Carmen tried to find the Master of Fire and saw that two big men were holding him against the wall. She thought she recognized one of them as Charice’s warlock, Kye, but she couldn’t focus on thinking straight to figure out if she was seeing things or not. She just knew she had to tell her warlocks something before she passed out.
“Parents,” she said.
“Don’t speak,” Ryan said. “We’re going to heal you as soon as we can. You’ll see your folks and your sisters soon. Promise.”
“No, your parents.” She tried to shake her head, but everything was spinning. Instead, she pointed to the restrained Elemental Board member. “Uncle. Uncle killed your parents.”
She saw the brothers look at each other before turning their eyes back on her. When she saw realization fill them, she was grateful, since that meant she could finally drift off to the exhaustion that demanded her complete surrender.
***
Carmen was still breathing, thank the gods. Royce had never been more grateful for anything in his life. He and Ryan had stormed in ahead of everyone else as soon as they felt Carmen’s presence and sensed her pain.
Kye and Axel had followed them, but Warren and Jett stayed outside the entrance with Charice and Claire to keep them out of harm’s way, since none of them knew what they were up against. The sisters complained but were quickly reassured that no matter what they would get Carmen. That wasn’t even a question.
It was when they entered the cave that the sight caught them both off guard. Their uncle had Carmen and the Mistress of Spirit by their throats, and his arms lit up with glowing spurts, a combination of red and white auras pouring into him. Their uncle was killing their witch and taking her power to do it. Ryan used his air magic to throw him off Carmen, severing the link.
They were both there to catch Carmen before she fell. He’d scooped her up in his arms and lowered her down as Ryan knelt down beside him.
Kye and Axel grabbed their uncle before he could get back up.
What the fuck was going on? Royce thought. Too much was happening for him to process, but they’d gotten to Carmen before it was too late. She was weak, but they could heal her. He could feel her essence flow through him just like he felt Ryan’s. She looked battered up, but he didn’t see any blood or wounds as he examined her. Their witch was a strong one. Definitely meant for them too. Whole and powerful. He didn’t want to even imagine something worse.
Then she said it. Words he never thought he’d ever hear.
Uncle killed your parents. That’s what Carmen had said. It’s what he heard come from her lips. He watched as she drifted off. He could hear her breathing steady, and knew they’d get her out of there safely. His uncle? That was another story.
Carmen’s sisters rushed in and came to their side.
“How is she?” Charice asked.
“Car,” Claire cried. She brushed some of her sister’s hair back and looked like she was on the brink of tears.
Royce looked up at his cousin. What happened to keeping them at a safe distance?
Warren shrugged. “Sorry, Cousin, but there’s no holding back a determined Brixton woman,” Warren said.
“Only if we want to get our asses handed to us,” Jett added. He held his hands up when Claire shot him a glare. “Not saying that’s a bad thing.” He turned away from her penetrating stare and looked around them until he spotted a weakened figure in the shadows. “Mistress!” Jett and Warren moved quickly as soon as they saw the Mistress of Spirit.
The two warlocks worked at releasing her from her bindings, while Kye and Axel still held on to the man who caused all of the chaos around them.
“She’s fine,” Royce said, turning back to Claire and Charice. “Carmen’s safe. She’s just exhausted, but she’s okay now. Stay with her. My brother and I have something to take care of, but we’ll be back soon.” He let Charice cradle Carmen and moved over as Claire slid in next to them. Their witch was in good hands with her sisters.
He let the possibility of losing Carmen fill him as he stood. The idea that he almost lost her. That he and his brother almost had her taken from them. Just like their parents.
“Royce,” Ryan said. “We need to figure this out.”
Sure, they’d figure it out. He’d be happy to figure everything out while he took care of the one responsible for hurting Carmen. Royce blocked out the words his brother said after that until he stood face to face with his uncle.
“Is it true?” he asked. “Did you kill them?” He knew there was no need to clarify who he was speaking about, not when his uncle smiled right at him.
