Trapped: Isa Fae Collection: Faction 12

by Isa Fae

  “You don’t fucking give up, do you?” Eric gently placed Miranda’s head back on the floor. Then he stood up while Mason snaked his arm around the Fae child’s neck. “And you will harm your own kind to get what you want.” Eric snorted, disgusted by the coward in front of him. “You know, I once looked up to you. Even sort of thought it was an honor you had chosen me to seek out Miranda. But now I pity your worthless soul. Pity the faction for having to be ruled by a sinister monster like you.” Eric pumped his hands into fists at his side.

  “I have no problem taking down anyone who gets in my way.” The Lord bared his teeth. “I’d tell you to ask my son, but you can’t. He figured it out the hard way.”

  Eric shook his head. “Your own son. From what I’ve witnessed lately, it really didn’t surprise me.” He lowered his head, hoping it would throw the Lord off to his next move. When he raised it up, his arm came with it, and Eric directed the magic circulating in his palm toward the Lord. It struck him in the forehead like a lightning bolt, shocking him enough to release the boy and take a step back.

  “Ronan, protect her!” Eric yelled as he rushed toward the Lord.

  Ronan scurried past Eric, making his way over to Miranda as the Lord regained his footing, laughing as his dark eyes swirled in front of Eric.

  “Do you honestly think you can defeat me?” The Lord mocked him, tightening his stance and preparing for a battle. A battle which Eric had no problem giving him. “Being a hunter, your magic may be almost comparable to mine, but not enough to take this faction away from me. This is my faction, Winters. And it always will be.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Mason.” A female voice said as the same Fae from the shop Eric had visited stepped into the room. “This faction was never yours. It was the Faes. And once you brought the witches through, it became theirs as well.”

  “Kally.” He laughed. “I should have known it was you who created Miranda’s disguise.” He shifted a bit as he tried to keep his attention on both Kally and Eric.

  “And we intend to take it back.” She stepped up and looked over at Eric, a smile on her face. “Are you ready, hunter?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  50

  Miranda

  The sound of shouting and banging, the feeling of the floor shaking underneath of her, slowly caused her to come to. The room was fuzzy, distorted, almost dreamlike. The figures a short distance in front of her leaving blurry streaks behind them as they moved around. She recognized the voices. Eric. Mason. Kally. But the burning sensation in her body made it difficult to focus on what they were doing.

  A small body crouched in front of her. Ronan. She reached for him, but her arm didn’t cooperate with her command. It felt as if invisible weights had been attached to her limbs. Heavy. So very heavy. “Ronan.” She closed her eyes and struggled for breath. Just calling out to him was a difficult task. With as low as her voice was, she hoped he’d hear her.

  The boy twisted his head around to meet her gaze. “Milady, you’re okay!”

  “Yes, Ronan. Now tell me what’s going on?” Her attention drifted back out to the three blurry figures. Her mind still deep in a fog.

  “The hunter and Kally are fighting the Lord. They’ve come to save you.”

  Miranda struggled to pull her body up. She had to get out there and help them before something went wrong.

  “No, Milady.” Ronan looked at her, his hands still balanced in front of him. “The hunter wants you to stay here. He told me to protect you. I have you behind a shield. You have to stay down no matter what happens.”

  “Ronan, please.” She continued to watch them, her sight beginning to clear out now, and things weren’t looking good. “They need my help.”

  “No,” he said in a demanding voice this time. “You aren’t going anywhere. You’re still too weak to use your magic.”

  He was right. More of Miranda’s magic had been drained. And it was taking its time coming back to her. If she went out now, it would only distract Eric and Kally, giving the Lord full advantage. Her only option was to watch from the sideline, hoping they had enough magic to end his rule over the faction.

  Eric and Kally surrounded Mason, and he had both arms up, one hand pointing in each direction. Kally initiated her attack, but the Lord had thrown her backward into a wall with his invisible energy before she could strike him down.

