“Yes, yes, you’re not like them, and you want to bring back our truce,” he said, waving his hand. “Don’t look so surprised. It wasn’t difficult to surmise. I know how horribly your recent battles against Wagner have gone. You need more fighters, and you need the kind of manpower that only immortals have.”
“Well, then you understand,” I said, surprised that this had gone so well. After everything that had happened, I’d expected at least a little push back from the head of the Dogaru Clan.
“Oh, I understand. It’s just a shame your mages decided to paint a bullseye on my family. So, no. We will not join you in your honorable crusade. Goodbye, Zoe Bennett.”
He turned toward the dark depths of the mansion, but I grabbed his arm. He froze, his entire body going rigid. When he spoke, his voice was full of barely controlled rage, a fury that was directed at me. But I wasn’t the one he should be angry at, and the mages who had targeted his Clan were long gone and buried.
“You should be more careful about putting your hands on powerful vampires,” he said, twisting back to face me with flashing red eyes. “One might take the move as a threat and respond in kind.”
“Come on, Christian,” I said, though I dropped my grip on his arm for good measure. “You know I’m not a threat, and you know I had nothing to do with what happened to your Clan. Hell, if anything, I’ve shown that I do right by Daywalkers. Who was it that discovered who was behind the fire? Who was it who went after them despite what my coven told me to do?”
He lifted his chin and pursed his lips, tapping a long, twisty fingernail against his chin. “You did not do that for us.”
“No, you’re right.” I shrugged. “I didn’t do it just for you. I did it to stop the demons, and as big as you like to talk and as dangerous as you like to come across, I know you and your family want to live your lives here in this realm. Maybe you sometimes act in ways I don’t agree with, but we’re far more alike than different. And I know you don’t want the demons to take over this world any more than we do. Besides, Wagner has brought Nosferatu over from Europe. And it’s only going to get worse from here.”
Christian Dogaru regarded me with a cold expression, his eyes flicking across my face as if he could read the sincerity in my eyes. Or maybe he was looking for something else. Fear. Strength. Power. Whatever it was he found, it seemed to be enough to satisfy him.
“Okay.” He gave a nod. “We will join you if you guarantee that your other coven mages will make no move against us. And we’ll also require something else.”
“What?” I asked.
“I’m sure you’re aware that we broke into your headquarters recently,” he said with a slight smile. “We were looking for something, and we’d like you to give it to us. In exchange for our soldiers.”
A deep dread settled in my bones, but I wasn’t surprised it had come to this. Dorian had warned me that this day might come, where I’d have to play the game of politics to win the war. “What do you want, Christian?”
“I want the rune that creates Unbounds.”
“Fine,” I said with little hesitation. It wasn’t like he could cast the spell himself. He’d need a shadow mage for that, and it wouldn’t be me. “It’s yours. Once this fight is over.”
“Good. But, I dare say, Zoe Bennett,” he said, “you’re going to need far more than just my Clan if Wagner’s army has grown as much as you think.”
“Don’t worry. I’m on it.”
Chapter 34
As I stood on the cemetery field, I surveyed the army I’d spent the past twenty-four hours gathering from all corners of my known world. In some cases, I’d been met with slight resistance, especially in the case of the sun mages, but when I’d explained just how far Wagner had gone, stubborn hesitation had been replaced by a realization that no one could sit on the sidelines anymore. Belzus had gathered a large group of weaponized fae, the Dogaru Clan stood with their fangs and claws at the ready, Nathan’s werewolf pack had shifted into their animalistic forms, and even the rebels had joined us. Only the Blood and Shadow Covens were sitting this one out, too wrapped up in their own issues to meet us in battle.
Dorian stood by my side, wearing steel-encased armor he’d found in the weapons room at headquarters. He shone like a powerful warrior, his stormy eyes and grim expression reflecting the dark clouds that rolled over our heads. With a nod from him and a comforting dose of his level emotions, I strode before the crowd, eyeing up each soldier I passed.
