by Jaye Wells
But not as deadly as me. The powers of Lilith and Hekate still thrummed through my veins like lightning. A fact Lavinia Kane would soon discover.
I raised my arms up toward the sky, turning my face toward the waning moon. The dark energy pulsed through me. I dove, somersaulting through the air. My war cry burst through the night.
Time to end this.
30
My feet barely hit the ground before a Caste vampire lunged with fangs bared. Without slowing, I heaved a bolt of underworld magic his way. Heat licked my back as his body exploded.
Legs pumped faster. I dispatched a clump of Brotherhood humans. A flash of red between two crypts caught my attention. I started after Lavinia.
“Sabina!” Rhea’s shout made me stop short.
I turned to see the silver-haired mage cornered. She stood in front of Adam’s prone body, fending off attacks from three Caste mages. I ran up behind one of them and jerked his neck to the left. I didn’t stop to watch him fall as I went after the second. This one saw me coming and turned to blast me with a flaming orb. Again, the cone of power protected me. I stood fully and shot a cocky smile at the shocked mage.
Lifting my hands, I threw some magic of my own at him. He grunted as the spell hit him in the midsection. He ignited instantly. Screaming and flailing, he was burned alive.
The remaining mage turned tail and ran away. My bolt hit her in the back and threw her forward into a group of three Caste vampires. Their clothes caught fire, and the four bodies created a writhing funeral pyre.
Breathing heavily, I turned back to Rhea. Instead of looking relieved, her face was a mask of worry. “Where’s Maisie?” she demanded.
“Lavinia.” Her face hardened. She glanced down at Adam’s body before looking up with tears in her eyes. Before she could speak, I held up a hand. I couldn’t handle it now. “Get the hell out of here.”
She wrapped her arms around me for a quick, hard hug. “Goddess protect you.” Her voice lowered to a fierce whisper. “Now go kill that bitch.”
I pulled away and turned my back to her before emotion could get its claws in me. Running, I beelined for the crypts I’d seen Lavinia disappear between earlier. Spurring my legs faster, I burst out of the narrow aisle ready for action. Only instead of finding Lavinia, I discovered the males who’d been chanting inside. The vampire still held a knife against Maisie’s throat, but she appeared to be unconscious again. The book they’d been chanting from earlier lay on the edge of the slab. Their voices mingled with words I couldn’t translate.
I ran right toward them, tossing aside the vampire with the knife. A bolt of Chthonic magic slammed into his body, frying him on the spot. The other vamp left the mage and sprang at me. He slammed into me before I could shoot him with a spell. We rolled and tumbled across the grass, slashing at each other with fists and fangs. He landed on top, pinning my legs down. With one hand, I gripped his wrists to prevent the knife’s downward motion.
His gold Caste medallion batted around between us, hitting my face as we struggled. I freed a hand and grabbed the symbol, twisted. It broke free from his neck easily. Gripping it between my fingers, I jabbed at his eyes with one of the star’s points. His hand flew to the ruined eye as he screamed. I bucked my hips to unseat him. Rising above his writhing body, I lifted my hands and gathered the power, ready to slam him with a spell.
The attack came from behind. A soft swish of metal through the air. A grunt. The sharp sting of blade through skin. I lurched back, my shoulders pulling together and my head thrown back. Despite the tingling pain, instinct forced me to bend and duck away from the inevitable follow-up swing. I fell and rolled away just as the blade sliced the air again.
The faery steel worked quickly, its magic immobilizing the muscles on the left side of my back. With effort, I rose to face Lavinia. She raised the sword again, her eyes glittering with deadly intent. Grimacing against the spreading numbness, I crouched into my fighting stance.
The vampire on the ground had recovered enough to sit up. Lavinia looked at him from the corner of her eye. “Summon the Master. Quickly.”
The Caste mage resumed his monotone chanting. With each word, I felt the clock ticking down.
The vampire pulled himself from the ground and limped away to assist the mage. As he went, he grabbed the ceremonial knife from the grass. I started to lunge after him, but Lavinia slashed the blade through the air, capturing my full attention.
