“What army are you speaking of Cerelia?” Eldrida’s voice is controlled and stern.
“An army created from Racquel. The binding was tricky at first, so many good candidates rejected the transformation. That poor young Witch for example. Cate was it? Yes I believe it was. She was a fighter but I’m afraid I didn’t quite have the binding down correctly.”
I can feel Eldrida tense beside me. For Cerelia to speak so lightly about what she did and the lives she took, it’s no wonder she’s able to take life so easily. She has no heart.
“So you were planning to put my sister through this torture. And if she didn’t make it? You had to know that if she died, I would do nothing but seek revenge for her death.” My hands tighten at my sides, a faint blue glow encompassing them.
“That is why Edwin made me wait until now, until I had everything perfected.”
The word ‘perfected’ worries me. Does that mean she figured out how to bind them all together? Was she successful with someone else?
“It was difficult, even more difficult than your birth, Racquel. Binding all those DNA strands to a full-grown adult was next to impossible. I had asked Edwin to bring me some children but he refused,” she says in a disgusted tone.
Well, it’s nice to know my grandfather has some standards. Not a lot, but some.
“Nevertheless, we have prevailed and now have the ingredients to make all this happen.”
During Cerelia’s rant, I hadn’t noticed my grandfather move, but now he’s standing in front of me.
“I know all this is overwhelming but we can get through all this. Join me, Racquel, and together we will show all those that tormented our family that we can have our revenge.”
I look back at Addie, fear overtaking her face. I know she doesn’t want this. I could never force her into a life she doesn’t want. But does that mean I should turn away from it? Should I give up the chance to seek out revenge, to be with my grandfather, who has done all this because he loved his family?
“You fear for Addie. We can change her, Racquel. I know how much your sister means to you, I would never put her in danger of death. I know we would be successful. In fact, we already have one success.” He turns, signaling to the shadow within the room above. Looks like the mystery person is about to be revealed.
As the door creaks open, I hear someone shouting from the top of the stairwell we descended. Coy rushes down the stairs, shouting my name. But once he reaches the bottom, he stops, rigid, looking past me, past my grandfather, up to the figure at the top of the stairs.
“Micah?” he whispers.
As I follow his gaze, my mind flashes back to the innocent boy who cared for me when I was injured. The boy that would have been killed if anyone found out he was taking care of me.
The same boy stands before me now, but his features are not the same. His beautiful green eyes, eyes that had shown so much compassion for me before, are now tinged with red. His hair is longer now, still wavy and blond, but now it reaches to his shoulders. His muscles are more defined, his stance more animal-like. He appears to be in pain, whether from seeing his brother or from the battle that’s raging inside his body, I can’t tell. I can read in his red eyes that he’s afraid of what’s happened to him.
“You see?” my grandfather says excitedly, gesturing to Micah. “His body has accepted the transformation. Cerelia finally found the answer she needed to complete the binding. Addie can be with you forever too, if you will just join me.”
My eyes never leave Micah. He’s staring at his brother but when his gaze falls upon me, a stray bloody tear leaks down his cheek. My chest tightens at seeing the boy who was once vibrant, even under the harsh circumstances he lived under, now crippled with pain and fear.
Micah helps me make a decision. I could never put Addie through this. I could never be a part of torturing a stranger, let alone someone I love. How can someone think they’re doing the right thing once they have seen these results? Only a mad person would think it was right.
I turn back to those who truly care about me, those who would fight to the ends for those they love. I give a small nod, a signal that things are about to get hairy, then turn back to my grandfather. Looking upon the man I once loved and admired, I simply say, “No,” and back away, shaking my head.
“What?” he says, incredulity in his voice.
“You heard me, I said no. How could you do this? How could you become the bigger monster?” I yell.
His anger grows at my words. “Monster! Me? What about those Vampires who tied you up, stoned you, bit you, whipped you with a lash? You don’t consider them bigger monsters? What about those shifters who would shift in and out of their forms, taunting you, biting you, spitting on you, never letting you go? And you call me the bigger monster?”