“Your father was too weak to be Master of Fire,” his uncle said. “All he wanted to do was play house with his wife and you two. I told him all he had to do was relinquish the title to me, but he wouldn’t let go of it.”
“So you killed him instead?” Ryan asked.
“Nothing can stand in the way of true greatness, not even family. That’s why the Mistress of Spirit must be killed. Don’t you see? She’s too weak to lead us. We must prepare ourselves for the supernatural threat tearing at our borders.”
“You sound like a mad warlock to me,” Ryan said.
Their uncle scoffed. “Your father said something similar right before I drained his element from him.”
Royce felt his fire stir within him. All it would take was one release, one tiny slip of control, and he could have their uncle consumed by fire and watch him as he suffered the way he knew his parents suffered. That sounded like a good idea with each passing second.
“And our mother?” Royce asked, staring at the traitor he no longer considered family dead in the eyes. “She wasn’t an Elemental Board member. Why did you kill her?”
“Your mother was a strong one. Stupid, but strong.”
Ryan rested a hand on Royce’s shoulder, steadying him. Royce was grateful for it too because he wanted nothing more than to kill the sorry excuse for a warlock in front of him.
“She was the smartest woman we knew,” Ryan said for them both.
“She was stupid for getting in the way,” their uncle spat out. “Everything would have been fine for her if she hadn’t come between me and my brother and what I wanted, what I deserved. I was the oldest. Not him. Yet he got to call himself Master of Fire. Pitiful.”
Royce let out a breath he didn’t know he was keeping in. As the air rushed out of his lungs, he allowed all the pain, the revenge, and the anger he felt at not being there for his parents flow out with it. He let everything seep out from his mind and body. Royce wanted his uncle to see that he was nothing, meant absolutely nothing to him. Not when Ryan and Carmen were everything.
“Our father and mother had something you’ll never understand,” Royce finally said.
“And what’s that, Nephew?”
“A bond that goes beyond death.” Royce turned back in time to see Carmen waking up, and his heart felt a release that he never allowed it to have until now. All the vengeance and self-hate he wanted was in the past. Carmen was their future. He turned back to the man that he craved to hate, but his witch had changed something in him, and he wasn’t going to let past ghosts ruin it. “I forgive you, Uncle Hugo. We forgive you, but from this day forward, you’re no longer blood kin to us.”
Royce didn’t need to see his brother’s acceptance to know that he spoke the truth for both of them. It was time to move on to something better, someone better, and their witch was that and more.
An obnoxious sound of laughter poured out of his uncle like venom. “You think I want your forgiveness? That I care about you denouncing our relation?”
Royce shook his head. The man didn’t get it, and he probably never would. “It’s not about whether you want it or not. Our parents would want forgiveness for you, and that’s why we’re giving it. The denouncement is just a bonus.”
“I knew you two were weak,” Hugo said, trying to jerk out of the hold the two warlocks on either side of him kept. “Just like your parents. But there are o
thers like me who know how to harness real strength. Others who know how to use it properly against the weak. They’re the ones who you should worry about.”
Royce studied his uncle carefully. “What do you mean others? Who are you working with?”
“In time, dear Nephew. I’m sorry. I almost forgot. My former nephew. Time reveals everything.”
“Can we make him shut up now?” Ryan asked.
“You want the honors, or should I?” Royce offered.
“No, Brother. This one is all yours. I think you deserve it.”
Their uncle looked back and forth from him to Ryan. “What the hell are you—?”
Royce only heard the start of the traitor’s yammering before he swung back and punched him dead center in his face, knocking him out cold until he swung limp between Kye and Axel as dead weight.
“Thanks,” Royce said. “I needed that.” He shook his hand. Pain spread through Royce’s fist, but it was worth every sharp vibration. He wanted to do so much more, but the thought of his parents, the thought of his brother and Carmen, the people he loved most, held him back. He realized then that revenge was nothing when he thought about all he had to look forward to. Ryan and he had their witch, and they had a life waiting for all three of them. Their mother and father would want that for their sons. He knew that much.
