Unhuman Acts

by Candace Blevins

  She’d been holding Nero prisoner for months, until his asshole friends helped him turn the tables on her — but Kendra, Moira, and the female wolves rescued her.

  And so, just as Nero and Rinaldo escaped us, Kendra came flying across the water in a boat and didn’t slow when she hit the beach area, so the speed boat slid up onto land a good twenty yards. Katya was standing on the back, Moira — who was also once a Queen of England — was standing on the front, and a whole bunch of warrior Goddess looking female werewolves were in the center. I knew Moira had been at the battle earlier, and I’d later learn that Kendra enlisted her help to rescue Katya.

  Between the imperators and Kendra’s boatload of backup, we had fresh people who could kick ass. I trusted Aaron and Nathan could handle the portal with the imperators, and Cora and I levitated to the boat.

  “Nero bit me and drank from me, but I think I’m in my own head,” I told them. “Griffin’s dead, so they don’t have their power-of-three thing anymore. We still need to deal with Nero and Rinaldo.”

  “I can feel them,” said Kendra. “There’s a substation a little ways down Champion Road. You think it’s outside the park, but on the map, it’s still in the boundaries. Across the road from it, there’s this... it’s more sinkhole than cave, but I guess it was the best place to situate a portal to Hell. That’s where they are.”

  I considered the best way to get there, and then jumped in the boat, levitated it a few inches, and moved it back to the water. “Drive us around the peninsula and we’ll only be a five-hundred-yard dash away from it.”

  Queenie jumped in with us as we were leaving, and I smiled at her. I didn’t know when she’d come back to the battle, but her expression told me she was as ready to end this as the rest of us.

  I counted women on the way — fourteen of us in the boat. Seven times two. Ten werewolves, three uber-powerful vampires, and the Harlequin. Talk about girl-power.

  “Those of you who aren’t pack,” I told the wolves, “feel free to draw energy from me and use it however you want. I give you permission.” I looked at Katya. “Fourteen of us against two of them?”

  She shook her head and shouted above the boat’s engine, the wind, the rain, and the thunder. “They just went into Hell. We don’t know how many they’ll have!”

  “You’ll follow them into Hell?”

  “Nero is mine.” She looked around. “If someone else takes him out, that’s fine, so long as I’m there to watch him die. Who’ll follow them into Hell with me?”

  I would, but I wasn’t prepared to speak for Cora on this. However, one look at her expression gave me my answer. “Cora and I will.”

  One by one, every woman on the boat said she’d go. We were all tired of this damned battle, and we were going to end it.

  “We’ll have to bring them back here to kill them,” I told them. “There’s only one major rule in Hell — you can’t kill. It’s fine to cut every limb off, and any kind of torture you can imagine is no big deal, so long as the victim survives.”

  Cora pulled the boat up onto the sandy shore, put the key in her pocket, and leapt onto the bank.

  I levitated out of the boat while the others jumped. “I can’t run as fast as ya’ll.”

  Kendra offered her hand. “Levitate yourself. I’ll fly and pull you with me.”

  When we arrived at the portal, Moira organized us so we were in three groups, and each had a vampire who’d be responsible for making sure another vampire didn’t grab anyone’s willpower.

  “The Prince of Hell basically kicked me out the last time I was there,” I told them. “It’s possible I won’t be able to enter, or that someone will come along and make me leave, but I’m in this as long as I can be.”

  Cora looked to me. “While we were in the boat, I made Ranger the acting Alpha until I return, since my wolves won’t be able to feel me when I leave this realm. I’m with you, wherever you go.”

  I nodded and looked to Kendra. “Can you make it so we can all telepath?”

  She looked around the group. “Anyone opposed to me setting that up?”

  No one said anything in opposition, and I heard her in my head. Nod if you hear me.

  We all nodded, vampires included.

  I looked to Cora and offered my hand. She took it, we joined energy, and walked through the portal first.

