The woman rips a slit in her dress to give her better mobility and vanishes in the shadows as Zara and Antonius clash. His punches are breaking through her defense as his blade manages to cut her in a few places on her body, one just below her eye. With a swift kick, her back slams against the wall. She turns to move when Camilla slips out of the shadows and snaps her bone, nearly causing it to poke through the skin.
“The bitch broke my arm after the poison slowed me down. It was burning through me and my adrenaline was making it pump through my system at a faster rate. It would have killed me if my blood had not been pure, but I’ve been poisoned before and my body was fighting it off better than I could have hoped. Plus I don’t like to lose. I had to show them why I could have the throne if I so chose.”
“They should be leaving me alone for now and I’m sure some of the witnesses will pass around that I am out for blood. I couldn’t take blood from any of their… donors because it would’ve been a sign of weakness. I also had to go before any of them decided that it would be a good time to get revenge for some of the wrongs they’ve felt I may have committed in the past against them.”
“Oh like, wiping out those that tried to kill Sage,” I say.
“Yeah, something like that.” Zara laughs and shakes her head.
“What’s so funny?” Selene asks, smoothing out her dress.
“They should know how far I’d go to protect those that I love.” Her eyes remain shifted to the color of blood, her smirk cruel and calculated. “Not even the angels themselves would be able to stop me. I’d drink their blood and burn this world to ashes.”
“Uh, that’s just a figure of speech right?” I ask, looking into her eyes and seeing a monster waiting for its chance to take control.
“Perhaps.” She puts her good hand over her face and laughs once more. “If I thought for a second that Sage was actually dead, I’d find a way to rip a hole in reality and slaughter all of those immortals. One hundred plus years is a long time to hold a grudge. Those who are of the blood never forget.”
I begin to say something in response when I see a lone tear fall down Zara’s cheek. She refuses to wipe it away, a testament of her suffering and strength all in one. Selene looks at her in pity, rocks as if she wants to comfort her, but changes her mind. I can’t figure Selene out. She just keeps surprising me when it comes to Zara. Maybe she really is just playing nice for my sake.
“Sorry. I think that I’m just feeling like this because I’m in pain. Let me get to the reason why I asked you two to come.” Zara gets up without much effort and motions for us to follow her. She leads us down the dark hallway and down to her basement.
The steps creak slightly as we descend and then Zara clicks on the light to illuminate the grimy basement. She clearly doesn’t use this place too often from the unkempt state of the room. I just hope there are no spider webs. I. Hate. Spider. Webs. Hate them. Why do they feel so gross? And they’re hell to get off of you.
There’s a bookshelf on the far wall and I follow Zara to it as I try to ignore the smell of mold and old basement. Why the hell did she bring me here? I ask her as much, looking around to make sure no spider is waiting to jump in my hair from the ceiling. A glance at Selene shows that she seems slightly more comfortable, but hell no, she can’t be cool and collected.
“It’s a spell,” Zara tells me.
“Huh?”
“It’s a spell to keep people out, mainly humans. Apparently it’s working on you because it must be showing you things that make you really uncomfortable. In this neighborhood, I have to have something that keeps people out or else I’d have the homeless breaking in all the time. The spell does that for me,” Zara explains.
“So how do I break it?”
“Feel for it first, feel the magic, and then imagine it washing off of you like a shower,” Selene tells me.
“Okay, I’ll try.” I take three cleansing breaths as I tell myself the moldy smell is just my imagination. It takes a minute, but finally the spell drops and I see a clean and fairly empty basement. The bookshelf against the wall is still there.
“So, can some witches create glamours like that where I truly think that I’m somewhere else entirely or completely change a room for an extended amount of time?” I ask.
“Of course. There is usually a focus object somewhere that keeps the spell intact, but a powerful telepath can drop a glamour on you without you ever realizing it. Some can even touch half a dozen people without even having a focus,” Selene explains as if this is nothing but a conversation about what type of cereal to buy.
