by C. M. Owens
With that, she disappears, and I’m left alone and feeling out of the loop. My loyalty has somehow gone to Zee, so I’m not sure why they think I’d ever betray that. He’s the only person who has ever made me feel safe in my entire life.
Here, I’m not the outcast.
Here, I’m not the weird girl.
Here, I’m not the girl with the crazy mother.
Here, I’m precious…
What did that message say?
Chapter 19
ZEE
“Look at all the pretty bodies, puppet,” Sylvia—her chosen name for now—says as she skips through the quiet street.
At least fifteen bodies are piled up on the sides of the alleys. “So pretty,” she sings.
My stomach lurches, and the smell of blood is disgusting instead of smelling good for once. Everything is revolting, and all I can do is hope the bonds are easier for me to break than they were for Silan. Maybe he’ll break all of his bonds soon and come back for her.
To kill her.
To free me.
“It’s your turn, puppet. Make it art.”
I want to scream “no” but I can’t. The will to disobey is eclipsed by the unbidden desire to please her.
Sirens wail in the distance, and Sylvia giggles, drunk off too much blood and high off the thrill of the kill… The slaughter.
“Oops,” Sylvia says through her giggles. “We need to go, lover. They won’t like our pretty bodies like we do.”
My hands move to my hips as I take in the bloody, gory scene before me. And they have the audacity to call us monsters?
“How did they find it?” I ask Chaz, stepping over some of the mutilated remains.
The scent of blood doesn’t even seem to bother me. Having so much of Leah’s blood lately has made me stronger, and she never feels weaker no matter how much I take.
“I don’t know. We took extra precautions and set up spells to keep out anointed members after realizing who Leah was. We didn’t want one of them to stumble into the club the way she did. Somehow they bypassed the safety measures, and now… People want blood for this, Zee. Leah is an Aquarius. Our people won’t just allow her to exist after something like this. They’ll all be like Slade.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
My fist slams through a bloody wall, and I pull it back, trying my damnedest to rein in my anger.
Ella appears next to me, and she walks over to the wall of writing.
“You need to tell Leah about this,” Ella says, motioning to the words that are written in the blood of the slain.
“And make her feel guilty? Fuck no. This isn’t her fault, but she’s got a big heart. She’ll blame herself for this shit.”
Drackus appears suddenly, and he moves by us on the way to read the wall for himself.
“Bring us the Aquarius. We know you have her. Every monster in this town will die until she’s safely brought back. When we find you… We can’t wait to find you.”
“Sick fucks,” Chaz mumbles, moving his eyes over the carnage. “A lot of these people were humans. They died at the hands of the ones designed to protect them, yet we’re the fucking monsters.”
Exactly what I was thinking.
“You should be with Mom and Dad,” Ella tells Drackus.
“They’re tucked away very safely and very far from here. They’re at my old house that was once used to keep me imprisoned back when I was the worst threat to the world. My oh my how things have changed.”
He shakes his head as though he’s genuinely upset about that. Drackus is a blip on the radar compared to what we’re up against now.
“I knew the weaknesses and reinforced them. They still know how to get out in case of an emergency, but nothing will be able to get in. Not even that damn Gemini.”
Ella looks away, and her jaw tenses. I can see the guilt on her face. It’s an easy emotion to recognize. She thought there was redemption for Slade, and now she knows he’s just too ruthless.
“Get back to them, Drackus. They’ll need you and Calypso both,” Chaz tells him, leaning over to examine the remains of one man. “I’ll call my mother to go help out as well,” he adds.
Drackus curses before running a hand through his hair. “I hate this. We’re divided when we’re under attack. It makes us weaker. My daughter needs all of you around her right now.”
“She also needs us to find the threat before it can be a threat… You know?” Chaz vaguely inserts.
Drackus nods. “I’m aware. I’ll get back. Kane just asked me to come out and investigate the damage done here and see what else we’re up against.”
He presses a kiss to Ella’s temple, and she hugs him. “Call me if you need me, little one.”
She just nods against his chest before he dematerializes from the embrace, and Ella hugs herself as we continue to take in the damage.
“They have a lot of bullets. I’m worried they’ve simplified the process of anointing a weapon if they have this much ammunition to spare,” Chaz announces, digging a bullet out of a girl near the back. “It looks like they just busted up and blew holes through everyone, which means they didn’t spare their bullets on the humans either. That’s a scary thought.”
“Why do they want Leah?” I ask, stepping over someone.
“Probably because of the hex.” The foreign voice has us all whirling around.
Kya.
Chaz is gone… Like he has disappeared before she ever even showed up. The fuck?
“What are you doing here?” Ella asks her suspiciously.
“Relax. Leah… It might be the death of me, but I have a soft spot for Leah. Obviously you do, too. Since my sister is back and unharmed, I’m assuming she’s been feeding, which means you aren’t the nose-in-the-clouds goodies I thought you were, either. I’m just here to help Leah right now, because they want her blood cleansed or they want her wasted.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I snarl. It doesn’t feel right to see Karma’s face on the enemy. And as long as she stands by Slade, she’s the enemy.
