by Lia Davis
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I forced myself to stand. My magic would heal them in a few hours, but I had to fight in the meantime.
I cried out as I slashed a demon just in time to keep it from stabbing Harper in the back with its massive claws.
The hounds had circled, but with the appearance of the horned creature, they redirected their attention to it.
"You three focus on the Nian," Dad yelled. Apparently, the creature had a name. A Nian. "We'll hold the demons back."
Meda, Tala, and I retreated behind the hounds, and they turned to help keep the demons off us. I tried to ignore the bodies on the ground. If I stopped to see who they were, I might not be able to continue.
Pulling on the power inside me, I tried sending a stream of blistering magic at the creature, funneling the power straight from Hell and into the face of the behemoth.
It roared in pain and charged. "Look out," I yelled as we jumped out of its way. It went berserk, stampeding and trampling anyone or anything in its path.
"We have to retreat," I yelled. "Phenex, get us out of here!"
A portal opened up in front of me. I had no idea where my mate was, but he could at least hear me.
I flailed my swords, keeping demons at bay. "Come on," I yelled. "niswi, Harper, Noah! Gino!"
Meda and Tala called the same. "Phenex," Meda screamed. "Tell the hounds to go."
Without warning, several portals opened, and the hounds fled through them. "Don't let the demons through the portals!" I yelled as I saw a demon jump thought behind a hound. "Kill them if they come through."
My sisters and I helped the sentries keep the demons at bay—barely—so the bodies of the wounded could be dragged through.
Finally, there was one portal behind us. When the last body went through, we jumped through and the portal slammed shut, cutting a blue demon with nasty black horns in half.
"Oh, gross." I whirled around to see Randell punch a demon in the face in the middle of our common area, then Tala ran it through with her sword. Turning in quick circles, I looked for my mates and saw Meda and Tala running to their own. One of the niswi's sentries laid on the floor, almost certainly dead. Dad had a huge gash on his forehead that poured blood. Mom was fussing over him, splitting her attention between pressing a cloth to the cut and looking him over for more.
"Ami," Gino said behind me. I clutched my ribs. Now that the adrenaline was crashing, the ribs hurt a lot worse. I'd been hit more times than I realized. Blood oozed from a cut on my arm.
Gino sat against the wall, holding his leg. He'd been stabbed. The knife was still in it. "Can anyone do anything about this?" I asked.
Phenex stumbled forward. "I'm sorry," he said. "I wanted to help, but I had to be available to get everyone out.
"It's okay, can you just heal it?"
"I don't have much healing power," he said. "But without Meda's fire, I might be the only one with any."
He pulled the knife out and focused, and the blood slowly stopped pouring out.
"Over here," Meda called. "I think Dorian's leg is broken."
Phenex moved away, and I stood to find Harper and Noah sitting on the couch beside each other. "Are you injured?" I asked, stumbling toward them.
"Nothing life-threatening," Noah said. Harper shook her head, but she looked like crap.
"That was a disaster," I said. "We were like children."
My niswi nodded. "Where is all the power you three are supposed to have?" Paw asked. "What happened?"
"It's the curse," I said. "And they were fortified somehow. The magic didn't work."
"Everyone rest. Recuperate." Mom looked around the room. "Whoever is the least injured, throw those demons back to Hell."
Phenex stood. "On it." He made a portal flat on the floor, then dragged the bodies to it, letting them fall through.
Sterling stood, limping, and focused on the blood left by the demons. It disappeared.
"We'll touch base tomorrow," Mom said. "Rest now." She walked out with her arm around Paw. "I'm going to tell Constance what happened."
My heart splintered, and I felt guilty for not offering to go with her, but the thought of seeing Kinsley's grandmother's face as Mom broke the news was more than I could face just then.
Chapter Sixteen
I laid tangled with my sisters and Phenex for what seemed liked hours. We'd all suffered some pretty severe injuries. But being with our hound, our center, wasn't helping like it had with him. I wasn't sure why.
