by Ruby Raine
"Hang on," he mumbled to her. But they were surrounded.
A path opened up for the hags to slink and slither their way forward. Holy hell, they were some ugly ass things. Sea water and slime seemed to drip out of every orifice. Their poisonous harpooned hair moved as if still under water. But it was the reviling grins that made Charlie shudder.
"What do you want?" he growled at them.
The hags hissed like they were not going to say, but then one of them spoke.
"The papers. Want them."
"What papers?" Charlie demanded to know.
"Jordan."
Well, that made sense. Stricker had worked with Eva, so of course, she probably told the bastard about her father's boxes of notes and research. But no way in hell was he handing that kind of information into the arms of the enemy.
"Charlie," winced out Lizzy, hearing his thoughts. "We may not have a choice." She loathed the idea of giving them a damn thing, but she was struggling to fight back the shift, and it came down to a lesser of the two evils.
Give them what they wanted and getting to safety.
Or Lizzy shifting and possibly going completely rogue and hurting someone.
Charlie growled in frustration, snugging Lizzy up to his side as close as possible. Perhaps he could go full werewolf and carry her through the hoard to escape inside. But would a locked door keep the hoard out? Probably not. And who was to say that they handed over the files the hags wanted, and the hoard would actually leave. Chances were slim.
Even Lizzy agreed the chances were low.
"We'll have to fight our way in," Lizzy clipped out. She heard his instant worry in that she was in no shape to fight. "I'm almost out of time, Charlie. We either fight and get inside, or I shift. Out here." Which at that moment she was thinking wasn't so bad because she was in the mood to tear apart some nasty ass spiders and bitch hags.
Charlie let Lizzy free of the safety of his side and she got herself steady as possible. Other than her eyes blazing brightly, Lizzy was keeping the rest of the shift locked up tight. Her palm raised unsteadily, but she fought right alongside Charlie. They merged so they were back to back, Lizzy using Charlie as an anchor to keep herself upright. But too fast and relentless, the spiders and hags attacked with merciless furor, intent on getting what they came for.
A wave of moon-pull doubled Lizzy over. She fell to her knees afraid this was it. She wasn't going to make it inside. Charlie shouted something, but she didn't hear it. Not a good sign—that their mating connection was acting up too.
A growl and a round of gunshots rang out.
Lizzy lifted her blazing gaze expecting to see spiders about to engulf her, but instead, she saw them scampering as Mack rounded the corner in a full run, and stop, shooting anything with eight legs or slime. Finn was the one who'd growled. Lizzy couldn't help but give the gargoyle a thin smile. He was different than the others—and right that moment he was plowing his powerful body into a spider, like he was discovering just how powerful a presence he truly was.
Lizzy tried to get to her feet and to the back door, but her legs refused to work. Her fingernails were long and jagged. Her arms were getting hairy. Her entire mouth was getting way fucking larger than it should.
Blast it all.
She wasn't going to make it.
But when her mind reached out for Charlie, he wasn't there. She couldn't find the path to reach him. Something was wrong. Her vision went blotchy and blinking hard, over and over did nothing to fix it.
She searched for Charlie and didn't see him. Only a mound of spiders where he should be.
Surely the ring couldn't save him from being eaten alive. Or torn apart. Or...Lizzy growled and let the earth below her body ground her. She remembered what Charlie said—don't fight it and it won't hurt.
But that was when they thought he'd be in control of her, or at least have a connection. But there wasn't one. Did that mean he was dead? Had the spiders bested him? Had they killed the man she'd fought so hard to spend her life with? Did it really end like this?
Her mind solidified in a single-minded purpose. To destroy.
Lizzy lifted her body, every movement weighted and filled with effort. Her lungs struggled to get enough air but her breaths were lined with fury and intent. She drunkenly leered up over her head at the moon shining high and over her head—and she gave in and let it claim her.
A roar and growl erupted upward as her werewolf form took hold of her. Survival instinct is all she became aware of. Fight and survive. Kill anything that moved. Errant thoughts of mate and Lizzy and war and anything else, sank deep, the need to survive taking complete control.