  Eric used this distraction to lunge at him, wrapping his arms tightly around Mason’s neck. Mason spun around, attempting to knock him off, but his grip was too tight.

  Kally lay by the wall, a thin line of blood trickled from her hairline. She appeared dazed as she held her hand to her wound. Miranda was thankful she was okay, but it didn’t stop her heart from plummeting into her stomach. Mason and Eric were now going at it by fists. Each one taking massive blows to the face and to the stomach. Their magic seemed comparable to each other. One not being stronger than the other. But Eric had one advantage over him. The Lord wasn’t a fighter. He was used to Fae doing that for him. Eric wasn’t. As a hunter, he not only knew how to defend himself, but he was trained to take witches and Fae down.

  Eric spun around, kicking his leg out, his shoe catching Mason’s ankle and sending him to the ground. Mason threw his hand out, his magic sending Eric back against the wall. The entire room shook as the men continued to battle it out.

  Kally got up a few times, but she was pushed back down to the ground. Her magic not seeming to affect the Lord at all.

  After a while, they seemed to run down. Both bloodied and faces red. Miranda swallowed hard, knowing she had to do something. She slowly stood up behind Ronan and walked around him as Mason shoved Eric against the wall again, fingers around his throat. He had his hands around the Lord’s wrists, struggling to push him off and take a breath.

  “Milady, no!” Ronan shouted behind her as she made it out into the open, but she ignored him as she focused on Mason.

  Legs shaky and unsteady, Miranda pulled enough strength up from deep within her to get her arms in the air, palms toward Mason. The things he’d done to her flashed into her memory. The years of torture. Taking Sarah and Huffington’s life. And now threatening to take Eric’s life. The heat started at her feet and spread up, crashing into every cell in her body. She refused to lose Eric at the mercy of the Lord’s dirtied hands. Refused to lose him by anyone’s hands.

  The tips of her fingers tingled as the heat moved up her arms and into her palms. Then she unleashed everything she had into Mason’s back. There were no blue and green streaks. No lights or anything to confirm she’d used her magic. She knew it was because she was too weak. Her body swayed and she stuck her arm out to gain support from the wall. Her breath was shallow but rushed. Arms and legs growing heavier and heavier.

  Mason screamed out, his body convulsed, and then he stepped back from Eric, stumbling. She sighed as Eric lunged forward, placing one hand around his neck and the other flat against his chest. “This faction is no longer yours,” he growled the words. “You will no longer be able to hurt Miranda or anyone else. Ever.”

  Mason’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as Eric continued to hold him, his body jerking even more as blood trailed down from the edges of his lips and out his nose.

  When Eric released him, Mason fell hard to the ground, his body unmoving and his chest still. Mason Manchester was no more. The faction had finally been freed from this evil, egotistical monster of a man. And even though Miranda was fighting to stay conscious, a smile broke out on her face. Dead. He’s finally gone. Forever.

  Eric went down on his knees as the room swirled around Miranda, like she was the mother star and the planets were orbiting around her. The room seemed to have a haze, and it made it hard for her to make anything out. The fog got thick, denser as she fought to stay conscious. She was losing them. Eric. Kally. Ronan. She’d used her last bit of energy on Mason, and it was coming back to haunt her. She was pulling away from the room, away from Eric and Kally, and even awa
y from herself.

  Then there was nothing.

  51

  Eric

  He’d seen her go down. And a piece of him went with her. “I told you to keep her protected!” He lashed out at Ronan as he got to his feet and rushed over to her, taking her in his arms and glancing down at her pale face. He’d saved her more than once already, and he would do it again. He refused to have death take her away from him. Not now. Not after everything they’d been through.

  He lifted his arm, bringing her mouth closer to his, and he kissed her, using his tongue to part her lips just as she had done to him after the Renegade witches had taken him down. If it worked for her, it had to work for him.

