“Good.”
Flynn called for his demon. “Vanth!”
She appeared, and she was dressed for battle. “Yes, Father?”
“You’re not going. You’re staying.”
“But I always go with you. I’m always at your side when we fight. I have to be there.”
He hugged her.
Jolie watched curiously. There was a bond there that hadn’t been there when it was just Flynn. Vanth genuinely loved Rinnon. You could see it in her swirling eyes.
“But.”
He lifted her chin. “You have the most important job. You have to keep our women safe. You can’t let anything happen to them. You can’t let Jolie get hurt. Those babies have to be born. They are our legacy.”
She understood.
“Come back, Father. I just got you back.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “I will.”
When he looked over at his mate, she had tears in her eyes. As did Kiera.
“Come here.”
Jolie raced at them. She jumped into their arms and held on. Both men surrounded her, holding her close.
Alex did the same, and Kiera moved toward him. She kissed him, and placed her head on his shoulder. “Come home to me, my love.”
His heart kicked.
“I will. I have a witch watching my back, and I fight with my brothers.”
Jolie let them go. She then kissed her brother on the cheek. “Be safe, Alex.”
He would.
“We have company,” Vanth said.
Mordechai entered the room. “I’m ready. We should go.”
He was dressed in normal clothes, and when Jacques offered him a blade, he declined.
It showed his denial of the situation.
“I have a pouch for him,” Kiera stated.
“No. I won’t need it.”
“Father,” Jacques began, only to be cut off by the man who raised him.
“No. You’re wrong about her, and I trust my mate.”
Flynn sniffed the air. He could smell the truth. Mordechai believed he’d been betrayed, but he’d rather die than come back without Morganna.
He kept that from Jacques. If he told him, his mate would worry, and his mind wouldn’t be on the battle.
They could lose him.
“We should go,” Flynn stated, crossing the room.
Jolie did something silly. “Wait!”
They both turned.
“Here.”
She pulled two silk handkerchiefs from the top of the dress and handed them to her mates.
They both got the symbolism.
They were fighting in her honor. Flynn tucked his into his shirt, against his heart. Jacques did the same.
“See you later, baby.”
Then they headed out.
Kiera and Jolie stood side by side, holding hands. They were both worried. Vanth touched them both. “He’s very good at this. In battle, he’s defeated monsters that are far worse than Gradius.”
For some reason, that didn’t make Jolie feel better.
It made her feel worse. Flynn was going to disappear even more, and Rinnon was getting stronger.
That scared her.
More than the Tueur.
More than losing her children.
More than dying herself.
She wasn’t sure she could live without Flynn. He was her rock.
∞ Chapter Forty-Two ∞
Meeting Site
Before they reached the site, they had Mordechai drop them off a couple miles away. They were going to run there, hoping to surprise the Tueur. They knew Gradius would be posting assassins along the way, making sure Mordechai came alone.
They weren’t taking any chances.
This was the day Flynn would remove the Tueur’s head, and take over his role. He could feel Death around him, and he didn’t doubt that was her way of giving him that little extra edge.
‘We’re almost there,’ Jacques whispered into his mind.
Flynn could feel Alex not far away, as they headed through the trees.
‘I see Tueur,’ Flynn stated, warning them both. Here was where it was going to be fun. The attack would start, but not how Gradius planned.
‘Let’s set the stage,’ Alexzandre offered.
It was time.
Mordechai parked the vehicle and slipped out. He was scanning the area as he tried to keep his body relaxed. He could feel his mate near, but he could also feel other vampyres.
His heart sank.
Morganna had betrayed him. He couldn’t believe it. Still, he was willing to give her a chance to explain.
“Morganna! I’m here. Where are you?”
She stepped out from the trees. “You’re late.”
He didn’t recognize her. She wasn’t dressed the way he liked. In fact, she was wearing things that he’d never let her wear. He hated seeing his mate flaunt her body like that.
She looked like a harlot.
“I had to make sure I wasn’t followed.”
At that moment, he was praying his son and the other two men weren’t far behind. Now, in hindsight, taking some protection from the witch was probably a good idea.
He was screwed. There was no way he was going to get out of this alive.
Maybe he knew that.
Maybe he didn’t want to go on without her.
He’d been a horrible mate, and he saw that now. It all led to this.
“Why did you betray Jacques? Why did you turn him and Jolie in to the Tueur?”
She stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Morganna, I know everything.”
She started laughing. “Then you know why, Mordechai. You then realize that I’ve been your punching bag for so many years when you got angry. I stood between you and those kids for years, and they’ve left me. They abandoned the woman who gave them life.”
“They don’t deserve this. You’re betraying your family.”
She didn’t care. “He turned his back on me for a human and a woman who was nothing. She was beneath him. He could have led our family.”
