The Witch, The Wolf and The Vampire Series Boxed Set

by A. K. Michaels

  “Okay, though, I still feel a bit off about doing it this way. But, if this is what she needs, then so be it. If I see her in danger, though, I will step in,” Donovan all but growled.

  “You won’t have to, if it comes to it, Josef will take over. We both know how powerful he is. He won’t let anything happen to her. I’m counting on it.” Gabe knew it was the truth, but he still worried for their little mate.

  “Okay, we’re nearly there, my men are in place,” Donovan said, as he let his fangs descend in preparation for a fight.

  “I’m going Wolf,” Gabe said, a minute before his large beast appeared and plodded on with the Vampire, both intent on keeping Peri safe.

  *****

  “They are near, I feel them,” Josef whispered.

  She tensed. Nearly here, nearly time to face her past, her fears, and her nightmares. She breathed deeply and started to harness the great power inside her. Standing strong, legs slightly apart, her arms at her side, palms forward, waiting.

  “I can feel him,” she all but whimpered. Her fear of this man had haunted her entire life, and she was feeling that fear again.

  “You are stronger than him, Peri, harness that strength. Think about Daiki, get angry, and use that to push your fear away,” Josef said quietly, and he felt her try to do as he asked.

  ‘I am strong, I am strong,’ she started to chant inside her head and felt a hand taking one of hers, Josef holding it and squeezing it tightly. She could feel the power in her Vampire, he was also pulling power inside him, she could feel him getting stronger and stronger. Bloody hell, he was far stronger than she had ever imagined. That thought centered her and a calmness came over her body.

  Her mind cleared, and she no longer felt the fear almost crippling her. She could do this.

  As that thought filled her mind, she saw a small group of men come into her field of vision, right in front of her. She didn’t think they had seen Peri and Josef yet, and realized it was her enhanced vision that allowed her to see them.

  There, right in front, there ‘he’ was. Walking as if he owned the entire fucking world, and she actually saw the sick smile that was on his face. Anger came bubbling up to the surface in her, she wanted to wipe that smile right off his face.

  As they walked on, the men grew closer, but it wasn’t until there was very little distance between them in the pitch darkness that she saw them falter and stop. They now saw her with Josef at her side and Finbar and Liam behind them.

  “Ah, there she is. Thought you could run forever, Persephone? How stupid, how ignorant, how utterly pointless. Surely you knew I would find you daughter, surely you knew I would destroy you?” He said this in a mocking tone, his use of the word daughter sounding like an insult, his voice full of hatred and disdain, a tone that annoyed Peri to no end.

  “Yes, I’m here, but I knew you were coming, I’ve been waiting on you.” Her voice was strong, as she spoke, and she saw him raise an eyebrow.

  “You think you can take me, Persephone? Really? How delusional,” he spat out.

  His voice had a shiver run down her back, she could hear and feel the evil inside this man. Her thoughts turned to her old friend, Daiki, “Why did you have to torture Daiki?” she asked, wanting to know, but not thinking he would tell her.

  Laughter sounded in the night before he stopped to answer. “Why not? He wouldn’t tell me what I wanted to know, so he paid the price. As does anyone that crosses me, Persephone, you should know that. I have to say, the old man was much stronger than he looked, it took a while for him to die.”

  Peri’s heart tightened, hurt at the pain her friend had suffered because of her. Josef whispered softly, “Not your fault, his, his fault, Peri.”

  Her Vampire was right, her father was the one to blame for Daiki, not her. She pulled even more power inside her, filling her up, so full, fuller than she had ever been before.

  “So, want to try? Try and kill me? Come on, you know you want to. That’s why you came in the dead of night, after all,” she spat out at him.

  A wicked smile crept onto his features, one she knew well, it was the same smile he would have on his face, as he sliced open her back with a wickedly sharp knife.

  So the battle began.

  With absolutely no warning, a ball of white energy was thrown directly at Peri. She deflected it easily, the ball crashing to the ground with a roar and a large puff of smoke.

