by Maggie Walsh
Nic sighed heavily and then said, “Fine. Let’s get this over with. What do I have to do?”
“Just come and sit here, Nicco,” cute little Kia answered softly as he pointed to the sofa.
Damn Cass was a lucky man. Fate had smiled down on him and had given him two of the most beautiful and kind mates ever created. He had been so happy for his friend, his brother, when Cass finally found them, especially when he found out that Cass had actually, willingly, given up his mates after that whole Halloween debacle, if fate would save all the other matings. It seemed as though Cass’s selfless act had Aurora showering him with a special treasure. His mates.
Fate could be so wonderful. Aurora had given each of his friends their perfect mates, and they were all so happy and in love. Gods he wanted that too. Nicco made his way to the couch and sat, and then Kia sat on the table before him and their gazes met.
“Okay, Nic, now just close your eyes and think of nothing but Melinda,” Kia instructed, and Nicco did as he said.
He felt a presence trying to invade his mind, and his vampire powers kicked in and pushed back. His eyes popped open when he heard Kia hiss in pain. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. I was entering your memories and then suddenly something threw me out,” Kia said as Cass and Shay helped him back to his feet. Kia had obviously been thrown backward by the force of it and landed on his back on the other side of the table.
“Are you sure you still want to try this, sweet pea? I don’t want you getting hurt,” Cass said in concern, still holding Kia’s hand.
Kia smiled at Cass as he looked up at him. “Yes, mate. I want to help Nicco, but I’m afraid his vampire won’t let me,” Kia replied and looked back to him.
“What do you mean, Kia?” Vik asked.
“Vampires are the hardest to gain entry into their minds, especially those of you who have mind control powers like you, Dante, and Nicco. Your vampire fights back. Which is probably why vampires won’t even try to use it on one another.”
“Shit, so now what?” Zane asked.
A smile grew on Viktor’s face. “Now we call in reinforcements,” he stated and pulled his cell from his pocket and swiped his finger across the screen. After tapping it a few times, he held it to his ear. “Hey, Shelby, it’s Viktor. Do you have time right now to come over to the coven house? We could use your help with Nic. Okay, see you soon.” As soon as Vik clicked off, Shelby appeared beside him.
“Okay, so what do you need?” Shelby asked.
“Kia is trying to get into Nicco’s memories from the time Melinda placed the spell on him, so that we can find out what spell she used, but his vampire won’t let Kia in. So seeing as you are the only person I know who was able to penetrate Nic’s head…”
Shelby’s eyes widened. “I got it. Like when I came to him when I was being held by my asshole father.”
“Exactly,” Vik replied.
“Of course I’ll help. Anything for you, Nic.” He gave his friend a smile. Shelby really was one of the good ones.
“What do you need me to do, Kia?”
“Just come sit beside me and get inside Nicco’s head. Once you do, I’ll piggyback in.”
“Sounds kind of kinky. Okay, let’s do this,” Shelby said and sat on the table across from him with Kia beside him.
Nicco stared into Shelby’s eyes, and suddenly he felt someone else inside him. He could feel Shelby’s aura, or consciousness, or whatever it was called. Shelby grabbed Kia’s hand, and Nicco felt another presence, but his mind pushed back again. Shay moved to stand behind the pair and laid a hand on each of their shoulders, then closed his eyes.
Suddenly Nicco felt himself falling, and he was not alone―there were three others with him. Memories assaulted him as they flew by at top speed, and Nicco thought he was going to throw up. Then he heard Kia’s voice tell him to think of Melinda.
The images slowed, then stopped, and he found himself lying in bed looking like he was about to die. His cheeks were hollow, eyes sunken, and skin grey and ashy. He remembered that day. He hadn’t fed in over four weeks and could hardly move a finger. Melinda came to try to convince him to allow her to do the spell, but he refused.
The image shifted and brought him to another. The body on the bed that was him was even worse off than before, and he really did look like death was about to claim him. Melinda sat there pleading with him.
“For now, Nicco. Just to save you, please. Thad is your mate. He won’t stay away forever. Someday he is going to come back to you and be ready to be claimed. You need to stay alive until then.”
“He doesn’t want me, Mel,” past Nicco whispered, his voice sounding dry and like sandpaper.
“I don’t believe that. I have seen you together, and I know how much he loves you. I could see it in his eyes, as well as yours. What he wants is just a little detour in life, that’s all, but he will come back to you some day, Nic. Please be here when the time comes. You’ll live with deep regret in the afterlife if you don’t.”
“So what can I do, Mel? I can’t live without him, but I can’t hold him back. I need to let him go and live a life. He’s never had one before now.”
“He has had a life, Nicco. He’s found one here with you, but you’re right and so is he. He needs to go out there in the world and see it for himself before he settles down. Give him the time he needs, and he will come back to you. You know how the mate bond works. You can run from it, and you can hide, but it is always there. Always working on a way to bring the two pieces back together again. One soul split in two with only the purpose of finding the other half again. It doesn’t matter what life throws at you, or him―the bond will bring you together again. Your souls call out to one another. I can help you, Nic. There is a spell I know that can take away your pain. Make it easier for you to go on with your life while he is away from you. But I must warn you―everything in your life will go back to normal, but when or if you think of Thaddeus, or someone speaks of him, your heart will close against the pain.”