Her jaw snapped and tore into the attacking spiders without mercy. Another round of gunshots went off and Lizzy's wolf head snapped toward the sound and snarled.
It was Mack—who Lizzy no longer recognized—flying through the air after her shots missed the attacking eight-legged fiend. But Finn ran to the rescue and pummeled the thing before its spindly legs stabbed Mack and injuring her more severely.
Something bumped Lizzy's flank and she spun and snarled.
Another werewolf and she bit out at the thing not recognizing her mate. But his smell sucked into her nostrils and gave her pause. She knew this smell. She trusted this smell.
Lizzy cried out and spun again trying to toss off the spider who'd landed on top of her and was stabbing at her hide. She snarled and pushed her muscled body upward. Something about this position comforted her. Seemed—normal. And made it easier to swing her arms and fight off her attackers.
Charlie and Lizzy tore and ripped, the yard fast becoming a spider graveyard.
Charlie was in a panic though, and not just because of the war they could not possibly win, but in that he hadn't been able to reach Lizzy's mind—other than to sense the pure werewolf instinct that had taken over.
And he knew why.
He'd lost his confidence. Part of himself was stuck back with his family and whatever nightmare was going on there, and the other stuck here, but he needed his full self in the moment and focused entirely on Lizzy. Impossible while in the middle of a non-stop attack. And Lizzy was kicking ass.
The only problem was she didn't recognize friend from foe. To her werewolf, they were all enemies except for him. At least he'd managed to establish that. She trusted him. She just didn't remember why.
Charlie had no choice. He needed to reach into his soul and truly be the Alpha they needed. It wasn't just about protecting the Isle, or innocents, but saving his mate from doing something unforgivable. He'd promised. He could not let her down.
To his surprise, all four gargoyles were in the fight—more like the other three had joined Finn in defending their turf. They were not natural born fighters, but when their home was invaded they would defend it.
But between catching the gargoyles fighting, and Charlie tearing into another spider, he almost missed Lizzy charging right for Mack. Time moved forward, but it also stilled.
Mack had her gun out—no doubt with one of the silver bullets Charlie had given her years ago, just in case. But her arms were shaking and her eyes blurred with regret. Two seconds before Mack would have had no choice but to shoot Lizzy, Finn's giant body slammed into the werewolf and she skidded across the grass only to snarl and catch herself and lunge right back at the gargoyle.
She sank her teeth right into his side and he cried out in agony. His three companions tossed their heads upward and honked back a morbid response.
Charlie scrambled to free himself from the infestation and get to Lizzy to stop her before she killed Finn. He shouted into her mind with all the power he was able to muster, ordering her to stop and obey him this instant. His Alpha status flung outward ensnaring her senses, shocking her into withdrawing her teeth. She wobbled, almost falling over, but steadied herself and shook herself and twisted her snarl toward Charlie.
He let himself fall to all fours with a thunderous landing and ripped and tore his way toward his mate. Sh
e'd left Finn, letting his companions and Mack surround him as they fought to keep the spiders from finishing him off.
Just how many of the fuckers had they dragged up from the bottom of the sea?
Hell, at this rate they could fight to pure exhaustion and not get ahead.
And then Charlie felt a nudge at his side and heard a weak voice in his head.
"Charlie...."
"Lizzy! Can you hear me?"
"I'm here. I'm—"
"It's okay. I've got you now. Just fight. Stay with me."
But everything she'd done was surfacing. The carnage. The pure instinct to kill and survive. And—Finn.
"Oh my God. Did I kill him?" she panicked. With the panic came pure adrenaline that the wolf could not handle, and her shift gave out, leaving a naked, blood and slime covered Lizzy Deane on the ground, on all fours, trying to crawl over to Finn. The poor creature had been so brave and saved her from killing Mack.
