by L. Rose
Asher tucked my hair behind my ear. “Take that fear and switch it to anger when the time comes.”
I wished I could walk into the battle on my own. However, I wasn’t stupid. For the people, I would have a better chance of protecting their future with my men and whoever would be willing to go with us at my side.
“I will,” I told him, because I knew I would.
She was amazing.
I could feel her terror, but I knew without a doubt she would do what she had to for the future. To make sure the people she protected were safe from the clutches of the council. We all knew there would come a time we’d have to do something about the council members and had hoped it wouldn’t be for a while, but fate had stepped up our timeline.
Looking to Nate, I saw the resolve in his eyes. When the time did come, we would do everything to make sure our mate would live on for a happier time within the supernatural world.
“For now, and until Alex and Thorn are back, maybe we should get back on the subject of Grace,” I suggested.
“Ah, yes, Grace,” Alma murmured.
An explosion erupted outside.
I flashed to the window and peered out, sensing Nate at my side. We both took in the chaos. People were scattered below, running away from the huge hole in the gate.
“I knew there was something else I forgot to tell you,” Alma said.
“What?” Paige demanded.
Alma sighed. I glanced back to see her studying her nails. “It seems Grace has taken to the dark side, Obi-Wan. She’s come to kill you using blood magic.” Another explosion rocked the castle. “Better get out there before she takes her anger out on innocent bystanders.”
Nate tugged his shirt from his body, and Paige yelled harshly, “Look away, Aggie.”
“I’ve got it,” Felnick said, crossing the room quickly to cover Aggie’s eyes.
Nate snorted and removed his pants. “Open the door for me, Paige, and stay here.”
The queen called for her power. Her eyes changed, her claws extending along with her teeth. “You are not leaving me behind. Neither of you are,” she snarled, looking from Nate to me, and when I nodded, she then glanced back to Nate.
He cursed yet didn’t fight with her any longer. The shift came over him. His body morphed, bones popped, and in seconds, he landed on all fours as his huge wolf form.
“Felnick, stay here with them,” Paige ordered, her hand on the door handle.
“But—”
“Felnick. Alma and Aggie are important to me. Actually, take them to my family’s suite and guard all of them.”
Felnick tipped his chin down. “Yes, my queen.”
She swung the door open, and Nate bounded out before Paige ran into the hall. I quickly followed, the air surrounding me fluttering papers from the desk around the room. I caught Alma’s laugh. Together, we raced down the busy hall of people scattering for safety. However, some stopped to watch in awe to see the queen herself running into the threat.
It wasn’t that long ago her fear had control. Looking at her now, I would have thought nothing could scare her. Her people, our people, should be proud of the type of queen Paige was.
Along the trek, twenty or so guards joined our line of defense, but already I could hear the fighting had started outside. I locked my emotions away from my mate. She glanced at me and nodded, then did the same. We couldn’t be distracted.
Just as we reached the front door that led into the market area, we heard, “Come out, little queen. It’s time to test your strength.”
Guards pushed the doors open. We stepped out together. Grace had brought demons along with her. It was those the guards had been fighting while Grace stood just inside the gate and stared on smiling.
Any time someone approached her, they sank to their knees and cried out in pain. She’d protected herself with a spell.
“Ah, there she is. Welcome to the party, little queen.” The fighting around us stopped. Everyone, even the demons, watched as Paige walked on slowly, taking in everything.
“I’m just happy you’re calling me queen at all, Grace. It means you do see me as one.”
Grace’s upper lip rose. “You may be queen for now, but I’ll rip your powers from your body when I take your heart.”
The wolf gnashed his teeth and snarled at Grace even as demons roared and stamped their hooves or feet into the ground.
Paige threw her head back and laughed.
I saw the way Grace’s features blanked, her confidence lessened all for a second before a scowl marred her face. “I wouldn’t laugh, little queen. My army and I have you outnumbered.”
“Take out the main player and the army will fall,” I said.