"Nothing is happening," Meda groaned out.
"Maybe we need all our mates," Tala said. Her tone was low, and I felt her fatigue and pain. I felt the same.
I was pretty sure I had bruises in places that no one was ever supposed to get bruises. "I feel like I'm missing them, like a limb lost." My eyes welled with tears, my heart aching to be near them.
Meda grunted. "It's worth a shot."
At least I'd feel better cuddled up with my three mates, plus Phenex.
Meda twisted to reach for her phone on the nightstand, groaning in the process. She sent a group text, including all thirteen of us. "We're going to need a group message eventually. Let's move to the common area."
We nodded but no one moved for several moments. A knock on Phenex's door put us in motion. Meda was the first to the door and opened it. It was Randell, but I could see Harper and Noah behind him. Meda pointed to the common area. "We have a theory that if all thirteen of us sleep together we'll heal faster."
She pushed past Randell, not giving him time to respond. It also said she's wasn't in the mood to argue. I fought back the need to lash out at her for being rude. Then, I remembered that it was the curse that made us snippy and angry.
When I walked into the common area, the guys had begun pulling the mattresses from our rooms and placing them on the floor. The furniture had been moved to the far wall to give us plenty of room. They'd worked fast. I appreciated it. They were just as sore as we were.
I sensed Gino moments before he entered the suite. We locked gazes, and I frowned as his pain flowed through our bond. He limped over to me and I reached out, taking his hand in mine. Harper closed the distance to me. I gave her a sharp look as her tension seeped through the bond. She wasn't jealous of Gino, but she was still wary of him.
Sighing, Harper kissed my cheek. "I'm trying."
"Try harder," I snapped and then sat down on the mattress next to Noah. I wasn't going to put up with a divide between my mates. It would do nothing but put extra stress on me. That was the last thing I needed to deal with.
When I saw the hurt look on her face, I felt like an ass. "I'm sorry. It's this curse. I don't mean it." She nodded but still looked hurt.
Gino settled down beside me, curling into my back. Harper stared down at us for several moments before wedging herself between me and Noah, leaving enough room for Noah to curl around her and still rest his head beside mine. He touched his forehead to mine.
I watched Phenex move around the large makeshift bed. He gave me a small smile before slipping in next to Noah. Meda and her mates curled up in the center. Tala and her mates took up the other end. I reached over Harper and Noah, making them wedge closer together, and put my hand on Phenex's back. As I scooted away from Gino, he scooted with me, staying pressed into my back.
Then Phenex said, "As weird as it may seem, it would be best if we touched our neighbor in some way. The point of this is to for us to connect and help each other heal."
Randell growled. "Kevin, that's my ass."
"Sorry, mate." Kevin chuckled, then said wiggled. "Oh, that's better."
I started giggling, which had an infectious effect. Harper giggled, then my sisters.
It took us several minutes before we settled down and pushed away the laughter. Slowly, I listened to my family fall asleep, grunts and groans replaced with steady breathing. I was the last one to drift off to sleep.
I woke the next morning—well late-morning—feeling great. I still had some soreness, but my bruise
s were gone and my cuts were already scabbed over. Nothing like the power of your mates. Everyone else was still asleep, except for a couple of empty spots. Gino wasn't there, or Randell.
Curling up in a chair next to the window, I sipped my coffee and watched the waves crash onto the shore as I thought about Kinsley. We'd failed her. Gino's scent curled around me like a warm hug. Then he kissed my cheek. "Morning."
"Morning."
He picked me up, almost making me spill my coffee. Then he sat in the chair with me in his lap. "I figured we could spend the day together."
The thought of spending time with him made me happy. "What did you have in mind?"
He shrugged. "Lunch. Then go for a walk, see what mischief we can get into."
I lifted both my brows. "Oh, really?" It sounded perfect. A great distraction from my morose thoughts.
I was more intrigued with getting into trouble than I normally would be. Probably because of the curse. Then again, I could've been picking up on his bad boy side through our link.
