Bastard Stepbrother (Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance)

by Faye, Amy

  “What's wrong?” She yelled.

  “They're coming. You have to get out! Run along the road, there's some trees to the east. Hide there. I'll come find you.”

  “You're not coming?”

  He shook his head, pushing her out the door. “I'm going to buy you some time. Don't worry. I've done this before.”

  The magic was getting closer, and he realized it was mixed with another form. The one form of black magic that even the youngest, stupidest student of magic could differentiate from the others.

  Necromancy.

  15 men walked down the street, towards where Cady was running. Dean didn't think. He readied his shotgun and shot one of the men in the head.

  The man went down. The others turned to him. Good, the shot had the desired effect: gaining their attention.

  The Priest was there, too. His head had been sewn onto his neck with thick purple thread, but it wasn't a perfect job. His head permanently looked slightly to the left. It would have been funny if Dean wasn't scared to Hell and back.

  Dean readied his shotgun again and blasted The Priest. Jack Arkham didn't even stop walking. The blast hit him, but he kept coming, with a grin on his disgusting, rotting face.

  Chapter 12

  Cady

  BOOM.

  One shot that made her heart thump against her chest even more than it was already. She was already at the road, tripping over her feet slightly as she was still half asleep.

  BOOM.

  That shot woke her up, finally. Seven smaller shots followed her as she ran down the road, away from the sun that would set in a few hours. The small wooded area was getting closer, but her legs were getting tired. She wasn't sure if they would carry her the rest of the way or if she might collapse in the road.

  It was only a few yards off. She glanced behind her, hoping that she wasn't being followed.

  She was.

  The beard and the hair told her exactly who it was. Nicholas. He had come to take her back, to sacrifice her to a disgusting demon. She couldn't let him. She had to fight!

  She hit the trees and stumbled through the branches laying around on the ground. A few threatened to trip her, but she made it in and found a huge tree laying on the ground. The fallen thing was large enough to hide her. She scrambled to get behind it and held her breath, begging her lungs to stop aching and her heart to slow.

  There were footsteps in the woods. Branches breaking, someone stepping closer. She could hear his breathing.

  If Dean were there, he would have saved her. She knew he would have. But she was alone.

  Covering her mouth with her hand, she closed her eyes and waited. Waited to be found. But she wasn't. His footsteps got quieter, further from her, until she couldn't hear them at all.

  “Oh, my poor, lost child.”

  She whipped around to find where the woman's voice had come from. She found herself staring up at the thin, pale figure of a woman dressed in white. She floated an inch above the ground, her dress fluttering around her feet as if the wind itself were holding her afloat.

  Her hair was long, sleek and black. Her eyes were ice blue.

  Instinctively, Cady stood, her legs wobbly. Then she bowed, her head low in respect. She stood before The Goddess. Her anxiety washed away, replaced by awe and devotion.

  “My Lady,” Cady said. Her voice barely sounded like it belonged to her. The woods seemed to sparkle around her, as if fairies danced around them. The birds that had followed Cady and Dean from the farm circled overhead, but made no noise.

  “No need to bow, my love. Stand, and be proud. You are as special as I am. And so is the child that is growing within your womb.”

  The Goddess floated closer and pressed a slender hand against Cady's stomach, and Cady knew then that The Goddess spoke the truth. A child, only a few days old, was ready to implant within her. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that it would succeed.

  Dean

  Dean was sprawled on a wooden floor, drowsily coming back to reality after a few hours of darkness. His body was feeling bruised and battered, but there was nothing wrong with him that wouldn't heal within a few days.

  “Oh, God! Cady!” Dean sat up straight, then regretted it. He swayed while he sat, his head throbbing with pain. Someone had definitely cracked him a good one. There was no blood, but he was pretty sure he had a concussion.

  He had pumped 7 more shots with his Sig Sauer into The Priest. He should have known better. You can't kill someone who's already dead with normal bullets. He was going to need either a spell, or bullets that had rested in grave dirt for over a month.

