by K. A Knight
Screaming, I push his voice from my head. I don’t block him out even though that’s what they deserve. But I push him so far back I can’t feel him anymore.
Laughing bitterly, I lean back on the cold stone. I thought the darkness inside his head was bad. Fuck, I should have looked more closely, because now it’s inside me, too. The hate and anger burn through me for what they’ve done.
People walk closer again. Why won’t they leave me be? Or kill me already, if that’s what they have planned. This waiting and wondering is torture.
“Come out, little sheep. We need to talk,” a cruel voice says from my cell door.
Lifting my head, I look into the dead eyes of the man who appeared at my house.
“About what?” My voice is steady if not a bit rough, but shit, at least it doesn’t sound like I’ve been crying.
“The hunters who brought you in for one, and who you are for another.”
The magic running over the door dies and it swings open. He steps inside, and I gasp. It’s like all the air is sucked from the room and the blackness surrounding him is thick and moving.
The taint, just like Perses said, but how do I stop it when I’m in chains?
“Will you talk, or do I need to make you?” he asks almost gleefully; his eyes dance, making his preference clear.
Clambering to my feet, I lean back on the wall, knowing what my choice will be. “You’ll have to make me.”
An evil grin stretches across his face. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
58
Mikael
“How could we let them take her like that?” I seethe.
Alex looks from the closed council door to me, a warning clear in his gaze.
“Did you see her face?” Jason whispers, his eyes red and sad.
I nod as Ezra growls. Even Ben looks devastated, and Darius and Ezra haven’t spoken a word since we were pulled into the council.
“She wouldn’t even look at us. God, I bet she hates us,” Ben whispers, his voice cracking. “I had it all planned, how we would make her forgive us...”
“Enough. We don’t have time for this. She needs us now more than ever, even if she doesn’t know it. First, we need to come up with a story about Darius. Then, we protect the truth of what she is. Once we have the council on our side, we’ll start to plan how to free her,” Alex orders, but he starts to pace, his fists clenching at his sides.
I can’t imagine how hard this is for him, to have to let the council take his woman and do nothing as it broke her heart. Fuck.
“They’ll kill her!” Ezra booms, not even lowering his voice.
“We won’t let them,” Alex snaps back as we hear shuffling footsteps from inside the council chambers. “For now, we need to offer a united front. You can hate me all you want, but this is how we need to do it.”
Ezra glares at him as the door swings open.
“The council will see you now.”
Kneeling before the chairs of the council, I hang my head; not in shame but in an effort to hide my anger.
“Mikael, we are aware your coven was searching for you, and you come back with a new scar. You ran into some trouble, I take it?” Methyos, council member and head of house Athena, sits back in her chair and watches us coldly.
She’s not someone to mess with. In fact, I’ve been on the receiving end of her punishments, and it’s not something I wish to experience again. I guess I never really thought about how corrupt our council is, or about the darkness that seems to cling to them. Only Aurora opened my eyes to something I clearly never wanted to see.
Now, all I find is the corruption of their magic, greed as they taint what was given to them.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” I reply, my eyes still on the floor.
I know the rules well and all of my coven know how to play them. They see what they want to see: the good little slave witches. We need to play the part.
“Hmm, the scar around your neck says otherwise,” cackles Yilo, the head of House Kratos.
I ignore him and count the tiles on the cold floor. My knees hurt, but I won’t shift. I’ll only draw their attention back to me again. They’re toying with us, and we know it.
“What about the dead witch? I remember him dying clearly. Yet here he kneels. Explain,” Yilo booms.
When none of us answer, Trew, Ben’s brother and head of House Asclepius, speaks up, “Benjamin, the council asked you a question.”
He’s young for the council, but what he lacks in age he makes up for in malice. I never liked the prick, the way he treated Ben and still treats him, chafes on me.
“It seems our powers are expanding. We managed to draw Darius back; he wasn’t quite dead. The power of his magic and, of course, the council’s magic, kept him tied to this world. All we needed to do was tug. We will be exploring these new developments and the council will be pleased to have more firepower in their hunters,” Alex says dryly, playing them perfectly.
I almost snort at how thick he lays it on. If anyone can play the council, it’s Alexander Derol.
“Of course, we will be discussing this later. For now, we are here to discuss your latest capture.” William’s voice comes from the end of the chairs. He’s the meanest bastard of them all and head of House Themis and the council.
Lifting my head slightly, I scan the room we’re in. Their thrones—because that’s what they fucking are—line a dais in front of where we kneel on the marble steps leading up. The rest of the room is a long rectangle with chairs for observes. A red carpet runs down the center, leading to the magically enchanted double doors at the end of the room. Stained glass windows set high into the chamber’s ornate ceiling, refracts the light through them, creating a myriad of colors on the plain marble floor.
Guards are stationed around the room for our protection, of course; not because the council fears the monsters they created. That would be treason to admit.
“Yes, let’s discuss the half breed,” Methyos simpers.