Standing, I moved to the sink and set my cup in it. Gino waited for me by the door while I changed clothes in my mattress-less room.
In the elevator on the way down, he linked our hands together and pulled me into him. I sighed, feeling his emotions through our bond. There was a mix of desire, lust, and affection. He was also intrigued with me like he wanted to know everything about me. But that was a two-way street. Bond or no bond.
We exited the elevator hand in hand and he directed us to the kitchen. I watched as he pulled fresh herbs and tomatoes out of the fridge. He divided the tomatoes between us and handed me a knife. "Dice those, please."
I start dicing as he got a large pot and set it between us. I lifted my gaze to study his profile. "I thought we were going to stir up trouble."
He chuckled. "We will." He winked and added, "We do need to eat."
Yes, we did, and I was starving. "What are we making?"
"Sauce for chicken parmesan." He went to the large walk-in pantry and grabbed some onions.
"Oh! With homemade sauce."
He rolled his eyes. "It's the only sauce I'll eat."
Of course. He was Italian, after all. My sexy Italian.
When we finished chopping everything and adding it to the pot, he put it on the stove to simmer. "We probably shouldn't go far."
I nodded, agreeing with him. We walked out to a beautiful courtyard and sat at a table that overlooked the ocean. The smell of the salt in the air made me miss my element. I would have loved to know what secrets were mixed in the sea breeze.
Gino reached over the table and touched my hand. I turned my palm over and linked our hands together. He studied me for a few moments. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just miss my air element. It's so much of who I am, I don't like that it's not there." I stuck my lip out and glanced down to our hands. "You don't even know me with it." I sucked in a deep breath. "And I'm worried about Kinsley's grandmother. Mom went to break the news to her last night. It can't have gone well."
He moved his chair so that it butted against mine. "I'm sorry about your friend. And I wish I knew how to break the curse, but that is out of my area of expertise."
I studied his features for several long moments. "Is your family really some kind of mob?" Changing the subject was the best idea, or I'd start to bawl.
His eyes lifted to meet mine and a wicked smile formed. "As in underground crime lords dealing in illegal actives? No."
He paused for a few seconds, then added, "some of the potions and spells we deal in may cross the gray area of witch law, but they are sold and used with only good intentions."
A laugh burst from me. He was so a witch version of a mobster. "What is your role in your non-mob circle?"
Playfulness flashed across his face and he poked my side. I jerked, expecting to feel pain from our battle yesterday. There was none. He watched me, and I sensed his concern through our bond. When he didn't comment on my reaction, I figured he'd also sensed my emotions.
He draped an arm on the back of my chair. "I'm the heir of our circle and future mob boss." He leaned in close and pressed his lips to my cheek.
I giggled, knowing he added the latter to tease me about my suspicions. "So you will take your mom's place in ordering hits on people?"
He threaded his hand in my hair and pulled, bring my head back so he could kiss my throat. "We don't put hits of people. We don't outsource the killing of rogues."
"Yeah, I can see your mother being an assassin."
He chuckled and bit down on my neck, drawing a half-groan, half-squeak from me. "Stop," I hissed, looking around.
He chuckled and sat up straight, but didn't take his arm off of me. I didn't mind.
"Seriously though, outsiders do label us as a mob family. It's how we operate because we have some extremely powerful witches in our circle and that power needs to be managed differently. It requires secrecy, strict rules, and strict consequences."
I could see that. "I'm not judging. My grandfather is Satan. I'm pretty sure he invented the art of torture."
He let go of me and stood. I missed his touch and almost reached out to him. Curiously, I found comfort in his dominant, commanding nature. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine. "I'm going to check on the sauce."
Smiling I nodded. "I'll be here."
He disappeared into the kitchen and that was when I noticed my Dad lurking in the shadows, near the corner of the building. Frowning, I wondered how long he'd been there and why the hell I hadn't noticed him. "Stalking us, Dad?"