“Where are they?” Carmen’s voice reached them.
He and Ryan wasted no time rushing back to her side as her sisters sat her up.
“Right here, baby,” Royce said. “We’re right here.”
“You came for me,” she said. “All of you came for me.”
“Always,” Royce said right as Ryan echoed the same thing. The brothers shared a knowing glance as they took Carmen into their arms. If they had their way, they’d never let go of her again.
***
The surroundings moved as Carmen tried to stand up, but as soon as she did, Ryan swept her up into his arms.
“Hey,” Carmen cried. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s been hours since we’ve seen you, and we almost lost you. Royce and I aren’t putting you down until we get you home.”
Carmen couldn’t help but smile as she snuggled closely to one of her warlocks. “Yours or mine?” she asked.
“Ours,” Royce corrected. “Our home is yours now.”
“I guess that means we won’t get to fuss over you tonight,” Claire said.
“Nope,” Charice added. “She has two big men to do that for her.”
Her sisters laughed, and Carmen stuck her tongue out at both of them. She’d never admit it out loud, but their jesting was just what she needed. It reminded her of what she almost lost, and she was warmed at the thought that she could listen to them make fun of her again.
“Hey,” someone shouted. They all looked over to Warren. “This one’s still breathing,” he said.
Carmen sat up in Ryan’s arms to see Warren leaning over one of the Master of Fire’s men. Baxter. He was still alive.
Claire moved closer to the unconscious figure. “I know him,” she said. “He and his friend came after me at the festival. Axel got them to back off.”
“I remember,” the man next to Kye said.
Carmen assumed he was Axel, and she watched as he let Kye carry the Master of Fire on his own as Axel went to the other unmoving figure hidden by the hole he’d fell in after Carmen had lit him on fire.
“This is his friend all right,” Axel said.
“They called him Mason,” Carmen said. “Is he alive?”
Axel examined the still body before looking at Carmen and shaking his head. “He’s dead.”
“I killed him. He came after me, and I killed him.” Carmen didn’t know whether to feel sad or relieved.
“No, baby,” Royce said. “You protected yourself, and thank the gods you did.”
“You’re one powerful witch, and don’t you ever forget it,” Ryan said.
A small smile came from hearing their words. She’d never taken anyone’s life before, but she knew she’d be dead if she hadn’t. That gave her some peace.
“Claire,” a man behind them called. “Honey, bring your sisters over here. Quick.”
Carmen didn’t recognize him either, so she glanced at Claire.
“Honey?” she asked Claire with a sly smile. “Something you want to let me know about?” Were he and that Axel guy Claire’s warlocks?
Claire shook her head. “I’ll tell you later.”
“You better,” she demanded as they made their way over to the large warlock.
“You must be recovering,” Charice said. “You’re back to your nosey self again.”
“My nosey self never left, thank you very much,” Carmen said. She grinned and snuggled closer to the arms that held her, but she felt weird being the only one not walking. Ryan carried her as they followed her sisters, and he held her as if she weighed nothing. “You can really put me down, Ryan,” she said to him.
“Never, witch, so stop asking.” Ryan seemed set in his decision, and serious too, which wasn’t like him. Royce was the stoic one most of the time.
Royce appeared next to them and took her hand. “Just let us be near you, Carmen. We need it more than you know.”
Her heart picked up with his words, and she thought it would jump up in her throat. All she could do was nod. If she was honest with herself, she needed them close too. Oh goddess. What had she gotten herself into?
When they got to the Mistress of Spirit, Carmen could see how weak and frail she was. For a woman who ruled over the Kala West witches and warlocks, the witch before her looked nothing like someone who carried that strength, except for her eyes. The white glow was evidence of her power, even if her body failed to show it.