  As he tasted her, he exhaled into her, pushing his magic into her, desperate to bring her back to him. Her arms and legs twitched, but nothing else responded to his attempt to save her.

  Removing his mouth from her, he drew in a deeper breath, reaching further into his soul to bring his magic forth. And he repeated the process again as his free hand pushed her tangled blonde hair away from her face. As he kissed her this time, he willed his energy to connect with hers as emotions sparked and ignited inside of him.

  And there it was, the slight breath he’d been searching for. Miranda Sage was breathing again.

  “Eric stop!” Kally’s fingers wrapped around his shoulder, jerking him away from her. “I know you want to help her. But you need to get to the cabin. You’re the only one strong enough between me and Ronan to stop the hunters. If you use all your energy up healing her, all of this would have been for nothing. The hunters would only gain control of the faction.”

  “I can’t leave her like this, Kally.” Eric looked up at the Fae, desperation in his voice. No. He could never leave Miranda not knowing whether she would live or die. Because if her life ended, so would his. And it turn, all of this would mean nothing to him anyway.”

  Kally must have picked up on the battle raging inside of him. “Look, Eric. Their freedom means the world to her. If she awakens to find out she failed to protect them, it would crush her. Leave her with me and Ronan. We’ll do what we can to heal her.”

  Eric didn’t want to leave her. But if he had to, he knew he would be leaving her with people he trusted. People who were on the same side as him and Miranda. “Fine, Kally.” He gently placed Miranda’s head on the floor and stood up. “But if anything happens to her—”

  “Eric, go.” She interrupted him. “Ronan and I have this.”

  Eric drew in a deep breath, glancing at Kally and then at Miranda. “Keep her here, and keep her safe.”

  Kally nodded, giving him the confirmation he needed. “Now, go. The entire faction is counting on you. Mason keeps his snowmobiles in the building off to the side of the mansion. Take one of those.”

  Eric turned and rushed from the room. The ache inside of him worsened with the distance he put in between him and Miranda. But like Kally had said, Miranda was determined to fulfill her promise to the Lord’s servants. And if she were to wake up and discover they had all perished, he had a feeling she wouldn’t be the same. Besides, he was the strongest Fae in the faction now. If he took the hunters down, he would be able to create the world Miranda imagined. A world peaceful to both witches and Fae.

  Big flakes of snow fell all around him as he made his way around the mansion walls. A sign another storm was approaching. Eric rushed over to the storage building, anxious to get ahead of the storm before he lost his visibility in the forest.

  Ramming the door open with his shoulder, he blindly searched the wall, his fingers seeking the release for the huge automatic doors. There it is! He pushed the button and dashed over to a blue snowmobile and mounted it. Within seconds, he was racing through the bitter cold toward the forest.

  After entering the maze of trees, he followed the tracks left behind from the hunters vehicles. Lucky for him, the snow had just started and didn’t get a chance to cover up their trail. Pellets of snow stung his face, the icy wind causing him to shiver uncontrollably, but he kept his hands tightly wrapped around the handlebars even though he could no longer feel them. As much as he wanted to use his magic to thaw himself out, he couldn’t. He needed all his energy for the hunters.

  Realizing he couldn’t ride all the way up to the cabin without being detected, he stopped the sled and shut it off. He got off the snowmobile and continued his journey on foot. It didn’t take long for him to hear the shouting, screaming, and total chaos a short distance away from him. Even though he feared for Miranda’s friends, relief coursed through him that the hunters hadn’t gained control of them yet. Now, he just needed to figure out how to take them out without being discovered.

  Using the cover of the trees, Eric surveyed the area. A dozen hunters, maybe a few more, gathered in front of the cabin. Each one taking turns unleashing their magic on the aging structure. A place that meant everything to him. A place where he not only discovered a part of himself he never knew existed, but also where Miranda Sage reached in and claimed his soul.