“Thank you all for joining us,” I said, raising my voice so that every last fighter could hear my words. “Without every single one of you, we wouldn’t have a chance against Wagner’s army, but all together, I have no doubt in my mind we’ll win.”
A cheer went through the crowd, fists pumping in the air while faces turned furious and exuberant all at once. They felt a bloodlust, not too unlike what I’d felt when the curse had taken control of my body. Only, for them, their bloodlust was directed toward something else entirely. Wagner, his demons, and the Nosferatu who were wreaking havoc on this world. These mages, fae, werewolves, and vampires before me were coming together as one. And they would do whatever it took to win.
“Now, the covens have suffered heavy losses, and the demons have killed far too many humans already,” I continued. This time, the cheers died down, and faces lost their smiles, because the deaths that had come before this fight were no joking matter. “We cannot allow them to kill any more. This fight right here? It is the final fight. One way or another. No matter how hard they come at us, we need to persevere, because if we fall today, then we won’t have another chance.”
Silence answered my words. It wasn’t exactly the optimistic speech that anyone had been expecting, but I wanted to make sure each and every one of them understood the gravity of the situation as well as what we would lose if we fell on the battlefield. Because determination and passion could mean the difference between a win and a loss. The demons were merely soldiers, fighting under the command of a mage who kept them prisoner in their own bodies. Those of us here, we were fighting for all of our lives.
“Those demons,” I said, throwing up my arm to point into the distance. “They don’t belong here, and they never have. This is not their realm. It’s ours.” I narrowed my eyes and raised my voice to a shout. “We will not let them take it from us. We will not let them destroy the many lives who call this realm their home. It is ours. And we will protect it with every ounce of courage and strength we have!”
The crowd erupted into a roar, but the noise died down only seconds later. A chill swept across us. Even in my new Unbound form, the cold that permeated the graveyard slid into my bones. With a deep breath, I turned and found an army of corporeal demons and Nosferatu standing before us. They were fewer in number, but they were at least, if not more, vicious than anything the mages behind me had ever faced. Wagner, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen, pulling the puppet strings from somewhere deep in the shadows.
My lips twisted into a smile. There’d been no guarantee that Wagner would walk into this battle. He would have seen the preparation. He would have known that our numbers had grown, and he would have seen the threat of what we could do. This was a risk, but one I’d known deep down in my gut would pay off. Because Wagner couldn’t afford to show any hesitation or fear. Not now. All of his enemies were in one place at one time, ready for a fight, one he’d practically been salivating for.
I’d forced his hand.
Lifting my finger in the air, I dropped back my head and let out a battlecry that was answered by the supernatural army around me. The werewolves howled, the vampires screamed in rage, the fae raised their weapons high in the air, and the mages flashed the magic on their palms. It was time to fight.
“Nock!” I shouted at the fae who held bows before turning toward the mages who held long-range spells in their palms. “Loose!”
Arrows and magic flew past me. Arrows pierced the flesh of the vampires, and spells hit the demons square in
the gut. Screams rose up from Wagner’s army as they began to rush toward us across the field, knocking over headstones and grinding their feet into the dirt. I curled my hands into fists and braced myself for what would come next, shouting out another command to the rangers before our enemies could reach us.
Dozens more Nosferatu went crashing to the ground, but the ones who hadn’t been wounded in the head wouldn’t stay down for long. They’d be back on their feet, and we needed to be ready for them.
When the charging demons were only feet away from my fighters, I rose my hand in the air. “Charge!”
Our entire army rushed forward.
Chapter 35
Through the clashing bodies, I spotted Ivan Wagner standing on top of a crypt in the distance. He waited outside of danger, watching the proceedings with a cool disregard. Frowning, I glanced at the battle before squaring my shoulders and stalking toward him. It was time to take this asshole down. When he saw me coming his way, he smiled. Rage boiled in my heart. Part of me couldn’t believe he’d had the guts to show his face. He’d spent the past few fights hiding in the shadows, where he belonged.
