“Tessa, let go when you need to,” Hayden said. He and Chait exchanged a nod, then pulled out their knives and struck out, their bubble of safety protecting them while they kicked ass on Boris’s men.
Which left Boris for me to deal with. He’d never let me out of his sight. Not until I was dead. If he suspected Zoe was alive, he’d kill her too. He’d make sure it was done right this time.
I remembered the logs and imagined his heart as a hunk of wood — which wasn’t much of a stretch. In my mind’s eye, the spark grew to a blistering heat. “Bring out the little girl!” he screamed, twitching in pain.
Bree appeared, shaking and sobbing as Kyle held a knife to her throat. My shield went down and Boris lunged, a large knife in his hand. We tumbled to the ground.
“Tessa, don’t worry about us. Protect yourself f—” Hayden stopped mid-sentence but Boris kept me too busy dodging the blade to see what happened. We tussled over the hard laminate floor, my limbs thrashing at him. He trapped me beneath him, grabbed a chunk of my hair with his free hand and smashed my head against the floor. Searing pain speared my skull.
His strength unnerved me. If he hadn’t been damaged by my fire and weakened, he probably would’ve already killed me — which he could still do if I didn’t get him off me and turn my shield back on. If I put it up while we were touching, would he be included in my protection?
I wrenched his hand away and he thrust the dagger at my chest. I clamped a hand onto his wrist while his fist pounded my throat and knocked the breath out of me. As we rolled over, his dagger flew at my neck. I jerked to the side but the metal still grazed my skin.
Boris landed on top again and I recreated my shield. His next hit bounced off. My hands stretched up to choke Boris. He tried to break my hold, but couldn’t pierce through the shield. I couldn’t keep my wall up indefinitely though, not while I fought him too. My power would be depleted before I could kill him.
At superhuman speed, I pulled my knife from my waistband and aimed at Boris’s throat. I thrust the pointed end through his flesh as hard as I could. Blood spurted from his neck. He slowed, but didn’t stop.
I concentrated on my protective bubble again while building a blaze beneath his chest. His face flushed and he shrieked, his eyes bulging. I felt his power wane and took that opportunity to roll us over, pinning him to the ground.
A man had Hayden in a headlock, a knife to Hayden’s throat. Protecting him while keeping my own shield intact used too much energy. I sent his attacker a little heat, enough to give Hayden an advantage. Hayden seized the moment, sending his opponent a hard elbow in the face. Hayden followed that with a blow to the groin and a kick in the gut. The guy dropped. Beyond him, Chait retrieved both daggers and took out two guys simultaneously.
With my thighs straddling Boris, I locked his arms against his sides, giving me a huge advantage. Oddly enough, he didn’t resist at all. We remained in a draw — motionless, while I helped Hayden kill another guy and Chait took out two more.
I felt a new surge as power welled within Boris. He’d healed. So that’s why he hadn’t made a move to break free. He’d been recharging while I used valuable energy helping Chait and Hayden. My strength was fading, my shield weakening.
No more waiting. Hayden and Chait were on their own. I dropped my assaults on their enemies and focused on Boris.
Boris smiled as if sensing the shift in energy and welcoming it. In one swift movement, his knee slammed into my back, thrusting me forward. I hadn’t realized my shield had weakened that much or I would have disengaged earlier.
He gripped my wrists, twisting them as though trying to break through the remainder of my shield to snap the bone. Pain threw me and my shield fell entirely. We wrestled, Boris using brute strength as his hands squeezed my throat and I gasped for air. My limbs tingled as my air supply dwindled.
Boris had to be neutralized now. Mustering all my power, I moved the atoms around Boris, faster and faster until the heat became a ball of fire so intense it blinded me. I closed my eyes, then I pushed the flames into his face. He screamed, his hands releasing me as he covered his eyes. I jumped on him, gripping my dagger and pressing it into his neck.
Boris froze. Checkmate.
“Stop!” I screamed. “Everyone stop.”