My heart races as he describes the pain I suffered. How could he know all that if he wasn’t there? And if he was there, why didn’t he stop them? How could he just stand by and watch? My pain turns to fury. “How do you know about all that?”
“I—I saw it happen through Cerelia. I had her keep tabs on you while we worked on our plan.” His voice becomes quiet. He knows he has just confessed to witnessing my torture, and not doing anything to stop it.
Tears fall down my cheeks, staining my face. “Instead of creating some so-called army, a true grandfather would have come and saved me. He wouldn’t have stood by while I was being tormented to no end, just to wreak havoc later.”
Without even thinking about it, I walk up and slap him in the face.
When he turns his head back around, his eyes are glowing red.
“You will not disrespect me in such a manner, child. You will join me whether it’s of your own free will or not.” Grabbing me by the arm, he yanks me to him.
Wrong move there, buddy.
Chapter Twenty Six
Edwin. A name I’ve never used for him. The one Eldrida called him. That’s what I think of him now: a mindless monster with a name, not the great, caring grandfather I once knew.
He has a tight hold on me. But not tight enough. I thrust my hands up between our bodies, and put all my energy into shoving him away from me. Edwin stumbles back a half step, but keeps an unyielding grip on my arm.
A red glow fills the room as Cerelia unleashes her power upon the Elders. I can feel her power infuse the room, beckoning me to yield, weakening my resolve to continue fighting. Then a bright blue glow explodes from behind and expands through the room, pushing back against the red.
The blue light surrounds me, giving me back my power, while Edwin still stands within the red. The room looks like fire and ice, and where it meets in the middle, it sizzles and burns. Unfortunately, that happens to be where my forearm is located.
I scream as my arm is encircled by a burning glow. I don’t let it distract me, I fight through it. I grab Edwin by his cloak, throwing him to the ground.
His fangs are out, his eyes glowing. I place my foot on his arm, trying to pry off his hand. He grabs my leg with his other hand, dragging me to the ground with him. I hit my head and my vision blacks for a moment and though I regain my senses quickly, he’s up before I am, dragging me to my feet, pinning me against his body, his other arm encircling my chest.
“Enough,” he yells. “You will come with me, or your friends will die.”
Coy starts to run forward but Addie stops him, probably sensing he’s human. Coy looks from me to Micah then back again. I can see the torture in his eyes. I understand. He wants to help me, but he also wants to get Micah out of here.
The Elders advance on Cerelia, their power radiating throughout the room. I can hear them chanting. They’re completely focused, arms out stretched in front of them. They move in unison, never faltering.
Cerelia has her hands outstretched as well. “Why Hanalei, how you have changed. Your willingness to fight me after helping me is astonishing.” Cerelia had been whispering something in hushed tones—an incantation, I figure—but now she takes a moment to tr
y and throw doubt into the Elders’ minds.
It doesn’t work though. They keep advancing on her. Eldrida and Laveda never pause. They know what’s at stake if they take a moment to question Hanalei. It will give Cerelia the opportunity to overpower them.
I focus back on my situation, needing to break free of Edwin’s grasp. I try pushing his arms away, getting a few inches before he locks my arms back around me.
“You’re not the only Shadow with special blood, little one. Cerelia has done a lot for me, including enhancing my own powers.”
He starts dragging me toward where Cerelia and Micah stand. I push him back as hard as I can, causing us both to stumble until we smash against the wall.
The thin plaster wall and dirt behind it breaks around us. I press the advantage, head-butting him a few times in succession. His grip finally breaks and my arms are released. I get a good grip on him, and without hesitation, throw him across the room. He lands on the other side of the laboratory, knocking more plaster off the wall, revealing the earth underneath.
Before he can react, I’m at him again. I do a roundhouse kick, connecting with his face. He stumbles to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth. I grab hold of him again, and toss him across the room once more.
