by M Guida
I exhaled a sigh of relief.
Montae shook his head and mumbled under his breath, “This I gotta see.”
I was too tired to try and convince him that our power was within ourselves. I needed something to eat.
Lucien put his arm around my neck. “You did good, mate. I’m proud of you.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist. “Thank you.” I looked up at his handsome, rugged face. “You weren’t too bad yourself.”
He gave me a winning grin. “I try my best.”
We parted at the locker rooms as usual and I met him outside, waiting for me on the steps of the girls’ locker room.
I sniffed, making my mouth water, and my stomach let out a loud roar. “Something smells good. If I didn’t know better, I would swear Anton had Kentucky Fried Chicken cater our lunch today.”
He looked at me curiously and rubbed his chin. “Kentucky Fried Chicken? Is that a chicken specially bread out of Kentucky?”
I burst out laughing and kissed him on his parted lips. “No, Kentucky Fried Chicken is a chain of fast food.”
His beard was getting thicker, and I didn’t know what I was more hungry for KFC or Lucien.
“Someday I will have to venture out and taste these restaurants you drop hints about. Dad doesn’t usually like us going out into the human world.”
I didn’t answer him. I wondered if it was because King Gregori had lost one son to my world and refused to lose another.
Back in the cafeteria, we all sat together with Anton and Montae, since they were not part of the Defenders. There wasn’t much talking, only the attacking of the delicious fried chicken, potato salad, fruit salad loaded with pineapple, peaches, plums, kiwis, bananas, and strawberries, homemade biscuits, and apple pie for dessert.
By the time we were finished, I swear we hadn’t left a scrap of leftovers. Decimated chicken bones were piled high on everyone’s plate.
The professors had outdone themselves again, even Dr. Greenwood had pitched in making the fruit salad.
Anton dabbed his mouth. “Professors, I would like to thank you for this excellent meal.”
We all clapped in unison and cheered. The professors smiled and murmured thanks.
But then Anton’s face grew taut. “We must we return to the arena. There is no rest for the weary.”
Zayne cracked his neck. “I’m beginning to see that.”
The tread back to the arena was even quieter. I would have loved to curl up with Lucien and take a leisurely nap, but that wasn’t on the agenda.
Once inside, we were back in our circle. Anton had put the arrow the same distance away from the target.
Anton returned to our circle. “Raven, Zayne, Mina, and Xavier, I need all of you to shift.”
Without hesitation, we took off our clothes and piled them neatly away from the circle.
I shifted into my silver dragon, and she flashed in my mind with her tail twitching.
Please, help.
She nodded. I’ll be with you until the end.
Uneasiness swooshed down my back, and I wasn’t sure what she meant by that. Did she know something I didn’t? Maybe it was best I didn’t. There was no turning back now. My parents’ lives were at stake and I wouldn’t abandon them.
“Montae,” Anton said. “This is what you have been waiting for. The rest of us will hold hands and those closest to the shifters will touch them.”
Montae rubbed the bridge between his eyes. “I still don’t see how this is going to work.” The skepticism in his voice was scratched and frayed, just like my nerves.
Three dragons and one wolf stood in a circle. My tail overlapped with Mina’s and Lucien put his palm on my side. As if in a domino’s effect, everyone touched each other. Montae was the last one and gripped Anton’s hand and put his hand on Zayne’s side.
In my mind, I called upon my dragon.
Please, help.
She swiped her tail around herself and nodded.
Puriforio Virtueus My loud voice seemed to echo off the walls of my mind.
Tingling sensations whipped through me. The auras of the Defenders burned bright and fierce. My chest froze and power bubbled up my throat and I opened my mouth. A silver stream burst from my mouth and hit the arrow.
WHIZZZZ
The arrow sunk dead center in the center of the target.
Montae dropped his arms. “I stand corrected.”
Satisfaction gleamed in Anton’s eyes. “I told you.”
“I don’t mean to punch a hole in your sunny day––Montae gazed at the target––“How will this spell help us tomorrow?”