Grace’s gaze flicked to me. “You don’t stand a chance, vampire.”
I shrugged. “We shall see.”
She cackled and looked back to Paige. Grace’s confidence had her pulling her shoulders back, had a smirk lifting her lips, and an evil glint shining in her eyes. “Tell me something, little queen. Where are your two other men?”
Paige’s steps faltered until she stopped completely. “What are you saying, Grace?”
“I heard they went on a mission. I heard they were ambushed. I heard they were taken out.” Her smirk grew into a smile.
“What did you do?” Paige demanded, her voice deeper, darker. Her ghoul side would be after vengeance. Fury leaked through her block, but before she could act, we needed answers first. When I took her hand in mine, she gripped me hard, but I knew she’d understand I was just trying to help her. Like the wolf was by stepping in front of her and pressing his body against her legs.
“They’re dead.”
“You lie,” Paige bellowed. She managed a step forward even with the wolf and me holding her.
Grace leaned forward a little. “I don’t.”
“Do you forget bonded mates can feel when the other has passed?” I question.
Grace’s lips thinned. Then she threw her hands out as if to say it didn’t matter. “I’m unsure if she’d feel it when they’re in Hell.”
Fuck.
Even I wasn’t sure of the consequences, and when Paige glanced at me, she saw it on my face. Her jaw clenched, her body tensing.
In a low, hard voice, she asked, “And you were a part of their ambush?”
Grace, sensing her mistake, took a step back but then stopped.
“Is this how you got more power? Why you switched to using blood magic? You aided the demons?” a voice called from behind us.
“Aggie, Jesus Christ, get the fuck back,” Felnick hissed. He’d left Paige’s family suite, had disregarded Paige’s orders. Even though he did it for the woman he saw as his, he would pay for not listening.
“Ah, sweet Aggie. Come here, dear.”
“So you can drain my powers? Where’s Montana? Where’s Renee?”
Grace didn’t answer, and as Aggie stepped up to my side with Felnick at her back, I caught the tears in her eyes. “Even though they followed you blindly, they didn’t deserve death just so you can darken your soul.”
“Felnick?” Paige snapped low.
“They’re safe. The guards are with them. Michael is there with some shifters. Alma sent me after Aggie.” When Paige nodded, Felnick relaxed a little, until Aggie took another step forward.
“Now isn’t the time to step up, Aggie. I will bury you.” Grace stretched her arms out, lifting her hands, and then black smoke swirled. “I will suck the life right out of you, child.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Aggie clipped.
“Aggie,” Felnick snapped. He wrapped his arms around her to pull her back. She stood on his foot, elbowed him in the ribs, and shot off a beam of white light toward Grace.
“Attack,” Grace yelled.
Mayhem broke out. The demons attacked anyone they were close to. It was time to let my vampire loose. Especially when my dead heart nearly jumped in my throat when Paige bounded over her wolf and charged the demons who’d surrounded a bear s
hifter.
Jesus, she would be the death of me.
As I charged the demons, who were all around a lone bear shifter, fury washed through me. I jumped Nate and raced the bear’s way. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Asher’s vampire side bursting out of him. A wave of arousal had my nipples hardening, my clit throbbing, and my body humming.
Now isn’t the damn time, body.
In their normal state, my mates turned me into a puddle of desire, but when I saw their monster, it was as if my monster readied my body to take my men. Even in the middle of a fight apparently.
Shaking my head, I pushed off the ground with my feet and landed onto the back of one demon. My arms flung over his enormous hunched shoulders, and I easily slid my claws into his chest. He howled, bucked, and tried to grab me. I locked my legs around his waist and shredded his heart inside his body. The demon dropped to the ground on his knees. I pushed off him, taking his head with me.
I glanced up to see Asher. His green eyes were trained on me, the other demons around the injured bear shifter were on the dirt. All headless. Black blood dripped from Asher’s claws.
He was ferocious and amazing to look at.
“Take him inside for help,” I told Asher.
