“It’s pretty obvious to me.” Shon stood as well. “He answered the call.”
“The call?” But Madison knew what he meant. She simply didn’t want to believe it.
Vlad took pity on her. “Svetlana’s summons. And I can assure you that he would not have gone had it not been for the warlocks’ influence.”
That news should make Madison feel better, but it didn’t. “What are we going to do?”
“We are going after him,” Vlad assured her. “It’s safer for you if you stay inside these walls.”
Madison’s mouth dropped open. “You expect me to cower inside the condo while Svetlana has Simon?”
Vlad nodded. “That is exactly what I expect you to do. You have no idea what you are up against. The warlocks are extremely evil, and they possess more power in their little finger than even the strongest vampire can withstand. That’s not including Svetlana’s hatred of you.”
“Then how are you three expected to save him?”
With a shrug, Vlad touched her on the shoulder and moved toward the door. He looked back at her as he gripped the doorknob. “There’s power in numbers. The warlocks cannot control us all. At least I hope that is the case.”
He stepped out onto the sidewalk, Angel and Shon tight in his heels.
Sawyer set his cup on the bar separating the kitchen from the living room before moving to the door as well. “Don’t leave this condo. You’ll be safe as long as you stay inside.” And just like that, he was gone.
Madison paced in front of the sofa, feeling her strength returning by the second. It irked her to stay behind and cower like a puppy while the rest of them were out there facing Svetlana and the warlocks.
What if one of the warlock’s killed Simon? Madison’s heart turned over in her chest.
Could she really live with herself knowing Simon died while she stayed sat at the condo, walking a hole in the carpet? She couldn’t. He would come after her if the shoe were on the other foot.
With her mind made up, Madison yanked a scrunchie free of her jeans pocket and pulled her hair back into a ponytail before sailing out the front door and into the chilly New Orleans night.
Unsure of which direction to go, Madison closed her eyes and opened her mind.
An image of the haunted cemetery flashed through her mind. She opened her eyes and shot through a nearby alley before emerging onto Bourbon Street. Still, she ran.
The cemetery came into view a few seconds later. Madison could feel the death, the evil, and…Simon.
She blurred her way through the gate, only to come up short when Simon and Svetlana came into view, their hands interlocked.
“Well, isn’t this the sweetest thing,” Svetlana crooned, tugging Simon closer to her side. “Your little pet has come to save the day.”
Simon’s eyes were vacant orbs of baby blue. He stood there seemingly relaxed in Svetlana’s hold.
A shadow moved in Madison’s peripheral, letting her know they weren’t alone. The warlocks were amongst them.
Simon launched at her, taking her to the unforgiving ground without warning. The air whooshed from her lungs, and pain shot through her back.
Her hands shot up to push against Simon’s chest. “Simon?”
He ignored her, his fingers moving to wrap around her throat.
Svetlana’s tinkering laughter rang out through the cemetery. “That’s right, my love. End her!”
Madison was powerless against Simon’s strength. She could only stare up into his lifeless eyes while her heart cracked in half.
Something flickered in Simon’s gaze, and his grip loosened a touch. He tilted his head to the side as if seeing her for the first time.
“Please,” Madison whispered, hoping against hope that he could hear her.
Three shadows appeared behind him, murmuring words Madison couldn’t understand. The fingers around her throat tightened once more.
Chapter Thirty-One
Madison was going to die…and by Simon’s hands.
The murmuring of the warlocks grew in volume, resembling a swarm of angry bees.
Svetlana stepped into Madison’s field of vision, holding a wrought iron stake in her fist. “End her.”
Simon released Madison’s neck with one of his hands and accepted the stake Svetlana offered him.
As if in a daze, he slowly lifted the stake above his head.
“Simon, please!” Madison wheezed, her eyes locked onto that piece of iron. “Don’t do this. If I die, you die. Remember?”