He advanced to the table and sat in Gino's chair. We sat in silence for several moments, staring at each other. Through our bond, I sensed his confliction, but I didn't say anything. If he was going to lecture me on mating Gino, then he was better off leaving. I didn't want to hear it, and I wasn't going to push Gino away. He was my mate.
"I hadn't realized that you'd bonded with the witch yet. Too much going on." Dad stared out over the ocean. I knew he was busy watching the Collective and possible threats to our people. He was, however, the High King. "I also have misjudged him without getting to know him."
I turned in my seat and stared at Dad. "How long were you lurking?"
Dad smirked. "I wasn't lurking." He tapped my nose. "And you need to be more alert to your surroundings. Gino knew I was here." I heard the unspoken rest of his sentence. And he's just a witch.
Not that there was anything less about being a witch, but they didn't have the innate senses of the vampires and Lycans. "Hmm." I straightened in my chair and brought my knees to my chest. I was like that with Harper and Noah too. They were my sentries and always on alert for threats. I felt safe with them as I did with Gino. "What did you learn by stalking us?"
Dad chuckled and pulled me in a hug. The arm of my chair bit into my side, but I didn't say anything. We didn't get many moments to just be father and daughter. Not with all the evil crap we'd been dealing with. "I learned that Gino is perfect for you. I wasn't aware until Sterling told me about how much power the Dragos manage within their circle. It makes more sense now."
I lifted my head. "Thanks, Dad." He had accepted Gino. Maybe not fully, but he was starting to, and that was good enough for me. For now. "How are you feeling? How are Paw and Papa?"
"We're healing at our own speed. We don't want to pull too much power from your mother. This pregnancy and the stress are draining her." He sighed then kissed my forehead. Then he stood and glanced to Gino, who stood at the entrance of the kitchen and nodded. "Try to rest today."
"I will." I didn't mention that I felt way better than normal. I wasn't sure I understood why. Maybe my injuries weren't as severe as I first thought. "You do the same."
Gino and I spent another half an hour or so sitting in the courtyard talking about our siblings. He had three younger brothers. And Gino had gone to law school to study human business law.
When the chicken parmesan was ready, we moved to the kitchen, and I ate until I was stuffed. "
That was amazing."
Gino grinned. "Thank you. It'll be even better tomorrow. The sauce needs time to set." He stared at me then asked how my injuries were. "I sense no pain from you, which is good. Is that normal healing speed for you?"
I shrugged. "I did seem to heal faster than usual. Then again I could have felt worse than it really was last night."
Now that he mentioned it, I didn't sense any pain from him, either. And he wasn't walking with a limp. Dad was right, I needed to focus more on my surroundings. "How about you?"
"Surprisingly, I'm pretty much healed. I've never healed so fast. Ever. It was like all thirteen of us sleeping together had some kind of magical..." He stopped talking, and his jaw dropped. His eyes grew round like he was having a light bulb moment. "Oh. Ami, we're so stupid." Gino clenched his fists. "Stupid!"
"What?" I asked bewildered. The date had gone well. What had happened that I didn't notice? What did I miss?
He jumped up and grabbed my hand. "It's all thirteen. You need all thirteen."
Chapter Seventeen
"What do you mean?" Gino was nuts. "We've all been connected. It didn't help."
"No, we haven't." He shook his head. "Every time we've tried to connect the three of you with all your mates, at least one person wasn't there for one reason or another."
He was right. We came close when during the disaster of a rescue attempt for Kinsley, but Phenex had held back to make portals. When we trained, we hadn't had everyone present, so even if we'd tried, it wouldn't have worked.
"Do you think this could break the curse?" My blood pumped with excitement. If it worked, the black tar corrupting my mind might finally disappear. Imagining my air flowing through me again made me feel a hundred pounds lighter. I could float away at the thought of it.
"It's entirely possible," he said. He leaned across the table and took my hand. "We need to try."
"If this works, I can go back to not eating like a maniac," I said.
Gino smiled. "Isn't eating a good thing?"