  The stench hit me like a punch to the gut, and I felt Cora working hard to deal with the horrible smell of brimstone, too. When we were all inside the gate, I told them, Parse the oxygen as you breathe it in. Focus on it. Nothing will make the stench go away, but you can learn to breathe without feeling the need to puke.

  We’d entered into a small cavern. I was still holding Cora’s hand, and we headed down the tunnel. I could hear people talking long before we made it to the next cavern, and I stopped. Vampires are quieter because you don’t have to breathe.

  I’ll scout the room, said Katya. I can send an image through the same connection we’re using to talk.

  The image she sent was of demon guards, but not of the vampires we were looking for. Had they gone past the guards, or had they gone another direction?

  I don’t sense them here, Kendra said. If they’re close, I should feel them.

  I walked through the people behind us, going back the direction we’d just come. Still holding Cora’s hand, I focused on looking for another portal. I didn’t feel anything until we reached the first small room, and I realized it was lined with portals — seven in this room.

  Are all of you nose blind? I asked. Can you smell where they walked?

  Katya should smell for them, said Kendra. She’s most familiar with Nero’s essence.

  After a few circuits around the room, Katya stopped at a nondescript section of wall. His scent seems to come from here.

  I walked to it and used my new senses to feel the portal.

  Alfheim. I told them. I have more power there than I do in Midgard. Everyone coming? The portal to home is in this room, so it’s easy enough to return to the human realm if you don’t want to follow.

  Everyone walked to the Alfheim portal, and I once again took Cora’s hand and walked through with her.

  We walked into a battle, and it took me a few minutes to orient myself. My castle was on the mountain, and we were in the valley, in a village. The vampires had people with them, and they were burning the village and killing villagers.

  Wolves can use magic here whether they’re in a pack or not. I told them. You can pull from me if you need to, but you can also pull from nature.

  Next, I telepathed Zeta. I need soldiers in the valley. Now! Do we have a fire department? If so, we need them. Also, anyone who’s willing to fight strong Strigorii vampires from Midgard. The women wolves and Strigorii are with me; the two Strigorii men need to die.

  As you wish, my Queen.

  I sighed at the use of my title, but I responded as if she hadn’t used it. Thank you, Zeta.

  I focused back on our group. Katya and Moira, if you’ll go after Nero, then I’ll go with Kendra, Cora, and at least one more wolf to go after Rinaldo.

  I’m with you, Harmony said. Angelica’s little group should stay together.

  I would like to come with you as well, said Queenie. I will enjoy watching Rinaldo die.

  I blew out a breath. Looks like we have our two groups. Are we set?

  I wasn’t expecting Rinaldo and Nero to have a half-dozen velociraptors. I took Harmony’s hand and levitated us up, out of their reach. Cora did the same with Queenie. Kendra could fly, so she easily met us in the air.

  The caedes are following Rinaldo’s orders, Kendra told us. If we take him out, they might lose their incentive to fight. She shrugged. Or they might not.

  Caedes? Harmony asked.

  Velociraptors, I told her. Shifters. Lots of extinct animals are still around in their shifter form, apparently. I looked to Kendra. Where’s Rinaldo?

  The second I asked the question, I knew where he was and turned in the correct ge
neral direction.

  Never mind. He’s about three hundred yards that direction. Do we have a game plan?

  Kendra’s mental voice sounded a little incredulous. People are headed here from the castle on... magic carpets?

  Between her tone and her words, I had to turn to look. Sure enough, that’s kind of what it looked like.

  Zeta, who’s coming to us?

  Fire suppressors are in the air without a glamour. Soldiers are on horseback under a glamour so you can’t see them until they’re almost on you.

  I’d kept everything open so we could all hear, and I looked to Kendra to add, Castle livery is purple and green. They’re on our side.

  I felt Cora tapping into my connection with Zeta, and I made sure it went through when she said, Zeta, can you have the soldiers here as support for the fire suppressors, and not us? That should give us some cover for a surprise attack. Also, have they been warned of the caedes?

  They have. Your Majesty? What are your orders?

  Cora’s orders are the same as mine in battle.

