by Ruby Raine
William attempted to flash Melinda to safety some twenty feet away, but as they stopped one of the tendrils slammed into her like a finely tuned missile. This was some powerful dark magic there was no escape from.
Two others found Charlie and Michael. There wasn't any hiding from this magic. But much more frightening, was that two tendrils also found Lizzy and Emily—and their unborn children. The change wasn't completed quite yet.
King Daemon laughed like he'd won some long-awaited prize. He understood what it meant without explanation. And had no issue killing unborn children anymore than he did any other living thing.
Charlie tried to crawl to his mate, but his body refused to cooperate, the dark magic acting like poison that kept his muscles from working properly. He tried to call upon his wolf, but not even a growl formed in his throat.
But Lizzy and Emily were still on their feet—looking panicked, but on their feet. Which angered Daemon. Why were they not falling to the curse too?
Mathew's mind was already ten steps deep in creating a potion to combat this ugly creation of his brothers, but he'd need his lab and time. Neither of which he could get right now.
"Can you stop time?" asked Lucas in desperation. "Like you did when I first saw you on the Isle?"
Mathew deflated, wishing it was that easy. "It wasn't really time being stopped. I moved the two of us to the spirit realm, so we could talk. Which makes it look like time is stopped in the human realm. Time doesn't work the same in the spirit world."
Lucas was smart enough to figure out that moving to the spirit realm wouldn't help, as there were others here, including demons, who could follow.
Lizzy used her own magic to try to block the magical tendrils surrounding herself, but to no avail. Emily and Michael hugged each other in a deep embrace unsure what to do, or if there was anything they could do.
Courtney hissed and bound into the air determined to take out the demons creating the magic, but the spell was already cast, and the demons blocked her attempt easily and her body went flying across the yard like she was nothing more than crumpled paper.
Mack fired off shot after shot, but not one of them even got close, all deflected.
The gargoyles made a lot of noise, but they weren't cut out for this kind of fight either.
Alethea and Daegal looked to their granddaughter, Rae. She was the only one amongst them with the ability to overpower a demon. The elder Guardians used their own bodies to shield the others and create a barrier. Only, they had no control over this dark magic.
Michael doubled over and fell to the ground, alongside Charlie. Melinda didn't fall over for the simple fact that William captured her body before that could happen. He collapsed to the ground with her in his arms.
Lucas and Riley joined Rae, ready to fight. The enlightened simpers on their faces made it clear they'd been transformed fully and knew how to kill demons with her.
Lizzy and Emily gasped and staggered a moment later and both Charlie and Michael shouted weakly to them, unsure of what was causing them to gasp and stagger—the poison, or the transformation working?
But when Emily's ring began to glow, followed by Lizzy's a minute later, they were both relieved. No matter the outcome, their line would go on and their wives and unborn children were safe.
Mathew wondered if this was worth the price of keeping Markus. Lucas recognized the worry of this in his gaze.
"It won't make a difference if you hand him over. The King planned on this either way."
Mathew conceded that Lucas was right, but it still ate at him to feel so helpless, or fear that because he'd taken Markus, he'd caused this.
William cradled Melinda in his arms, her body growing weaker.
"My brothers?" she moaned.
William made sure to move her closer to them. It was the only wish he could grant, and this felt like a stake to his own heart.
But what gave the demons pause was the rings glowing on the fingers of those surrounding Rae.
"What is this magic?" demanded Daemon. "You speak of equality, as if we share it," he spat at the two elders. "As if we ever shared it."
"We believed we did share it," Alethea spoke.
"You broke the truce, Daemon. Therefore, so are we. Like you said, the rules are no more. We begin anew." Daegal challenged Daemon to argue the truth.
Michael climbed to his feet, the effects of the dark magic waning. His ring began to glow and that same new power surged through him in a powerful wave. He was torn as to join Emily, or stay with Charlie and Melinda, still on the ground. Still dying.
Charlie did not have his old protection ring on, and his new one wasn't going to work unless Rae finished the magic.
And Melinda... she could not take the potion or go through the change without giving all their secrets to the enemy.
The demons were done testing, they'd come to kill.
"Melinda," William muttered as her body began to weaken, her breaths weighted.
Lizzy was in tears by her mate's side with no idea how to fight this magic. But Melinda knew damn well what had to happen.
"Rae," she pushed out. "Finish it. Save him."
All eyes flew to hers because what they truly heard was, save him, because you cannot save me.
King Daemon's body hovered closer with confused fury in his eyes at seeing Michael unharmed and on his feet.
"What is this magic?" the King demanded again. "What have you done? You should all be dying! One by one I will destroy anyone who stands against me."
"Why don't you come and find out," taunted Michael bitterly. Because the full knowledge of how to kill a demon was just like Rae had claimed—instinctual. Like it had always been there.
Daemon's eyes darted angrily between Rae and the others, the truth sinking in. She'd remade them in her image. Fuck, he needed to get her secret! This world would belong to him. He hadn't planned and bided his time all these many years only to fail now.
"You stay, Daemon," warned Riley, "You die."
