by Patti Larsen
“The Hayles are done.” So much spite, so much hate. At last I was seeing all of it. The brothers both moved as if to escape her, but she lashed out at them, her own allies, her power dropping them to their knees to topple to their sides, unconscious. “Fools,” she snarled, “they dare retreat when I am about to be victorious.”
Um, had she missed the last five minutes? Victorious, my ass.
I gasped as something drove its way through my weakened shield, distracted by my own arrogance, and drove upward through my body toward my heart. I snapped off the javelin of magic in time, just in time, where it emerged from the ground at my feet. Stupid, stupid! I'd let my guard partially down and she almost had me.
Gram was right, damn it.
Quaid lurched toward me, terror on his face as I sagged, fighting against the lavender magic now trapped inside me. It was like I'd ingested a living thing with teeth and claws tearing at my insides, ripping and rending at the core of my magic. My demon fought it off with equal fury while Ameline battered me from the outside against what remained of my shields.
I felt Quaid beside me, the touch of his skin on mine. The connection between us surged to brilliant life. The lavender magic inside me answered his call immediately, fleeing from my body in a rush of fire. Quaid crumpled at my side, crying out in pain as Ameline's magic lashed at him over and over while I struggled for control, for focus.
This couldn't be happening. I'd beaten her. She couldn't be winning.
I looked up into her eyes, gasping for air, fighting for control of my power through the damage she'd done while Quaid collapsed next to me, moaning. The light of triumph in her eyes was too much.
How the hell did I lose?
I called up my magic, the family magic, even as she loomed over me. The ground shook as Galleytrot howled, Liam screaming my name, but I was focused on her, on the one chance I had to block her and regain control.
Ameline's triumph faded from her eyes suddenly as a brilliant flash of lavender light exploded behind her. She looked startled, almost innocent, as she sighed and sagged to the ground, out cold. I looked up, panting and desperate, to see Mia standing behind the fallen witch, hand still raised from the blow she'd struck.
***
Chapter Thirty Two
I struggled to my feet, Quaid supporting me as Liam and Galleytrot rushed toward us, Ameline’s shields gone with her consciousness. I leaned on the big dog, my arm around Quaid's waist as Mia hovered near us, looking suddenly guilty.
“Thank you.” I shuddered as pain slid over my insides. Green magic flowed from Galleytrot into me, healing the damage enough I was able to straighten and face my friend. “You saved my life.”
Mia's hands trembled as she clasped them together in front of her, eyes locked on the fallen Ameline. “She will never lead my family.”
Good to know. Though I doubted very much Mia was a match for Ameline when it came to cunning.
Mia hesitated a moment as I tried to think of something to say, a way to persuade her to come with us. She finally gestured beside her, a shimmering barrier falling to reveal the still unconscious form of Sassafras hovering next to her.
“Take him.” She eased him to the ground while Liam moved forward, lifting Sassy into his arms. “You need to go now.” She continued to stare at Ameline. “Before she wakes up.”
“We don't have to be enemies.” I reached out to her, took a step forward even as she fell back, refusing to look at me.
“I'm not so sure.” Her shoulders twitched. “I'm loyal to my family.”
“What about your brother?” I felt Quaid tense next to me even as Mia caught her lower lip between her teeth, brilliant blue eyes finally lifting to catch his dark ones.
“Mia,” he said, extending one of his hands the same as mine, “come with me. You're not like them. They don't deserve you.”
“They want to kill your brother.” Galleytrot's deep, rumbling voice rolled over Mia like a wave and I felt earth magic behind it. “You are correct, family is important. But which family? That you must decide.”
Mia gasped a sob. “I don't know!” She screamed it out, whole body shaking before she stuttered a breath in and hugged herself. “I don't know what's right or wrong anymore.”
“Come with us.” I opened my magic to her, felt a twinge as the last of Galleytrot's power finished healing me. “You know you're welcome.”
