The Enemy's Kiss

by Zandria Munson

  No words were exchanged after that. It was clear what needed to be done. In unison, they sprang from the branches and took to the sky, disappearing into the darkness overhead.

  Chapter 18

  Nicholas studied the mound of rock that cascaded down the cliff and disappeared into the water. They’d followed the vehicle to this point, and while the car remained parked at the edge of the cliff, its occupants were nowhere to be found. There was nothing for miles and thus they’d quickly concluded that the cliff was far more than it appeared to be.

  It was Stefan who’d discovered the access to the cave that was near the base of the cliff. They’d returned to their human forms and now stood just within the entrance. The antechamber was vast. Its walls were smooth and the ceiling was decorated with hundreds of pointed stalactites. The room branched off into two passages, each lit by a torch that had been fastened to the wall.

  Nicholas motioned to the right. “I will follow this path.”

  Simion and Stefan nodded and headed for the opposing one. Nicholas drew his gun and began walking. He moved quickly, his eyes and ears missing nothing. If Daniela was somewhere inside this cave then he was going to find her. He didn’t care how long it took or who he’d have to face. He wasn’t leaving without her.

  As he came to the end of the passage, the sound of voices could be heard. He eased into another passage and saw an opening at the end. He made his way toward it. Beyond it, a flight of crudely fashioned stairs gave access to a wide chamber. Fires burned around the room in metal fire pits, casting light on the occupants within.

  Nicholas slipped into the shadows at the top of the stairway and took a moment to come to terms with what he saw. Eleven gargoyle statues stood in a row on a raised platform of stone, while the figure of Gabriel had been placed at the very back of the room upon a low pedestal. A gaping hole in the wall permitted a view of the moon as it sank lower in the sky.

  A hooded figure stood before the statue, watching as one of the Raba witch twins carved a symbol around it. Five men in suits also stood back to observe.

  Movement resounded from one end of the chamber and Nicholas’s attention was drawn to another passageway. Light spilled from it and soon the leader of the Raba clan sauntered in. Behind her, the second twin followed with Daniela’s sister, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

  Nicholas’s body tensed as another huddle of shadows began to pour from the doorway. Four Raba warlocks emerged, and, as he’d suspected, Daniela was among them. Her hands were bound with chains and the man who held them yanked her forward. Nicholas could feel a wave of heat slowly climbing over him and his joints began to ache. He flexed the muscles of his neck, suppressing the demon that fought for release.

  He watched as Daniela was placed in the center of another symbol that had been drawn on the ground. A tall wooden stake had been erected within it as well, and it was to this that she was fastened.

  The Raba leader cast her glance about the room. “Sabbath, it appears that everything is in order.”

  The cloaked figure turned to face her. “Excellent. Shall we begin?”

  “I trust you will not forget our arrangement,” she said. “My services are not free. Once you have what you want, the Book of Spirits is mine.”

  “Of course, Magdelene,” Sabbath agreed. “It will be no more use to me.”

  Nicholas felt the blood drain from his face and his brows sank into a deep and incredulous scowl. The voice he’d heard was all too familiar to him. His cousin Andrew was Sabbath. Andrew, who for years had taken up the task of conducting business for the Drakon family as Lord Victor had been unable to do so as a gargoyle. The mention of the Book of Spirits was also disturbing, as it was one of the lost spell books that Adela had mentioned. They were a collection of incantations that had been compiled over centuries. The spells had been conjured by the greatest warlocks and witches in history. It was during the time the books were used that the world had fallen into darkness. Spells were cast out of anger and lust for vengeance, and abominations had been formed.

  Yet as the centuries passed, the dark magic had been contained and the books had been hidden away. How Andrew had come to possess one of them, Nicholas couldn’t even begin to imagine.

  Sabbath’s attention turned to Gabriel’s form again. “Are you sure this will work?” he asked.

  The witch’s chin went up a notch. “Most certain.” She motioned toward an altar and from where Nicholas stood, he could see the two runes resting upon it. “Once the runes are broken, Gabriel’s soul will be placed into the host.”

  They looked toward Daniela and Magdelene continued. “Simultaneously, your soul must also be removed and you will possess Gabriel’s body.”

  “There are twelve souls within these runes,” Sabbath stated. “How can you be sure that the right one will be exchanged?”

  “It is sorcery, my dear,” she replied. “The spell will be adjusted so that his name is used. Only his soul will be commanded into the host.”

  Sabbath looked at Daniela again. “And the girl, what happens to her once Gabriel’s soul enters her body?”

  Magdelene motioned toward the twins. One of them moved to stand behind the altar where the runes lay, while the other took a position by an altar near Daniela. Upon it was a heavy spell book.

  “Essentially, if her soul is not strong enough, and I suspect it is not, she will die,” Magdelene supplied impassively.

  Nicholas had heard enough. He cocked his gun and headed down the stairway. “Andrew!”

  All eyes turned to him and his gun came up at any who moved. One of the men dressed in a suit was about to reach into his jacket and Nicholas fired at him. The bullet struck the wall, but had been close enough to still the man’s actions. It hadn’t been Nicholas’s intention to wound him, because he was grossly outnumbered. He fired the shot with the hopes of alerting his brother and Stefan. And until they found him, he would focus on getting Daniela and her sister out of there.

