by Dakota Brown
"Yeah. We need to rest so we can go rescue our demon." I reluctantly pulled away from Ed and cast the cleaning spell over us. It was seriously the most useful spell ever. The shower Nikolai had made us was nice, but this was more efficient, and I was ready to curl up with my pack and sleep.
"What do you think Ash will do once we set him free?" Ed asked.
"I don't know. If he can't go home, he may want to stay with us for a while. He's been a prisoner for a long time."
Ed nodded. "We should keep him, if he'll let us."
"Keep him?"
"He's kind of grown on me," Ed explained. "He could join our pack, if everyone wants him." He held me with his gaze for a moment.
I raised my eyebrows. "I, uh, had not really thought of that. I mean, I hope he will stay with us, but fully bringing him into our pack?"
"You don't have to, you know. It's just a thought. He's going to need us, I think. We certainly owe him for helping us keep you safe and I'm not saying he should join us because we owe him, but we should give him the chance at least."
"Yeah, I'm fine with that. We'll help him however we need to." That was more than fair to me.
"Good." Ed held out his hand and I slid mine into his. He blushed again but his grip was firm as we left the grove. He didn't bother with his pants either.
When we pushed back the flap on the yurt, Doc, Allan, and Nikolai were already cuddled into bed, asleep, though Doc woke up enough to glance at us. They had left room on one side and I crawled in, curling up against Doc and Ed slid under the sheets behind me, wrapping his arms around me and to some degree Doc, as well.
"We're getting up in a few hours," Doc whispered. "Allan set an alarm."
I kissed his shoulder and nuzzled into his hair. "Sounds good."
Ed drifted off quickly.
I couldn't help but turn the details of my part of the plan over in my mind again and again. So much hinged on my ability to keep up with Nikolai. If we couldn't take out Ash fast, we were screwed.
Doc took my hand in his and tucked my arm against his chest before he kissed my knuckles. "You'll do great, Sofia. Now get some rest."
He must have used some of his vampire powers on me because I drifted off quickly and didn't dream.
Chapter 11
Sofia
We parked Doc's truck at a trailhead close to the Andersons' and got out. Nikolai muffled the sound of us closing the doors, just in case. There shouldn't be anyone awake at two in the morning, but better safe than answering awkward questions. Cool, crisp air stole the breath from my lungs and fogged it as it escaped my lips.
The hope was that we could sneak in, snag Ash, and get out. None of us believed it would be that easy and we had several contingency plans. Hopefully we were prepared.
It wouldn't take us long to walk there, and Nikolai thought he could hide us from the wards around the Andersons' house. He had managed several times in the past, but they might know that now and be prepared.
Ed and Allan slipped through the pine forest in wolf form, barely visible. Their job was to watch the perimeter and keep us informed through the pack bond. We had all been practicing, and it was much easier for us all to communicate. Though the wolves didn't use words, but the images, scents, and sounds they conveyed were as clear to the rest of us as if they had spoken in our minds. From Nikolai and I they had gained some ability to sense magic and were on the alert. They would split off as soon as we were through the wards.
Doc seemed to have fully embraced his vampire heritage. The only reason I knew where he was at was because I could sense him through our bond. He moved with us, silently, not even a whisper on the still night air.
Nikolai, though he was quite skilled at moving quietly, sounded loud in comparison to the other three. I hadn't even pretended I could keep up with their abilities and cast a muffling spell on myself. There was always the chance it would give us away, but it was either that or my crashing through the forest that would alert anyone even half aware for miles around. Someday I would learn that skill, but until then, I would have to make do with magic.
I split my attention between my awareness of Nikolai and the magic he worked and scanning our surroundings with my demon enhanced senses and magic. Knowing exactly what I needed to do, even before Nikolai showed me his method, was a little freaky. The demon really wanted me to succeed against the mages that had imprisoned her.