“You’re not going to ruin my plans this time, you little bitch.” She slashed and parried, pushing me away from my sister. “Once the Master arrives, he’ll make you regret ever being born.”
Behind Lavinia, Zen and PW appeared from between the crypts surrounding us. I was surprised the voodooienne allowed PW to come along. But when I saw the satchel strapped to the fae’s back, I realized Zen relied on her trusted assistant just as much as I relied on Giguhl. Plus, PW might be brittle after the attack, but she was still a faery. That meant she could easily take out human opponents. Hell, if properly armed and motivated, she could even take out vamps or mages. Especially with her hair-trigger temper and mad voodoo skills.
Hoping to distract Lavinia from their arrival, I said, “Doesn’t it bother you that you have to rely on someone more powerful to meet your goals?”
She smiled and flicked the blade. “You won’t be taunting me once Cain makes you his slave. Ironic, isn’t it, that the Chthonic magic the mages taught you will be the weapon he uses to destroy them?”
I stilled as pieces of the puzzle clicked together. All the chances Lavinia had to kill me. Her demanding my surrender instead of fighting in Jackson Square. The vague threats. The rites. Cain wanted me alive. Needed me alive so he could use my Chthonic magic for some nefarious purpose. “Well, that certainly changes things,” I said, half to myself. Lavinia frowned. I smiled. “You’re scared of Cain. And I bet he’d be pretty pissed if you killed me before he could use me.”
“I fear no one,” she said, but her eyes exposed the lie.
The voodoo practitioners worked quietly behind the vampire bent over Maisie. Zen sprinkled amber liquor all over the ground. PW lit a cigar and handed it to Zen. The sweet, smoky scent drifted toward me. My lips quirked as I realized what Zen wanted me to do. But first I had to keep Lavinia distracted until the time was right.
“Man, I never thought I’d see the day when the Alpha Domina lowered her neck in submission to a male.”
Instead of answering my taunt, she struck. I raised my left hand to fend off the attack. The blade sliced across the muscles above my wrist. Blood sprayed from the wound, dripping down my arm. I screamed as acidic pain ripped through my flesh. Fell back, my ass hitting the dirt.
As Lavinia advanced for another hit, the Caste mage shouted. “He’s coming!”
My grandmother paused, jerked her gaze over her shoulder. I looked past her and blinked. The air next to the vampire was shimmering.
“Sabina, now!” Zen shouted.
The air more solid now. A male human form.
I slammed my wrist to the dirt and ground it in. As I did, I yelled, “Spirits of the Loa, Hekate, Great Mother Lilith, I summon and evoke thee to guide these spirits to strike down my enemies!”
A male. Translucent. A shock of red hair—the same hair I’d seen in my dream with the werewolf and the shotgun. Master Mahan. Cain.
The combination of Zen’s spell and my blood forced the earth to shift and buckle. Horrible groaning and pounding began inside the nearby tombs. The vamp cringed and looked around. The loss of concentration made the transparent form of the Master waver and go static.
Lavinia had gone still, her eyes alert but worried. “What is that noise?” she yelled.
I didn’t have to answer, because in the next instant the first revenant broke through. It—the level of decay prevented me from guessing a gender—exploded from a vault near the spot where the vamp and mage had almost succeeded in summoning Cain.
Pushing its way through the humans, the zombie
went straight for the vampire. Judging from the screams of the vamp, he’d never seen a zombie before. The mage dropped the tome and tried to run. Two revenants broke off to catch the mage, who screamed as their rotted bones dug into his neck. Couldn’t blame him for his fear—no one ever expects zombies.
When the mage released his death rattle, Cain’s shimmering form popped and disappeared as the aborted summoning spell wore off.
Skeletal hands clawed at the vamp’s head, tearing clumps of red hair, the pale skin left in ribbons. A loud, wet crunch as the skull gave way. I averted my eyes as the zombie fell to the ground to feast on the vampire’s twitching body.
“No!” Lavinia watched the display in horror. “By the gods, what blasphemy is this?”
I rose on shaky legs. “I figured since you and Cain are so interested in my Chthonic magic, I’d arrange a little demonstration.”
