Blood of the Maple

by Dana Marie Bell

  And the forest answered. Roots lifted, branches swayed as the forest came alive and prepared to do battle with the enemy. The trees raked at anything that came within reach, narrowing the field where the weeds could work to a thin section of the road that Amara could somewhat control. The underbrush kept the weeds from getting into the roots of the trees, protecting them from being destroyed.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Parker swoop out of the sky and rip into a vine. Bright blood dripped to the ground; he was wounded. The vines had thick, vicious thorns like the ones they’d fought before. They tore at his clothing, ripped into his exposed flesh. Too many wounds like that and he would go down or become lost in his beast.

  Amara surged forward and ripped into one of the thorny vines, snagging a long, whiplike piece. She used it the same way she’d used a similar weed in Parker’s garden, scourging the plants, shredding them. She leaned down and got the thick trunk of one of the sumac plants and tore it from the earth. It was like watching an earthquake. The roots snaked almost twenty feet in every direction. She couldn’t get the leverage to get the damn thing out of the ground, no matter how hard she yanked.

  “Give me that.” Parker grabbed hold and flew upward, pulling the sumac out of the ground and flinging it away with amazing strength. “I’ll deal with those. You handle that thorny son of a bitch.”

  Amara nodded and turned her attention to the vine.

  The yelp of a wounded wolf startled her. A huge black-and-gray wolf savaged one of the thorny vines, a tear in his shoulder dripping blood onto his dark coat. Amara grinned and turned back to her vine. Noah could handle himself.

  “Holy shit! It’s resisting everything we throw at it!” Greer’s voice came up behind her. “Ash, you take the left. I’ll take the right. Mina, take center.”

  “On it.” The dryads moved in sync, battling back the weed with flashing swords and ringing curses. Wherever those swords touched, weeds blackened and withered.

  Where can I get me one of those? Amara flinched as a thorn came dangerously close to her vulnerable eyes. “Oh no, you don’t.” Amara grabbed and pulled, trying to ignore the way the vine wrapped around her arm. Those thorns could penetrate flesh but couldn’t dent the bark that covered her. With a vicious grin, Amara pulled it free of the ground and threw it, careful to avoid hitting one of her allies.

  A deep scream of triumph shattered the night air. She glanced up to find Parker whirling the last of the sumac over his head. The vines were almost gone, the last pocket of resistance being slowly whittled away by Greer and Ash. Amara lifted her head and gave a triumphant shriek.

  “Having a good time, love?”

  Amara grinned at her floating lover. His face was on a level with hers. “Hell yes.”

  “Good fight. Although I never thought it would take quite so much skill and cunning to sneak up on a blade of grass.” Noah’s naked form stalked forward, and Amara tried to stop herself from admiring the strong, broad shoulders and sleekly muscled body. And damn, what an ass the man had! She tilted her head, trying to catch one last glimpse before the wolf moved into the forest.

  “Ahem.”

  She whipped her head back around to Parker. “Nothing.”

  He narrowed his glowing red eyes. Greer laughed.

  Ash, on the other hand, was looking around, a worried frown forming. “Where’s Mina?”

  Greer stopped laughing. “What do you mean where’s Mina? She was right behind us.”

  The dryads exchanged a glance. “Oh fuck.”

  Parker darted off into the trees as fast as Greer and Ash. Amara took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She’d need focus to commune with the trees. They would know where their queen was.

  If the witch had Oak, she could control the entire forest.

  Amara reached out to the trees around her. Her thoughts raced from root to branch, searching desperately for the ruler of the forest. She ignored the pain in her body, the sharp sting of wounds inflicted by the thorny vine. She needed to find Mina before Terri could harm her. Even ponds heeded her call, the plants beneath their surface crying out to her to find Oak, to protect and defend as she’d been born to do.

  Her mind found a curiously blank patch in the wood, a place she knew for certain contained green, growing things, but nothing there answered. And the plants around it were afraid.

