Croft’s entire body fought fatigue. Her muscles screamed as if they were on fire. Sweat obscured her vision as her attack broke. Leah hammered her again with the blast coming from her hand, and Croft fell to her knees.
This is it, Croft thought. She had always imagined the seconds before her death would end in fear. All she could think about now as her last reserves left her and her defenses broke, was how she hoped her daughters were far away from Azra.
CRACK!
Croft looked up from her kneeling position in the stone street of Azra. Her body was steaming from the intensity of Leah’s attack, but she wasn’t dead. Croft glanced at her sister, confused.
Hope, joy, fear, and a sense of pride and worry all hit her all at once as she saw Elizabeth floating in the air in front of her, the bracelet around her wrist gone.
“What are you doing?” Leah scowled at her. “I’ve come here to free you. Now move aside so I can finish this.”
“No.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m free of what you did to me now. I’m thinking clearly for the first time in a very long time. You get one chance to walk away.”
“Move, you idiot child!” Leah roared. Her hands met in front of her, forming a black sphere of energy. “I will not tell you again.”
“No!” Elizabeth screamed.
“Elizabeth, get back!” Croft struggled to her feet, her mind willing a battered and fatigued body past its physical limitations.
“So be it,” Leah roared, and she hurled the ball of black magic at Elizabeth without another second of hesitation.
Croft’s heart skipped a beat.
Her daughter didn’t move. Instead of dodging the attack, she caught it.
Croft had to do a double take. She blinked, trying to understand what she was seeing. The power Elizabeth had to have to be able to control a ball of magical energy that size was extraordinary.
The ball of magic grew in Elizabeth’s hands now as a layer of yellow magic coursed over the initial ball of black matter.
“What are you doing?” Leah looked on at Elizabeth, baffled. “How did you do that?”
Elizabeth ignored Leah’s question, instead concentrating on building her attack. Leah took the opportunity to strike again. This time both hands pushed away from her body, palms first. Purple lightning raced from her hands toward Elizabeth.
“Not my daughter, you bit—” Croft’s words were lost in the crackling noise as their attacks met. Her maternal instinct and love for her daughter giving her strength she didn’t know she had, Croft lifted into the air once more and mirrored Leah’s attack. Yellow and purple lightning met in the space between the witches, and a brilliant white light exploded to life.
Croft remembered what happened next in a series of brief scenes as she fell into unconsciousness.
BOOM!
Elizabeth threw the ball of black-and-yellow magic at Leah. The ball was so large now, it encompassed Leah’s entire body. One second, the witch was trapped in it; the next, she began to melt. Through the translucent yellow-and-black bubble, her skin slipped off her face. Like something out of a child’s nightmare, Leah’s skin, muscles, and finally bones were stripped away in the magical cell. An ear-shattering explosion rocked Croft backwards, sending her once more to the hard Azra ground and into unconsciousness.
Chapter 36
Jack
There was no time to think, and even less time to come up with a plan. As soon as Jack and the others stepped through the portal Amber had made, they were greeted by scene after scene of madness.
To their left, an impossible steel monster swatted Sloan through the air, leaving her to land amidst an ocean of black-clad New Hope vampires. Witches battled in the sky, while a female warrior wielding a large, blue blade cut down the metal beast.
Jack’s heart caught in his chest as his mind registered who was with her. Abigail cleaved at the right leg of the beast with a white mage sword in each hand. Already the gigantic monster was stumbling.
“They’ve got things handled!” Marcus’ shout brought Jack back to their present dilemma. “Sloan’s in trouble right now. On my back! Follow me!”
Marcus went to all fours, transitioning into his lupine form. Jack jumped onto his back before considering what he was doing.
Marcus let out a wild howl and charged. Followed by the rest of his pack, they sprinted over the short distance toward the rear of the vampire army, their battle cries lifting to the heavens and drowning out the clamor of war.
They struck the rear of the unsuspecting vampire army with such brutality, Jack almost felt sorry for the surprised soldiers from New Hope. Almost. Werewolves tore into the vampire soldiers with precise killing moves. It seemed in Term they had realized the best way to deal with their enemies, and now they went for their heads, and in some cases even completely severing their skulls from the rest of their bodies.
Jack jumped off his father’s back when he saw Sloan, who was pulling a white mage sword from her shoulder with a grimace of pain. Commander Steel’s body lay broken beside her. He was missing his throat.
Jack extended the wand in his hand into a staff. Green light blazed from his weapon as he struck out left and right, fighting his way to Sloan’s side.
“Look out!” Sloan pointed over Jack’s shoulder.
A blue-suited man with dark hair and a strangely sincere smile held a ball of energy in each hand. The sparking power he held wasn’t exactly magic; it was something else altogether.
BOOM!
An explosion from the sky caught the attention of nearly every single warrior on both sides of the conflict. Jack looked up to see Leah Eckert caught in a magic orb of yellow-and-black. A moment later, she was melted from the outside in and disappeared in another blast of magical power.