  I looked at the group and spoke out loud. “If we all hold hands and walk, I can put us in a bubble so he can’t sense us. It’ll mean we can’t sense them, either. I’ll let it down for a split second every once in a while, to make sure we aren’t blindsided. With the smoke from the fires, everyone’s going to be nose blind. If we can block the mental bits, that only leaves sight and sound.”

  “He won’t sense me coming,” said Queenie. “Gavin’s made sure of it. I’ll walk behind the four of you, just outside your bubble. No one will sneak attack us.”

  I looked to Kendra and Cora. “Works for me if it’s okay with you. We need someone in charge, and I’ll follow either of you into battle.”

  Cora turned to Kendra. “It should be you.”

  “Queenie?” I asked.

  “Kendra’s in charge. Got it.”

  “Politically, the soldiers and other people won’t approve,” said Cora. “If we have to deal with anyone who lives here, telepathically let Kirsten know what to tell them. She’s Queen here, so no one is supposed to be telling her what to do.”

  Kendra lifted her eyebrows at me, and I shrugged. “A side effect of being healed from the demon bite. Are we ready to move?”

  “He’s stronger than me, and I can’t draw on Abbott for help when we’re in different realms. I’m pretty sure he’s stronger than Abbott. Rinaldo can’t draw on his people from here, so it’ll be me against him without any outside influences, but if I’m locked in battle then listen to Cora.”

  “I can hit him with my lasers from forty yards away if you can keep him still. There are no rules against killing him here, and as Queen, I’m in fact ordering all of you to kill him if you get a chance.”

  Since we were all holding hands, I levitated us a few inches off the ground and moved us across a field, four people wide with Queenie walking behind us. Our energy signature would be one wolf, and he’d hear one person walking in human form. The energy bubble would block everything except our scents, and the smoke from the fires had everyone nose blind. Queenie telepathed us to let us know his general direction, and we came at him from behind. I levitated us to the top of a building, and Queenie scaled a different building like she was fucking spiderwoman.

  I was just thinking that killing him from behind with my laser was going to be anticlimactic when he turned and saw us. I shot my laser anyway, but then he was right beside me, his arm around my torso, his lips at my throat, and I couldn’t move. He’d even managed to get the bundle of rope off my back before he’d taken me, and I hadn’t been able to stop him.

  I closed my eyes and took stock of my situation. He’d grabbed my willpower, but he didn’t seem to know I could use another section of my brain if I wanted. Maybe.

  And then everything happened at once. Fire suppressors put all the fires out at once. There was no oxygen for perhaps seven seconds, and then there was. As soon as the fires were out, men on magic carpets appeared, but they were moving away from us. Soldiers appeared too, and they were everywhere.

  “Let our Queen go, vampire.”

  Three velociraptors seemed to show up out of nowhere, but they only took out two soldiers before they were decapitated. I grieved for the two lost soldiers, but hardened my heart and focused on the battle. It wasn’t time to grieve yet. Those men gave their lives for mine, though, and it set my resolve even more.

  This was my land. Mine. I pulled energy in and it came to me willingly. It was as if the land was merely waiting for me to open myself to it. I followed the trail in my head back to Rinaldo, but instead of snapping it or burning it, I took charge of it, and suddenly, he was on his knees and I was holding a light knife to his neck.

  I dug into his thoughts and memories and saw what they’d had in store for mankind, for the shifters, and for the other supernatural species. They had a plan to overturn the Concilio, and allowing the Celrau carte blanche on humanity was party of the deal. I saw the politicians they’d already put in office — on the left and the right — all over the world. This wouldn’t just have been another dark age, it would’ve been the age of the evil vampires. They’d have owned the armies of the world, and they’d have ruled humanity without trying to hide from us.

  He could see what I was viewing, and pushed other memories at me — the things he wanted to do to me, personally. Five vampires (three Strigorii and two Celrau) had a contract for how they’d share me, once this was over with, and they’d worked with a wizard from another realm to make a collar capable of harnessing my powers so I couldn’t use them.

