by Coralee June
With my hands on his cheeks, I brought my head down until our foreheads pressed together. Concentrating as hard as I could, I focused on pushing power into him rather than pulling anything away. Like a light switch that had suddenly turned on, my black smoke turned to billowing white, like fluffy clouds hanging in the sky. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly pushed again, elated when I saw the smoke wrap around his body and finally sink into his skin. I pushed and pushed and pushed some more. I gave him everything I had. I felt my own strength waning, but still, I gave more.
Seconds passed that felt like hours, but then all at once, my Void dispersed, and Hyde’s silver eyes popped open.
His hands came up to cup my face, mirroring my hold on him, and we stayed like that for a moment, just staring.
“You know, for a zombie king, you really do have the prettiest eyes,” I whispered before blinking a few times. I felt so damn tired.
Hyde shot up and clutched his gut. His color looked better, but his eyes were wide with panic. “You did too much. I can feel you, you’re weak,” he said, but his words sounded far away.
Wavering, I felt myself grow dizzier. Each muscle in my body relaxed, like it was too much effort to sit, to breathe.
“Oh no, no, no. Hey, Dev! Keep your eyes open. Tell me how pretty I am,” Hyde instructed, his hands tapping my cheeks, trying to keep me awake. I couldn’t do it. Couldn’t speak. The words were there, but it was like my brain was empty. And then there was a shift in the air, a dark presence that fell over us. Hyde’s head snapped up, but it was a moment too late. Because the shadow cracked Hyde over the head with a long pole, making my necromancer pass out immediately and crumple to the ground.
I gasped, but the breath stuck itself in my chest. I tried to focus my eyes, but I didn’t understand when I saw the figure who perched beside my body. My lips worked to sound out my confusion and horror, but once again I was too weak, too disconnected from myself to work out the name I just knew was at the tip of my tongue.
“Hello there, Miss Cainson,” a low grumble whispered to me as the pale blonde strands of my hair were pushed away, giving my barely open eyes a clear view of his face. I wanted to glower at him, but it felt like I couldn’t. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t stop to think. A thousand questions were fluttering through my mind, and I just couldn’t choke them out.
Why? Why? Why?
His fingers dug around the floor of the crypt until they landed on what he was searching for, and with a broad smile, he pulled it up and clutched it in his fist. “Time to put your powers to good use,” he growled, and it wasn’t until my eyes were nearly completely closed that I could force myself to choke out the confusion plaguing me.
“B-Banner?”
Chapter 26
There were people laughing.
Great bursts of amusement broke through their chests and crawled up their throats. It was like chimes that wouldn’t stop blowing in the wind. I squinted, looking all around me, confused as hell.
Where was I?
I realized I was looking down at my lap. My lap that was no longer wearing my clothes I recognized. Instead, I was in a white dress that I’d never seen before, and my hair was loose over my shoulders. My right hand was picking at the red velvet armrest of the chair I was sitting on, my nail bent backwards, indicating that I must have been scratching at it for a long time without even realizing it.
My body felt heavy, yet my head felt light—like I’d been floating in a dark tide for days.
I blinked slowly, and it took great effort to lift up my head. I looked around me at the long, polished table I was sitting at. People were all around me, talking, eating, drinking, laughing. The sounds grated on my nerves, but I had no clue why.
When I felt a hand come down to touch my arm, my eyes swung over to see Banner sitting beside me in the middle of the fancy dinner party I had no memory of attending. My eyes slid around to the somewhat familiar faces, and I realized that most of them were council members.
“The complacent concoction finally wore off. I was wondering how long it would take. I had to use a lot,” Banner said with a bright smile before gripping my thigh and squeezing hard. I felt his neutralizing abilities around me like it was a swarm of bees. It didn’t feel like the calming balm of before, this time it was like an iron cage slamming down on my chest, pressing and punishing. He was keeping my power from me—leashed me like a dog.
“Where am I? What is this?” I asked before twisting my head to take in the faces around me. I still felt dizzy, and all of their vibrant expressions kept blurring into one another.
“A dinner celebrating you!” a familiar voice from the head of the table said. I blinked a couple of times until I could see the scrawny figure in front of me.
“Judge Braxton?” I asked, frowning. “Tell me what’s happening, right fucking now,” I groaned before nausea bubbled up in my throat. Suddenly I remembered Hyde and how Banner had knocked him out. “Tell me where Hyde is!” I screamed. The last thing I’d seen was his weightless body crashing to the ground after a pipe had hit him—a pipe wielded by Banner. What the fuck?
“Lower your voice. That’s not polite, Devicka,” a soft voice said to my right. I turned and gaped at the woman sitting there. My mother was dressed in a red evening gown with sequins that littered it with reflected light.
“Mom?” I asked before shaking my head. This felt so wrong, so godsdamned chaotic and confusing, but ultimately there was a steady believability to this odd situation that cut me like a knife. I’d been drugged and kidnapped. And my mother was a part of it.
“You’ve done so well, Devicka. I’m so proud of you,” she cooed before placing her hand on my shoulder. I flinched at the contact.
“Where am I?” I asked again. Council members beamed at me like I was a trophy on their shelf.
