by Nikki Landis
“She is rather ravishing. Appropriate that our little Raven has black wings.”
“And the violet is the perfect touch.”
“I prefer the violet color that enters her eyes when she’s full of magic,” Damian admitted.
“Do they?” I asked as I spun around and looked at them both. “Do my eyes really turn violet?”
“You’ve never seen it?” Gabriel asked gently, his finger brushing across my cheek and leaving a shiver.
“I’m not exactly looking in a mirror when I cast a spell,” I pointed out with a light snort.
“I suppose not,” he agreed.
“Yes, my little pet, you have a purple mist that lights up your eyes when you cast a spell or work magic. It’s indescribable.”
Did he just pay me a compliment?
‘I’m not always terrible.’
“Uh huh.” I rolled my eyes as he winked.
Gabriel took the makeup from my hands and pulled me gently to my feet. With his eyes locked on mine, he leaned in and pressed a light kiss upon my lips. “That’s the best I can do without ruining your makeup.”
‘I’d ruin your makeup just for fun.’
I ignored the vampire.
‘And you’d love it.’
Gabriel cleared his throat. “Can you give us a moment, Damian?”
Damian seemed a little put out. “I’ll be downstairs. Sounds like the ghoul is causing a fuss over something.” He was gone so fast all I did was blink. Damn vampires and their freaky fast abilities.
“What is it?” I asked warily when Gabriel didn’t move.
“I just want you to know you’re not obligated to any of us. While we’re your protectors, you don’t have to do anything but work with us. There’s some,” he paused, and I knew we both thought of Damian, “that want to take advantage of you. I don’t want to do that.”
“You just kissed me twice while you were in here,” I pointed out.
“True, but if you asked me to stop I would.” He tilted his head to the side. “Do you?”
Did I want the sexy alpha wolf to stop kissing me? Hell no. “Um, not really.” Plus, Gabriel was a sweetheart, most of the time. I might have judged him more harshly than I first realized.
He smiled a wide grin that was full of teeth and way more Lycan than man while he leaned in like he did before, pressing his nose to my collarbone and inching his way up my throat. “I love your scent, sweetness. I’m just dying for a taste.”
“Gabriel . . .”
“Call me Gabe,” he ordered as his lips pressed to the delicate spot beneath my left ear.
“Gabe,” I whispered.
“That’s my girl.”
A throat cleared in the doorway and drew our attention. It was Gypsy. She smiled so wide I thought her face would get stuck like that. “Hey Gabe, lay off. We’re supposed to be hunting.”
“I’m well aware. Lycan can hunt more than one prey at a time.” The way his voice lowered as he said the words didn’t leave any doubt about what he meant. “I’ll wait for you downstairs, my sweet.”
Gypsy fell down dramatically on my bed once he was gone and fanned her face. “He’s so hot.”
“Whatever.” She was totally right.
At this rate, I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the rest of Samhain. “What about Sebastian?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” she giggled. “I have him right where I want him.”
* * *
Gathered around a table at the club Volatile Vibe, we waited for another round of beer. I watched for Ryder who said he had an important errand to run. Why he needed to do this now, with the entire lot of us about to hunt down Jadis, I didn’t know. At least Gypsy agreed to stay with Sebastian. She was the only one who seemed able to reach him and prevent that dark entity from controlling his body.
This sucked. I really wanted to enjoy Samhain.
It was almost my twenty-first birthday.
Just how in the world did I get mixed up in this shit? I wasn’t really sure. It seemed to be a series of unfortunate events and a fatal car crash of low expectations all at once. I blamed karma.
She was a serious bitch.
“Hey,” a gruff voice demanded. Two long fingers snapped in front of my face as I winced. “Pay attention.”
My eyes narrowed as I glared at the cocky vampire seated across from me in annoyance. “Shut up, Damian,” I snapped. “I’m paying attention.” Really, I wasn’t, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of agreeing since his self-absorbed and overconfident persona would only gloat. His puffed-up ego was more than I cared to indulge right now.
