by Holly Evans
“Was that really necessary?” I asked.
He dropped the pebble and looked around him with a frown on his face.
“The place is that way, through the trees. There will be guards with guns. We’re going to need to hit this hard and fast. They’ll know we’re here,” Kane said.
“I’m not gun proof, and I can’t afford to pass out again from using my magic,” I said.
“We’ll handle it. We have no choice. I don’t think Dante has long,” Kane said as he got out of the car.
Oh, fantastic, we were rushing into a strange place, guarded by gunmen, to save the half-demon who was going to be killed. This was exactly how I wanted to spend my day.
“Don’t get shot,” Gideon said as he kissed my cheek before he ran off ahead.
Kane and I took off after him; bloody hellhound, was he bulletproof? I hoped so as the first shot rang out.
The bullet hit the tree about four feet to my left, so either the person was aiming to intimidate, or they were a really shit shot. I was hoping for the latter as I ran with Kane into the dense pine trees. Gideon was ahead of us with fire coating his hands. I felt the thrill of the hunt and the exhilaration from running flow down the bond. I allowed it to fuel me and pushed aside my fears and doubts; they would only slow me down and stunt me during the incoming fights. Gideon leapt up into a tree, and a man came flying out of said tree a few seconds later. He landed badly on his back and stopped breathing. We didn’t stop to check on him, the building Dante was in in sight.
Gideon leapt from tree to tree, throwing out the gunmen who were shooting wildly at him. I thought hellhounds were meant to be strictly ground creatures. Maybe he was part hellcat or some shit. Kane stopped dead and grabbed onto my shirt to stop me as well.
“We need to break the magical barrier here before we go any further,” he said as he poked at the air with his sword.
The air turned sunshine yellow and smelled of honeysuckle and bubblegum.
Kane jabbed at it with the tip of his sword and wiggled it as the air became more opaque. Gideon jumped out of the trees and came to my side, where he ran his fingers over mine. He was having a fantastic time.
Kane thrust at the air and it shattered into small, bright yellow shards of something that looked like thin acrylic. I jumped over it, not sure what it would do to me if I touched it. The fact Kane hadn’t wanted me near it suggested it was bad.
The building the Olapireta had chosen was mundane, a simple, cream stone building with a grey roof. It didn’t look big enough to hold more than twenty people, which was a relief after the mass of cultists we’d dealt with. Gideon circled around the building while I felt for bloodsongs.
“Four that I can feel,” I said.
They all had the high-pitched whine of terror, which suited me. Terrified people made mistakes.
Kane broke down the front door, which wasn’t actually latched, meaning it swung open easily leaving him to half stumble through it in surprise. Gideon and I followed him into the small open room that was the entire building. Four people in pure white robes (how did they keep them clean?) were standing in the middle of said room with small daggers in their hands. They looked petrified, their hands shaking and their skin having lost all colour.
No Dante.
Gideon snarled at them, and one of them threw himself out of the closest window. I smiled sweetly at the younger woman near me and spun my blades.
“You have my friend, and you’re going to tell me where he is, otherwise they,” I gestured at Kane and Gideon, “will show you just how much pain you can handle before you black out.”
Her eyes went into large saucers and she dropped her daggers while looking at the window.
“I wouldn’t. Hellhounds love to chase their prey down,” I said.
She swallowed hard.
“Below. The cambion is below.”
“How do we get there?” I demanded.
She pointed shakily at a small rise in the floor, a trap door.
“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” I asked.
She shook her head so fast I thought she’d hurt herself.
Kane lifted the trap door, and Gideon jumped down into the space before anyone could say anything.
He called up from below, “He’s here!”
“Bloody hellhound,” Kane said, shaking his head before he started down the ladder.
The three remaining purists had run away by the time my foot was on the top rung. Cowards.
FIFTY-TWO
I heard Dante’s bloodsong when I stepped down onto the floor, a raging war beat that called to me and drove me to action. Not that I had a choice; Gideon had already taken off down the passageway into the main room up ahead. We were going to have to put him on a leash.
Kane and I ran after him and burst into a dark square room full of candles. Large white pillar candles were crowded into the corners and formed a large circle around the solid wooden altar they’d strapped Dante to. He was in his full demon form, or as full as a half-demon got. Small red horns had burst from just next to his temples, his eyes were bright gold, and his teeth, which he was baring at the purists, were sharp points. He strained against the silver bindings on his wrists, forearms, and ankles, but they didn’t budge. They had to be magically enhanced.
The purists were all in pure white floor-length robes complete with large hoods that covered their faces. They really got into that whole crazy cult role. One of them was standing next to Dante with a long ritual dagger over his heart while he chanted something in a language I didn’t know and the rest of the circle of people chanted along with him. Someone needed to take away their cheesy horror movies.
Gideon was pacing a circle around them. I felt his desire to protect Dante, but he was waiting for my say-so. At least he had some sense and restraint.
“I’ll cut him loose, you and Gideon take down the morons,” Kane said.
