“We’re almost to the door,” said Ivy. She bit her bottom lip. She knew the clock was ticking. As soon as she had Wes out of the building, she was going back in to find Ben.
After what felt like forever, Ivy and Wes stepped out of the building. They were halfway across the parking lot when a truck pulled into the parking lot and skidded to a stop. Wes growled, but Ivy kept him moving toward Forrest, who was still lying on the ground where she had left him.
“What the hell happened?” roared Hank as he ran over to them.
Ivy helped Wes sit down on the asphalt. Fresh blood poured down his face. The front of his shirt wasn’t just covered with blood, it was torn in several places and plastered to what looked like deep claw marks. She looked up at Hank. “A demon, I think.”
“A demon?” Hank looked at his brothers. “Where’s Ben?” The building made a loud groan. The rest of the roof over the lobby collapsed, sending dust and debris spewing out of the broken windows.
“He’s still inside.” Ivy turned and started running toward the garage door that was partially hanging on its hinges. Halfway across the parking lot, a strong set of arms wrapped around her and pulled her off her feet.
“You can’t go in there. It’s too dangerous.” Hank backed away from the building.
“Let me go. I have to find Ben.” Ivy kicked and clawed.
“Woman, stop it before you hurt yourself. The building is not stable. It’s going to come down at any moment,” growled Hank.
“Ben’s in there! I won’t leave him in there.” Tears ran down her checks.
“Ben would want you to live, not die trying to save him.” Hank loosened his grip and set her on the ground. He gently turned her around, forcing her to look at him. “Ben wouldn’t want you to go in there.”
Ivy stared at Hank. She knew he was telling her it was suicide for her to go in to try to rescue her mate. She slowly shook her head. “I don’t want to live without him. I would rather die trying to save him, than living a life without him.” She reached out to the earth magic and pulled a little of it to her. “You need to take care of your brothers. I’m going into the building to find my mate.” She shoved her hands against Hank’s chest, sending him flying across the parking lot. Ivy turned and ran to the opening in the garage door.
“Ivy!”
She ignored Hank and squeezed through the opening. Ivy knew Ben had been working on a car at the backside of the shop. She just had to get to him.
“Ivy, get back here before you get yourself killed.” Hank’s voice was more of a deep growl. Ivy heard the alpha command in it.
“I have to find Ben,” she said, ignoring the command. Ivy turned her attention to her surroundings. The lift in front of her was leaning to one side. The truck that had been on it was on the cement floor with its rear end sticking straight up in the air. A large section of the ceiling rested precariously on its bumper. Ivy knew at any moment it would come crashing down especially if the truck moved. Making sure not to touch the truck, Ivy inched her way around it. It took her several minutes, but once she was clear of it, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ben, where are you?” she called out. Only metallic groans reached her ears. She looked around the garage. The two cars that had been between the lifts looked like someone had picked them up and tossed them at the second lift. One car had landed under the lift, and the other one was almost completely on the other side of the first car, and was crushing the roof on the driver’s side. The car Ben had been working on was no longer on the lift. It leaned at an odd angle against the wall as if it were suspended in midair. Overhead, fluorescent lights flickered and buzzed.
Ivy made her way through the debris. “Ben!” she yelled as she got closer to the lift.
“Over here.” His voice was faint
Relief washed over Ivy when she heard Ben’s voice. “I’m coming!” She went around the car and stopped. Her eyes widened. What little she could see of Ben, was covered with dirt and dust. Blood trickled down the side of his face and out of his mouth and nose. He was wedged between the wall and two large toolboxes. The car that looked like it was suspended in the air was lying at an odd angle on one of the boxes. It looked like someone had tried to bury Ben alive. Ivy squeezed between the toolboxes and the wall. When she was close enough, she reached out and grabbed Ben’s hand tightly in hers.
Ben squeezed her hand. “You need to get out of here. The building is not stable.”
Ivy shook her head. “I’m not leaving without you.”
Ben looked at her as he struggled to breathe. “I love you, but I want you to go. You have to live.”
Ivy saw the predator in Ben’s eyes, and the love they had for her. Her bottom lip quivered. She knew he was seriously hurt, but she had to get him out of the building before she could do anything to heal him. “I love you, and I’m not leaving you here to die. Without you, I don’t have a life.” She looked at the car, wondering if her magic would be able to move the car and keep the ceiling from crashing down on them. “If I move the car, can you push the toolbox away from you?”
“No Ivy. Don’t even think about it. It’s too dangerous. You have to leave me here.”
Ivy shook her head. “That is so not freakin’ happening. Leaving you is not an option. Get it through your bucket head. I. Am. Not. Leaving. Without. You. If you stay, I stay.”
“Your mate is too stubborn for her own good.” Hank appeared next to Ivy. “Don’t you ever throw me across the parking lot again.” He shook a finger at Ivy.
“Then don’t ever try stopping from saving my mate.”
The building groaned and creaked, causing all of them to hold their breath.
Ben looked at Hank. “Get her out of here before everything crashes down.”
Hank shook his head. “Tried that earlier, and now, I have a nice set of skid marks on my rear end.” He looked at Ivy and raised an eyebrow.
