With the Dawn (Faith of the Fallen)

by Cassandra Sky West

  She was still for a long moment, and when she looked up, he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. Her chin trembled. “What happens in fifty years? Or a hundred?”

  “When I’m gone, you’ll have my memory to keep you sane.” He stroked her cheek with the back of one finger. “I’ll tell you, as many times as it takes, that you’re good. And kind. And strong. And that you can do hard things. I’ll tell you until you can hear my voice a thousand years from now.”

  He watched her waver. He had nothing more to say. He could only hope that it was enough and that she would let him help her—let him share a burden that, of all people, he knew too well.

  “I don’t know if—” She covered her face with her hands. “I don’t know if I can do it.”

  He knelt down on the carpet in front of her. “Alexi, I love you, and I trust you. Together we can do anything.”

  She was silent, and then her shoulders began to shake. She was crying. Another moment passed, and then she wrapped her arms around him, and he held her close.

  “Let me help you,” he whispered into her hair.

  She nodded into his shoulder. “Okay.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  “Let’s go over it one more time,” Alexi suggested. The boat cut through the mild seas with ease. The pointed prow divided the water to leave a white wake of foam behind. The four seats were just enough to accommodate them and one pack of supplies they had taken from the Arcanum. The boat wasn’t the most comfortable, but it was fast, and the owner had been around. Alexi easily convinced him to let her take it out for a spin.

  She had to yell over the engine and the sea. “Vic, you’ve got the sunstone. That’s our big bad. When Dupree shows, we hit him with that, and he’s toast.”

  Victor growled his assent. He didn’t need to, though. She could feel his thoughts, his emotions, and if she closed her eyes, she could point blindly to where he was. The process of enthralling had been so intimate; she wasn’t sure she could do it with someone she wasn’t in love with. And certainly not what came after. Her cheeks burned at the memory of the passion they shared after their bond formed.

  Her heart threatened to leap out of her throat just thinking about the night before. She turned her face away from them to hide her blush. But she knew Victor could feel it, and that sent little tremors down her stomach to her thighs.

  The gentleness of his touch, the way his lips felt against her skin. The weight of him . . .

  “What about his help?” Savanna asked breaking Alexi’s thoughts from the passion of the night before.

  Alexi shook her head to focus. Errant thoughts aside, she needed all her wits about her tonight.

  “Vic and I will handle it, Savanna. You stay behind us and deal with any magical threats.” Alexi reached behind her to finger the pommel of the sword that stuck out behind her head. The sheath strapped around her shoulders and under her breasts. The blade should have been unwieldy, but it wasn’t. She could draw and swing in a heartbeat. She didn’t even need to sharpen it. “I’m also counting on you to warn us if there’s any danger we don’t see coming.”

  Savanna nodded. She clasped her dagger in both hands to the point her knuckles were white.

  “We still on track?” Alexi asked.

  Savanna glanced up to the sky. Alexi couldn’t see the ley line that Savanna did. From the way the witch described it, she wished she could—brilliant colors that burned through the sky, a constant dance of fluctuations and explosions. It sounded beautiful. It was a shame that it could be perverted to such evil ends.

  Well, not without help. If Illyana just kept her secrets to herself, none of this would have happened. Of course, I’d be dead. Or a thrall in the Den.

  A shudder rippled through her at that thought. An eternity in hell couldn’t be worse.

  “There’s the island,” Victor shouted.

  It was huge. The map showed just a little speck, but this was easily a mile long, if not longer. The southern tip was nothing but rocky cliffs, and to the northwest, there was a pier they could dock at. Of course, that meant other people could use it, too.

  She eased the throttle back. The engine revved down, letting the wake catch up with them and rock the boat forward. Her nerves were buzzing. Butterflies desperately tried to escape her stomach, and she felt a wave of nausea. Everything was so big. The world depended on what they did tonight. Who was she to be here, in this place, thinking she could do this?

  A hand landed softly on her shoulder. Victor whispered in her ear, “Breathe, honey, just breathe. Focus on that.”

