by J. L. Weil
Over my dead corpse.
Destroying Division Fourteen to gain her power back meant little to her, as did the lives she took. What a fool. Without Frisco Bay, there’d be no land, no life, no blood.
The metal door of one of the chambers shrilled open, followed by a whimper in the dark. A smile donned on her lips when Lilith shined the torch in her hand inside. The light cast flickering shadows into the room and over the damp ceiling.
I gasped, unable to believe what I was seeing. This couldn’t be real. It had to be someone messing with my head—another witch—one Lilith had power over. My eyes didn’t want to consider what they were seeing.
Abbey was shackled, her hands and feet bound in chains. Tears fell down her cheeks as she glanced up into a pair of sultry blue eyes shining in the dark.
My head shook back and forth, my own tears stinging my eyes. I called out her name, but it was useless, for this was only a dream.
But as the thought flittered through my brain, I was positive Lilith had managed to capture my friend—a witch who was part of my coven. My guess, Abbey was there to save her sister. She’d been the bait, and Abbey had fallen into the dark queen’s net.
The vampire beside Lilith flashed to a cowering Abbey and hauled her to her feet. “Maybe you’d like to play a little game of chase?” The vampire laughed at his sadistic joke, a wild and demented sound.
I wanted to carve his soulless eyes out with a hot poker and yank his bloodsucking fangs out by the roots so they’d never grow back. Prick. He had just earned himself a place on my hit list.
“I’ll even give you a head start, little witch,” he hissed in her ear, eagerness dilating his pupils.
Regardless of the fear in Abbey’s wide gaze, she tilted her chin up. “Fuck off.” Then she spit in the bastard’s face.
That’s my girl. Pride swelled within me. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight, despite the fact she was ten different kinds of scared shitless. It came off her in waves. I could feel it vibrating inside me, amplifying my own fear.
We both knew there would be consequences for such bold actions. The vampire backhanded her, sending Abbey to the ground.
Lilith entered the chamber, tsking her tongue. “Now, Silas, that isn’t how we treat our guests.” She wore black robes edged in red. Her hair was thick, framing her face in dark slashes. “Abbey.” She gestured toward my friend with a sweeping of an arm. “How about we have ourselves a little girl chat?”
Abbey only whimpered.
Lilith leaned near her ear, whispering something beyond my hearing. Then the vampire queen straightened, the smile on her lips too full of mischief and self-pleasure.
With a rustle of her silk dress, Lilith spun around, turning her back to the witch huddled in the corner. Abbey’s shoulders quaked from tears. I wanted to comfort her, to let her know she wasn’t alone, that I would find her, but the dream was a barrier I couldn’t penetrate.
Lilith lifted an ornate item she had been holding—a mirror. She stared at her reflection in the glass, but instead of the beautiful temptress, an older woman whose skin was weathered, drooping into folds, showed. Her obsidian hair was thin and gray. The mirror showed her aging years, decades, centuries. A vampire’s life might have once been eternal, but the Rift had changed all of that.
On a scream of rage, Lilith hurled the mirror, smashing glass over the cavern floor. Storming to Abbey, Lilith yanked back the witch’s head, extended her fangs, and struck, tearing into her ivory throat with voraciousness. She drank fast and deep, until the light in Abbey’s eyes went blank.
I screamed.
Chapter 13
I woke sitting straight up, screaming, icy terror hitting me in the gut, but not for me.
Oh, Abbey. Not Abbey.
Zavier’s arms curled around me, soothing me until I could get control of the sobs racking through my body. “Hey. It’s okay. You’re okay. It was only a dream.”
No! No! No!
It wasn’t only a dream. I buried my face into his chest, holding on as if my life depended on it…and in a way, it did. I tried to tell him it had been a vision, that Lilith had wanted me to see, to know she was getting closer, but tears and pain made it impossible to speak.
“What happened? What did you see?” His fingers stroked my hair.
“Oh God. I couldn’t…” To my horror, my voice wavered as my eyes filled with tears again, my insides churned up. “S-she killed her.”
