by Alicia Rades
Another mongrel jumped on my back, his sharp claws digging into my shoulders. I reached behind me and grabbed a fistful of the skin on the back of his neck. His claws sliced through my skin as I ripped him off of me, but I barely felt it. Rage and adrenaline shot through me like a flood in an open waterway. A battle cry ripped from my lungs as my dagger sank into the chest of the next mongrel, then sliced the stomach of the one beside him.
Finally clearing a path from me to Sondra, I sprinted for her. She’d managed to take care of most of them, but there was one left and on the verge of biting her face off. I didn’t slow as I ran forward and swung my foot out. My foot connected with his gut as I punted him. His hands flew off of Sondra’s shirt, and he went soaring fifteen feet into the air. I quickly offered Sondra my hand and helped her to her feet.
“Thank you,” she breathed just before we both spotted another group of mongrels emerging from one of the tunnels and heading straight in our direction. “Go help Venn!” she instructed. “I’ve got this.”
I didn’t question her. I whirled around and sprinted toward Venn. Behind me, flashes of white light went off and electricity sizzled through the air as Sondra attacked the mongrels with her lightning power.
A vampire with dark hair held Venn down by his tail, while another with a ratface swung his knee up into Venn’s jaw. Ratface’s hands tangled in Venn’s fur and forced his head back, his fangs heading for Venn’s neck. Venn swung his good paw out, slicing his claws against the side of the vamp’s face. Ratface pulled back just in time for his eyes to connect with mine as my dagger sank into his friend’s back.
“Leave my boyfriend alone!” I snapped as Dark-Haired Vamp disintegrated into a pile of ash.
Ratface smirked. “Gladly. If it means I get you, Ravenite. I bet you taste wonderful.”
He was in front of me in a flash. He threw his arm out, and his palm slammed into my chest. My body flew backward and crashed into the cave floor with a hard thud.
“Too bad you’ll never find out,” I said through labored breaths as I swung my leg around, aiming for the back of his knee.
Ratface caught my leg before I could knock him off his feet. I shoved my dagger up into his shin. At the same time, Venn’s sharp wolf teeth sank into the vamp’s wrist. Ratface let out a scream and dropped my leg. I ripped my dagger from his flesh and sprang to my feet. Venn clamped his jaw tightly around Ratface’s arm and swung his head down, pulling Ratface to the ground. A moment of surprise caught his face a split second before my dagger entered his chest.
Venn dipped his head and brushed his fur against my hip, but we didn’t have time to enjoy each other’s company just yet. Witch Guy and Tiger Shifter had fought off their mongrels and were headed our way. The last vampire had abandoned his fight with Ryland and Teagan to join them. Mongrels flooded out of the caves behind us, most of them headed for the closest target—Ryland, Teagan, and Fiona.
There were too many mongrels to take on at once, not to mention the strongest of Matias’s men remaining.
My eyes darted around the cavern, first to Sondra, who was still using lightning to fight off the mongrels. She looked pale and weak, and her lightning was barely visible now as it cracked through the air. She was quickly running out of energy.
On the other side of me, my eyes fell upon the dark lake. It gave me an idea, which was a heck of a long shot but also our only option.
Finally, my gaze fell upon Matias’s men stalking confidently our way. Witch Guy’s lips moved, though I didn’t hear what he’d said. Suddenly, a glowing green ball of energy erupted from his palm, aimed straight for Venn. Venn ducked out of the way, and the spell exploded against the ground behind him. Witch Guy’s eyes flickered toward me, but he quickly looked back to Venn, anger etched in his eyes. The vamp and tiger beside him also had their eyes trained on Venn, like they barely noticed me there.
“Get them to the water, Venn,” I told him. “I have a plan.”
Venn nodded once. I spun around, praying he’d be able to handle himself against them for a minute or two. I ran toward Sondra, where she was just barely holding off the mongrels surrounding her. Her magic was getting weaker, and the mongrels were closing in on her. I swung my blade outward, cutting three mongrels in one swipe, and jumped over two others until I reached her.
