She screamed in fury and the stench of burning skin tainted the night air.
Silver burned a demon witch so she must have hit her, Darcy thought just as the skin burst open over her left rib cage. The bone shattered. Muscle ripped apart. The agony speared her, dropping her to her knees. The blinding hurt of it wrapped around her ribs, causing her to sway and stars to burst behind her tightly squeezed eyelids. Unbearable pain relentlessly pounded at her.
Witch karma.
Damn it, the witch must not be dead. If Darcy was alive enough to hurt this much from the triple punishment of witch karma, then the demon witch still lived, too. Her powers slid from her control, the pain cutting off her connection to her chakras. If Axel was here, he could help her focus and …
But he wasn't.
“Stupid witch,” the creature snarled, coming closer.
Darcy had to kill her. She had to make sure the demon witch died with her, or Axel would … Don't think about him! She fought to block the image of him, to hold out against the need for him that lived inside of her. Instead she concentrated on her options. Water? Fire? Earth? She could drown them both. Or burn them both. Or bring down an avalanche of earth to bury them both. Which would kill the demon witch? She had only one more chance.
Fire. Fire destroyed everything.
Darcy rose on her knees. She had to reach her powers, and the only way to do that was to accept the pain and make it a part of her. Her broken ribs, torn skin, and ripped muscles filled her mind with red-hot agony. She accepted it, as she would accept her death. She prayed her last prayer: Ancestors willing, all I ask is that Axel live. Give him my soul and make him whole. Let me take his place as a shade. Without her soul, she'd be stuck between worlds. She accepted that, too.
She reached up with a bloody hand and touched her necklace.
Instantly she felt the warm light touch her deep in her chest. Her mother, Fallon, was with her. It was enough to reconnect her to her chakras and reach her powers. This time she knew her control and focus wouldn't be accurate without Axel. She had to bring an inferno of fire to make sure she hit the demon witch. As she raised her arms to summon the element of fire, she heard the screech of the hawk.
Darcy opened her eyes and snapped her head up. Her sense of déjà vu and fatalism shattered, as if her destiny had shifted. The clouds parted as a massive winged shadow bore down on them from the skies.
Axel! Her entire being reached for him, her heart swelling beyond her pain. In return, she felt the brush of his hawk wings, a brush filled with fierce protection.
The demon creature yelled a word and flames burst from the bowels of the earth.
“No!” Darcy summoned the water of the sea, pouring it on the flames before it could touch Axel. Her aim, her focus, was dead-on and the fire sputtered out instantly.
Axel shifted in his flying dive to land on his feet in front of where she knelt. His huge wings were fully expanded, blocking her view. From the back, he was awesome. There was no tattoo, just his wings bursting from his back and all those powerful muscles controlling them.
She saw a blur as Axel took the knife from the holster at the back of his pants. Ducking down to see under his wings, she saw the demon witch facing him.
The creature took on the image of Eve.
“Trick,” Darcy warned.
Axel never faltered. He stabbed his knife into the heart of the image of his own mother.
The image shattered as the witch screamed. The glamour fell away, revealing an average-looking woman, her face contorted with pain.
Axel's voice thundered around her. “No one hurts my witch. No one.”
The smell of burning flesh grew sickening. But Darcy couldn't move. The pain of her injuries kept her pinned down in the sand.
In seconds, a hot, sulfur-smelling wind whipped around them, forcing her to close her eyes. Then it was gone.
Darcy opened her eyes in time to see Axel's wings fold up and fade into his skin as the tattoo reappeared. It was truly magical. Still on her knees, the pain trying to steal her consciousness, she watched as he turned.
Where was the demon witch?
“Gone,” Axel answered her unspoken question. “At her death, the demon pulled her into the underworld.” He dropped to his knees in front of her. “Darcy, we don't have much time.” He reached for her, lifting her in his arms and onto his lap. “We have to get you healed quickly.”
“Can't, Axel. It's witch karma. I can't heal it.” She tried to keep her eyes open to fill her mind and body with him and take the images with her into death.
