by Raven Steele
He shook his head in frustration. “Bastards are too afraid we’ll lose.”
“So what do we do now?” Lynx asked.
“We wait. Everyone’s in place. There’s nothing else we can do.”
We all looked at each other, feelings of dread crowding the room. We were sitting on a ticking time bomb, and none of us knew how many seconds were left until it exploded.
Chapter 35
Three days passed. During this time, the Witches of Rouen created protection spells around the estate along with strengthening old ones. Shifters from both packs patrolled the inside and outside of not only Blutel Estate but the buildings surrounding it as well. Vampires protected the property at night.
Oona had arrived fashionably late the night before with dozens of fae soldiers. She had her men create illusions around the property to confuse any strangers and lead them into traps the witches had set. Those currently on the estate would be safe from them. She also had Folas and Eddie create an invisible shield in front of the elevator leading to the basement and all the ancient artifacts. No one knew it existed except for a few of us.
During the nights, as I patrolled, I heard many supernaturals talk about the Abydos and speculate where it was hidden. Some suspected behind the illusion protecting the basement elevator, but Briar assured them that was only there to protect other valuable objects. She alluded to the Abydos being buried somewhere on the property. Some believed her, but others didn’t.
I was sitting in the gardens listening to the sounds of the night while fingering a rose petal I’d plucked earlier when Sersi found me. I noticed Detrand standing in the distance, watching us carefully. He had been acting strange lately, spending more time than usual with her. Adelade was usually with them too, but not tonight.
“Where’s Mateo?” Sersi asked. She lowered on the stone bench beside me.
“He’s with his men somewhere on the grounds.” I scanned the forest as if I might see him. We’d spent most of our time together, with him helping me keep the Kiss under control. I loved our times together and would not trade them for anything. And yet, my hunger for human blood had grown strong again. Earlier, when the sun had set, I’d gone to see Rocky. After I’d invited him and his new Hydes to join us, to which he’d readily agreed, I fed from him again.
“You always look more yourself after you’ve had blood.” There was no judgmental tone in her voice.
“I hate that I have to do it.”
“Those who are burdened with great power to protect the light must also contend with great darkness. All things must be balanced.”
I rubbed harder at the velvety skin of the rose petal between my thumb and forefinger and considered her words.
“Do you like it here?” she asked.
“I love it. I consider this place my home above all others.”
“Would you die for it? For the people who come here seeking refuge?”
“You know I would. It is why I’m here now.”
She nodded thoughtfully.
“What’s this about?” I asked.
She rested her hand over mine. “Remember your words and the way you feel right now. Always.”
A sinking feeling spread inside my stomach. Though her words told me nothing, they felt like a premonition of things to come. Of what, I didn’t know. Would I have to give my life to preserve the Ames de la Terra and this place? If so, I would.
I opened my mouth to vow as much, when a loud explosion rocked the forest in the distance. I jumped to my feet, my pulse racing.
Sersi turned her head toward the front entrance. “It’s time.”
Detrand appeared next to us and looked down at Sersi. “You should go to your chambers. It’s safer there.”
She laughed a sweet, innocent sound. “I will do no such thing. It has been a long time since I fought. I’m curious to see how I might fare. I did enjoy it once.”
She stood and walked away from us toward the entrance. “This is my home, and I will protect it.”
“Samira!” a voice called from across the garden.
Mateo stood beneath a magical, glowing pear tree.
“Go to him,” Detrand said. “I must find Adelade.”
We parted ways. Just as I reached Mateo, he wrapped me in a tight embrace. “There are many in the forest coming this way.”
“We are prepared.” I let him go, feeling the Kiss roaring awake inside me. It was good I had fed earlier. “I need to find Briar and Lynx.”
“Before you do, you must take your elixir.”
