by Evans, Holly
“You’re still a shifter, Niko. Perhaps other made wouldn’t be able to unify themselves with their wolf, but you’re not other made,” Adam said.
He sounded so reasonable. I hated it.
“He’s made progress,” Alasdair said.
“I can believe that,” Adam said.
I stuffed the sandwich into my mouth and tried to ignore them and the way they were studying me.
“You’ll be stronger, faster, and more capable when you unify with your wolf,” Adam said.
That did sound useful, especially given the number of enemies we now had.
“So, what’s the deal here? With us living here and all?” I asked, changing the topic.
“You’ll work with me as my pack. The magic calls to me when something needs balancing; you’ll come and help me with that.”
I raised an eyebrow. “The magic calls to you?”
The corner of his mouth raised in a smile.
“Balancers are tied into the magic itself. We’re gods that walk the lower planes. We were born of the magic, to maintain and balance it.”
My mind struggled to work itself around the concept of Adam’s being a god. He said it so casually, as though he’d told me Alasdair was eating a beef pie. When did my life get so complicated?
“Now,” Adam took away my fourth sandwich, “time to unify yourself. We have work to do.”
I growled at him. No one but Alasdair took my food away.
His eyes flashed gold and he leaned forward, growling back. I reached out slowly for the plate with my sandwich on it. My teeth began to sharpen. Who was this upstart to try and take my food from me?
He grinned at me and pushed the sandwich back.
“You’re getting there.”
Alasdair stroked my hair, and I ate my sandwich before anyone else could dare touch it.
Once the food was gone and I felt comfortable enough to think about it, I realised that the shift had felt far more natural than it had done in the past. It wasn’t a feeling of some other being pushing forward, it was my changing to a form more suited to defending my food. I felt like they’d tricked me, but I could forgive that. Maybe.
32
We didn’t get long to lounge around our new home. Adam got word that another rift had opened nearby. We piled into his car and made our way to the arse end of nowhere down a narrow dirt track surrounded by small hills, oceans of heather, and small patches of hardy grass.
The clouds were darkening overhead, and the air was heavy with impending rain. We walked down the last stretch of dirt track and saw a group of black dogs emerge from the rift. They each turned their red eyes to us and bared their teeth. I pulled my dagger and called upon my fire.
The rift was twice as tall as I was and at least fifteen feet wide. There was no way I could fix that. The hounds ran at us, long powerful legs and bodies covered in coarse pitch fur. The rain came. Large heavy drops of water that pelted us and streamed down my face, making visibility poor.
I called upon my fire and pushed it into the closest hound. Nothing.
“They’re magic-proof. Stab them!” Adam shouted.
They were magic-proof. Fucking fantastic. I pulled my dagger and plunged it into the base of the hound’s neck as it began to leap for my throat. Its teeth grazed the sensitive skin, but it dropped at my feet. They attacked as a pack, constantly moving and lunging to bite at our calves and heels to take us down. A couple aimed for our throats, making them easy to gut, but the rest moved fast. The dirt beneath my feet was growing slippery, and more fae were coming through the rift. They were some kind of pixie this time. Human, but also clearly not. No human had eyes that hard and cold, or a bone structure that delicate.
My instincts took over, and everything became a blur of blood, pain, and rain. The pixies tried to get around us and escape into the wider world. We drove them back closer to the rift. I hacked and slashed at their lower abdomens and throats whenever I got the chance. They seemed to almost bend time and space with the way they bent away from my blade. My shadow came forth unbidden. The biting pain of a sharp blade cut through my calm, and my shadow took over. With the pixie’s dagger still between my ribs, I reached forward and wrapped my hand around his throat before I drove the shadow down it. His eyes bulged and he gagged and gasped, desperately trying to fill his lungs with air.
I pulled the dagger from my ribs and gave myself over to the cold calculating shadow. This needed to be finished so we could heal the rift and move on. I cut through the pixies and the following redcaps with brutal efficiency. Each move was precise. I watched myself from within my own mind as I saw shadow knives cut through flesh and bone, while more shadow drowned those who dared try to run.
It all ended when Alasdair wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. His familiar scent engulfed me, and slowly I returned to myself. I took a deep breath, and he kissed me as though we’d been apart for weeks, not minutes.
“I hate when I lose you like that,” he said.
Rain dripped from his strong jawline and slicked his hair down. Somehow, he still looked as sexy as sin.
Adam looked over to us, and I saw tall willowy forms through the shimmer in the air.
“Guards have arrived. The rift is secure,” he said.
“You’re sure they’re on our side?” I asked.
He smiled.
“I’m sure. It’s not a permanent fix, but it’s all we have right now.”
“Who are they?” Alasdair asked once we were out of ear shot of the rift.
“Prince Rowan’s elves. They’re trustworthy. They’re one of the few fae factions that is entirely for the veil remaining up. The rest of the fae are torn at best, and entirely for the veil coming down at worst. They feel that the veil coming down would be an excellent opportunity for expansion,” Adam explained.
“Things are really bad,” Gray said softly.