  Found you, you bitch. Amara raced off. “Greg!” The ghost didn’t answer. Either they’d moved too quickly for him to keep up, or he hadn’t been along in the first place. So Amara raced in blind, sending a message from plant to plant, trying to let Ash and Greer know she’d found Terri’s hiding place.

  Beside her, a huge gray-and-black wolf raced with her, hunting with her as he’d sworn to do. A howl rose through the air, the alpha calling his pack, paying back the debt they owed the forest. Howls rose around her, racing ahead and behind, the wolves running to answer their alpha’s summons. Amara prayed her message got through to Greer and Ash before she found herself facing off with Terri without them.

  Parker landed next to Ash. It was difficult to keep up with the green-haired dryad. He blended in well with the dark forest, and his scent was that of rich, dark earth and wood. If he’d been immobile, Parker would never have seen him.

  So it was a good thing he’d kept an eye on Ash, because the man stopped dead in his tracks, going motionless as a doe hearing the first sounds of hunters.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Ash’s face was lifted to the wind as he listened to the rustling of the leaves. A savage grin flitted across his face. “She found them.”

  “Where?” Parker didn’t need to ask who. Amara continued to amaze him.

  “Follow me.”

  Parker did, not surprised at all when Greer joined them, the pale-haired man a living flame in the dark wood. “Call Mollie.”

  Greer stumbled.

  “We need her to defeat Terri.”

  Greer shot him a disbelieving look.

  “Trust me. Please.”

  Greer pulled out his phone and pressed a button.

  He has her on speed dial? He was reacting on instinct, and that instinct told him he’d need even more firepower if they hoped to succeed. “Dragomir Ibanescu!”

  A sharp wind howled through the wood, swirled around Parker and coalesced into the mayor. “You rang?”

  “We found her, and she has Oak.”

  Dragos’s eyes burned red. “Where?”

  “The dryads know. Amara found her.”

  He flew beside Parker, his expression livid. “Is she alive?”

  “I don’t know yet. None of the dryads can feel inside the circle.”

  Dragos batted a branch out of his face, one of the dangers of flying so swiftly through trees. “Trap?”

  “I’m certain, but I’m equally certain that won’t stop the dryads from reaching their queen.”

  Dragos nodded. He paused midflight and closed his eyes. “Selena. Come to us. We need you.”

  Ash ground to a halt. “No.”

  “Too late. She’s on her way. We’ll need her to contain Terri’s spirit once we’ve destroyed her body.”

  “It’s too dangerous.”

  Dragos whirled, his fangs inches away from Ash’s face. “If we don’t do this, we’ll lose Mina. Is that what you want, dryad?”

  Ash’s silver sword flashed up between them. “Do not dare to presume you understand my actions, vampire.”

  Dragos smiled. “Selena is yours.”

  “Is Mina yours?” Ash smiled back.

  He floated back, once more the calm, cool mayor Parker had first encountered. “We’re wasting valuable time.”

  His reaction seemed to stun Ash, who stared at Dragos with dawning comprehension. “Mina is your sotiei, isn’t she?”

  “This isn’t the time. Let’s save the girl from the monster before fighting over her, all right?”

  Greer grabbed Ash and tugged him forward. “Parker’s right. Let’s go. We can discuss Dragos and M
ina later.”

  “After we save her.” Parker flew forward once more, not surprised when this time Dragos flew behind them. He’d have to talk to the elder vampire later, ask him why, if he knew who his sotiei was, he continued the affair with Kate.

  The stinky, probably evil Kate.

  “Shit. If Iva were here, Mina would be fucking unstoppable.” Greer was growling, his silver sword shining despite the darkness underneath the canopy of leaves.

  “Greer.” Ash’s tone was sharp, his glance full of censure.

  Greer didn’t answer, but he stopped talking about Iva.

  Parker didn’t give a fuck who Iva was; he scented his sotiei, and she was close, which meant they were nearly to their destination. “Amara.”

  “Parker?”

  “Who else? Can I look through your eyes?”

  “You could, but you won’t see anything.” He could hear the disgust in her tone. “It’s like there’s this dark miasma around the area. I’m blind to anything in the clearing.”