  The heat centered in his core and expanded into his body. His mind consumed by so much anger he could no longer think. Lifting his hand, he directed his magic at one of the men, taking him down instantly. The others around him warily glanced about, but then returned to their mission, probably thinking the man used too much of his own magic.

  Smoke rolled out of the cabin. The screams from inside the walls angering him even more. Eric took down three more men. Then, he stepped out of the cover of the trees. And a woman turned around, her eyes glaring and full of as much rage as was rolling through him.

  Matryx.

  “Eric Winters.” She smirked and placed her hands on her hips, her legs slightly spread a part, ready to fight. “You don’t ever stop, do you? This war has already been won.”

  “No, Matryx,” he growled. “It hasn’t. Not until I rid the faction of you.”

  “Do it now!” She looked past him. Then her eyes focused back on him, and she smiled.

  Something hit Eric in the center of his back, the force sending him down to his knees. He attempted to get up, but his muscles had completely locked up, his arms and legs frozen in place. “What did you fucking do?” He hissed the words though his teeth, fighting against the force holding him down but failing.

  Matryx circled around him, her eyes dipping down to him. “Don’t fight it, Eric. It’s a little weapon the Lord has been experimenting on to take down unruly Fae and witches. You know, Fae like you. Now, enjoy the show.” She turned and faced the cabin. “Because it will be your last.”

  Eric dipped his head as the cabin erupted into flames. The screams of Tessa and the others ate at his soul. He couldn’t save them. He had failed them and the entire faction. But, most of all, he had failed Miranda Sage. And he could do nothing but watch as the bitch Matryx took everything of importance away from him.

  I will fucking kill her. And he meant every word.

  52

  Miranda

  She gasped for air, opened her eyes, and sat up in a hurry, glancing around the room. Kally. Ronan. No, that can’t be right. She looked around the room again. Same thing. Same two people. Her heart skipped in her chest as her head went numb with fear. “Where’s Eric?”

  Kally and Ronan looked at each other. Their faces told Miranda they were hiding something. The last thing she remembered was Eric falling to his knees. What happened after that? She had to know!

  “Where is Eric?” She asked again, unable to conceal the anger in her voice. She didn’t have time to play games with them. She needed to know where he was. Know that he was safe.

  Ronan backed away, his hands in the air and shaking his head. “I didn’t do it. Blame her.” He pointed a shaky finger at Kally. “She told him to go, Milady.”

  “Go where?” Miranda stood up, facing her friend. Her patience beginning to wear thin.

  “I told him to go after the hunters. They were sent by the Lord to go to the cabin and take down all the servants. I told him to lea
ve you here as well, even though he argued with me. But I said if you woke up to find out the hunters killed them you would be devastated.” She drew in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Miranda. I thought it was the right thing to do. What you wanted.” She took a step back as the fire raged inside of Miranda.

  “You sent him alone?”

  “Yes.” She brought her hands in front of her, lying them on her stomach and fumbling with her fingers. “I thought it was the right thing to do,” she said again, whispering this time.

  Miranda’s face was on fire, her head about to explode. She swung around, making for the door. She had to get to the cabin. There was no way Eric could fight the Division all by himself. What in the hell were they all thinking?

  “Miranda, wait!” Kally yelled behind her.

  She reached the opening of the doorway and bounced back, stumbling to regain her footing. A protection spell on the doorway. Damn Fae. Miranda turned around to Kally, hands trembling as she held her own magic back. “Let me through or I will break down the barrier myself!”

  “Eric told me to keep you here.” She flinched as she eyed Miranda’s hands. “He wants to keep you safe.”

  Miranda let out a manic laugh. She really felt she was losing it. “To keep me safe? Who in the hell is going to help him fight the entire Division, Kally? Absolutely no fucking one! Now, let me go before I do something I’ll regret!”

  “Fine. But meet me by the front door. You can’t go after him dressed like that.” Kally walked around her. “Sometimes you are too stubborn for your own good, Miranda Sage,” she grumbled as she walked out the door.