I’d nearly forgotten. I reached into my pocket and removed the small vial Adelade and Lynx had made for me and Mateo to protect our identity. He also removed his. At the same time, we swallowed the potion and watched each other transform into someone else. Because Adelade had had more time to prepare, she’d created something that wouldn’t fail if we fought too hard. In fact, the only way the spell would break is either within a few days’ time, she guessed, or one of us saying the keyword.
“I wish we had more time,” I whispered.
“As do I.” He kissed me fiercely. “Be safe, tesoro mio.”
I walked away from him, unsheathing the swords from my back. I swung them through the air, grinning at the whispering of the silver blades as they sliced through the darkness. Soon they would be coated in blood.
I found Lynx and Briar in the main foyer. It only took them a second to recognize me. I stood with them there beneath the flickering flames lit above us on a chandelier.
“Everyone’s getting in place,” Briar said, uncharacteristically serious. “Luke and his pack guard the halls. The fae are finishing with their illusions, then will stay in the forest with the Nocs. Eddie is leading them, along with Rocky and his band of men. The witches have gathered in the great hall. They will begin their chants for protection soon. Aris and Oz are guarding the entrance, along with my pack. Detrand and Adelade will also be there.”
“Is Roma with the witches?” I asked.
Lynx nodded.
“And Loxley?”
Briar and Lynx looked at each other.
“What?” I asked.
“She insisted on fighting,” Lynx said. “She’s with Angel.”
“In the forest?”
Briar nodded. “She wanted to be on the front lines.”
Another explosion sounded. Korin’s soldiers must be triggering the witches’ spells.
I looked at Lynx. “If you see Zane, do not engage him.”
“And if you see Korin, do not engage him,” she countered, her eyebrow raised.
Briar laughed. “Just like I’m not going to try to fight the Phoenix, if I see the asshole.” Her tone dropped. “Let’s finish this tonight and all come back alive. Do you hear me?”
We all nodded just as the sounds of blasters began to fire. They would only be heard by us as the witches had created a sound barrier, preventing outsiders from knowing of our war.
I was the first to turn away from them, anxious to begin fighting. Adrenaline flooded my veins, and my heart beat furiously in anticipation. Every part of my body ached with the need to fight, the Kiss roaring and twisting inside me. It was time. I was ready.
I shoved open the front door and stepped into the night. I could feel Briar and Lynx behind me. Sersi had walked down the steps and a short distance away from the estate. A great wind whipped around her, twisting the bottom of her red gown around her legs. She reached up and loosened the pearl clips in her hair. Long blond hair cascaded down her back, but when the wind caught the tendrils in its grasp, her hair lifted high looking more like white fire than hair.
“I could only hope to look that badass one day,” Briar whispered.
A deep rumbling shook the ground beneath us and our eyes shot toward the edge of the forest, where the tops of the trees began to shake. Something was coming.
To our left, more blasters fired, followed by successive explosions, one after another. Screams followed.
“Get ready,” Briar said
. We descended the steps and lowered into a defensive position.
Before my next breath, a wave of soldiers broke free from the forest. Hydes by the looks of them—or really the feel of them. The air became pressurized with their dark presences, and had I not had my own darkness to contend with, I might’ve had trouble breathing.
Sersi remained where she was despite the rows and rows of deadly Hydes rushing at her. The wind grew around her, catching debris in its wake. Sticks and rocks swirled in a tornado above her.
I was about to rush to her side when out of nowhere, Mateo and his men appeared, flanking the Hydes and slamming into them. They’d been hiding behind one of the fae’s wall illusions, waiting for the right moment to appear.
Excited by the fighting, I rushed to join them, but before I could get halfway, Sersi knocked me back. “Not yet.”
I landed on my back, growling. My frustration grew when Briar sprinted by me, smirking as she passed. She dove into the fight next to Loxley’s side. Loxley looked different, with a thick chunk of her hair turned blond. I wondered if that wasn’t intentional. Sometimes, when someone accessed new powers, they could manifest physically.
