Jade

by Rose Montague

  I had tears running down my cheeks, I didn’t realize I could get so emotional. Rolfe, Sarah, and Chris all hostages of the Mayor. I would be lucky to see them alive again, they were among my first few friends that I had made. Jane reached over the front seat and handed me some tissues, placing them in my palm and gently squeezing my hand letting me know she was there for me.

  It took me a minute, I had to wipe my eyes and blow my nose and gather my thoughts, all I really wanted to do was to go and get my friends back.

  “My task went very smoothly this time,” I said, not mentioning I had some help with it. “Roger is in, he has given me his cell phone number and told me to tell you to give him a call if he is needed.” I gave Jill his card, he had written his private cell phone number on the back.

  “My guess is that they have a trace set up on James’ cell phone,” Jill said. “They are hoping to pinpoint your exact location and probably use that as an excuse to go into Pack territory. I wanted to make sure you take this call in the city, if we are moving we can ditch the phone as soon as you complete the call. That interview has made them desperate, they want to eliminate all opposition very quickly before we make things even harder for them.”

  The phone rang and Jane handed me the cell phone.

  “Smith,” the Mayor said. “You are a real pain in the ass. I want you to know I have your partner and your FBI witches with me at Central Prison. They are not doing so well. I don’t expect them to make it after twenty four hours from now. By the way, you are going to burn in hell.”

  “I am going to squash you like a bug,” I replied, and hung up the phone.

  Jill pulled our SUV up next to a pickup truck in the other lane and I threw the phone in the bed of the pickup, Jill turning left at the next intersection. I felt a little sorry for the guy in the pickup, he was going to have some company shortly. We could already hear some sirens sounding in the distance, heading in the direction we had just left.

  We headed for Central Prison instead of going back to Tanglewood. Our time was limited now if we wanted to save my friends, and Jill wanted to see what they had prepared for us. A prison is designed both to keep people out, as well as keeping people in. If we thought the compound we had attacked the previous night was a fortress, seeing this place made that one look like a house of cards. There were close to a hundred cop cars, SWAT team vehicles, and National Guard vehicles in the parking lot. Two armored vehicles were stationed at the gate, guns pointed outwards. Guns at every corner tower, a triple series of electrified fencing with rolls of barbed wire at the top, cops, and Swat, as well as National Guard troops walked the interior perimeter, carrying automatic weapons. Lights and spotlights had the place looking brighter than daylight.

  I had rolled down my window, smelling, letting my shifter side tell me if Rolfe was there.

  “He’s still alive, I think he is in that small building at the corner of the parking lot, what looks like an administration and visitors facility.” I had difficulty pinpointing much else, witches smell similar to humans and I was not close enough to get a read on their magic.

  “Then your FBI witch friends are probably there as well,” Jill said, telling Jane to drive us back to Tanglewood. “I have some ideas” she continued. “We will take some major casualties and the odds are not in our favor, nor is there any guarantee that we can save them, but we can bring this thing to a close tomorrow night, one way or another, using all of our assets in one attack. Let me think about this on the way back and we can discuss my plan when we get back to our cabin.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It was a good plan, I thought, maybe even brilliant, as we waited in the woods outside the prison. Twenty-three hours had passed since the phone call from the Mayor. It was almost one am. I had slept most of the day, I was well fed, well rested, and impatient to get going. The weather was cooperating, a fine misty rain, humid and muggy. This would work in our favor. Behind me stood two dozen shifters, led by the Pack Alpha, James. Behind them, were the vamps, everyone we could gather for this attack, about sixty strong. On the back side of the prison two shifters waited with a car and a group of three witches. Roger and his two bodyguards had showed up for us. We could not execute the plan without them.

  Actually, we can’t execute the plan without any of the pieces, I thought. The Winter Queen had used every available resource and then some. From the back of the prison, the three witches would create a spell of dense fog that would roll over the prison and stay there. Roger said they could hold that spell for around ten minutes, that should be enough for our needs. At that point, two things would happen. The two shifters would start the car, get out, tying the steering wheel down and placing a brick on the accelerator, they would place the car in gear and jump out. The car would crash into the first of the three fences, it would not penetrate but in the fog of confusion it would sound like we were trying to breach the fence at that point.

  At the same time, the Winter Queen, acting in concert with the Summer Queen on the other side of the divide would open a portal to Faerie in the little guardhouse next two the two armored vehicles sitting side by side, blocking the entrance, with guns facing outwards. Four of the Summer Queen’s more powerful warriors would enter the gate house through the portal. They were all capable of holding a shield against bullets for at least a few seconds. They might not need it, I hoped, if the fog was thick enough. Two of them would take the closest armored vehicle, killing the guards, and ram it forward into the swinging gates that allowed vehicles in and out of the prison. Opening a new portal to Faerie is an enormous task, Jill had told us that after this effort she would likely collapse from exhaustion and would not be able to help us further. The two shifters in charge of ramming the car in the fence in the back would take her to safety.

