“You just need to get close enough to make contact with the beast. It might take a few times of you hitting him, but keep doing it until he drops. The Alberich will drain your energy, and he’ll probably hurt you. But I’ll be there, Sophie. I’ll take your pain and heal your wounds, so you can bring the big bastard down. Trust me.” He squeezed her hand.
“I do,” Sophie said, surprised that she meant it.
Impulsively, she kissed him, enjoying the mild shock of tension in his mouth right before he wrapped her close to him; his fingers curved around the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss. It ended too soon by Sophie’s estimation, thanks to a small truck being tossed over their heads. Huh. The vampires were getting desperate.
Sophie smiled at Trent, still breathless. “Okay. I’m ready now.”
Chapter Thirteen
JESSICA AND PATRICK headed the charge through the cemetery. Sophie and Trent followed close behind, and behind them another four vampires. Trent’s worry for Sophie tripled as she stumbled. She righted herself and continued, but he saw her expression. She was terrified.
But she wasn’t letting that fear stop her.
The body of the werewolf, however, did.
She nearly tumbled over the large brown wolf. The egregious wounds dripped with blood and thick green pus. Her shocked gaze met Trent’s, and he grabbed her arm and forced her forward. “Keep going.”
He was dismayed to see other bodies and a few piles of ash that had once been vampires. The Alberich was taking its toll.
“We follow Jessica,” said Trent. “When she gets his attention, run through his legs and tag his calf. Do not stay there. If you don’t keep moving, he can step on you or swipe you.
“He has the sword,” she said, her voice shaking.
He wanted to hide her away. He didn’t wish to lose someone he loved, and yes, he loved her, to the Alberich again. But if he and Sophie couldn’t face up to this difficult task, the entire town would perish. He wasn’t sure he could live with either option. The choice had to be hers.
“Do you want to run?” he asked her.
Her lower lip trembled, but she shook her head. “No. No, I don’t.”
“Then have faith in yourself. In us.” Trent took her by the shoulders. “Remember, Sophie, you took down one of these all on your own. You are a goddess.” He kissed her hard and then let her go. “You’ve got this. Run!”
His heart nearly beat out of his chest as he watched Sophie dodge around the paranormals doing their best to fight the grotesque giant. Trent allowed Sophie enough room to maneuver but stayed close enough to get to her when she went down. Even though she’d accidentally defeated the Alberich in the Oregon forest, she didn’t remember much about that attack. He feared the intense pain would flatten her. Touching an Alberich would be like touching lightning.
Pride swelled when Sophie darted between the giant’s legs and slapped the back of his right calf with both hands. That pride turned to horror as she was flung backward, her cry of agony piercing his heart.
The Alberich roared and went down to one knee. The paranormals closed in throwing, literally, everything they had at the Alberich.
It seemed like it took an eternity to get to Sophie. Trent helped her to her feet, but she immediately turned and vomited. She wiped her mouth with the back of her shirtsleeve. “Sorry.”
“You did great.” God, she looked wan, almost ashen. Terror made him want to grab her and take flight. He didn’t mean to risk her safety. He wanted her alive. He needed her alive.
I love you, Sophie. Why hadn’t he told her earlier? He would take her pain, no matter the cost.
“Here.” He pressed his fingertips against her temples and absorbed every ounce of her suffering. It felt like acid boiled in his veins, but he didn’t let go until he’d given every bit of healing he could to Sophie.
He staggered back, clenching his teeth as his eyes rained gold onto his face, his arms. The squiggles of magic absorbed into his skin, and finally, he was able to take a breath.
“Go,” he said, his gaze meeting Sophie’s. “Let’s finish this.”
* * *
MECKENZIE STILL SHOOK from the explosion of her molecules. Goddamn. She did not want to do that shit again. On the upside, she was still in the buff arms of a certain loup de sang. The man smelled good.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“In the basement of a burned-out convenience store. It’s about five miles out of town—far enough away to protect our citizens.”
“So, it’s just you and me?”
“Everyone is needed to keep the Alberich occupied. We will be enough to stop one witch.” He looked at me his gaze filled with regret. “I’m sorry that I thought you were faking the illness.”