“You have to.” He took her hand and placed it onto the wound bleeding through the dress.
The small touch tore a wretched groan from her. Her shattered ribs screamed. Darkness closed in on the edges of her vision.
“Darcy, look at me. Come on, sweetheart, you have to do this. Breathe with me.”
Just like that, her panting calmed and her breathing fell into sync with his. Her wounds wouldn't heal, but calming her breathing helped her stay conscious and allowed her more precious minutes with him. She couldn't believe he'd come. Saved her. But would he keep his soul? “Please,” she begged softly. “They have to let you keep your soul. Our souls are bound. With my death, you'll be whole.” The words hurt but she had to stay focused.
“No! Darcy, damn it, you're going to live.” He gently laid his hand over hers.
Her powers reacted in spite of her pain, rushing to his touch. The energy went around her wounds, reaching up through their joined hands to slip into him. Was her soul leaving her and joining with his?
“No!” Axel snapped, his eyes blazing. “Pull them back. Heal!”
“Doesn't work that way.” She felt the pain in him and tried to reassure him. “It's okay. You'll be free. I promise.” Cold shivers wracked her. The tremors hurt her crushed ribs and torn muscles. She closed her eyes, squeezed them closed, not wanting to cry in front of him. She didn't want him to remember her as weak.
Axel pulled her in closer to his body.
The heat of him felt good. He smelled good, so solid and real, so Axel. She heard a sound, then felt his wings fold around her, cradling her with their warmth. He'd brought out his wings to warm and comfort her.
Like when she'd been a child.
He stood up with her in his arms, his wings cradling her. “I'll get you to Carla. She can heal you. I don't know how much time we have …” He stopped walking as a huge shadow fell over them.
Darcy opened her eyes and saw another winged man hovering in front of them. Was she hallucinating?
The hallucination spoke. “The death curse is broken; your sister will live.”
Axel bowed his head, then asked in a hushed tone, “You'll see Darcy well and safe?”
Fresh fear for Axel rushed through her. “Axel? What is this?”
He looked down at her, his face gentling, his eyes going bright. “This is good-bye.” He leaned down and kissed her. His mouth was tender but his feelings were wild and fierce, tumbling over her in wave after wave of love, passion, possessiveness, and sacrifice. Tears filled her eyes and ran down her face in hot streaks. His hawk stroked its soft feathers up and down her back and arms. He lifted his head and said, “You are my gift, Darcy. I love you and I will continue to love you for eternity. Always remember that.”
He loved her? Was it possible that he really cared for her? Accepted her? Even if she had accidentally bound him to her as a soul mirror? In spite of the pain of her injuries, hope sprang to life. But it didn't make sense. “Then why are you saying good-bye?”
“Because I chose you. Your life and your soul. You'll live your life and when you die, you'll go to Summerland to see your mother. You can reincarnate if that's your wish. But you will have the choice.”
Her heart beat frantically, making her wounds burn with pulsing agony. He was dying for her, going shade. “No!” She turned her gaze to the winged creature. “The Wing Slayer.”
He nodded.
She st
ared at him, taking in the wing-stamped bands wrapped around his huge arms. Clearly he cared for his hunters—maybe he could be swayed. “It's not fair to take Axel's soul. He didn't choose me of his own free will. He didn't offer his soul for me from free will. I bound him with magic. It's me that should be punished. I give him my soul freely, I give him my life. I give him everything.”
Axel was struggling to speak, but Darcy figured out that his maker had silenced him. She turned and looked up into his face. She saw sheer pain and fury that turned his eyes into glittering emeralds, his jaw and throat working against the freeze. He was huge, powerful, and she loved him with all of her soul. “I give you my love and my soul freely. No spell, no magic, no compulsion. You and your men have to work against this curse destroying all of us. You won't need me. You're free of the bloodlust.” All the emotion, all the words drained her.