  She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding—in through her nose and out through her mouth. Two breaths later, she calmed down. Her heart stopped pounding, and her mind cleared.

  “How did you know I was freaking out?”

  “I felt it. Our link works both ways, at least a little bit.” He kissed her cheek. “Besides, who says I’m not, too?”

  The moon hovered in the sky behind them. Not only was it a full moon, it was a super moon, at the point where it was closest to Earth. It was hell for Victor. She could feel the urge to change simmering just beneath his surface. For her, it was an advantage. Silver light shimmered across the ocean and the rocky shores of the island. Her sharp eyes could pick out the tiniest details even hundreds of feet away. The cliffs they approached appeared clear of any lookouts.

  Wake collided with the rocks to make little chopping noises. Alexi eased the throttle up a few notches to move the boat forward more slowly and quietly. Beside her, Savanna gazed up at the moon, her face illuminated by the silver light, her violet eyes bright.

  “You okay?” Alexi asked.

  “I was just thinking . . . you know, the light from the moon is just reflected sunlight. And what about UV lights? Why can’t we just zap these guys with flashlights?”

  “It’s magic, not science,” Victor stated bluntly. “Sunlight kills vampires when it’s direct from the sun. Or in a jewel, apparently. It takes years for werewolves to learn how to control themselves on a full moon. Even now, as long as I’ve been around, my every instinct screams to shift. You can’t explain magic. It just is.”

  In a strange way, it made sense to her. There was magic in the world. It stood to reason there would be rules that govern its use. Some could be bent, others broken. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and prayed the sunstone would work—magic to defeat magic.

  ***

  The wind blew through the trees, sending leaves rustling and branches shaking. The top of the island stood a hundred feet above sea level, and the only way to reach it was a winding path up a sheer cliff. Morgan swallowed a lump as he looked down the way they had come. Knowing he would survive a fall didn’t help his stomach. It would certainly not be painless.

  He was one of three vampires Dupree had chosen as assistants. Strapped on his back was the twenty-five-gallon vessel of vampiric blood the master needed to perform his ritual, along with the other odds and ends he couldn’t be bothered to carry himself.

  Morgan heaved himself over the last rise, his heart pounding on borrowed blood. Even with his enhanced strength and stamina, it was quite a climb with the load he was carrying. He glanced behind him to admire the view when he spied silver light reflecting off something in the water.

  Is that a boat?

  His eyes focused, and he saw the curves of the prow and more. He couldn’t make out who was in it . . . but he caught a glimpse of blonde hair.

  “Dupree!” If she was here, they were in trouble. He stumbled under the weight of his load as he searched for his master. He found Dupree kneeling in front of an altar of bone.

  “She’s here!” Morgan gasped.

  “Calm yourself,” Dupree said without opening his eyes. The altar stood three feet high, with four sides held up by human femurs. Skulls acted as the corner pieces, and the top surface was constructed of spines, pushed together and bound by leather cords. “Place the blood where I instructed, then return to the beach. I’m sure you
can handle her.”

  Morgan wasn’t as sure. He had no desire to spend an eternity in hell if that was where Carl was now. They’d been able to stop her before, but it had taken both him and Bella—and even then, he suspected there had been some luck involved. Now he was on his own, and he worried that luck was no longer on his side.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  The beach looked calm enough, which bothered her. She held no illusions that they didn’t know she was coming. A sneak attack on Dupree would be a great idea if she had a month to plan it. If she were to guess, she would say they were hiding behind the rocks and stones at the top of the shore.

  “I can’t smell them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not here,” Victor growled. “The wind is at our back.” As the moon approached its apex, Victor became more bestial.

  “Vic, you’ll be able to use the stone, even as a wolf?” Alexi put her hand on his shoulder while she spoke. She could feel the heat radiating off him—not just in her body, but in her head as well. If she closed her eyes and let her mind drift, it would crash into Victor, and they would be one.