“Carmen?” the Mistress of Spirit asked. Ryan knelt down beside her but still kept his arms around Carmen as she shifted next to their leader.
“I’m here, Mistress,” Carmen said.
The Mistress of Spirit looked up at her until her eyes found Charice and Claire. “Seraphine’s daughters,” she said with a smile. “But not all of you.”
“Mistress, don’t speak,” Charice said. “We can heal you.”
“We’ve tried,” Warren said. “She needs to go to the healing clinic.”
“Axel, can’t you do that traveling poof thing to get her there?” Claire asked.
Axel shook his head. “We can only do that alone or with our bonded witch. Only the Elemental Board has that power to carry others.”
“No,” the Mistress of Spirit said. “It’s too late for that, but not for you, Seraphine’s blood.”
“What are you saying, Mistress?” Carmen asked.
The woman coughed as the warlocks held her up until she was sitting. “The time of the Elemental Board is ending. A new one comes to lead, one stronger than all of us. She will hold power over all five elements.”
“That’s not possible,” Charice said. “No witch or warlock has ever been able to control all five elemental powers.”
“Your sister will.”
“One of us?” Claire asked, looking at Carmen.
Carmen shrugged, just as confused as they were.
“No. Your eldest sister. The one who is lost and must be found.” The Mistress of Spirit looked up and beyond all of them as if she saw something they couldn’t see. “She is coming. Help her. She will need her family to guide her for what awaits. She will need her sisters.”
The Mistress of Spirit’s power glowed. She took a deep breath as the power filled her entire body, and just as quickly, the energy flickered off as if a brief wind blew it out like a candle.
No one needed confirmation. The Mistress of Spirit had passed on to the next life.
Carmen felt her stomach drop. She’d promised the woman they’d get out of there, and she’d failed. Ryan’s arms had never felt as necessary as they did in that moment. She was even more grateful when Royce found her hands. They gave her some comfort, but it didn’t stop the tears
from coming down her eyes. Nothing could.
Chapter Twelve
Ryan was never letting Carmen out of his sight again. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it, and that was final. After everything, he wanted to get back to their place so he and Royce could finally be alone with her. Making her theirs forever was the best idea he’d had since convincing Royce they needed to go to this Firewick.
He wasn’t expecting all the levels of hell to break loose.
Ryan and Royce were so busy caring for Carmen that they didn’t want to leave her, but her sisters were huddled around her, making sure she was okay.
“I’m fine,” she told them. “The others need you. Go.”
The other men did need help securing their uncle and getting the bodies of the Mistress of Spirit, Mason, and the still-unconscious Baxter to the clinic, so he and Royce headed back towards the cave with them.
They were too distracted and didn’t see the trail of fire until it ignited and rolled over the sand.
“What the hell?” Ryan asked. He saw Royce noticing the fire too.
It only took seconds for them to see that the moving flame led to the truck, the one Carmen was standing near to, huddled with her sisters.
“Move!” Ryan screamed as he and Royce dove for their witch and her sisters. They were the only warlocks close enough to even try to reach the women in time.
Carmen looked up from her sisters to see the fire heading straight for them.
Fuck! It was heading directly for the gas tank. They weren’t going to make it. The flame was moving too fast for them. Ryan could feel his brother’s magic rise up to match his. Maybe they could throw it off course if they struck it at the same time.
That’s when a determination filled Carmen’s face. They were only a few feet away, but it was still too far. Ryan watched as her fire’s elemental force ripped out from her, creating a dome of power shooting outwards. It flowed over Carmen and enveloped her sisters and finally hit Ryan and Royce.
It was Carmen’s power that shielded them as the fire finally met its destination. The truck exploded, bouncing gulfs of flame and fragments off the protective field that her energy created. A booming sound rumbled around them as they reached Carmen.
The Alpha Warlocks' Own: An Alpha Warlocks of Kala West Story #3 (A BWWM and BBW Paranormal Ménage Romance) Page 8