“So then how will I accept him again when he returns to me?”
Melinda reached into her pocket and pulled out a yellow crystal and held it up for Nic to see. “The spell will take that piece of your soul that is owned by Thaddeus, and I will place it in here for safekeeping. You must keep this safe though, Nicco. This will hold the piece of your soul that I have closed off to the pain of Thaddeus. Without this, the spell cannot be reversed. So are you game? Please say yes, Nic, so that we may save you,” Melinda begged.
“It seems so extreme. I don’t know if I can do it, Mel. Rip out a piece of my soul?”
“If you don’t, then you will die, Nicco, and then where will Thaddeus be? You are loved by many, my friend. Dante, Viktor, Sky. Then there is Alpha Angel, Raith, and all his men, as well as all the members of your coven. What will they have to endure from your death? With this, everything can go back the way it is supposed to be and allow Thad the time he needs and deserves, but will bring you back together when he returns.” Nicco lay there quietly, thinking about everything Melinda said.
“So she took out a piece of your soul? Damn that’s harsh,” Shelby whispered as they all stood in the corner watching.
“Yes, but she did it to save them and their love. She was truly helping her friend. There was nothing evil about it,” Shay argued.
“I didn’t say she was evil. I just said that it was harsh. And at least even in this dream state I can see her aura, and I can see that she is a good person. Otherwise I might be standing here trying to find a way to rip her heart out for hurting him,” Shelby said fiercely.
Nicco turned and looked at his friend, giving Shelby a small smile. “Thank you, brother.”
“You mean a lot to me, Nic, and you must know I would do anything for you by now.”
Nic grabbed Shelby’s hand and squeezed it. “I do, and thank you.”
“Okay, Mel. If this will help me go on without my Thaddeus, but will bring us together again when he
returns, then let’s do this,” past Nicco said.
Melinda stood and grabbed her satchel that sat on the floor at her feet. As she moved around the room, she pulled candles from the bag and arranged them all around the room. After she lit each one, she moved back to the bed and sat beside Nicco. She then withdrew a small golden pot from her bag and placed it on her lap, then dumped some kind of powder in it from a baggie she got from her bag, along with the yellow crystal.
Next, she slipped a small dagger from the satchel and took Nicco’s hand. “Because this is a soul spell, it calls for a few drops of your blood,” she informed him, and then pressed the tip of the blade in his palm and cut across. Blood pooled in his hand, and Melinda turned the hand over the pot, allowing the blood to drip into it.
“Anima patitur quies cordis est donec iterum conveniant. Et aliud est servare incolumem pars accipere vellet in hoc donum. Tantum in hoc caritas liberabit animam libero,” Melinda chanted as the blood dripped. Then she pulled Nicco’s hand away, and a light grew within the pot. Once the light faded, Melinda reached in and retrieved the yellow crystal and held it up for Nicco to see and then put it in his other hand.
“Keep it safe, Nicco. Put it somewhere no one but you will ever be able to find it, and when Thad returns to you, just hold this in your right hand and say, Veni ad me, which is Latin for come back to me. The piece of your soul will be freed and return to you, as well as all the feelings you have for Thaddeus.”
“Was that it? There’s no big, grand explosion or anything?” Nicco asked with a smile.
“Nope, sorry. No fireworks. So how do you feel?” Melinda asked.
Nicco sat quietly for a moment, his eyes showing that he was thinking, and then his gaze raised back to Melinda’s, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I feel good. Hungry. Starving actually, but good. The pain in my chest isn’t there anymore.”
“And what about Thaddeus? How do you feel about him?” Melinda asked.
Nicco shrugged. “I don’t know. What am I supposed to feel? Am I supposed to feel something?”
Melinda smiled. “Nope. You’re right where you should be, my friend. How about we go get you some blood?” she asked as she put the blade and pot back into her satchel and stood, then held a hand out to Nicco. He grasped her hand and allowed her to pull him off the bed and to his feet.
The image swayed, then began to swirl, and blackness engulfed him. Nicco opened his eyes and found himself sitting on the sofa once more with Shelby, Kia, and Shay before him. He blinked a few times and looked around at the others there. “The crystal,” he said.
“What crystal?” Zane asked.
“The one I no longer possess.”
Chapter Eight
“Son of a bitch! So the crystal is gone?” Dante asked in horror.
“It appears so, Dante. Nicco kept it in a small locked box in a hidden compartment in his nightstand, and with the coven house catching on fire from Brett’s attack, there was nothing left of his room,” Vik answered.
“Shit. Then we really do need to find Melinda,” Dante said in frustration as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“That’s not an option,” Nicco mumbled from where he stood looking out the window.
“And why is that?” Dante asked.
Nicco turned to face Dante, his face neutral. “Zane said it is a soul binding spell, and the only way to release it was the crystal. He said the crystal wouldn’t have burned up in the fire, so that piece of my soul is still safely tucked away inside it, but…” Nic shrugged.