“Awakends,” I say. Crazy powerful. Unlimited potential. Humans would destroy the earth trying to rid the world of them.
“It can be scary. Witches are probably some of the most powerful beings on the planet,” Zara reveals, surprising me.
I could see that. They don’t have the speed or strength of vampires or werewolves, but the things they can accomplish with their magic is mind blowing. Namen is definitely a testament of that. The soul stealer.
“Something else happened tonight,” Zara begins, bringing my attention back to her and the bookshelf as she pushes it to the side and reveals a wall safe.
“My grandmother gave me a book. It is the book of the luna dasa, the moon’s servants. It tells the history of the wolves. It speaks of a certain wolf by the name of Ka’el. Have you heard of this wolf Selene?” Zara asks her, knowing that her knowledge of the supernatural is astounding.
“It sounds familiar, but I can’t place him,” Selene responds, rubbing her head as if the answer will be massaged right out of her brain.
“Hmm.” Zara does the code and as soon as the safe’s door opens. She grabs an old book. It looks pretty well preserved for the age of the text. “My grandmother’s library is extensive and she allowed me to take it so long as I don’t keep it long enough for her to miss it. Knowing Zahira, my grandmother, that’s about a week. She doesn’t like things to be out of place.”
Zara turns to a page and we step forward to look. I step back because I can’t read it anyway. Definitely not in English. Duh, I should’ve guessed that. Whatever it says, Zara has no trouble with it. She clearly knows a few languages.
“Ka’el was called the King. He was an alpha wolf that could make other alphas submit and force the change on them. They could not oppose him because his magic was too powerful. His father was a shaman and his mother was a werewolf. They should not have been able to conceive, but the shaman sacrificed his own tribe to a demon so that they could bear the child. The demon was so pleased with his sacrifice that he allowed them to have two sons. Ka’el ended up uniting wolves from all over into a pack so large that it became a small kingdom over which he ruled. They would massacre any invading armies in werewolf form. Rumor has it that they had the power of what your wolves call the second shift.”
I allow the story to take image in my mind. A wolf born of a shaman and a werewolf, one that could control magic. Jun pops into my mind and how she had sought out Anubis. I don’t believe in coincidences and my eyes narrow as I wait for Zara to continue, afraid of where this is going.
“Slowly Ka’el became tainted with his lust for power and the luna dasa under him grew more weary and afraid of him. They wanted to go off and start their own packs, but Ka’el refused to release them. His brother was so afraid of what Ka’el would do next that he murdered him in his sleep. Because of the cowardly way that their alpha was killed, even if some agreed with it, his brother was eaten alive by many members of the pack as punishment. His kingdom fell and werewolves spread out among the world forgetting, maybe purposely, about Ka’el and the second shift.”
“What else?” I ask.
Selene crosses her arms and tilts her head sideways in contemplation. I wonder if she’s on the same track as I am.
“I think that Anubis was the reincarnation of Ka’el and I think that Namen knew that. That’s why he wanted him,” Zara says grimly. I know where she’s going with this.
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“Rayne thinks that Namen took his body to resurrect him but I thought he would just use it to host one of his demon followers. None of these scenarios are good,” Selene says. It’s stating the obvious, but stating it aloud seems to make it more real.
“Namen could be looking to resurrect Ka’el and not even Anubis. We don’t know the extent of his necromancy power. His nickname of the soul stealer just got a whole new meaning. He could be asking the demons to go to the otherworld and steal souls for him. He has to be paying a heavy price. They want to walk in our world unbidden. If he can control the wolves, he will have an army like in the old world.”
My mind goes in circles at how deep Namen really is in line with the demons, at least the low and medium level ones. He has had hundreds of years to plan this and his execution so far has been thorough. I don’t know how the hell we are going to catch up. Our numbers are small. Sure, we’re powerful, but there’s no way we can do this alone. I have to convince the immortals to take up arms if we are to succeed. I need to contact them soon.