“I have spoken to the female in question. She was forthcoming with some pressure,” William says, making the council members laugh even as my blood turns cold and my body hardens.
They hurt her? Rage and hate pour from my coven, and the only thing keeping us from snapping is the power swirling in the room from the council. It would be suicide and who would be left to help our girl then? But they will pay. For every fucking hair they touched, I will take it from their flesh. If they notice the influx of our power, they ignore it.
“It seems she’s not half human after all, but half reaper,” William finishes, sounding smug.
Fuck!
“Interesting,” Methyos adds.
“Does that mean she’s who we suspect?” Yilo yells.
“I would say so.” William’s fingers tap on the arm of his chair, his eyes taking us in. He sees too much, so I drop my eyes again. “But I believe the only reason she told me was to distract me from something else. She’s protecting something.”
Us. She’s protecting us. Even now, when she thinks we’ve betrayed her, she protects us. We don’t deserve her, but in Hekate’s name, we will not let her go.
Wait, they know who she is? That means they knew her parents.
“I say we call a trial,” Trew suggests.
“Seconded,” Methyos calls.
“Agreed,” Yilo answers loudly.
“Carried. Trial for the hybrid will take place tomorrow evening when the moon reaches its highest point.”
Murmurs of approval come from the others, then I feel all eyes back on us.
“After that, we’ll discuss with the hunters their part in this and test this new magic of theirs,” William mocks, his voice telling us he doesn’t believe us.
Not only do we need to save Aurora, but it looks like their cruel gaze has turned to us, and if we aren’t careful, they’ll kill us, too.
59
Aurora
Agony, pure fucking agony.
Every time I shift, anot
her wave of it bursts through my abused body, yet not one wound shows across my pale skin. No, the witch was too smart for that. Instead, he turned his black magic on me and unleashed it. I still feel the whip of it slicing through my insides, boiling my blood and heating my brain until I screamed wordlessly.
The torture seemed to go on for hours, but it could have been minutes as he asked me question after question.
The pain loosened my tongue, but even then, I told him only half-truths, enough for him to be satisfied to leave me alone. I wanted to taunt him about his famous fucking hunters, but something in me wouldn’t allow it. It seems my stupid heart still loves them, and with the bonds between us, I wasn’t able to.
Instead, I gave him what he craved, power over me.
Laying back on the cold stone, with my face pushed to the floor as I struggle to keep my eyes open, I let the tears fall. How could such a happy day turn into this? It seems years ago since I played with them in the woods.
Sighing, I watch the dust dancing in the air.
Before he left, William told me I would face death tomorrow. It means I have until then to escape. I need to concentrate on that, not wondering where my guys are or if they miss me like I miss them.
Escape, heal, then figure out a plan.
I need to get my hands on Hekate’s book, and it’s obvious I need to train more with my magic before I face the council again. Fuck, I even need to find the other men destined for me. I hoped to have time, to ignore all of this, but fate has different plans. I can’t ignore it any longer, or people will suffer.
So, how to escape?
Something shifts in the darkness against the far wall, and I suck in a breath, straining my eyes to see through the shadows.
“Who’s there?” I croak, my voice sounding like sandpaper.
“You don’t recognize me?”
The voice makes me freeze and sends me back to being a scared child again, hiding in her room from the monster under her roof. He steps out, letting the shadows that cling to his form fade enough to reveal his face.
My father.
Swallowing, I refuse to let him see me weak or afraid. So, even though it feels like torture all over again, I push myself swaying to my feet and lean back against the wall to place us eye-to-eye.
“What are you doing here?” Anger flashes through me.
I’ve been running from this man for years. Hiding, hoping it would all go away. It seems my past and my blood caught up with me today.
“I felt your power. How could I not when it’s so similar to mine?” He steps closer, and the moon from outside the cell hits half of his body.
He doesn’t even hide his wings or anything that makes him a reaper, like he did when I was a child. The last time I saw my father, he was a broken, damaged thing filled with anger and hate. The reaper who attacked us told me he was stripped of his charges, and it makes me feel sorry for him. Look what it did to that other man? No wonder my own father hates the sight of me.
Because of me, he lost everything.
“Why are you here?” I ask, my voice gaining some of its usual strength.
“I figured I should see how my daughter turned out.” He prowls around the cell. “When you ran, I gave you a couple of months before they found you.” He jerks his head toward the cell, and I know he means the witches. “Your mother was always so careful to protect you from this side of yourself and from them, but you can’t seem to stay away from trouble.”
He stops suddenly, inches away from me.
I have his eyes, and in him I see myself.
“You look like her,” he admits softly, and sanity flashes in his eyes before it’s blotted out again.
It reminds me of why I ran in the first place. In his drunken stupors, he threatened to throw me to the council, hell, even to the reapers. He told me in great detail how they would kill me, that I couldn’t be left to live not being the abomination that I am. He’s a bastard and my mother’s death warped his mind. Maybe he never loved me. I don’t know, but this isn’t my father in front of me. It’s a twisted hate-filled reaper; one who blames me for the death of the love of his life.
