Witches Be Burned: A Magic & Mayhem Novel

by Stacey Kennedy

  Like a puzzle coming together in a dangerous plot of evil, Nexi realized the most horrific thought of all. Trefan and Radek died because of a personal vengeance against Nexi—they were killed only to get to her. The thought was unthinkable, and her heart clenched, rejecting it. “Lazarus” was all she could manage.

  “He belonged to me,” Astoria said softly, despair dripping off her voice. “He didn’t deserve the fate you handed him.”

  A quick flash of hurt soared across Astoria’s face, and that sent a chill right down to Nexi’s bones. She, more than anyone, understood the need that drives a person to kill someone because they’d hurt her loved one. Still…“That point can be argued.”

  Astoria smiled, a cold and ugly thing. “Ah, which is what brings us here now.”

  Nexi’s mind spun with questions and with a guilt so heavy she could hardly breathe. Her stomach roiled that two innocent guardians had died in the crossfire about Lazarus. Yet all the same, she couldn’t get lost in emotion—she needed to think and figure out what Astoria wanted. “You could have killed me many times”—that Nexi didn’t doubt in the least—“so why turn new vampires and kill guardians?”

  “Well, that will take us back a bit.” Astoria picked up a rock off the ground, throwing it into the lake and skipping it along the water. “After I became aware of Lazarus’s death I wanted to burn you where you stood.” Her glare briefly flicked to Nexi’s before returning to the lake. “Then I realized that would be too easy of a death—one that would leave you not understanding the gravity of what you’ve taken from me.”

  Nexi blinked, reeling in ice-cold shock. “So you planned all this—killing two guardians—just to get me alone tonight?” It seemed too extravagant, too thought-out for this moment, and that worried Nexi far more than anything else.

  There was more to this, there had to be.

  And the more concerned her.

  Astoria shrugged. “Of course, my Lazarus wanted a new world for vampires, but I have never had any interest in that. My loyalty is to the Underworld”—she sent another rock skipping into the water—“although Lazarus’s desires gave me a way to get the Otherworld into my plans…since, well, we have unfinished business where they tried to kill me.” Her smile was as deadly as it was calculating. “And being that you were blind to it all, you fell perfectly into my trap.”

  “Which was getting me alone?” Something about all this didn’t seem right. Astoria wasn’t killing Nexi. Hell, she wasn’t even threatening her—she seemed too calm, too collected, and deep in Nexi’s soul, a flare of fright appeared telling her there was a good reason for that.

  A reason Nexi wasn’t going to like.

  “Yes, I wanted to get your alone,” Astoria replied in her fake sweet voice. “All of this was to experience this moment with you. The killing of the guardians was simply to get the rest of the Otherworld into the lodge tonight.”

  Nexi shut her eyes, willing the tears to stay away. God, her heart bled and broke into a thousand pieces. Trefan…Radek…those humans who were murdered by the vampire suffering bloodlust.

  All of this was because of her.

  She locked her knees, refusing to fall, as the guilt of that hurt far worse than a sword to her gut. After her mortal family had been murdered and her birth father, Drake, had died during the fight with Lazarus, she had vowed that no one she knew would die like that again. Nor would they be ripped away in such violence that haunted Nexi’s dreams, but here she was again… facing the knowledge that others died when it should have been her.

  Fight back. The pulsating magic rushed through her veins as if stealing all the guilt and heartache away in a single heartbeat. Yes, she could crumble into the unfairness of it all. Sure, she could fall into a pit of darkness, hating others more than she loved. But she wouldn’t—not tonight, not ever—she would always rise above the evil, because if she didn’t, she’d be one of them.

  That she would never allow.

  “If you’re saying this because you think it will hurt me, you’re wrong.” Nexi raised her head, hearing her voice turn deadly. “It does nothing but make me pity you that your soul is so far gone.”

  “How you perceive me doesn’t concern me.” Astoria snorted, flicking her long locks over her shoulder. “I’ll admit that part of me has hungered for nothing less than to have your blood spilling on my hands.” She grabbed another rock off the ground, tossed it up in the air, using her magic to make it float. “The other part of me wants you to suffer, as I have suffered.”