The hand holding the iron began to shake. He was still in there somewhere. Madison had reached him. “They’re controlling you, Simon. I know you can hear me.”
A moan slipped past his lips.
“No!” Svetlana snapped, yanking the stake from Simon’s grasp. She knocked him to the side and dropped her weight onto Madison’s body.
“It’s time for you to die!” Svetlana bared her teeth and swiftly raised the stake above her head.
A blur of motion passed through Madison’s vision and Svetlana’s weight was suddenly gone. She landed with a thunk somewhere amidst a row of tombs to Madison’s left.
Simon gripped Madison by the hand and jerked her to her feet. “I’m sorry—”
A hiss burst from him, and his back bowed back at an awkward angle. The chanting of the warlocks started anew.
Madison could only watch helplessly as Simon was forced to his knees by an unseen power.
An unholy sound rent the night, and the hooded figure on Madison’s right disappeared from view.
Shon sauntered into the cemetery, a cocky grin on his face. “Well now, had I known there would be a party with the stiffs, I’d have worn my ruffled shirt.”
All hell broke loose.
Svetlana came flying from the darkness, her eyes red with rage. She slammed into Shon, sending them both crashing into the cement wall.
Flames abruptly burst from the ground, encircling them all in a ring of heat that took Madison’s breath.
She threw up her arms in an attempt to ward off the blazing temperatures.
Simon staggered forward, enfolding Madison in his arms, and shielding her face. “It’s a trick, Maddie love. Don’t look at it.”
But Madison could no more stop herself than she could block out the images of the snakes now falling from the sky.
Thousands of the slithering serpents crawled toward her, their tongues darting out in horrific forked nightmares.
“Don’t watch!” Simon commanded, pulling her in closer. “They’re playing on your fears!”
Madison knew he spoke the truth. She closed her eyes and breathed in a calming breath. She was a fucking vampire, and she’d be damned if she would stand there showing fear to these warlocks.
She backed out of Simon’s embrace, squared her shoulders, and ran toward the warlock directly in front of her.
“Madison, no!” Simon snarled from somewhere behind her. But Madison no longer listened. She allowed her fury to consume her until she could see nothing but her hooded target before her.
A sharp pain erupted behind her eyes, temporarily blinding her. She was yanked up by her feet and tossed back several yards to slam unceremoniously into the unforgiving concrete of a tomb.
She pushed to her knees in time to watch Simon blur his way around the cemetery, fighting black shadows of what could only be described as demons.
The fire grew hotter as more demons entered the fray, ripping into Simon from all directions.
Madison surged to her feet and was promptly met with a dozen shadowy imps of her own.
She backed up a step, her gaze darting to Simon as he continued to fight for his life.
A tall, cloaked figure suddenly emerged from the flames; his steps slow and precise. He moved through the throngs of demons as if they were merely shadows of the imagination.
The Impaler, Madison realized, watching as Vlad made a beeline for the two warlocks responsible for the havoc being reeked.
Though she felt a sense of relief at
Vlad’s presence, Madison couldn’t help but wonder if the Impaler’s age and strength would be enough.
Chapter Thirty-Two
In all Simon’s two thousand and some odd years of living, he’d never encountered sorcery as powerful as what he witnessed on this night. The demons were no figment of his imagination, and their strength seemed to match his very own.
He fought his way toward Madison like a man possessed with the very demons he currently battled. The shadowy figures were closing in on her, surrounding her in droves of darkness.
Vlad the Impaler breached the flames, moving through the fighting without batting an eye.
Angelo Dimitrov entered behind him, his frame tense and his eyes full of vengeance. He stood shoulder to shoulder with a creature Simon could only assume was Sawyer.
The beast stood upright, half man, half wolf. He dove into the insanity alongside Angel.
An explosion erupted at Angel’s feet, blasting him back through the very flames he emerged from.
More shadowed figures appeared, bringing with them the wrath of hell itself. They rushed Sawyer, flying through and around him faster than even a vampire could track.