More revenants burst free from their tombs. Four broke off from the pack and headed for Lavinia. Instead of running or screaming, she flashed her fangs and fell into a fighting stance. If I hadn’t hated her with the white-hot passion of a thousand suns, I might have admired the way she faced them down.
“Wait,” I called.
Hollow eye sockets set in gray skulls turned toward me.
“She’s mine.”
The revenants backed away, some even bowing on creaking bones. Lavinia regarded me with wary eyes as I approached. In the distance, the sounds of fighting were dying down. A muted cheer rose. But as long as Lavinia breathed, this battle would never be over.
I picked up the sword. The hilt felt warm in my hand. The heat from Lavinia’s hand hadn’t dissipated. My grandmother’s chin rose. “You’re a fool.”
I paused, swinging the sword in front of me. “I know.”
Behind Lavinia, the third member of our fucked-up family stumbled in our direction—a pale, blood-streaked specter. Seeing the murder darkening Maisie’s eyes, I realized she had every right to crave Lavinia’s death, too. In fact, she had more. Lavinia had used me and manipulated me my whole life. But the tragedies Maisie had endured in just a few days overshadowed anything I’d endured at our grandmother’s hands.
Lavinia cocked her head, obviously confused by my easy agreement. Slower, she said, “You didn’t stop him tonight. He’ll find you.”
I was done with vague threats and archaic prophecies. Instead of responding to her dire prediction, I said, “I have one question for you.”
“No, I never loved you,” she barked.
I laughed. “Seriously? You think I haven’t figured that out by now?” I spread my hands wide and nodded to my blood-spattered body and the carnage surrounding us.
Her eyes narrowed into slits. “Then why do you hesitate? Do the deed, or admit your fear.”
She was right, I was stalling. Not because I was afraid. But because doing so would allow the scales to balance once and for all. “My question is this: Weren’t you the one who always told me to never turn my back on an enemy?”
She frowned. “Yes. Why?”
Maisie struck then. Her fangs cut deep into Lavinia’s neck. Caught off guard, the Domina froze in shock. Maisie’s arms clamped around our grandmother as she bit deeper and drank greedily from the jugular. Lavinia reanimated with a vengeance, struggling and screaming for help. But no one was left to help her. Soon, her pale complexion took on the powdery blue cast of impending death.
Passing through the bowing revenants, I limped toward the slab where the Caste guys had held Maisie. I reached it just as Lavinia screamed my name. Picked up the book and shoved it into my waistband, when the screams cut off abruptly. I released the Chthonic goddess powers back into the ground where they belonged. As the dark, shadowy energy swirled out of me, a wet ripping sound reached my ears. Closed my eyes when a flash of heat scorched my back.
Ding dong, the bitch was dead.
The knowledge should have filled me with joy. Instead, I felt hollow. Totally empty.
I looked up to see Zen, PW, and Giguhl watching the display with somber expressions. “Go help her,” I said quietly. Despite the fact I knew I’d done the right thing letting Maisie kill Lavinia, I couldn’t face her right then.
“Um, Sabina?” Giguhl said. I looked up. “What about them?” He nodded to the revenants.
I sighed and turned toward the rotting crowd. I didn’t worry I’d have to kill them all like I did Kevin. This time, by instinct, I knew the revenants merely waited for my command. “Your work here is done. I release you. May you rest in peace.”
The zombies obeyed immediately. As they shambled slowly toward their crypts and tombs, Giguhl and Zen went to Maisie’s kneeling form. Soft keening sounds rose from her huddled body as she rocked next to the scorch mark that had once been our grandmother. My conscience told me I should go to her.
But I couldn’t. The image of Maisie feeding from Adam was too fresh. Besides, I wasn’t sure I could be anyone’s cheerleader right then. Adam was dead, Maisie was broken, and I felt… nothing. No hope for the future. No confidence everything would work out. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I’d actually won, given Lavinia’s prediction that Cain wouldn’t stop coming after me.
But as I turned away, I knew one thing: Letting Maisie kill Lavinia had been the right choice. Instead of feeling robbed of the opportunity for revenge, I felt like justice had been done. Maisie had just served our grandmother a heaping spoonful of her own bitter medicine.