Zavier’s eyes narrowed, slanting like a cat’s. “Who? Lilith?”
My fingers curled into fists, my body tense. “Abbey,” I whispered hoarsely. “The vampire queen killed her. I saw it.”
“You’re sure?”
“For someone who is always so perceptive, you question me now?”
He gave a curt nod. “We need to tell Colin.”
“I don’t know if he is even back yet. What if it was a trap?” The idea of my brother getting hurt or captured sent me into a tizzy. There was another emotional break building inside me, and it was right on the horizon. I needed to keep it together, but it wasn’t as easy as a snap of my fingers.
The hints of blue in his irises gleamed with heat. “We’ll get word to your brother.”
This was one of those times I wished cell phones were still a thing. My eyes were wet, the lashes sticking together. “I should have known. I should have protected her.” Abbey was part of the coven because of me. It had been my idea. I was the one who had recruited them.
Zavier hooked a finger under my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Hey. This isn’t your fault.”
I disagreed, but it would be pointless to argue. “Crying pisses me off.”
“I know,” he murmured. “Better to let it out now. I swear you’ll feel better.”
“I’ll get it together in a minute,” I said after an ugly sniffle that suggested I was going to need more than a minute. “Do you have a sister or something?” He was awfully good with this whole consoling thing. It made my attraction to him increase a notch for some stupid reason.
“No. But I do have one annoying, pain-in-the-ass brother.”
“Wow. We have something in common. Who would have thought?”
Zavier brushed the hair off my face. “You okay now?”
“No,” I said honestly. “But I’m going to make that bitch pay for what she’s done.” She would suffer first. I swear it. Another vow I intend to keep. Anger snapped inside me, like little bolts of lightning.
He held out his hand. “What are we waiting for?”
I lifted my head, regarding Zavier. He was so different from any warden I knew. Liam never would have encouraged my deep desire for revenge, let alone want to help. I might learn to like the jerk. Zavier was turning out to be quite useful, and not just in bed.
With a stiff lip, I set those feelings of utter sadness and loss aside, concentrating on the fury pulsing within me. I placed my hand in his.
He gave my fingers a squeeze.
As I moved to the edge of the bed, a dog howled through the open window. My whole body locked up.
It was a sound I knew well, one that had often haunted my dreams as a child. Her hounds. Lilith’s devilish pets.
“They’re coming,” I whispered.
“Who is?” Zavier asked.
I dragged my gaze from the moonlit terrace, turning toward Zavier. His eyes were glowing. “Get up. Get dressed. We don’t have much time.” My hand flicked out to bring in more light. The hearth roared to life.
Running a hand through his disheveled hair, Zavier caught the pants I threw at him. “You could at least tell me who or what is coming.”
“Her dogs. Hurry. Can’t you hear them howling?” I moved around the room, tossing random clothes on.
Zavier tugged on his pants, and then gave me a weird look. “No. I don’t hear anything.”
“I’m telling you, she’s let them loose. They’re hunting. We have to do something. We have to stop them.” No one else was going to die tonight. Not if I
could do something to stop it. I hadn’t been able to help Abbey, and I had no idea if Katie was still alive, but I refused to let Lilith terrorize another soul. And no one better stand in my way.
“I’ll alert the wardens who stayed behind,” Zavier said as he slipped into his pants.
Finally. Less talk. More action. I threw on my boots and went to the door, expecting him to be right behind me. Outside, the echo of what sounded like a dozen hounds howled, a long, deep warning. “What’s taking you so long?” I griped, ready to walk out the door without him.
“I need a shirt. If you remember, someone ripped the one I was wearing after I got shot. Don’t move.” He used the adjoining door.
I rolled my eyes.
Ten seconds later, he returned with a shirt and blade. “You got a weapon, minx?”
“I don’t wear these boots for a fashion statement.”
“Good to know.”
We headed straight for the warden quarters on the first floor. I didn’t even think about what time it was. The guards worked in shifts, but with Colin gone and taking a group, the compound was thin on defense.