Ivy listened to them as she studied her surroundings. “The fastest way out of here would be through the garage door. Right?” The door was still intact, but it had a huge dent in the middle of it where one of the vehicles had to have bounced off of it.
Hank looked at the door and the ceiling. “It would be, but it’s one of the few things holding up the ceiling. By the time we got it open, the ceiling would be falling on us.”
“Hank, get Ivy out of here.” Ben’s voice deepened as his animal moved closer to the surface. He gasped for air with each breath.
“I’m not leaving you, and don’t you dare die on me,” said Ivy. She squeezed his hand, and then looked at Hank. “Switch places with me.”
“Don’t do it.” Ben glared at Hank.
Ivy looked at Ben. “I can do this.” She looked back at Hank. “While I move the car and hold up the ceiling, get Ben out of there.”
Hank frowned. “And how exactly are you going to do that?”
Ivy gave him a quick smile. “The same way I threw you across the parking lot. Just be ready to make a run for the garage door.”
“How are you going to open the door without the building coming down around you?” asked Hank as they switched places.
“Don’t worry about it. Just be ready to move.” Ivy turned her attention to the car and the building. She took several deep breathes. Since her magic was released, she had only tapped into the earth magic just enough to work the spell, but now, she was going to have to completely open herself up to the magic and take full control of it as it flowed through her. It was the only way she was going to be able to pull off her plan. The thought of wielding that much power scared her, but losing her mate scared her even more.
“Ivy, what are you doing?” Concern filled Ben’s voice even though he was struggling to breathe.
She smiled at him. “Embracing what I am, so that I can get us the crapola out of here.” She closed her eyes, opened her mind, and called to the earth energy. It immediately answered and surged through her body. She felt it everywhere. It felt like a part of her soul had finally co
me home. She opened her eyes and looked at Hank. “Ready?” she asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said, watching her through narrowed eyes.
Ivy rolled her neck and shoulders. She held out her hands, one toward the ceiling and the other to the car that was pinning Ben behind the toolboxes. She whispered the words to one of the many spells her grandmother made her learn. Focusing on the car, she pushed it out of the way. The metal rubbing against metal made a horrible sound, but the scraping noise the car made against the cement floor was more like fingernails being scrapped across a chalkboard.
“I’ve got Ben!” Hank had his arms wrapped around Ben keeping him from collapsing to the floor.
Ivy glanced over at them. Ben’s right arm was dangling at his side and he was putting weight on only one leg. For the most part, Hank was carrying Ben. She turned her attention back to the car. Slowly she lowered it back down until she was no longer holding it. “Move as far as you can to one side.”
Hank didn’t bother answering. He steered Ben as close to the wall as he dared.
Using her magic, Ivy reached for one of the toolboxes and threw it as hard as she could at the garage door. The boom echoed through the garage. Several large panels skidded across the pavement. Sunlight poured through the opening, revealing just how bad it really was in the garage.
“Ivy, get out here. Don’t make me drag you out.” Hank yelled over his shoulder as he and Ben went through the opening.
“Right behind you.” Ivy looked up at the ceiling. At least, I hope I am. Concentrating on keeping the ceiling in place, she took a couple of steps toward the opening in the garage door. A loud crash came from somewhere in the building causing the walls around her to shudder. “What the blanket-blank am I waiting for?” Ivy shook her head and ran for the opening. Behind her, the ceiling started crashing to the floor. Ivy let out a loud scream as she ran out of the building. As she cleared the opening, the last of the ceiling came crashing down taking part of the wall where Ben had been trapped with it.
Halfway across the parking lot, Ivy grabbed her side and slowed to a stopped. She bent over as she tried to breathe. Sweat poured off her face. The urge to flop down on the ground was strong.
“Are you okay?” asked Hank.
“Do I look okay?” Ivy answered his question with a sarcastic one of her own between her gasps for air.
“Not really.”
Ivy glared at him. “Just in case you didn’t know…I hate running. And I’m not doing it again.” She stood up and walked over to where Ben was laying on the pavement. She knelt down beside him and took his uninjured hand in to hers.
Ben opened his eyes. He tried to speak but started coughing up blood and closed his eyes.
Tears filled Ivy’s eyes. “Don’t you dare leave me.”
“Let me try to help him.” Hank knelt down next to her.
Ivy shook her head. “I will do what I can for Ben…for all of them. I need you to keep watch just in case the demon comes back before I’m done.” She looked around. “Should the police and paramedics be here by now?”
“My cell phone has no service. It was working fine when I first pulled in.” Hank ran his hand through his hair. “It’s like there’s a bubble around the place.”
She nodded. “Just keep watch.” Ivy gently placed Ben’s hand at his side. She placed her hands just above his chest and whispered the words to the healing spell she had used on Ben the last time the demon attacked him. But this time she didn’t have to pull energy from the earth, it was already flowing through her.
Ben’s breathing became easier.
Ivy poured more energy into the spell, making it stronger.
Hank watched in awe as the bones in Ben’s leg and arm realigned themselves into their correct positions.
After several minutes, Ben’s eyes fluttered open. “Ivy?”