“I could have been killed for warning you about what Slade was planning. I really do care what happens to Leah,” she says while glaring at me.
“Why?” Ella asks, taking my side.
Kya’s eyes soften, and she clears her throat. “Because Leah actually cares about me. I… I don’t take that lightly. She saved my life.”
Considering what Kya has been through, I guess the magnitude of Leah’s loyalty to her really does mean something.
“Leah trusts you, so… Fuck. What do you know?” I ask, groaning inwardly at how desperate I’m getting to keep my girl safe.
Kya is dressed like a sex toy in high heels. Not sure what that’s about.
She struts in her skin-tight jeans and her scrap of a shirt over to the wall of writing.
“Did you not read the Aquarius book?”
“What we could read of it,” Ella states flatly. “The rest is in a dead hexer language.”
She tenses, but just as quickly she relaxes. The motion still puts me on alert.
“Slade read it to me once Leah was gone. He said the legend was that the Aquarius’s blood had to be cleansed before he or she mated with one from our world. Before he or she confessed a declaration of love or was changed. She’s bound to Zee. Or he’s bound to her. It means he’s hers, and it definitely means she’s his. Their psychic link will get stronger, and their feelings will only grow.”
I swallow against the knot in my throat, while she continues to talk like I’m not standing right here.
“But before she’s changed, before irreparable decisions are made, her blood can be cleansed and she can rid herself of the hex that makes her bloodline cease. As of right now, with the anointed bloodline reignited, they can only carry on if they crossbreed with one of our kind. It’s punishment—irony at its finest. Aquarius are known to be the purest anointed. So the hex is to muddy up the bloodline or watch it cease to exist. Rock and hard place. Catch twenty-two… You
get the idea.”
Ella frowns, and I feel a sick pang in the pit of my stomach.
“So Leah is only drawn to me because of a hex,” I say on a sigh.
Kya turns to face me, studying me. “Nowhere in the story does it state the Aquarius will be drawn to us, despite some translations of it. Slade knows the language. The hexer who did the curse hoped the desperate Aquarius who fulfilled the prophecy would hate every second of being with our kind. Guess that shit backfired.”
Ella squeezes my arm as I relax, and she turns to Kya.
“Slade attacked my family. We can’t let that go. As a courtesy for what you’re doing, I’m giving you a warning.”
Kya’s lips twitch. “Thanks for that. But don’t worry, Princess. Slade is ready for you. But you should remember, he never got to attack Leah, and it was never going to be an attack on your family.”
“My mother and father were attacked the same day as the ‘anonymous tip’ came through. Trying to say it’s a coincidence?” Ella snaps.
Kya looks genuinely confused. “No offense… I get that Slade has shown you special interest, but don’t think for one second you’re that special,” Kya says with a cocked eyebrow. “He wouldn’t risk our limited number of fighters for a diversion tactic. You’re really not that important. Any of you. He just wants Leah dead. He couldn’t care less about your family.”
That has Ella and I both exchanging confused looks.
“Then who attacked them?”
Kya shrugs. “My best guess? The Morgana chick you losers let go. Stupid move. She’s not strong enough to be Master, but she’s strong enough to work for them. You should have killed her before she took a special interest in your group.”
She turns to walk away, and I curse while running a hand through my hair.
“For the record,” Kya says, looking back over her shoulder, “the sire calling is special. It only comes along when two people are genuinely meant for each other. I just read about it. It’s rare. So is Leah. I’m working on Slade, you work on your own issues.”
With that, she disappears, and Ella grinds her teeth.
“I really don’t like or trust her,” Ella grumbles.
“I believe her.”
Ella looks over at me, but I go back to trying to sift through the wreckage. “Call Gage and find out where Chaz went. I need help cleaning up this mess. Then go check on Leah.”
I need a fucking drink.
Chapter 20
LEAH
Kimber is toying with some ancient sword and polishing it to keep herself busy while sitting cross-legged on the floor. Like a bad habit, I grab one of the Aquarius knives. They always sparkle in my hold, and it’s fascinating.
I slip it into my boot, and it slides into place like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Lately I seem to feel naked when I don’t have one on me. I’m just scared to have them in the room with Zee, considering an anointed weapon is twice as fatal to an immortal when it’s in the hands of an anointed.
My hands itch to do something, but I don’t know what. I’m also bored out of my mind. It’s just been me, Kimber and Karma since the others went to help Zee out.
Karma is flipping aimlessly through a magazine, but her attention seems to be elsewhere.
“Anyone know what that message said?” I ask the two girls.
They both stop what they’re doing and look up at me as I lean against the wall. They exchange a glance before answering. “No,” they lie in unison, then go back to what they’re doing while squirming awkwardly.
Ella appears in the house, and she looks around at everyone stuck in the uncomfortable silence.
“Okay…” She walks over to grab a knife, and Kimber and Ella seem to have a conversation with their eyes. “The guys should be back any minute now. They were finishing up when I left.”
“I thought Roslyn was still here,” Karma says absently. “Where is she?”