“Don't apologize,” she said. “That’s a tactic I would’ve used.”
He allowed one corner of his mouth to curl up. He lay her down gently on the cool stone floor, but before he could move his arms away, she grabbed him and hauled him forward. Surprise was on her side, and he fell on top of Meckenzie with a startled umph.
“What are you doing?” he asked. He made no move to leave. Instead, he adjusted himself so that he wasn’t squishing her so much. “What do you want?”
“You,” she said, cupping his face.
She could see all the doubts he had about her, about what was unfolding between them. She didn’t want to see that distrust and know that she deserved it, and worse.
“Kiss me,” she murmured. “Chances are Ena will kill me, and then you’ll have missed your shot at these lips. So, stop thinking and kiss me, Ren.”
Desire flared in that golden gaze, burning away all those other pesky emotions. He looked at her, just looked, and that sensual appraisal started a trembling in her belly. He leaned down, a teeny tiny bit, and parted his lips. Her heartbeat tripled, and the air in her lungs evaporated.
Then that bitch Ena blew up the damned room.
Ren covered Meckenzie and protected her from the debris of the mangled ceiling. Dust thickened the air, and the sounds of falling boards and bricks echoed in the silence.
“Are you o—” Ren was yanked off her, and thrown against the wall Growling, he jumped to his feet, growling and made a leap for Ena. A rope of black electric magic pushed against his middle like a giant fist and pinned him to the floor. His gaze sought hers, and he yelled, “Meckenzie!” Then his voice was cut off. She watched his neck muscles strain as he fought against the magic. Her heart dove to her toes as panic did the cha-cha up her spine.
She rolled up to her elbows, but before she could even think about getting up and trying to kick some butt, Ena’s face appeared above hers. She shrank down.
Her eyes narrowed with rage. “You’re a pain in the ass, Meckenzie.” She punched Meckenzie hard, and Meckenzie felt blinding pain. “Did you forget our bargain?”
“I fulfilled my end,” she wheezed. She ended her comment with a coughing fit. Inhaling blown-up wall bits was not good for the ole vocal chords. She was still feeling groggy, but she was aware enough to know both she and Ren were sitting ducks.
“I want my revenge!” Ena screamed. “Your mother’s soul hangs in the balance, Meckenzie.” The witch grabbed her by the throat and jerked her upright. Her fingers squeezed hard, her sharp nails digging into Meckenzie’s flesh. “If you fail me again, I will send dear, darling mommy into the world-between-worlds. She will never be free.”
Chills darted down Meckenzie’s back and lodged like arrows in her guts. She was sick of Ena and threats, and she was worried about more than her own ass this time. “Let Ren go, and I’ll let the other Alberich into Broken Heart.”
Ena dropped Meckenzie to the ground, but Meckenzie wasn’t free. Ena easily pinned her to the concrete with her stupid, evil magic. Ena lifted her palm, and Ren was jerked up from the floor. His face was bloodied, and he was so constricted with magic, it looked like he was wearing a black Snuggie. Not even his considerable powers could break the dark sorcery of Ena.
What chance did Meckenzie have now? How would she save Ren and her mother’s soul?
“How will you open the gates to this godforsaken town?” demanded Ena.
Meckenzie tried to hide her fear. Her mom’s soul being on the line, that she was used to, but handling the life of a dude she hadn’t even kissed yet? Holy crap. She swallowed the knot clogging her throat and affected a bored tone. “I know where to turn off the force field,” she lied. “One flick of the switch and Broken Heart is all yours.”
“Take me to the switch.”
“Oh, no. You don’t get what you want until I get what I want first.” All Meckenzie needed to do was to get Ena off balance. If the magic weakened, she could escape long enough to claw out Ena’s black eyes.
It was a helluva risk.
Meckenzie wanted nothing more than to free her mother’s soul. She deserved peace. But she would not be happy if she knew that Meckenzie had sacrificed a living creature to free her. The dead are no longer concerned with earthly matters. Life is for the living, Meckenzie, so live well. Besides, she couldn’t let Ren get hurt. He’d protected from the moment she tricked him into letting her inside Broken Heart. She owed him.