  The other two fae would back the other vehicle up, straight into the administration building’s door, breaching it, That’s were the shifters came in, me included. We had the best chance of finding the hostages, finding Rolfe by smell would be easy, and that close we should be able to pinpoint the location of Sarah and Chris as well. I would take half the shifters through the front door and James would lead the other half into the second floor windows, the hostages could be in either place. Jill hoped the two pronged entrance would add to the surprise and confusion.

  Jane would lead the large group of vamps, their job was to eliminate the guards around the grounds, so when we emerged with the hostages, we would not be riddled with bullets. Both vamps and shifters can maneuver in the dark and fog, it’s a bit harder, but still manageable.

  Jill warned us that the guards were likely to be shooting indiscriminately at this point, probably shooting some of ours at the same time they were shooting some of their own. Her casualty estimate was half our force and that is if the plan worked to perfection. The unknown factor was inside the administration building, we didn’t know how many armed guards would be inside, certainly some, and the fog on the grounds would not help us there. We would need to be fast and viscous she said, kill anything and anyone that is not the three we were there for.

  I asked her about the Mayor and why he was not a target. “We simply do not have the resources,” she had answered. She did have one more part to her plan. She had been monitoring the news while Jane and I had slept. Evelyn’s story had started to be picked up by the national outlets. The Mayor had first denied it and now was not available for comment, probably because he was waiting for us.

  Evelyn had agreed to wait at the same meeting room we had rented before, Roger would give a live interview, as well as the hostages, if we were able to rescue them and they were up to talking. Jane and Jill would both speak as well, and James would be there to speak for the shifters. I hoped all these folks would make it out of this thing alive. Evelyn was planning a live feed with a camera crew and news truck, with many interviews, one after another. Jill felt that this would have a huge impact on public perception, she said she could see the media starting to understand somethin
g funny was going on already.

  I was sure glad we had the Winter Queen on our side and was thankful to my Queen for asking her to team up with me. I would hate to have to go up against her in a fight. We waited for the fog. I could sense the witches building the magic and could almost see the fog coming at the back of the prison compound. When it reached the front, the Queens would open the portal.

  I looked back at Jane, her group of vamps behind us in the woods. ”Piece of cake,” she mouthed silently, and winked. I smiled and blew her a kiss. The fog was halfway across the prison as I turned around. We could hear guards, shouting commands in concern and confusion. Just before the fog reached the front of the prison, a big screeching crash could be heard from the rear of the prison and the shooting started.

  Jane had got me started, as I realized I was again muttering, “Piece of cake,” to myself. Almost time to go. I could not wait, I had made a promise to the Mayor and I planned on keeping that promise, as soon as the hostages were secure.

  The fog reached the front of the prison. I had sensed fae magic building the last ten yards or so and then a surge of power and I felt a portal open. Four fae emerged from the small gate house, swords in hand, shields sparkling with magic. Diocletus and the Queen’s Blade were among the four. Diocletus and his partner took the first vehicle and the Queen’s Blade, moving at a speed I envied, had reached the second vehicle and killed three guards before I could even blink. Both fae teams achieved their goal, the first smashing through the entrance gate, the second backing in a weave, towards the administration building.

  That’s my cue, I thought and we surged forward swarming over the vehicle that was now stuck in the front gates, but open enough that we could still go through three abreast. We moved fast and almost beat the second armored vehicle to the admin door and we were through the front door just a half-second after it crashed inside, pieces of bricks from the building flying off of us as the vehicle smashed not only the door but partially entered the building as well.

  I smelled James leading his crew upstairs. I now knew that was where they were holding Sarah and Chris. Rolfe was ahead of me, near the back of the building on the first floor, a dining hall, I could tell by the smell. Bullets were flying at us almost immediately, three guards were behind the reception desk with automatic weapons. I felt three of my group fall, silver rounds, I knew. I took a hit in the gut on the lower left side, a serious hit, but I didn’t slow down. About half of my group had shifted already into huge wolves as we swarmed over the guards ripping them to pieces and heading down the hallway towards the dining hall, I had only four shifters still with me at this point, most had been injured or killed along the way.

  Two guards stepped out of the door to the dining hall, firing with machine pistols, running through their entire clip in moments. It was like shooting ducks, I thought.

  The hallway was a shooting gallery—something we could not know ahead of time. I was hit probably eight times but I kept going, ripping through and killing the two guards in process of changing clips, bursting through the door, I fell to the floor. I could not move my legs any longer, I must have taken a hit to my spine. I was full of silver, I knew, and I was close to dying, only making it this far through sheer speed and determination. I didn’t feel a thing, still crawling towards Rolfe, they had him chained to one of the dining chairs, in the middle of the hall. All the tables and chairs had been stacked along the walls, the Mayor, my Captain and one guard with an assault weapon were all that were left. I had come so close.

  Large windows surrounded three sides of the dining hall, it had been located at the very rear of the building. Through the window I saw Jane drop to the ground from the second floor, Sarah draped over her shoulder, followed by the Queen’s blade, carrying Chris. They had succeeded, I knew. I could sense that both Sarah and Chris were still alive and healthy. I don’t know how the Queen’s Blade had made it upstairs so quickly to help, the man was unbelievable.

