Forever Bound

by J. E. Cluney

  Mabel sighed as she dissipated, and Walter gave me a knowing nod.

  I drew in a steadying breath as I heard the giant beast land outside, and I managed a relieved smile when a naked Ollie entered the building.

  Holding the scarlet dagger.

  Even from here, I could feel the power it was giving off, the very air around Ollie electrified as it pulsed with an eerie red glow.

  Not creepy at all.

  “We’re working on tracking him now,” Walter informed me as the witches all joined hands, and Emma sat down with them to assist.

  I lurched forward, throwing myself at Ollie and holding him tight as he returned the embrace, but he held the dagger away from me though.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I mumbled as my throat tightened.

  “Same to you,” he whispered as he nuzzled my neck.

  “So this is what all the fuss is about?” Trish mused as Brad helped her back up off the floor, then she stepped up beside us.

  “You can feel the power in that thing,” Brad said as he frowned at the dagger like it was a venomous snake.

  I stared down at the dagger as I pulled away from Ollie, and he raised it up to offer it to me.

  I couldn’t draw my gaze from it as it pulsed, the blade glinting faintly as the hilt shimmered red.

  The raw energy I could feel from it made my blood run cold as I bit my lip uncertainly.

  So Joseph’s soul was linked to this thing.

  My banshee moved restlessly within me, reacting to it. She could feel the banshee magic tied into it.

  I reached out slowly, and Skip sucked in a breath as they all watched me cautiously.

  I finally accepted the blade, my hand curling around the oddly warm handle as it pulsed in my grip.

  My banshee shuddered within me, hissing at the energy that wanted to flow through me from the blade.

  I forced it back, refusing to allow whatever horrid magic was in it to touch me.

  “You can feel it too, huh?” Ollie murmured softly.

  Lucas hadn’t been willing to touch it because of the odd power in it. Ollie could touch it because his dragon was powerful and made for such things, whereas my banshee shared a similar magic. What would it do in the hands of others?

  ‘Let’s not find out,’ Skip said softly.

  “We’ve got a location,” Walter declared as he broke the witch circle to join us.

  “Great, where is this fucker?” Trish spat.

  “He’s at the University,” Walter stated, and I jumped as a portal opened up beside us and Lucas and his father stepped through.

  “Well, what have we here?” Mr Brady frowned as he eyed our groups before staring hard at Walter in confusion.

  “Walter Murphy, Allison can now project his spirit since her banshee learned some spirit controlling magic,” Lucas said, giving him the quick rundown.

  “Right…” Mr Brady said slowly before he focused on the witches still on the floor. “Are you all okay?”

  “Yes, we’re okay,” one of the witches said and nodded softly as Cathy launched to her feet and threw herself in his arms.

  “I was so worried. Is Mom okay?” she asked as her voice wavered.

  “She’s fine, the warding on the house didn’t fall. I imagine I have a number of people to thank for that,” he said softly as he hugged her back.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay too, Luke,” she said through a sniffle as she gazed over her father’s shoulder at her brother.

  “I’m glad you’re okay too. That everyone is okay,” he said as he moved over to pull me into a hug. “You had me worried there.”

  “I told you I’d be fine,” I said, although I struggled to get the words out as he squeezed me tight before releasing me and giving me a gentle kiss on the lips.

  “So, you removed all the spirits possessing these witches?” he noted as he gave the dagger a brief glance before looking over at the group of witches that Mr Brady was now addressing with his daughter.

  “Yeah. Still getting used to this new power,” I admitted. “But we know where Joseph is.”

  “Then I guess we’d better head there and put an end to all of this. He will face punishment for his crimes,” Mr Brady said as he turned back to face us while he fixed his hair.

  “I need to do this,” I said firmly.

  “I know. And I won’t stop you. Lucas informed me of what needs to be done. We will provide support and backup. The Council members are dealing with the zombies and returning order, while Abel has portaled to my home to check on everyone and update Charlotte. They’ll then come find me, as I’ve given them a special magical tracker on me for easy seeking,” he explained.