Anton folded his arms and his voice turned icy. “Because we will have the power to bust through Ryker’s glamour and get inside the prison.”
The steely look in Montae’s eyes would have made anyone else shrink except for Anton. “Aren’t we going to be busy fighting the horde of Unseelie and Dark Demons?”
Anton gave him one of his devious smiles. “Have faith, Montae. Have faith. Not all is what it seems.” He headed to a quiver full of arrows to retrieve another one.
Montae scowled at his back and stuck out his arm. “What did he mean by that? We’re walking into a slaughterhouse. No matter how many times we practice this spell.”
“Good luck in trying to pry it out of him.” Lucien’s lips turned into a smirk. “He’s infamous for keeping secrets.”
Montae turned his gaze toward Mt. Elbert. “He’d better be right about the spell or we’re all dead.” His low voice turned my insides into a tangled mess of Christmas lights.
What if he was right?
For the rest of the afternoon, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were walking into a trap. I wasn’t sure our power would be enough. I was so close to seeing my mom and freeing her and my dad.
At the end of the day, I shifted and quietly got dressed. Weariness couldn’t describe how I felt. My fingers shook as I pulled on my workout clothes and I wanted to have a shower than crawl into bed.
Lucien came up behind me and put his arms around my waist. He put his cheek against mine. “You seem tired.”
“I am.” I yawned and sighed deeply. “I’m exhausted.”
He scooped me up in his arms and held me close to his chest.
I giggled. “Lucien. What are you doing? I can walk.”
“You look like you’re going to fall on your face.” His wings sprouted behind his back. “You’re flying first class to the cafeteria.”
He lunged into the air, and wind rushed over us. His masculine scent washed all over me, and I closed my eyes, listening to his beating heart that lulled me to sleep.
“Raven, we’re here.”
I opened my eyes and shook my head. “What? Oh, God.” I covered my mouth.
“Sorry.” He sat me down on my feet. “It’s not like the cafeteria is that far away from us.”
“No, I am.” I inhaled the smell of sizzling onions, frying beef, chili, and garlic, and my stomach and taste buds jumped up and down. “Do I smell Mexican food?”
“I think so.” He opened the door for me.
We went through the line and my eyes became bigger than my tummy. It wasn’t just beef, but fried fish and chicken. I couldn’t resist getting three different tacos loaded with tomatoes, jack cheese, sour cream, and guacamole along with Mexican rice and a side of refried beans.
Lucien piled on tacos on his plate. “Let’s sit at the Royal table.”
I followed numbly and sat next to him. “What about the others?”
“I wanted to sit here. This is where we all met, and I think with tomorrow’s battle, we should sit here again.”
He didn’t have to elaborate. He was just as worried as I was that some of us wouldn’t come back again.
I clasped his hand and gave him a troublesome smile. “You’re worried, too, aren’t you?”
Mina sat down. “Are we all sitting here or just you guys?”
“We all are.” Lucien thumped his finger on the table. �
��This is the Royals table and where we’ll have our last big meal before battle.”
Mina sighed and fluttered her gaze away from. I thought I saw a tear slide down her cheek. She sat next to me and concentrated on her taco.
Dante, Katona, Rhys, and Xavier joined us, but Anton and Montae sat away from us and seemed to be deep in conversation.
Zayne came over with plate and looked between us and Anton and Montae. “Can I sit here or is this for old times?”
Lucien stuck out his hand. “You’re representing Bo and you’re one of us. You belong at this table.”
Zayne’s cheeks flushed, and he released a pent-up sigh. Gratitude shown his blue eyes. “Thank you.”
With his plate loaded and his thick hair falling over his broad shoulders, he reminded me so much of Bo that my throat swelled up and I gagged on beef taco, making my eyes water.
Lucien patted my back. “Are you okay?”
I grabbed my glass of water and took a sip. “Sorry. Went down the wrong pipe.”
Xavier picked up his chicken taco, dripping with red sauce. “Anton and Montae seem to be having a deep conversation.”