Fear washes over me. Selene and Zara both feel it. They turn, concerned with my response. Selene’s eyes flash green with magic as if she’s ready to protect me from the thing causing my fear, but she can’t. Zara’s eyes begin to dilate and bleed from the middle outward. She turns, her eyes begging me to relax, but I can’t. I am afraid.
Namen knows it. He can feel it. This time, I feel him slowly and deliberately slip into my mind as if he wants me to know that he can. I don’t even try to fight his invasion because right now, I know it’d be useless. I hear Selene’s voice calling to me and my body hits the ground, vision going black as I transition into the pit of my mind.
“You’re breaking. You are crumbling like I said that you would. This world is too much for you little girl. Shall I show you the death of your father this time?” Namen asks mockingly as he sends me images of my father tied to a chair, slumped over with his white button up bloodied and open, a hole in his chest.
“Please, no,” I whisper, the image now seared into my memory, another one to haunt me on my sleepless nights.
“You are so much different from last time, you defiant little bitch,” he mocks venomously. “Weaker. The weak link that I know you to be.”
I feel a mental slap and I groan in frustration. It’s all inside my head. I can fight this. Why am I not trying to? In a matter of moments, I’ve been reduced to a coward.
“I can bring them all back if you wish. They can be with you once you join me,” he tells me patiently, almost lovingly empathetic.
He’s referring to my family and the idea of them returning is too much of a lie.
“They’ll be wrong, I know it. I’ve seen enough movies to know that you don’t pull people back from the afterlife, especially when they’ve been gone a long time. That wouldn’t be love, that would be selfish and evil in its own way,” I say quietly.
The quickness at which Namen felt my weakness makes me question whether he ever left my mind in the first place. It makes me wonder if he’s left a piece of his own subconscious inside me so that it can be triggered at any time. This can’t actually be Namen talking to me, just to me. I may be deemed important, but I can’t be that special. This is a spell, a compulsion, and I can break it, I just have to think hard enough to figure it out.
“Why don’t we play a little game?” Namen suggest, his cold gray eyes scanning me as if I am a science experiment.
“Let’s not.”
He ignores me and says, “I’m going to give you three weeks to plot against me, to strike, to do whatever you feel is necessary to take me down. My people will only defend themselves if they are attacked, but none of us will strike the first blow. However, once your three weeks are up, there will be no mercy.”
I study him for a few moments without saying a word. He looks so serious that it’s almost laughable.
“Why?” I mean, what is the point of this game. “How do I know you will keep your word?”
“Because I want you to realize once and for all that there is nothing that you can do to stop me. Once you figure it out for yourself, you can either give in or give up your life. My word is my oath. I shall not break it, Rayne Whitmore. Three weeks,” he says before he disappears out of my mind.
Everything goes dark once again as if I am trapped in a void of emptiness.
Chapter Thirty
My brain begins to slowly bring me back to the land of the living as I hear the buzz of voices in the distance. There is a deep masculine voice speaking in the background along with a few murmurs. My eyes remain closed as I try to listen. I breathe in the scent of clean linen and perfume. This isn’t my pillow and it doesn’t feel like my bed. I force one eye open as I lie still.
There is a tiny crack in the door that allows just the tiniest hint of light to creep into the room. The bed creaks as I shift and then there’s a little chuckle right next to me. I jump up to a sitting position, startled and now woozy from the sudden motion. The laugh is feminine and slightly louder now.
“What the hell,” I mutter to Jun.
“Sleeping beauty is finally awake. Now I don’t have to play guard dog anymore. I just couldn’t bear to leave your side for a second so I layed in bed next to you. You should’ve sensed me,” Jun chastises.
“You know, you are one sarcastic bitch,” I grumble, checking my body for clothing.