  I nodded softly at this.

  “Catherine, do you mind staying with these witches and making sure they’re safe here? I will go with Allison and her friends. Rebecca, it is up to you what you’d like to do,” Mr Brady said.

  “Okay,” Cathy nodded, accepting his instruction.

  Rebecca was staring at Ollie, and she strode over to plant herself before him, not caring that he was as naked as a newborn.

  “I want to help you. I owe you more than I could ever repay you. I was a shit sister, and I know that,” she said softly. “I will try to make it up to you.”

  Ollie managed a small smile before rolling his eyes and hugging her.

  “You stood up to mom. That’s pretty big of you,” he said as she pulled a face, clearly unimpressed with his naked body, but she quickly got over it as she hugged him back tightly.

  “Well, I guess I finally refused to be blinded and saw everything for what it really was,” she mumbled.

  “Well, this catch-up has been great and all, but we really need to get moving. As much as I don’t want Allison taking on a killer warlock, people are still dying out there,” Skip interjected, cutting everything short.

  “Right, let’s go,” Mr Brady said, giving a sharp nod as a portal opened up beside us.

  I gripped the dagger tightly, warmth flooding through me from it.

  Lucas took my other hand while Marcus stood behind me, and Skip took up a position on my other side with Ollie.

  I had my mates with me.

  This was it. With their support, I’d see this through.

  I could do it.

  10

  I shuddered as we appeared on the campus, my men standing firm by me as everyone else filed through the portal.

  I clenched my teeth at the sight before me.

  Bodies sapped of their magic and life force lay strewn across the campus, some of them reanimated and trudging around.

  But my gaze locked onto the man that stood at the center of them, staring up at the sky as shadow creatures swirled overhead.

  My blood ran cold at the sight of the man, wearing a pristine blood-red suit, his brown hair cut short, while a rather shaggy beard only added to the oddly creepy look as he lowered his face.

  Even from here, those nearly black eyes bore into me as his mouth curved into a wicked grin that made my skin crawl.

  So this was Joseph Murphy.

  “Shit,” Trish muttered as all the zombies took notice of us.

  Shit was an understatement.

  Their strange moans and cries split the air as they tore towards us with lifeless eyes, and the shadow creatures plummeted down from the sky in a frenzy.

  Mr Brady and Lucas leaped into action, hurling magic as Skip shifted along with my grandmother, Rebecca, and Brad, in order to fight the zombies.

  Rebecca took on the form of a tiger as she roared and pounced on the nearest zombie.

  Brad was darting beside my grandmother in dingo form, and they teamed up to drag down another zombie, while Skip bounced up and kicked one, sending it flying through the air.

  Marcus flitted around, tearing their heads clean off and rendering them useless as the bodies collapsed to the ground.

  Seeing him acting so…brutal, made me do a double take as he flitted to another one.

  Marcus had
never liked his vampire side, but right now, it was the best thing we had for the zombies.

  “Mom!” Emma cried out as she raced past me, and I spied her mother and whom I could only imagine was her aunt heading our way.

  Emma screamed as a blast of magic was hurled at her by her mother and aunt, but she managed to deflect it as I rushed to her aid.

  “It’s not them, they’re possessed,” I hissed as my banshee moved restlessly within me.

  “I know,” she growled out as she took up a defensive stance.

  The shadow creatures were blotting Joseph out from view now, and I cursed inwardly as Mr Brady and Lucas worked on dealing with the vast number of creatures.

  Too bad it seemed like Joseph was just creating more each time they destroyed some.

  Where had Walter gone anyway?

  I turned, flicking my gaze around us as I desperately sought him out. He’d stepped through the portal, but he was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘You can’t defeat me, Allison. Even with that dagger, you’re no match,’ a dark, hollow voice said, slithering into my mind, and I gritted my teeth at the sharp pain in my head as the dagger burned in my hand.