Lucien gobbled down his fried fish taco. “Probably strategizing for tomorrow. Which is what we should do.”
Dante frowned and put his hand over Katona’s. “I thought using the Puriforgio Virueus spell was our strategy.”
“That’s part of it.” He scanned his steely gaze over it. “But we need to free Bo and Poppy.”
Xavier’s eyes erupted in a cloud of anger. “What are you talking about? They’re both dead.”
He glanced over his shoulder where Montae and Anton sat and then lowered his voice. “We know Cormac had turned them into zombies, but while Mina and Raven slept last night, I skimmed through the Mystificus spell book. I found something.” His announcement was like a vacuum sucking up any movement, breath, or thought at the table.
A quiver of fear warped through my body and I shook so badly, lettuce and tomatoes tumbled out of my taco. I had to put it down before I spilled chicken, guacamole, and sour cream all over my thighs.
Xavier’s eyes darkened. He put his closed fists on the table and broke the silence. “What do you mean?”
“There’s a spell called Extiotis. It’s used during a séance and calls forth specific souls.”
Every single hair on my arms and the back of my neck shot straight up and goosebumps exploded all over my arms as if I just came down with the measles. I swallowed. “You mean calling on Bo and Poppy?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
Rhys exhaled a loud breath and placed his palms on the table. “There’s a problem with that spell, isn’t there?”
Xavier glared and bared his teeth. “What?” He was one step away of losing control of his wolf again.
Lucien leaned back. “There’s a chance that when we summon their souls, Cormac could have made their souls evil.”
Mina pushed her fingers through her hair. “We already know they’re evil. Bo tried to kill Raven last night.”
Zayne scowled and shook his head vehemently. “No. Bo, would never do that. He loved Raven.”
“We know he did,” Katona said softly. “But we don’t know what happened once Cormac resurrected his body.”
I rubbed my tender neck thinking about my dream and how Bo had choked me and how his eyes had changed. “But Anton said it wasn’t Bo, remember? It was Cormac. Bo’s eye color had changed. It didn’t feel like him.”
“It still makes me nervous.” Mina stirred her rice with her fork. “Conjuring spirits doesn’t end well. Ouija Boards open doors that we don’t want things to enter our world.”
“This is different,” Lucien said. “This spell only targets the spirits Raven asks for.”
I put my hand on over my thundering heart. “Me?”
He grinned and clutched my trembling hand. “You’re the silver dragon. You’re the only one who can do it.”
“There’s something else you’re not tell us, isn’t there?” Rhys folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.
“It’s a blood spell.”
“What?” Dante’s voice carried across the room, drawing the attention of Anton, who stared at us suspiciously.
“Keep your voice down,” Lucien hissed. “You don’t want Anton to hear. He’ll lock us in our rooms before the damn battle.”
Xavier waved and flashed a Cheshire Cat smile at Anton.
Mina elbowed him in the ribs. “Will you stop? He’s going to come over here or tune into his super, secret vampire hearing.”
“I think it's always going full blast,” Dante murmured.
I bit my lip. “How do we work the spell?”
“It can only be worked at midnight during the full moon, which is tonight.”
“Great,” Rhys murmured. “Nothing like a sleepless night before the big battle.”
“As if any of us would sleep tonight,” Zayne added.
“Listen, there’s more,” Lucien said. “Those who loved the deceased can only work the spell.” He held each of us in his powerful gaze. “All of us loved them. Zayne didn’t know Poppy, but I think because of his loyalty to Bo, the spell can still work. That’s why I didn’t ask Anton or Montae over here. I’m not sure if Anton’s feelings for Bo and Poppy are as strong as ours, and Montae didn’t know them.”
I wiped my sweat hands on my thighs. “You really think this will work.”
He shrugged his big shoulders. “I hope so. I can’t guarantee it. But I can’t shake what Montae said this afternoon. We can’t take on all the Unseelie and Dark Demon army. We need help. If we have to spirits that are on our side, it might even up the odds.”
