When my wits came crashing back, I dug my heels into the ground and jerked us to a stop. I unshadowed. He followed my lead.
"Come on," Darren pressed. "We need to get the hell out of here while we still can."
I ripped my hand away and somehow managed to laugh as angry tears began spilling down my cheeks. "Now you want to run away together?"
He looked completely flabbergasted. "Yes? Isn't that what you wanted all along?"
"Not like this!" I shouted, half sobbing. "Jared is back there! And Yasmin! And hundreds of other vampires who were actually kind of nice to me this past week. And hundreds of witches who are probably innocent too. They don't deserve to die because of some centuries-old prejudice. This shit has to stop! And it starts with us."
I stared intently into his eyes. He was clearly shocked. He'd never seen me so hard, so determined. He didn't seem to know what to say or do. He just stood there, silent as stone.
"Are you with me, or not?" I asked, voice cracking.
And in that moment, it was like I'd given him some kind of subliminal ultimatum.
Are you with me, or is this relationship over?
After a few terrifying seconds of hesitation, he matched my gaze with a hardened stare of his own.
"I'm with you, Princess," he said. "I love you."
I instantly launched myself into his arms, kissing him with all I had.
"I love you too, Darren."
In fact, I think I fell even further in love with him in that moment. But we didn't have time to waste. We had a literal war to stop. And I had absolutely no idea how to do it.
Grasping at the shadows, I charged back into the manor with Darren on my heels. Watching the chaos unfold, I realized pretty quickly that I was going to need an act of great magnitude in order to capture everyone's attention long enough to gain control. Scanning the room, I found a coffee table that hadn't yet been overturned, and ran for it. Once I was standing up above the crowd, I unshadowed and let loose a ground-shaking burst of magic that literally lit the manor walls in an ethereal glow, and rattled them too.
In my best royal voice, I shouted, "Stop this bullshit right now!"
A few heads turned my way, both vampires and witches. Others used that momentary distraction as an opportunity to strike, catching their opponents off guard. The fighting resumed, and bodies again started hitting the shiny granite floor.
I glanced down at Darren from my perch on the coffee table. His arms were crossed as he assessed the maddened crowd with glaring eyes. When he was finished, he glanced up at me and nodded, giving me the strength to try again.
"Enough!" I shouted, releasing another burst of magic.
This time, however, it shot out all around me, knocking everyone to the ground like dominoes in a jet stream. I was actually quite terrified of what I'd done. I’d never used my magic in such a way, or on such a large scale. But I blinked, swallowed, and regained my composure as best I could, acting like it was all just part of the plan. Darren remained stoic at my side, completely unfazed by my outburst. God love him.
"This is insane!" I pressed, trying to make them see reason. "It doesn't have to be this way! We hate each other for nothing. There are exactly zero reasons for this prejudice. We are all just people. Supernatural people with extraordinary powers, yes, but still... people."
I waited for someone to say or do something, but no one did. They were finally giving me my chance to speak, to convince them to change their minds. I needed to make my next words count.
"We don't have to blindly follow the paths of our ancestors. We are powerful. We can forge our own path in this world. And we can do it on our terms."
It was now or never. Time to step up, or step the fuck down.
I squared my shoulders, and lifted my head up high.
"I am Princess Autumn Delarose. Heir to the throne of the American Witches. And I am not afraid to take my place as queen. Nor am I afraid to shatter the ancient rules and prejudices. Swear loyalty to me—" I reached down and pulled Darren up onto the coffee table. "—and to your future king, Darren Porter, heir of the Wells Vampire Coven, and together we will make way for liberty and acceptance for us all and every generation to come."
An eerie silence slithered through the room, but eventually whispers stirred. The sound of voices grew louder. And soon, the room was buzzing with heated arguments.
Unsurprisingly, the younger, more open-minded generation was the first to immediately cross over to my side. The older witches and mages, ones who had everything to lose by abandoning my parents, stood firm in opposition.
As for the vampires, they seemed just as conflicted. Many of them liked Darren and couldn't wait for him to take over as leader. But others seemed to honor Varek’s right to rule.
I watched as the room literally divided into a triangle—Darren and me on one side, my parents on another, and Varek on the last.
My father found a fallen piece of furniture and hoisted himself up. We were eye to eye from an entire room apart, but I heard him clear as day as he spoke.
"My only child thinks she can overthrow her beloved parents, does she? After everything we've done for her, all we've provided for her and sacrificed for her, she would try to squash us like roaches beneath her feet? I say, let her try! When she's vanquished and the vampires are well on their way to becoming extinct too, you'll see who the true leaders are."
The witches on their side cheered.
But, not to be outdone, Varek climbed onto the back of a couch and joined the debate.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I must've forgotten my manners. Welcome to Wells Manor. This is my house, my coven, and we're playing by my rules. Here's the thing: I stand for the same shit these young traitors do—progressiveness. See, I knew things needed to change. I even married the lovely Mrs. Wells over there."
He smiled right at me. "That's right, Autumn. Until our divorce is finalized, you're still my fucking wife.”