Gideon heard what Kane said, and we all ran at the purists. Gideon leapt on the closest one, taking them down to the ground, their robes splaying out behind them and quickly catching fire. Gideon didn’t notice as he broke their neck and moved onto the next person. I had to give it to them, they stuck to their formation and only chanted louder and more furiously in response. I reached out the one closest to me and slit their throat. The chanting took on a higher wailing tone, and I saw the knife getting closer to Dante’s heart.
Kane hacked at the bindings around Dante, his sword glowing brilliant white. Shouting came from the passageway we’d come down, and a great number of people in white robes rushed into the room. Something hit me in the side of the head and stopped me from slashing the throat of the next purist. I turned around to see a very large man wielding a hammer. Not a war hammer, a standard hammer you’d find in any home. I was mildly insulted.
I ducked under his next swing and slashed at his thighs. The robes were too loose and tangled around my blade, stopping me from cutting open an artery. The next swing almost connected with my shoulder, and I was getting pissed now. I drove my blade into his stomach. The robe wasn’t as loose there. He gasped and paused long enough for me to slit his throat and move on to the next one.
Gideon was breaking purist necks and smashing their skulls while Kane fought to free Dante. There was only one binding left, and Dante was furiously scrabbling to take down as many purists within arm’s reach as he could. A pair of young women came at me as a united front. They’d clearly had some martial arts classes, as their balance was fantastic and their kicks well practised, but they still weren’t good enough. I sliced through their robes, leaving their legs exposed, which I cut into small ribbons. They fell to the floor sobbing and wailing. No one so much as thought about helping them.
Dante was finally free.
He threw himself off the table onto the bastard that had been holding the sacrificial dagger. I didn’t see what happened. I just heard the wet crunch and tearing sounds of muscle separating from bone. The next thing I knew, the entire room was eng
ulfed in infernal fire. Gideon threw himself on top of me and protected me from the heat. I squirmed and tried to get to Kane, but the damn hound wasn’t budging until the flames were extinguished. He nipped my neck before he let me up.
Kane was entirely unharmed and looking quite smug standing next to Dante, who looked furious, his mouth fixed in a thin line and his eyes hard and uncaring. The purists were gone. There was nothing but ash left. Dante must have had enough wherewithal to keep Kane safe, which made me wonder if Gideon had just been looking for a chance to throw himself on top of me. I didn’t ask.
Dante bellowed something in what I assumed was an infernal language. It was thick and guttural. I walked up to him and placed my hand on his bare chest, my fingertips pressing against the fine lines of the sigils around his heart. He wouldn’t hurt me; I trusted that. His skin was hot enough to burn to the touch, but I refused to back away even as he glared at me. Slowly, his expression softened, and he wrapped his arms around me, his face pressed against my neck.
I felt his horns recede, and his skin slowly cooled beneath my touch. He was returning to me. He caressed my cheek, and before I knew what was happening, he’d pressed his lips hard against mine. I melted against him and embraced the passion and lust that had been building from the moment we met. He kissed me like his life depended on it, a hard, intense kiss that couldn’t have come from anyone else. I was left gasping for breath when he pulled away.
“I know you’re a blood witch, Wren,” he whispered.
There went that high. I had so many questions that I didn’t have any coherent words. I ended up sputtering a string of nonsense. He held me close to him, and what had felt like a safe romantic embrace now felt like a cage.
“I put the pieces together when you came back with Gideon,” he whispered.
His eyes were soft and caring, but I could have been desperately projecting.
“You make me feel alive. I’m more myself, I have more control when I have contact with you.”
“You’re not going to have me executed…?”
He smiled and rested his forehead on mine.
“No, I couldn’t give up something as beautiful as you.”
“Sofia, my darling, you brought me some gifts!” Addison called out from behind us.
“Wren?” Dante asked.
“Long story,” I said.
“He’s the cult leader, the crazed blood knight from the myths,” Kane said helpfully.
Dante released me, and I turned to see Addison, the woman who’d outed me as Sofia’s descendent, and enough cultists to fill the room. Where did they keep coming from?
FIFTY-THREE
“How did you find us?” Kane demanded.
“Why are you here?” Gideon snarled.
“Who the fuck are you?” Dante asked.
Addison raised an eyebrow and put his hands in the pockets of his suit pants.
“Really, Sofia, you’ve seduced three men? Do you not think that’s a bit much?”
“My name is Wren, and I haven’t seduced anyone. What do you want?”
His charming smile faltered. “I am here to use the cambion and infernal blood you so kindly caught for me…”
“Wait, I’m lost. First I seduced them, then I caught them for you?” I asked.
“Did you not? I thought you had used your wiles to make them believe you loved them… and then put them in a neat little box for me to collect.”
I frowned. His mind worked very differently to mine.
“I vote we kill him,” Gideon said.
“Works for me,” Kane said.
“The Council would back that decision,” Dante said.
“Looks like its unanimous,” I said.
“You wouldn’t dare!” Addison snarled.
The woman next to him looked exasperated.
“I already told you that it was Sofia who locked you in the vault! Her descendent, the love of your life, already tried to kill you once!” she said.