“They told me you were beneath me too. I didn’t listen. I chose you to be my mate.”
“You never loved me, Mordechai. If you did, you wouldn’t have been the bastard you were.”
She had him there.
He was a bastard.
He was horrible.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s too late. Where’s Jacques?” she asked. “Tell me where he is, and Gradius will let you live.”
He didn’t buy that.
Mordechai reached for his son. There was a spell in the surrounding field. He couldn’t feel him.
Shit!
The witch was right.
Again.
He had to trust the man he’d raised, treated horribly, and hurt with his fists and words.
He was screwed.
“Tell Gradius to come out. I know he’s here. I know he’s going to kill me anyway, Morganna. My fate is sealed.”
There was laughter.
“You better believe it, Mordechai,” the man said, stepping up behind Morganna. “She’s been very useful. She helped me find them a few times, and she helped me capture the witch and Jolie’s brother. Your mate is very useful.”
He ran his hands down her breasts.
“And she’s lovely. I’ve enjoyed EVERYTHING she’s had to offer. You’ve been lucky.”
“Oh, Morganna. Why?”
“Because he can offer me what you can’t. He’s going to let me live and be free. I’m sick and tired of your tyranny. Gradius values my mind.”
He grabbed her by the hair and kissed her. His mouth stole, plundered, and she didn’t fight. She was already his.
Mordechai’s heart broke.
His mate had slept with the head of the Tueur. He was so sorry that he’d been wrong about her. This killed him.
This moment, where the woman he thought was his, destroyed him.
Did he deser
ve it?
Yes.
Now there was only one thing left to do. He had to rectify this. He’d promised to be a better father. Deep down, he knew he’d never see the grandchildren born.
It was over.
His life…was done.
“Tell us where he is,” Gradius said, waving his arm. Before them appeared an army of Tueur. There had to be fifty vampyres, all ready to kill him.
He couldn’t let them take him.
Mordechai knew too much. He knew where Jolie was hidden, and he knew what Flynn had become. They weren’t taking him alive.
He’d fight to the death.
It would be his penance.
“I’ll never betray my family. I’ve learned something the last few days, Morganna. Family matters. I’m sorry I hurt you. That’s on me. Maybe I made you into this monster, this betrayer, but today, when I die, I will go to my death knowing I was cleaning up my mess. I hope one day you get that same chance.”
She said nothing.
“Bring him to me. I’ll torture him for the answers I seek.”
Mordechai saw it coming. The silver was heading his way. He wished he had a blade, but not this way.
The Tueur were attacking.
The hit to his body took him to the ground. At first, he was shocked. It was his son.
Jacques was up, tossing his father two daggers.
“Fight!” he ordered. “You have to fight!”
Then he was off into the fray, taking down Tueur after Tueur. He had a job to do.
He had to get to his mother and Gradius.
Mordechai was up, and he followed his son into the battle. He wasn’t going to let the man fight his war. This was his doing.
As he charged into the fray, he wasn’t alone. He could see Alexzandre fighting hard not far from him.
They were overwhelmed.
They needed help.
As if he heard them, Flynn entered the clearing. Raising his hands, he sent out enough energy to take down the first wave of Tueur.
‘He’s mine,’ Flynn echoed through their minds. He needed to be the one who killed Gradius.
The head of the Tueur watched in horror. He had fifty killers, and they had four. This should be a no brainer.
They were getting closer.
“Katya! Use the magick!”
She chanted some words, but nothing happened. She was confused.
“They’re warded, Master.”
This wasn’t good.
“Stop them!”
He sent out every one of his killers. The last twenty five were embarked from the trees and into the fray. They were fighting hard, trying to kill the enemy.
They were failing.
“We have to go,” Morganna said, as her son, Mordechai, and Jolie’s mate got closer.
If they got her, she was dead.
Gradius needed to be sure. He needed to make sure that they were definitely going down before he left. He didn’t have many chances. This was his best one.
While he could regroup, he didn’t want to lose headway. Jolie was close to giving birth. Those babies had to die, and he had to have her.
“We will, but only when we’re not going to win.”
She clung to his side.
Morganna realized what she’d done.
They were dead.
It was as simple as that.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Rinnon’s Lair
They could feel the battle and they weren’t even there. The monstrous home vibrated and shook in fury. All around them, there were quakes and tremors.
There was no doubt in Jolie’s mind that Flynn was connected to the lair. It was part of him.
“Come into the circle,” Kiera said, taking a seat. “Have you ever cast a spell?”
Jolie laughed. “Yeah, over two men at once. That’s about it.”
Kiera laughed. “Well, I’m going to need you. I have to scry, and you can be in my mind and see everything.”
“I’ll need your blood.”
She held out her wrist. “This won’t make Alex angry, will it? He doesn’t want anyone feeding from me.”