  She looked at her father and the look of shock on his face gave her great satisfaction. “I’m not that weak little girl anymore,” she said with the hint of a smile.

  He didn’t take this well, she could clearly see his anger rising, could see him drawing more power to him.

  She could draw no more inside of her, she was completely and utterly full, she could only let it out.

  All hell broke loose in that millisecond, his men spreading out and trying to send spells in the direction of her Vampire and the two that stood at their backs. Their power was pitiful and she got a small glimpse of Josef’s own strength.

  With barely a flick of his wrist, two men went high up into the air and were thrown backwards, with speed and ferocity. The sound they made on landing had her thinking they wouldn’t get up again, ever.

  The next thing she saw was a fast flash of fur and her Wolf had taken down one more. Then Donovan came into view, together with his men, who appeared as if from nowhere. She had no idea where they had been hiding, and she watched as the last three men started to wield their limited magic.

  She saw Donovan stopped dead in his tracks, fighting against an invisible power, as one of the men held his hands out in front of him. The other at his side threw a ball of energy at two of Donovan’s guards and they were thrown back, only a few feet, though, and they were back up and moving quickly towards the men again.

  Donovan managed to move a step closer, concentration on his face, as he fought against the invisible shield holding him back. Balls of energy now flew from the hands of the other man, one after the other, in his desperation to hold the Vampires at bay.

  One of the balls hit Donovan square in the chest and he was thrown back with force as smoke rose from his clothes, the stench of burning flesh now ripe in the air. The guard roared, whether in pain or anger she wasn’t sure, before getting to his feet and moving forward again.

  She saw Sam and Guntar move in from the sides. Her father laughed, spoke quickly and moved his hands out in their direction. Guntar fell to the ground screaming in pain and Sam took one more step before stopping, a look of shock on his face. He roared loudly and then it turned into a bloodcurdling scream, as smoke came from his throat. She couldn’t tear her eyes away, as flames came next – from his throat, his eyes, his hair – until his entire body burst into flames and he fell dead on the ground, the flames now lighting up the area around him. Once more the stench hit her nostrils, and she fought her gag reflex, trying desperately not to throw up.

  A flash of fur, a loud growl, and her Wolf leaped high into the air and crashed into one of the men, his great jaws wide, as he tore into the man’s body. Nightmarish screams were cut off quickly, as the Wolf’s jaws snapped shut. His attack had scared the other two men, who looked at the bloodied body on the ground, their attention on the Wolf breaking the shield. Donovan began lurching forward and grabbed one while the Wolf took the other, both men dead so quickly, it was as if it was done in the blink of an eye.

  That left only her father, standing on his own amidst the dead bodies of the men he had brought with him. Sam’s body was still burning, while Guntar lay quite a way back...unmoving. Her father’s face was a mask of hatred, as he looked around him before bringing his eyes back to bear on hers.

  “I see you’ve got some new friends, but they won’t be enough,” he said, as his hands flew about so fast that she couldn’t make them out.

  She felt the power from his magic flow out of him and encompass the area, in larger and large
r circles it flowed, with him at the center. Donovan was the first that it took, the large guard falling like a stone to the ground with shock on his face. She saw her Wolf run and was grateful that he had escaped what had befallen Donovan. Off to the side she heard a grunt then the body of someone falling hard, looking around and finding Fitz now immobile also.

  Fear grew in her belly. He was using some kind of magic that was targeting the Vampires.

  “Harness,” Josef said, and she tried to concentrate on what she wanted to do.

  That was when she hit a problem...she didn’t know what she wanted to do. She knew she wanted to destroy this maniac, but she hadn’t actually thought about how she wanted to do that, at the moment, her mind was all over the place. Throw him around, squash him with her power, so he literally was squished with his insides popping out, invade his body with her power, so that he exploded from the inside out? She had to think and then act, she just had to decide what she wanted to do.

