by Jaymin Eve
I hadn’t forgotten their creepy fuckery when they tried to take me from Stratford. I still owed them some sort of ass kicking for that, but since they had been able to use their powers against me, I wasn’t sure that opportunity would easily present itself. My dragon lifted her head then and let out a snort of smoke and heat. She remembered too, and our connection was much stronger now. She felt that this time we could take them.
I gave her a mental pat. We’ll see what happens, I promised.
“So how do we get out of here?” Tyson was pulling energy. I could see the gold threading his eyes, similar in color actually to the golden dragon queen. I was reminded of her words, that all magic was from Faerie. All supes were connected to this land and the golden energy threading through it. This was information we all learned in basic Intro to Magic classes. But seeing it first hand, well, everything felt more real.
“I don’t think I can get us out of this part of Faerie,” Louis said. “This world is locked down. The shining ones control the ability to step through and they aren’t sharing.”
Great, so that meant we were going to have to trek back the way we’d come, which was a massive waste of time. Then we’d have to figure out how to get back up to the land above.
With no time to waste we started to move toward the gateway of this the land. My dragon knew the way, like she’d spent her entire life here and not just a few precious moments.
A flash of gold caught our attention. We all stopped and stared as a shimmery wall appeared to our left. It was circular, large enough for all of us to step through in one go. In my mind a flash of golden scales brushed against my dragon, and I knew this was a parting gift from the queen. She was giving us a direct step through back home.
“What the hell is that?” Maximus said.
Louis strode right up to it, his hands held out to feel the energy. “Appears to be a step through, on a massive scale, but I can’t know if it will take us anywhere safe. Faerie is unpredictable.
To save time arguing about its safety, I just took off, ducking between them, my size an advantage for once. I was fast, arriving at the shimmer before most of them even took their first steps after me.
“Trust me,” I yelled, “it’s safe!”
The quads curses and shouts were cut off as I stepped into the shine. I never liked the sensations of being in a step through. My body always rebelled at the cloying nature of it, the way it sort of sucked me through to the other side, but I was ready to see my beloved Stratford again; it felt like years since I’d been there. I also had that terrible feeling that while we’d been doing our thing in Faerie, the king had been up to some bad shit, and that we were going to walk back into chaos. Pure chaos.
I stepped out to the other side and found myself in Stratford’s city center, next to the water fountain. The icy wind shocked me at first; it had been so temperate in Faerie, but here we looked to be in the tail end of the cold months, no snow left, just that frigid wind which could cut right through to bone. My shifter metabolism kicked in, sending heat through my veins. Thank you, genetics. Hugging my arms closer, I looked around the square.
The town was eerily quiet. There was no one around, which was odd. With over six thousand inhabitants, there was always someone here. It was a central gathering point, and the town hall was used often for various events.
I kept myself in the vicinity of where the others would soon emerge. I was extra cautious, worried I was about to be ambushed by the freaking king again or something. Not only would the quads be pissed at me, but I’d be pissed at myself if he managed to get the drop on me twice. Thoughts of my “maybe baby” flittered across my mind too, and I knew I had to be careful for more than myself now, had to be smarter than ever. All I had to do was protect everyone, defeat the king, and not hurt my possible offspring in the process. Yeah, no worries.
The silent eeriness remained unbroken around me. What was going on in Stratford?
A whoosh of energy trickled across my back, followed by the deep voice of my mate. “Just because you might be pregnant, Jessa, doesn’t mean I can’t take you over my knee and spank your ass.”
His presence and energy filtered around me, and it finally felt as if there were more here than ghosts. I wasn’t surprised at all that Braxton was the first through the step through. He would have been right on my butt, as usual.
I smirked as I tipped my head back to see him. “A spanking is starting to sound pretty good to me right now. We’re in some serious need of alone time.”
His thumb grazed my lips, slowly tracing across my skin and down to my throat. “We’ll have our time, and it’ll be soon. We just have an asshole to rid ourselves of first.”
Asshole was right, and judging by the empty Stratford streets, and the cramping worry in my gut, I was just hoping we weren’t already too late to save the supernatural world.
Chapter 13
I forced down my fears and focused on the creepy Stratford we’d arrived in. “Can you sense anything about what happened here? Do you think Larky took them all?”
As I had done, he took a few moments to observe the area. His eyes morphed into that striking blue, with the glowing flames in the center, that came out when he used his dragon senses.
Tyson, Jacob and Maximus exited the step through and joined us. Our pack was silent and watchful, each of us trying to figure out what the freak was happening here. Louis was the last to reach our side. Even though the step through was courtesy of the golden dragon queen, he’d probably remained behind out of habit. He generally liked to make sure everyone made it through safely. It was one of those things which showed how truly courteous and kind Louis was. Most people saw his power and nothing else, but while power was something I appreciated, it was the true goodness in his heart I cherished the most. My self-appointed big brother.
“I don’t know what happened here,” Braxton eventually said, his keen gaze still focusing on our surroundings. “There’s no lingering magic. No misfires of spells. There’s no blood residue. No weapons of steel or iron in the vicinity. I sense no disturbance on the security around the borders. The only odd scent is an extra strong burn of diesel in the air.”