But Lizzy didn't reach the whimpering gargoyle. Spiders surrounded her and blocked Charlie from reaching her. He began clearing the path, one bite, swipe, and snarl at a time.
But one of the hags slithered her way toward Lizzy—she might have extra fast werewolf healing, but she was not protected like Charlie was with his ring. He had no idea what the hag's poison would do to his mate.
The hag ordered the spiders to capture Lizzy. They had her bound with their own legs and bodies, and unable to free herself in seconds.
"If you hurt her I will destroy every one of you, even if it takes the rest of my life." Charlie snarled and gnashed his teeth, seething in anger and fear for his mate. It was a good god damned thing he had the ring, or he might have gone rogue right then and killed everything in sight to free her.
The hag's voice slithered out another demand.
"Want. One more treasure." The hag's eyes went wild and lowered to Charlie's wolf hand, where the ring resided.
"No," whimpered Lizzy. "Do not even think about it, Charlie." A spider leg squeezed around her neck and she bit back a wince and a curse.
The ring could only be removed voluntarily. They probably wanted this more than the damn notes from Anthony Jordan. Charlie ordered the wolf gone and with a shake of his body was in human form again. He forced his mind into his mates, seeking out the bond that had gone all wonky when Lizzy had shifted. Her tension eased some when his mind found hers.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. And don't you dare give them the ring, Charlie."
"I won't. I just don't have a damn clue how we're going to get out of this one. And seeing you their prisoner—well, the damn ring is barely keeping my wolf from forcing its way out again."
"We don't have the luxury of clearer heads."
But they needed to act fast.
The hag hissed impatiently. "Want. Ring. Now." The spider holding onto Lizzy tightened its rubbery legs, squeezing her tighter.
Lizzy closed her eyes and calmed herself. Her hands were bound, but not blocking her ability to use magic. She wasn't just a werewolf, she was a witch too dammit! She focused, and let the spell release and it spread out of her palms and right into the spider's skin, setting it ablaze.
Lizzy fell forward, freed.
Charlie ordered his wolf to return and charged with a feral venom in every move. He pounced onto the hag and before she even managed a full hiss he'd ripped her in half.
Lizzy crawled over to Finn and tried her best to stem the blood flow and apologized over and over, tears streaking her bloodied face.
Mack replaced her silver bullet with real ones and started shooting spiders again.
Charlie sensed Lizzy's torment over what she'd done to Finn and he needed her to let it go, and keep fighting, and not give up. He nudged her mind, encouraging her.
She looked at the other gargoyles.
"Don't leave him."
She closed her eyes and let Charlie use his Alpha order to bring her wolf back. She let the shift happen and didn't fight it, but this time, her mate's mind did not leave hers. They fought together, side by side.
And that's when they looked upward and saw the spiders climbing up the backside of the mansion, breaking into windows and swarming their home.
CHAPTER 10
BEFORE RILEY COULD even react, the hardened cocoon split open wide.
He fell into the gooey mess onto the woman's body as they both followed the flood of goo to the ground. The moment their bodies hit the earth, a ricochet of magic exploded out of his hands spreading out all around them. The Power Source began to pulse and collect the magic, surrounding both Riley and the woman in an orb of magical energy.
Their bodies hovered just above the ground, inside the magical energy. The young woman sucked in a coarse breath, her first, her eyelids flickering wildly. But before Riley was able to reach out and try to help her, things began to happen that he had no control over. But it was like a sudden control and awareness had come over the newly birthed woman. Her limp-like body stiffened, muscles flexing as she tried them out. Her eyes sharpened, taking on a living and determined focus. And then she smiled. A knowing smile that held tremendous confidence.
Her eyes closed and like she'd simply wished it, the magical energy surrounding the two of them faded and they slowly planted their feet on the ground. The gooey pinkish mess she'd been living inside of vanished, like it never existed, taking what was left of the cocoon, with it. Modern day clothes materialized over her cleaned skin, like she'd magicked them from some store shelf. Riley gasped when his own clothes and skin were instantly cleaned and normal again.