“What will lightning do to vampires?” I asked in a rushed breath.
“With enough power, immobilize them,” Sondra answered quickly without looking at me.
“Great. How do I use it?”
The sound of the tiger’s growl sounded behind us. Please be okay, Venn.
Sondra’s gaze flickered to mine before returning to the mongrels in front of us. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and her face had drained of color. She looked on the verge of passing out. “Rae, you’re not ready—”
“I am,” I argued. At this point, it was do or die. I didn’t have a choice.
I glanced behind my shoulder to Venn. The tiger was on top of him, both of them snarling at each other. We didn’t have time.
Sondra hesitated before mumbling the incantation for me. “Fulgur. Focus the magic in your chest, then shoot it out through your palms.”
She quickly demonstrated, but her lightning barely stunned the mongrels.
“Fulgur…” I tested the incantation on my tongue. A strong jolt of magic passed through my chest, startling me. I hadn’t expected it to feel so powerful. The hairs on my arm rose as the magic passed through my body, but they quickly fell back into place as the magic dissipated. My muscles ached, as if I’d just finished benching a thousand pounds. This spell was not going to go easy on me.
“Fulgur,” I tried again, this time honing in on that energy and guiding it down my limbs.
Blinding white bolts of lightning shot out of my left palm and connected with at least a dozen mongrels, knocking them off their feet. A deafening crack thundered through the cavern, echoing across the lake. Sondra’s eyes widened, like she couldn’t believe I’d actually done it.
“Get these mongrels into the water,” I instructed, trying to mask my exhaustion. “And make sure Venn doesn’t die.”
Sondra nodded confidently.
I whirled around and shouted across the cavern. “Teagan!”
She kicked a mongrel off Ryland’s back while Ryland’s teeth sank into the throat of another one. Her eyes darted to mine.
I muttered the incantation again to show her my lightning. I took a chance and directed it toward the tiger shifter. It connected with his chest, stunning him enough that Venn gained the upper hand and sprang to his feet, dodging another spell Witch Guy threw at him. With my eyes on Teagan, I gestured to Venn then to the water. Behind her, Fiona’s fox eyes widened in realization, and Teagan’s quickly followed. Teagan patted Ryland’s back and whispered something in his ear before he took off running toward Witch Guy and the vamp beside him.
I turned to the mongrels and repeated the incantation. I struck five at once, all of which disappeared upon their death. The others shied away, retreating slowly toward the water as I advanced on them on unsteady feet. Ahead of me, Sondra and Witch Guy were battling it out. She shot purple spells at him that looked like fireworks, while he threw green balls of energy back at her. Ryland barreled into the vamp, knocking him backward into the water.
One by one, the mongrels entered the lake, their feet splashing up water at the edge of the shore. One of them in the back must’ve found a drop-off, because I saw his head bob under the water before he started thrashing around, trying to swim.
Almost there… I gritted my teeth and forced myself to focus past the dizziness assaulting me. I watched the tiger shifter and the Witch Guy closely. All in one moment, the tiger swiped his paw at Venn’s face, ripping into the flesh, while Witch Guy’s spell finally struck Sondra in the chest. Blood poured from Venn’s wound, and Sondra lay motionless on the ground.
The next second, their feet were at the edge of the water. I took my one and only chance and struck.
23
I blinked my eyes open to a white ceiling. Soft lighting bathed the room. My body felt warm and comfortable, unlike the cool, damp caves we’d been in. My stomach twisted in hunger. Hushed whispers met my ears from across the room. Venn and Fiona.
I pushed myself to my elbows to take in more of my surroundings. I saw that I was lying on a queen bed. There was a long dresser on the wall across from me, with a TV on top of it and a desk beside that. The curtains on my left were drawn, but I didn’t see any sunlight peeking in around the edges. It must’ve been late. To my right sat a matching queen bed with someone—I couldn’t see who—lying under the covers. Beyond that, a short wall that didn’t reach the ceiling separated the bedroom from the rest of the suite. I could hear Venn and Fiona talking from the other side of the divider.