“Oh, you like it, don’t trip. Now, apparently you had a seizure or something. Foaming at the mouth, nose bleeding, and some more bad stuff. You scared the hell out of your crew. They thought that Namen guy fried your brain or something.” She props herself up on her elbow and looks me in the eye. It’s not a challenge, but I still give her a little stare and her eyes shine in amusement. She looks away with an over the top sigh. She should be an actress.
“They know you’re up now. I can hear Jaxson telling them that he hears us talking. Before I escort you to them, I just want to tell you that I think your girlfriend really likes me. Plus she has all this power and I think that’s pretty cool. That means I pass the test right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on. She has to be a good judge of character, you should trust her judgment.”
I laugh. “She probably just likes your outfit. I’m sure you’re too sarcastic for her liking.”
“Oh, it’s part of my charm and you know it. That vampire though, she’s a bit scary. Her energy is crazy powerful. She better not try to bite me.”
“Oh, Zara? She’s harmless. You’ll be cracking jokes with her in no time,” I say as I wipe the rest of the sleep from my eyes. “How long was I out?”
“A few hours. Jaxson told me what you want me to do with you. You live a very exciting life don’t you, Rayne,” she observes.
“Yes, it’s all fun and games.”
“Until we murder a few people.”
“Don’t think of it as murder, think of it as outsourcing their souls to the afterlife.”
She snorts at my comment. “Now that was funny, and bitchy.”
“Trust and believe, I can do bitch better than anyone.”
“I am sure you can,” she winks.
I sit there for a second realizing that she just made my comment sexual. Yep. I think I like her just fine. Too bad Taryn isn’t with us anymore. Something tells me that they’d be chilling and slamming shots like no other.
Taryn was a great fighter that was just following her alpha. She didn’t deserve to die like that. Neither did those kids.
My mood shifts, catching Jun’s attention. She puts a hand on my shoulder. “Jaxson also told me how they lost plenty of pack recently. He didn’t give me too many details, but you have that same look on your face as he did when he was talking about them. I can’t say that I’ve really had a pack or somewhere where I’ve felt that I belonged, but they all love you out there and frankly I’m a little jealous.”
Her words shock me. Not what she says, but the look in her eyes as she says it. She’s be
en running for a long time and wants a place to call home. Now, she may have a mate bond with Jaxson if they have time to explore it further. She also has a lot of emotional baggage that we don’t have time to sort out. But, don’t we all. Aren’t I just as broken? Broken people seem to find each other one way or another. It makes me wonder what secrets Jaxson keeps to himself.
Selene, Zara, Jun, Jaxson, and I; we’re all putting pieces of ourselves back together. We also all found each other through fate or chance or whatever you want to call it. I can’t deny Jun a chance when Anubis gave me one just weeks ago.
“Don’t be jealous. You’ll find your place. If it’s with us, you can say as many sarcastic comments as you want as we go for lunch on the weekends.”
“I’m not like you guys. I have this power inside me that I can’t use. It’s like an explosion that may explode at the wrong time or on the wrong people.”
“So you’ve built this wall. That’s okay. Someone here may be able to help you. Everyone here is exceptional and can support you if you deserve it. But, you gotta let your guard down if you want us to do the same with you.”
“You sure seem wise for a young thing.”
“Ha. I’ve been through a lot in these twenty one years.”
“I’ve been through a lot in these twenty nine years. Man, after twenty five, it goes so fast.” She lies on her back and stares at the ceiling. She doesn’t look much older than twenty five, but the werewolf genes are slowing her aging process down.
“I bet. Now, let’s get up so we can get out of here and plan so that I can actually live to see twenty five plus.”
“Sounds good, and, Rayne?” Jun pops up and stands in front of me.
“Huh?” I ask, stretching as I get up.
“I will deny this conversation under oath do you understand,” she growls.
“Yes ma’am. I’ll keep it between us. But, I am not above blackmail.”
The wolf behind her eyes looks at me playfully. She snorts and walks away, switching and looking back at me just as I walk behind her.
Killer Rayne Page 19