“Alisandra, what did he tell you?” Braden asked, catching me easily.
“It doesn’t matter!” I yelled. “When this is over, I want to be done with all you selfish bastards. I’ll make Dusha remove our bond and you’ll never see me again.”
Braden grabbed me around the waist and pulled me off my feet. He skidded to a stop, still several hundred yards from his group. I pounded on his chest until he pulled me tighter, restricting my movement. The toes of my sneakers barely brushed the ground.
“Even if he removes our spirit bond, he cannot eliminate the vampire bond we’ve established,” he whispered. “You can run away from me, but we’ll always be connected.”
I glared at him, but he didn’t flinch. Of course. He wasn’t afraid of me.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was my grandmother?”
“Because you asked me not to,” he replied. “I agreed to tell you everything when this is over, remember?”
“Your oath with the queen means nothing,” I mumbled, dropping my forehead against his chest. “According to Grant, anyway. If she knew you couldn’t fulfill your oath, then she can’t hold you to it.”
He released his grip. I slid down his body and put a step between us.
“Did she know?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “Grant didn’t know that fae couldn’t be vampires. He assumed the same thing you did, using the same logic with you and Jack. But my elementals seemed to think she knew about the fae immunity.”
“Can we confirm it? If we could just kill Jack without having to worry about anything else…” His thought trailed off as he scanned the desert behind me.
“Why does it matter to you?” I asked. “You were more than willing to make me a vampire when you made the deal with her.”
His eyes met mine and I wished I hadn’t asked. Niyol’s comment about Braden’s guilt surged to the front of my mind. I looked away and started back towards his group. My phone buzzed in my backpack and I dug it out, knowing it would be Kellen.
“I’m fine, Kellen,” I said as soon as the call connected. “Braden just got through as well. I’ll meet you guys at the rendezvous point.”
“Where were you?” he asked.
Braden’s presence hovered behind me, and I knew he could hear my conversation.
“Trying to find Cedric, but I was too late,” I replied. “I’ll see you soon.”
“I’m sorry, AJ.”
“Me too.”
I pressed end and gripped my phone for several seconds, taking deep breaths. The familiar ache of not being able to say goodbye nearly brought me to my knees. I stuffed it back in the stupid little box that clearly didn’t have a lid, then continued towards the group of waiting vampires.
It wouldn’t be difficult to pretend I hated Braden right now. He’d kept everything about my family from me. It didn’t matter that I asked him to; he should’ve known how it would affect me. Dusha knew, which was why he suggested I didn’t ask. My shoulders slumped with resignation. So much for trying to keep a lid on my feelings.
“Get it together, little goddess,” Braden whispered from beside me. “Don’t make me call you vulgar names.”
“Shut up,” I hissed.
“Never on your command,” he countered.
I stifled my smile with a snort.
“Very lady-like,” he drawled as we approached his group. “We’re running with no delays. I expect to be there in less than an hour and will not stop for stragglers.”
He repeated the command again in Russian and Spanish, then turned and nodded to Gordon. I couldn’t help but notice the red and white scarves tied on each of their arms.
“You’re riding with me, AJ,” Gordon said, extending his hand.
I should’ve known, but it still surprised me. I crawled up on his back and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. Or tried, anyway. I didn’t realize how very muscular he was.
“You need to quit working out,” I mumbled in his ear as he wrapped his fingers beneath my thighs and pinched.
“You need to start,” he said. “How do you even walk with those skinny legs?”
I tried to smile at his attempt at levity, but it didn’t last.
He took off with the rest of the group, staying a few yards behind Braden. Racing across the desert with a pack of vampires was surreal. I glanced behind me at the pale cloud of dust in our wake. The fading sun left behind a glorious array of reds and oranges bleeding into the deep midnight blue sky.
Part of me hoped we would fight tonight and be done with it. The other part wanted nothing to do with any of the violence. I didn’t have a choice, not really. This whole thing fell into the old saying, ‘If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.’
“What’s the plan when we get there?” I asked, trying to waylay my errant thoughts.
“We’re trying to cut them off before they reach Cairo,” he replied, not raising his voice over the wind rushing by us. “They’re moving in large vehicles quicker than we anticipated. Word must have spread to Jack about our little fight with Vail.”
I rested my cheek on his shoulder, pushing his long hair out of my way. “How close will we be to civilization?”
“Too close,” he replied, glancing back at me. “I’m betting we’ll see Cairo’s skyline.”
“Shit.”
“Is there anything you can do to hide us?” he asked.
“Not me, but maybe my elementals can,” I replied. “We’ll come up with something to keep the humans away. It might leave me exhausted and unable to fight, though.”
“Leave the fighting to us,” he said. “We’ll be much more effective if we don’t have to worry about being on the evening news.”
“Okay.”
My mind ran through dozens of scenarios with news helicopters racing towards the magical fires and rumbling earth. How could I stop them? A severe thunderstorm would ground the helicopter crews, but it wouldn’t stop any vehicles. Could I mimic an earthquake, opening the ground around us, making it impossible to cross? Possibly, but they’d still be able to run video on us. Or Niyol and Qeb could create an enormous sandstorm surrounding the entire battle. I smiled. That might work.