  Yeah, he was more likely to find a spell. His aching head raced, trying to remember something, anything that could release someone from a necromancer's spell.

  That was when he looked around the room. He was in some sort of cabin, with dusty furniture place haphazardly. Trees were visible outside of the window. Magic flowed in on the breeze through the cracks and crannies in the building.

  No Cady. He couldn't even see his journal from where he was sitting, and he realized it was probably back in the motel room. Groaning, he stood and walked around the room, stumbling a bit until he understood how to work his legs again.

  That girl was his whole world, now. He had to save her, even if he died trying.

  The door wouldn't open when he pushed or pulled. “Must be locked on the outside,” he muttered. Double checking around the room for anything else that might give him a clue as to where Cady was and finding nothing, Dean picked up a chair. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slammed the chair against the window.

  Of course it didn't break. “Fucking magic.” Throwing the chair back onto the floor, he took a seat on it and rested his head on his hands.

  Just as he was wondering if he might be able to dig his way out, the door swung open and Nicholas stepped inside. He looked very little like his father then, though they once almost looked like brothers rather than father and son.

  “Hello, Dean,” Nicholas said with a cheerful smile. The door shut behind him.

  Dean noted that the room's air was filling with magic again. “Nicholas. Nice place you have here.”

  “Oh, it isn't mine. This was used by hunters like you, hunters that wanted the prize that sleeps in these woods.” His eyes flashed with a wicked glee. “Don't you want that prize, too?”

  “Not particularly. I just kind of want to take that red head home to her pop.”

  “Oh, dear, isn't that unfortunate. Because that pop is currently being sucked off by one of my women, or perhaps they've moved on to fucking. Either way,” he stepped closer to Dean, his magic making him choke. “He's enthralled by all the gifts we have to offer, and I don't think he's too worried about Cady.”

  “I don't believe you. Edwin has never been that easy to fool.”

  Nicholas shrugged. “Well, a little bit of magic goes a long way with old men who have long since lost the comforts of their wives. You should know that. You gave in, and did exactly what you were supposed to do.”

  Dean raised his eyebrow. “And what, exactly, was I supposed to do?”

  “You impregnated her!” Nicholas clapped, like a child overjoyed. A breath caught in Dean's throat, his chest ached. Clutching at it, he bent forward. There was no way that could be true, and even if it was, it was too early for them to know.

  Somehow, Dean thought that they might have the ability to know.

  “Oh, I do wish it had been me, but I've been shown why it was necessary for you to give her a baby. It all makes sense now. And what's one red headed whore when you're about to become a god?”

  Standing, Dean readied to throw a fist right at the bastard's face, but he was frozen in time with a wave of Nicholas' hand.

  “Even though she's undoubtedly a whore,” he flashed a grin, then continued. “She is special. With The Mad Arab's blood, plus that little extra of having the soul of an ancient race inside of her. Cady is going to play an integral role in my rule.”

&nbs
p; “I don't even know what the fuck you're talking about.” Dean tried to get free from the magic holding him, but failed. Nicholas was strong, stronger than Dean ever thought he could be. That kind of change in strength requires sacrifice.

  “Oh, of course you don't. You played the part of the fool wonderfully, and I don't expect you to stop now. I have to leave soon, but before I do, let me fill you in. That ancient race possesses enough power to do almost anything. The Mad Arab's blood carries the same magic that allowed him to open other worlds. And the blood in your child? Why, it has your blood.”

  Nicholas stepped very close to Dean then, their noses practically touching.

  “I bet you don't even know why you're so special, do you?”

  Cackling, he stepped away. “Of course you don't! That was the whole point. The Goddess was right about you. She was right about everything!”

  “So,” Dean croaked, his throat strained from holding back the pain of finding out he was to be the father of an infant soon killed. “Are you going to kill me?”

  “Oh, no. That would be too easy on you, I think. No, we have something much better planned for you.”