  Power brushed against Nexi’s skin, and she inhaled sharply, rejecting such evil traveling along her skin. “I did suffer”—she growled—“at the hands of your fucking mate.”

  Astoria’s eyes narrowed, promising a pain far worse than death. “I have long suspected that you truly don’t know what it means to suffer. What it means when your heart is ripped from your body without choice. But after tonight, you will.”

  Energy cracked in the air like a loud bang of thunder and the wave hit Nexi in the face, sending her flying back. Astoria added, “Tonight you will understand that my revenge isn’t blood for blood, it’s heart for heart.” Her eyes glowed dark red, swirling with an unthinkable power. “You took my heart. Now I will take yours.”

  Nexi absorbed the statement, the cruel smile on Astoria’s face telling her all she needed to know. She realized that Astoria was right. There was something far worse than death itself—living in a world without Kyden in it would be her own personal Hell. “You’re lying,” she snapped.

  “Am I?” Astoria sneered. “I could have killed all of you in that lodge as easily as I breathe.” Her nostrils flared. “I could kill you now with a single flick of a finger.” Raw energy seeped into the air, making it hot and thick, dropping Nexi to knees, gasping for air. “Ask yourself why I’m not doing what I could do with little effort.”

  Coldness slid into Nexi and a panic overtook her, making all sense of herself vanish. “You have me,” she screamed. Pain that held no measure stormed into Nexi’s body, forcing a sob from her throat. She ignored the strength flaring inside of her as her magic begged her to fight.

  Without Kyden, the fight would not be worth it.

  Without him, the world was darker than Nexi could survive.

  There was something far worse than facing Astoria; believing what the witch had said sent Nexi’s world crumbling to pieces. Desperation made her beg. “Don’t—”

  “This is not a negotiation.” Astoria rose, taking a step forward, as the rock she held with magic fell to the ground. “Minutes ago, I sent hundreds of my vampires into the lodge with one order: to kill your guardian.” Dark amusement filled her eyes, a wicked thing to behold, as she took another step forward. “Seeing you now, watching your heart bleed and die as mine did”—her voice lowered with a hatred that would forever be heard in Nexi’s soul—“is my sweet revenge.”

  —

  Blood soaked Kyden’s body like a sheen of sweat. The magic from his sword couldn’t possibly keep up with the amount of vampires he was killing. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear he’d been targeted. If Talon, Finn, Thalia, Maddox, and Zade hadn’t assisted him, he would’ve been dead—that he didn’t doubt.

  His muscles burned with each strike and his body ached against every blow he took. Fang marks littered his upper body and his shoulder bled profusely from the last attempt a vamp made to remove his head. He swiped at anything that held a shape, hoping to hell he didn’t hit a friendly.

  Though, through all of it, four words remained on his mind during the fight: She is Lazarus’s mate. Those had been the final words coming from the vampire that Kyden trapped on the wall before more vampires stormed the lodge. But they were strong enough words that Kyden remembered them. And that was all he needed to hear to understand the why behind it all.

  Astoria must’ve promised the vampires tonight she’d step in where Lazarus had failed—he assumed she had offered them the new world order that Lazarus was after by destroying th
e Mistresses so the rogue vampires could lead the Earthworld. But she hadn’t stayed and fought with them—and the vampire stuck to the wall by his sword had told Kyden that he believed she planned to help them.

  Astoria did this to get to Nexi.

  To kill her.

  A vamp nearly knocked Kyden to the side, so he planted his feet wide, holding his stance. The dark-haired vampire rushed him and Kyden swiped his sword from left to right, connecting with the vampire’s neck. He didn’t have the chance to relish his kill, as another vampire jumped him. A hard blow to Kyden’s jaw sent him tumbling backward and he crashed to the floor. His body ached to stay on the ground. Muscles burned with exhaustion. The earlier fight had worn him out, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to accept his weakness.

  This had to stop for Nexi.