“Oh, that sucks.” The man in front of Jack allowed the power in each of his hands to dissolve. “There’s nothing for me to gain from being here now. A different time and a different hero, maybe.”
Jack was so confused, he wasn’t sure what to think. On his part, the man winked at Jack and retreated into the maelstrom of war that had renewed around the battlefield.
“Where did he go?” Sloan severed the head of a vampire to her left. Another soldier came at her with an overhead swing. She sidestepped it before planting her white mage sword into his chest. She moved the blade down and then up, separating her opponent into two parts. “Where’s Dominic?”
“I’m not sure. He’s gone.” Jack sent two balls of green magical fire from his staff and lit a pair of charging vampire soldiers on fire.
Sloan let out a roar of anger as she threw herself into the fight once more.
But it was already over, whether or not the New Hope army understood that—leaderless, with their will broken at the sight of the mage engine now lying like a useless pile of scrap metal, its head cut from its steel body, courtesy of Abigail Ahab.
Hundreds of vampires died by the second as the Azra guards shouted in victory, pushing through the gates. Jack and Elizabeth joined the fight, cutting down vampires. As the sun rose over the horizon, the day brought the surrender of the New Hope army and the victory the city of Azra had so desperately fought for through the night.
Chapter 37
Sloan
“He was a hero, and he will always be remembered that way.” Sloan rested her head on Kade’s shoulder. “Your brother was a great man.”
“He was.” Kade leaned over and kissed Sloan on the head. “I just wish I’d had more time to get to know him.”
In the days after The Battle of The Mage Engine, as people were starting to call it, the dead had been buried and the survivors had begun putting back together their broken lives.
Jack had his father back and had summoned the courage to ask Abigail to marry him. The woman who had helped defeat the mage engine had said yes, and Sloan couldn’t have been happier for them.
Kimberly, Sasha, and Cherub were seeing to the imprisonment of the surrendered vampire soldiers, trying to figure out wh
at to do with them next.
“They look so happy, don’t they?” Kade asked, wrestling Sloan from her thoughts. The two were on the Azra battlements, the sun high overhead, the ocean to their right.
Sloan followed his gaze to where Aareth and Ashley strode hand in hand on the beach.
“They look great together.” Sloan breathed a deep sigh, so happy for her friends. “I’m glad Ashley remembered her past with Aareth. Maybe now they can pick up where they left off.”
“Speaking of picking up where we left off.” Kade turned to Sloan and wrapped his arms around her. “I think I love you.”
Sloan felt a rush of heat burn her face. Her mouth went dry.
“This is the part where you say it back, or else it gets awkward.” Kade smiled down at her. “Any time now.”
“I’ve never said those words to anyone before.” Sloan leaned in and kissed Kade so hard, it almost hurt. “But I do, I love you, Kade Hyde.”
An awkward coughing from behind ruined the moment. Croft stood with her arm in a sling and an amused expression on her face. “May I have a quick word with the woman you love, Kade? It will only take a moment.”
“We have the rest of our lives together, so I guess you have my permission. But do hurry.” Kade winked at Sloan. “Go ahead, I’ll wait here.”
Sloan walked down the battlements on the Azra wall, trying to stop, but not succeeding in completely harnessing a silly smile playing across her lips.
“I’ll make this short.” Croft began to walk back the way she’d come. “You’ve earned some time to rest.”
Sloan followed by her side.
“New Hope needs a team of people to help rebuild their leadership. I can think of no one better than you and your vampire squad to go and maintain the peace while they elect their new leader. Edison and Elwood have volunteered to go with you.”
“How about you?”
“I have no desire to rule. I need to stay here. I have so much lost time to make up to my daughters. Plus, Jack brought a witch back with him from Term, one who is proficient in the healing arts. Maybe it’s time for me to pursue a different aspect of the magical realm.”
Sloan slowly nodded. In all honesty, she had no desire to go back to New Hope, but the people there would need stability while they got back on their feet. Plus, if Kade came, it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Take time to think about it.” Croft stopped and motioned back to Kade. “Talk with him and let me know what you’ve decided.”
“I will.” Sloan took a deep breath, thinking of all the possibilities the future could bring. “It will always be something, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we’ll always have some kind of obstacle to climb.”
Croft thought for a moment, her lips pursing in concentration. “Yes, but that’s life, and with the right people beside us, it can be an adventure where we learn to grow instead of it being a lonely journey. Now, go back to Kade. He’s starting to give me dirty looks because I’m keeping you too long.”
The End
Epilogue
Even though Sloan’s story is over there are other adventures to explore in the Shared Universe. Dominic Drencher pops up again in The Archangel Wars. Here’s sample of book one in The Archangel Wars, Of Angels and Men.
Of Angels and Men
“Another drink, sir?”
“Yes. In fact, can you just bring the bottle? I think that’ll be easier for both of us.”
“I certainly can, sir. Would you like to be informed of the price? I mean, before I go get it.”