A shadow crossed my bed, and a pair of soft but cold hands touched my shoulder. I leapt in surprise. My eyes darted upward to see Genevieve standing over my bed.
“Lie back,” she instructed in a quiet voice. “You need to rest.”
I sighed and did as I was told. “What’s going on? Is everyone all right? How did we get out of the caves?”
“I think I hear Rae.” Fiona’s voice came from the other side of the room.
Before Genevieve could answer me, Venn and Fiona popped their heads past the corner of the divider. Half of Venn’s face was covered in gauze and tape, but he smiled wide when he saw me. Relief flooded my body, and tears welled in my eyes.
Venn hurried past the other bed to mine. Fiona followed behind him, using a pair of crutches to stabilize herself.
Genevieve stepped aside when Venn reached me. He sat on the side of my bed and leaned down to me. His hands gently touched both sides of my face. I noticed tight gauze wrapping around his hand where the mongrel had bit him. My fingers grazed his good arm, just so I could touch him.
Venn dipped his head and pressed his lips to mine, a full, passionate kiss that sent a warm glow to settle in my chest. He pulled away far too soon.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Your plan worked,” Venn answered. “You stunned everyone, and we killed the rest of Matias’s men. We got out before any more mongrels attacked.”
My head relaxed into the pillow. “How’d we get out? The entrance was blocked.”
“There was another exit through the tunnels,” Venn said. “Afterward, we called Genevieve. She got on the first plane to Nashville and helped everyone with their injuries. We should all be back to normal soon.”
“Where are Teagan and Ryland?” I asked.
“They’re fine,” Fiona said, sitting down at the end of the bed. “They’re bringing back dinner.”
“Is Sondra okay?” I glanced to the bed beside mine.
Genevieve nodded. “She’s recovering.”
“So the spell that hit her…?”
“It was only meant to hurt her,” Genevieve answered. “It will pass.”
“What happened to everyone while we were separated?” I couldn’t keep the questions from tumbling out of my mouth. “I have so much to tell you.”
“One second you were there, the next you vanished,” Venn told me. “We turned back to go looking for you, but the tunnel led us back to the lake. Then we were attacked.”
I furrowed my brow. “How long did it take you to get back?”
Venn shrugged. “Maybe ten minutes.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I was gone for hours.”
“The labyrinth screws with your perception of time,” Fiona pointed out. “It may very well have been hours, but to us, it was just minutes.”
“Matias found me in the caves,” I blurted. “He got away with the Artifact. He gave me a blade and said—”
“We know,” Fiona interrupted. “Genevieve figured it out when she saw it. You were Elizabeth Martin.”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Which means only I can kill Valkas. Where is the dagger?”
Venn shot a glance at Genevieve. Translation: Genevieve had it.
My eyes darted between him and Fiona. “We’re trusting her now? Like, fully?”
Venn’s jaw tensed. “She didn’t exactly give us a choice.”
“I’m keeping it safe,” Genevieve emphasized. “For now.”
I lifted my head again, ignoring Venn’s hand pushing my shoulder back down to the pillow. “I have to go after him!”
“Yes,” Genevieve agreed, “after you rest up.”
“No,” Venn objected firmly. “You can’t go after him.”
“What are you talking about?!” I sat straight up, though my head spun. “We’re headed to Gregor Island anyway. We know where to find him and have the tools to kill him. We have to do this!”
“Going after your sister is one thing,” Venn said. “Trying to kill the original vampire is another. We’ll die before we ever make it close to him.”
I crossed my arms. “Are you doubting me? I’m the only person who gets to doubt me, and I’m done with it. I doubted myself as the Ravenite. I doubted myself in the caves. I doubted Synchrony. And I am done doubting. I can do this, Venn.”