  Urgency mixed with a sense of unfamiliar fear made him act swiftly. Now that he understood Astoria’s involvement he felt panic that he had never felt before. Images of Nexi’s face trapped in fright blasted through his mind, and he pushed off the ground, lunging for a vampire. He wished he could use one of the vampires to find Astoria, but he believed they didn’t know where she went, and only Astoria held the magic to access her portal. Determined to end this fight, he raised his sword in front of him, and within near seconds of taking this vamp’s life, energy brushed across his skin.

  Kyden paused, staring in complete awe, witnessing Zia unleash her magic in ways he’d never seen before. Her eyes were focused on nothing in particular, glowing so brightly with blue light. Zia didn’t just resemble the most powerful witch in Otherworld history, she looked like a mother who planned to rip the worlds apart to find her child.

  Within seconds Zia’s magic soared around the lodge, and every vampire became trapped in her wave, suspending them up in the rafters. An odd silence drifted through the room, and Kyden believed he wasn’t the only one shocked by the level of magic Zia conjured. Possibly no one truly knew the level of magic she held, though Kyden wondered if emotion fueled her powers now.

  She had caged hundreds of vampires and held them there, as if it didn’t weaken her. Energy pulsed like a heartbeat and Zia appeared in slow motion, her hair moving around her as if the energy by her was patient and calm. Water dripped from the vampire above Kyden and onto his head as he stared up into the wild wave above him.

  “Briar,” Zia said in a voice vibrating with power. “Now.”

  The Fire Witch, Briar, dropped to her knees next to Zia, placing her hands on the floor. A giant fireball formed in front of Briar, casting her in an orange hue. Zia stared at nothing, not the vampires above her, not even at anyone on their team; so far away in her powers, magic led her way. She slowly let vampires fall, one by one, and as each one dropped the fireball consumed them whole, turning them to ash.

  In less time than it took Kyden to raise his brows in surprise, the hundreds of rogue vampires were dead. Zia dropped to her knees, gasping for breath. Her skin was ashen and her body trembled. Rising again only a second later, she turned to the witches behind her and snapped, “Find. Nexi. Now.” She appeared to ignore the shocked stares around her, placing her hand on the members of their team who were injured and offering them healing.

  By the time she reached Kyden, Zia appeared on the verge of passing out, her face gray now. He grabbed her wrist before she could touch him. “You’re not well, Zia. Heal yourself first.”

  She blinked, as if she wasn’t even thinking, only acting. For a moment Kyden thought she would argue, but maybe the pause made her realize how weak she really was. She soon closed her eyes, and Kyden watched the color return to her face. She became more stable on her feet as she reopened her eyes and placed her hand on Kyden’s forearm.

  Pain shot through him like a thin knife slicing over his flesh and his eyes pinched shut as the open wounds sealed together like invisible stitches. When the agony searing across him vanished, he looked to Zia. Her eyes, while full of desolation and anger, held hope that he could always count on her.

  “Nexi’s not lost yet,” she said with a determined nod. “We will find her in time.”

  Those words stormed over Kyden. Once Nexi had been in danger with Lazarus, and that had almost ruined him. But a black witch was far worse than a power-hungry vampire. A scorned lover wasn’t fighting for a higher power, nor was she hunting for something that Kyden could stop. Astoria was motivated by one thing: to kill Nexi for the life she’d taken.

  All conversations and movement around him vanished; the only noise blaring in his ears was the sound of his heart breaking. His eyes shut against the overwhelming sense of grief as his soul slowly splintered. While his muscles were strong and renewed by Zia’s magic, his strength weakened.

  You have failed to keep her safe. Again.

  His blood went cold with the acceptance of this harsh reality. Yet again Nexi had risked her life to save him, and Kyden couldn’t thank her for that. He couldn’t even touch her and protect her, all he could do was pray to the Gods above that Nexi was strong enough to stay alive until they found her.

  I can’t lose you…

  Chapter 15

  A rage so dark and deadly filled Nexi, nearly crackling in the sky. She remained on her knees, gulping at the air to stay in the present and not fall so deeply into a horror she couldn’t even fathom. Kyden can’t die. She couldn’t survive losing anyone else. Nor would she stand another night of staring down evil and allowing it to walk away.

  Fuck them!