  “I’ve got this,” he said. “The moon is stronger than normal tonight, that’s all, but I can keep the beast in check.”

  She squeezed his arm in response.

  The little boat they had stolen was too small for the dock, and since it had a shallow draw, she decided to ride it up on the beach. The prow hit the sand.

  The windscreen exploded, sending glass and metal flying. Followed by a bang of gunfire.

  “Down!” Alexi screamed as she pulled Savanna under her. The staccato roar of gunfire filled the night. Wood, aluminum, and bits of fiberglass exploded around them. Alexi winced as several bullets struck her back.

  On his hands and knees before her, Victor nodded. He let his head back and howled into the night. His body rose up like a column of water, liquefying and transforming, flowing freely until it took the form of the enormous prehistoric wolf. The leather bag with the sunstone hung about his neck. His massive hindquarters flexed, and he vanished into the night.

  She heard his paws hit the beach thirty feet away.

  “Savanna, stay down! If you see any magic, let us know!”

  Savanna’s calm demeanor had vanished with the first bullet, but she nodded her head.

  Alexi tore off her jacket to unveil her sword. She leaped from the boat. Twenty feet away, her feet hit the ground, and she did a roll that brought her up behind a log. She scanned the beach.

  Her opponents broke cover to move and shoot at Victor. Bullets rained down on him as he roared and slashed his way through the line of vampires.

  In the moonlight, the beach was as bright as day to Alexi. Vampires who would otherwise be hidden by shadows stood out plainly. Alexi charged. Her legs carried her a hundred feet in a heartbeat. She caught the first one and tossed him into a rock outcropping. He screamed as bones broke and skin ripped. His cry alerted the others.

  Bullets tore into her side, shredding clothes and flesh. Her wounds closed as fast as they appeared. Three vampires came at her. She leaped at them. Her knee smashed the first one in the head. A fist tagged her jaw. She blocked, ducked, and weaved, but she wasn’t fast enough to avoid every blow.

  Sooner or later I’m going to have to draw on Victor to heal.

  For now, she was strong. An uppercut caught the first one square. His whole body lifted up and crashed into a rock thirty feet away. Her knee caught the next one. She rolled over him to jab the third one in the throat. She needed a chance to draw her sword, but they weren’t giving it to her.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Victor rip a head off. His massive claws cleared a wave and sent the vampires into a momentary retreat. She went for her sword in the lull. More gunfire peppered her chest. A hand grabbed her. The beach rushed under her as she crashed into a tree.

  “Kill her!” someone shouted.

  The pain from the impact vanished. She braced her feet and kicked off. In the air, she tumbled to land on her feet. More gunfire tore the ground around her, along with bits of her flesh.

  Every time she stopped to look around, gunfire sprayed her.

  To your left! Victor shouted in her head. A hundred feet away, Morgan stood on a rocky outcropping. A large, black rifle with a drum for ammo was braced against his shoulder. He was the one firing at her when she tried to draw her sword. He peered through a red-dot scope to keep her in view. The bullets couldn’t kill her, but they strained her ability to regenerate and slowed her down.

  She dove behind a rock as more bullets sparked around her. The beach was utter chaos. Victor’s roar of anger filled her ears. Behind sporadic gunfire, hisses and screams of pain filled the air.

  As tough as vampires were, they weren’t indestructible. While she watched, Victor’s massive jaws closed on a vampire’s head. It burst like a melon. The body shook before falling to the ground. They fired and fired on Victor until their guns went dry. He kept going. Alexi’s emotions welled up in her before a barrage of Morgan’s bullets reminded her she needed to keep them in check. Victor’s got this. I need to deal with Morgan.

  She drew her shining silver sword, and a soft halo of moonlight reflected off it in the darkness. Alexi emerged from behind cover.

  Two of Dupree’s men came at her. She kicked the first one. The second fired a large revolver at her. Alexi twisted and swept his legs out from under him. He fell to the ground with a grunt. After pushing off him, she ran at Morgan.

