Wreathed in Flame (Faith of the Fallen Book 3)

by Cassandra Sky West

  “Of course, it didn’t work that way,” Savanna added.

  “It seems if I’m fighting demons and their kind, like the troll, I can use certain abilities. I have a flaming sword. And wings.”

  “Wow,” Warren said, eyes wide. “I can’t remember the last time I was surprised. That explains so many things about you.”

  “Then that’s what they want,” Tink said. “The fae can’t open the Titan, I imagine. But an angel? It would make sense.”

  “Like a security feature, only Olympians or their parents can activate it,” Caitlin interjected.

  “So, we don’t give them Alexi,” Savanna said. “But, that still leaves us the problem of how to rescue Sydney, and stop Shaughn and Thaughn from using their magic on us the moment we arrive there.”

  Answers to the wrong questions had filled the air. Alexi needed answers to the right one.

  “Warren, you said you can go anywhere.” She waved her hand in the air, “Could you translate us to the mountain top?”

  He looked thoughtful for a moment, his hand slid up to take Tink’s. “With help, yes.”

  “So, that’s how we get there, but what about their magic?” Savanna groused. “All Shaughn has to do is play his harp, or have Thaughn sing, and we do whatever they say.”

  “Fire with fire,” Alexi mused. “We can’t stop their magic, but what if we couldn’t hear them? Is it telepathic?”

  Warren shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of, but one witch simply isn’t powerful enough to stop our magic. No spell will keep your from following the commands.”

  “One witch, no…” Alexi grinned at the five witches they had in the room. “A coven is more than individual witches working together. There’s power inherent in the bond itself. I’m counting on Shaughn thinking we will have no choice but to do as he says. Savanna, here is what we need and you let me know if you and your new coven can handle it.”

  “I want to stay with you,” John said as he moved in close. A little of his old-self shined through when he smiled. If she closed her eyes and listened she heard his strong voice, but she couldn’t feel his confidence, only his need to obey her. His confidence had drawn her to him in the first place. Now…

  That man was gone and nothing could bring him back. She searched for the thread again, but she couldn’t see it. Savanna had told her that she wouldn’t be able to. There were two ways for him to stop being a thrall, death, or un-death.

  She wouldn’t do either, but seeing him like this broke her heart. She wanted to apologize, but he wouldn’t know why she was. Instead, she had another plan for him.

  “I need your help, I need you to return to my home and keep my parents calm. Give them enough information that they know something is being done to find Sydney, but don’t reveal anything they won’t be able to handle. Can you do that?

  He nodded, a huge grin on his face. “Of course I can!”

  He shouldered his coat while heading for the exit. At the door, he turned and his eyes held adoration for her. She felt it across their bond. Not love… adoration. She sensed he wanted to ask her something but he didn’t know how.

  He’s waiting for permission. I’m so sorry, John. I swear I will find a way to fix this.

  She nodded to him, which seemed enough for him. “When you return, can you,” he looked nervously about and lowered his voice, “feed on me again? I would like that.”

  She nodded, trying desperately not to cry or scream. His smile widened like a junkie that just found his next score.

  I’m sorry, Alexi. Savanna’s sweet voice interrupted her morose thoughts.

  I have to fix it, Savanna. He would hate me forever if he saw himself this way.

  Perhaps when we return, we can talk to Sing? Maybe the Arcanum has resources for de-thralling people, Savanna replied.

  Maybe. Alexi wasn’t convinced the Arcanum would ever talk to them again. Alexi let it drop. She needed to focus, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it right now. If there was, she would, but there wasn’t.

  She closed her eyes for a moment to block out the pain, the terrible thoughts, and her anger. She needed to be at peace—as much as she could be—for this. She needed to be enough.

  After John left, she made her way to the front of the store, seeking solitude. Savanna was in the back, discussing things with Warren and Tink, trying to learn all she could about the fae to help her try to counter whatever the twins threw at them. She was certain her new coven could cast whatever spell they needed.

  There was nothing for Alexi now but to wait. It had been a long night and soon she would sleep the day away, possibly for the last time. Warren had offered her his small bed in the backroom. She would be safe here while she slept. She just wasn’t ready to turn in yet.

  She pulled her dog tag necklace off around her head.

  CREED, ALEXI

  US ARMY

  SN# 2293-221-1701

  A POS

  CHRISTIAN

  She didn’t really know what it meant to be Christian. She’d literally been to Heaven. If anyone should be religious, it should be her. Were the angels the source of religion? They certainly cared about humanity and wanted what was best for them. Faith did powerful things for people, helped them when they were down, sustained them when they lost all hope.

  Hope. She could use some of that now.

  Her hope hung on a thread and she wasn’t sure she could ever be good again. How to balance the scales she had so decidedly stacked against her?

  Without thinking she dropped to her knees, her dog tags clutched in her hands before her. She didn’t know what to say, or to whom she would say it too. She spoke without trying to think about the words.

  “Michael.” She decided on him since he was the only angel she personally knew. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I need your help. I can’t do this alone. I want to believe, I want to have hope that we can succeed. I want to believe I’m still a good person. Help me. Help me have hope again. Please?”

