“Why don’t you do it?” she said with a defiant smirk.
I sighed and pressed my hand against the translucent barrier, triggering a sharp shrill. Sky watched with fascination as sparks of lavender and gold erupted across the ward, then quickly faded as it collapsed. I brushed past her into the house.
“We need to talk.”
Frowning, she dropped down onto the sofa and waited. I paced, organizing my thoughts. If she didn’t know already, she was in for a hell of a shock. Would she give me an honest answer? Periodically I glanced to her for a clue and came up frustratingly empty.
“Where were you born?” I finally asked.
“Ohio,” she offered, surprised. “I came to Illinois when I was six.”
I gave her a speculative, sideways look.
“I am not you, Ethan. I have nothing to hide.”
I strode across the room and knelt in front of her, catching her by surprise once more. “That’s the problem. You have plenty you should be hiding, but you don’t have the good sense to do so.” I glanced aside and closed my eyes, dreading what came next. “What do you know of your birth mother?”
“This is getting old. Let’s drop the BS. Obviously, you know something pretty big or you wouldn’t be here. So why not just tell me?”
“Last year, you spoke with Maya. Four days you were with her. That’s a long time. What did she talk to you about?”
Her expression became a defiant pout as she folded her arms over her chest. “Don’t remember.”
Then there’s nothing I can do for you. Furious, I stood up and crossed the room to open the door. “I do believe you will be missed when you’re dead.”
“What is wrong with you?” she shouted. “Why do you think that’s an acceptable thing to say to someone?”
I slammed the door and stared at her, wondering if there was any way I could save her from the same fate the Gem’s Moura had suffered. If she’s not going to trust me, she’s on her own.
Sky hesitated, wrestling with something. “She told me that she was murdered and was forced to live this life as a spirit shade,” she begrudgingly explained. “At first, she was only drawn to hosts with great power, but she soon learned that it was a miserable life because those with great power often possessed great evil. And she learned that those with power longed to host her because she enhanced their gifts. Then she showed me parts of my mother’s life.”
I didn’t need to hear her vitals to know she was telling the truth. I saw it in her eyes. “You were born in Ohio,” I explained with a sigh, “but your mother was born in Portugal, where she abandoned her responsibility as one of the five Mouras Encantadas. They guard mystical objects.” Sky gaped at me as I slowly walked back into the room. “Her job was to protect the Aufero, the very orb that Marcia currently has in her possession. Your mother’s death made her failure and responsibilities fall on the child she left behind. Right now, there are a select few that have this information, but I am the only one that cares whether you live past tonight. As I said before, you keep drawing attention to yourself, making it easier for the people she betrayed to find you. Your death will be no one’s fault but your own.”
I unfolded a printed photo from my pocket and handed it to her. “This is the Moura responsible for guarding the Gem of Levage.”
She winced at the grotesqueness of the photo, then shook her head. “Why would you tell me this information like this?”
“My fire-and-brimstone warnings went ignored and friendly advice doesn’t seem to work, either.” I frowned at her. “How does a person get through to someone like you?” By the shocked indignation in her expression, I could see this conversation was going to descend into an argument about everything but the facts. I turned and walked out of the house, leaving her with the photo and hoping she would eventually come to her senses.
CHAPTER 15
The next day, I joined Steven, Gavin, and Josh in Sebastian’s office. The capsa sat on his desk, drawing everyone’s attention, though I doubted anyone felt the dark magic undulating within the blackened rod as intensely as I did. After Josh explained the rod’s function, I described the encounter at the white farmhouse.
Gavin didn’t approve. “You engaged them on your own?”
“We were conducting reconnaissance,” I said stiffly, preferring to punch the scowl from his lips. “Unfortunately, we were discovered, but the rod has been tested.” I turned my attention to Sebastian. “The capsa works.”
Gavin scoffed. “And now Ethos knows our strategy.”