“But the crystal, along with everything else from our old home, was carted away to a rubbish pile and will be worse than trying to find a needle in a haystack,” Dante finished, exasperated.
“Exactly,” Vik replied and dropped down into the seat in front of Dante’s desk.
“So what now?” Dante asked.
“Now, I go about my life as usual,” Nicco stated and immediately walked from the room.
Dante stared at his back as he left, then turned his gaze to Viktor’s. “This is affecting him more than he’s letting on.”
“I agree. I think there’s a war going on inside him, and he has no idea what to do about it, or how to fight it.”
“Do you think maybe the old feelings are coming back on their own and that’s part of the problem?” Dante asked.
“I want to say no, but I think that may be the case.”
“So then maybe there is nothing for us to actually do but let nature take its course,” Dante surmised.
“True, but how long will that take and how much will they both suffer until it does?” Vik asked.
“Then there’s the fact of will it be too late for the rest of us?” Dante said, and he and Vik both got quiet as they thought about the consequences of what was to come.
* * * *
Ryland walked into the kitchen to find it empty. This is strange. There is always someone in here. He looked at the clock. “Where is everyone?” he asked the empty room when he saw it was eight in the morning. They should all be here cooking and getting the food on the table. A noise behind him made him turn. He found the young wolf Bailey entering the kitchen, his face tear-streaked and solemn.
“What is it, young wolf? Has something happened?”
Bailey looked at Ryland and opened his mouth, but nothing would come out. Tears began to roll down his face. Lexi rushed into the room behind him. “Oh, pretty baby,” Lexi crooned as he pulled Bailey into his arms and picked him up. Bailey wrapped his arms and legs around Lexi and buried his face in his mate's neck.
“What’s happened, Lexi?” Ryland asked.
Lexi looked at him in confusion. “You don’t know?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I knew what was happening. Where is everyone?”
“In the den, watching the news. The world has…” Lexi cut himself off and swallowed hard as he shook his head. He held Bailey tighter and walked them to the back door and outside. Ryland watched the couple leave and then headed to the den to see what was happening.
As Ryland approached the den he heard gasps, growls, and muffled cries. He entered the room to find all the wolves and their mates. They all sat huddled together holding onto each other as they stared at the television. Ryland looked at the TV and saw a report about a large fire. “Is it close to here? What’s happening?” he asked as he stepped into the room.
“We woke up to find that the world has literally turned to hell. It’s getting worse out there. First, there was an attack on the Australian Parliament with all its members inside. At the same time, the Australian Federal Police building was attacked. They blew them right off the map, with the prime minister and his family inside,” Rory began to explain through his tears.
“Ten minutes later, the Kremlin was blown to smithereens with the Russian president and the Russian Federation inside. Then Germany, China, Japan, Greece, France, England, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and so on, until this,” Micah said and pointed at the television.
Ryland listened and watched in horror. “What is this?”
“That’s a picture of the White House completely engulfed in flames,” Taylor said absently.
“And its leader?” Ryland asked, never taking his eyes from the picture in front of him, he sat down.
“The president and his family were inside. Congress was in session at the Capital when it was hit, too,” Gabriel whispered.
“So your whole governing body…” Ryland trailed off.
“Gone. All the leaders of the human world are gone. All over the world, kings, queens, prime ministers, presidents, their families, and the whole of their governments all gone. Just like what happened to the paranormal world, but so far with the humans, they have yet to find any leader anywhere still alive,” Micah answered.
“What will this mean to the humans?”
“Total anarchy,” Jesse whispered.
“The police and the National Guard have been called in all over the coun
try, but the people who are still left are in revolt. It’s mayhem in the streets. Police and guards all over the world are being beaten and killed by their countrymen. Fires are raging out of control all over the globe. The last report showed that the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant was taken over by radicals, and the sirens began to go off signaling an explosion, but then the news feed cut off. Two nuclear plants here in the US have been taken over, but they’re quiet right now,” Micah continued.
“What does this mean now? What do we do? What can we do?” Ryland asked.
“Good question. Got any answers?” Micah asked.
“What of your town? Your people?”
“I had your men place cloaking spells around the perimeter. I have them keeping watch. If anyone from the outside tries to get within a mile of my lands, they will be turned around.”
“Have my men made sure that when these people get turned around, they don’t realize it?” Ryland asked.
“Yes. Anyone who comes close will just keep going and not know they even passed us.”
“Good.”
* * * *
Thaddeus’s eyes felt heavy, but he fought against it and slowly opened them. The room was dimly lit and quiet. He turned his head and saw that he was in the bed in the room that Dante had given him.
Motion beside the bed caught his attention, and Thad looked down toward the floor. Nobin sat there on a pillow, his legs crossed and hands together as if in prayer, with his eyes closed. Thaddeus sat up fully and leaned back against the headboard as he stared at the strange man.
“Good awakening, Eakul. Did you sleep well?” Nobin asked, but kept his eyes closed.
“Um…yeah.”
Nobin smiled. “The twenty-four-hour restorative sleep for your transformation is probably the best sleep you will ever have. Besides feeling hungry, what else do you feel? Any aches or pains? Any stresses or troubles?” Nobin asked.