Louis held both hands out and started to murmur. There wasn’t as much general magic in the air here compared to Faerie, so when he cast his spell it was strong enough to leave a woodsy taste on my tongue and tingles on my skin.
I knew from school that magic users pulled energy from the gods. Of course I couldn’t remember all the different deities, except for the shining ones. They were the most important, which made perfect sense, as our magic originated from Faerie.
A scuffle of footsteps behind us was the first indication we weren’t alone. The five of us were already on high alert; we spun and fell into a fighting stance. And I didn’t relax my pose when I saw who was standing there. If anything, my beasts inside were closer, hands semi-shifted into claws.
It was the Craiz brothers. The Four. Spread out, standing in a line about twenty feet from us. They weren’t moving, and their expressions were benign, nothing threatening in their demeanor at all, but I was still wary. They were the assholes who had locked away babies and innocent victims of Larky. Some of those supernaturals were in chains for hundreds of years. There would be no forgiveness for these males, no matter how justified they were in their actions. They would have killed every single marked if we hadn’t been unkillable at the time. They’d basically admitted that they’d tried every way possible over the years. I couldn’t even comprehend the level of torture some of the marked must have gone through at their hands.
When Louis and the quads had mentioned that they would work with the Four, I thought I was okay with it – not happy or anything, but it was a means to the end of Larky, and I would do anything to end him. Now, though, as I stood before them, with growls rumbling my chest and my dragon straining against me, I wasn’t sure I could do it. I couldn’t fight with them when I really wanted to kill them.
“Jessa, babe,
a little care with the muscles please.”
I glanced down and realized my clawed hands were ripping Tyson’s biceps to shreds.
“Sorry.” I relaxed my grip but the growls wouldn’t cease. My animals were just too riled up to settle, and therefore I couldn’t settle either.
I eyeballed the Four. “I don’t think I can work with them. I really want to kill them. Can’t we just kill them?”
I heard Braxton chuckle, and turned to see him flashing me that smile, the one with the double dimples. “As soon as we deal with this crisis, you have my permission to destroy the Four. I’ll be right there to help you hide their bodies. But for now we need them, and so do the rest of the supernatural world.”
I knew the Four could hear us. They were not that far away. None of them showed any concern, and I realized how much they reminded me of soldiers, the ones who go out there and do horrible shit so that the rest of the world doesn’t have to. I knew that in war you had to make tough decisions – sometimes it might seem cruel, but the greater good was important. Still, I believed every supe, human, and other, needed to have a set of morals they stuck with. You must draw a line in the sand and never step over it. Otherwise, how will you ever know when to stop?
Some things were too much, even in war. Children was where I drew that line, and it made me more than a little angry that the Four had not felt the same way.
The one on the far right spoke first. “We promise we’re only here to defeat the king and make sure he doesn’t gain control of Jessa or any more of the supernatural communities. We mean the marked no harm unless they’re part of his army and need to be subdued. We have the power to hold them, to counteract their dragon ghosting abilities. You need us.”
Truth. Dammit, I really had no choice. They were right. We did need them.
Somehow I managed to get my animals to settle, and my hands returned to their nice human shape. I turned my back on the Four. I did not fear them any longer. I could access my dragon on command now, and I doubted their power could halt her change.
I focused on Louis. “Did you figure out what happened here?”
His expression was stone cold. “Don’t worry about the Four, Jess. If they step out of line, I will not hesitate to end them.”
Truth.
He continued: “Stratford wasn’t like this when I left your father here, but clearly in the additional time on Faerie, a lot has happened. I’m pretty sure most of Stratford has been evacuated. They left in their vehicles, which is why Braxton could smell the diesel. There’s still some energy inside the town hall. I think a few members remained behind.”
All of us swung around to face the large building behind us. I knew it was heavily spelled to protect its contents, including the Book of Guidance, which would explain why none of us – except the powerful sorcerer – had picked up on the life inside. I didn’t hesitate, I needed to know if my family was in there. I needed to see my parents and Mischa. Fear for them was a hot thrumming in my veins, and until I saw with my own eyes that they were safe, I would not be able to calm.
The moment I thought of Mischa, it was like our bond kicked into gear, pushing through all the other bonds inside of me – dragon, wolf, and partial mate bond – urging me to find my twin. I had to see her. I moved swiftly, the others a step behind. Even in my haste, I kept one eye on the Four. They fell into the back of our group, keeping a decent distance between them and us. It was smart of them to not get close. I wasn’t sure I could control my actions.
I slammed against the main entrance but it was locked down in that unbreakable magic way, like when there was a trial going on. I knew there was no way to budge it with so much magic slicked across it, but the quads were still going to have a go.
Braxton came first, barging against the door with his shoulder. The building shook but the doorway held strong. I was lifted and deposited to the side by Maximus, and then he joined his brother. The two of them were the biggest and strongest of the quads and had the best shot.