Damian gave me one of those looks that meant I was about to be annoyed with his next words. He leaned back, a smirk riding his lips, fully pleased that he managed to irritate me. Again. “Sure, my sexy little pet.”
“Leave her alone,” Gabriel hissed, “we don’t have time for your bullshit.”
“I can fight my own battles,” I blurted in response, meeting the Lycan’s concerned stare.
“Obviously not, my little pet.” Damian was never at a loss for words.
“Knock it off,” I demanded, trying to keep my gaze from the brooding but hypnotic vampire.
‘I’m enjoying myself, my sinful Raven. Get used to it.’ Out loud he said, “Not up for the challenge?”
Before I could stop myself, I locked eyes with Damian. Bad idea. He immediately used compulsion as I leaned forward, and he grinned sardonically, just wide enough that I caught the white flash of his fangs. His tongue darted out as he licked across those pearly and incredibly sharp reminders of his demented ability. You know – sucking blood.
I really needed to focus. And learn how to fight his compulsion better. Maybe I needed a new spell.
He snorted, laughing lightly in my head.
“You know I hate it when you call me that,” I reminded him, flicking my fingers as a light slap landed across his left cheek and he blinked, releasing me from his hold. I wondered why I didn’t slap him more. He certainly deserved it.
“It’s entirely too enjoyable,” he admitted with a chuckle as I glared his way.
“Fuck off, Damian.” Ryder dropped into the only vacant seat at the table, the one on my right. “You’re distracting our witch.”
“She’s too pretty not to play with.” Damian shrugged, leaning back in his chair and picking up a shot of whiskey before tossing it back with a nod in my direction.
I swear he got off on irritating me.
“Shut up and focus,” Gabriel joined in, an intense look of irritation dominating his normally cheerful expression. The werewolf was a constant contradiction. Maybe all Lycan were like that. I wasn’t sure. One moment calm and teasing, the next scowling and short tempered.
“Maybe we all just need to relax. I can take Cassie back to our place and –”
“Shut up!” All three of us bellowed the words at the same time.
Damian leered across the table and held up his hands in defeat. “Fine, pet.” He’d only been staring at me. Of course. If his mission wasn’t annoyance it was seduction.
Rolling my eyes, I ignored the crazy, lust-driven vampire and turned to Ryder. “We haven’t seen or heard anything yet.”
He nodded, shaggy blond hair falling over his intense eyes. With an impatient toss of his head, Ryder effectively cleared his line of sight and pulled out a map of Mystic Hallows. Pressing the paper flat on the table, he pointed to the upper right quadrant. “This is where most of the attacks have taken place. I’ve centralized the location. Both the sorority and the frat house are close to this property.” His finger landed on the one place I hoped he wouldn’t name.
“Ah, Rolling “Raven” Rock Cemetery,” Damian observed, rolling each “R” with an incredibly annoying drawn out rumble that seriously grated on each nerve in my body. “How perfect.”
“Knock it off,” I hissed, not bothering to return the scorching gaze I could feel piercing my body. Damian was entirely too predictable.
>
‘Am I annoying you, pet?’
Was murder really against the law? Maybe we needed something like The Purge for immortals.
‘That isn’t nice, pet. I’ll have to punish you later.’
No way would I betray the shiver that coursed down my spine with his seductive words.
“What’s the plan?” Gabriel smiled knowingly at my frustration and winked, but at least he was somewhat focused on the purpose of this meeting.
Ryder reached across the table and squeezed my hand when I sighed softly. “Don’t worry, we’ll catch this other witch, Cassie.”
Both Gabriel and Damian frowned at the contact.
“Thanks. The sooner, the better.”
“Agreed, which is why we need to head out before another attack occurs.” He was so calm I sometimes forgot what he was and how Ryder survived. He was a ghoul. I sure hope he ate already because I sure didn’t want to chance seeing his food source.
Flesh. Necrotic flesh. As in dead zombie flesh.
Um, eww! Just the thought made me want to hurl.