“A ceremony of sorts. You’ve made some impressive strides. We think you’re ready, Devicka,” Banner said with a grin.
“Ready for what?” I asked as a waiter put steak on my gold plate and poured water in my wine glass. I was starving, and I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. As my mouth watered in front of me, I reminded my empty stomach that Banner liked to drug people, and that I shouldn’t trust the delicious smelling food in front of me.
“Eat, Devicka, you’ll need your strength,” Mother ordered before handing me a fork, and I half wondered if she would force feed me. This was so strange, I couldn’t connect the dots. Did I miss something?
Another rolling surge of nausea crept up my throat, and I had to swallow the rush of saliva that flooded my mouth.
“Need my strength for what? Please tell me where Hyde is...he’s my bonded,” I tried to explain. I had fleeting hopes that there was a part of the woman I once loved still in there.
I frowned when a fork was held in front of my face, my mother holding it for me expectantly. I turned my head away, only to see Banner shake his head. “Now, now. Your mother already asked you not to be rude.” The threat was clear in his face and in the way his hand tightened around me. I didn’t understand. How could Banner, who I thought was on my side, be in on this? I knew he’d been acting weird, but I didn’t expect this.
When it was clear I had no way out of this, I dutifully opened my mouth, and my mother shoved the forkful in. The food was cold and hardened, like it had been sitting uneaten for an hour. I chewed it, moving it around with my tongue, tasting nothing. She fed me bite after bite, like I was a little girl again, too young to feed myself.
“There,” she said, beaming. “That should help, dear.”
“Help what?” I asked.
If I’d had the strength, I would have thrown back my chair and made a run for it, but my body still felt weighed down, and Banner kept pumping his power into me, depriving me of my only defense.
“You’ll be giving us power, of course.”
“What? I-I can’t. Last time I did it, I almost died. The power has to come from somewhere,” I explained pl
eadingly. “I spoke to someone, and she explained what I really am. I’m an elemental of Power. What you’re saying isn’t good for me. It’s not what my power is for, I said, trying to get out my explanation as quickly as I could. If I could just get her to understand…
Judge Braxton stood up on the other side of the room and slammed his palm on the edge of the table, but his physical weakness dulled the effect, it was more like a puny slap. He popped his neck before running his hand through his thinning hair before walking over to me, an angry pep in his step. He was wearing baggy clothes again. It was so odd, seeing someone so weak with so much power over everyone.
“Thanks to Banner, we know all about your visit with Emilia Dupree. Although I think less drastic measures could have been more effective, we appreciate this developing news about your power. With the exhilarating display you showed last time when you successfully switched the elemental powers, we feel it’s time to use your abilities to set things right.”
I blinked in surprise. “Set things right? You mean...I’m just here to switch back the powers of that vamp and shifter?” I asked hopefully.
Judge Braxton laughed. “Why would we waste your power on them?” he scoffed, and everyone at the table joined him in his obnoxious guffaw. “The council wants you to replenish your mother and give your power stores to ranking officials that have earned it,” Judge Braxton went on to explain. I gaped at all of them.
“You want me to give you all more power?” I asked for clarity.
“I want you to give back the power you stole from me,” my mother amended, looking pissy with her pursed lips. “It’s only fair, Devicka.”
I turned to Banner and scowled at him. “What about you, were you in on this right from the start?” I demanded, feeling pissed that I’d ever been attracted to this asshole.
He had the decency to look slightly ashamed, but the expression faded as quickly as it came. Judge Braxton answered my question for him though. “Banner was very instrumental in helping you learn your powers. I plan to reward him handsomely for his hard work.” Of course he did.
“So all of that I understand you crap was just bullshit, huh?” I shook my head, furious with myself. I looked back at the council members. “This is wrong. What you’re asking for...it’s not natural. My Void is supposed to be about balance. But what you want me to do...this goes against nature,” I said, my voice getting louder with every word. Everyone gave me an incredulous stare, like they couldn’t understand my outrage. “I can’t just make powers magically appear. They have to come from somewhere,” I explained. “Who do you plan on stealing from?”
“From the supes that don’t deserve it. And some who will add extra incentive for you, of course,” Braxton explained, like it was the most obvious solution in the world. I gasped at his insinuation. “Come, dinner is over. Let’s move on to the main event.”
Chairs scraped against polished marble flooring as everyone stood and started walking, following Braxton out of the room. I looked around wildly, my heart thumping in my chest. My chair was pulled out, and I was hauled to my feet by Banner, his grip firm on my arm.
My mother didn’t wait for me, she’d already gone ahead with the judge, talking excitedly. Since we were out of earshot from the others, I rounded on Banner, nearly tripping in the process, my hands clinging to him. “Please, Banner. Don’t do this.”
“It’s already done, Miss Cainson.”
I shook my head in denial. “No. It doesn’t have to happen. Stop neutralizing me. Help me get away.”
“I can’t,” he said through gritted teeth. “And you should know better. We will never be anything but dogs to them. They tell us to heel, we rush to their feet with our tails tucked between our legs. They are our masters. Get used to it.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How had he played me so effectively? “You’re a coward,” I bit out before dropping my hands and looking away from him.