There were only two guys standing but a couple others looked as though they were getting ready for another round. At my words, they hesitated but didn’t surrender their arms.
My breathing came in shallow breaths and my trembling hands itched to kill Boris. I scanned the faces of everyone in the room, trying to ignore Bree’s terrified eyes. I couldn’t let her distract me. This was no time to allow emotion to rule.
“Cease fighting and throw down your weapons,” I ordered, my knife bearing down on Boris’s neck.
A new stream of crimson decorated the edge of the blade.
“Boris is no longer your leader,” I announced. “You can’t save him, but you have an opportunity to save yourselves. Drop your weapons now. Those of you who don’t surrender will have to deal with me.” It was a bluff. By the time I killed Boris, I wasn’t sure there would be anything left of me to battle anyone else.
A moment later, they dropped their arms.
“On your knees,” I told them. “Hayden, gather their weapons.”
Chait wiped blood from his nose and grinned at me.
Someone like Boris would never stop until he got what he wanted. I couldn’t allow him to live so that my grandmother and everyone I loved would be in constant danger.
Kill or be killed.
But the thought of going through with the act of murder made my stomach churn. I didn’t have a choice though. This was the moment. The blade steady against his throat pressed him harder against the floor. “Goodbye, Boris.” I shifted my weight and prepared myself.
“Tessa, wait.”
Grandma.
I couldn’t let her distract me. No way could Boris have the chance to gain the upper hand again. I kept my shield up, knife against his flesh, my eyes trained on him.
“Hear me out.” Her even voice, closer now, held a hard edge. “And whatever you decide I’ll back you one hundred percent. But you need to know... When you kill him, you’ll be killing your grandfather.”
So, that’s how Grandma rose in Boris’s group — she’d married him. Now it made sense that she knew so much about his organization. That explained how Boris knew my family was slightly different.
I inwardly scorned the new hope in Boris’s eyes. He couldn’t think I’d get all warm and fuzzy. Not after he’d tried to murder his own granddaughter. Me. Could I go through with it now though, knowing who he was?
Not if I didn’t absolutely have to.
As though sensing my hesitation, he exhaled, looking immeasurably relieved.
“Grandma, can you get Bree out of here?” I asked, bearing down on the blade so Boris wouldn’t think I’d let him go. Every cell in my body stood at attention, waiting for him to fight again.
Painfully aware of the silence in the room, I held off until one of her men took Bree away. They were all waiting for me — my grandmother, Hayden, Chait and everyone else. Whether Boris lived or died was my call. Though I would’ve preferred not to be a party to the death of anyone — and even though it seriously grossed me out — if Boris didn’t die, I knew I would. He’d eventually see to it.
My eyes found my grandmother’s. She nodded her approval for whatever I decided.
“Hayden, would you like the honor?” I handed him my dagger and Boris’s eyes widened as he tried to squirm free. “Make it so he can’t hurt anyone.”
“I’d rather not stop there.” In a flash, Hayden was by my side, relieving me of the knife. “Not after seeing what he’s capable of.”
I knew what Hayden wanted, what needed to be done. But I couldn’t bring myself to give the order. “It’s your call,” I told Hayden.
“Maybe you shouldn’t watch.”
I averted my gaze and Boris twist
ed in my grasp until my knees lost their grip on his hip. My hand shot out to seize his wrist and slid over his blood.
Boris roared and writhed to free himself. Unable to grasp his flailing arm, I showered his face with another stream of fire. He screamed and I regained control of his limbs. Hayden’s knife descended to Boris’s neck like a guillotine.
While holding Boris, my hands weren’t free to cover my ears. The razor sharp edge of Hayden’s weapon cut through the flesh and bone. Crunch. Squish. I was fully aware of the exact moment the last bit of life in Boris died.
Trembling, I kept my head down and sucked in a shaky breath.
It was over.
I surveyed the room to find all eyes on me. My breakdown would have to wait. Rising, I took the bloody knife from Hayden, raised it and turned to the small crowd that had formed. “Long live Queen Jane!”