Something told me the wicked witch had known, and used it to her advantage, striking when we were at our weakest.
“Has my brother returned?” I asked Doyle, the second in command when Colin wasn’t in attendance.
“Not yet,” the older warden said. His temples were peppered with silver strands.
“We’re about to get some unexpected company. How many wardens are in the compound?” Zavier demanded.
“Ten, maybe fifteen,” Doyle replied.
I groaned. “It will have to do. The compound is about to be under attack. Get everyone you can.”
Doyle straightened his shoulders. “Are you certain?”
Zavier slammed his hands down on the desk. “Did she stutter? Unless you want to explain to Colin how his sister wound up in the clutches of the Berkano vampires, I’d move your ass.”
“What’s going on?” a fourth voice came from around the corner.
I spun and sighed. “Liam. Thank God. There’s no time to explain, but Lilith has released her hounds.”
Liam’s gaze went over my head, waves of testosterone pouring off him. This was the first time Liam and I had spoken since the night I had ended things. Something told me he wasn’t as happy to see me as I was to see him. “You’re sleeping with him,” Liam shouted.
I didn’t understand what that had to do with what I had told him, or why he wasn’t barking orders. “Did you hear what I said?” Now was not the time to make a spectacle and air our dirty laundry, but he seemed dead set on doing just that. “Or have you conveniently forgotten what happened the last time her hounds were set loose?”
Doyle shifted on his feet, looking about as uncomfortable as I was starting to feel. Today was not the day to mess with my emotions.
A grim line set on Liam’s lips. “I’m having a tough time believing anything that comes out of your mouth.”
Great. Nothing like being called a liar in front of everyone.
Zavier stepped in between Liam and me, and shoved Liam in the chest. “Back off. What she does in her personal life isn’t your concern anymore. You should be concerned with the pack of hellhounds barking at our gates. It is only a matter of time before they break in. And we both know what they are looking for.”
All eyes turned to me. I blanched and then flushed.
“You better not be wrong about this,” Liam seethed.
Tension between the two wardens rippled in the air as they stared each other, neither backing down. “Colin trusts me, and deep down, you and I want the same thing.”
The stare down continued, and the lack of production was making me antsy. Liam finally gave a curt nod before sounding the alarm.
“Was that necessary?” I muttered.
“It got the job done. Besides, he was wasting time that could be spent gathering what little defense we have.”
No argument there. When it came to intimidation, Zavier seemed to have a knack for it.
Together, we moved down the long corridors, through the great hall, and into the night.
“Stay close to me,” he advised, his gaze meeting mine.
I scanned the night, over the sea and into the woods. “I don’t see anything yet. What if I’m wrong?”
The wind blew in, carrying the scent of death, foul and ugly. Zavier uncoiled his arms and pushed up his sleeves, flashing the sword in his clutches. “You’re not. I can sense them.”
“Then what is taking the assholes so long?”
“You anxious to get the chance to use that knife?”
I glanced at Zavier from the corner of my eye. “If you keep talking, I might be tempted to use it on you.”
The wind rose, snapping through the trees and over the water as feral howls rolled through the air in desperation. Magic surged under my skin, my breath whistling in and out of my lungs as I ordered myself to stay calm. I concentrated on what was to come, forcing my legs to remain planted and firm. I wouldn’t run in fear, and ignored the instinct. Abbey’s face played through my head, fueling my anger.
The first wave tumbled out of the viscous fog, pouring up the hill with barred teeth and sharp claws. Eyes of blood radiated through the dark.
Zavier’s sword sliced in a sharp stroke, cleaving the head of a hound as it lunged. My hand clutched on my blade, the other touched the rune etched into the back of my neck. Fire shot down my arm, engulfing the sleek silver knife.
Zavier arched his brows. “Neat trick. Do me a favor…don’t get bit.”
“I’m not planning on it.”