“Our strategy,” I snapped, “is to kill as many of the creatures as possible and claim his energy from them as a prelude to killing Ethos.”
“But now he could move his creatures,” Gavin complained. “He could disperse them all over the area. We’ll have to find them all over again.”
“He hasn’t,” Josh said. “This morning, I transported to the small woods outside the house. They’re still there. In fact, I don’t see any sign of them moving or even preparing for us.” He appeared mystified. “I don’t think Ethos cares. He’s supremely arrogant.”
Sebastian sat on the corner of his desk. “Can you capture enough of his energy from the genums to make a difference?”
Josh considered the question carefully. “He’s using a lot of energy on them, but I don’t know his limits. I do know that tomorrow is his deadline. After that he’ll come for us, and I don’t think we can defeat Ethos at his full strength. The capsa is our best shot. It’s our only shot.”
“Will Demetrius show?” Gavin asked, doubtful.
“He will,” Sebastian said confidently. “Ethos has made his intentions to destroy the Seethe perfectly clear. Demetrius needs our strength as much as we need his.”
“What’s the strategy?” Steven asked.
“We go tonight,” I answered. “We make one approach, up the driveway.”
“That’s wide open. They’ll see us coming,” Gavin complained. “We should hit them from the woods and from the rear, simultaneously.”
“Josh has to be as close as possible to the genums when they die. We need them all in one place where he can get to their corpses. If we have to clear the house, we’ll miss a lot of bodies. We want them out and in the open.”
“I should carry the capsa,” Steven said to Josh. “We’ll need you for the fight.”
Josh shook his head. “The capsa requires a source of magic to provide a spark. I have to be the one to hold it.”
I appreciated that he didn’t mention Sky. She could wield the rod as well, but there was no chance I was going to let that happen. If he got into trouble, Josh could easily transport himself away. She didn’t have that option.
“As Ethan said,” he continued, “we can’t afford to miss one body. There’s going to be a lot of chaos. I can transport myself across the battlefield if I have to.”
“That takes a lot of energy,” I said.
Josh shrugged. “We’re talking very short distances.”
I gave my brother a stern look. “Your last transport is off the field. If you’re running out of energy, you leave, regardless of the state of the battle. Understand?”
He rolled his eyes at me, but agreed with a repressed nod.
“I guess the next question,” Steven said, suddenly anxious, “is who fights?”
Who stays behind, you mean.
He continued, “We have a lot of wounded who are still recovering.”
“Winter will have to be locked into a cell,” I said, only half joking. The same went for Marko and half a dozen others. I wasn’t about to send them out as cannon fodder. Joan was questionable. As a superior species, she’d healed faster than the rest. I’d sparred with her yesterday. She still tired easily.
We waited silently while Sebastian considered, rubbing his chin as he thought. “Agreed,” he said finally. “Joan will remain here with the others. They will assist Dr. Baker and Dr. Jimenez to receive the wounded.”
Tension melted from Steven’s body.
>
“I’ll inform her and Winter,” Sebastian said. I didn’t envy him.
“I’d recommend Sky stay here as well.”
“Why?” Sebastian asked, frowning.
“She’s not a member of this pack,” I reminded him. “This fight isn’t hers.”
Ignoring him, I waited for Sebastian’s decision, expecting him to agree with me. In his own way, he cared about Sky. She’d been training hard over the last year. Her sword skills were decent, as was her defensive magic, but most of her experience came from training. She’d never experienced the chaos of a large-scale battle.
“Ethos has singled her out for attention,” he said. “Ethan, her life depends on our success. She has the right to fight with us. If that’s her wish, I’m not going to deny her.”
“As long as she stays out of my way, I’m fine with it,” Gavin declared, earning a dark look from Steven and me and a disapproving scowl from Sebastian.
“I’ll present our plan to Demetrius, personally,” he said. “No need to make this more complicated than it already is.” He picked up his phone from his desk.
The rest of us took our cue to leave. Better to break the news to Marko now.
