by V Domino
I growl, I will not be fooled by Merelda's trickery.
"Drug! You have to run! Take Ronny and run now! Grandmother is coming!" The girl screams as she looks over her shoulder into the portal as if someone is right on her heels.
I shift back and try to grab Ronny but the girl's scream pierces the air and her body is jolted back through the portal right before Merelda steps through. Before I can shift back and fight, something like a smoke bomb lands near my feet and the substance spilling into the air chokes my human form.
I try to shift but I can't and the last thing I think of before the blackness takes over is kissing Ronny one last time.
"Argh!" I wake on a groan that sounds similar to a pirate.
What the fuck happened to me? Did I take too much Insania and go fucking nuts or something? Damn, I wonder if Rory had to knock me out like we did with Roxy. How the fuck do humans wake from sleep because this shit hurts like hell.
I open my eyes and the light of the sun burns my eyes like nothing else. The searing pain causes another pirate groan to escape. I roll over and try to get my bearings but the grass meets my fingers.
The fuck?
I crack my eyes open and see the carving Drug did and immediately the memories slam into me like a baseball bat to the head.
The sculpture was falling and I caught it- a knee jerk reaction- and suddenly, I was standing in a whirlwind of every possible future. It was like I could see how the world could become all depending on choices and paths people chose in that moment. I could see the supernatural flourishing but also falling. I saw the human world end with choices the people made but I also saw sweet salvation if they made the correct ones!
So many outcomes with so many paths.
"Drug!" I scream looking around for him, "Drug, please!"
I know he's gone, I know it because my soul feels the separation but also because his face was prominent throughout the bombardment I suffered... How long ago?
I grab my phone and suck in a deep breath, it's noon, it's been hours since I touched the sculpture.
What happened after that? Fucking hell. I need my sisters.
Rory, I need help. Drug is missing and he's been gone for hours.
Nothing. Not a flicker of anything from her.
Roxy?
"Fuck!" my scream is loud and scares the birds in the trees but I don't care. Everything in me is rebelling against the distance Drug's absence creates. Not hearing my sisters or feeling them in my mind is torture as well. I swipe open the phone and curse myself for the carelessness of my actions when I grabbed the sculpture.
When the screen opens, I see it was on the camera which is fucking odd as hell. I'm about to close it but decide to click into the photos and see there's a ten minute video on there.
"Drug! You have to run! Take Ronny and run now! Grandmother is coming!"
A little girl's voice can be clearly heard even though the camera is obviously on the ground recording the sky.
I hear Drug as he huffs and kicks the camera like he was about to lift me off the ground but then the little girl screams bloody murder before smoke wafts above the camera lens.
There's a loud thud and I hold my breath watching and hoping for Drug's voice but my hopes are crushed as footsteps through the grass stop near the phone, "Stupid boy..."
Merelda's horrendous voice is cut off when there's a scuffle and a child's grunt of pain alongside the witch's screech of anger, "You rabid little girl! I never should have let you out of your cage!"
"Don't hurt her!" The little girl screams as the wind begins to kick up before suddenly stopping after a loud slap, like a backhand to the face.
She fucking slapped that kid! I will cut off her fucking hands and slap her with them! I'll do much more than that but slapping a child... I’ll keep Merelda alive for decades while torturing her.
"I won't kill her, dear Elsie. I need her sisters to be alongside her. For now the little birdy lives. Now open the portal so we can get your mutt of a brother back to the caves."
Quickly, I close the phone and stuff everything back in the bag including the sculpture. I need to find my sisters and find Drug... and his very alive baby sister.
“Corvos copulare.” Join the Crows.
Nothing happens but before I throw a tantrum I remember the necklace.
Closing my eyes and picturing Rory in my mind, I rub the stone as I speak the chant, "If you get lost, rub the moon. Close your eyes and I'll find you."
Immediately, I'm siphoned to a river's edge.