A bell behind me sounded. The rear of the school was being attacked. That’s where Aris, Detrand, and Rocky were.
I moved to go help them, but once again Sersi knocked me down. “Stay.”
Lynx helped me up, her expression serious as she stared toward the woods. “They’re coming.”
I followed her line of sight. Walking though the fray, completely oblivious to the fighting going on around them, Korin and Zane strolled toward us. I glanced behind them, searching for the Phoenix, but I didn’t see her tall and thin male figure anywhere.
Mateo also spotted Korin and rushed toward him, but Korin shot a line of fire in Mateo’s direction. My heart nearly burst from my chest, and I raced forward, but Angel managed to get him out of the way before his body ignited into flames.
A Hyde knocked an unsuspecting Briar across the face. She flew back landing near us, her hair a mess and blood spatter on her face. “Those are some strong-ass Hydes! It’s like they’ve been given steroids or something.” She glanced at Sersi. “What’s up with her?”
“She’s brewing a storm,” Lynx whispered.
That’s exactly what it looked like. More and more debris had been gathered in the wind circling above her, and the air had turned a dark gray. Lightning cracked within the energy, making all three of us jump.
In the distance, several fae soldiers appeared and helped Mateo and the other vampires fight the Hydes, who were still emerging from the forest. I spotted Eddie among them. Rocky and his men had also joined him, bravely fighting off the evil Hydes who were much stronger than they were. Thank goodness for Oz’s weapons, otherwise they wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“Enough with the show, Sersi,” Korin called, yelling loudly to be heard over the thundering storm above her. “Give us what we want, and we will spare your people.”
Sersi didn’t bother with words, something I always appreciated about her. But what she did next spoke volumes. She shoved her hands forward, and the raging tornado above her followed the motion. Thick logs, sharp sticks, large rocks, and even chunks of the driveway surged forward, the wind whipping them, becoming a hurricane mass of destruction. It shot forward, diving through the air in a specific pattern. It moved up and around our people until it crashed right through the Hydes rushing toward us. Their blood painted the air red, and their bodies collapsed to the ground. Mateo and the others followed behind, finishing off the Hydes.
It was too much for the Kiss to ignore. I dove into the action, swinging my swords across the neck of every Hyde I met. The smell of blood, the sounds of death, was near orgasmic.
When the debris storm reached Zane and Korin, Zane stretched out his hand. The storm parted around them as if he’d held up an invisible shield. They continued forward, walking over dead Hydes and repelling any attacking vampires.
Lynx stepped forward and began to chant words of power, ancient and full of magic. Her green eyes darkened until they were entirely black. The air chilled around us.
More Hyde soldiers appeared from around the side of the building. Another explosion at the rear of the estate sounded. It was followed by the sounds of several blasters. I didn’t have time to worry about what that meant. Briar and I rushed the onset of new Hydes. We slammed into them with such force, we killed several in seconds.
The Kiss roared for more blood, and I gave it to it. I sliced and diced, tasting the mist of blood on my tongue. Briar latched onto her Komira powers, her eyes glowing as her speed and strength increased. Very little could withstand us.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lynx stumble. I removed the head of the Hyde in front of me just as another slashed into my back with its claws. Growling, I spun and dropped low, slicing through my attacker’s legs. The upper half of his body fell over. I didn’t bother killing him. Let the bastard suffer.
I sprinted to Lynx. She was resting her hand on a stone column, breathing heavy. She’d brought down the barrier around Korin and Zane. Korin was surrounded by Mateo, Angel, and several other vampires, but his ability to conjure fire held them at bay. Any attempt to get to Zane and Korin, no matter how fast or sneaky, was met with a near fiery death. Some were not so lucky.
Meanwhile, Zane and Sersi were locked in a battle of magic, each using their unique skills to try and gain the upper hand. Zane mentally tore off a metal bumper from an automobile and flicked his finger toward Sersi. It sliced through the air toward her. She lifted her hands to stop it but only managed to slow its progression a little bit. I yanked her out of the way just as it grazed her head. Blood appeared, staining her blond hair.