  Her Vampire could feel and hear her indecision. “If you do not act, then I will, I will not give him the chance to hurt you or Gabe.” He spoke urgently, the Wolf was the most vulnerable amongst those present, and he would not allow that man to hurt him. Although the Vampires in front were on the ground, he didn’t sense that they were dead, only immobilized in some manner, apart from Sam, who was now only a pile of ashes and lingering flames.

  “Absolutely futile, surrounding yourself with these bloodsuckers! See how easily I have dealt with them. You are next!” her father shouted, pointing to Josef and the men at her back.

  He hadn’t finished shouting, when she felt it, the magic coming ever closer...it took her breath away...the power so great, she feared for everyone now. Herself included.

  Josef took a step forward, ready to dole out some of his own power, when the magic hit, and the power was like none he had encountered before. He knew what it was though – Dark Magic – the most powerful and ancient of all. His power leached from his body as his legs shook, trying to keep him upright. Terror was in his heart, as he realized he could not protect his mate.

  She was not only on her own...their lives were now in her hands.

  He heard Finbar’s body connect with the ground at the same time as Liam’s, which surprised him. His eyes sought Peri. She was standing erect, her hair was flying out behind her, as her power battled that which tried to weaken her.

  “No,” she whispered, as she fought the magic that swirled all around her, trying to break through her own.

  She glanced at Josef and saw that although he was not on the ground like everyone else, his face showed his own power was impotent against this strange magic, now encompassing them. Fear took over, as she knew she had to save not only herself but everyone else – her mates included.

  “You can do this,” Josef whispered, as he fought to stay on his feet.

  She really wondered if she could.

  Her eyes sought, and found, her Wolf, standing way out at the edge of her vision, growling down deep in his throat, but having the sense to stay clear of the magic that had attacked everyone else. She realized her mistake a second too late.

  Her father followed her eyes and spied the Wolf, a sick smile coming onto his face. His hands flew out towards the animal, which roared in pain and went flying through the air, to land heavily many feet away. The whine the animal made tore at her heart and her anger was immediate.

  “Noooo!” Peri screamed, as she moved forward, towards her Wolf.

  Her mind didn’t think, only reacted, and she threw her hands upwards, then down in his direction. Her harnessed power erupted from her body like a tsunami and with that power she brought a very large bolt of lightning, which struck her father, throwing him backwards. A nightmarish scream tore from his throat before silence came over the area.

  She watched as his body finally came to rest on the ground, his hair on fire, his face blackened and burned, his skin pulled tight in a dark death mask.

  Then a sound reached her, whining, Gabe! She ran forward, her feet flying over the ground at a speed she had never used before, and fell down onto her knees beside her Wolf, tears streaming down her face.

  “Gabe! Oh my God, help him, someone help him!” she screamed loudly, feeling as if her heart was being ripped from her chest, as she looked at her Wolf lying limply on the ground.

  Josef was on his knees next to her, and he could see his friend was hurt pretty bad. Christ, he hoped he survived. The thought of the cheeky Wolf not being at his side had his heart hitching in an emotion he had rarely felt in his life before this night...fear.

  Liam made his way over, stumbling as he regained some of his strength, and placed a hand on Josef’s shoulder. “She can help him, if you can get her to calm down, her power can heal him.”

  Josef frowned, Peri? Heal Gabe? He bloody hoped so.

  “Peri, you need to calm down, please, can you do that for me?” he asked her gently, placing a hand on top of one of hers, the one that was gently rubbing the fur on their Wolf.

  “What? No, we need to help him, Josef!” she screamed, her breathing coming in stuttering gasps.

  “Listen to me! My mate, you have to listen to me! You can help him, you can help Gabe, but you have to calm down and let Liam help you.” Josef’s tone was a little harder now, trying to get through his little Witch’s panic.

  Her eyes found his, and he saw the panic clearly, saw her try to fight it, saw her finally regain a little control.

  “How? How can I help him. Anything! I’ll do anything, tell me what to do, and I’ll do it,” she answered breathlessly, looking up at Liam.