Then he went back to addressing the crowd. “Anyway, the reason you should choose my side is because, A, I'm the rightful ruler of the coven. And B, I'll fucking kill anyone who opposes me. Your choice. You have about three seconds before I let all hell break loose."
Many eyes in the crowd darted from left to right in panic and fear. Sides had already been chosen, but apparently new lines had been drawn. No one seemed entirely sure where their loyalties should actually lie.
It was in that moment of indecision, that precarious teetering of wills, that Varek decided to attack.
26
Darren
He lunged our way, and I couldn't tell if he was gunning for me or Autumn. Either way, I charged right back, meeting him in the middle with a clash of flesh that instantly drew our followers into the fight. And just as he'd promised, all hell broke loose.
I'd never fought my maker before, not even for training purposes, but I knew that he was extremely powerful. Secretly, I had my doubts as to whether or not I could truly beat him. But it didn't matter. I had to try or die. Those were my options.
Varek backed off and circled me.
“I can’t believe you would do this,” he spat. His teeth looked even sharper than usual as he scowled at me. “When I chose you as heir, I expected you to honor that responsibility. Not go behind my back and scheme with the witches to take down your own coven!”
He threw a punch at my face, and I only narrowly avoided it.
“You took everything I gave to you and threw it away!”
His fist connected with my chest and shoulder before coming at my face again, forcing me to use my forearms as a shield.
“I didn’t scheme with the witches!” I shouted. Dropping my fleshy shield, I threw a punch of my own and connected with the underside of his jaw, smashing his teeth together.
He rubbed his jowl and glared at me. It had instantly turned purple, but was already fading.
“Also, how long have you been fucking my wife?” he asked, smiling sarcastically. “That’s like, the most terrible v
iolation of bro-code ever!”
He dropped and tried to knock me off my feet, but I’d learned a few things from that stupid-ass competition. I hopped over his leg like it was a jump rope, just as Hammond had done to mine during the finals. When I landed, I threw a punch at the side of his calf, but missed by an inch.
We both stood and went back to circling one another.
“I was with her long before you laid claim to her,” I spat. “Marrying your ‘son’s’ girlfriend also violates bro-code, asshole.”
I charged at him, ramming my shoulder into his stomach and tackling us both to the ground. I pulled my fist back and jabbed him in the mouth, spraying blood across the floor when his lip split. By the time he threw me off him, his skin had already scabbed over.
“You should have told me, Darren. I’m not a witch, I can’t read your fucking mind!”
“I tried to tell you, damn it!” I yelled, standing back up and cracking my stiff knuckles. “But you wouldn’t listen. You told me to shut up and get the fuck out of your office. And witches can see the future, not read minds. Dumbass.”
He stood too, and cocked his head. “Some witches can.”
“Sure they can, Varek. What other bullshit would you like to make up while we’re at it?”
“I’d rather hear your bullshit, son. Tell me again why you plotted to destroy your own kind?”
He ran at me, slugging punch after punch into my gut before landing a nasty blow into my cheekbone. A loud crack echoed through my mind, followed by an explosion of pain that tore across my face. He’d broken a bone, I was sure of it. An injury like that would take more than a few seconds to heal. I shook my head to ward off the ache in my skull, but that only made it worse.
“I told you already,” I said, rubbing the swollen skin of my cheek. “Lyra is the conniving one. Not me.”
“Oh, blah blah blah,” Varek retorted, rolling his eyes. “Blame the servant who’s not even here to defend herself.”
A fireball suddenly crashed onto the ground between us, knocking us each back by a few feet and into the throngs of other fighters. Adrenaline surged as I righted myself and spun around to face whoever’s ass I needed to kick. But it was Lyra who stood glowering at us. She already had another fireball lined up in her hand.
“I am here to defend myself, Wells,” she said, tossing the flaming orb of magic up and down in her palm. “Unfortunately, Porter is right. It was I who plotted against you. I who singlehandedly brought down the strongest coven on the east coast.”
“Oh, this coven hasn’t gone down yet,” Varek countered with an impish grin as he rose to his feet.
Knowing Varek would probably end up killing her, I decided to ask a question while I still could. It was something that had burned at me from the moment I met her.
“Why do you hate vampires so bad, anyway?”
She threw her head back and laughed.
That’s when I finally noticed her change of attire. The tattered servant’s dress was gone. In its place was a fighter’s outfit, the kind vamp-hunters usually wore.
“Why do you think, idiot?” she snapped at me. “Vampires ruined my entire life.”
“Way to elaborate,” Varek muttered. It earned him a fireball to the leg. He had to pat his pants like a maniac to put the flames out.
“When I was just a girl, a group of rogue vamps attacked my hometown. They killed everyone I knew and loved. My mother, my father, even my little sister. I only escaped fate because the Mage Guard got there just in time to save me. I used to wish that they hadn’t, so that I could still be with my family—even if it was in death. But now I’m glad I’m here, because my family deserves vengeance.”
My mind was processing her words a mile a minute.
“But you said it yourself,” I argued carefully. “They were rogue vampires. That’s not how the vast majority of us act. Nearly all of us follow the law, only taking blood once we’ve gotten permission.”