She smiled at her mate as she pulled the energy back inside her body. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” She grabbed his hand and brought it up to her lips.
“It wasn’t exactly on today’s agenda,” he said as he sat up, pulled her into his arms, and nuzzled her neck.
“It shouldn’t be on an agenda.” Ivy snuggle against him. She wanted to stay in his arms forever, but Wes’s groan reminded her of what she needed to do. Ivy sat up and looked at Ben. “I need to heal Wes and Forrest.”
Ben nodded. “Do what you can to help them.” He reluctantly released her.
Before she got up, she put her hand on the side of his face. “It was Robert, wasn’t it?” Her words were soft, but she knew Hank had also heard them.
“I think it was from what you’ve told me.”
Ivy’s chest tightened. She looked down at the pavement. She was responsible for all of this. “I will stop him from hurting you or anyone else.”
“You are not responsible for his actions. I told you, my family has fought demons before. We will survive this attack too.” Ben tilted her head so she had to look at him. “Go take care of Wes and Forrest.” Ivy nodded and went over to the other two men and started using her magic to heal their injuries.
Ben slowly stood up. He was sore and tender, but he was healed thanks to his beautiful, curvy witch. He had been dying. He and his bear knew that and had mourned the fact they were leaving their mate alone.
Their mate.
Their beautiful, stubborn mate.
Ben watched her as she healed Wes and Forrest. No one could ask for a better mate. Her bravery and determination were something to see. She had been so determined to save him, even if it meant she was putting her own life in danger, and that worried him.
“Are you sure you should be standing, especially for being a deadman just a few minutes ago?” Hank looked at Ben.
“I’m a little sore, but everything’s healed.”
Hank stared at Ivy as she worked her healing magic on his brothers. A witch healing his brothers. He shook his head in disbelief. Never in a million years would he have ever thought he would see a witch healing shifters, let alone mate with one. He had been taught that witches thought they were better than shifters, and in fact, they were enemies of shifters and should be killed before they did any harm to a shifter
“Witches are not our enemies. In fact, witches and shifters used to not only live together in peace, they mated too. Something happened to drive them apart,” said Ben.
“I have to admit, Ivy is different. She is special. We’re protective of our mates. Sometimes to the point of being extremely obsessive and domineering about it, but she was determined to get to you and no one was going to stop her.” Hank wondered what it would be like to have a mate like that, but quickly pushed the thought away.
“How did you get Wes and Forrest out?” asked Ben.
“I didn’t. Ivy got them out.”
Ben’s bear growled. Our mate is strong. Our cubs will be strong.
Ben shook his head. “Stupid bear.”
Hank raised his eyebrows. “What’s wrong with your bear?”
Ben snorted. “We almost die and cubs are the only thing he can think about right now.”
“Our animals do have one-tracked minds.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Who is Robert?”
“The demon that attacked us is actually a witch who wanted powers that wasn’t his to have. He tried killing Ivy when she was a child, but her grandmother rescued her and protected her until her death. I believe it was Ivy’s grandmother who bound her powers. She did it to keep Robert at bay. It seems Robert made some sort of pact with a demon to get the powers he desperately coveted.” Ben shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
“I take it that Ivy knows this Robert character,” said Hank.
Ben nodded. “He’s her older brother, and the one their parent have groomed to take over the coven. But from what I understand, he doesn’t have the power that Ivy has, and he didn’t inherit anything from their grandmother.” Ben watched Hank. He didn’t want to lose a friend, but there was no way he was going to
let him hurt Ivy.
Hank rubbed his beard as he watched Ivy. “Either this is all a huge coincidence, or there’s something bigger going on.” He wrinkled his nose as the foul odor of rotting flesh suddenly filled the air. Both he and Ben turned around.
“It’s so much bigger than your small shifter mind could ever comprehend.” The demon grinned at them, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth.
“Damn dude, you stink!” Hank stared at the thing standing before him.
“Soon your rotting corpses will be stinking up this whole area, along with anyone else who doesn’t join me.” The demon’s red eyes glowed.
Ben’s bear pushed close to the surface and growled. Protect our mate. Kill that thing. It was angry the demon dared to attack them, and the beast knew the demon wouldn’t stop going after them or Ivy until it was dead.
The demon ignored the growl and looked past the two men. “It’s so good of you to finally show up. Look at all the destruction you have caused. It didn’t have to be like this.” A long, black forked tongue flickered out of its mouth.
Ivy stared at the thing that had once been her brother. The cold hatred rolling off the demon sent a chill down her spine. Even though she was exhausted, Ivy forced herself to stand up. “I didn’t cause the destruction. You caused it because you want things that can never be yours. You made a pact with the devil and look at what you’ve become.” The breeze changed directions. Ivy put her hand over her nose and mouth. “You smell worse than a dumpster of rotten fish on a hot summer day.”
“You’re just jealous because I’ve become stronger…stronger than you will ever be!” screamed the demon.
“If you are so much stronger, then there is no reason for you to be here. Go lead the coven, or have they rejected you because of what you have done? The magic you’re using is the darkest and blackest I’ve ever seen or read about. You have destroyed yourself with your jealousy and greed.”
Surviving Ivy Page 14