  Rolfe’s condition was not good. The Captain was still holding the handgun he had shot him with at least five or six times, hollow point silver, to the chest and gut. He had done it to torture him as some sort of punishment, I knew. For being something that they were not. He was full of silver and he was dying as well. Many aspects of Death were out and about, including his primary aspect. I knew he was interested in me, not knowing what I was but sensing something very strange and unusual. I had kept our split from him; he thought he had always been primary. He would want to talk with me when he collected my soul.

  When I had fallen, I had my hand stretched out towards Rolfe. He had looked up at me, too hurt to talk, but knowing I had come for him. He was now unconscious and was fading fast. The Angel of Death was in the room, waiting as I had waited many times before.

  “Smith,” the Mayor said. “So glad you could join us. I promised that you would burn in Hell and now I get to keep that promise.” He nodded to the guard, who shot out one of the big windows leading to the outside, I could hear a helicopter landing just forty yards away from the building. The Mayor and Captain climbed through the window and the guard turned over a huge barrel of gasoline in the corner, following them outside, but not before throwing the match.

  I smiled, my beast was not afraid of a little fire, she loved it and reveled in it. I had modeled my beast after an extinct creature created in Faerie, escaping to the human world through portals they had opened themselves with their own natural magics, eventually being hunted down and killed by a fae army that went after them, they were judged too dangerous to live.

  I shifted, growing taller and larger than the room itself, snatching up Rolfe with my front hand, talons fitting around him easily. Twenty tons of scale-covered fire-breathing dragon emerged from the roof of the second floor, pieces of building shedding around me like tissue paper. I had Rolfe safely underneath me so he would not be hurt. I swiveled my head, seeing the Mayor, Captain and guard had turned around in shock. They had made it halfway to the chopper. Shrugging the rest of the building off me I spread my wings and with a great snap that could probably be heard a mile away, flapped them one time, taking a little hop in the air, landing with my back feet on top of the ones trying to escape me. I felt their bones snapping very briefly and their blood and innards oozing out between my toes. I screamed in triumph, sending a stream of fire to the chopper and it burst into flame.

  Squashed like a bug, I thought as I took to the air, seeing Jane had turned around at the edge of the woods, her eyes full of wonder. She would recognize me in any of my forms, I knew it in my gut.

  I headed towards Butler cabin, and Emily, she would be Rolfe’s only chance of living, he was too far gone to shift and only an Alpha’s Alpha could force a change in another Alpha. I could sense the Angel of Death following me, close behind.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Jane must have called them, I thought as I landed behind the cabin, laying Rolfe down on one of the picnic tables the shifters had set up for outdoor eating.

  Emily was the first one there, her mother Lily close behind, followed by Markus and Hans. I shifted back to my natural shifter shape, all my original coloring and appearance back, the only difference was that the dragon tattoo on my upper left arm had returned. I was naked, but Lily had grabbed one of James’ bathrobes, a white terry cloth one, on the way out the door. I knew I had Jane to thank for alerting them I was coming and what my beast was otherwise they would have probably run for cover.

  Rolfe was still chained to the chair as I had picked him up chair, chains and all. Emily was on him in a flash, ripping the chains apart as if they were made of yarn and tossing the chair to the side. I could still feel Rolfe fighting but he was fading fast. The man will not give up, I knew, I kept that thought in mind as Markus handed me my dagger he had kept safe for me. I gave him a kiss on the cheek, tears running down from my eyes, placing the dagger in the voluminous pocket of James’ bathrobe. There was nothing I could do to help Rolfe, it was all up to Emily, my Alpha magic was sim
ply not as strong as hers and if I tried to help, I would just distract her.

  Even as she fought, forcing her Alpha magic into him, commanding him to shift, I felt his heart stop beating and the Angel of Death was upon us preparing to collect his soul from his body.

  No longer hanging back, he had become more comfortable in my presence, still not knowing what or who I was but realizing that I was not a threat to him. I was about to change that notion. No way was I letting Rolfe go without a fight. Rolfe had stood with those kids, I recalled, facing down impossible odds, and he and the kids had survived to live another day. Even with his heart stopped, I still did not hear his soul screaming for release. Even dead, he was a fighter.

  In the language of angels I spoke Death’s true name, forcing him to manifest in mortal form. When angels manifest, it is generally to fight with another angel, for Death, it had happened before when another angel had contested with him over a soul. For that time they are mortal, still the most powerful creature in God’s creation, but still capable of killing and of dying. Death had never been defeated in such a contest.

  Wrapped in a black cloak, seven feet of sinewy muscle and bone, and carrying his trademark scythe, he appeared in front of me. He looked dangerous of course, he was Death, after all. I stood between him and Rolfe. Emily was not giving up, sparing us only a glance, continuing to give it everything she had even though she knew as did I that his heart had stopped beating. She gave him a mighty thump to the chest and leaned her face close to his, whispering something even I could not hear as I spoke again in the language of angels. “You shall not have him,” I said.