Xavier twirled his half empty glass of soda around. Anton had forbidden us to have any liquor and definitely Fae drinks before the battle.
“And they’d be free.” Xavier’s solemn voice brought up all my memories of Bo. I couldn’t bear to think of him trapped in his body and Cormac forcing him to do evil.
Even though terror seeped into my guy, I braced my shoulders and lifted my chin. “If there’s a chance to save Bo and Poppy, I am in.” I stuck my hand out in the middle of the table.
Lucien placed his hand on top of mine. “Good.”
“I’m in.” Xavier followed Lucien. “I’m not letting that bastard keep my girl’s soul.”
Dante and Katona glanced at each other, and then their palms joined us.
“Bo was my brother.” Zayne slapped his palm on top of the circle. “I’d do anything to save him.” His brave tone reminded me of Bo, and I gave him a loving smile.
His cheeks turned red. Bo rarely blushed, but his brother did at a drop of a hat.
Mina was the last to add her small hand, and dread spilled over into her eyes. “Even though I think we’re opening a door, we might not be able to close, I’m a Defender and I’ll be with you until the very end.”
Victory flared in Lucien’s eyes, and the tips of his mouth curled up into a bold smile. “Tonight at midnight.”
After I finished my plate, Lucien and I took our dirty dishes and put them in the dishwasher, since the professors had joined Anton and Montae.
“Good night.” I walked past Anton nonchalantly and yawned.
Montae looked between us. “You two need to a good night’s rest. Since the kings are gone, you may take their rooms. You don’t want to be tired going into battle.”
Lucien saluted him. “We won’t.”
Montae shook his head as he scraped the last bit of food off his plate, but Anton rubbed his beard and kept quiet. We weren’t fooling him––not by a long shot. If we were able to carry the séance off, we’d be damn lucky.
Chapter 22
Dusk had made the trees darker and clouds blanketed the sky, blocking out the stars trying to struggle through. I sniffed and the hint of rain was in the air, making a séance more difficult. Getting soaked in the middle of the night wasn’t my idea of a good time.
I glanced over my shoulder as we walked down
the cafeteria steps and then up at Lucien.
“Anton, suspects something.”
He kissed my temple. “Probably.”
I held out my palm. “It feels like rain.”
“Yeah.” He looked up at the sky. “Probably.”
“Won’t we get wet out in the arena tonight?”
“It’s a séance. We don’t have to do it in the arena. We could meet in the dungeon.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Are you serious? It’s creepy as hell down there.”
He put his arms on my neck. “Would you rather be out in a rainstorm?”
I locked my hands around his neck. “You’re incorrigible.”
“But you love me.” He grinned devilishly–a devil who had captured my heart.
He brushed his lips over mine. “I think we need to replenish our energy.” I trembled at his husky voice.
I chuckled. “Oh, you do, do you?”
“Yeah, I do.” He stepped away and clasped my hand, then led me across the courtyard to Anton’s home.
The door was unlocked, and we slipped inside, not waiting for the others. Lucien escorted me to the bedroom his dad had slept in earlier. It wasn’t as big as Anton’s, but it was a close second with a king-size canopy bed, mahogany dressers and end tables, and of course, dark red drapes, but what I was interested in was the guest bathroom.
I opened the door to a double shower, a sunken tub, and fresh towels. My clothes made my skin itch and I just wanted to wash the sweat off me. “I’m so ready for this.”
He ran his fingers down my back, making me shiver. “I’ll get our stuff out of the bedroom we shared with Mina.”
I wandered into the bathroom, admiring the double sink marble vanities with gold faucets, but it was the shower I was eager to step inside. I kicked off my tennis shoes.
Lucien came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Anton likes to be pampered, doesn’t he?”
“Yes.” I looked up at him. “Do you want to take a shower?”
“Of course.” He lifted my T-shirt over my head. “There’s room for two.”
I turned around. “You’re in a hurry.”
“Hungry for you.” He pulled down my sweatpants, his warm breath making me hot to have his hands all over me. I carefully stepped out of them.