She was dying. She had intended to kill with her powers and she would pay the price for that. She had no idea what eternity in the between-worlds would be like. Already she was fading, feeling the darkness closing in on her, taking her away from the light she loved so much. She supposed she'd never feel the moon or sun again, but that was a small enough sacrifice for Axel. She would know that he lived on free of the curse.
She hoped her mom had forgiven her for failing and that Axel would remember her with …
Axel's voice tore free. “Save her! I gave you my soul, my life … I'll give you anything you want!”
Darcy wanted to soothe Axel, but she couldn't think of the words.
The Wing Slayer said, “Enough. Axel, cut your hand and lay it on her wound.”
Darcy felt him drop to his knees, laying her in the crook of his left arm. Forcing her eyes open, she saw him take out his knife and slice the palm of his right hand. Bright red blood welled up in a straight line. Then he lay it on her side. “Take my blood, sweetheart. Let it give you the strength you need to heal.”
She lifted her gaze to his eyes. Her powers stirred from the ashes in her chest, gaining life as his blood mixed with hers. It filled her up, making her arch in his arms and groan with the pain.
Hawk wings slid around her, caressing her skin as the energy welled inside of her. The pain lessened enough for her powers to reconnect and surge up to her control. The shattered bones and torn muscles grew hot with what felt like pure light shining down on them. This was what she'd been missing when trying to heal Hannah; she needed Axel's blood mixed with hers to make the spell work. Whole soul blood, the Ancestors had said.
That's what had drained her, she'd needed the strength of Axel's blood mixed with hers.
“That's it, Darcy, you're healing.” Relief coated Axel's voice.
She lifted her gaze to his face. “I'm going to heal, Axel, then I'm going to kick your ass. And your Wing Slayer's ass if I have to. I am not letting you sacrifice your soul for me.”
“Silence.” The word thundered, drowning out even the sounds of the ocean. “Kick my ass, indeed,” he said. “Did you hear that?” He looked up, his face absorbing the light of the moon until it glowed. “Your witch has a fighting spirit. She brings hope.”
Who was he talking to? The Ancestors? She glanced at Axel, then she heard his voice clearly in her head. He likes you.
Wing Slayer sighed. “Even now they talk to each other. No respect.”
Darcy couldn't help smiling. Because we are of one soul, whole and powerful together.
He turned to look at them. “Yes, you are. Your souls have joined and bonded as soul mirrors. You have both proven your honor and selflessness this night.” He shifted, moving so close that Darcy caught the otherworldly scent of metal and flowers. He reached out and touched the necklace at Darcy's throat. “So that your power may have wings. You belong to the Ancestors, but you are my child, too. I will always hear you.”
The silver warmed and shifted at her neck, while her throat filled with emotion. She didn't need a mirror to know that the intricate loops and swirls had shifted into a pair of hawk wings spread wide in flight. She had no voice so she bowed her head in thanks.
“Your Ancestors are here with me. I am the only one who has form, but they lend their power, their light.”
She nodded, overwhelmingly grateful.
“Axel, give me your knife.”
Axel handed him the knife he'd used to cut his palm. The knife with the silver grip.
Fear skittered up her back. What if he killed Axel now?
Hush, sweetheart. Whatever he chooses, he will not harm you. But I have taken his wings, and I pledged myself to the Wing Slayer.
The Wing Slayer said, “Hold your right hand out, palm down, thumb extended.”
Axel held his hand out.
The Wing Slayer moved with a speed Darcy couldn't see. All she saw was the half-moon slice at the base of Axel's thumb. Blood welled up. Axel stayed still.
The Wing Slayer said, “Darcy, your left hand.”
Axel wrapped his left arm around her reassuringly.
The fear left her and the clean sense of sheer faith filled her. Out here in the moonlit night, with the ocean roaring behind them, the sand beneath them and the Wing Slayer god before them, Darcy held her left hand out. Again she didn't see the knife move, but a half-moon slice appeared painlessly in the flesh at the base of her thumb. The blood ran down her hand.
“Put your palms together.”