  As he neared the bottom of the stairs, Andrew stripped the hood from his head. Surprise was evident on his face, but it was quickly subdued and replaced with a hard expression. Nicholas cast a look at Daniela, who watched him with a fusion of relief and fear.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Magdelene demanded. Andrew raised a hand, quieting her.

  “I commend you,” Andrew said. “I didn’t think you would make it this far.”

  Nicholas swung his gun on him. “You have betrayed our clan to satisfy your own greed for power.”

  A reflection of guilt registered in Andrew’s eyes. “To want what is rightfully mine is hardly greed, Nicholas. You’ve been so eager to give up your life as a gargoyle, you didn’t know what you had. The strength. The superiority. Now it’s my turn.”

  A burning anger took hold of Nicholas. “And you would risk the safety of your family and of the innocent people in this world to achieve this?”

  Andrew turned away and with adoration his eyes gazed upon the statue of Gabriel. “It was never my intention, but this is my last resort. You must understand that I have tried other spells to transform myself, but they were useless. But in Gabriel’s body, I will be everything that I’ve always dreamed of.”

  “So you are the one who has been tampering with sorcery.”

  He nodded. “The Book of Spirits has many spells. Finding the correct one is an immense task. And in case you’re wondering how I managed to find the book, I have spent over a year tracing the lineage of the witch to whom the book had been entrusted. And finally, I found her descendant. To her, the book had held no value and she’d kept it tucked away in the attic. Under the guise of an antiques dealer, I simply waltzed in and she exchanged it for a small fee of five hundred dollars.”

  Nicholas didn’t appreciate the self-satisfied tone to his voice. “And are you aware that your interference has brought th
e effects of the curse back upon us?”

  Andrew returned his attention to him. “So I’ve heard, but you should be grateful. It’s because of those abilities that you are still alive.”

  Nicholas didn’t deny the truth to those words, but it did nothing to change the fact that what Andrew had done was wrong. And they had yet to learn if the curse would take on its full effect. If it did, their lives would return to the hell it had been before.

  Andrew sauntered forward until he stood within a few feet of Nicholas. “I will give you a chance to walk out of here and return to your life.”

  “Release the prisoners,” was Nicholas’s only reply. His primary concern was getting Daniela and her sister out of there before things got out of control.

  “I’m afraid I cannot do that. I need a host to complete this spell, but you may leave with one of them.”

  Nicholas looked from Daniela to her little sister. What Andrew asked was completely out of the question. He’d made a promise to Daniela to see her and Elaina to safety and he intended to keep that promise.

  “Release them and I will be your host,” Nicholas offered.

  For what seemed to be a long time, Andrew looked at him in disbelief. Then reluctantly, he nodded. “Very well.”

  He motioned to the men in the suits and two of them moved forward. Nicholas didn’t wait for them. He marched toward Daniela and gazed down at her. Tears welled in her eyes and the pain he saw there was unmatched by anything he’d ever experienced before.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked.

  He slipped the gun into her pocket. His eyes searched her face, memorizing it. She was so lovely. And he was willing to give his life for her. One of his hands moved to encircle her slender waist and he lowered his head. Their lips met for a soft and tender kiss. It wasn’t driven by lust, but by the emotions that had urged him to find her.

  The sounds of her chains being released echoed somewhere within the haze of his mind and he felt her arms lift to embrace him. She held him tightly. Their lips parted and he took another moment to just look at her.

  “I want you to take your sister and leave this place,” he told her.

  She shook her head. “What about you?”

  He brought a hand up and brushed a tear from her cheek. “There is no need to worry. Now do not waste any more time. Leave this place.”

  He stepped away from her and his arms were immediately seized by two men. They brought him up against the stake and chained him in place. He watched as Daniela ran to retrieve her sister. They headed up the stairway, but before she left the room, she turned back. Their eyes met one last time before she slipped out. Relief seeped into him. Daniela was safe.

  “Add another length of chain,” Andrew ordered.

  The two men complied and Nicholas was soon wrapped in several thick chains. Andrew nodded at Magdelene and she motioned to the twin who stood nearest to Nicholas. The young woman began chanting from the thick spell book before her: the Book of Spirits.

  Andrew moved to stand in the center of a symbol on the floor. It had been positioned next to the statue of Gabriel. Magdelene gestured toward the second twin, who hovered above the runes.

  “Break the stones,” Magdelene instructed.

  The young woman raised her hands above her head. She held a large rock between them, but before she could bring it down, a loud crashing sound shook the entire room. All eyes were drawn to the pile of crumbled stone that lay at the bottom of the platform. Ten statues remained. Simion and Stefan hovered above them all, their large wings ripping through the air.

  “Traitor!” Simion growled, his attention on Andrew.

  Andrew realized that his plan was about to be foiled and he gestured wildly to his men. “Stop them!”

  They pulled their guns and started firing. The Raba warlocks followed suit and made ready to attack. Simion and Stefan dodged the bullets with ease, swooping about the large room and taking out their enemies one at a time.