Shon and Svetlana fought their way back into the crowd, demolishing headstones in their wake. Simon would worry about Svetlana later. He needed to get to Madison, and quickly.
Madison went berserk, kicking and fighting like a seasoned vampire. She was a lot stronger than Simon had been as a fledgling, and she belonged to him.
Simon finally reached her side. “Keep your back to me!”
The insanity seemed to go on forever, with Simon attempting to keep the demons off Madison. But then the ground opened up before him and a dozen more of the dark fiends climbed out.
We are going to die in this cemetery, Simon thought with a growl of denial. And he’d never have the chance to tell Madison how he felt about her.
Shon came crashing into him, nearly taking Simon off his feet.
“That bitch is strong,” Shon ground out between clenched teeth before a pack of imps ascended upon him.
Svetlana instantly appeared in front of Madison. “Now to deal with you!”
Simon wanted to scream his denial of what he knew was about to happen, but his voice hung in his throat.
His vision tunneled, zeroing in on the rose-scented bitch who’d been fighting Shon for the past several minutes.
She laughed. Svetlana actually laughed in the face of his peril. She knew he couldn’t kill her as much as he did.
A roar rang out somewhere in the midst of the chaos, and Simon realized it came from Vlad.
Angel, Vlad, and Sawyer fought their way around the cemetery taking out as many of the fiends as they could. Yet, the warlocks remained untouched.
Svetlana jerked Madison off her feet, disappearing somewhere in the shadows.
Simon went crazy, swinging at anything and everything in his path. He would surely die on this night, of that he was certain. But Madison wouldn’t. No matter what he had to do to make it happen… Madison would live.
A scream shattered the night, ripping Simon’s heart from his chest. The tormented sound belonged to Madison, his mate...his love.
As if from a dream, a giant white wolf sailed over the blazing flames of the fire and crashed into the warlock on the left. The sound of his throat being torn open could be heard over the unbelievable melee going on around them.
Another figure blasted through the flames, followed by a third one.
It took Simon a moment to realize they were females, and by the looks of them, they weren’t there for a barbeque.
The fire surrounding the cemetery began to flicker. Simon broke free of the demons ripping into his flesh and vaulted over a row of tombs, desperate to find Madison.
The sight that greeted him before his feet barely touched the ground, would haunt him into the afterlife.
Madison lay on her back, her eyes open and lifeless with Svetlana standing above her, holding her still beating heart in her hand.
“Nooooo!” Simon roared, tears of blood spilling from his eyes. His legs gave out and he dropped to his knees by Madison’s side.
An explosion rocked the ground beneath him, throwing Simon forward across Madison’s bloodied form. “Ah, God, Maddie…no.”
The flames parted in front of him, admitting a tall, pale-skinned stranger with a freshly shaved head.
Though the stranger’s eyes flicked in Simon’s direction, it was obvious Simon wasn’t his target.
“Ostende te!” the man shouted, his arms rising before him.
Simon recognized the phrase as the Latin words for show yourself.
Gathering Madison’s lifeless body in his arms, Simon pulled her close to his chest, and rested his chin on her forehead.
She couldn’t be gone. Yet the longer he held her against him, the more he knew it to be true.
He lifted his bloodied gaze to Svetlana. “I may not be able to kill you, you fucking piece of shit. But this will be the last night I walk the face of this earth. Come morning, I’ll greet the sunlight for the first time since you took my mortal life.”
Her eyes grew round with denial. “You can’t do it. You’ll spend an eternity in hell.”
“I’m already in hell.”
Vlad appeared behind Svetlana. “Speaking of hell, say hello to Gina Calimari for me.” He plucked Madison’s bloodied heart from Svetlana’s palm, and slammed his fist through her back.
Svetlana’s mouth opened without sound. She blinked once before Vlad ripped her own beating organ from her chest and then crushed it in his hand. She dropped to the ground with a thunk.