  He fired wildly at her. The bullets ricocheted around her. They stung as they passed through her flesh. He dropped to one knee to steady the barrel. Alexi leaped into the air. She held the sword high as she covered the last thirty feet in one bound. Morgan screamed and held up his rifle to block the blow.

  The sword sliced down through metal, plastic, and flesh. Alexi rolled as her feet hit the ground and she came to a stand behind the vampire. Blood dripped off of her sliver blade.

  “No!” Morgan screamed. “No!” His knees buckled, and he fell. A red stain seeped through his clothes where the blade sliced through his chest. As she watched, black smoke rolled out of his wound. The stench of sulfur filled the air and burned her nose. He fell backward. The ground beneath him rumbled. The earth tore open around his body. Dark hands reached up and pulled him down into a pit of fire and brimstone. Morgan’s screams echoed until the gaping hole closed.

  One down. More to go.

  The other vampires on the field were caught between her and a werewolf. Alexi charged into the fight. Her blade swung in huge arcs. Heads and arms separated with each cleave of her blade. Vampires screamed as pits opened and their souls were dragged down. No amount of gunfire stopped the two. Side by side, they cut down their enemies.

  Through their link, Alexi felt pride—Victor’s pride in her. Despite his animal form feeling mostly rage, his human side was in control. With their link, they were able to anticipate each other. Where Alexi faltered, Victor would pick up, and when Victor needed help, Alexi was there.

  This is the way it would always be now—not just when fighting but in life.

  The part of her brain that could form thought even in the midst of the chaos suddenly realized: I love him.

  This was just the beginning. If they survived this, she would never be without him again. Not ever.

  Only a few vampires remained. The moon looked down on them, full in the sky and so close it seemed like she could reach out and touch it. She panted from the exertion. Even with Victor’s strength, the battle left her muscles weak. The sword’s pommel was slick with vampire blood. Victor’s massive frame shook with each breath as he circled the last group. They hissed their defiance at the two.

  “Alexi, look out!” Savanna shouted from the boat. Alexi rolled left. Massive claws snapped shut on the space she had occupied a half second before.

  Dupree hit the ground, his bat wings blotting out the moonlight. Fangs the size of fingers jutted out from his mouth to complement the rest of his monstrous features.
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br />   With a roar, Victor leaped on him. The bat-thing slapped him aside with one hand and then picked him out of the air with the other. Victor’s wolf howled in pain. Blood poured from the punctures the claws made. Dupree squeezed pulverizing bone and flesh. Victor’s pain pushed against Alexi’s mind.

  “Let him go!” Alexi screamed. She charged forward, her blade at her side, point forward. Dupree snorted with laughter. He swept one great arm at her, and she raised her sword at the last possible moment. Dupree roared in pain as his arm fell to the ground, sliced cleanly from his shoulder.

  He still held Victor in one hand. The wolf desperately clawed at him. Victor tried to move his maw around to. Dupree was too strong. Alexi rolled to the side to avoid his next attack, but it never came. Dupree launched himself into the air, Victor still clutched in his remaining arm. Victor raked at Dupree with his rear paws.

  “Vic!” The moon illuminated their ascent. He arched up high in the sky above the cliff that rose from the center of the island. Alexi closed her eyes, searching for the connection to him.

  Hang in there! I’m coming for you!

  I love you, Alexi. His voice in her mind was so calm. You’re not a monster.

  A wave of pain rolled in on the heels of his words and then something snapped. Alexi screamed. She fell, slamming face-first into the ground.

  “Alexi, get up!” Savanna was pulling on her arm.

  No, no, no!

  She couldn’t feel Victor anymore. She searched desperately for the link that had been there only moments before.

  ***

  Foolish girl!

  Dupree crashed to the ground, his body convulsing with each step. He threw the bloody corpse of the werewolf to the ground, venting his rage on its ripped flesh. A final kick sent the corpse tumbling behind the altar. Dupree collapsed to his knees, one ruined arm cradled to his chest. It took all his will not to scream as he shifted from his greater form back to the lesser, humanlike one.