“Wagner,” I said, shouting up at him. “Time to give up. You’re not going to win. We’ve got a bigger army, and we’ve got a good stock of fangs.”
“You really think a few Nosferatu fangs are going to slow me down?” He barked out a laugh. “What you don’t understand, Zoe, is that I don’t care how many fighters I lose. I’ll just go get some more of them. They’re an endless stream of nobodies. Creatures who don’t matter. You, on the other hand, can’t afford many losses. And, anyone you lose is going to feel like a stab in the gut.”
“Don’t think so,” I said with a smile. “You tend to fail whenever you try to stab me.”
Wagner sighed and rolled his eyes. “This is getting really tedious. Perhaps it’s about time we brought your grandmother back onto the playing field again.”
He flicked his fingers as my heart ramped up into the next speed. Whirling, I turned to see my Grams shuffling slowly out of the shadows, her arms twisted behind her and trapped in place by a Nosferatu. Tears streamed down her face, and my heart clenched tight. She looked nothing like the murderous woman who had attacked me in England. This woman, this looked like Grams.
“Oh, Grams,” I said, choking on my words. Her tears were matched by my own. But before I could run to meet her, the vampire dropped his mouth to her neck and flicked his gaze at Wagner, as if to ask permission.
“Good. I thought that would get your attention,” he said. “It’s a shame. I thought forcing her to stab you would be a good enough of a blow to get you to back down, but you’ve proven yourself to be a worthy competitor.”
My heart thundered in my ears. “Are you saying you controlled her? With magic? Are you saying that was you all along?”
“Of course it was me, just as it was also me who was controlling the mage I sent to Boston to kill you.” Shaking his head, he continued to laugh, a harsh noise that grated on my nerves. “Did you really think that your own grandmother was trying to kill you? Come on, Zoe. You’ve shown yourself to be smarter than that.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I pressed my hand to my heart. Relief charged through me. I’d hoped and prayed that Grams hadn’t been the one to do this to me. It turned out that she, in fact, had. But she’d been controlled.
“I thought that was against the law,” I said, trying to keep him focused on my words while I took slow and steady steps toward Grams. “It’s akin to murder.”
“If I cared about breaking the law, I would not be here doing this now.” He shook his head. “No matter. Here is what you must decide, Zoe. It’s your grandmother’s life or yours. Give yourself up to me, finally, and I will let her go. If you don’t, then, well?” He made a cutting motion across his throat and smiled.
“You have a deal,” I said quickly as Grams let out a horror-filled moan, one of the most terrible sounds I’d ever heard. Heart thumping against my ribcage, I met her eyes across the graveyard clearing. They begged with me, pleaded with me, shot love and sorrow into my soul. She didn’t want me to do this, but Wagner had given me no other choice. I would not stand here and watch my grandmother die.
Just as I began to turn back toward Wagner, Grams let out a little cough, one that sounded nothing like the congestion she usually had when she’d been taken ill. It came across much more like a ‘hey’ than anything else, and I flicked my gaze back her way. She gave me a slight nod before dropping her eyes to the spot on my chest where she’d wounded me with the blade. Frowning, I glanced down. She was trying to communicate something, but what? What could she be possibly asking me to do?
And then it hit me. Grams was trying to get a very important point across to me.
I wasn’t just a shadow mage. I was an Unbound, and Wagner wouldn’t stand a chance against me one-on-one.
“Come down from the crypt, Wagner,” I shouted up at him. “So that you can see I’ve given in to you.”
Wagner smiled. “I always knew you would cave.”
He jumped down, landing before me on the cold wet earth. I stared at him and curled my hands into fists. Fury tore through me, driven by the painful pangs in my gut and the shadows that were delighting in this fight. My entire body felt alight by my powers, and I felt as though I could take on the world.