We looked at him as we got into the car.
“A small war has broken out on the outskirts of Prague. My parents and their allies are trying to stop it, but a large faction of alchemists and part-breds are fighting to take down those who want the veil to remain up.”
“The same is happening in America, Brazil, Norway, and a few other places,” Adam said.
I wiped the rain out of my eyes, and Alasdair put the heaters on full.
“What can we do to stop all of this?” I asked.
“I don’t know. We have to take each day as we come to it,” Adam said.
That felt like such a cop out. People were dying. The humans were at risk of slaughter by the gods only knew how many different types of supernals.
“Do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed and lose hope, Nikolai,” Adam growled.
I glared at him in the rear-view mirror.
“We must focus on what we can do, else we’re of no use to anyone.”
Alasdair reached back and squeezed my hand.
Adam was right, and I hated him for it.
33
Over the following week, we went to six different rifts and fought a variety of fae beings and beasts, from hounds to redcaps to rabid nymphs and more. Every time we managed to either close or secure one rift, another two popped up. No one was quite sure how the sweet blue fuck they were doing it, which made it all the more frustrating. If we knew the who and how of the rifts’ occurring, we could have a chance at stopping it. As it was, we just had to keep plugging up the holes as we could.
We were exhausted and increasingly dispirited. The news from Gray’s parents only got direr as the week went on. The people fighting to take down the veil were growing bolder and better armed. Humans were being dragged into the fray, as they thought it was just gang warfare and other criminal organisations. The human authorities that tried to step in didn’t have a chance.
The infernal started pushing through and making everything worse as I ate a bowl of bland cereal and looked out at the small garden behind my new home. Alasdair was next to me picking at his porridge. Gray a
nd Adam were poking at maps, trying to figure out the centre point of the rifts in some desperate hope it might tell us where the person who was causing them was. The problem was, there were rifts all around the world, and we didn’t know what was causing them. So, their poking was entirely meaningless. It was just idle distraction to make themselves feel a little bit better.
Adam’s tie to the magic itself wasn’t helping us at all. All the magic did was tug him towards the latest rift we had to fight for. Reading and research didn’t get us anywhere on trying to heal the rift. The closest thing we had to a lead was the blood witch, Wren, and she wasn’t taking our calls. I had a sinking suspicion that she wasn’t on our side, but that could have been my anti-blood-witch bias talking. Although, the fact that they inevitably go mad and try to destroy the world made me feel like it was a reasonable bias or caution to have.
I kissed Alasdair softly, taking a moment to remember that there was still good in my life. He smiled at me, one of those stunning smiles he only shared in our private moments, and it felt as though my soul lightened just a little. I went to join Adam and Gray in the dining room, where they’d spread out a series of maps that covered all of Scotland and England. They’d marked all of the rifts we knew about with blood-red dots. There were a lot of dots.
Grey dots marked where the anti-veil factions had attacked the pro-veil factions, and they were getting almost as numerous as the rifts now. The anti-veilers were growing in confidence as it felt increasingly inevitable that they’d win.
“We have to be missing something somewhere,” Gray said in frustration.
“I don’t see it. There is no central point. The anti-veil factions are numerous; they’re not being controlled by any one person or group. And no one has any idea how the rifts are forming,” Adam said, ever calm.
“We need to do more. We need to push back and take control somehow,” I said.
“I’m open to suggestions,” Adam said.
And that was it. We were at a complete loss. If we did gather our allies, where did we make our last stand?
Gray pointed at a small area in the middle of a cluster of red and grey dots.
“There. We make a stand there. It’s a focal point for ley lines, fae territories, and rifts.”
“And what is the aim of this big stand?” Adam asked.
“We drive them back on both sides of the veil. We show them that we’re not some weak fools who are going to roll over and allow this to happen,” Alasdair said.
Adam smiled.
“It could buy us some time.”
And that was it. That was all we could hope for. To buy a little time.
34
The cottage became a hub of activity. I’d been assigned the dubious task of getting the made and part-breds on side. Gray’s entire family had converged on the cottage and the one next door, which Adam also owned. Kadrix was calling in the elves and alchemists. Evie was summoning the enforcers and hunters, Lysander called in the hellhounds, and Alasdair called upon the shifters and guardians.
“What do you think will happen if the veil falls?” I snapped.
The fox shifter made on the other end of the phone was trying my patience.
Silence.
“We are abominations. They will turn us into slaves and alchemical experiments,” I said.
Whispering.
“Ok. We’ll stand and fight. Give us the address.”
I held back my whoop of joy. I’d just gotten an entire pack of made shifters on board. They were likely to be crazy and untrained, but we’d take everything we could get.
I had the date and address. We were gathering everyone around the area between the rifts.
“Who wants coffee?” Quinn asked.
“Me,” I said.
Alasdair dragged his fingers through his hair and tossed his phone down on the couch. I went and wrapped my arms around his waist and nuzzled my face his neck. He held me close, relaxing as he did so.
“The lycans are struggling to control themselves with the veil in this state. They’re worried if they join us they’ll turn on us. Not because they’re against our cause, but because their nature is slipping out of control.”