She snapped her head toward the front doors, then shifted her gaze to me. “They’re inside.”
My heart stopped, and I sucked in a deep breath. I looked toward the mansion and back toward Korin. I couldn’t leave him. Not while he still breathed.
“Briar!” I called.
She slashed her dagger through a female Hyde's face and jogged back to me, wiping blood from her eyes. I didn’t know if it was hers or someone else’s.
“Hydes are inside the building,” I said. Lynx overheard me and lifted her head.
Briar cursed and looked from me and Lynx. Then over to Sersi, who was still battling with Zane. “Stay out here. I’ll take Mateo and the others.”
I nodded once.
Briar turned and yelled, “Mateo! Angel! We need you!”
Mateo looked up at us through the chaos, pain etching his face. He furrowed his brow in frustration, not wanting to leave the battle. By the looks of it, they were winning.
“Go!” Eddie called just as he leapt into the air. He landed with his sword in the back of a Hyde’s neck. “We can handle this.” Detrand was fighting with him. He appeared and reappeared like a magician, killing quickly. They worked together well.
Mateo nodded in appreciation, then called his men over. Angel helped round them up.
With no more opposition, Korin resumed his path toward me, the corners of his mouth curled up. He couldn’t know my real identity, so he probably assumed I’d be easy to kill.
Korin stretched out his hand, shooting a line of fire toward Sersi, whose attention was still on Zane. Lynx quickly mentally blocked it and straightened tall.
“Are you better?” I called to Lynx, still fighting the Hydes around me.
“I’m good enough.” She stepped forward just as I killed the last Hyde near me.
Time to face Korin.
“I got your back,” Lynx said.
I sprinted across the driveway and onto the lawn. Korin shot fire at me, but Lynx blocked it each time. He scowled in frustration and tossed a fireball at her.
With his focus on her, I blinked over to him and swung my blade, but he caught it in his hand as if he had sensed me coming.
“I don’t know who you think you are,” he growled, “but you will not survive a
fight with me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” I swung my other blade so hard and fast, he barely had time to move out of the way before I aimed for his arm. The Kiss roared inside me, all rage and fire. Desire swelled up inside me, and, with the Kiss’s power, I realized how weak he truly was.
My blade’s sharp edge sliced through his skin. He narrowed his eyes, staring into mine. “Run your sword through your own neck.”
I grinned, loving that he thought he had the upper hand here. He would learn soon enough.
His eyes widened in surprise when his compulsion didn’t work. “Who are you?”
“You don’t deserve to know.” I struck at him, cutting his arm, then his other one. Feeling the Kiss’s power billow through me, I raised the tip of my sword higher, slicing through his lips. This was fun.
“Who are you!” he screamed, still attempting to consume me with his flames, but Lynx blocked most of his fire. I easily dodged what she couldn’t.
“Maybe it’s time I showed you.” I tilted my head to the side, as if considering it.
“Go back to whatever gutter you crawled out from,” he snarled, “before I make a coat out of your flesh.”
Pure and dark rage flooded my system at his words. “You make others suffer. You kill without conscience.”
I flicked my sword through the air, marking his face. He hissed and tried to get at me, but I stepped back and cut at his flesh again. “You will suffer for those who have died by your hands.”
My sword slashed through the air like lightning, striking against his shoulder. “Teddy.”
I struck again. “Kristina.”
He stepped back, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I continued.
“Constantine, Ivan, Sophia,” I ticked off the names, all the people he had tortured relentlessly over the years. My blade continued to fly. He tried to block me, but I was too fast.
“Serafina, Amelia, and…” I sliced forward again, this time striking his chest. Blood pooled down his shirt, a dark black. I lunged again, piercing through his gut this time, a wound that would hurt him the most. “Faithe.”