  She crouched on her knees for some time with her hands clasped to her breast. Her mind focused on the words she spoke, on the hope she didn’t feel.

  Light came through the windows, far more than the sun in the morning. The light washed over her and as it engulfed her she felt something. Something more than her, a presence larger than her body could contain, larger than the world. Something bigger than herself. Hope sprang from the well of her soul and for the first time in a long while, Alexi was at peace.

  The light vanished leaving her to wonder if it had ever really been there to begin with. It didn’t matter, she had hope again.

  Alexi had been asleep for hours. The coven had left for Caitlin’s place an hour before to prepare for the ritual they would need. All that was left for Savanna was to make sure Warren and Tink could do what they needed them to do.

  “You ask a lot, Savanna Grace,” Tink said.

  “It’s just Savanna, Tink. We’re friends, you can call me Savanna,” she replied with a smile.

  “Still, I’m not sure what you ask will help. I’ve recovered for certain, thanks to you, but still… it’s dangerous.”

  Savanna nodded. She knew what she was asking, but there was no other way. Once they were on the mountain, anything could happen. Tink’s speed, and agility was Sydney’s only hope.

  “They won’t expect it. Even without your wings, you’re amazing. No one else here can wrest her from their grasp. Once you have her, Warren can pop,” she snapped her fingers for emphasis, “you both back here. Without her they can’t control Alexi and they lose.”

  Tink nodded. “On your signal then. Be warned, Savanna, I can’t guarantee success in this. My powers are weakened and I don’t know what might happen.”

  “We have to try.”

  The secret wall slid open, revealing a rested Alexi. Savanna grinned. They’re never going to know what hit them. Are you ready Alexi?

  “Yes,” she said with a genuine smile on her face.

  Savanna st
opped agape, a nimbus of light surrounded her, and her hair and eyes shined like they were in direct sunlight. She looked as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

  What happened? Savanna asked.

  I guess I found my hope. A little faith goes a long way, everything will work out the way it should. She smiled at Savanna.

  “All right,” Alexi said with renewed confidence in her voice that had been missing since she first encountered Rayburn. “If we’re going to do this, I need to know that everyone is fully committed. Stop the twins, save Sydney, come home alive. Questions? No? Okay, let’s bring it.”

  The coven couldn’t use the rec hall for what they were about to do. Not that she thought they could, anyway. She was going to be up to her eyeballs in lawyers when it came time to untangle that mess. Right now, Savanna needed her—needed them.

  The four of them had spent all day practicing the circles. Thirteen in total. Bethany was the best at it, so she took the lead. It made sense, with her being an architect.

  In twenty-eight years of life Caitlin never felt more useful, more fulfilled, then she did in that moment. How had she not figured out this before? When the girls formed their “coven”, it was mostly as an excuse to drink wine and talk about men. Now though, they didn’t need anyone… well anyone but Savanna. She knew they all felt the same way. Tink’s story of demon blood aside, she had found what she was meant to do.

  She smiled again as she examined the lines of the chalk.

  Marta opened the small metal case they brought from Warren’s store and emptied the contents into the middle of the largest circle. A lock of blond hair, golden and wavy, followed by hair so black they almost lost sight of it when it touched the floor. Brown hair from Warren, and blue from Tink. That was everyone who was going up the mountain.

  Caitlin inhaled deeply.

  “Light the candles,” Marta said. “I’ll text Savanna and let her know we’re ready.” She should be more afraid, Caitlin thought, considering the last time they did this, but she wasn’t. Her heart mourned her friend, but it celebrated her purpose, and that was something she couldn’t diminish.

  She folded her legs into a seated position and rested Savanna’s ornate dagger on her thigh. It was almost time.

  The top of Mount Rainier glistened in the moonlight. Silver threads shone off snowy peaks. The view for miles around was the tops of clouds and the peaks of other mountains. This one, stood above all the rest.

  Snow lay undisturbed as the fae inspected their circle. The translation needed to be perfect. They couldn’t risk even one detail out of place. Shaughn glanced at his brother, who danced their hostages around in a merry circle with his voice. They were none the worse for the harmless fun, but it wouldn’t matter after tonight anyway. He could feel it. Thousands of years of preparation coming together for this moment. Fully half the fae backed him. His allies on the Emerald Isle busied Dominus with this dalliance or that, showing him amusing humans and politics.

  Once the angel appeared, they could begin their work. He rubbed his hands together with anticipation. Dreams and memories of how the world used to be fluttered at his consciousness. Oh, how he longed for those times again.

  “Patience, my brother, they will be here soon. If not…” He looked to the hostages. Shaughn followed his gaze with a grin. The little girl showed remarkable resilience, but the other wouldn’t last much longer. If not from the dance, from the beatings handed out by their allies. Not that he knew his true plan either, they thought they were along for the vengeance. Little did they know they wouldn’t see another dawn.

  Caitlin put her phone down. It was time. Up until a few days ago, the most blood she’d spilled was when her Red Cross donation bag accidentally broke. Now, here she was, sitting cross-legged on the edge of thirteen concentric circles, with a razor sharp dagger to her palm. She inhaled deeply and pressed. The blade was so sharp that the cut was effortless—almost painless.