They both smashed against the door, and this time I felt the rumble under my feet, but still there was no opening. The four Compasses were just stepping up when Louis spoke.
“Before you guys get any more Rambo on us, maybe give me a shot to see if I can circumvent the magical barrier. I set most of them up in this town, so I might actually know what I’m doing.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you do that straight away?” Maximus growled.
Louis just grinned. “It was good to see my magic hold up against the famed Compass quads.”
I couldn’t tell if the boys were pissed at his tactics or kind of pleased that he thought they were that strong. Looked like a bit of both to me. They said nothing more though, and stepped back to allow the sorcerer access to the doorway. His shit-kicker boots were loud as he strode over. He touched his hand to the building, muttered a few phrases, and stepped back as the doors swung open.
“Still a friggin’ showoff,” Tyson muttered.
I hid my grin. He had such a competitive streak and was going to stop at nothing to reach sorcerer before the age Louis had. He wanted to have something to lord over the legendary magic user.
I was in the middle of my pack as we scrambled to get inside, all of us wanting to be first.
“Jess!” I heard the shout before I saw who was in the room, but I would know my father’s voice anywhere.
I pushed through the boys and dashed along the aisles. The long pews and chairs were still set out in the same pattern used for our town meetings, and at least two or three of these rows were filled. There were quite a few members of Stratford here. I ran until I crashed into Jonathon, his strong arms and energy wrapping around me. All shifters felt better when they were close to their alpha and I had been spending so much time away from mine.
“You’ve been gone for so long,” he said, voice low over my shoulder. “We were worried you wouldn’t make it back in time.”
I pulled back to see him. “For me it was only another day or so in Faerie.”
“It’s been three weeks here. Larkspur has gathered his army from the sanctuary. They’ve been moving on the supernatural prison communities through Europe. After he smashes through their securities, his army takes out the inhabitants and Larkspur kills their council. Then he captures their Book of Guidance, which allows him to control the town, its magic, and any members who were not cut down in the battle. He makes all survivors swear fealty to him in the ancient language, the same as when council leaders are elected. If they don’t, he cuts their heads off.”
“Holy shit,” I said breathlessly. “How many towns has he hit? He must have a massive army now. Is that why there’s no one here? You sent them out into the human world, didn’t you?”
Jonathon nodded. “Yes, we received word that he was moving on Stratford next. He has taken at least five of the European cities that we know of, gathering numbers. He must have many thousands now, and there have been a lot of deaths. It’s damn chaos.”
I had expected chaos, and yet … I rubbed at my face, trying to control my emotions and thoughts. It was so odd. In the small time I’d spend with Larky he had been polite and cultured, even caring at times, not at all like a murderous crazy tyrant. If it hadn’t been for Rose’s stroll through memory lane, I’d forget how much he had been feared, how much carnage he had wrought the last time he had tried to take over the five races. I had no doubt that he was making sure he was at full power before confronting me and the Compasses. He knew the five of us would be together, and he wanted my magical dragon baby. Another means to achieve his endgame of ruling all five supe races.
“If he controls all copies of the Book of Guidance, and all the towns and their people, that means he will receive energy from them also, right? He’s going to be so much stronger than the last time we saw him.”
I knew the quads and whoever else was in the room was listening, but I was so focused on Jonathon I didn’t even have a clue who else was here. Except for Mischa. I could feel her quite s
trongly, though it was strangely muted, like she was in the room next door with walls between us or something.
Jonathon’s answer was quick, his features tightening. “Yes, all council leaders and alphas receive portions of power from their people. Larkspur will now be reaping the energy from all those he has forced into his servitude. Not as strongly as the ones who voluntarily pledge their allegiance, but enough to make him formidable.”
We couldn’t rely on Braxton to beat on him this time. Larky would be back to his full power, all his followers behind him. I turned and found Louis in the crowd. The sorcerer was chatting to some of the magic users. I could hear them discussing strategy and backup plans.
“Louis!” I shouted, uncaring that I was interrupting. “Remember that thing you needed to do?”
Lots of faces were staring at me, and I gave zero fucks. He nodded, then turned and walked straight out the front door. He would take care of the mystics, I had no doubt. We had to make sure that part of Larky’s power was locked down before he got here.
When I turned back to Jonathon, Lienda was right behind him. I barely flinched when she swept me into her arms. I hadn’t known my mother for most of my life, but she had proven time and again that she was worthy of being a member of my pack. She had sacrificed and fought for her children, and now, possibly carrying a young of my own, I understood why she had to do what she did.
I wondered how my parents would react once they knew everything we had learned from the golden dragon. I shifted to find Braxton’s gaze on me, and as if he knew what I’d been thinking his eyes dropped to my stomach, before lifting to my face again. He gave me a gentle smile, something I’m sure he was trying to work on – the gentle thing. It wasn’t really in his nature, and yet didn’t seem that odd either. I was kind of liking this side of him, because it was all for me.
Lienda finally let me go, even though she kept running a hand over my hair, seemingly trying to convince herself that I was actually home and okay.