Jolie was amused. “He doesn’t want men feeding from you. Trust me, I’m in that same boat.”
She grinned. “I love him.”
“I know, and now you’re my sister. I’ll do anything to keep you safe, and he knows it.”
“Go ahead, Jolie,” she said, as the mountain shook. It was like being in an earthquake.
Jolie took her blood, and while she was there, she searched the woman’s mind to make sure she wasn’t going to hurt her brother. She recalled Arian’s reign of tyranny.
“I won’t hurt him.”
Jolie stared up at her as she released her wrist. “I see he’s taught you.”
“No, I picked it up.”
She was a powerful witch. Jolie could feel it. She’d underestimated her. There was a dark part of her mind, which she couldn’t access. Jolie wondered if her brother realized it was there.
“Shall we begin?”
Jolie took a seat. She watched the witch work her magick. As she cast the circle, began scrying, and took her hand in hers, Jolie slipped into her mind.
There was a bloody battle brewing.
She could see her mates.
She could see her brother.
They were covered in the gore. They were fighting hard for her life, and it stole her breath.
“Oh God!”
Kiera didn’t have to say a word.
She was thinking the exact same thing.
They were in danger.
“In my mind, there’s a chant. Find it. We need to do it together,” she said, waving her hand over a pot of herbs. They burst to life.
Jolie did what she said.
She had to do her part.
She needed her mates to come home. They couldn’t fail. If they did, she didn’t want to go on without her heart.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
They were all over Flynn.
They must have suspected he was the one they had to worry about the most. He was doing battle against a good eight Tueur, and they meant to take off his head.
He couldn’t let that happen. While he couldn’t die, he wasn’t sure if that would kill him.
He didn’t have all of his memories back, so it was sketchy at best. He was already a walking pincushion for all the silver blades they’d thrown at him. When they realized it didn’t slow him down, they made sure to stay out of arm’s length.
He was having to take out their hearts.
It was slow moving.
As he looked over the shoulder of one of the killers, he saw Jacques being inundated. He couldn’t let the man fall. So, he sent out some of his precious energy and took down the few Tueur surrounding him as he fought to get to his father.
‘Thank you,’ he heard in his mind, as he went back into the fight.
Alex approached, and he was a bloody mess. “Shall we get to Gradius?”
Yes, it was time.
“Let’s go.”
As they worked their way there, they had to hope they could catch him off guard. “I have to be the one who ends him. I have to fill Death’s request.”
“I’ll only slow him down. The kill is yours, my brother.”
Flynn was proud to stand beside Jolie’s blood. He’d proved his worth. He forced himself to focus on the assassins ahead of them.
“It’s time to finish this. I want to go home.”
Alex understood that. For the first time, in a long time, so did he. There was his heart, and she was waiting for him.
Jacques battled hard. He was covered in blood, some his, but most was from the Tueur. With each of the assassins he took down, he was one step closer to his mother and Gradius.
As the last one fell, he faced the woman who gave him life. She was watching him with fear.
“Mother, what have you done?” he asked, as his father continued fighting for his life.
&nbs
p; “You abandoned your family. You took a human and made him more important than your blood. You left me to suffer with your father after years where I protected you. It’s you who betrayed me.”
There was a wave of energy that flooded the field.
It felt like magick.
It took the Tueur down, but not the family.
Kiera and Jolie had their backs.
“You betrayed us. You turned Jolie over to a man whose brother spent years raping and abusing her. I can’t forgive you.”
She headed his way.
He had to hope she couldn’t kill him.
“You won’t hurt me,” she said, reading his mind. Morganna knew her son. While he was a killer, he had a soft spot.
“He hurt me so much. I had to get away.”
The tears came.
“Oh, Mother. You could have called me. I would have come and got you. I would have brought you to my home.”
“He wouldn’t let me leave. I wanted to,” she whispered, moving toward her son.
Jacques felt her pain.
He knew what it was like to be under his father’s tyranny. He’d lived it for too long. It’s why he escaped.
“Gradius is using you.”
She moved closer.
“I wanted to leave. I wanted to be free. The Tueur was my only way out.”
Jacques felt horrible.
Morganna was within arm’s reach, and the tears were flowing.
“Mother…”
Just as she was about to reach him, there was a howl in anger. Mordechai raced at them, placing himself between his son and his mate.
He was just in time.
The blade hit, nicking his heart.
He fell.
Jacques caught the man who just saved his life. His father had made the ultimate sacrifice.
“NOOOO!” Jacques shouted.
His mother raced away, going to the man who hunted them. She took his hand, and they headed off into the woods.
Flynn saw his mate, and he took down the killer in front of him. Before he could go after Gradius and Morganna, he had some leather-clad woman to handle.
Dangerous Sacrifice (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 6) Page 51