A quiet reverence filled her, and she felt the same from Axel. She turned on her knees and pressed her palm to Axel's, their thumbs lining up. The cuts matched up seamlessly, forming a perfect ring around their two thumbs pressed together.
“Call your Ancestors to you, witch.”
Axel helped her push her powers through her chakras until her sixth one opened. Her third eye showed her the collective light of the Ancestors surrounding them.
The Wing Slayer wrapped his hand around their thumbs. “As true soul mirrors, may the two of you reflect the faith, courage, honor, strength, and cunning to fight the curse and protect the innocent. We give you the gift of time to aid you.”
Thunder exploded overheard, lightning arced from the sky to the ocean and sand-covered ground beneath them rumbled.
Darcy's third eye floated shut and they were alone on the beach. The Wing Slayer and the Ancestors were gone. Axel's knife gleamed on the sand between their bodies. “Your knife,” Darcy said.
Axel reached down with his left hand and lifted the knife. The silver handle was stamped with hawk wings. Raising his gaze, he said, “It matches your necklace.”
They would both live, and Axel had achieved the position of Hawk, the leader of the Wing Slayer Hunters. She was glad for him, filled with joy, except … “You forgive me? For binding you to me? I honestly didn't know at the time, then when I began to realize, I was too scared to tell you. Too scared you'd throw me out and go after the demon witch.”
With their palms still touching, Axel twined his fingers with hers. “Never fear that I will reject you. Ever. You are a part of me, the best part of me.”
The truth of his words seized her heart. But she still wanted him to understand that she hadn't known what would happen. “When I called a familiar …”
“I answered. I came to you. Not because I was compelled, but because I saw you clearly that night. And deep down, I knew I belonged to you. Familiar, soul mirror, no matter what it's called, I belong to you.”
She wanted him to know everything. “I saw your wings that night in your bed. They spread out just as you climaxed. God, Axel, I'd never in my life seen anything more majestic or powerful. I wasn't sure I didn't just imagine them.”
He smiled, easing her fears, then he lifted their joined hands to his mouth and kissed her hand. “I didn't feel them, but every time I'm inside you, I lose control. There's no feeling like it.”
They both looked down at their joined hands. The blood from the cuts was gone, and in its place each thumb had a perfect unbroken line circling its base.
Darcy brought her other hand up and s
aw the same perfect ring.
Axel said in a thick voice, “Immortal lifelines. They have given us immortality.”
She couldn't grasp it. “So you're stuck with me for eternity?”
He dropped her hand to cradle her face. “I choose you for eternity. You are my love and my gift. I will always protect you, Darcy. Always.” He took her mouth in a kiss.
The rush of need arrowed through her tightening her skin; her nipples were swollen and aching. She sank her hands into his hair and kissed him fiercely.
Axel responded with a barely contained violence, growling low in his throat and pushing her back onto the cool sand.
Some sense returned. “Wait! Someone might see us.”
Axel rested his hands on either side of her shoulders, his dark hair falling over his uncompromising face. “No one is around.” His gaze dropped to the necklace resting at her throat. “You wear my wings, witch.”
“And you have my heart.” Her witch energy surged, warming her already tight skin until her torn and bloody dress seemed to be strangling her. She wanted his skin on hers, his hands, his mouth. It pulsed in her, fed by the sound of the ocean, the feel of the moon, and the man looming over her. “Join with me, Axel.” She used her powers to get rid of her dress.
He reared back on his knees, his eyes raking down her body clothed only in the silver hawk wings and moonlight. “Mine, Darcy.” He slid a hand between her thighs. “Spread yourself open.”
This was what she loved. She could feel Axel using his hearing and vision to assure they were alone. But he meant to claim her. Not make love, not have sex; he meant to claim and mark her as his own. She spread her legs. And while he looked, she magically took his clothes, all but his knife, which she left within his reach.
The moonlight spilled over his tight bulging shoulders, his stomach rippled with tension, his dick huge and thrusting out between his powerful thighs. He moved between her legs, scooping her thighs in his arms and lifting her to his mouth.
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