Rory is laying down with her eyes clouded over as Draven screams her name over her face.
"Dray! What the hell is happening?!"
Draven snarls as I drop across from him on the other side of Rory's side. Her lips are moving but it's the wild lightning that's capturing my attention. It's striking close to the ground.
"Rory! Come back, sister!" I scream at her while Draven cups her face while rubbing soothing circles on her cheeks. His eyes are bright with his worry and fear.
I look around again, making sure Merelda isn't trying to portal here as well.
"Dray, we need to get away from the water, the lightning is going to strike it and we're too close! Hold onto my hand."
He grabs onto my right arm as I rub the moonstone once again, picturing Roxy.
When my eyes open we're on the ground at the base of an old willow tree.
Drac is holding a barely conscious Roxy in the middle of burnt grass. Drac sees us but he keeps his attention on Roxy, speaking into her ear while laying kisses to her temple.
"Ronny?" Rory's grumbling voice pulls me back.
"Thank fuck!" Draven breathes out as he lifts her up and cradles her to his chest. I guess they figured their shit out or maybe this shook the shithead out of him.
"Listen, the same thing happened to me this morning but while I was in the catatonic state Rory was just in," I take a deep breath and pull out the phone, "Merelda took Drug. Not only that but there's something you need to see."
I hit play on the video and hand it to Draven before checking on Roxy. She looks a lot better than she did moments ago. I pull her into a hug and look at Drac, "You need to see the video too."
Drac kisses Rox one last time before jogging over to his brother.
"I was worried about you, Ronny. I was trying to reach you just as Drac found the wooden bird. I grabbed it from him in my excitement and fell into whatever the hell I fell into. I saw present moments throughout the realms and I saw Drug bloodied and unconscious in a cell. I saw you screaming in a field and Draven howling over Rory. I was so scared."
I reach up and wipe Roxy's face as tears fall from her eyes. It's a very rare thing to see Roxy sad or frightened so my heart is breaking even more, adding salt to the wound Drug's abduction has caused.
"I was worried about you guys too. Drug... I'm so scared for him. What if he can be killed in that dungeon?" I stop and hold back the sob that wants to break free. I can't break down, I need to stay strong and find my mate.
"Shh, Ronny. Fuck that cunt, and not in the fun way either." I crack a watery smile at that, "We're going to find that old hag and cut her open."
Drac and Draven's howls of pain and rage cut through the air and Roxy bolts straight to Drac as Draven buries his face in Rory's neck, his body shaking with his emotions.
I stand there, watching these powerful men break with the overwhelming news of their baby sister being alive and I snap. This bitch can't live any longer. How can someone as worthless as that foul beast walk this earth and breathe the same air as my sisters and our men? Hell no.
I'm a Vocem Sanguinis and I vow Merelda's death will be as brutal as a hook on a whip.
"I promise you, brothers, we will get Drug and your sister. She saved me and tried to warn Drug, I owe her a debt I can never repay but I will die trying. Darren said that once we had the talisman we'd be able to join together, right?" Draven looks at me differently, a
s if he sees me in a new light. I want to tell him that in this family, one always stands in place when one of our own needs to sit. When you break, I'll stand and vice versa. But I don't, I just continue on.
"I know Darren didn't know what that meant but I can feel it's meaning in my veins. Let's join hands and focus on Drug's location. I know Elsie will be there and I have a feeling Elsie's power is a conduit for Merelda's."
Draven steps forward aggressively but it's not pointed at me.
"What do you mean by a conduit?"
In the video, Merelda showed her hand by telling Elsie to open the portal. She showed that she isn't the one with the powers.
"I believe your little sister is Merelda's power source or at the very least, she's using little Elsie as a channel to make her own power stronger. If we get Elsie out of that bitch's grip, we will leave Merelda weak enough to be killed. Right now, we need to find their location and somehow let Drug know we're coming for him."
My heart hurts just saying his name knowing he's being brutalized like an animal.