“We’ve been working on something that will help them,” Fionn said.
“Yes, it will be refined by the time they get here,” Kadrix said.
“You’re sure?” Alasdair asked.
“Yes,” Kadrix said with a look of deep offense on his face.
Alasdair grabbed his phone and rang the lycans back.
“Yes. We have some of the finest alchemists in the world working with us. I am absolutely sure they can help you. Will you help us?”
He grinned and read out the date and address.
“No deals!” Evie shouted from the kitchen at Kadrix.
The elf pouted, but Quinn leaned around the doorway to give him a firm glare. Kadrix put his hands up.
“I will do this from the goodness of my heart.”
“A rift to the infernal plane opened up near here. I’ve coordinated with an old lieutenant to bring through a unit of hellhounds,” Lysander said as he pulled his leather jacket on.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Alasdair asked.
“No. It’s better if it’s just me. The hounds will be twitchy being on this plane.”
I added the pack of made to the increasingly long list of allies who’d be joining us. It was beginning to look as though we might have a real chance here. There were beings from every walk of life on the list.
Kadrix’s alchemists and hedgewitches had set up a lab of sorts in the second cottage. There had only been two small explosions to date. No one dared mention the priests and priestesses. They were too much of a risk with the gods being as they were. We had no idea which side the gods were on, or which gods had gone rogue.
Slowly, a feeling of hope began to fill the cottage as the list grew ever longer. I felt a swell of pride seeing the number of made on the list. I’d never felt much of a connection to the other made but, whether I liked it or not, I was one. It felt good to see them stepping up to stand with us.
Lysander returned just after dark.
“The hounds will stay outside in the woods. They feel safer out there. They’re all on board and under my command.”
Evelyn wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re incredibly sexy when you’re all Marrok-y.”
Lysander laughed, and I found myself relaxing a little. He was scary when he was intense and focused on the fight. The other side had no idea what they were going up against.
35
Spirits were high when we formed the convoy to head over to the site in the moors. It was an hour’s drive from the cottage, and we had some twenty vehicles behind us when we left. More joined us as we approached the meeting site. We had every form of supernal represented within our ranks. Hedgewitches shared vehicles with puka and lycans; pixies, shifters and elemental witches all crowded into SUVs and hatchbacks.
I couldn’t keep the smile from my face, the feeling that we were doing something amazing. We were uniting the supernal community against something that would tear us all apart. We were going to kick ass and drive back the fools that wanted to tear the veil down. Alasdair sat next to me in the back seat and rested his hand on my thigh. His eyes glowed with happiness as he looked out the window at the steadily shifting landscape.
The hills grew more frequent and steeper in incline. Rough-hewn stone walls surrounded green fields dotted with white sheep. Lines of mature trees grew along the base of the hills marking boundaries far older than I was. We passed by a small village with quaint cottages and neat bright red post boxes. The humans there were oblivious to the happenings around them. They had no idea about the war that was raging over their plane of existence.
Adam parked his car next to a short stone wall. Gray and Lysander hopped out and directed the rest of the cars into sensible parking locations so no one was blocked in or blocking the road. Lysander’s hounds had been coaxed into
a couple of old Land Rovers. They didn’t like the cramped conditions of the cars. They were fresh from the Infernal realm, a look of wildness shrouding them. Their amber eyes cast about, looking for potential dangers. The moment Lysander looked as if he might speak, their attention turned to him, their backs straightened, and their ears pricked.
Each hound was well-muscled, powerful, and deadly. The witches gave them a wide berth, and the made kept to themselves. I went over to the made, wanting to make them feel a little more comfortable.
“I’m Niko, I spoke to you on the phone.”
A group of some forty or so made had come up for the fight. Every form was represented, from the deadly fae to the predatory shifters.
“You’re sure they’re,” the wolf shifter nodded towards the alchemists, “not going to grind us up into some alchemical dust?”
“I’m sure. We stand here today as allies. We are all here to drive back our enemies and reclaim this plane as ours. The veil will not fall. Not today, not today while we are still capable of fighting.”
A small weak cheer went through the group, and I smiled. Not too bad for my first attempt at a war speech.
Adam hopped up onto the roof of one of the Land Rovers, and all eyes turned to him. Even in simple jeans and hoodie, he looked imposing. He had a big presence that screamed power.
“Thank you all for coming. I know that the world has been cruel to many of you.” A murmur passed through the made. “Today, we put all difficulties aside. We fight as one. We fight to keep the veil up and to secure a positive future free from enslavement for ourselves.”
A cheer went up, and I grinned.
It felt like we really had a chance at winning this. The small spark of hope within me bloomed into a full inferno.
36
Adam and Lysander organised everyone into an army. It felt real. The alchemists and elemental witches were at the back acting as the archers, launching explosives, fireballs, and the like. The shifters, including Griff and his bears, lycans, and other such predators were on the front line. We were going in first to break up their lines and cause as much damage as we could before the other witches, fae, and such came in behind us.