He snarled at me. “No. Protect Mine.” He wanted to stay at my side.
“Please, Asher.”
A demon got close to him. Asher’s hand snapped out in a blurred movement, and the demon was missing his head.
“No,” he demanded.
“It’s all right, my queen,” Clyde said, appearing out of nowhere. “I’ll take care of the shifter. Keep Asher at your side.”
“Witches,” someone yelled.
“Aggie?” I called, glancing at her, and found her floating in the sky with a bubble surrounding her body as she tried to fight every spell Grace threw at her. Sweat covered her face, worrying me. She could run out of steam before taking Grace down. We had to help.
“They’re with her,” Aggie said through clenched teeth. Felnick stood below Aggie, moving this way and that with his sword raised high and slicing anything that got too close.
“Fuck,” I bit out.
A whimper caught my attention. Nate. I searched around me, knowing he wouldn’t be far, and he wasn’t. Only what I saw had a haze of anger washing over me. A witch stood over him. Her lips moved, spelling him in some way. Yet he still tried to attack; he crawled toward her on his belly.
“Asher,” I called.
“Yes?”
“It’s time to feed,” I told him.
“The witches,” he hissed. Then he curled his arm around my waist. Wind whipped me in the face as he flashed us close to Nate. Asher’s hands went to my waist right before he threw me at the bitch attacking Nate.
Shock crossed her features as I crashed into her. She landed on her back on the ground. I rolled to break my fall, and then on all fours, I crawled back to her. Her hands glowed, but all I wanted was her death. Nothing else worried me. She’d hurt what was mine. She would pay.
As I pushed her shoulders in the ground, I ignored the burning sensation at my waist and dropped my mouth to her neck where I bit. My razor-sharp teeth easily slid into her soft skin. I tore out a chunk, spat it to the side, and then went in for more. She screamed, wiggled, and fought, but it wouldn’t be enough.
More screams of terror sounded around me before they were cut off and I felt the thump of something hitting the ground. Asher was at work.
Nate was at my side, growling. Even though I ate at her neck, she still managed another loud yell, and then I saw Nate get a hold of one of her arms in his mouth. The pain at my waist disappeared as I heard her take her last breath.
Lifting off her, I pushed my claws into her chest, cutting through her ribs and grabbing her heart, crushing it into nothing.
Nate whimpered at my side as he shoved his nose against my waist. I sat back and lifted my top. Two handprints were burned into my skin, near down to the bone.
Nate licked at my face as I ran my hands through his hair. “I’ll be fine. It’s already healing.”
“You will not best me,” Grace bellowed.
Asher stopped at my side and slowly helped me up, and we watched Grace take a step closer to Aggie before she threw a black ball of something at her. It surrounded Aggie’s bubble.
“Shit,” I whispered, seeing the bubble slowly being eaten away.
Aggie cried out in frustration. Her hands shot out—white light built in each palm. Her eyes slid to mine, and then in my mind, I heard her voice. “Her defenses will be down for only a second. You’ll need to get to her and kill her.”
Clenching my jaw, I nodded.
Taking Asher’s hand in mine, I whispered, “Get ready.”
“I heard.” Aggie must have told all of us.
Around us, the guards still fought the dwindling demons and what was left of the witches. I saw Clyde drinking from one witch, and the bear shifter was up and back to fighting, even when I’d thought he’d be out of action for a while.
A howl swept over the area. Nate lifted his head and joined in.
The wolves were on the way, and close. As I looked toward the gate, I saw the first few race through, attacking where they could. Helping.
Quickly, I moved my gaze back to Aggie just as the last of Grace’s spell consumed Aggie’s bubble.
“No!” Felnick bellowed as the blackness reached out for Aggie, latching onto her foot.
Her eyes slid to us then back again.
This was it.
My heart gave a fearful hard thump, but I had to steel it. I had to push it back. For the people. For Aggie and for us.