Addison frowned. “But… she was perfect…”
Gideon’s hands caught fire. Dante’s quickly followed suit.
“Kill them!” Addison roared.
I really hoped the Council was going to give me a large bonus for this.
The cultists were more cautious this time, stuck to the edges of the room and watched us closely as they did so. I felt Addison’s magic sink into my blood. It felt like small barbs sinking into my veins. I wasn’t going to roll over and give up. I dug deep and pulled out every thread of magic I could muster and reached for his heart. If the bastard wanted to play that game, I’d play. The image of his heart formed in my mind. I drove every bit of magic I could into it, aiming to crush it and remove all traces of life force. Of course, it wasn’t that easy. He had a couple of centuries practise on me, and I had a couple of cultists trying to stab me.
My attention was split between the cultists swinging wildly at me with what looked like kitchen knives and the feeling of my magic at war with Addison’s. The barbs of his magic slowly pressed deeper into my veins. The pain blurred my vision, but not as much as the blow to the head that came from one of the cultists.
I spun around, but the blood on the smooth tile floor made it slippery. My foot almost went out from under me. I caught my balance quickly enough to slash open the cultist, but it meant that I lost a grip on Addison’s heart.
The cultists pressed in around us. I caught sight of Kane slicing one of their heads clean off. The sound of pain, rage, and unfettered glee filled the room with a cacophony of sound that felt as though it had my head in a vice. Dante was fighting with his full demon side out for all to see. His fury filled his bloodsong and reverberated the room, driving me on to keep going. Gideon was bouncing around the place, tearing out throats. I fought to regain my purchase on Addison’s heart while trying to fend off the cultists, who were growing bolder. They were crowded in around me, reducing my movements. I couldn’t sustain this much longer. I needed to end it and get out.
Dante fought with a viciousness that only a demon could, his foes left broken and shattered around him. Infernal fire and candlelight lit up the smears of blood covering the walls. Shadows pooled at the edges of piles of innards and the remains of cultists. The smell of cooking meat and burning hair soon layered over the stench of death that choked me.
Dante came to my side, where he pressed his bleeding wrist to my mouth.
“My blood will give you the strength and magic you need to end this,” he growled.
“I’m not like that…” I said weakly.
“Wren, you and your magic are the only things that can end Addison.”
I opened my lips and allowed his blood to trickle into my mouth, vaguely aware of the screams of agony and sound of crushing bones around us as Dante continued to break the cultists. His magic flooded my system, the pain faded away to nothing, and I felt stronger than I had ever felt before. It came with a feeling of euphoria that I needed more of. I pushed his wrist away, terrified that, if I didn’t, I’d become truly addicted.
“Now save us.”
No pressure.
Gideon and Kane had come in closer and were circling around, killing off the cultists who had been joined by fae-vampires and wannabe-ninjas. They worked as beautiful team, moving around each other seamlessly as though they’d been doing it for years. I focused on Addison’s magic and blood. He gasped when I took a hold of his heart. I sank my magic into it like the barbs he had buried in my veins. I squeezed with everything I had, picturing it being crushed within my fist. The pain was verging on unbearable as his own magic sank deeper into me, trying to tear me apart from the inside.
I could see his magic within his heart as a quiet feminine voice told me to tear out the magic. That was all that was sustaining him.
It seemed like I’d lost my mind, but squeezing his heart wasn’t getting me the results I needed. The guys were beginning to slow. They were covered in blood, some of it their own. I closed my eyes and searched for Addison’s magic within
him. I trusted that the guys would keep me safe.
Addison’s magic looked like a red mist coating his skeleton. I reached out with my mind and plucked at the mist. Slowly, it peeled away from him, and he screamed. The agony made my head feel as though my skull were imploding in agonising slow motion. Breathing was becoming difficult, but I wasn’t going to give up.
I grabbed onto the veil of magic and tore at it. It came away in great swathes. Addison’s high-pitched wails were audible over the cultists’ final war cries and the death gasps around me. The scent of death washed through the room, removing all traces of fresh blood and innards to be replaced by old musty bones and the wreaking stench of ancient rotten meat and dried blood. I reached within him and stripped away the last small shred of magic.
The room went silent.
I opened my eyes to see the fae vampires had all dropped where they stood. Addison was gone, and the cultists were at a loss what to do with themselves. They looked down at their hands, where they held kitchen knives, hammers, and in one case a spade. A look of confusion filled their expressions before they looked at us, coated in their brethren’s blood. Some of them were fool enough to peer down into the darkness around their feet, where the flickering candles cast deep shadows. The light, however, showed the gruesome sight of broken bodies, dismembered limbs, and so much blood.
One woman fainted. The rest ran. They formed a stampede that pushed its way through the narrow doorway crushing some of its members before they vanished out of sight.
I was feeling very light headed, and my legs were threatening to give out beneath me. Dante put his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek, a dampness left on my skin. I pressed my fingers there and saw they came back bloody. I didn’t want to know why he had blood on his lips.