He lands next to Cerelia, the steps cracking as he lands. I try running up to them but I’m shoved back by an invisible force. I land on my back, my arms behind me to soften the impact. I feel a bone in my wrist snap, followed by pain shooting through my arm.
I push myself up with my other arm, not allowing the injury to take me out of the action. Before I reach the invisible barrier again, a gunshot rings through the air. Wide-eyed, I look over to see Coy holding the gun in front of him. His hand is shaking so badly he loses his grip and it falls to the floor. I look back to where my grandfather is lying to see if Coy was successful, but I see the bullet lying on the ground outside the barrier. I try taking another run at them but I’m met with the same resistance again.
Over the hum of power coursing all around us, I hear Addie yelling at me. “Racquel, stop! You can’t get through it.”
I back up, knowing she’s right. Not willing to give up, I search for a way to get to Cerelia. Then a gut instinct takes over and I go stand next to Laveda. She drops one hand, grabbing hold of mine. I don’t know what they’re saying but I lend them my power.
I focus on Cerelia, envisioning her falling to her knees, our power overtaking her, causing her to surrender. If there’s one way to take down Cerelia, this is it. We continue our slow walk up to the steps. My hope flares as we get closer. A loud ruckus comes from the stairwell behind us, but I keep my focus on our opponent. I hear Ethan shout as multiple sets of feet descend the stairwell. Relief washes over me. Now I know we can overpower them, bringing all this to an end.
The Elders retain their focus, but Cerelia looks toward the stairwell. Anger flashes over her features, her face becoming distorted with hate. Edwin has been laying on the ground moaning, but is now slowly raising himself to his feet. Micah tries to break free and join his brother across the room, but Edwin pulls Micah to him with one arm, and places his other hand on Cerelia.
“This is not over!” Cerelia screams before sweeping her hands forward, pulling all the energy in the room into her. The Elders and I stagger forward a step, pulled by the sheer power of Cerelia’s spell. My breath catches, my body growing cold as I feel what energy I have built up sucked out of me.
Eldrida screams as Cerelia gestures toward us. Energy is released from her hands, a bright purple blaze, burning my eyes so I can’t see. The room explodes as her energy courses through the room, and we’re all thrown back.
My body slams into the wall, my breath catching from the impact. Pain explodes throughout my body as debris lands on me. I feel blood coursing down my face as my vision starts to swim. The last thing I hear is Micah and Coy screaming out for one another. Then all goes black.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Laying on my bed, staring out the window, I silently weep for Eldrida.
When Cerelia drew in all the energy in the room, Eldrida was the focal point, and she had been terribly drained. So much so that the impact of Cerelia’s subsequent blast had proved too much for Eldrida’s aged frame to withstand.
When I first regained consciousness, Addie had been sitting beside me, rocking back and forth, crying. My ears were still ringing but I had heard the other Elders and Witches in the room mourning Eldrida.
Addie had looked down at me, tears streaking her face. “Oh thank god,” was all I heard before I fell back into the darkness.
When I came around a second time, I realized I was back in our filthy room in Nuuk. The room was full of faces I didn’t recognize. Addie rushed over, checking to make sure I was okay, and explained everything that had happened: Eldrida’s death, the injuries the others sustained. How Ethan and Coy had carried me down the mountain onto the rescue boats Witten had sent.
She then told us what everyone had gone through while imprisoned. They weren’t allowed to talk to one another, though they could hear the screams of the ones taken into the laboratory. The Chimera taunted them, only bringing them muddy water and stale bread to live on.
Danika added to the story, explaining what had happened when they went down to the cells. Danika told me that she had tried to break through the spell holding them back, but that it wasn’t until our battle, when Cerelia became weakened, that she was able to break the spell.