I just hoped for two things. One, that Maisie would recover quickly from her wounds—both physical and emotional. And two, that eventually I could look at my sister’s face and not see the feral monster who killed the male I loved.
31
Back in the main boulevard, the green expanse lay in ruins from pools of blood and blackened circles from dead vamps. Scorch marks marred the white stone tombs. The air stank of spent magic and death. Several mages and fae bent over the bodies of fallen comrades, tending to wounds or whispering blessings for the departed.
The protective instinct that had insulated me from reality was already receding. My nerve endings sizzled like live, exposed wires. My arm and back screamed from injuries. But the wounds on my heart caused the greatest pain. Because even though Lavinia was finally dead, achieving that goal—even indirectly—had come at too high a cost.
I paused as the truth slammed into me like a battering ram. David had predicted tough choices with long-range consequences. Had he known I’d choose to go it alone and fail, thus setting off this chain of events? Or would any choice have netted the same outcome?
And how would the choices I made tonight impact all of us going forward? Obviously, my choice to allow Maisie to kill Lavinia would be a factor. On the other hand, Lavinia’s death would allow the peace accord among the fae, mages, and vampires to go forward. But could Tanith really be trusted as an ally? And would the Queen or Orpheus listen to me when I told them any peace was tenuous as long as Cain still lived? The weight of those big questions was almost too much to bear in the wake of such personal loss.
I looked up at the moon and allowed the heaviness to settle deep into my bones. Closing my eyes, I imagined Adam’s face in my mind. I realized the image was a memory of the first time I’d seen him in that smoky vampire bar in Los Angeles. He’d been trying hard not to be noticed, but a male like Adam was hard to miss.
A tear ran down my cheek. Hard to miss in a lot of ways.
May the Great Mother wrap you in her arms and keep you safe until I can join you.
Footsteps crunched on the grass. I looked up and saw a familiar silver-haired mage emerge from between two crypts. “Rhea?”
She wiped a bloody hand across her brow. “Sabina. Thank the goddess you’re okay.”
“What are you still doing here? Why would you risk staying?” Pain and worry added an acidic edge to my words. When I thought about how she could have been injured… or worse, my chest tightened.
“Sabina, I might be an old woman, but I’m not a coward. Besides, I had healing t
o do here.”
“But—”
She slashed a hand through the air. “What’s done is done.”
The dam broke and I threw my arms around her. “I’m so sorry.”
Her silver brows slammed together. “What in the world are you apologizing for? I told you Maisie’s prophecy was right.”
I pulled back, my face wet with tears. “What?”
She smiled at me. “The prophecy. About how you were going to unite the dark races and stop the war? Look around you.” She motioned in a circle, “You brought together fae, mages, demons, weres, vamps, and, hell, even a human. Lavinia is dead. The war is no longer a threat.”
I boggled at her. Had grief over Adam’s death made her come unhinged? “What? I don’t care about that—”
“Well, you should, because you lost the bet.” The bet she referred to was one we made back when Maisie told me about the prophecy. I’d told the mage I didn’t believe in fate or in my ability to unite anyone. She told me she reserved the right to rub my nose in it when I was proved wrong. “And because you lost, consider yourself officially I-told-you-so’d.”
Considering the Cain factor, I felt her words were a tad premature. But what bothered me more was the lack of emotion she displayed. “Rhea, are you feeling all right?” I asked, putting a hand to her forehead. “I was trying to tell you I’m sorry about Adam.”
She frowned. “That wasn’t your fault. Besides, it all worked out in the end.”
“What?” I whispered. How could she say that?
“I will say, though, it took just about every resource I had at my disposal to revive him.”
My stomach somersaulted. I grabbed her arms. “What!”
She shot me a look. “Sabina? What—”
Movement behind Rhea captured my attention. A familiar silhouette emerged from behind the tombs like an apparition. My knees went weak. Reaching blindly toward a vault wall for support, I both cursed and thanked the goddesses for the Chthonic powers that allowed me to see Adam’s ghost one final time.