Lucas was by his side. Emily with Michael. Lizzy joined, her fury aimed at the demons threatening her family. Pregnant or not, she was not leaving this fight. She and Emily nodded at each other, in agreement on that. There were some battles worth sitting out and not taking the risk, but this was not one of them.
"I'm ready to kill some demons," Lizzy growled. She was one pissed momma-wolf prepared to fight. It dawned on her she had her own Guardian ring now, Emily too. That was going to take some getting used to, but she was willing to start now.
Courtney awakened from her attack and Annie assisted the shaken vampire to her feet.
"You okay?" Annie asked her.
"I think. Got my bell rung pretty loud."
They rejoined the ranks, waiting to see what the demons would do.
They did not expect King Daemon to simply give up, but they needed to give Rae time to finish the spell on Charlie. She was on her knees with her hands on his head muttering furiously.
Meanwhile, William was on his knees with Melinda in his arms turning into a blathering mess—he was going to lose her. They'd been so close, and now, the dream was over before it began. All his mind imagined now was all the ways in which he might end his life because if she did not live to see the sun rise, he could not bear the thought of it either.
But there was one other way.
Rae finished her magic, but it would take time for Charlie to fully transform and heal from this demon poison. He was nearly unconscious, but his eyes searched tiredly for the sister he was not ready to lose.
"William," she mumbled in exhaustion. Her whole body was going numb. "You know my choice." Her words escaped her like a river about to dry up.
William whimpered, this choice his worst nightmare. But with each breath she was growing weaker and with no way to fight the magical poison, she was minutes from death. Her heart was already slowing.
But why was he fighting? She was right, they'd already made the choice, together. Did it matter in the end how
that future happened?
He could not lose her. Her family could not lose her. Not like this. Not when a whole new life awaited them after this night.
William's fangs dropped, and he sliced his wrist and held his oozing blood up to Melinda's darkening lips. It took every ounce of strength she had to suck it in deep. When he was satisfied she'd taken enough, he lifted her limp neck up to his lips and punched his fangs through her cooling skin—drinking her blood would cost him. But he'd suffer any amount of detox or pain to save her.
Her blood was like drinking the purest form of forbidden honey and it awakened the monster deep inside. He growled, sinking his fangs in deeper, but if Melinda felt it her body did not respond.
It was Annie who knelt before him and reminded him he needed to stop. He could not drink her last drop, or he'd kill her, not turn her.
His fangs pulled out of Melinda's neck with a pained cry, her body lifeless and limp.
Had he gone too far? Had he not stopped soon enough?
Thud.
A beat of her heart.
Thud.
Slower. Slower. But it still had a beat.
Her mind was gone to him, lost to darkness.
This was all he could do. William's gaze lifted to see all the others standing around him, their hearts heavy over this night.
The effects were starting to hit Charlie, enough so that he was able to fight the poison and climb back to his feet. He joined his family with a final warning to the demon King. Lizzy spoke the words for him, his own voice not strong enough yet.
"Be warned, that whether it be tonight or some other hour, we will hunt you down and destroy you."
Daemon's fury darkened, his features to the point it looked like the demon might explode. This was a heavy blow. He'd come to kill off the Howard's and get his prized potion maker back. He'd failed on both counts and instead, witnessed the birth of a new weapon meant to kill his kind.
As much as he did not want to admit defeat, he needed to go back to the drawing board. Without Markus, his work was already suffering. And now with more demon killers running amok... he had no way of destroying them.
He ordered a silent retreat. His final words a last attempt to instill some permanent fear.
"The truce is no more. But be warned, just when you think I'm never coming back, I shall return, and you shall all pay the ultimate price."
And they had no doubt the demon would try. And try. And try. Until he was no more.
The veil of dread lifted, and everyone breathed a momentary sigh of relief. But quickly, all eyes fell to Melinda, lifeless in William's arms.
"Is she—" Emily couldn't manage the word dead.
"She's close," the vampire answered, his voice stoic. His eye caught Charlie's and he gave the vampire an accepting nod. Charlie had been leery about the idea of Melinda being a vampire. But he realized it was his own folly that made him think so. His own ego really.
He'd always seen Melinda as his little sister who needed protection, and if she'd lived forever, he'd not be able to. And even though he now had the gift to live beyond his human years, he was keenly aware of his sister's true strength and that even though he'd always protect her if she needed it, she had the ability to take care of herself. He was proud of her beyond measure. And grateful to William for saving her.
Thud.
One more heart beat in her chest.
William waited, listening... silence. He leaned over and closed her eyes gently.
"She's in transition."
Her own kind, to that of a vampire. Not a Guardian as she'd expected, but she'd still get the chance for their forever future. And he found himself smiling and gently stroking her cheek.
"Sleep now, my dear one."
He said nothing else but got to his feet with his beloved in his arms and carried her at human speed passed everyone else back inside the house and up to the attic and laid her out on their bed. It would take all night, possibly longer. But he'd not leave her side until her eyes opened.