  Hmm. Parker flew toward Amara’s scent and landed lightly behind her. “I’m here, love.”

  It was a good thing he had fast reflexes, or he would have found himself halfway back to Maggie’s Grove as she swung at him haymaker-style. “Damn it, what did I tell you about sneaking up on me?” She put her fists on her hips and tapped her foot.

  “That it keeps you on your toes?”

  She rolled her eyes and turned back to stare into the clearing. “Why can’t I see anything?”

  Parker stared into the perfectly normal-seeming moonlit clearing. “What are you looking for?”

  “Terri. Duh.”

  He slapped her bark-covered ass and resisted the urge to shake the sting out. “Smart-ass. Fine. What do you see in there?”

  “Pure darkness.”

  His brows rose. “Interesting.” Dragos landed next to him and did a bit of staring. “What do you see in there?”

  “A moonlit clearing.”

  “Greer? Ash? What do you see?”

  “Darkness. It’s like a hole has been cut into the forest itself.”

  Ash nodded his agreement. “Greer’s right. There’s a blackout curtain around the entire area.”

  “I wonder what the witch and the elemental will see.”

  “You called in Rock?” Dragos began to pace along the edge of the clearing, his gaze glued to the interior.

  “No. Mollie Ferguson.”

  “You’re joking. A fire elemental? Here?”

  “You have a better idea?”

  “Unholy crap.” The vampires turned, and Parker couldn’t help but laugh. Selena was on, of all things, a broomstick. A shaken Mollie clung to her, pale and sweating. “Well. This is another fine mess you’ve dragged me into.” Selena winked and hopped off the broom. Mollie squeaked and grabbed the handle. “Wuss.”

  Mollie glared at her, sparks dancing along her skin. “How’d you like to walk back, witch?”

  “Your ass would be walking back too, so I wouldn’t burn the ride.” Selena turned back to Parker. “Well?”

  Parker ignored the way Greer carefully helped Mollie to the ground. “What do you see in the clearing?”

  “An unholy mess.” Selena’s markings flared, her eyes glazing over. “Whoever put that trap in place knew her enemy. She’s expecting the dryads.”

  “But not us.” Parker was all for striding in there and revving up his weed trimmer.

  “Oh no. She’s expecting you too. That’s the other half of the trap, you see. It looks like it’s designed to kill them and leave you incapacitated.”

  “And when I’m unconscious, she’ll feed me her blood, thus making a bond.” Parker grunted. “Right. Bloody hell. She’s got Mina.”

  “Well. Fuck a duck. That’s not good.” Selena stared around. “There. I think the trigger is set over there.” She pointed toward the left.

  “Wait.” Mollie moved in front of Selena. “What are the odds she expected a witch?”

  Selena blinked. So did Ash, who grabbed her arm and kept her from moving forward. Selena scowled at Ash but spoke to Mollie. “What do you see, Mollie?”

  Mollie shrugged, uncomfortable at being the center of so much attention. “I would think if she knew about Selena, she’d know you might call her or another witch in for help. So I’d set a trap for the person brought in to disable the trap.”

  Then Mollie surprised them all. She straightened and stepped forward confidently, sparks dancing across her skin. Not one dropped to the ground. She headed straight for where Selena had pointed. “She might have expected Selena, but I doubt she’s prepared for me.”

  Greer placed himself firmly at her side, earning a surprised glance from the fire elemental. “Don’t even think you’re going over there without me.”

  Mollie shrugged, but Parker could hear the way her heart beat faster. “If you like.”

  Parker shared a look with Amara. “You think she’s right?”

  “I think I have no idea, but better safe than sorry.” Amara began to follow them.

  “I have a better idea.” Dragos peered into the clearing. “What say we spring the trap?”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  Dragos grinned. “I never said you would be the one to spring it, now did I?”

  “You might want to double-check with Mollie before you do that. If the thing she’s doing blows up in her face because you entered the grove, Greer will hunt your ass down, mayor or not.” Focused on the clearing, she missed the look that crossed Dragos’s face. The vampire’s beast was close to the surface. If Dragos didn’t do something soon to save his sotiei, the beast would take over, taking the choice out of his hands.