Focus, Cassie. “Everyone needs to stay alert. I’m done being blindsided by this witch.” I took the time to meet each pair of eyes at the table. They needed to know I was serious. No backing down this time.
“Agreed,” Damian said at last as the others nodded. “I don’t want to see you hurt again, pet.”
If he called me that one more time, he’d be the one that ended up hurt.
His warm chuckle echoed in my head. “Go ahead. I’d love for you to try to take me down.” He winked as I shook my head. “Don’t act like you don’t feel our connection.”
It took every ounce of willpower I owned not to respond. That was no exaggeration.
“Come on, angel. You can ride on the back of my Harley,” Ryder offered when he noticed my frustration. “I’ve wanted you on my hog for days.”
Twin scowls appeared on the vampire and werewolf’s faces. I didn’t really care what emotional connection they felt at this moment. If any at all. All that mattered was taking that rogue witch down.
I needed their help.
Fifteen minutes later we pulled up to the wrought iron gates of Rolling Rock Cemetery. Candlelight illuminated the headstones and family crypts as they had for the last three days. The festival of Samhain was in full swing. Soon the graveyard would be full of party goers. Right now, it was empty as the sun completely set, the last rays of brilliant color disappearing into the horizon.
I sensed the presence of Gabriel and Damian before I saw them. As close as we’d all gotten over the last few days, it was no surprise we were all in sync. Their auras danced around mine and latched on, the colors intermingling like a kaleidoscope of wonder.
Power rushed into my body and boosted my magic, giving me the equivalent of three shots of espresso and a Red Bull. Charged at a hundred and ten percent, ready to take on this nasty witch and move on, I was done being the prey. It was about time I became the hunter.
Ryder tilted his head to the side, silently listening. That was when I noticed.
The cemetery was too quiet. It was odd and abnormal now that I thought about it. No wind. No rustling leaves. No birds. Nothing.
“Careful, pet,” Damian cautioned.
If I wasn’t focused on our objective, I’d have blasted him with magic and knocked his ass out.
Gabriel grabbed my hand and I squeezed once before I pulled away. His aura was the most unstable tonight. I had to focus.
Squaring my shoulders, I walked forward with purpose. There was no doubt in my mind the witch would be here soon. I was bait. Too valuable a prize not to claim.
The gate clanged shut behind the four of us as we approached the center of the graveyard. A light mist circled our feet and rose into the air. If I wasn’t already looking toward the ground, I would have missed the first hand that sprang up from the earth. Moaning and snarls filled the air as graves opened in every direction. Clumps of dirt and grass flew into the air. One by one, the undead filled the cemetery, pulling decomposed bodies to the surface as clawing fingers ripped the grass free by the roots. A strange greenish aura hovered slightly above as the bodies began keening and lamenting, moaning inaudible words as they shuffled forward.
Startled, I backed up into a hard chest. Damian’s arms surrounded me without hesitation. In that moment I needed his touch and didn’t leave his embrace.
"Fuck," I heard Gabriel whisper.
The cemetery was full of the living dead. Zombies.
Shit.
Chapter 12
“Woo!” Ryder yelled as I spun and found the ghoul transforming from a live person to some demented looking half dead creature that resembled the zombies, except he didn’t have a weird gait or useless limbs. “Don’t look, Cas! It’s dinnertime!”
Oh, shit.
Have you ever seen a car accident and you knew it was bad, but you just couldn’t look away?
Yeah, I was totally frozen in shock as I watched Ryder barrel into the closest group of zombies, his razor-sharp teeth (I could see them way too clearly) ripping into the rotten flesh of the undead. Strips of sinew and tendons pulled from the bodies, some snapping back like rubber bands. Gnashing his teeth, he chomped down like this was his last meal. Damn, was that too much to hope for? His long, jagged nails sliced into the stomach and thighs of his victims as Ryder feasted on the entrails and bloated organs. Blood spurted in all directions and coated everything in the vicinity dark crimson.
It was a bloodbath.