But when her eyes flicked upward and caught his own, it gave him pause and he wasn't able to look away from her. He had so many questions. She didn't appear to be much older than him. How odd it must feel to be born an adult? How much did she know of the world?
Enough, he imagined, seeing as she was dressed in modern clothes. Actually, she was dressed like she was ready to kick some major ass. Sturdy boots. Black jeans. Black leather jacket. Dark eyes that claimed purpose and determination.
"Who are you?" He finally choked out the words.
She didn't say anything at first. Instead, rushing over to the Power Source. Now just a knot of deep roots. No one had ever realized the cocoon wasn't even part of the Source. But what happened next, Riley did not expect.
It vanished. The roots. The Source. It disappeared when the young woman touched it.
"What did you do?" he called out.
She spun around, still wearing that knowing smile. It wasn't arrogant, just confident.
"Protecting my future." Her first words spoken. "Protecting our future." She corrected.
"I so do not understand what's going on." And with his exhaustion piling onto the confusion, he found he almost didn't care. Or was too tired to care.
The young woman approached him and reached out her soft hand to his cheek.
"Thank you, Riley Deane. For using your gift to free me."
"Why me?"
"Only someone from the Garudian Bloodline could free me. There are only two of you left. Therefore, my time has finally come."
Riley's eyes pinched together. "I have no idea what the Garudian Bloodline is. My Deane blood has never been anything but a curse."
"You are not cursed. I promise."
Her gaze, her touch, they were—almost overwhelming. Her presence was like being in the presence of greatness. Of good. True good. Powerful good.
"Do you have a name?"
She let her hand drop from his cheek. "Raeana. You can call me Rae."
"Like a ray of light." It slipped off his tongue and his cheeks blushed. But it was accurate. She was like looking at the sun when its warmth made you feel whole.
"I do hope to be a ray of light to this world. That is why I am here."
"There are evil things just outside this place waiting to try to claim you for their own."
"They can try. They will never succeed. My power drew them here, but they will leave emptyhanded."
"Okay." Riley was so out of his mind with ideas and questions and exhaustion he wasn't sure what to do next. But Raeana—Rae—seemed to have her own agenda. "How are you just—okay?" He realized he wasn't making sense. "I mean, you went from I don't know how long, living inside a gooey cocoon, to just—" he threw his hands out in front of himself in a gesture of, how? How are you like this? Born a grown adult with the knowledge of who you are and your purpose here.
Rae smiled with understanding. "I've been preparing for this day a long time, Riley. And I will explain all, I promise, because your part in this journey is just beginning. But first, I need to stop a war before anyone gets hurt."
CHAPTER 11
MICHAEL, EMILY, MELINDA, and William waited, poised, and ready to strike. The rest waited to follow their lead. And while the Feyk had called back their fighters, and Mathew had sensed Demons nearby, no one had seen one. But the cold dread that enveloped them still hung like a heavy weight, which meant the Demon or Demons, were close.
Lucas noticed Mathew twist his head to peer at the entrance to the Power Source, with an inquisitive look on his face.
"What is it?" whispered Lucas. "Is Riley okay?"
"He's—fine. I sense a new birth."
"We expected that, didn't we?" Lucas responded.
"Yes, but this is a new birth from the Garudian—erm—Guardian bloodline." If Mathew wasn't careful he'd give away too much. But how odd? Perhaps since the Demons were here, the Guardian's deemed it necessary to bring their own show of force, just in case. But this was from inside the Source. And something was off. He didn't know this person. It was like they'd just come into the world out of nowhere—but how?
Is this what was being born? That made no sense because this was a matter of magic, not their own bloodline. Mathew was about to pop off to investigate when Lucas exhaled a punch of air and started swearing to himself.
"Not now! Are you fucking serious?"
Mathew watched as Lucas' gaze wandered...his gift was showing him something from the past. But he had to agree it was shit timing. And a test Mathew was sure to fail. Because he should leave Lucas and investigate this strange arrival, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Lucas so vulnerable.