“I wonder how they will kill you?” He strokes my face.
I snap my head back, not wanting him to touch me. Calling on my magic, I try to blast his ass, but it fizzles out like every time I’ve tried, thanks to the chain around me.
He laughs, stepping back into the shadows. “I’ll be there watching. I have nothing better to do these days, and maybe with your fucking death, I can reclaim my job.”
The cell falls silent, and I shift nervously, searching the shadows for signs of him.
Stepping forward hesitantly, I push my hand out in front of me and keep walking until I meet stone. He’s gone.
Thank fuck. My shoulders slump, and I lean against the wall again, exhaustion running through my body. Being cut off from all my power leaves me weaker than ever. Who knew this was what I was doing to myself when I tried to hide from them? And now, what I wouldn’t do to have them again.
I guess I should be sad. My own father wants me dead. But it’s a fact I’ve known for a long time. Plus, I don’t have time to have a breakdown.
I need a plan, and I need one fast.
60
Alexander
After the council dismisses us, I lead my coven to a safe meeting place. Careful of the eyes and ears on us, we remain silent until we enter the warded, secluded library which my father built.
As soon as the door shuts, everyone talks at once, and I rub my head, trying to dismiss the headache building there.
Do they not understand I feel the same way? That I’m worried for Aurora, too? But she’s strong. She’ll have survived whatever William threw at her.
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to kill the bastard for touching her, though.
“Enough!” I shout, and they grow quiet, looking at me in shock.
I let them see my worry, my anger, and my heartbreak because it’s breaking with every minute I spend away from her. Regrets cloud my judgment. What if I told her sooner? What if I let her bond us all like she needed? What ifs will get us all killed. I can’t afford that. As much as it pains me, I push all those thoughts aside to be the leader they need.
“Enough. We don’t have time to fight. We need to come up with a plan and fast. We’re getting her out tonight.” They nod, and I sit at the table, waiting for those standing in the middle of the room.
Reluctantly, they all sit.
“So, what’s the plan?” Ben fidgets in his seat, his eyes sad and filled with worry.
Even Jason isn’t distracted by the books in here today. An anger and seriousness not a lot of people know him for are plastered across his face.
“We do what we have to do to get our girl back. Darius and Ezra, I need you to check your bond with her. See how she’s doing and get her to tell us exactly where she is. Jason, I need you to figure out a spell to break the spells holding her. Ben, I need you to go and play nice with the guards and council. Figure out the rotations so we can get her. Mikael, you’re with me.”
They all nod, a new determination hardening their shoulders, all apart from Darius who stares at the table.
“I’ve tried, but she’s pushed me out,” he admits quietly, trying to mask the pain in his voice.
Blowing out a breath, I lean over the table and clasp his arm. Ben does the same as every member of our coven leans over to offer him support.
“She’s hurt, that’s all,” I say. “We’ll make her understand. We’ll tell her the whole truth and earn her forgiveness. For now, we need to get her out, so I need you to use whatever fucking charm got you in her heart and get us a location.”
Darius laughs. “Fucking charm. I was an asshole to her.”
I can’t help the smirk pulling at the corner of my lips. “Then be an asshole again and get me that location.”
61
Darius
The others split off to do their jobs, with Jason teari
ng through books faster than a book-whore on a new release.
Leaving him to it, I find a quiet spot behind a shelf of books and slide down to sit cross-legged. I don’t know where Ezra went. I think he believes she won’t answer him, although I haven’t heard of them talking mind to mind. Maybe he’s tracking her another way.
With Alex’s words ringing through my head, I close my eyes.
I find our link instantly, her mind linked to mine. Pushing through the partial block she threw up, I linger in her thoughts.
Gasping, I hold back my cry of pain. Her whole body is alight with agony, and I know William’s responsible for that. I tuck that away for later, to make sure I remember how much suffering I need to put him through.
Princess?
She ignores me. Her thoughts rub in my head, but I refuse to push inside them. It will only make her hate us more.
Well, come on, your highness, don’t ignore me. It’s not like you to be quiet.
A burst of anger hits me, and I smile. Good. I’m getting somewhere.
Aww, is little Aurora upset? Did I hurt your delicate sensibilities, baby?
Fuck off, Darius, you momentous cuntholio, she sneers.
I laugh. There she is. Now play nice, princess. Are you hurt?
She hesitates, and I hold my breath.
Not physically.
Her curt response makes me wince. I guess I deserve that. Okay. I need you to show me exactly where you are. We’re going to get you out.
Why?
Her suspicion is like a knife twisting in my gut. Because we care about you.
She shuts down so fast I’m flung back into my own head, but not before I feel the pain of her heartbreak.
Opening my eyes, I stare at the books in front of me, tears swimming in my vision as Jason mutters to himself nearby.
Blowing out a breath and sucking down her pain, I close my eyes, ready to try again.