  In an instant, Nicholas popped out of reality, disappearing before Dean's eyes. The door to the cabin remained open, and his body slumped forward as the magic left him.

  Chapter 13

  Cady

  The water in the large, golden tub that Cady sat in was pink from something fizzy that had been thrown in. It smelled like cotton candy, and made her skin tingle when it touched the cold air outside of the bath.

  A sponge moved across her back, slowly and gently. “Mm,” she moaned, closing her eyes and leaning forward against the tub. Three women were in the room with her, doting on her as if she were royalty.

  Ever since she had returned, she felt like a different person. She was still Cady, of course, just Cady with more power. More poise. When she closed her eyes and listened to her body, she almost felt like she had the power to create worlds.

  “Oh, but you can, my dear.” Olivia stepped into the bathroom, her long black hair now in curls that cascaded down her lithe back. The wore a sheer yellow dress that allowed a peek at her nude body, her curves perfectly placed and perfectly plump.

  “Really?” Cady asked, her eyes growing wide. Did she truly have that kind of power?

  Olivia stopped and smiled. It was a genuine smile that did not scare Cady at all. She had no idea why she had ever been afraid of The Goddess. “You could do nearly anything you wanted to, of course. That's all in you. I just hope that you'll use all of that grand power within you to help me create a perfect Earth. You will help me, won't you?”

  Thinking, Cady hummed. “Well, I suppose that sounds good. Will it be better than this one? Less war and hunger?”

  “Oh, much less of both. Though of course, there will be growing pains.” She waved a hand dismissively. “They will be brief. No need to worry your pretty little head about that.”

  The woman washing her back stepped away, leaving the sponge floating in her tub. Olivia had waved her away, and then stepped even closer. “Do you want to know a secret, Cady?”

  Cady nodded, a smile on her lips. She felt almost like a child again, renewed with awe and energy.

  “You and I, we're both from two worlds. I know you've read about The Great Race.”

  “The Yith,” Cady whispered.

  Olivia nodded. “Yes. You share your soul with one of them, and because of that you have great power. You're like a goddess in your own right. I, on the other hand, share the soul of a race that has only one other survivor.”

  “That's so sad,” Cady said. She frowned, reaching out to touch Olivia's hand. Olivia recoiled away from the touch, but continued to smile down at Cady.

  “It is. But I wish to see the second once again. He's been asleep for so very long. Will you help me bring him here?” Olivia looked to the other women, who suddenly took Cady from the bath and dried her. They dressed her in a white dress that clung to her hips like nothing she had worn before.

  “I would love to,” Cady chirped as one of the women put something black and wet on her eyes. When she looked in the mirror she saw that her eyes were lined with an angular stroke. She was wearing makeup for the first time ever.

  Her hair was braided with a chain, and a necklace was placed around her neck. It was a long gold chain with a diamond that rested between her breasts. She touched the stone absentmindedly. “But how can I help him? I don't know how to do magic or anything.”

  “Don't you worry about that. I will do the magic for you.”

  Cady thought. “Will it hurt?”

  “Perhaps a little, but it won't be more than you can handle.”

  Cady stood in front of the mirror, admiring her own reflection. She couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. She had always thought she looked okay, but she saw someone who barely looked like Cady. Maybe the change inside of her was being reflected on the outside.

  “Are you happy with how you look?” Olivia asked, her voice soft and low.

  She wasn't sure how she felt. She felt a little bit like a fraud, and a lot like she didn't deserve any of this attention and devotion. A small part of her felt like she deserved more. It was an unsettling combination, a confusion deep within her soul.

  But there was no way to voice that confusion, so she nodded instead. She was happy with how she looked, radiant and powerful, but she didn't understand it.

  Taking a deep breath, Olivia then touched Cady's hand with a wince. Her eyes opened with surprise as whatever she expected to happen, didn't. A smile creeped onto her slender face. “Join me, Cady. You and your baby will become royalty. Give your daughter her birthright.”