  I pulled out of his head but held onto his willpower. It felt as if I should say something. He’d lived for thousands of years and I was about to end him — but nothing came to me, so I let my knife take his head off in slow motion, and I spent another thirty seconds making sure the brain stem was gone. For good measure, I stabbed his heart enough times I was certain it wasn’t coming back, either.

  Ask your guard unit to be sure the body and head are burned, Kendra told me.

  I relayed the orders and then spoke to Kendra out loud. “We should help the others. Nero isn’t going to be so easy.”

  “He wasn’t easy,” Cora told me. “I felt how much power the land gave you.”

  I blew out a breath. I was still riding high on the power. “Yeah. I think I might be able to do something close to that at Homewood, but probably not anywhere else in our realm.”

  The captain of the guard saluted. “We can take you and your compatriots to the other battle, Your Majesty.”

  “Magically?” I don’t do so good on horseback. I should probably work on that.

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  I looked at my feet and asked Kendra, Do we accept the offer?

  Ask him if they can make us appear in front of the fight in a semicircle. If they can, then you’ll be in the middle with Cora on your right and me on your left, Harmony on Cora’s other side, and Queenie by me. I’ll warn Moira and Katya we’re on our way.

  I’d have preferred Kendra or Cora in the middle, but I understood why that wasn’t possible in Alfheim.

  I put us in position and told the guards to make us appear facing Nero.

  Chapter 20

  Katya and Nero were in a sword fight when we arrived, with Moira standing to the side. Nero was over Rome when Roman soldiers invaded Britain, killed the king (her husband), and gang-raped their daughters. This was still personal, nearly two thousand years later. I could feel them trying to get through the other’s mental shields while they fought. They seemed pretty evenly matched, so I pushed power to Katya.

  And she grabbed it and used it. Her sword flashed faster, her feet moved quicker.

  Still, they fought. Sword on sword, metal clanging, and so much power in the air, I wanted to rub my goosebumps, but I didn’t.

  Backwards and forwards. In the air. Back on the ground. I wanted to help, but I also knew Katya needed to do this. Other than making sure she had an unlimited s
ource of power, I stayed out of it.

  Moira and the other wolves formed a semicircle on the other side of the fight, a good fifty yards away, because this swordfight was like a huge dance with complex choreography. It was beautiful, and terrifying, and I needed it to be over before my nerves short circuited. No way was Nero getting out of here alive, but we all hoped Katya could do it without help.

  A beam of light formed, and we watched Apollonius and Jupiter float down on it, looking every bit like the gods they were. This was Apollo, not Apollonius. I’m not sure how to describe the difference, but I could see and feel it. Same man, different hat. Different job.

  “We’ll take Nero into custody,” said Jupiter. “He has some crimes to answer for.”

  I stepped forward. “No. He dies here, on this field, today. You are welcome to witness his death, but any crimes he’s committed will have to be answered for with his death.”

  Jupiter stood taller. “You challenge me!?”

  My captain of the guard stepped forward, and all five hundred or so of his soldiers seemed poised for battle. “You dare challenge the Queen of this Realm when she’s decreed the death of an enemy of the crown?”

  Queen of this realm? I thought I was only queen of a domain on Alfheim, not of the entire freaking realm! This wasn’t the time to ask questions, thought, so I held Jupiter’s gaze and waited to see how he’d respond.

  “You’ve declared him such?”

  “I have. He and Rinaldo came here to burn and destroy villages in order to get my attention. I took Rinaldo’s head off, and I’m letting Katya take care of Nero.”

  “It’s personal between them.” He said it like he didn’t think I knew.

  “His soldiers killed her husband and raped her daughters. You’re damned right it’s personal. He’s dying today. She gets first dibs.”

  I’m not sure if Nero gave up when he discovered he was dying on this day no matter what, or if I just demoralized him enough so she finally got her sword past his, but his head went flying in that moment. I turned to the captain of my guard. “If any of your men have a silver longknife or sword, I’d love to have the use of it for a few moments.”