“Well?” Meckenzie pretended to yawn. “You want revenge or not?”
“You’ll take all three of us to the switch. I’ll let him go if what you say proves true.”
“Deal.”
Ena snapped her fingers and freed Meckenzie from the magical bonds. Meckenzie rolled to a sitting position and rubbed the back of her neck. Slowly, she climbed to her feet.
“You’re wasting time,” spat Ena.
“You’re right.” She snap-kicked Ena hard in the crotch, and the witch screeched and bent over. Meckenzie kneed her in the face, and she collapsed onto her side.
Meckenzie only had seconds. She kicked Ena in the stomach, forcing the woman onto her back and then she kneeled on Ena’s chest. Wow, she had no boobs. Maybe giving her an A-cup was somehow karma’s way of matching her tiny, blackened heart. Blood spattered the witch’s creamy white complexion and wheat blonde hair. It was so not fair she didn’t even have any warts or scars. But no, she was all beautiful and shit. Well, until she went all crazy with the snarling and spitting and eye-narrowing—then she was one ugly bitch.
Meckenzie punched her in the face. Ena’s head snapped back, and she yowled. More blood spattered, this time splashing on Meckenzie. Her knuckles throbbed, but she ignored the discomfort and gave Ena an uppercut. The witch’s head smacked hard into the concrete.
Oh! Good idea.
Meckenzie grabbed her hair and banged her skull against the ground.
“Enough!” screamed Ena.
Meckenzie was airborne before she’d realized what had happened. Ena’s cry had gone up two octaves … um, probably because Meckenzie had two handfuls of blonde hair that she’d ripped out as she was thrown. She landed hard on her side and groaned as pain jolted up her spine and down her legs. Ouchfuckingouch!
She scrambled to her feet. Okay, she listed to her feet and wobbled around to face a very, very pissed-off witch.
Her plan hadn’t worked.
Ren was still tightly bound, his gaze on Meckenzie’s. His expression was pure rage. She mouthed, “Hang on.” He shook his head fiercely, but it was too late to back down now.
“Meckenzie!”
She looked at Ena and felt her entire body go ice-cold. Ena had created a soccer-sized ball of black, nasty magic.
And she lobbed it straight at Meckenzie.
* * *
THE FIFTH TIME Sophie went for the weakened, but unfortunately, still fighting Alberich, she launched herself at his leg and bit into his gnarly flesh.
Light imploded behind her eyes and it felt like a thousand stars rained down on her. She was tossed backward like a discarded ragdoll. Her head smacked into a tombstone, and she sank to the ground, every inch of her throbbing with pain.
Then Trent was there, gathering her into his arms and he, once again, siphoned away her agony. He shuddered under the onslaught of her pain. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He kissed the top of her head. “You did it, Sophie. Look.”
She felt rejuvenated every time Trent used his gift to heal her. Now, was no different. She lifted her head and stared at the Alberich. His gravel-crunching cries slowly faded as he fell backward. The entire graveyard shook from the massive impact. Then there was a cracking sound.
The Alberich’s body took on a grayish-brown cast, his flesh and clothes cracking as though it was clay drying, and then everything collapsed inward.
He was gone.
Sophie got to her knees, and turned around, wiping the sweat from Trent’s brow. “Are you all right?”
“You’re alive. The rest will sort itself out.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He smiled, but she could see the effort. “I will be.”
All her anger from earlier had vanished before the fight, and looking at him now, her head cleared for the first time in months. Without a shadow of a doubt, Sophie knew Trent was meant for her. She loved him. The realization scared her almost as much as the Alberich. With love, there was so much to lose. As it was, there was too much between them unsaid. “I need…I want…”
“Hey, kids.” Patsy and Gabriel popped next to them, both looking like they’d gotten into a fight with a convoy of Mack trucks. “We still have four Alberich trying to get in. If they get bored, they might decide to eat Oklahoma.”
“What about Ena?”
