued to the spot, as if something had frozen the entire door in place.

  “They’re just trying to keep everyone safe. Don’t suppose you know any counter-spells for this kind of thing?” I asked as I plopped onto the floor and leaned against the wall. “Because otherwise, we’re going to be stuck in here until daybreak.”

  “Fuck!” Dorian pushed against the door, grunting as he threw every ounce of his power and muscle at the wood. After several moments of this, he threw up his hands and began pacing across the hardwood floor. “We don’t have time for this. By the time daybreak hits, we’ll only have twelve hours left.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think we have any other choice.”

  With a low growl, he knelt beside me and took my hand in his. His eyes were aflame, and the intensity of his emotions poured through me. “Let me have some blood. With the added strength, maybe I can get us out of here.”

  A thrill went through me, even though I knew I shouldn’t feel that way. It wasn’t a request. It was a demand. And for once, there wasn’t anything more to it than the pure desire for the bright led liquid running through my veins. I could see it in his eyes. And I also knew he didn’t really mean it. Dorian Kostas would never demand blood from me. It just wasn’t the kind of man he was.

  Swallowing hard, I pulled back my hand. “As much as I want your mouth on my neck, that won’t help. The thing trapping us in here is a spell, Dorian. The biggest force in the world wouldn’t knock that down. Magic counters magic. Not sheer force.”

  For a moment, I thought he might argue with me, but then he fell silent instead. Shaking his head, he let out a harsh breath, his eyes going hard as his clenched hands dropped to the floor. “See, this is what I was worried about, Zoe. The bloodlust. It’s filling up my veins and screwing with my head. When I start craving you, it’s all I can think about. Your sweet skin. Your delicious blood. The way your lips part when you gasp. I’m coming up with a million different reasons why I should get more of you, but none of them are the real reason why. And it’s not to get us out of here. It’s not to help anyone. It’s because I love the way you taste.”

  My voice was barely audible when I replied, my mind swimming with his words. “And you can have me, Dorian. Anytime and anyplace that you want. Just as long as it’s me you want, and not just my blood.”

  His hand snaked around the back of my head as his fingers slid into my hair. “Of course it’s you I want, but I can’t help but think about your blood, too. It does some
thing to me, Zoe. Something I’ve never felt before. It makes me feel…I don’t know…like there’s a cord that runs between your soul and mine.”

  My breath stilled in my lungs as I searched his dark eyes. “I feel the same. Sometimes, I swear we feel linked by something I can’t see.”

  “You shouldn’t be able to feel that,” he said quietly. “Only the truly bonded can experience that close of a connection. And we never completed the ritual for that.”

  My heart thumped hard. “There’s a ritual?”

  “Oh yes,” he said with a smile. “But it involves fewer clothes than what we’re wearing. And I think we’re both very aware that our relationship has never gone that far.”

  “Then, what are you waiting for?” I whispered.

  Dorian pulled me close and kissed me hard.

  A heavy dose of magic poured between us. I knew nothing else in the world but his soul. He filled every inch of me completely, until I felt less like a person and more like half of an impossibly perfect unit. We were one, wholly and completely, and I never wanted anything other than this. It was suddenly impossible to remember what it had been to be just Zoe.

  “Do you feel that?” he asked, murmuring into my ear and sending a fresh new wave of sparks through my body. “It’s your soul reaching out to mine. I can feel you inside of me, Zoe, just as you can fill me inside of you.”

  Shivering, I dropped back my head to meet his eyes. “What does that mean?”

  “It means we belong to each other,” he said with a smile. “And that we’ll always belong together.”

  Happiness crashed through me, but it was quickly dimmed by a little seedling of doubt, one that had only sprouted over the past few days. In some other universe, a vampire’s bond did mean forever. But only with another vampire. Dorian and I didn’t have that long to be each other’s bonded mate. He would live for years and years while I had only a human’s lifespan. How long would he want to stick by my side, never ageing, while my hair turned gray and as my skin began to sag?