  Joseph.

  ‘That dagger is an extension of me as well. I will take your power before creating yet another wendigo to take Walter’s place. With it, I can take control of all vampires. I’ll have a truly unstoppable force then, combined with my monsters. Mankind will dread the day they learn of the full existence of supes,’ Joseph said, his voice echoing around in my mind as my banshee hissed.

  ‘Why are you doing this?’ I demanded as Emma deflected another blast from her mother and aunt.

  Why were they even here? Why were they not with all the other witches? There were no other witches here save for them.

  ‘Because mankind is a plague that needs to be wiped out. Supes are the true species,’ he replied and chuckled darkly.

  I frowned at his words.

  He really was just a madman, intent on power and wanting to wipe out those who opposed him.

  I could feel it, like the blade had given me a link to him at this close proximity.

  He wanted to rule a new world of only supes, using those he controlled to wipe out humans and create a world of his own making.

  He was completely insane.

  ‘Ah, perhaps. But I was able to plan everything. I set my son on a path of finding you, so that one day, you would destroy him and free my soul. I saw everything, including your fall at my hands, of a world made new,’ he said, his voice laced with a darkness that made a shiver course through my very bones.

  None of this was my fault. He’d orchestrated everything, he’d laid the path. I didn’t know how, but he had.

  “Father!”

  I felt Joseph jerk free from my mind, the pain that had me immobilized lifting as Walter appeared off to the side.

  The shadow creatures dispersed from around him as a bone-shaking roar split the air, and the golden dragon spewed flames into the sky.

  “Walter,” Joseph called out in shock as he gazed at his son. I was quite pleased at the horrified and confused emotions that raced across his face as he scowled.

  “I guess I shouldn’t call you that. You were never a father to me. You turned me into a thing I despised,” Walter snapped.

  “I turned you into a powerful being, feared by all,” Joseph shot back. “You should be thanking me.”

  “Never.”

  “How are you even here? She killed you,” he demanded as he stepped forward, as if he didn’t believe Walter was really there.

  “Really? All this talk of seeing everything, and you didn’t see this?” Walter asked with a smirk.

  “Some things can be hidden from me,” Joseph said, although his voice faltered ever so slightly.

  “Now’s your chance,” Emma hissed as she launched a wave of magic at her mother and aunt.

  Lucas stepped in, powering the magic wave up and knocking them back.

  She was right—Joseph was distracted as he focused on his son, and Walter had him angled away from me.

  I wasn’t a fan of stabbing someone in the back, but if it was how it had to be done, so be it.

  I shot forth, dodging a zombie that lurched for me, but Marcus quickly dealt with it while Trish and Brad took down another one nearby.

  Ollie was holding the shadow creatures at bay with Mr Brady and Lucas, while Rebecca was putting down as many zombies as she could by tearing their throats out until their heads were barely connected. Skip was just knocking them down each time they tried to rise, giving Marcus a chance to disengage them.

  I gripped the dagger tightly, my banshee preparing herself for what was to come.

  My heart hammered in my ears as I drew closer to Joseph, his power rippling the air and making it heavy around me.

  I could do this.

  I had to.

  “Not so fast, girlie,” Joseph spat as he spun around, knocking me back with a shockwave of energy.

  My mates’ hearts dropped as he stepped closer to me.

  “Did you know, us warlocks are capable of a similar magic to your touch of death? It’s not as easy to do, and the punishment is death. A lovely little death curse. Quite a nifty thing,” he sneered. “Perhaps I’ll just kill you and see if I can steal your power from your corpse.”

  I stared at him, glaring at those dark eyes, and realized I saw the slightest hint of fear in their depths.

  He was afraid of me.

  He waved his hand, and I felt the magic burn through me, tearing into my being with the intent to kill as my mates shot into action.

  A deep power inside me shot forth, and I collapsed as a wave of purple energy tore out of me, banishing the dark magic that had tried to dig its claws into me and claim me.