With a furious growl, a hound streaked toward me, leaping to snag the end of my shirt in its jaws. In a blur of speed, a dark shape flashed out of the shadows. Zavier’s sword swept down behind me seconds before fangs sank into my hip.
“Watch your back, minx.”
I smirked. “That’s what you’re for.”
He wiped the end of his blade on his thigh. “Oh, now you want my help.”
Lilith’s hounds could rip limbs using their jaws only—notorious killers, and one was staring me down. Matted, coarse hair covered its body. Rows of serrated teeth shined as the hound peeled back its lips in a growl. The beast wasn’t alone. Two others appeared.
Zavier stepped in front of me, twirling his blade in a full circle. “Remember to stay calm. And don’t let them get you on the ground.”
“This isn’t my first rodeo.”
The hounds attacked.
I hacked, punched, and pivoted, using my combined skills of fighting and magic, but only pulling out the powerful stuff when necessary. I didn’t want to attract any extra unwanted attention my way. I glanced at my warden.
“Zavier!” I shrieked. A hound was shredding his forearm. Blood dripped to the ground. He didn’t even flinch.
I made the mistake of taking my eyes off the other hound, and it cost me. A bear-sized paw swiped in the air, catching me in the chin and whipping my head to the side.
“Skylar!” Zavier bellowed.
Fear struck like an arrow vibrating in my chest as the beast leered over me, its fangs dripping slimy goop as it foamed at the mouth.
Disgusting.
Zavier’s warning echoed in my head as its massive claws pinned my arms and dug into my flesh. The mutt roared. It was like having Godzilla scream in my face.
I flung my hands up, latching onto the creature’s thick muzzle. Light flashed from my fingers, red as blood and hot as a lash from the devil himself. The force of it would have shot me backward if I wasn’t already on the ground. The hound wasn’t so fortunate. He went sailing through the air.
I stumbled to my feet. Chaos whirled around me in a mad blur of battle and death.
Zavier shot forward, and thank god he was so damn fast. His hands were around the hound’s neck in a second. He didn’t hesitate, his hands twisting.
The crack was a deafening sound that swallowed the hound’s cry.
&nb
sp; Zavier’s hand slipped along my cheek and into my hair. “Are you okay?”
My heart pounded in my ribcage. I nodded as best as I could. “What took you so long?”
He chuckled. “Just keeping you on your toes.”
Chapter 14
The moon dipped low in the sky, ribboning the first of its orange fire. I pulled the clip from my hair, and shook out the curls.
Zavier’s eyes scanned my body, before he slipped an arm around my waist. “You’re bleeding.”
My hand went to my face. “It’s nothing that won’t heal. I’ve had way worse. Trust me.”
He guided me toward the compound. My body ached, but the pain made me happy to be alive. A chilly air caressed my cheek, taking away some of the sting. At the top of the hill stood a figure outside the compound walls, the moonlight blurring their face.
I squinted, and then my heart tripped over. “Colin,” I exhaled, my shoulders relaxing for the first time in hours. I took off and threw my arms around his neck. “I was so worried.”
Colin let a weary chuckle, his arms slow to wrap around me. “You’re okay.” He pulled back, eyes sweeping over my face.
I swallowed the knot of emotion. “Just a few scratches. I’m fine.”
“You knew she released the hounds?”
I nodded. “We were able to fend them off before they reached the village.”
Colin’s eyes lifted over my head. “Thank you,” he said to Zavier.
The warden gave a slight nod. “If it wasn’t for Skylar, the hounds would have had the advantage. She gave us enough time to form a defense.”
“Let me guess, she was also barking orders.” Colin ruffled the top of my head. “Sometimes I forget how dangerous she can be.”
“That I can definitely attest to.”
I rolled my eyes, but was too happy to have Colin alive and home to protest. The wardens who had gone with Colin began to shuffle inside the compound, looking like they could all use a shower and ten hours of uninterrupted sleep.
A movement from behind my brother caught my attention. I angled my head to the side for a better view. Five little fingers clutched the end of his shirt, and a head peeked out.
