by Kristie Cook
“I’m not leaving Alexis’s side,” Char said.
“Oh, right. Of course not,” Blossom said, taking the paper from Charlotte.
“I’ll be fine,” I groaned, snatching the slip from the witch and handing it back to Char. “All of the mind signatures here are Norman, so just put up a shield over the store, and we’ll all be fine. Then we can get this done faster and get out of here sooner.”
Charlotte pierced me with her sapphire blue eyes. “And how do I know you won’t go running out of the store to jump into the middle of something you don’t belong in?”
I pressed my lips together, unable to answer her. I kind of had the reputation of diving into situations that were over my head. It’s not that I didn’t give it enough thought each time. I just can’t seem to help myself, especially when someone’s life or soul is in danger. My purpose was to defend souls, and I’d been told over and over to take that purpose seriously, so I did. Regardless of what that meant for me ... or those responsible for protecting me.
“I promised Tristan and my son that I wouldn’t leave your side,” Charlotte said. “And I owe it to your mother.”
With no answer to that, I relented, and we grabbed our shopping carts. Blossom went one way, and Charlotte and I went the other. Within no time, we met Blossom at the front of the store with three carts full of seven turkeys, four hams, several ten-pound bags of potatoes, more bags of sweet potatoes, bread for stuffing, cans of cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie filling, flour and milk for gravy, and all kinds of baking ingredients that would keep Blossom happy for days.
“So you’re good with supervising the cooking part of things while I do the baking?” Blossom asked me once we’d loaded Tristan’s truck with enough food to feed a crowd—which was exactly what we expected. Although Vanessa and Owen were currently handing out the invitations back on the island, we expected all seventy-something Amadis who remained in the colony to show up.
“Yeah, Tristan and I can handle it.”
“If it gets to be too much, just let me know,” the witch said as we climbed into the truck. Charlotte sat in the driver’s seat, knowing how much I hated driving the monster of a thing, and I let Blossom have shotgun while I took the backseat. “A touch of magic can always help.”
I barely registered her words, though, as a tingle scurried along the back of my neck. Something felt ... wrong. I opened my mind and skimmed through the mind signatures in the vicinity, searching for Daemoni. None came on my radar, though. Only Normans, all of them in relatively good spirits as they, too, prepared for the holiday: moms and grandmas doing the food shopping and preparing for Black Friday madness, children anxious for the short school week to end, men thinking about the upcoming marathon of football games. Normal thoughts for normal humans. So why did that odd feeling linger?
Right as we headed for the bridge that crossed the causeway to Sanibel Island, it hit me. Dark wave after dark wave coming from the area of Fort Myers Beach.
“Charlotte, we need to turn around,” I said, my voice full of alarm. I shared with her what my mind picked up.
“Screw that. I need to get you back.” The warlock stomped the accelerator down harder.
“No, Char!” I protested. “They’re attacking the Normans. We can’t abandon them!”
“Alexis, I’m not taking you into battle with just the three of us. Give it up.”
I turned in my seat, as though I could see the attack through the back window. But all I saw was blue sky and bright sunrays shining on the palm trees and now on the water as we crossed the bridge.
“I can let the others know,” I said. “They can flash there and meet us.”
Blossom groaned. “All I wanted was a normal, all-American holiday just this once,” she muttered.
“We’re not going to fight,” Char said. “Not now. We have people—”
“They need our help!” Not planning to argue with her a moment longer, I reached out for Tristan, sharing with him what I had with Charlotte.
“Don’t we have people there already?” he asked, saying what I hadn’t allowed Char to finish.
I didn’t answer him at first, though, as my eyes grew wide. A dark cloud of ... something strange ... headed our way, skimming over the land and trees on the far side of the sound.
“Um, Char,” I said, “you better drive faster or be ready to fight.”
Charlotte looked in the rearview mirror. “What the hell is that?”
“I don’t know,” I said, “but it feels evil.”