  She noticed Astoria turning, as if to walk away as though she hadn’t ruined Nexi’s life. A burn fueled Nexi as she rose. Wind soared over her body, which was not a natural occurrence, but was the force of her magic igniting. Even Nexi became aware that something different was arising in her, something that wasn’t good, something that hungered for this witch’s blood. Not because Astoria was an evil witch, but because she had threatened the life of the one supernatural Nexi couldn’t live without.

  Astoria wanted to take from Nexi, and Nexi would not allow it.

  The wind roared in her ears, spitting up rock and sticks from the ground. Astoria turned and paused, studying Nexi. She finally said, sounding incredulous, “You cannot be serious?”

  “I’m so fucking tired of losing people I love.” Nexi glanced to her hands, sensing an odd thick energy bouncing off her. It seemed different. Whatever magic filled her now she had not trained with, but maybe that was because she hadn’t needed the magic. She’d never faced such a powerful opponent before.

  The magic inside wasn’t whispering soft words of encouragement. The magic spoke to her in a harsher demand, holding one focus.

  Kill her.

  Astoria tilted her head; her gaze turned probing. “What power is that?”

  Nexi couldn’t speak, she couldn’t move; the power within pulsated to cause mayhem. Hate burned so deep inside, and before she even had a thought on what to do next, a wave of energy soared from her body so intense it burned in the worst possible way.

  Astoria went flying backward, landing by the log she had casually been sitting on. She bounced back onto her feet and levitated off the ground before a blast of cool air from the mountains rushed across Nexi, sending her soaring backward to slam against a tree trunk. A bone in her shoulder cracked, but the pain couldn’t even register as she spotted flames spiraling toward her.

  Kill, the magic roared inside.

  Nexi agreed and focused deep, pulling on this new rich power within her. This unlimited force gave Nexi the sense that she could match the witch she fought now. The fire drew nearer and, instinctively, Nexi knew exactly what to do. The magic guided her to push that fierce energy whipping inside her outward. She screamed as the magic burned against her soul, though an odd sense of happiness filled her with a shield of energy—almost like a pulsating heat wave that formed around her.

  The heat from the fiery inferno at her front drew sweat to bead along her skin, though the magic now could not be hindered. Astoria’s flames couldn’t touch her. Nexi’s
fists clenched as she stared at the wall of fire, attempting to break through and harm her. Each second that passed brought more of Astoria’s magic, forming a black cloud behind the fire, and somehow this magic seemed familiar to Nexi.

  In the lodge, the magic had tasted wrong…felt dirty. Now she didn’t want to repel it, she wanted to draw it in and hold it. Use it as hers. Raw power seeped through the flames and screams of agony rippled against the air. Trees uprooted around Nexi, and her ears popped as the roar of Astoria’s fire intensified.

  Nexi asked more of the magic now, forcing out her abilities in a way she’d never asked before—with the intent to kill without mercy—and it seemed as if the elements were fighting back, almost refusing her desire.

  Stop, her soul screamed at her.

  Kill, the power argued.

  Nexi could hardly see in front of her as the blaze against her shield burned like an uncontrollable wildfire. Large orange, red, and purple flames pushed against the wall of energy, and Nexi screamed at the power forced on her. She roared against the sweltering evil and the cruelty of life, and against the hell she had landed herself in. Trees blackened around her, causing thick, dark smoke to rise high to the sky, and the air smelled of burning trees and leaves on fire.

  The magic at her front intensified, forming fingers in the flames—thousands of them, reaching out in attack. Nexi’s shield held like an unbreakable wall while Astoria’s magic pressed on.

  Stop, the elements inside warned, but Nexi screamed against that request.

  No more lives would be lost. No one else would dare touch the supernaturals she loved. This power itched to fill her, to consume her, and she nearly allowed it until she heard three words echo in her heart: Protect your soul.

  Her mind somehow snapped back and she realized with a sudden coldness that there was a certain darkness fluttering through her. This power did not belong to her elements. Dear God, it was tempting, making her feel stronger than she’d ever been in her life. Yet something deep inside her knew that if she used this power, her soul would be lost forever.