  This was all Nicholas had been waiting for. He clenched his fist and began to strain against the chains that bound him.

  Magdelene quickly retreated to the rear wall. “Break the runes!” she shouted.

  The young Raba witch with the rock complied. She lifted her arms again and brought the rock down hard on the runes. A sudden burst of light shot out from beneath the rock. She lifted it, and what appeared to be coils of gossamer smoke rose from the shattered remains.

  “The spell!” Andrew shouted at her sister and the other young witch began chanting anew.

  At this point, Nicholas let loose the restraint on the dark creature within him. He began to transform and the chains broke away. Free now, he emitted a fierce roar and sprang into the air. It was time to end this.

  * * *

  With Elaina in tow, Daniela reached the exit of the cave. Behind them the sounds of gunfire and screams could be heard. It should’ve felt good to be free and to have her sister safely returned to her. But it didn’t. She thought of Nicholas, who’d been left behind to endure whatever fate, only moments ago, had been her own. His sacrifice for her and Elaina had touched her deeply. No one had ever cared enough to risk anything for them, let alone their own life.

  She paused at the exit, torn between the desire to get her sister as far away from there as possible and the impulse to turn back. Instantly, she realized that she had no choice. She had to help Nicholas. He had become an indelible part of her. To go on living with the knowledge that she’d simply left him in peril would fill her with more guilt than any crime she’d ever committed.

  Quickly, she left the cave and searched the area. Farther along the shore, several tall shrubs were clustered together. Taking Elaina by the shoulders, she said to her sister,

  “Listen to me. I need you to hide behind those plants.”

  “Why?” Elaina protested. “We have to get out of here.”

  “We will, but there’s something I have to do first. I need you to be brave, okay?”

  Elaina nodded. “You won’t be long, will you?”

  Feigning a smile, she shook her head. “I won’t. Just wait for me.”

  Her sister agreed and scampered off toward the shrubs. Daniela waited until Elaina was safely hidden before she turned back toward the cave. She didn’t know how long she would be or what would transpire once she returned. She drew out the gun Nicholas had slipped into her pocket. The man she loved was inside, and she wasn’t leaving without him.

  Chapter 19

  Nicholas ripped the heavy wooden stake from the ground and swung it at the warlock just as he came at him. The man was knocked off his feet, but was resilient. He came at him again.

  Another crash resounded about the room as Simion managed to topple a second gargoyle statue. On the ground, Stefan fought vigorously, while the screeching of the souls rose above the chaos. The ribbon-like coils of light began to drift toward the remaining statues. However, the chanting of the witch had ceased for Nicholas no longer remained in the circle of the host.

  “Keep chanting!” Andrew screamed.

  The Raba witch who stood before the book looked uneasy. “But there is no host,” she protested.

  “I don’t care. I want my soul in Gabriel’s body. Read it,” he insisted.

  Another statue was pushed to the ground and it shattered to pieces.

  Magdelene stepped forward. “The spell was not written that way, Andrew. It must be followed in sequence.”

  Andrew reached into his cloak and pulled a gun out. “It’s too late for sequence. I said keep chanting!” He pointed the gun at her, his eyes blazing with anger.

  Magdelene looked to the witch and nodded. And so the chanting began again.

  Nicholas laid a fist into the jaw of the warlock, rendering him unconscious. He turned his attention toward the platform just i
n time to see the souls of the gargoyles pass into the stone. In anguish, he watched as cracks began to snake up their legs. It was too late. They’d failed in their mission. He drew the dagger that Adela had given him. It could be used only once. He would save it for Gabriel.

  He would’ve headed for the statue of Gabriel, but he was halted as shots rang out and one of the statues broke away into pieces. He found the source and was immediately filled with both rage and admiration.

  Daniela stood in the doorway, his gun held firmly in her hands. She aimed for the next statue and destroyed it without flinching.

  “Stop her!” Andrew shouted.

  The Raba witch who’d broken the runes raced toward Daniela. However, her steps faltered as the room began to tremble. Deep and mournful wailings arose as all of the souls were pulled from their hosts. The incantation, improperly performed, was forcing them toward the statue of Gabriel.

  Stalactites were shaken from the ceiling and fell to skewer two of the warlocks. The witch continued her chanting and even the souls of these fallen men were summoned and commanded toward Gabriel’s form.

  Nicholas dived out of the way, avoiding a sharp stalactite and certain death. A glance across the room revealed Daniela running toward him. Skillfully, she dodged the falling projectiles. Andrew’s men and the Raba warlocks allowed her free passage as she was no longer of any concern to them. They were retreating from the room that was fast collapsing. Simion and Stefan had moved off to the side of the room, but stood their ground.

  A huge stalactite came cascading down above the altar where the witch stood chanting. She glanced up and slammed the spell book shut, stepping back just before the altar was completely destroyed. The force of it knocked her to the ground and the book skidded somewhere off to the side.

  At that moment, Andrew’s screams joined the confusion. His face was contorted in agony and he gripped his chest. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. The symbol about him began to glow. And soon so did the one that had been drawn about Gabriel.