“Lex, what’s going on?” Tristan asked me, “hearing” the trouble through my mind.
I’m not quite sure, but it’s not good.
“Oh, my God,” Blossom whispered. Her large hazel eyes were wider than ever as she stared over my shoulder.
The cloud had grown bigger. And darker.
I focused my eyesight and could see now what it was: Daemoni.
“Get home, Alexis!” Tristan shouted in my mind.
“Get home, Alexis!” Charlotte shouted out loud.
“I’m not leaving you,” I shouted back.
“We’re going, too!” She cranked the wheel and the back of the truck fishtailed as she pulled into a church parking lot on Sanibel Island. “Come on, let’s get out of here!”
Leaving all of that food behind, the three of us flashed to Captiva, appearing near the safe house. Tristan, Owen, Sheree, and Vanessa already stood outside on the steps, and I ran for them.
“Where’s Dorian?” I demanded.
“Safe inside with the mages,” Tristan answered.
“We need to go,” I said. “Stave them off before they get here.”
“Um, Alexis,” Sheree said, her voice soft yet edged with ... was that fear or awe? Her brown eyes stared to the southeast. I turned to follow her gaze, but I already knew what was coming. I could feel their mind signatures, sense their evil intentions.
The Daemoni had followed us. Swarms of mages and were-creatures flew through the air, while vampires trampled through the islands. It was more than the bloodsucker nest that had taken over Fort Myers Beach. This was an all-out attack directed at us.
They had dared to come here, what had once been a safe haven for the local Amadis. I had brought them here.
“Looks like we fight,” I said through a clenched jaw. “Prepare for battle.”
Chapter 3
Sheree exploded into her tiger form, and Jax followed, taking his alternate form as a white crocodile. Owen threw a shield over me and another over Tristan. We usually waged our own mini-battle before the real one, because everyone wanted me tucked away, coordinating the battle with my mind from a safe distance. But I always refused to leave Tristan, refused to watch helplessly through everyone else’s eyes as I had done the day I’d lost him. We usually ended up compromising—as long as there was a shield over Tristan, I would agree to remain hidden, but not far away.
Today, however, we wouldn’t argue. We didn’t have time, nor near enough soldiers to fight. They needed me out here, too, our second most powerful fighter after Tristan. Dorian was much too close for my comfort, but when I tried to search for his mind signature, I was barely able to find it, he was hidden so well behind a powerful wall of magic. The Daemoni wouldn’t be able to sense him. I hoped.
As the Daemoni approached, I realized the black cloud was not made up by the creatures themselves, but by the dark energy they were producing. They marched on, plowing through trees and the water, destroying anything and everything in their way, which was mostly property belonging to Normans. Boats, cars, even houses exploded with a blast of magic or a powerful punch. If we survived this, we’d have a lot of repairs to make and memories to wipe. If we didn’t survive ... well, God help those Norman souls. They wouldn’t be alive, or at least not Norman, for long.
Some of the Amadis from the colony had gathered outside with us. They weren’t our best fighters, but they knew they had to step up when necessary. Everyone’s eyes fell on me, waiting for the order. I look
ed over at Tristan one last time, and he gave my hand a squeeze with his own.
“Let’s do this,” he said.
As the official leader of our army, the actual command came from me. I silently called it out, ordering Owen and Charlotte to cloak everyone while sending small groups in different directions, using guerrilla warfare to counter the Daemoni’s head-on attack. Thanks to Tristan, I’d been learning all kinds of war strategies, but I never let our mental connection break during a fight, even when I had to mind-speak with others. His logic and strategic planning countered my impulsive tendencies. In other words, he ensured I didn’t screw up.
My core group, sworn to protect royalty—aka, me—stayed near my side. I swiped my finger over the amethyst embedded in my dagger and the knife showed itself on my hip, where it always hung. I unsheathed it while scanning the Amadis mind signatures, then the Daemoni’s, then back to the Amadis. When our soldiers were in place and everything seemed to be going as planned, we charged. Owen and Charlotte lifted the cloaks only at the last second.