I found him at a bench in the gym, working his upper body with heavy dumbbells. Both the gym and the sparring room were alive with activity. I watched him as he struggled with weight that had been easy for him before his injury. His bicep trembled as he finished a set and placed the dumbbell on the floor. His body was slick with sweat, and he was breathing harder than he should be. Noticing my approach, he straightened and picked up the dumbbell, pumping it quickly up and down. After two reps, he returned the dumbbell to the floor, unable to continue his charade. He greeted me with a frown, then mopped the sweat from his face with a nearby towel.
I smiled. “Getting stronger.”
“I’ll be ready for the fight,” he promised.
I squeezed his shoulder as he read my gaze, then quickly rose to his feet.
“You can’t leave me behind,” he insisted, posturing as if for a fight. “If you don’t think I’m up for it, let’s take it over to the ring and I’ll show you.”
The closest pack members quietly left their machines and weights and continued their workouts farther away.
“I need your honest assessment.”
“Okay,” he gave an emphatic nod. “I’m ready.”
“Not you. Winter.”
He pulled his head back and scowled, confused.
“Is she ready to fight Ethos? Your honest assessment,” I stressed.
He glanced about the room as he struggled with his answer, then reluctantly admitted, his voice soft, “No. She’d put up a hell of a fight, but she’s still too weak. Her reactions are slower than usual. Against an opponent like Ethos, she’d probably go straight at him and get herself killed.”
“That’s your honest assessment?”
He nodded. “That’s my honest assessment, yeah.”
“Do you think you’re in better condition to fight Ethos than Winter is?”
Marko glared at me for a long moment, then finally lowered his gaze. “Crap.”
“If we fail, the last stand will be here,” I promised. “Then everyone fights.”
He flipped his towel across his shoulder, sniffed, then walked away without returning my gaze. I watched him leave, then followed, stopping by the sparring room when I heard a familiar grunt. Inside I saw Winter and Sky in the ring. In the span of a few minutes I watched as she brought Winter to the mat three times. While not a pushover, she clearly wasn’t her usual self. Sky noticed as well, refusing to gloat.
“Let’s take a break,” she suggested.
“You getting tired of kicking my butt?” Winter chided, wiping blood from her nose. “Now that I’ve lured you into a false sense of security, you’re just going to quit?” She shook her head and dropped into an aggressive stance. Thirty seconds later she put Sky on the mat, only to join her a moment later when she countered with a predictable ankle sweep.
I left the gym before either of them saw me.
An hour later I heard Winter cursing from Sebastian’s office, her angry objections carrying to the farthest corners of the house. I found Sky in the entryway of her room, listening with a sad expression. At my approach, her gaze become cold and angry. She leaned forward slightly, her body stiffening as if preparing for an argument she had no intention of losing.
“I’m not injured,” she said. “There’s no way you’re keeping me from fighting with the pack.”
“No,” I agreed softly, scrutinizing her. Her body eased slightly, but she wasn’t quite ready to trust my intentions. I wanted to talk her out of it, but that wasn’t going to happen. The best I could do was prepare her. “You’ve worked hard. Winter is almost complimentary about your skills.” Her lips cracked a hesitant smile. “It’s going to be chaos out there.”
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
I frowned. No one is ready for the first time. “In training, you have one opponent to watch. Out there, they won’t line up for you and take turns. Watch your flanks. Keep your head on a swivel. It only takes a moment to get killed. Stay close to one of us.” I’ll be next to you the entire time. “And don’t let yourself get isolated.”
She waited a moment, then asked, surprised, “Is that it?”
“In the heat of battle, that’s enough,” I said, then walked away before I begged her to change her mind.