Venn shook his head. “I’m only saying that this is Valkas—”
“And I’m Rachel Collins!” I burst. “I created the damn guy! I need to get rid of him.”
“How many lifetimes do you think that will take?” Venn asked rhetorically. “You’ve already tried, Rae. If something happens to you in this life, I wouldn’t…” He trailed off.
“This isn’t about you,” I said sympathetically.
Venn stared back at me, his eyes glistening.
I sighed. “I just mean that this is bigger than any of us. Wouldn’t the world be better with the vampires gone? Don’t you want revenge on them for changing your brother?”
Venn hesitated, but he didn’t get a chance to answer. The hotel room door swung open, and the delicious smell of Chinese takeout hit my nose.
“Dinner!” Ryland called.
“He ate half of it in the car,” Teagan teased.
“I had two egg rolls!” Ryland clarified.
Fiona rolled her eyes then stood, balancing on her crutches. “You better have saved me a crab rangoon.”
“Please,” Ryland scoffed as he came into view. “I know better than to eat your food.” Ryland’s whole body went ridged the second his eyes fell on me.
Teagan appeared behind him, carrying a handful of plastic bags. “Oh, good. Rae’s up. See, Ryland? I told you we’d need to order enough for her.”
Fiona followed Teagan as she turned to the living area to unpack dinner. Ryland paused for a long moment, crossing his arms and narrowing his gaze at me. I shifted uncomfortably on the bed. What was his problem? Before I could ask, Ryland spun around and disappeared behind the divider.
I looked to Venn for an explanation. “What’s up with Ryland?”
Venn hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure whether to tell me or not. His shoulders dropped. “He’s been acting like that since we learned you were Elizabeth Martin.”
I furrowed my brow. “Why? Isn’t it good news, since we know how to kill Valkas now?”
Venn chewed on his lower lip. “It is, but… he kind of blames you.”
“What?” I asked in disbelief. “But Valkas made me—Elizabeth—do it! He threatened her family… didn’t he?”
Venn nodded. “Ryland still says that’s no excuse, that because of your decision—Elizabeth’s decision—too many people have died. He says she should’ve chosen the greater good.”
“She couldn’t have known,” I argued.
“I know,” Venn said. “We’ve tried explaining it to him. It’s not your fault, Rae. He’ll come around eventually.”
I groaned. Ryland didn’t seem like the kind of guy to come around easily. Good thing he didn’t know I’d given up Th
e Wise Owl for the dagger; otherwise, he’d be furious at me. I was happy letting him assume Matias got away on his own—and not because of my impulsive decision.
I was starving, so I was going to have to face Ryland sooner than later. I started to get up, but Genevieve flicked her finger from the foot of my bed. An invisible force held me in place.
Holy crap! This lady had some serious magical skills.
“Stay,” she instructed. “You need to rest. I will bring you some food.”
Her hold on me vanished, and I relaxed back into the pillow.
“Dibs on an eggroll,” I called after her before turning my attention back to Venn. “So, about Valkas?”
Venn’s jaw clenched. “This isn’t up for discussion.”
My jaw dropped. “Who died and made you the boss of me?”
Venn took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, the muscles in his biceps rippling. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do—”
“But you are!” I accused.
“I’m just trying to keep you from making a stupid decision.”
I almost snapped back, until he pulled me into his arms. My head lay against his chest. I felt so warm and comfortable. It was like waking up in heaven. How could I argue with him when he felt this great?
“I care about you, Rae,” he said softly, placing a kiss on the top of my head. Tingles spread down my body. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”
I ran the palm of my hand up his arm, enjoying the goosebumps that traveled along my own skin. “I don’t want to hurt you, either.”
It was the truth. As I said it, the strongest sense of guilt assaulted my gut, immediately masking any appetite I thought I had. Bile rose in my throat.
It didn’t matter what Venn said or how much I cared for him. Once I was back on my feet, I was going to Gregor Island… with or without him.