She sneered at me. “Once I picked up the broken pieces of my existence, I dedicated my life to being a vampire hunter. Trust me, I’ve seen enough proof of how putrid your kind is to last me an eternity. I don’t know how you even stand yourselves. If I were you, I’d personally ram a stake through my heart, just to save myself the hassle.”
Suddenly, she gasped, and blood started pouring down her chest. The tip of a wooden chair leg jabbed out from between her ribs, right where her heart should have been. A second later, she dropped to the floor, and Varek stood in her place, dusting off his hands.
“Oh don’t worry, Lyra,” he said to her lifeless body. “I’ll ‘save you the hassle’ and stake you my fucking self.”
He shook his head and shrugged at me, as if he couldn’t believe the nerve of the girl.
I was basically speechless.
“Now, where were we? Ah, yes. You were telling me it was Lyra who was conniving. Well, Darren, you’re in luck! Turns out, I believe you. Now I’m only pissed off at you for stealing my wife.”
I threw my hands into the air. “Oh give it a rest! You said you’d marry Yasmin instead. Just do it and leave Autumn alone.”
“Oh, I will. I don’t want your sloppy seconds. She wasn’t even that good a fuck.”
I laughed right out loud, so hard tears welled in my eyes.
“You honestly believe she had it off with you?”
Before he could even answer, I burst into another fit of childish laughter, but a punch to the face cut that shit out in a hurry.
It also pissed me off enough to jump back into the fight. I jammed my elbow into the side of his head and sent him sailing to the floor. At the same time, some guy on my left went flying into an end table, scattering chunks of splintered wood across the floor. My eyes lit up. Talk about fate knocking at the front door.
I quickly snagged a sturdy piece of wood with sharpened tip, straddled him, and pushed it into his chest just far enough to break the skin. As blood soaked through his shirt, he had the balls to laugh.
“On top is how I always imagined you,” he said with a wink.
His aura hit me like a ton of bricks, flooding my system with lust.
No! I shouted to myself. I needed to end this while I was still thinking with the head on my shoulders.
I reached out and grabbed another shard of broken table wood and stabbed it deep into his chest, puncturing a lung amongst other things. Blood bubbled up to his lips, and he choked and gagged on it.
Eyes wide, he rapped the floor beside him with a frantic palm.
I cocked my head. “I’m sorry, but is this you tapping out?”
He nodded, face reddening due to a lack of oxygen.
Suddenly, Carter appeared in the doorway wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and an ireful scowl. When his eyes landed on me, and he saw me hovering over Varek with a stake in his chest, he immediately let out a battle cry and charged.
I gritted my teeth and prepared for the impact of another fight, but it never came to that.
Jared appeared just as suddenly as Carter had and stabbed the stupid prick in the chest with a random chunk of wood. The expression on Carter’s face as he crashed to the floor, stiff as a board, was absolutely priceless.
“All right, bruv?” Jared asked with a casually raised brow.
“Yeah, mate, I’m all right. Thanks for that.”
“No probs.” He spun the stake around his pointer finger then disappeared back into the mob.
I glanced down at Varek and shrugged, dumbfounded. Shit was not panning out at all how I expected.
“Anyway...,” I said, getting back to business. “You’re giving up? Just like that?”
He nodded faster, his motions getting frantic. The poor sod actually thought I was going to kill him. I waited a few seconds longer, making him sweat, before rising and removing the stake.
“Get up, Varek,” I said with unexpected confidence. “And gather your followers. This battle ends now.”
27
Autumn
As Darren
rushed to counter Varek’s attack, I headed straight for my parents.
They watched my approach with anxious smiles, strange expressions that made me wonder if I ever truly knew them. Who the hell hates their child that much? What had I ever done to them to deserve such resentment?
Before I got too close, they each flared up a handful of magic.
“Do not take another step,” Dad warned, eyeing me cautiously. Apparently my little display of magic earlier had rattled him.
“You spoiled brat,” my mother snarled. “How dare you even stand in our royal presence?”
I nearly laughed. “So I’m not a royal anymore?”
“We’ve disowned you,” she said, sticking her nose in the air. “Besides, you relinquished the title of princess when you downgraded and became a lady instead.”
“When I downgraded? You’re the ones who forced me into a marriage against my will!”
“Do not raise your voice to your mother,” the king scolded.
I glowered at him. “She’s not my mother. And you’re not my father. You two disowned me, remember?”
He glared right back. “Call off this ridiculous fight. Realign yourself with our kingdom. And I just might let you live.”
“You’re insane,” I said, eyebrows raised as far as they would go.
Their audacity was astounding. I had no idea why I never protested it sooner. The thought of conceding to their will now was beyond laughable.
The king narrowed his eyes even further. “Last chance, Autumn Marie. Surrender, or die.”
I took a step closer, despite being ordered not to. “If you’re evil enough to kill your only child, then I’m righteous enough to stop you from ruling.”
“As you wish,” the king sighed, arrogantly acknowledging my words.
A Crown of Blood and Ashes Page 16