He didn’t reply, but I saw the tic in his jaw as he started hauling me forward again. As soon as we passed through the doorway, we found ourselves in Judge Braxton’s massive living room. I knew it was his, because there was a huge family portrait hanging on the wall above the fireplace. The decor was made up of harsh angled furniture, monochromatic hues, and about a dozen unconscious supers tied to chairs that lined the far wall.
“Oh my gods.”
My hand flew to my mouth as I took them all in. They ranged in age, some males, some females. But my eyes widened in horror at the four figures slumped at the very end.
The paragons. My paragons.
I would’ve run to them if it weren’t for Banner holding me back. Gritt’s lip was bloodied, Render had a black eye, Quade looked like he was about to pass out, and Hyde was smiling. Smiling. Crazy necro. He was the only one awake, and I was so glad to see those silver eyes of his. But my relief at seeing Hyde okay was short lived because it was immediately replaced with dread for what was to come. The sight of them hurt and held against their will made fury rise up from my gut. I needed to go to them.
“Let me go!” I hissed at Banner.
“If you don’t want to see them die tonight, then just do what you’re told,” he said flatly, his eyes steady with resignation.
Well, he might have given up, but I sure as shit hadn’t.
The council members were milling around, running their hands over the tied up and unconscious supers like they were looking over merchandise.
“Alright,” Judge Braxton announced with a clap of his hands as he commanded the room in his suit and superiority complex. “Let’s get started.” He turned to look over at me expectantly. “Bring the Void over.”
Like the dutiful dog he was, Banner tugged me forward until I was standing beside Braxton and his drooling disciples.
“You will take the powers from these supers and transfer it to us,” Braxton explained, motioning from the unconscious supers to the council members.
“Fuck you. I won’t do it,” I spat.
He didn’t look the least bit surprised at my refusal, and instead, nodded toward one of the council members at the end of the room. A door was opened, and then two vampires came in dragging a person between them. My heart stumbled. Reed.
He was bleeding at the neck and being dragged like a sack of dirt. Fury like I’ve never felt before raged inside of me. Smoke started to seep out of my mouth, despite Banner’s hold.
“Let. Him. Go.”
Judge Braxton was a fool. He had no idea the danger he was putting himself in. I would ruin them all. I’d kill them all. He couldn’t take my paragons or kidnap my best friend. I wouldn’t let him get away with this.
“I’ll let your human friend go after you do as you’re told,” Braxton told me. “And don’t forget. I have the paragons here, too. From what Banner tells me, you’ve made quite an impression on the four of them. Shame that they won’t be able to lead their people one day like they thought. But then again, they’re too powerful to pass up. Besides, paragons can be easily replaced.”
More smoke coated my tongue. It dripped out of the corner of my eyes. Ran down from my ears. It was leaking out of me, and Banner faltered, his hands shaking where they touched me. We came to the realization at the same exact moment. For whatever reason, Banner’s neutralization power wasn’t stronger than mine. Not anymore.
“Something’s wrong,” he muttered, but the judge didn’t pay him any mind.
“You can start with me,” Braxton went on. “Then your mother. I want the Shifter Paragon’s power. You can bestow your mother with Quade’s elemental power,” he instructed.
“No!” I screamed, and my pleas mixed in with Reed’s who’d been bent to the side as a vampire hovered his fangs at his neck. I pulled against Banner to get to him, but couldn’t get away. His grip on me was too strong.
“You do what I say, or your friend dies now. You don’t have any other options here, Miss Cainson. You should be grateful,” Judge Braxton seethed before motioning around the room. “I
’m giving you an opportunity to finally be accepted. To be welcomed by the council, to be respected. All it requires is for you to do as you’re told.”
Do as I’m told.
I was always doing as I was fucking told.
I already saw the writing on the wall. The council would force me to take and take and take, to steal until it killed me, until hundreds, maybe thousands of supers were drained, and the council was amassed with terrifying power. I couldn’t let that happen.
Down the line, the supers held hostage began to stir awake. Gritt’s head snapped up, his vibrant green eyes locking onto me. His whole body shook as a snarl ripped out of him, his body straining against the chains he was bound in. I could tell he was straining to shift, but he couldn’t. Something was stopping his power from working.
Turning to my mother, I addressed her first. “Is this what you really want? To steal power from Quade? You’ve always treated him like a son, and he’s always respected you,” I said incredulously. I knew she wanted her powers back. I’d always known that. But this...to get it back at the expense of Quade...I hadn’t expected that she could be capable of that.
“Honey, I can take my seat on the council again,” she said, hope bleeding from her eyes. “You can come home. We can be a family again.” Her words hit me just like she wanted them to.
On the inside, my heart broke. On the outside, I reinforced my walls.
“And you’d be happy?” I asked. “If I did this for you, you’d forgive me?”
She nodded quickly, a piece of her pale blonde hair falling out of its updo. “Yes, of course. All will be as it was, and we can go back to the way things used to be.”
The thing was, I couldn’t ever be who I used to be, because I’d changed. Grown. And part of the reason for that was the four paragons behind me.