Mia's reaction was instantaneous. “No.” She stiffened, scowling at me as if I'd asked her to commit murder. “They are my family. I won't abandon them. Not to her.” She met my eyes. “I'll find a way to make it right.”
I hated to do it, but she needed the full truth about her precious coven. “Mia,” I whispered, “Pain. They killed your mom.”
She sobbed again, a deep and mournful sound, more of a low howl than anything. The supposed suicide drowning of Dorothy Hammond, Mia’s adopted mother, had the Dumont’s taint all over it. She clutched at herself as if holding on would keep her from flying apart. “I have to stay.”
I nodded slowly, sadly. “I understand.”
She sank to the ground, collapsed really. “You have to hurt me. Use your magic. Make it look like you beat me, too.”
“I can't do that.” It was one thing to strike out at the brothers or Ameline or even the werewolves, but Mia was innocent in this. I couldn't just use my power against her in cold blood.
“I can.” Quaid moved forward, bent and kissed her forehead. “Be safe, my sister.”
She clutched his hand, pressing it to her cheek before letting him go. “You too, my brother.”
Quaid backed off a step before gathering his power, the lavender magic rushing to his hands, before lashing out at Mia. She cried out in pain before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell over like she'd been hit by lightning. When Quaid turned away, I saw the trouble in his eyes, the hurt, and reached for him immediately even as my heart shuddered in understanding.
How much had they changed him? And how much of this was his alone?
He held up both hands, staring at them before his whole body tensed. “I reject the magic of the Dumont family,” he snarled, “and cut my ties with them forever.”
Lavender magic gushed from him, racing outward and upward, howling in an unearthly chorus as it went. I caught him as he fell forward, reduced by the loss of a coven connection. We'd be correcting that pretty much immediately.
“I'm sorry, Syd,” he whispered in my ear. “I should never have left you. I put you and the whole coven in danger for nothing.”
“No Moromonds?” I hated to judge him, but couldn't help the flicker of annoyance. All this and no cigar?
He shook his head. “No Moromonds.”
“I hate to break this up,” Liam's voice softly separated us, “but we need to get Sassy back to the house.”
“What about them?” Galleytrot's snout gestured toward the Dumonts. “A little accident, perhaps?”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Quaid's brow shadowed his eyes, making him look far older than his years.
“No.” Sometimes I hated my sense of fair play, but I knew I could never live with myself if I let them kill the unconscious trio, even if they deserved it.
Damn it.
“We can't just let them go.” Quaid turned on me, anger snapping. “Not after all they've done. And plan to do. You heard Ameline. This isn't over.”
“It is for me.” I reached out for Mom only to find her right there with me, waiting silently.
Come home, she sent to all of us.
Galleytrot shook his big head. “And the weres?”
“Did you free them too?” I recalled Charlotte and her friends, the ones Galleytrot loosed from the controls of the Dumonts.
He nodded slowly.
“Then let them go.” I shrugged. “Who knows, maybe they'll wake up first and take care of this mess for us.”
Quaid hesitated. “Mia.”
I sighed. “I know. But she made her choice, Quaid. And I can't p
rotect her from it.”
Funny how I had no problem with the thought their own slaves could turn on them and do what I wasn’t able to. I refused to feel like a hypocrite.
I was half way to the car before I remembered my visitor. Gram was here.
I heard. Mom's tone was dry. Sarcasm was a good sign. At least we know she's all right.
And watching over us. That made me feel a great deal better, even though my attempt to find my grandmother was again blocked by her magic.
Fair enough.
I looked up from pulling open the back door of the car for Galleytrot to find Quaid and Liam glaring at each other over the body of Sassafras. I rolled my eyes and sighed.
“Just get in.” I ducked into the driver's seat as they obeyed, Quaid taking the front while Liam slid into the back, sharing the burden of my sleeping friend with Galleytrot. Quaid glanced over his shoulder at Liam once or twice on the way down the mountain, a scowl still on his face.
After all we'd been through. Really?
Liam was just as bad, green points dancing in his eyes.