Being without Drug is painful, in my soul and in my bones. I feel his loss like a drought in the summertime. An endless day of sun and no clouds in sight to relieve the scorch on my skin. His empty space beside me is ruthless in its agonizing mockery.
I once said love is painful and I was right. It's motherfucking painful because yeah, I love Drug. Fuck this pain. I will get him back, kill the wicked old bag of bones and then kick his ass for getting caught.
I hold my hand out to Rory but she looks a little nervous. I can't say I blame her. The talisman have put us through the ringer but Draven whispers something in her ear that soothes her.
She takes my hand with a deep breath and Roxy takes my other hand. We're all linked now and we close our eyes focusing on Drug.
Nothing happens right away but my right forearm begins to burn. It doesn't hurt but I can feel the heat as it begins to spread throughout my body.
The spinning starts and soon I'm standing in the cave once more only this time, my sisters are with me.
Drug is there, bleeding and hanging by his wrists. Lashes are all over his body, bleeding in some and blood caked in others.
He looks right at us and smiles.
You can see us? I ask him through our link.
No but I can sense you and hear you, it feels so good too. His inner voice sounds exhausted and my heart twists.
We're coming for you Drug and your brothers are with us. Do you know where you are? He drops his head in utter defeat and I can't stop the sob, even in my head.
Don't cry, Black. I'm okay, just healing very slowly. This room is made of something that dampens my abilities and these cuts aren't what hurts. She's using Elsie to keep me tamed. She locked her in a cage and threatened to drain her of her power. She did it once until Elsie passed out while screaming.
The connection starts to warp as if we're on a time limit.
We'll find you Drug. I promise and we'll get Elsie out of there too. I put as much hope as I can into my words, I love you.
The last thing I see before the vision drops is his head pop up with a cocky little smirk.
Coming out of the vision was easier than it has ever been before, almost like opening your eyes from a dream... at least that's what I imagine it's like.
"Whoa! Look at your arm, Ron," Roxy exclaims.
On the spot that was burning is the image in the exact likeness of Drug's Hellhound. Four barrel nose and pointed ears, it even has two punctures on his neck showing that he's been bitten... or claimed.
"Great, now I won't be able to date with this tattoo scaring everyone off."
Roxy's mumbles are easily heard and Drac laughs, tilting his head to the side showing off a Crow on his neck. "Same here, Baby Crow."
Roxy hisses but I look at Draven, he too has a crow on his neck. I wonder if Drug got one. Oh Drug, I need him back, the fucker. I decide not to tell them what’s happening to their sister. It won't do her any good if they lose their shit.
"Let's get back to the house and get Darren. We need to see if he has any more information to help us."
Draven and Drac quickly pack up their duffels as I grab mine. We join hands and siphon back to the house.
The first thing I do when we arrive is head for the storage fridge and grab as many packs of blood as possible. Mayfly has a few connections with nurses and doctors who he gets fresh human blood from. He sells the packs just as drug dealers would sell narcotics. He does this with anything supernaturals need. Even the witches.
Mayfly has his hands in many different buckets and he's someone I need to visit soon, perhaps he'll know something useful. Afterall, there's no rest for the wicked and Mayfly is one wicked bastard.
After finishing my seventh bag of blood I grab another and head back into the living room where both couples are sucking faces. Gag!
I toss the half empty bag, having lost my appetite at the very uncomfortable PDA going on.
"Uhh, can you savages do this later? We need to get Darren here and you know he'll burn something down if he sees you four fucking."
Rory rolls her eyes, "We weren't fucking, Ronny. Sheesh. Dramatic much?"
"Bitch, it was heading that way, Roxy already has her hand down Joker's pants... Roxy! Fuck, stop dude." I pinch the bridge of my nose.
She pulls her hand free and smiles at Drac who looks very pleased with himself. I swear, these four are going to make me ditch them.