The fire surrounding the cemetery died away, and the screaming demons scrambled back to the black holes from whence they came.
Two of the hooded figures lay in bloodied heaps nearby, one missing a head.
The tall, pale-skinned newcomer, lowered his arms and sauntered over to Sawyer’s side. “We’re even now.”
Sawyer nodded, his golden eyes glowing from a face Simon barely recognized. “We are.”
Simon lowered his gaze back to Madison’s face. He’d lost her, the only woman he’d cared about since losing his family centuries ago.
Vlad lowered to his haunches next to Madison’s body. “We need to go before the police show up.”
“I don’t give a shit about the police!” Simon snarled. “Madison’s dead.”
The pale-skinned stranger spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention. “I can help her, but the Impaler is right. We need to leave this place.”
Vlad cranked his head around in the stranger’s direction. “Do I know you?”
“No, but I know who you are. My name’s Sam. I’m a friend of Sawyer’s.”
“The warlock,” Vlad responded.
Sam nodded and then shifted his attention to Simon. “It’s not too late for her, but we need to make haste.”
Simon was on his feet with Madison held tightly against his chest before Sam finished speaking.
Vlad tucked Madison’s heart back inside the gaping hole in her chest and disappeared without another word.
Simon blasted out of the cemetery, blurring his way back to the condo like the hounds of hell were chasing him.
He vaulted up to the very window he’d left through only an hour before and entered the bedroom he’d slept in with Madison.
Placing her still, cold body in the center of the bed, he brushed her hair back from her face. “I’m so sorry, Maddie, my love. I’ll make this right. I swear to you, I’ll make it right.”
Several bodies began filing into the room, only to step aside as Sam entered behind them.
Simon glanced at the faces he didn’t recognize, reading the pity he saw lurking in their eyes.
Sam approached the bed. “May I?”
Scrambling out of the way, Simon moved to the opposite side of the bed to give the warlock some room.
What happened next would forever be etched into Simon’s tortured mind.
The
warlock straddled Madison’s waist, reached into the hole in her chest, and wrapped his fingers around her lifeless heart.
Heat blew through the room, and the furniture scattered about began to shimmy across the floor.
Sam lifted his head, his gaze sweeping through the crowd. “I need the blood of three; three of the oldest and most powerful vampires in this room.”
Vlad and Angel stepped up next to the bed and bit into their wrists without question.
Simon tore into his own so fast, he ripped open a gash.
Sam pulled a small knife from the pocket of his jeans. He flipped it open with his thumb, guided it into the open cavity in Madison’s chest and made a small incision in her heart. “Now, the blood.”
Simon moved his bleeding wrist over Madison’s chest and allowed his blood to drip into the fresh incision. Vlad and Angel followed suit.
Once her heart was filled with their life force, Sam ordered them all to back away. He placed both of his palms over the wound and began to chant.
Power, unlike anything Simon had ever felt, filled the bedroom, raising the hairs on his neck and rendering him in awe.
The louder the chanting grew, the stronger the force in the air until Simon found it difficult to stand under it.
Madison’s back bowed off the bed, her upper body levitating beneath the warlock. Higher and higher she rose until Sam began to rise with her.
Something akin to a sonic boom resounded throughout the condo, powerful enough to blow the warlock across the room. He slammed into the wall near the open doorway.
Madison’s body fell heavily back to the mattress. She remained unnaturally still for several heartbeats before a soft gasp parted her lips.
Another bloodied tear spilled from the corner of Simon’s eye. Madison lived.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Madison blinked up into Simon’s sky-blue eyes in pain and more than a little confused. “Where am I?”
“Back at the condo,” he informed her, while moving closer. “How are you feeling?”
She attempted to lift her arm, her mind homing in on the pain in her chest. Why did she hurt so much? Memory came flooding back with a vengeance.
Midnight Secrets Page 11