We had also informed Adriana of our plans. It was a risk, but one we thought we had to take. Otherwise, the Andersons might bolt before this council of hers could get their hands on the assholes. Well, I should say that I sent her a text message about ten minutes ago, checked to make sure it went through, then put my phone on silent.
We slipped through the trees, the sharp bite of pine strong on the crisp air. The snow was patchier on this side of the valley and we avoided stepping in it as much as we could.
I felt like I should be tired, but adrenalin coursed through me and I was on high alert, the smallest noise making me jump.
Nikolai took my hand and squeezed.
Trying to relax was like trying to bench press a truck. There was no way I could do it.
Well, maybe with magic.
Now I was distracting myself. I focused, or at least tried to. I was so not cut out for this sort of thing. As much as I hated to admit it, if Nikolai didn't need me to help cast magic, I might have sat this fight out. No. I really wouldn't have. The demon gave me everything I needed to succeed. I just had to trust myself.
We crossed the outer wards without any apparent notice, so Nikolai sent the wolves off to circle the mansion. They brushed against my legs, and I let my hands trail across their backs, sinking my fingers into their thick fur. Then they were gone, off in opposite directions to both keep an eye on things while we were inside and hopefully cover our retreat as we escaped. Nikolai called them our scouts and had managed to make them feel good about their roles despite them wanting to be in on the actual fight. He was right though, without knowing what was going on outside the mansion, we could walk right into another trap. Their role was just as vital.
It both seemed to take forever, and no time at all before we were crouched in the tree line staring at the mansion.
A few lights illuminated the grounds, and one light burned in an upstairs window, but otherwise it was quiet.
Ed sent us a quick image of sleepy guards walking the grounds. Two, not terribly alert. Allan echoed with the same information from the far side of the house.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when Doc appeared next to us. "Want me to take them out, or leave them?"
The deadly intent in his voice sent shivers down my spine.
"Leave them. Still trying for surprise," Nikolai answered after a quick hesitation.
Doc vanished again, after a quick brush of his fingers across my cheek.
I had thought my heart was pounding before, but that was nothing compared to the way my pulse raced as we snuck across the open grounds. Nikolai had already chosen our entrance, a second story window in a room he claimed was not used much. Doc could climb to it, slide it open and he and Doc could help me up. Or so he claimed. Doc had reluctantly admitted that he could use his powers to break into places, and we hoped that vampire abilities were so poorly understood in these days that the Andersons wouldn't be able to set alarm magic for it.
We made it to the edge of the house without being discovered and Nikolai directed us to the window he was after.
Doc, still more a shadow than anything, scaled the stone siding like it was a ladder, spent a moment at the window, and then slid it open. He disappeared over the sill and then returned, looking a little less like a shadow as he leaned out to grab me.
Nikolai made a stirrup with his hands and I stepped into it. He boosted me quickly and I reached for Doc's hand. He gripped me and easily hauled me into the window.
Doc held me tight for a moment while I trembled. "You're doing great," he whispered in my ear, barely loud enough for me to hear
.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
He released me and leaned back out of the window. Moments later, Nikolai stood with us. He also hugged me briefly.
Doc shut the window, though he left it unlatched, and then slunk to the door. He listened before cracking it open and slipping out.
Nikolai and I waited until we sensed from him that it was clear, then stepped carefully as we followed. According to Nikolai, some of the floorboards creaked, because of course they did.
If my pounding heart didn't give us away, a false step would, and I followed behind the other mage as carefully as I could.
The house was dark, though here and there a nightlight lit the halls. It was just enough to see by, and we crept to the staircase. Nikolai claimed that the only reasonable place to keep Ash would be in their dungeon-like basement. Especially if they were planning on a trap for us. Which was possible. There was no way we could expect them not to anticipate this move.
Though every moment stretched into an eternity, it didn't take long before we were down on the main floor.