Chapter Thirty-eight
Tessa
Hayden and Chait stuck close to me as the bodies were removed and Boris’s men taken away. With the adrenal rush gone, my emotions were raw and exhaustion ravaged every muscle in my body. I wanted to sit and rest my wobbly legs. More, I wanted a bubble bath. In the dark where I could weep in relief and not have to see my splotchy face.
Just before I claimed a chair, a man bowed before me and held out a tray of food. I recognized him as one of the guards at the cemetery, one of Grandma’s most trusted. “Your Highness.”
My head whipped over my shoulder. He must have been talking to someone else.
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Yes, you. Queen Jane’s granddaughter, correct?”
“I am.” I elbowed Hayden and Chait as they snickered. “Joshua, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’m instructed to remind you that you have someone waiting to see you. But your grandmother has ordered that you replenish yourself first.” Joshua thrust the tray at me. “The sooner you eat, the sooner you can reunite with your sister.”
Zoe. My stomach jolted in anticipation. I couldn’t wait to see her. “Thank you.” I nodded and relieved him of the food, then sat to eat, with Chait and Hayden forever shadowing me. “Are you guys my bodyguards now or what?” I asked, sampling the entrée.
Chait kneeled in front of me. “That’s a serious question?”
I frowned and took another bite of some of the best Mexican food I’d ever eaten.
“You bumped off the enemy — an extremely powerful man,” Chait said. “That makes you a target. From now on, anyone thinking of taking over knows they’ll have to contend with you.” He exchanged looks with Hayden. “Not to mention, if anything happens to Queen Jane, barring a successful hostile takeover, the throne probably falls to Zoe or you.”
“Thanks for that, Chait. Imagine me as ruler.” I shuddered.
“I can totally imagine it,” Hayden said.
My head snapped to him. He didn’t look like he was being sarcastic. “Well, I can’t. Besides, being a witch isn’t normally hereditary, so the throne wouldn’t be passed on that way. Kings or Queens in the sorcerer world rule by force.”
“Other than Jane, who’s more powerful than you?” Hayden asked.
I choked, dropping the fork on the tray. Just because I’d be a legal adult in a matter of weeks didn’t mean I felt like an adult. Maybe I could handle the job, maybe not. But what if I screwed up? I could barely raise Bree, much less keep thousands of witches in line. “Here, you guys finish it off. I’m far too queasy now.”
Chait chuckled. “C’mon, let’s go meet your sister.”
* * * *
My clever grandmother had checked into a hotel. I didn’t know how she snuck an unconscious girl into the room but she’d found a way.
“Who would’ve thought to look for the missing queen here?” Chait asked with a grin.
“Although renting out the most expensive suite isn’t exactly lying low.” Hayden pressed the Up button at the elevator and the doors opened.
Grandma smiled as she stepped inside and pushed the penthouse button. “Exactly. They’d never look for me here. Too obvious.”
I laid my hand over my chest. I was anxious to see my sister, but worried she wouldn’t remember everything. Would she be damaged? Would she still love me?
“Don’t be nervous.” Grandma held my hand. “She can’t wait to see you.”
I nodded, my eyes pooling.
“Bree’s already up there. I wanted to introduce Zoe to her little sister myself. I thought it would be nice for each of you to have your own time with your long-lost sister.”
“Thank you, Grandma.” I leaned toward her to kiss her on the cheek.
The elevator door opened. I spotted Zoe and gasped. Seeing her was like traveling back in time. Her years in the grave had left her looking the same as I remembered.
Her face lit up and she hastened toward us. I met her half way, burying my face in her shoulder, the world and everyone in it vanishing for that moment.
She winced. “Careful.”
“I’m so sorry.” I loosened my death-grip, remembering she was still fragile.
“No, it’s okay. Totally worth it.” She smiled weakly, studying my face. “My little sister, all grown up.”
“You look exactly the same.” Most of the gray in her skin had been replaced by pink. She wasn’t all the way better, but she was alive and aware. I stroked her hair and tears leaked from my eyes. “I’ve missed you so much. I don’t want to think about what you’ve been through.”