  “Amara has a point. Let Mollie make sure the witch part of the trap is disabled before you go in there.”

  “What about the wolves?”

  Good question. “Noah?”

  There was no answer. Parker tried to find the scent of the wolves, but the only thing he caught was the people around him and the forest itself.

  “Well. So much for hunting with us.” Parker was ticked. Apparently Noah’s word wasn’t as good as he’d thought it was if he’d left them.

  “Parker and I will go to the other side of the clearing.” Amara grabbed his arm. “Ash, Selena, you wait here. Selena, you’ll have to make sure Ash isn’t captured by the trap. Protect him. One dryad, one other, okay?”

  Selena made a face, but Ash looked more than content with Amara’s decree. “And I’ll make sure the witch remains safe from everything else.” The silver sword tapped against his leg.

  “I seriously need me one of those,” Amara muttered. She turned and started circling the clearing.

  “Somehow I don’t think you do.” Parker floated next to her, keeping watch for anything out of the ordinary. The fact that Amara couldn’t see anything meant something could sneak up on her. He refused to allow anything to harm her.

  “Why do you say that?” Amara gestured, and tree branches lifted, giving her clear passage through the forest to her destination.

  “No reason.” A shiver of awareness drifted down Parker’s spine. “Shit.”

  “Parker?”

  “I have a bad feeling about this.” He was missing something, but what? What was it that was… “Oh shit.”

  “What?”

  “Mina.”

  Amara whirled toward him. “What about Mina?”

  “I can’t smell her.”

  “So?”

  Parker lifted his head and inhaled. He was right. Mina’s scent was missing. “Either Terri has become better at masking scent, or Mina isn’t here. And you know what else I’m not smelling?”

  “What?” Amara was already racing back toward the group at full speed.

  “Rotten vegetation.”

  “Shit. Dragos, it’s a trap within a trap!”

  But it was too late. The vampire had entered the clearing, and all hell broke loose. Thorny vines whipped up, impaling the mayor on all sides,
ripping through clothing and flesh like they were tissue paper. Dragos screamed in rage as his beast took over, all human thought subsumed by the need for survival. He misted free of the vines, but they continued on, reaching toward him, flying up at the same rate Dragos did. Within seconds the vines were above the tree line, thrashing around like the arms of a leafy Kraken.

  “No!” Amara stomped her foot and roared a challenge before wading into the mess.

  “Amara!” Parker dashed forward, terrified that she’d set off the second half of the trap, the one meant to kill the dryads, and flew right into a cloud of pollen.

  And down he fell, passing out within seconds as the pollen seeped into his pores.

  Amara heard Parker’s cry but knew he’d be right behind her. There was no way Parker would stay out of this fight, not if she was in it. So she waded in, ripping vines from the earth, mashing them into pulp with her bare hands. Fire flared off to her right as Mollie entered the fray, vines dropping before her with scary rapidity. The controlled, flamethrower-like bursts sliced through the weeds, cauterizing the wounds. Then that fire raked the ground, burning out the roots until there was nothing left.

  Dragos used his claws as scythes, cutting the weeds one by one. He screamed in rage, his beast completely in control. He bled from numerous cuts, but the flow was sluggish. Amara was terrified what he’d do once the battle ended. She hoped she wouldn’t have to battle the ancient when this was all over. He’d make a beeline for either one of the humanlike women, intent on feeding from them—or the Throne, intent on finding Mina.

  Silver flashed; the dryads had entered the fray. The vines fell faster than they had on the roadway. Selena stood at the edge of the clearing, her feet braced apart, her eyes white, her markings glowing brightly. She chanted, low and lyrical, and everywhere her blind gaze fell, the vines did too, shrinking until they were nothing more than what they’d been before Terri had tampered with them.

  “Parker!”

  Mollie’s shout brought Amara’s attention back to her mate, who was calmly walking across the clearing, the weeds arching out of his way, not once touching his flesh.