"Here." I toss them bags of blood as I start organizing my man's rescue. "One of you needs to get Darren here while I go pay a visit to Mayfly."
Joker makes a surprised face, "Already going to go visit your fuck buddy? That didn't take long."
I'm on him in a minute and Roxy doesn't stop me, in fact she scoots over as I grab Joker by the throat, pushing his head back. Drac isn't holding back either, he grabs my throat in the same way, growling as I hiss.
"Your brother is the only man I want or will ever want. You speak from your ass, dog. You know nothing about my love for him." I knock his hand away and ignore the cuts his fucking claws left behind as I get an inch from his face while pulling my blade from my boot.
Roxy gives a warning groan, sounding like a feral demon but I ignore her as I put the tip of the blade at her man's groin.
"I may not be able to kill you, Drac but I can and I will cut your fucking balls from your body." To show him I mean my shit, I put pressure on the blade. His eyes flare but the sadistic asshole smiles before snapping his teeth in my face.
Fucker is psychotically perfect for Roxy.
I push off of him and slide my knife back in place.
"Now, I'm going to visit Mayfly to see if he's ever done business with Merelda. You guys find out if Darren has anything useful."
I turn to head upstairs to my room so I can change out of these filthy clothes but a heavy set of footsteps behind me have me turning back.
"Drug would never forgive me if I didn't go with you," Draven says as stoic as ever.
I cross my arms over my chest and level him with a go fuck yourself look, "I do not need a babysitter and if you're insinuating what your dickface brother just did, I will stab you."
I'm not fucking around either, Rory's mate or not, I will draw blood.
Draven smirks, "Of that I have no doubt but what you said back in the woods... We're a team now, a family. I got your back."
This softens my stance. I guess Draven isn't a stoned-face prick anymore.
"But hurry up cause I want to get back to fucking your..."
My boot to his chest doesn't knock him down as I had planned but it does stop his nasty words. Unfortunately, it makes him bust up laughing like a damn clown.
Assholes, I tell ya.
Once I finish changing and cleaning up, I turn to go down the stairs but stop myself. I want to see if I can channel my new powers on cue. I look across the room and see the hamper, hanging over the edge of it is Drug
's shirt. He took it off the day we had our steamy shower.
I focus on the feel of gravity and how it holds everything down relentlessly, hugging everything to the earth. Then I picture its grip slipping from around the cotton shirt. I imagine gravity leaving one stitch at a time until it finally lets it go.
The shirt lifts off the hamper and I squeal like a piglet, happy to see that even with my excitement, the shirt continues to levitate.
I lift my hand and do a quick come hither motion with my fingers. The shirt flies to me so fast, it's like someone threw it. The shirt sails right to my hand leaving me breathless and filled with so much excitement.
I try it again with something solid and again, it flies right to my hand. I figured out that the faster I motion with my fingers, the faster the object flies.
I learned that the hard way when I was trying to get the bookend, a crystal ball, to come to me and it nailed me right in the mouth.
Okay, now that I pretty much have that ability down, I try for my Hellfire. If I'm going to fight Merelda, I need to learn how to call this flame fast without a struggle.
After a few minutes of trying, I can finally call the black flames to my fingers. It seems the flame is bigger when Drug is touching me though because the flames only come out of my fingertips.
"Let's go, Ronny!"
Draven yells from downstairs like an annoying brother. I knock on wood like I've seen humans do because having a pushy sibling is seriously bad luck.
Looking down at my new tattoo of Drug's Hellhound, I rub it with a smile, "I'm coming Drug."
"Ahh, my lovely Crow has come for a visit." Mayfly's smooth voice reaches my ears as we enter Club Lust.
"She isn't here for your drool, Nymph so put your tongue back in your face." Draven snarls from my side.
I swear, men with egos are just so annoying. If they pull their dicks out for measuring I'll cut them off. Hmm, seems like I have a thing for cutting dicks off.
"She brings her guard dog too, wonderful."