The element of surprise worked to our advantage, but not for long. I shot electricity out of my left hand while swinging my dagger with my right, pushing Amadis power through the blade at the same time. Most of my foes retreated, as much afraid of the Amadis power as the electrical current that could fry them to ashes. But they didn’t go far and returned from a different angle. I sliced through them with the silver blade, and they cried out in pain, but they didn’t relent. Not until I blasted them so hard, they had no choice but to flash away.
Tristan fought with brute strength, paralyzing the enemy before crushing them with a blow from his fist. But as more began to swarm on him, he also began using his unique power, blasting them many yards away. Except then they would find whoever was closest and attack. Owen and Charlotte fought hard with their magic, their green and blue lights shooting everywhere while other mages’ retaliated with orange and red spell streaks. Sheree and Jax focused on the were-creatures, and Vanessa on the vampires. The other Amadis used whatever advantage they could get.
But we were so outnumbered.
The Daemoni continued their forward momentum, and we were unable to thwart it. For every push forward we could get them away from the safe house, they pushed us back twice as far. Normans screamed from the beach, from houses and cars, and they scurried for cover indoors. Our mages ensured they remained safe as the Daemoni warlocks tried to blast the houses to kill the people inside. They may have been gaining ground on us, but so far anyway, we hadn’t lost a soul—not an Amadis one, nor a human’s. Seeing that we wouldn’t stop protecting the Normans, the Daemoni turned their full focus on us.
“Annihilate the entire Amadis colony, then you can take the Normans. Spare no one, not even royalty.” The same voice, same words echoed through the Daemoni’s minds as I scanned over them, an order they must have received earlier as they prepared their attack. And the voice was familiar, icy, one that sent chills down my spine. It belonged to Lucas, my sperm donor. So much for wanting to bring Tristan, Dorian, and me to his side. He had to have known we were here—why else make the comment about royalty—and he obviously wanted us dead.
In a rare show of unity and cooperation, the Daemoni came together and focused all efforts on us. Their Weres stopped running the beach, their vampires stopped attacking any Normans that remained outside, and their mages ceased throwing magic randomly at houses and Normans’ property. They directed all weapons, whether fangs or claws or magic spells, on the Amadis.
We continued to fight hard and smart, but their sheer numbers had us constantly backing up.
“Alexis!” Sheree mind-shouted at me. “The safe house.”
I know. I clenched my teeth to ground out the words, although they came silently. We’d reached the safe house. If we couldn’t hold the Daemoni off and finish this battle, everyone inside would be in danger. Including my son. Tristan, what do we do?
“Fight!” was his only answer.
The Daemoni suddenly seemed like they hadn’t even been really trying before. Dark energy surged through them as they redoubled their efforts. Snapping jaws and swinging fists came at me. I slashed at them with my dagger. Zapped them with electricity. Pushed Amadis power into them, their screams making my blood curdle.
Light-spells blasted all around us. Tree branches snapped and fell. Vampire limbs soared through the air after being snapped off the creatures. The sounds of crashing stones reverberated all around us. Several fires burnt, darkening the sky with their smoke and making my nose twinge.
And we still fought on.
My heart pounded in my ears as I soared for a Daemoni vampire, arcing my silver blade down and into her shoulder, severing her arm. Her red eyes glowed as she glared at me with violent anger before charging at me. I gathered a large bubble of Amadis power within me and pushed it out at her. Her whole body—well, minus the arm—writhed and convulsed. I sent an electric current at her, not relenting even as her pale skin turned purple and an acrid smoke arose. She was barely able to grab her arm before disappearing in a flash.
The fight carried on into the night. Although the Daemoni had numbers on their side, we had more determination, more passion, more heart and soul. We were not only fighting for the Normans, but this time we were also protecting our loved ones and our safe haven. We had more to fight for. Eventually we dwindled their numbers down. We could see victory on the horizon. Maybe it would rise with the sun.