  “What about… um...” She searched her mind for a name, a face, that was blurry and unsure. She couldn't seem to grasp it and make it more clear.

  “Dean? Oh, he'll have his place. He'll be royalty, too, in fact. A king to rule all kings, to command all gods.” Her smile was guarded, but Cady only squeezed her hand and smiled in return.

  Then a question bubbled up, and she could no longer hold it back. “How do you know I'm pregnant, Olivia?”

  “I knew you would get pregnant before I even came to The Lore Keepers. Before you were a woman, before everything else. I came here for you. I came because of you.”

  The door opened again and both women turned to it, Cady's eyes glistening and threatening to send tears down her cheeks. Nicholas poked his head in, then smiled and stepped into the room. “He's ready,” he said.

  “Is he still in the woods?”

  “He was in the cabin when I left him.”

  Olivia showed her whites with a vicious, gleeful smile that unsettled Cady. It was a smile that Nicholas returned. “Well, then, I suppose it's time to prepare for his entrance. If he lives through his trial, that is.”

  Dean

  The woods seemed different. Maybe it was the magic that was flowing through it so freely, so dense that it choked. Maybe it was something else, or just his imagination. Dean felt it in his bones, though. He needed to get out as quickly as he could. Not just for Cady's sake, but for his own.

  He didn't want to die before he could save her.

  Wandering aimlessly between the trees, he stumbled upon something that gave him hope. An axe embedded into the trunk of a fallen tree, the handle made of dark oiled wood and carved with runes. It must have belonged to a hunter, his weapon of choice.

  When he touched it, Dean knew it was old. There were hundreds of years of memories in the wood. Maybe thousands in the head. It had power, but not the kind of power that stank or sang. It was quiet power, gentle but flowing with strength.

  “I'll be damned,” he said, giving a wry smile to no one at all. Putting a foot on the stump, he grabbed the handle with both hands and tugged. The weapon came out easily, more easily than it should have.

  Cady's face flashed before his eyes. The sound of her voice rang in his ears. His chest ached with purpose, anger, and bl
eak hopelessness that threatened to drown him.

  He pressed forward rather than wallowing in his pain. His body was fine. He would be fine, as long as he saved her.

  Standing still, his foot still on the stump, he closed his eyes and waited. Smelled, listened. The magic would guide him to Cady. He was sure of it.

  He followed the scent through the trees, trusting it to take him to the right place. To the farm, where he would find Cady, perfectly healthy and happy to see him.

  After walking for a while, Dean came across a large rock. It seemed to rise and fall, but it was only barely perceptible. The magic on it was so strong that even Dean could see it. He had never been able to see magic before, but it glittered off the rock and sizzled like electricity in the air.

  He started to back away when the rock stirred and unfurled, revealing the form of a large lizard. It used magic to change its color and texture, revealing itself to be a dragon. Or, what had once been a dragon.

  The form looked vaguely like dragons in story books, but the beast before Dean had been corrupted by the dark magic from the farm. Its wings were rotten, the flesh falling away from bone. Its head had too many eyes and bulged in strange places. All over its body were thin tendrils, like tentacles that waved as the dragon moved.

  Its eyes, red as blood, focused right on Dean. It turned to face him, moving faster than Dean thought such a large creature should. It looked in pain, but it did not look weak.

  The dragon's great maw opened and it gave a hiss to Dean, a threat and a warning that had no right answer. If he moved, he would be chased. If he stayed, he would be eaten. The great lizard drew its head back in the next instant and spat out what felt hot like fire but was black and shimmering like the night sky.

  Dean only barely dived out of the way of the night flame. He dashed through the trees, attempting a quick escape, but the dragon crashed through the trees after him faster than his truck could move at top speed. The lizard was upon him in mere moments.

  It reared back on its hind legs and skidded to a stop, letting out a deafening cry as Dean turned to face it. Then its tail was sailing towards Dean. He pressed his whole body down into the ground, letting the tail fly above him by only a few inches.