“She just got back from checking the perimeter spells to warn us if anyone gets too—”
Something bright flares inside the house, and Kimber curses while leaping to her feet. Ella screams something at me, but I don’t know what. Roslyn yells from somewhere behind me seconds before a hand clamps over my mouth. I feel magic whirl past me and my captor, but it’s too late, because we’re dematerializing.
My stomach lurches and dizziness tries to invade. It doesn’t bother me when Zee does this with me, but for some reason, anyone else does it and it makes me nauseous.
That’s inconvenient, considering something or someone is apparently freaking kidnapping me.
My body falls forward the second my feet hit solid ground, and a curse sounds out from behind me.
“You couldn’t just fucking die when it was much more convenient, could you?”
Bile rises to my throat as I slowly turn around to stare at the man with scars and the stains of hatred. He narrows his silver eyes at me, and I take a shaky step back.
“Why are you so intent on killing me?” I growl.
Something inside my core stirs, feeling defensive and less terrified. My fingers tingle, my body hums with anticipation of a fight, and a steadily growing need for bloodshed builds.
“Because you’re going to get everyone else killed. Might as well eliminate the problem. I’m guessing your friends didn’t tell you what that message said.”
That definitely doesn’t sound good, considering they’ve kept it a secret from me.
He motions around him, stepping back. “By the way, your psychic link to the night stalker will be useless here. I came prepared.”
The large room we’re in looks like an underground gym meant for stealthy training. It’s massive with concrete walls and no windows. Only a few dim lights try to cast a glow in the room as Slade stares at me.
“What… What’re you doing?”
He cuts his eyes toward me, and he cracks his neck to the side. “I can’t use magic,” he says, picking up a knife and twirling it between his fingers with practiced perfection, “so we’re going to fight. Obviously to the death.”
I swallow down the bile in my throat, and reach down to grab the knife from my boot. He watches me carefully with a guarded, composed expression, and I never take my eyes off him.
“Why make me fight? Why not just kill me and get it over with?”
“I’m more of the type to give you a fair fight than slit your throat in your sleep.”
“You’d use magic on me if you could, and that’s not fair.”
Yeah, I’m stalling. I hope Zee and his people bust in any second now, because I’ve heard them talk like Slade is indestructible.
His lips twitch, and his tongue toys with a faint scar on one side of his lower lip before he speaks.
“Magic isn’t an unfair advantage. As of right now, you have the advantage. Hand-to-hand is an anointed’s specialty.”
He twirls the knife again, and I narrow my eyes. “I’ve never been trained. Not even a little bit.”
He spins suddenly, and I duck and roll like a boss before launching myself up and onto my feet. When I whip around, Slade is smirking at me.
“You’re born with the instinct of a seasoned warrior. When you resonate and own your calling, it’s supposed to give you a thousand battles worth of experience. At least that’s the theory. Time to test that.”
Something inside me snaps, and nature takes over as I race right at him. Slade slides on the ground, and I flip over him. Our knives clank together like swords in battle, even though they’re far from swords.
My blade pushes down, while his thrusts up, and I flick my wrist just right to catch his hand and draw blood.
I hit the ground in a tuck-and-roll motion, feeling like I just stepped out of the freaking Matrix. I’m back on my feet in less than a second, and I glare across the room at him when we both hold our ground.
“Why do you really want me dead?”
“Your family is here to kill everyone in this town until they find you… Your anointed fam
ily. They want to cleanse your blood,” he says idly. “I knew they’d come. I knew you’d lead them all right to us. Just like I knew the Aquarius bloodline had to end before it could continue with one of our kind. There’s no telling what the hell will happen if that hex is carried out.”
He launches himself at me, and my instincts take over. My fist flies out, and connects with his throat, leaving him gasping and doubling over. My knee slams up and connects with his face, knocking him back until he’s staggering.
Lunging, I aim for his side, not his heart, but the knife doesn’t connect because he grabs my wrist. His other elbow comes up and slams into my face.
I see stars and taste blood when I fall on my ass, and I roll up to my hands and knees to cough and choke for air.
“This is personal,” he snarls.
I don’t know what that means, and I don’t get the chance to ask before a foot connects with my side. My stomach feels like it’s attacking my throat when I become airborne and crash into the far wall, before dropping to the ground.
I clutch my side, feeling the cracked ribs under my fingertips as more blood pools in my mouth. My eyes cut to him, and I spit.
“Why?” I manage to ask, but he attacks again.
Even though the pain is excruciating, I leap to my feet and throw my fist into his face. He barely staggers this time before his knee connects with my wounded side, and he punches me again.
It’s like fighting a brick wall every time one of my hits connects. He’s nothing but muscle and fury, and the volatile mixture is geared solely at me. With one hand, he slaps me to the ground, and he steps on my chest.
Suddenly, there’s a red streak of power bursting through the room, and it nails Slade in the chest hard enough to sling him into the wall. The concrete cracks on impact, and the click of high heels resounds like an echo.
Through blurry eyes, I look up to see Kya’s eyes blazing red and her hands bright red with power on the ready.
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” she snaps, glaring at Slade as he snarls and climbs back up to his feet.