Zoe winced, her eyes clouding over. “I-I can’t talk about it.”
“Shh. You don’t have to.” I hugged her again, but more gently. I’d hoped she’d been unconscious with no memory of being trapped in the ground. One day, she’d want to tell me what happened and I’d listen. But a big part of me didn’t want to know what it was like being buried alive.
Zoe’s eyelids drooped and she swayed. My arm shot out to restore balance.
“You should sit,” I said.
“I’m fine. Look at you. It’s so weird to have you all of a sudden my age.” She smiled, her eyes glistening. “Don’t forget I’m still older than you.”
If her being older meant she was next in line to rule, that was fine by me. I gingerly leaned over and hugged her again, not caring if I looked over-the-top clingy. I felt another arm around my shoulder and an orange blossom scent tickled my nose. Another arm wrapped around my hip and with it came the scent of bubble gum. Bree. I picked her up and sandwiched her between us.
* * * *
With Boris dead, Jane’s need to live in secrecy abated. She rented an elegant Tuscan-style home big enough for her family and most trusted staff — with a few rooms leftover. It boasted, among other things, a pool, sprawling gardens and a guesthouse.
Grandma offered the guesthouse to Chait and Hayden in exchange for protection services. Chait accepted, but Hayden declined in favor of staying home to keep an eye on his mother. He wanted to make sure she made it through the divorce and that Sam didn’t try to hurt her. Hayden had missed being a real part of her life over the recent years and this was his chance to reconnect with her.
I opened a permanent post office box, so my parents could always contact us. It’s not as if I could ever give them our real address, since I lived with two people who were supposed to be dead.
Queen Jane gained control, but many of Boris’s men were still loyal to his cause. They couldn’t be set free to cause trouble later. I never knew what happened to the men we’d fought in the gym, whether they were tossed in a deep, dark dungeon or if they’d been killed. I didn’t want to know either.
Boris’s other followers were directionless. Over the next month, they came to us in droves and offered allegiance. Grandma insisted it was only temporary. Soon, in a week or a year, someone would replace Boris and the battle would resume. In the meantime, Bree, Zoe and I were under the protection of Queen Jane.
My parents, knowing I’d be eighteen soon, didn’t squawk over our leaving, even though my birthday hadn’t yet arrived. Then my
birthday came and went without so much as a card from them, as if I’d never existed. They were probably relieved to be free of the burden and all reminders of the child they’d lost.
I didn’t tell them Zoe was alive. Even if I had, they couldn’t handle the fact that we looked the same age. For all intents and purposes, we were the same, because Zoe had been seventeen the day they’d buried her. She remained pale, her face drawn and tired, but seemed stronger with each passing day.
Bree had witnessed too much in Hayden’s gym and refused to sleep in the dark or alone. She’d grow out of it eventually, I hoped, and want to sleep by herself. Until then, Zoe and I were perfectly happy to coddle and cuddle her. The king-sized bed provided ample room for all three of us. She’d only be five years old once.
During the day, we went everywhere accompanied by bodyguards, including school. I didn’t mind the extra eyes and ears watching out for us though sometimes I missed the old days when I came and went as I pleased. One day, someone like Boris would rise up and I’d be grateful as hell for the backup.
“Princess Tessa, I’ll walk you in.”
“Chait, I told you to quit calling me that.”
He chuckled. “You’re my Queen’s granddaughter and second in line to rule. You are a princess. Get used to it.” His face grew serious. “And after what you did, you earned the title.”
I rolled my eyes and exited the limo, automatically searching for Hayden. I hadn’t seen him in days — the longest I’d been without him since he’d begun working as Her Majesty’s personal trainer. It felt like a lifetime. God, I missed him. I ached for him.
And there he was. Hayden leaned against his car, watching me. My grandmother had assigned him two guards as well. He’d protested. Overruled. No way would she allow the boy who’d taken such good care of me — crashed through a window to save me, no less — to remain unprotected.
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