  Vague memories of the vampire feeding on her danced out of reach. The feeling sent goosebumps down her arms, and a shiver up her spine. She handed the dagger to Marta.

  Caitlin spoke the words Savanna had taught them this morning. The Latin felt strange on her tongue, but as the first drop of blood splattered against the circle she felt the power well up within her.

  Oh, my god, this is wonderful!

  She closed her eyes and rejoiced in it. The magic filled her, touched her being inside and out. She heard Marta gasp a few seconds later, and she saw the woman in her mind. Bethany followed, and then Keisha. Together, they formed a circle of power. They shared their minds with one purpose, and as long as their blood dripped on the circle, their power couldn’t be broken.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about her. The more he tried, the more she pressed in on him. He managed to make it to her parents’ house without crashing, but only just.

  What’s wrong with me? How could he have asked her to feed on him? It was ridiculous.

  Ridiculous that he never asked before.

  After their afternoon on the couch, it should have been all he thought about. He didn’t need a job, or distractions—unless Alexi wanted him at work. He hadn’t thought about that. He would have to ask her.

  He did his very best to reassure her parents. They had a lead, he said. He couldn’t share the details, but he would keep them informed.

  They were frustrated at the lack of information, of course. Parents of missing children usually were. He was in his element, though, talking to them. His skills as a detective took over, and for a full half hour, he didn’t think about her.

  Guilt crashed over him when he left. He hadn’t thought about her in a whole thirty minutes. He’d been following her instructions, of course… but he should always be thinking of her, he was sure. How could he not?

  He wondered if what he’d said to her parents was enough—if it was right. If it was what she wanted. What if he’d made a mistake? What if he’d somehow messed it up? Would she be disappointed with him? He couldn’t bear that thought.

  What if she was angry, and wouldn’t feed on him again?

  John’s thoughts spiraled out of control as the magic ensnared him even further, dragging his soul down a road with no return.

  Alexi, Savanna, Warren, and Tink held hands in his back room. Savanna wore a heavy parka, sweater, boots, scarf, and a hat, but the rest of them had no need for such protection. Warren looked Alexi in the eyes to know when to begin.

  She closed her eyes for a moment searching for that serenity she felt earlier. She found it, wrapped around her core. Peace washed over her, a small smile played at her lips.

  “Now,” she said.

  Warren hummed with power as golden energy emanated from his skin and eyes. Tendrils of energy spread out around them, cocooning their bodies in warmth and light. The inside of Warrens shop was remarkably quiet, but as the energy brightened, Alexi could hear something. Wind rushing around her. Singing. A harp playing. The crunch of feet on snow.

  She grinned. They were in for a surprise. Pressure in the back of her head told her that Savanna’s spell worked. Warren’s magic slid off her protection. She couldn’t stop it if she wanted to. Fae magic was either too strong, or too different for her angelic powers to completely defend against.

  The web of golden light faded, replaced with howling wind and snow. A small clearing spread out in front of them. A single circle of power was burned into the top of the mountain. As Alexi’s eyes became accustomed to the light, she could see the circle was more than a shape. It was made up of script that filled the lines of the circle.

  “Alexi,” Warren said, his breathing came heavy from the strain, “don’t step in the circle.”

  She nodded. On the other side of them stood Shaughn and Thaughn, dressed as though they were at the beach, in a mocking manner. Shaughn held a bow harp in one hand that he thrummed lightly. To his right was Thaughn, the same achingly good looks and otherworldly charm that made all the fae so appealing.

  Until you get t
o know the bastards. Then you just want to wring their little necks.

  Behind them, Alexi’s eyes were drawn to other figures. They were hard to make out in the snow and the wind, but she could see the shadows of three adults and something small. A child. Her heart leaped. She didn’t even know what Sydney looked like, but she was certain her daughter was there.

  Alexi glanced at Tink. She nodded almost imperceptibly—she was ready.

  “Alexi, the vampire angel. Such a strange creature.” Shaughn sang along with his harpsichord.

  This is where we find out if we’re clever enough.

  “Come to me darling,” he thrummed.

  The magic hit her in the face, eliciting a grunt as it willed itself to take hold. It slipped past her as if she didn’t exist. Alexi couldn’t really hear him. The ritual spell made her deaf to every word, only after it had been filtered through the spell did she hear it. The effect was instantaneous.

  It worked, Savanna. Be ready.

  Oh, I am.

  “Savanna, little witch, you too. Where Alexi goes, I know you will follow, and I want her compliant.”

  As Alexi moved forward, only feet from the circle now, the wind died down for a moment. Savanna gasped next to her and she could tell the witch saw it too.

  Little Sydney danced in a circle with a woman. As they pranced around the ageless beauty of Illyana’s face flashed into view.

  “Oh, you like our guests? I need cooperation from both of you. Your mother could have made this a lot simpler if she had helped, but now I’m afraid her life hangs in the balance as does your daughter. Thanks in part to that worthless mutt, Rayburn. If he hadn’t given my associate here your blood, we would never have known where to look for her.”