CHAPTER 15
THE NIGHT WAS THE LONGEST in recorded history. Okay, so it was the same length as any other night. But waiting nervously for Melinda to awaken was driving them all mad, more so than any of them, William.
Her body, for all intents and purposes, was dead. She had died. And there was always the off chance that something might go wrong, and the vampire venom might not take. How sickeningly ironic that would be—to accidentally turn two vampires in his life, and at last, purposely mean to and fail.
They kept busy to pass the many long hours of that night.
They called Josh and had him help clean up the backyard from the fountain explosion, and he made plans to rebuild in the spring. With winter coming soon, starting any outside project would be silly so it would have to wait.
They'd also discovered Stricker, in his cell, dead. They couldn't be sure, but they guessed the demons had decided to off the Feyk themselves as he no longer served any purpose. Or perhaps it was revenge, seeing as the bastard had involuntarily given up the info that it was demons targeting witches. Whatever the reason, Stricker was no longer a problem they needed to worry about.
It was a bittersweet ending. Sweet, in that the prick had finally met his end. Bitter, in that the deeds he'd committed could not be undone. There was no bringing back the people he'd stolen from their lives.
But it was also a grave concern that even with their extensive knowledge of magic and considering the protections they had on their property, the enemy had still managed to reach Stricker. Mathew promised to work on improving some of his potions to keep that from happening again. There had to be a way to keep demons from getting on the grounds.
Although, after some debate, they decided their estate was possibly the most demon unfriendly territory on the earth after tonight. Being that everyone now had the ability to destroy demons, they wouldn’t be so bold again anytime soon.
As the night progressed and more and more coffee was downed, lots of plans developed. Alethea and Daegal stuck around for a time, to offer advice, as well as an idea they'd been mulling over.
A school.
A combination magic school, and a school for new members of the Garudian bloodline. A safe space for them to learn about their new gifts, if needed. At the least, to learn more about the world of Guardians and Demons, because it was time for their secrets to be secrets no more.
Basically, the school would serve as a base of operations that would also serve as a liaison between the human and Guardian world.
Mathew and Lucas had shown excitement for the idea which thrilled the Guardian elders because they were hoping Mathew and Lucas would help run this school and be the actual liaisons between the two worlds.
This was the job they'd had in mind and the two could not have been more thrilled about it.
A minute later Lizzy blurted out, "Oh my God! Use the manor. It's perfect. You could still spend time on the Isle!" And after a quick debate in which they found no fault in the plan, everyone agreed that the Deane Manor would become a magic school. Lizzy was dying to be a teacher, and at last, she would. And since it was on the Isle, Lucas and Mathew would still be around. And having a magic school on the Isle would be perfect since it was already a magical hub. Their own children could attend, too.
It caught their attention, though, after Alethea and Daegal departed, that they hadn't passed this plan by Riley, who'd thought it was a good idea as well and said as much. But it was still his home. Lucas nodded, understanding, though, as Riley had already explained he and Rae planned on leaving.
"I guess it's as good a time as any to tell you all," Riley said.
But it was Rae who took over when Riley nodded her direction.
"I've asked Riley to join me in a quest of sorts. We dealt a blow to the demons, they'll need time to recover. And time in their world does not work the same as the human world. I do not think they will come back with a plan of war again soon. That said, I'm not going to sit around and wait. I've g
ot demons to hunt."
"And I'm going with her." Riley gave her a confident smile.
Lucas grinned, proud and happy for his brother. But they did not expect anyone else to pipe in.
"I'm going as well," Courtney surprised them by announcing. There were a few gasps of shock and concern. Was the vampire ready for such a change? "Rae came to me a few days ago and asked me, and I said I'd think about it." She turned to Rae. "I guess this is me saying yes."
"Are you sure you're ready, Courtney?" asked Charlie.
"Mostly," she answered honestly. "But I asked someone else to tag along to make sure I don't mess up." Her eyes slid reluctantly to Annie.
"That would be me."
Rae grinned. "I like this plan. Two demon slayers and two kick-ass vamps."
Life, moving forward. But it would be strange not to have them around the Isle as often.
"Should we be out on the hunt?" Charlie asked a minute later. He didn't particularly like the idea, preferring to be at home on his island.
"That's my job," insisted Rae. "Yours is to protect the Power Source, and this island, and the people who live here. You just have more tools at your disposal to do that now."
"Plus, I'm going to be a teacher," gleamed Lizzy. "And there's a whole new school to build and protect."
"I can run the school library," Emily suggested.
"That's a great idea," Michael agreed. "I don't know anyone better qualified."
"You know," started Annie. "If it was safe to do so, we could permanently reopen the portal between Sorcier and the Isle. There are many there who'd be willing and able to teach or help in some way. Or be students."
That got Mathew to thinking. "Perhaps, if done right, we could have more portals open to link other supernatural communities as well."
Charlie thought about that for a minute and agreed. Seeing how the Grand Coven had worked in their favor only proved the supernatural community needed to work together more often. There was something freeing about it, embracing others into their world. If they'd learned one thing recently, it was that they did not need to work and fight alone.