Yes. A sandstorm on the ground and a lightning storm in the sky. The humans could talk about the strange weather all they wanted but be none the wiser about our magical war.
Did you guys get that? I asked, thinking of all four elementals. Is it possible?
Yes, child, Göksu replied.
Will I still be able to help fight? Or will my focus be totally on keeping the sandstorm?
Silence was the response. I waited not so patiently for several more seconds, feeling my anger rise.
You better answer me, dammit!
Tell your vampire to put you down, Qeb’s unmistakable voice rumbled through my head.
“Gordon, I need you to let me go,” I whispered in his ear, hoping Braden wouldn’t pick up on it.
“No way,” he replied. “Braden will kill me.”
“My elementals have a plan,” I insisted, trying to stay quiet. Why did everyone have to argue with me? “They’ve asked that you put me down so we can coordinate.”
His pace slowed, and I watched the distance widen between us and the elder. I tried to keep my emotions neutral so he wouldn’t suspect anything. He kept running.
“If something happens to you, my life is over,” Gordon said, darting behind the back of the group. “He won’t forgive me.”
“Tell him I commanded you, giving you no choice,” I replied, sliding off his back when he stopped.
“You can’t command me, little mage.” He turned to face me with an enormous smile.
I sighed and locked gazes with him. “Stay by his side and protect him,” I said, pushing my magical will into the command. “We will both die if something happens to him.”
His dark eyes widened in surprise and his smile faded. “What do you intend?”
“I’m creating a sandst
orm that will stretch from the depths of hell to the heavens above,” I replied, waving my arms dramatically. “No one will see us, only the vicious storm brewing in the desert.”
“And you won’t be able to help us fight?” he asked, but I could see he already knew the answer.
“We’ll see,” I replied. “I’m pretty convincing.”
“That you are.”
“Get out of here before he notices you’re gone,” I said, wanting to say more to the silly vampire who’d become my friend. But I wouldn’t get the chance.
Rolling anger washed towards me heralding my vampire’s arrival.
“What the hell are you doing?” Braden bellowed, skidding to a stop a few feet from me.
“We both have a job to do,” I spat. “Don’t think you can dictate mine.”
He glared at Gordon who looked at his feet.
“Don’t you dare,” I hissed, closing the space between us. “He did exactly what I commanded him to do.”
Braden’s blue eyes bore down on me, their intensity growing with his anger and fear. Fear for me. He wasn’t allowed to love me, any more than I was allowed to love him. It was just our bond pushing us together. Sure.
“Don’t kill Jack without me,” I whispered, stretching up on my tiptoes and brushing my lips against his. “My elementals will protect me, and I’ll protect you.” I stepped away from his surprised expression and raised my hand in the air. “Niyol, I’m ready.”
A narrow tornado burst from the sky and pulled me into the air. Grains of sand battered my exposed skin as I watched Braden and Gordon race back to their group. I’d do everything I could to make sure this didn’t end in our death.
Chapter 24
We rose higher into the night’s sky and the sand dissipated, leaving me a clear view of the desert for miles. Braden’s group came from the southwest. A long line of headlights raced towards him from the north. Probably Kellen coming from his uncle’s estate. Two more vehicle caravans rumbled up from the south, both larger than our own groups. We’d be outnumbered.
“Can we stop one of those caravans?” I asked Niyol.
“It’s better to trap them all together,” he replied, his voice echoing around me. “If we isolate one out here, they will turn towards Cairo.”
“Shit!”
My head whipped back and forth between the three groups. Kellen and Braden would intersect before Jack reached them, but they wouldn’t have much time to organize, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. Even I knew that wasn’t enough time.
“We need to at least slow them down,” I insisted. “It’ll give Kellen time to coordinate their efforts.”
Niyol shifted south, swirling towards the two long caravans. Maybe I could lay a couple poison traps in their path and take some of them out. Yep. My wind elemental heard my thoughts and swept to the desert floor about a mile out.
I raced around in a large arc, planting the vines every few feet. They would only catch the front runners, but it would slow the rest. I didn’t clip the spell like I normally would. Chances were, I wouldn’t be around to activate them, so they needed to work on their own, poison and all. I cringed at the thought.
As we took to the air again, my stomach rose into my throat. Hundreds of goblins skirted the outer edge of the caravan on motorbikes, while tall lanky creatures with long tusks took the lead in open-bed trucks. Dozens of SUVs and vans followed. I could only guess how many more creatures they carried. The ogres loped along behind the pack, easily keeping pace.
“We’re so outnumbered, Niyol. Will my vines even stop the vehicles?”
“They will grab the ogres if the trucks don’t trigger them,” Niyol replied.
“I guess that’s better than nothing,” I muttered, now wishing I hadn’t employed the poison. The ogres had no choice in this. “We’ll need to make sure the bodies are removed,” I called out. “The humans can’t find dead ogres in the desert.”
The earth will take them, Qeb’s deep voice echoed in my mind.
That was certainly better than the alternative.