He knew she was trying to be polite. Deep down, he understood what was going through her head. She was doing the calculations on how much he’d already drunk, in addition to the cost of the bottle. “No, I don’t need to know the price. Just bring the bottle, please.”
He caught the surprise in her eyes even as she turned to go. The server bobbed with a bounce of her blonde curls, and was gone.
He smirked and brushed a dark blond strand of his own hair behind his ear. The expensive fabric of his tailored shirt pressed against his muscular chest and arms as he reached across the table for the book that lay face up in front of him.
Reading the book alone looked out of place in such a high-end bar. Even he realized that. The book reminded him of how he’d felt as he made his own transition from plain and forgettable to something else entirely. Something he was still trying to understand. All eyes were on him, from the female patrons in the bar to the staff. He witnessed his server murmuring to her coworkers while grabbing the requested bottle of 1939 Macallan.
The sheets in his book gently ruffled; his fingers touched familiar passages. The pages were like old friends. He couldn’t help smiling as he remembered exactly how many times he’d read the book.
The lighting in the bar was dim, which would have posed a problem to anyone else but him. The words were so familiar, he could see the print on the page as clearly as if he were sitting on a park bench during a bright midday.
He heard her before he saw her. “Here you are, sir. The most expensive bottle we have. I had to convince my manager that this wasn’t a joke, but when I told him who ordered it, he practically ran to fill the request.” She placed the newly dusted bottle of whiskey onto the table. “Do you come here often?”
He put the book down, his blue eyes making contact with hers. “From time to time. Usually there’s a different waitress working.”
“Oh, I’m part of the day shift. I’m just picking up extra hours.” Her gaze fell from his, hesitating too long on his muscular torso, then finally rested on the book he’d placed back onto the table. “Spartans, huh?”
He nodded. “Spartans.”
An awkward silence followed as the attractive young woman grasped for a follow-up line, a line she’d never had to use before. Men had always felt obligated to fill the silence in an attempt to please her. “Um… can I pour the whiskey for you?”
“No, that’s fine. You can leave the bottle.”
She cleared her throat, once again at a loss for words. “If you don’t mind my asking: Who are you? I mean, the entire night staff seems to know you, and I think every woman in here has inquired about you since you sat down.” Her face reddened, even as she asked the question.
He looked at her—really looked at her. She was pretty, young, and carried herself like a woman rather than a girl. High energy and a steady smile made her not only attractive, but also approachable. He couldn’t blame her for the question. In all fairness, it was one he’d been trying to answer for the past four years. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ll ever know. The last few years have been a blur of temporary happiness.”
This was clearly not the answer she was expecting. “Oh, okay. Well, let me know if you need anything. My name’s Sophia.”
He nodded as she turned and left. Part of him wished he’d been nicer, but it was the truth. Alan Price opened the costly bottle of whiskey as nonchalantly as someone would open a bottle of water and poured himself a generous portion. As the glass traveled from the tabletop to his lips, he thought back to the first night he realized life would be more of a mystery than he’d ever thought possible.
Also by Jonathan Yanez
The Elite Series
The Beast Within
The Trials
The Judge
Bad Land
The Archangel Wars
Of Angels and Men
Of Angels and Demons
Of Angels and Gods
Of Angels and Legends
The Dread Novels
All the Beautiful People
All the Broken People
A Special Kind of Crazy
The DeCadia Series
The DeCadia Code
The Crucible
Afterword
Author’s Note
You. Yes, I’m talking to you. You’re amazing! Thank you from the bottom of my black heart for following Sloan’s story all the way through
to completion. It’s always hard to say goodbye to a group of characters. The only thing that takes the edge of the pain is the next cast of characters I plan on writing for my next series.
I’ll miss Elwood’s unintelligible yammering, mage swords, and vampire coffee, but there are so many stories that need to be told, I feel confident pieces of these characters will bleed into others.
There has been so much great stuff going on in my career, I wanted to share some of it with you before you go. I know that none of this would be possible without you awesome readers. I signed contracts with a foreign rights agent to take my book and to get it translated into various languages around the world. This same agent is handling audio book rights for my Vampire Project Series.
Outside of this, I’ve been asked by two different authors who are doing extremely well to write stories in their universes. Needless to say, I’ve jumped at the opportunity. The thought that I’ll be able to learn from these authors as I shape stories in their worlds has me up at night, I’m so excited.
That’s what you can expect to see from me in the next few months. The genre will be a little different from what my main fan base is used to seeing me write, but my writing style and the characters who appear in the stories will be the same. I’ve found out over the years that it’s in my nature to write character-driven stories rather than plot-driven narratives.
In other news outside of writing, I was elected as the president of the California Writers Club, and I went up north to receive the Jack London award, which was awesome, and the bookstore I helped open in Orange, CA had its official grand opening. If you’re ever in the Southern California area, check out a little bookstore called 1888. It will be well worth your time, I promise.
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