Wagner’s lips twisted into a cruel smile. He raised his fists and threw a heavy dose of magic at my gut. It was a strange blend of oranges, reds, and blacks, sparking in the dark of the night. I jogged to the side, easily dodging his blow. I was too fast for him now.
Frowning, he narrowed his eyes. “We had a deal. Your life for hers.”
I flicked my gaze toward Grams. The Nosferatu had let go of her arms, his attention too focused on the fight between me and Wagner. He was itching to see pain. He was yearning for some blood to spill. Now that I understood how vampires thought, I knew I’d be able to draw the creature in when the enticing possibility of death was on the cards.
Grams gave me an almost imperceptible nod.
That was the only encouragement I needed. Fisting my hands, I raced toward Wagner with all the speed of my vampire powers. I slammed hard into his body, knocking him off his feet and catching him off guard. We fell onto the ground, our bodies twisting together. Wagner threw power into the air, and it scraped past my cheek, slicing a deep hole in my skin.
I cried out in pain, but I didn’t stop. The wound wasn’t much worse than the constant pain I carried in my gut.
And within seconds, the wound had already healed.
I pinned Wagner to the ground. He squirmed, thrashing his legs and his arms. But I was too strong now.
He spat into my face, and saliva hit me on the chin. “I can’t believe you resorted to becoming a vampire. Your blood is tainted now. These creatures are ours to control, not a state we should yearn to become.”
Confusion flittered through me, but I kept my hands curled tight around his fists. “What are you talking about? You’re the one who did this to me. You cursed me in that English cottage.”
He let out a laugh. “I would never curse a mage to become a vampire, especially not one as powerful as a shadow. We are above them. We are meant to be their gods.”
“You’re insane,” I said, narrowing my eyes as I watched him glance around for some way of escape. But I’d heard what had happened during our scuffle. Grams had triumphed over the Nosferatu, so Wagner was all alone. The battle raged on in the distance, and none of his obedient little demons were coming to save him.
Because what he didn’t realize was that demons weren’t that obedient at all, and they hated being kept prisoner in their own bodies.
They would not come for him, even if he called every one to his side.
He tipped back his head, smearing his face against the dirt. Laughter rang out from the depths of him. The Wagner I’d met before didn’t have this madness in his eyes. Something had happened to him along the way to twist his mind into
something else. Maybe it was the combination of all four coven powers. Maybe it was trying to control so many demons at once. Or maybe his evil deeds had finally caught up to him.
“What are you going to do, Zoe?” he asked through his high-pitched laughs. “Arrest me? Make me your prisoner? I’ll just escape again. You know I will. There’s nothing you can do to stop me anymore. I’m invincible.”
As I stared down at him, I heard the truth in his voice. Taking him prisoner would solve nothing. He could still have countless demons out there, bound to himself. Or other mages he would attempt to control. For the first time since we’d begun this war, I had the upper hand. And I had to kill him while I could. There was no other way.
“Ah yes,” he said as a delirious smile spread across his face. “There’s the shadow I knew was hiding deep inside your heart. I can see it in your eyes. That anger. That rage. That fury. Your shadows and your vampirism, it’s convinced you to kill me.”
For a moment, the world seemed to slow around me. Was he right? Was I only doing this because I’d fallen victim to the whispers of my powers? Had my biggest nightmare come true? It was impossible for me to tell the difference between what was right and what my shadows were urging me to do.
But then a small and quiet voice whispered out from the darkness, “Do it.”
And that voice was not one of shadows, of pain, of anger, or of rage. It was my Grams.
With a deep breath, I pulled my dagger from my belt and plunged it into Wagner’s heart.
Chapter 36
“Grams,” I shouted, jumping up from Wagner’s prone form. My body yearned for his blood, but I had more pressing worries right now. Was Grams okay? Had they done anything to her? Did she feel alright? Did I need to try to heal her?
Witch's Fury (The Bone Coven Chronicles Book 4) Page 15