But then ... bright yellow light streaked through the sky. An explosive blast shook the ground and made my ears ring. A plume of flames and smoke shot into the air.
“Tristan!” I yelled.
The safe house. It’d been hit. Hard. And our boy was inside.
I searched for Dorian’s mind signature even as I ran for the mansion. Tristan ran after me while aiming his palm skyward. Then I saw what he had—a Daemoni mage who exuded powerful magic, possibly even a sorcerer, hovering in the sky. Before Tristan could blast his power, though, another shadowy form shot through the dark and plowed into the first.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered, and then I screamed, “Dorian! No!”
He could fly, but we didn’t know what other powers he possessed. Besides self-healing, no others had manifested yet. He had unusual strength and speed—but only unusual compared to Normans. There was no way he could stand up against a Daemoni yet, especially not a mage as powerful as this one.
“Owen,” I called, “he needs you!”
Owen ran and leapt, soaring through the air as he blasted a spell at the flying mage. My heart stopped for a moment when I thought it was going to hit Dorian, but my boy twisted in mid-air, and the spell missed him. The blue light smashed into the Daemoni warlock-slash-sorcerer. The form fell to the ground. Owen shot a series of several spells, not relenting until the mage disappeared with a loud pop.
The few Daemoni who still remained on the grounds let out a collective gasp. Tristan spun around and hit each of them with his power. They all popped away.
My hand flew to my mouth as I stared at the safe house engulfed in flames. Those who had fought were now running inside and pulling people out while mages directed water from the gulf through the air and to the mansion. Dorian landed next to me with a soft swoosh. I pulled him into a tight hug, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the destruction all around us. From what I could see with my inhuman vision, even in the darkness, the whole island had practically been destroyed. All of the houses, mansions, condos, and businesses appeared to be nothing but piles of rubble.
And I had no idea how many lives had been lost in the end.
Chapter 4
By the time the sun rose, all of the fires had been extinguished, but devastation surrounded us. The island looked even worse in the morning light than what I’d feared in the dark. It appeared as though a hurricane had blown through. Trees lay on the ground, either uprooted or snapped in half. Every building had suffered damage, with caved-in roofs, shattered windows, and large objects such
as cars and boats smashed into them. Some were nothing more than big piles of charred rubble. Bicycles hung in trees, and sand buried the streets.
I’d sat on the safe house’s front lawn, still wiping at the tears that wouldn’t stop, holding Dorian and Tristan for what felt like hours. But the Amadis needed me, so I eventually had to push myself up and tend to their needs. Owen, Charlotte, and Blossom gathered up some of our more powerful mages and set off for the Normans. They fixed what was unexplainable, then altered the Normans’ memories before sending them on their way off-island. The good thing about this being a holiday week was that many of the regular Normans were away, spending the holidays with their families up north.
“There’s just so much in ruins,” I said to Tristan after ensuring that a pair of Were siblings had found each other. “Not even Owen can repair all of this before some Norman starts demanding answers.”
“The Amadis have their ways. We’ll figure it out, ma lykita.”
I pushed my hand through my hair and turned to stare at the ruins of the safe house once again. It had suffered the worst damage, and Owen wasn’t sure he’d be able to put it back. Too many of the stones it was built from had disintegrated from the magical explosion.
“Alexis?” Blossom’s voice came as a whisper in my mind. “We’re at your house. You, uh, might want to see this ... or maybe not.”
My breath caught, and I looked up at Tristan for just a moment before flashing to our house on Sanibel.
“Oh, my God,” I choked out, and more tears sprang to my eyes. Our house—our beautiful little house on the beach—was gone. Leveled. Another of our homes decimated by the Daemoni.
Tristan appeared by my side and pulled me into his arms. “It’s just stuff, my love. The important parts of this home are okay.”