Doc appeared and grabbed both of us and shoved us into a deep shadow. We crouched there, huddled together, Doc sheltering both of us with a cool touch of his powers deepening the shadows around us. He had never used so many of his abilities around me, and I made a note to ask him about it later. He hadn't really hesitated to use borrowed magic, but this was a side of him I hadn't seen.
Nikolai pressed against my back. I could feel his heart pounding almost as hard as mine was, and I was strangely comforted to know he was also nervous.
Moments later a pair of footsteps announced the passage of two people passing our location. Probably mages.
This time Doc didn't ask, he simply crept away. A few seconds later I heard a quiet thud then the soft click of a door. Nikolai held me until Doc returned.
"They'll be out for a few hours at least," he whispered.
"Should have killed them," Nikolai answered.
"Probably," Doc agreed.
Nikolai patted him on the shoulder. "Perhaps is good only one of us comfortable killing."
We moved out of the deep shadow and crept down the hallway until we reached the stairwell to the basement.
Nikolai paused for a long time before he touched the knob and turned it. We were all alert for magic. So far everything we had sensed was passively detecting anyone moving about in the house, and we had avoided being noticed. At least for now.
The wolves checked in. Nothing much had changed.
Waiting to be discovered was almost worse than actual discovery. Maybe. Probably not, but still it felt that way right now.
Doc moved ahead of Nikolai once the door was open. There were no lights on down there, but that wouldn't stop Doc. Nikolai and I were a touch more hindered and after a minute I reached out through our bond and borrowed Doc's lowlight vision, like the wolves had done with our ability to sense magic. My perception changed drastically, and I stumbled.
Nikolai caught my arm and pulled me against him, but we didn't talk. I adapted quickly, probably thanks to some innate memory from the demon. I realized I was seeing heat. That's how he did it. He couldn't see without light, he could see heat. Why had we never talked about this before?
Sensing that I had my feet under me again, Nikolai released me, and we continued down the stairs.
My memories of the stone basement were vague, but I recognized the quarried stone walls, the prickle of magic along my skin, and the musty smell.
Doc located Ash in a cell near the room where they had forced the demon to possess me.
I got the sense from the vampire that Ash was watching the doorway. He knew we were here, but so far he wasn't acting. Surely his orders would be to kill us on sight.
Nikolai and I crouched in the doorway.
"It's much harder to convince myself you're not a vampire when you're acting like one." Ash's voice shattered the silence, though he spoke quietly.
Nikolai and I both flinched.
"They still ordering you to kill the vampire?" Doc asked, his voice barely audible.
"Lucky for you, yes. Kill the vampire, kill the mages on sight. You'll have to kill me quick or I might not be able to resist my compulsions long enough to keep from murdering all of you."
He sounded so tired. Resigned. Like he no longer cared to fight for any sort of independence.
Damn it.
"If they don't already know you're here, they'll know as soon as we start. I'm sure they've prepared. They know you're coming after me."
Nikolai and I shared a glance and shrugged. The only way out of this was to rescue Ash or die trying. The Andersons would never quit while they still had his power to hide behind.
His lips brushed across mine and we prepared ourselves, shaping the spell we needed before drawing on our magic. It wasn't easy to shape the spell before calling our powers and having it work, but Nikolai and I had drilled all week.
The spell was twofold. It would blast through just about any magical barrier, and then, if Ash were still standing, it would stun the crap out of him. The spell was draining, hard to cast, and generally lethal to anything on the other side of it. We were counting on Ash's demonic nature to save him.
It was also easy to block if you knew how and we had a backup plan in case the wards we sensed around Ash deflected it. Doc knew to duck and cover as soon as we cast to avoid any backlash. His abilities laced with our magic should keep him safe. We'd made sure he was well supplied with both of our blood before we had left.
As soon as we had the spell formed, we leapt out from our cover, drew on our magic as deeply as we could, and blasted the spell toward Ash.
The resulting flash of light blinded me. I staggered, shrieking in pain as it overwhelmed my borrowed vision.
Nikolai grabbed my shoulder and dragged me forward, while I clutched at my face.