Gabriel and Patsy shared a look. “We’re still hoping that works.” Patsy offered a grim smile. “I know you’re tired. And I know this sucks. But we really need you.”
“Of course,” said Sophie. She looked at Trent.
He nodded. “We’re in.”
“All aboard the vampire train,” said Patsy holding out her arms. Trent went with the queen and Sophie stepped into Gabriel’s embrace.
Sophie hoped she and Trent were up to the task of taking four more Alberich. She worried that Trent was going to collapse. He’d endured so much suffering for her.
“Ready?” asked Gabriel.
“Yes,” said Sophie. And she hoped she was ready.
* * *
ENA APPARENTLY KNEW jack shit about how to throw a ball at a target. Meckenzie dropped to the floor, and the nasty magic exploded against the wall behind and disappeared in a cloud of stinky smoke.
“I think you might need some Rogaine,” said Meckenzie. “Or a wig.”
“You!” Ena gritted her teeth. “I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
The magic around Ren disappeared, which surprised the hell out of Ena. He jumped to his feet, his face half-morphing into a white wolf as a low growl issued from his throat.
Ena reached behind her back and drew out a long, thin curved blade. Where the hell had she hidden that thing?
Ren didn’t stop growling, but edged backward, his gaze on the sword.
“That’s right,” she practically cooed. “Pure silver. I will take your head, blood wolf.” She leaped forward and swung it, but Ren quickly dodged the blade and went low, trying to sweep out her legs. She jumped like some kind of fucking witch ninja, and with her free hand unleashed ropes of black glittering magic that went at Ren like snakes. He pulled back, attempting to move out of reach of the magic and Ena’s sword.
Then the magic grabbed hold of him; tendrils wrapped around his wrists and dragged him forward. Then more grabbed his ankles and his legs. He was forced to his knees—and then his head was stretched back, giving Ena a primo spot to embed her sword.
The. Hell.
Meckenzie ran at her, screaming like a crazy warrior woman. She had no weapons, no plan, and no fucking sense. But she refused to let Ena the Evil hurt Ren. The sword swooped down, but she plowed into Ena like a linebacker taking down the other team’s quarterback. Ena managed to keep hold of the sword, but not her feet.
They landed in a heap, fighting for the blade, but
Ena was in full-on fury mode. Meckenzie had a difficult time warding off the blows.
With Ena fighting for her life, she extinguished the magic holding Ren. Meckenzie heard him growling, and then Ena bucked her off and rose to her feet.
Literally.
She floated in the air and zoomed toward the Ren, blade raised.
Meckenzie had never moved so fast in her life. One of the reasons she was a good thief was her flexibility. She put on the moves and ended up standing in front of Ren seconds before the blade swooshed toward that beautiful neck of his.
Ena couldn’t stop the trajectory, but given the look of hatred in her gaze, she wasn’t sorry when the sword slashed across Meckenzie’s ribcage. She twisted the sword and brought it up to her stomach.
It felt like she’d been set on fire. Pain exploded.
“Crap,” she muttered. Meckenzie crumpled to the floor, unable to breathe. She felt her heartbeat in her ears; it was slowing, a soft lullaby before she fell into permanent sleep.
An unearthly howl echoed in the basement. Meckenzie couldn’t feel her body anymore. But she heard the growls and screams, and the thumping and crunching.
Everything was getting gray, and going fuzzy around the edges.
Ren knelt next to her, his expression ravaged, his chest heaving with shuddering breath. Oh, and he was naked and spattered with blood.
“Meckenzie,” he whispered.
She couldn’t get words to form, but she wanted to say that she’d wished they had that kiss, and that she could see him again—with more naked, of course—and that—
Chapter Fourteen
SOPHIE AND TRENT had barely started playing kill-the-monster tag with the four Alberich when the creatures suddenly froze and tumbled to the ground. Like the one they’d defeated at the graveyard, they turned to dried clay and broke into a thousand pieces.
A small crowd of tired Broken Heart citizens came together, triumphant—and really fucking tired.
Lycan on the Edge: Broken Heart Book 13 Page 10