A few days after our battle, we made arrangements to get everyone home safely. I went with the Shape-shifters, returning three of the missing five. Ethan went with the wolves, escorting the missing back home, including a very thankful Damara who had been frantic to find out what had happened to her husband Garrett. Jared escorted the two surviving Vampires. Unfortunately, his sister wasn’t one of them. She had died while being injected, unable to handle the pain associated with the binding. This had caused him great grief and he had vowed to find vengeance in front of us before shutting down into a sorrow-filled silence.
The Fairy Queen had showed up at the hotel, taking her Fae with her. Of the two captured, only one had survived. Before Queen Kaya left, we explained what happened inside the mountain. She released the Witch she had imprisoned in case we failed. Thankfully, we didn’t. I have learned never to underestimate the Fairy Queen. She sticks to her word. And now her efforts are focused on Edwin and Cerelia.
The one Leprechaun taken had been sacrificed in one of the fatal attempts to add more mixture to the blend.
The one surviving Witch (other than Addie), returned with the Elders and Danika. Danika and Laveda had to make the sad arrangements to transport Eldrida’s body back home. Hanalei no longer held the status of Elder. Once Hanalei realized Eldrida was gone, she crumpled to her knees and confessed to helping Cerelia. I don’t know much about what transpired after that, but I know the whole Coven had been shocked. Not only did they lose their Crone, but they also lost their Mother.
Addie also told us more about the Chimera. They were human subjects who Cerelia had used for her experiments. At first she had cut their tongues out to silence them, but then got the idea to try her experiment on them. Their bodies hadn’t rejected the binding completely, but it did morph them into unrecognizable creatures who could then be used as fighters.
Everyone was grateful to us for saving those kidnapped. They mourned those they lost but were happy to get some back alive. We never did hear from Jared about how Aldrick reacted. I wonder how he took the news of my grandfather being the one behind all this. I’m sure he’s more worried about the threat to his throne than the safety of his people.
Addie and Coy flew back home on their own. Addie and I asked Coy to stay with us until he could figure out what he wanted to do next. Once I arrived home, Addie told me how much Coy blamed himself. How he believed with all his heart, he could have saved Micah. Addie tried explaining to him that was impossible but he wouldn’t listen. I tried talking to him too, but instead of
listening to us, he just locked himself in my grandparents’ old room.
Since then, we’ve only seen him when he comes down to the kitchen to make a sandwich or to get something to drink. The bedroom has a bathroom attached, so we don’t see him unless he needs to eat.
Ethan and Danika showed up a few hours ago. I had gone down to say hello, but had soon left the room and come back upstairs, not wanting to talk.
I push my own sorrow-filled thoughts away and listen to Addie talk with the two in the kitchen. I don’t want to intrude, but am curious to hear what they’re going to say before everyone goes their separate ways.
“So how are Racquel and Coy doing?” Danika asks.
“They’re doing okay, I guess. Racquel’s mostly quiet and Coy never leaves his room. He still blames himself for not being able to save his brother.” There’s a pause, then I hear dishes clattering. I’m sure she’s getting them some tea. Addie’s always been one who couldn’t sit still for long.
“So how are things with the Covenant?” Addie asks.
“Things are still a little crazy. Once Laveda and Witten found out about Hanalei’s betrayal, they put a block on her powers. I’m still not sure what they are going to do if it comes down to exiling her. I still haven’t heard what she did exactly.”
I knew something was off with Hanalei but never would I have thought she was helping Cerelia. I’m not sure how she did, it’s something I’m going to have to check out.
“How is everyone coping with Eldrida’s passing?”
“Everyone’s sad of course, remembering everything she taught them and how much of a grandmother she was to all of us. Her burial service was very beautiful and touching.”
I can sense Danika’s sadness from here.
“What about you Ethan? How are things at home?” Addie asks.
“Same as always. I help rescue our kind from a terrible fate, and the old man is still pissed at me for leaving without telling him.”
Uniquely Unwelcome (The Shadow World, #1) Page 32