We slammed into the bars around Ash's cell just as something slammed down around us, attacking my ears with a pressure induced pop.
Nearly totally blind and unable to hear, I clutched at Nikolai's arm.
It took me a moment to sense them both through my bond and them trying to reassure me that it was all right. I hadn't even known I could use Doc's vision like I had, and I certainly hadn't been ready for the heat and light show that overwhelmed me.
Nikolai placed his hand on my forehead, and healing energy cooled the fiery pain.
"Thank you."
"Welcome. Is okay. Look."
I hesitantly opened my eyes. When I wasn't assaulted with blinding pain, I looked around. Soft light illuminated the space, probably from a spell Nikolai cast. Ash was sprawled on the floor. Long platinum blond hair covering his face. His chest rose and fell gently, reassuring me that we hadn't killed the poor guy.
Bars still separated us, but Doc touched them hesitantly, before gripping them in his hands and snapping them back easily.
"Don't be too impressed," he said, a small smile curling his lips when he saw the expression on my face. "The magic weakened them considerably."
Nikolai snorted. "You could have broken them if it hadn't. Don't lie."
Doc shrugged. "Maybe."
"Okay, we're trapped." Nikolai looked at a nearly visible shimmer surrounding us. "We release Ash now. Don't want them to see what we're doing. Sofia, secure our location. They may have us trapped but doesn't mean we can't also keep them out."
I got the idea of what he was after and cast an opaque shield around us. It would keep most everything out long enough for Nikolai and Doc to work on Ash.
The shield sprang into place just as footsteps crashed down the stairs to the dungeon.
There was a much longer pause than I had expected before I heard some muffled what the fuck whispers.
That reminded me... I pulled out my phone. Adriana had gotten my text and replied with a 'be careful.'
I suspected she didn't think she would ever hear from us again. Before they did something to block cell signal, I sent her ano
ther text.
Sofia: Ash is down. We're releasing him now. Could use a save though.
I put the phone back in my pocket. They would either come or they wouldn't, and I needed to concentrate on the shield spell I had up.
My skin prickled as someone probed the shield with magic. I glanced at the guys. Doc's long black hair mingled with Ash's as he leaned over the unconscious demon, fangs in his neck.
"Are you okay?" Nikolai said hesitantly.
"Not as bad as last time," Doc said when he leaned back, "but not pleasant. I'm not going to be feeling very good for a while." He wiped a bit of blood off his lips, wincing.
Nikolai clenched his jaw as Doc bit his own wrist so he could transfer the demon's magic to Nikolai. That was the big secret about releasing the demon, you needed some of their magic to do it. Doc had the ability to transfer powers between people with his blood. It was super secret. If the wrong people knew, they might lose their fear of the elusive race and start hunting vampires in earnest.
The mage took Doc's wrist and pressed it to his mouth.
I had tasted Doc's blood before. The first time he had taken Ash's blood in a successful attempt to subdue the demon. He hadn't known how badly demon blood affected him, though he had burned through a lot of the borrowed power rescuing me, it had still almost killed him. I'd taken the magic out of him by drinking his blood. It hadn't exactly done me any favors either, but at least I had been able to handle the demon magic better than Doc. Once I'd gotten beyond the fact that I was drinking blood, I hadn't found it distasteful. Nikolai clearly didn't share my experience in that regard by the twisted expression on his face.
He side-hugged Doc for a moment before falling into the spell to release Ash. It wouldn't take long, thought the prickling on my skin intensified as they assaulted my shield in earnest.
"Sofia," Alex's voice washed over me, and I shivered at the slimy feel it coated my skin with. "There's still a way out of this for you. With some training and a few promises, you'd be welcome amongst us."
I shuddered. Though I hadn't seen much of Alex recently, which I appreciated, I couldn't forget what he had done to me and everything he had helped do to our friends. Putting Victoria in danger, using Ash, helping kidnap me so they could use me to host a greater demon.