A laugh of enjoyment spilled from between his lips as he grinned, bits of flesh stuck in his teeth. Ryder made quick work of any zombie that moved close enough. We weren’t in danger, but my stomach churned. I thought he was nearly done when he called out in a loud voice, locking eyes with Damian who gave him a thumbs up. “Dessert!”
Damian laughed as I left his embrace. I wanted to shoot him a glare, but I couldn’t. The freak show was too horrific and gruesome to stop watching. Trust me, it didn’t make sense, but I was stuck.
My eyes widened when Ryder broke open the skulls of several undead and started feasting on their brains. That was it. I was done!
Turning my head to the side, I vomited onto the grass.
“Sorry, Cas. I should have noticed it was too much.” Gabriel held back my hair as I finished and handed me a handkerchief from his pocket. Who carried those around anymore?
“Thanks, Gabe.” He gestured that I could keep it once I was done wiping my mouth.
“Uh, Cas,” Damian called. “You should see this.”
I really didn’t want to and hoped he wasn’t trying to make me sick again.
‘I’m not, my pet.’
Against my better judgment, I looked. Ryder was standing in front of us. Behind him were dozens of zombies but they weren’t doing anything. In fact, they seemed to be watching Ryder’s every move. He lifted up his arm and twirled his finger in a circle. The zombies spun and copied the movement. He hopped on one foot, they followed. He started to do jumping jacks, they jerked about like drunken sailors eager to please him.
My jaw dropped open.
For a few seconds I expected the zombies to start dancing and Michael Jackson’s Thriller to play in the background. Maybe Negan would show up from The Walking Dead. I mean, come on. This couldn’t possibly be any more surreal!
Ryder was grinning wide but at least there wasn’t flesh and veins stuck in his teeth anymore. “They’ll follow whatever I command.”
‘I really like this guy.’
Damian would, the sicko.
For the first time, I smiled. “Let’s go hunting.” I couldn’t be anything other than impressed.
We had a zombie horde fighting on our side.
Even better, we were all dressed up for Samhain and wore skull makeup.
Maybe we wouldn’t all die tonight.
‘You really need to be more optimistic.’
“Shut up.” I was snarky, but I wasn’t upset. Actually, I couldn’t help feeling
amused.
‘Well, now I’ve seen everything. The special witch has a sense of humor.’
“Don’t push it,” I admonished.
“Cassie, do you sense that?”
Gabriel’s voice reminded me that I should pay attention. Closing my eyes, I reached out with my aura and searched the cemetery. At first, I sensed nothing. Then a subtle shift in the air revealed the one presence we’d been waiting for tonight.
The powerful dark aura of the rogue witch.
And Jadis. The bitch.
She was walking uphill toward us. I knew she wasn’t alone, but I never expected her treachery to run so deep. She recruited other witches in her nefarious plot. A line of spellcasters stood behind her, but none were from the original thirteen families. Maybe this was about revenge for Jadis. I wasn’t sure but her little group of witches were no match for the Salem bloodlines.
They’d all be destroyed.
I was done playing games. No mercy. They attacked me, they died.
“Hi, Cassie,” Jadis greeted, her haughty smile far too arrogant.
“Leave Mystic Hallows tonight and I’ll let you live if you promise to never return.”
‘She’s not going to leave.’
No shit. I glared at Damian. Didn’t he understand I had to offer her a way out? It was the right thing to do. She was an original.
He shook his head. ‘They aren’t what they seem.’
“Last chance,” I warned.
Jadis laughed as she leaned forward. “No one leaves this cemetery alive.” Once her order was given the witches rushed forward and began to cast spells, lighting up the night with fireballs, explosive bursts of flame, bolts of lightning, and gusts of powerful wind. A storm brewed overhead as the gray clouds swirled. Thunder crackled as the sky boomed with resounding aftershocks. Tree roots sprang up from the ground and rushed forward to entangle their prey, limbs twisted in a macabre display of nature’s wrath.
As intense as it was, this was amateur. Almost any practiced witch could call to the elements and conjure from nature, fire, water, and air. I was surprised they weren’t casting actual spells. Maybe Jadis and her witches weren’t much of a threat.