Beneath the dull light of a waxing crescent moon, the pack gathered in the tall cornfield across the street from the white farmhouse. We arrived from several directions, careful not to draw the attention of prying eyes. I arrived with a sword in one hand, the flat of the blade resting against my shoulder. Sebastian gripped his sword in front of him, his free hand swinging over a dagger sheathed at his hip. Sky was armed with a sword as well, while Gavin carried a double-bladed battle axe in front of him with both hands. Josh stood beside me with the capsa, wearing an anxious expression. Our success hinged on defeating the genums before Ethos appeared. If he should lead them into the battle, or arrive before the bulk of them were killed, our chances of success were drastically diminished. Failure meant certain death, for those gathered here as well as those left behind at the retreat.
I was surprised to find Steven and Taylor arriving with Chris, a heavy caliber sniper rifle slung over her shoulder. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her jaw was set and her eyes burned with a smoldering fury. She loved a fight. Under normal circumstances I would expect to find her relaxed, even jovial, in anticipation. Sebastian had mentioned a tension between her and Demetrius that had bordered on violence when she’d appeared at the retreat during their strategy session. Did he finally make it clear that he considers her his possession? Scowling, she turned away from my questioning gaze. I wondered, but there was no obvious bruising or cuts on her arms or hands, no blood on her shirt like before, but her neck was conspicuously hidden beneath a high collar.
Before I could inquire further, Demetrius arrived with his Seethe in a single tight group. Tension rippled between vamps and were-animals as the two groups came together. It was only a year ago that the vamps had attacked us during the full moon, betraying an ancient agreement in the process. Judging by the growls and muttering arising from my pack, that betrayal was still a fresh wound. While much of our pack were weaponless, intending to fight in their animal forms, most of the vamps were armed with swords. Demetrius carried a long knife at his hip as well. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Chris, a slight sneer forming on his lips. Beside him, Michaela eyed Chris with a dreamy, murderous look.
Turning her back on them, Chris gestured to the copse of trees on the west side of the farmhouse. “I’ll take a high position, there,” she informed me, then walked out of the cornfield and across the road, cutting an angle that would take her around the house.
“Why did you bring her?” Demetrius snarled.
I stared down at him. “She’s a good shot.”
&nb
sp; “I want her off this field. She does not belong here.”
“You released her,” Sebastian stated. “She is no longer in your employ. The choice is hers.”
That was news to me, but welcome. “We’re lucky to have her skill set,” I informed Demetrius.
“Her safety is in your hands,” he snapped, then walked away. Michaela gave me a crooked, almost empathetic smile, then followed him.
At Sebastian’s signal, most of the pack stripped and transformed into their were-animals, sending a fresh ripple of anxiety among the vampires. The sooner we get this battle started, the better. As the Pack and Seethe advanced out of the cornfield in two separate groups, Sebastian and Steven positioned themselves on Sky’s left while I appeared on her right. She acknowledged us with an appreciative half-smile, then focused her attention straight ahead as she steeled herself, her expression grim and determined. Gavin had my right, while Josh followed behind me with the capsa. Angry wolves trotted behind us.
We crossed the street, spreading out on either side of the driveway as we approached the two-story white house, making no effort to disguise our approach or mute our movements. Gazing at the copse of trees, it took me a moment to spot Chris perched on a thick branch about twenty feet off the ground, taking aim at the house.
As the front door swung open, I held my breath. The genums spilled out, transforming into their massive forms, but there was no sign of Ethos. I heard a sigh of relief from my brother behind me.
The head of one genum exploded unexpectedly, followed immediately by the sharp report of Chris’s rifle. The rest of the creatures charged, baring fangs and dagger like claws. Growling barks and angry roars erupted around me as we charged to meet the enemy, with Sebastian and I getting a couple steps ahead of Sky to spare her the initial brunt.
The two forces met like stone walls colliding.
Roaring, I drove my sword two-handed through the skull of the first genum, turned the blade, then pushed the creature off with my boot. Josh slipped in behind me with the capsa as I stepped over the body to swipe at the next creature, forcing it back a step. I barely had time to notice the dark, cloud-like vapor that wafted up from the corpse toward the capsa.
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