Boys. I couldn't get away from them fast enough.
Liam was relieved of Sassafras the moment he exited the car, Quaid taking the former cat's limp body from my Sidhe friend. Before Liam could react, I planted myself between the two of them, one hand on either muscular chest.
“When this is over,” I said, “you two can go somewhere and duke it out if you really feel the need. Right now, we have more important things to do.”
Quaid's frown faded while Liam blushed. Both nodded and followed me inside the kitchen.
I swore if they were going to make my life miserable I'd be kicking both of their asses.
Mom waited for us at the basement door. She hugged me quickly, kissing my forehead before her magic dove inside me to check me over. I let her, only because I knew I was healed and she needed to do it.
“Well done, all of you.” Her fingers found Quaid's face, pulled him down for a soft kiss. “Welcome home, Quaid.” She then turned to Liam and kissed him too. “Thank you, Liam.” Not to leave anyone out, she bent and hugged Galleytrot around the neck. “My gratitude, my friend.”
When she turned at last and looked down into Sassy's sleeping face, I felt the tension inside her ease a little.
“Bring him.” She led us upstairs to her room where Meira waited with Dad. My little sister scrambled from the bed and out of the way as Quaid laid Sassy on the blankets beside my father. I finally took a look and wished I hadn't. Dad's life was almost over. It was pretty clear we'd made it just in time.
I bent next to Sassafras, the crystal in my hand. I laid it on his chest, letting my magic slide inside him. They'd drugged him, kept him that way. I reached for Galleytrot who came immediately to my side and breathed in Sassy's face. Healing Sidhe magic flowed over my friend, cleansing him of the effects of the drug.
In a matter of moments he opened his eyes, gaze meeting mine.
“Hey, Syd,” he said.
I choked on tears, laughing a little. “Hey, Sass.” Mom crouched next to me, holding one of his hands.
“Welcome back, Sassafras.” She kissed him gently. “We were worried about you.”
“What happened?” He tried to sit up, but neither of us let him. I filled him in quickly on everything even as he seemed to sag, weariness overtaking him.
“They drained me.” He winced. “I feel so weak. They stole my magic, Syd, Miriam.” Tears rose in his eyes. “I don't know if I have enough left.”
“Left?” Mom looked at me. “Left for what?”
I held up the crystal before pressing it to his skin again. “We won't know until we try.”
Sassy nodded. “It's now or never.” He turned his head to look at Dad. The skeletal remains of my father's mortal body barely moved, chest only rising and falling with great effort. “Do it.”
I opened up to the magic inside the crystal, calling on my demon. Threads of pain raced through me, jabbing me deeply. Galleytrot's magic had only healed my human and Sidhe parts.
Not my demon.
She raged against the pain, drove us forward, but the distraction was too much. I gasped for air, clutched at Sassy who did the same to me, the remains of his power a small flicker deep inside him.
I only stopped when he finally pushed me away with both hands, falling back onto my butt on the soft carpet, sweat dripping from my face, a core of agony burning me from the inside out.
“Enough,” Sassy whispered. “You're only hurting yourself.” He wiped his eyes with one hand. “There’s not enough left to feed the crystal. It's not going to work, Syd.” More tears welled. “I guess I always knew it wouldn't.”
Sassy sat up then, despite Mom's protests and managed to wobble to his feet.
“You don't have to leave.” Mom's face was wet with tears, but not a trace of blame.
Sassafras's guilt made up for her acceptance. “I know,” he said. “But I have to.”
I let him go, my body sagging in defeat. “I'm sorry, Mom.”
She shook her head, offering me her hand to help me up. “You did everything you could.” She looked up, smiled through her tears at the boys and Galleytrot. “You all did. Quaid, come here.”
He did, head down, like he'd been a bad boy. Her hands reached out, gripped his. “I welcome you into our coven,” she said as the family magic surged forward and flooded his body with power. “Now and forever.”
He sighed deeply, smiling at her, hugging her quickly as blue magic twined around them both.