The blackness slid up Aggie’s body, but it was as if she ignored it; however, I could see how hard she gritted her teeth. Aggie’s whole body went into the push of her power as she flung her hands forward and shot two orbs of white light at Grace.
It surrounded Grace’s own invisible bubble. Grace gasped as her barrier started to get devoured.
Asher’s arm shot around my waist. He flashed us forward as a gap appeared in the bubble. I felt his hesitancy in what he knew he had to do. “Do it,” I clipped. He did. Asher threw me through the gap. I rolled, pushed up, and jammed my fist into Grace’s stomach. Blood sprayed. I gripped the flesh and organs inside her.
She let out a noise, glanced down, and gripped my wrist. Grace looked up and then smiled. But before she could get cocky, Nate was inside the bubble. He jumped onto her back and latched his powerful jaw around the back of her neck.
Fire from her hands burned my skin. I clamped my lips closed so I didn’t scream. The scent near had me gagging. Nate whimpered. His whole body shook like he was being shocked over and over. He dropped to the ground.
Slowly, I glanced up. “You’ll pay for that.”
“I don’t think—”
A screech of pain had me turning my head to see a lifeless Aggie fall out of the sky. Felnick managed to catch her and lay her gently to the ground. His hands slid over her, and when he looked up with pain-filled eyes, I knew she wasn’t alive.
I wanted to cry, to let the anguish consume me, but I couldn’t.
Grace, in the distraction, managed to push my hand out of her. She laughed maniacally as her body healed quicker than any creature before.
“Poor, poor Aggie. She was no match for blood magic. Just like you won’t be.”
My wrist still burned, but I straightened and then smiled. “That’s the problem. I’m never alone.”
Asher’s hands wrapped around her chest, his claws digging in between her breasts. A bout of jealousy had my upper lip raising and growling. My vampire smirked until blackness—the same stuff that killed Aggie—burst from Grace’s hands.
Asher laughed. He leaned down and said, “Blood magic does nothing to me, fool. I’m made of darkness and blood.”
He stabbed his claws inside her and peeled her chest and ribs open with ease. Grace’s hands dropped, her eyes blinking sluggishly, her body slowly dying. Th
e only thing that kept her heart beating, which I could clearly see, was the dark magic.
I stepped up to her.
“I am queen. I am the ghoul queen. I was meant to rule over all races. I was meant to change the ways. I revel in the knowledge you’ll die knowing you failed. To me, to Aggie, to the shifters, and my people because you are weak and contaminated.”
I thrust my hand into her open chest and pulled out her heart. I lifted it to my mouth as the life in her eyes faded and bit into it as it beat for the last time.
The remaining demons vanished into the air, the last witch standing, who fought on Grace’s side, turned her glowing hand on herself, and her body fell to the ground. A guard bent to check her vitals. He smiled over at me. She’d killed herself so she didn’t have to face our wrath.
I looked back at Asher. He let her body drop to the floor while his green glowing eyes devoured me. He’d never be fazed by what I did, how I was. In fact, if the bulge in his pants was anything to go by, he enjoyed seeing my monster as much as I did his.
Something nudged my thigh. I threw the heart to the ground and looked down. Nate sat there and rubbed his head into my thigh. I crouched and wrapped my arms around his neck, taking his scent into my dead lungs. He licked my face, even though his dark eyes told me he was pissed about something.
Standing, I gripped his fur and took a step toward Asher, using the back of my arm to wipe away the blood around my mouth. I needed my men. Both of them.
“My queen.”
Pausing, I turned my head to see Felnick there.
The fog from my men lifted and I remembered.
Oh God, Aggie.
“Aggie,” I whispered, ready to run to her side. Until Felnick’s hand shot up.
“My queen.” He bowed his head. “I couldn’t save her. I failed her.”
Over his shoulder, I saw Clyde picking up Aggie in his arms.
“What’s going on?”
“He was willing to save her.”
“He changed her?”
“Yes.” Sadness overtook his eyes. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“It doesn’t mean she won’t be yours,” Asher said, his vampire side no longer around.