  “Peri, I’m going to harness a healing spell, but Gabe needs a lot of healing, my power alone won’t help him enough. I will do the spell, but I need to tap into your power. Will you allow me to do that?” Liam asked, knowing that most Witches would not let another use their power.

  “Of course! Please, tell me what to do!” She exclaimed, desperate to help the wounded Wolf.

  Liam moved to her side and knelt down, holding a hand out towards her, she took it and hung on for dear life. “Okay, I’ll start the spell, you’ll feel a pull on your power, as I tap into it, you have to let it go, you have to give me the power. I can’t take it, you have to give it, freely,” he explained, and she nodded her head.

  “Anything, please Liam, help him.” Her voice was barely a whisper now, tears freely running down her face.

  “Okay, here we go,” Liam said, and they watched, as he went to work, murmuring a spell, placing his other hand on the thick fur of the prone Wolf.

  A sob tore from her throat, as she noticed the Wolf was no longer conscious. Fear tore at her stomach, and she felt her Vampire move closer, an arm around her shoulders, holding her firmly, as Liam continued to work.

  Then she felt it, what she assumed was Liam’s magic pulling on her power, her instinct to resist. Fighting that instinct, she relaxed and let her power flow along the invisible magical tether, out of her and into Liam. He took a lot, a lot more than she thought he was going to, she was getting drained, and she was glad Josef had his arm around her. Otherwise, she would have fallen over. Weak as a kitten, that’s how she felt, as she finally saw the power move down Liam’s arm and enter the large beast in front of them.

  Her eyes went wide, as she saw the spell go to work, the fur of the beast ruffling from the huge head all the way along the body, even going so far as the end of his very large, bushy tail. Then the legs twitched and the body moved, large sentient eyes opening and locking on hers.

  The relief that invaded her being was so immense that she felt as if she was near fainting. As that thought entered her mind, she realized that she may just do that. Her body drained, her muscles spasmed, as she lost sight of the Wolf’s eyes and blackness took her.

  Josef caught her in his arms, as the Wolf snarled and changed, the sound of bones cracking and realigning loud in the silence around them. Gab
e came to a sitting position, his arms held out to his mate.

  “Is she okay?!” he asked, with fear prevalent in his entire body.

  “She will be. I had to use most of her power to heal you. You were near death,” Liam said quietly, awe in his voice at the amount of power he had drained from the little Witch.

  Josef stood up in one fluid movement, still holding her body, as he moved. Cradling her gently, he started to move to the house, Gabe stark naked at his side.

  “Check your men and let me know if you need my help with them,” he threw over his shoulder at Donovan.

  “They’ll be fine, after a few hours healing. I’ve got plenty of blood for us all. Sam is gone, though,” the large Vampire replied, his eyes on the little Witch in his boss’s arms.

  “Can you please deal with this...mess...I don’t want Peri to see it.”

  Donovan only said a quick “Sure,” as he continued to watch the girl disappear into the house.

  Josef moved a little quicker, wanting to get his mate into a nice, soft, comfortable bed. He was hampered by Margaret.

  “Oh Dear Lord, is she alright? What can I do to help?” The woman was in front of him, and he scowled at her, wanting her to move out of his way.

  “She will be fine, when she has rested. Please move.” Josef had to restrain himself from snarling at Margaret, who only nodded and moved to the side, letting him pass.

  He heard her talking to Finbar, as he moved up the stairs, “Will she be okay? Really?” Her voice was laced with concern, and he felt guilty at the tone he had used.

  Finbar’s gruff voice answered his mate, “If Josef says she’ll be fine, then she will be. Come ma mate, we can go back to our own bed, little lady, after we have a quick look at the horses.”

  Josef’s hearing picked up the retreating footsteps, as his manager took his mate and left the house.

  Gabe moved ahead, getting the bed ready for him, so that when he got there, the cover was drawn back, and he gently placed their mate into the middle of it. Josef stood up, staring down at her face, she was so beautiful and she was theirs.