“I thought we needed a big ceremony for that.” My attempt at humor seemed to work. Even Quaid grinned. “Don't tell me you've been making me sit through those stupid coven rituals for no good reason?”
Mom’s throaty laugh was full of tears. “Naturally,” she said. “I have to keep control of the coven somehow.”
And then there was nothing more to say, no jokes to tell, nothing to do but turn and watch my father as he slowly faded away.
***
Chapter Thirty Three
The boys retreated first and I went with them. I knew I should be there, that Dad could pass at any time, but I chose to walk them out instead.
We paused in the kitchen, Galleytrot with us, all awkward in the quiet of the house.
“Syd,” Liam reached for me even as Quaid scowled at him, “I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”
I hugged him, Quaid be damned. “Thank you,” I whispered in his ear. “Your just being here is enough.”
“Demon magic is beyond my abilities.” Galleytrot sighed. “I hate having limits.”
I laughed and hugged the big dog, his soft fur against my cheek. “Me too.”
His dark eyes met mine. “Some of us don't have limits.”
“Apparently I do, after all.” I sighed and scratched his ears as I thought about my dad. “I'm going to need your help holding Mom together when this is over.”
He nodded slowly. “Anything, Syd.”
I straightened, eyes locking on Quaid. I could feel him clearly again, now he was a Hayle witch, the pressure of his power held back from me. There was a wariness in his eyes, a lack of trust I hadn't seen for a long time.
“You're back with us now,” I said, reaching for his hand. “You don't have to worry anymore.”
And just like that, as our power touched and combined, the warm caramel yumminess of him coming in contact with my own magic reconnected our bond in a surge of energy making me gasp. The darkness in Quaid's eyes lifted in the same instant and I found myself crushed against his chest as he whispered my name in my ear.
I'm not sure how long I would have stayed in his embrace, audience or not. I wasn’t about to find out. A distraction jerked me away from him, in the form of a surge of power coming from the basement. It attracted my immediate attention because the source was demon. Quaid, Liam and Galleytrot in tow, I pulled the door open and went downstairs.
I found the single bulb burning and a surprise standing
under it. The power surge I'd felt was from Sassy. He stood there in the light, Dad's new statue at his side, front and center in the middle of the pentagram. He must have used what little magic he still had in reserve to pull the metal effigy out of the darkness.
Sassy looked up and met my eyes, his full of sadness.
“You asked me what I did to deserve banishment.” He turned away again, looking up at Dad’s steel face. “On Demonicon, power duels happen all the time with the understanding the winner keeps a portion of the loser's magic. That's how we progress from plane level to level.”
I eased down the last step, the boys behind me, feeling a hum of power through my sock feet as I touched concrete. Demon power. What was he up to? I thought he was drained, too weak to do much of anything.
If that wasn’t the case, why did he hide it from me?
“I was a selfish kid, Syd.” Sassy said. “I used to torture you for being that way, but only because I knew selfish when I saw it.” He shook his head, one hand coming to rest on Dad's shoulder, as if for support. “I didn't care about anyone. I know now I misjudged my parents. They did the only thing they could do when I...” he drew a breath, “when I almost killed that boy.”
I shuddered. Sassy?
“I was making a name for myself, climbing levels faster than anyone.” He barked a laugh, tossing his head back. “No one could beat me, Syd. No one. It was a game, don't you see? It's not like I had to fight. My parents were already Fourth Planers. But I chose to give up my ranking, to start from scratch, just so I could fight.”
“So you had a temper.” I shrugged, trying to feel my way past the wards he'd raised, but my demon was still in pain and could barely focus. “Same here.”
Sassy stilled, whole body frozen as if he were the statue. “He beat me.” His dark hair fell forward again, shading his face, hiding his expression. “This snot-nosed kid from a lower plane. Beat me fair and square. I was furious.” He was moving again suddenly, circling Dad's effigy as if he were a cat again, a very agitated cat. “I couldn't take it. So I attacked him from behind and stripped his power to nothing.”