  “What?!” Joseph barked.

  I sat up quickly, still clutching the dagger as I drew in a few sharp breaths, my heart skipping a few beats as I tried to register what had happened.

  Lucas’ protective magic.

  It had to be it.

  ‘It won’t protect you again!’ Lucas said frantically in my mind as he rushed towards me.

  Could Joseph try the curse again? Did he need to recharge? Something told me it wasn’t an easy magic to wield, but I wasn’t about to find out.

  “You’re a monster!” Walter roared as he shot forth, slamming into his father and dragging him to the ground in a flurry of magic.

  It sizzled and cracked, thundering around them as they tumbled and fought, and the power resonating off them had me gasping in shock as I shielded my eyes from the glow that engulfed them.

  “You are only a remnant of what you once were!” Joseph shouted as he tossed Walter off with a blast of magic that made the earth shake beneath me.

  The crackling magic around him fizzled out, and Walter groaned as he hit the ground hard.

  I had to do this now while I had the chance.

  I shot forward, but cried out when Teresa barreled into me.

  “I won’t let you stop him, you evil child!” she spat, her voice laced with an eerie undertone of a spirit.

  “Time to set you free,” I hissed as I let my banshee forth.

  Teresa gasped as I yanked the spirit from her and destroyed it quickly before rolling out from under her.

  “You’re a spirit. I can control you, son,” Joseph said, then laughed maniacally as he stretched out his hand.

  “Not every spirit,” Walter said with a grimace, which slowly curved into a delighted smile when Joseph couldn’t do a thing with him.

  I darted forward, holding the dagger tight as my banshee urged me on while he was distracted and turned away.

  Sure, he’d spun around last time, but I needed to try.

  “How?” Joseph barked as Walter rose to his feet once more.

  “You’re using banshee magic to control them. I have my own banshee magic helping me,” Walter stated as he raised his own glowing hand.

  I reached Joseph, pulling my arm back an
d preparing to thrust the blade as deep as I could into his back.

  I gasped as he turned with the speed of a vampire, quicker than humanly possible, and he clamped his hand around my throat.

  “You don’t know when to give up, do you, child?” he sneered, his putrid breath hitting my nostrils and making me gag.

  He caught my hand with his free one, holding the blade at bay as my banshee screamed inside me.

  But my throat was clamped shut, incapable of releasing that scream to protect myself.

  ‘Allison!’

  I whimpered as his fingers tightened, and the dark, hateful look in his eyes was slowly overcome with a sadistic joy.

  “I will take your power and leave you as nothing more than a shell,” he hissed.

  I gasped, struggling for air as the bruising grip on my throat sent pain down my neck and into my chest.

  No. I needed to stop him.

  I gasped as the agony flared up inside me, his magic weaving through my being as he sought out my soul magic.

  My eyes glazed over

  Joseph cried out as a hand clamped on his wrist hard, and the snap as he shrieked filled me with a deep satisfaction before his hand fell away from my throat.

  I sucked in mouthfuls of air as Marcus started to yank me away, but Joseph cursed at him.

  “You’ll regret that!” he snarled as his arm snapped back into place and he caught my throat again.

  Marcus’ face twisted into one of sheer anger as he reached for Joseph again, and everything slowed down as I watched the moment unfold.

  I moved to pull the dagger up that I still held, since Joseph hadn’t caught it with his other hand.

  But he slammed his hand into Marcus’ face before he could react, his fingers crunching down onto his head with insane force.

  I sputtered as the power surged through me once more, and my banshee wailed as my own magic fought against his.

  My whole body froze up, and I flicked my gaze to the dagger in my hand, wishing I could plunge it into him.

  He was right here in front of me…

  I clenched my eyes shut as the pain seared through me, scorching every fiber of my being like hellfire. I wanted to scream and writhe in agony, to do anything I could to escape this horrid pain.