We swept over the second trail of vehicles following about a mile behind the first. This one didn’t have any goblins, ogres, or trolls, only hundreds of vampires surrounding three SUVs. Jack had to be in one of them, which meant he didn’t intend to join the initial fight. He would hang back with his vampires and let the others wear down my allies. My heart sank. Was there anything I could do to help?
My mind raced through my fae spell book and a smile spread across my lips.
“That’s bordering on evil,” Niyol hissed, obviously listening in.
“And what they’re doing isn’t?” I asked.
“Many innocents will die,” he countered.
“They’ll die anyway. What’s the difference if it’s my magic or Kellen’s or Victor’s or Braden’s?”
Thunder rolled across the sky and thick clouds covered what was left of the setting sun. It had to be Göksu.
“Yes or no?” I yelled. “Indecision has been my enemy for weeks. I’m decided, now will you help me?”
“You cannot carry the guilt of their deaths!” Niyol screamed back at me, his voice getting lost in his raging winds.
“That’s for me to decide, not you.” My heart was already so heavy from the losses in this war, but if I didn’t do something to stop those caravans, it would only get worse. The death of a few hundred on my hands was better than the death of thousands, maybe even millions, of innocents if Jack had his way.
We hovered over the vampires for several minutes, though it felt like an eternity, before Niyol raced around behind them. Göksu appeared above me, a sad look on his fluid features. I shook it away. Now wasn’t the time.
Thunder rumbled again, and spears of lightning struck the ground behind the last vampire. Cries of alarm drifted towards us, and the last half of the group pointed into the sky at me. They’d just volunteered. I stuffed all my emotions in my little box, snapped the lid down, and wrapped chains around it. I’d deal with the consequences later.
My hands stretched out in front of me as another line of lightning seared the ground. I called to my water elemental, begging for his strength. Göksu’s power flooded me, and I pulled on the endless supplies of blood beneath me. Screams of anguish rose from the group as bodies fell to the ground. Niyol caught the pooling blood and wove it into a massive red tornado. Another funnel cloud appeared, picking up the desiccated bodies. Those not caught up in the bloody cyclone sprinted towards the front of the line.
“That’s right, run away, little vampires,” I muttered.
Several heads popped out of the SUVs windows and they accelerated, too. It didn’t take long for them to catch the ogres. I didn’t miss the stumbled steps of the ugly green creatures as they turned and looked into the sky. Their easy lopes turned into a flat out run, leaving the goblins and trolls behind.
“Will Kellen be ready?” I yelled. “I think we just rushed their arrival, not stalled it.”
“The vampires should hit your traps any second,” Niyol replied.
Sure enough, another round of screams drifted towards us as my vines wrapped around the leading vampires. Lightning lit the sky, streaming down on the edges of the group, revealing dozens of creatures trying to flee.
“Niyol, can we start the sandstorm here and make it follow us?”
“I cannot split anymore of myself, princess.”
“Can you use me to do it?”
I felt his hesitation, but only for a moment. He’d never funneled his power through me, and I wasn’t ready for the harsh, searing pain lancing through my body. Göksu’s power never hurt, not like Niyol’s. I almost regretted asking for it, but it wasn’t like there were other alternatives. I ground my teeth together and focused on the sand behind us. I wanted a big damn wall.
Dark shadows rose from the ground and the winds whipped around me, peeling the skin from my bare arms. I clenched my fists and pulled harder. Lightning and thunder rolled, and the ground shifted. A dull hum
echoed through my mind, and a heavy presence settled around my heart.
Rather than pull me down, it gave me renewed strength. Power coming from Qeb. At least his wasn’t painful. The sand surged into the air and raced towards us, and my body lurched as Niyol pulled me ahead of the oncoming storm.
I turned my gaze back to the army below only to find them well ahead of us. The vampires caught in my vines howled in agony as they disappeared into the sands. A sliver of guilt crept out of the box and I tossed it into the searing winds. Not now, dammit!
I looked past the army below us and worry replaced my guilt. Kellen’s forces were only minutes away. I could already see the large bears and other shifters taking the front line. Birds of prey swept towards me and quickly turned back to avoid getting caught in Niyol’s cyclones. Braden’s vampires formed a protective line between the shifters and mages who piled out of the numerous vehicles.
“Time to close the circle,” Qeb bellowed. “My mage will need me.”
“Then let’s not keep him waiting!” I yelled back.
Niyol’s searing wind swept through me, immediately followed by Göksu’s healing strength. Qeb’s grounding was joined by Aviur’s spicy heat. Power like I’d never felt before raced through my body. There was nothing I couldn’t do with this much magic. I could snuff out every life below me and start over, like a goddess. Everything was at my fingertips. I could almost hear the evil cackle trying to escape my lips.
Remember where the power comes from, Alisandra, Göksu warned, his voice echoing in my mind. We will never allow you to keep it.
His words brought me back to reality and the task at hand. Maybe I felt like I could rule the world, but only if the elementals let me. And they wouldn’t. Thank God.
I forced my mind to focus as the wall of sand behind me started its sweeping arch around the magical people below. My water elemental’s thunderstorm swelled, blocking out the night’s sky. Flashes of lightning illuminated the ground beneath me, and my heart sank.
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