William collapsed to the ground, breathing hard. “Go,” he said. “I will need a minute to recover.” He looked ghastly, his face was pure white.
“There!” Bri shouted and pointed over to the right of the large Demon. A hole appeared on the hill and it was dark inside. They started to walk towards it, when the large Demon threw out its clawed hands and a huge ball of flame came rushing at them.
Everyone scattered to get out of its way.
Vlad and Zach took off to the side with Zach roaring, “Dmitri!”
“Got them!”
Dmitri threw himself at the girls and grabbed them in his huge arms, throwing them down and to the side. Stuart and Duncan bellowed and moved away from the oncoming fire. The burning flame missed all of them – but only just.
Humans now ran at them. Some had large scimitar type swords in their hands and looked as if they knew how to use them.
The girls got up and started walking once again, trying hard not to look at the humans coming at them. The humans had split up and were trying to come from different directions, effectively splitting up the guys who were to protect them.
They ran fast, too fast, far too fast for humans, and Zach realized the Demons must have given them help in some way. Stuart dropped his knife and turned with a flash, his Wolf almost as large as Duncan’s.
Zach and Vlad flew forward, leaving the others to protect Alex and the Witches. Soon it was obvious that everyone was going to be needed, as there were too many for a one on one.
Vlad slung his crossbow over his shoulder and pulled out a large knife and dagger, wielding them with practised ease.
“Stay close, Alex, don’t stray from the shield.” Rhianna spoke breathlessly.
Zach and Vlad had reached the first of the men. Vlad ran straight on, heading for some others, while Zach engaged the one in front. The scimitar that this man held was shining and deadly. Zach parried the stroke with his sword. The strength behind this so-called human’s thrust was far beyond what any human could do.
Zach wasted no time in finesse, he cleaved the body in two with a powerful downward stroke of his sword. The body in front collapsed in a bloody heap, and he turned and ran after Vlad.
Vlad was in battle with two others. They were circling, one would try to distract while the other tried to tear into him with their blades. Vlad was too quick for them, but he couldn’t get close enough to either one to take them out.
Zach roared as he approached and swung his sword at the one nearest to him, taking the head clean off. This left the other one staring at his fallen comrade and Vlad moved in for the kill. He grabbed him from behind and slit his throat quickly, easily, and very efficiently.
Stuart and Duncan were fighting some of the other humans. All of the men there to protect Alex and the Witches were now otherwise engaged, and three more of the humans made their way towards the now unguarded females.
Rhianna saw them and yelled, “We need to move faster – look!”
Alex saw what she meant and Bri let out a light scream. The humans were almost on them. The girls tried to go faster and away, but there was so much going on around them it was difficult.
They couldn’t chance getting caught up in one of the fights. With swords, blades, and Wolf jaws snapping all around, they could easily get hurt. The girls had forgotten about Dmitri. He ran from behind them to stop the humans from attacking them.
Dmitri went for the middle one and very quickly snapped his neck. As he turned for the others a large scream hit all of their ears and the smaller Demon appeared. Right in front of Dmitri.
The smaller Demon was a lot stronger than any of the humans, and it and Dmitri started a terrifying battle. Alex gasped, the other two humans were still coming at them, swords in their hands, laughing maniacally with spittle flying from their mouths.
“Run.” Dmitri roared, all the while trying to kill the thing in front of him. The order reached their ears and each one reacted at a slightly different moment.
Alex was first, she took off running, pumping her legs as fast as she could get them to. Bri was next, running behind her. Rhianna, however, was last to react and she was some way behind the other two, which meant that Bri and Alex were no longer under any kind of shield.
One of the humans caught up to Rhianna and he knocked her flying. Intent on Alex, he didn’t waste any time on killing the Witch. Rhianna went down hard and as the air was knocked from her lungs, her eyes saw the rock on the ground a millisecond before her head hit. She was out cold, lying on the ground, blood seeping from a deep gash on her forehead.
The human reached Bri and grabbed her hair, which was flying behind her. It brought her up short with pain lancing through her head. She screamed loudly – and Alex looked back.
She saw Rhianna on the ground and Bri in the hands of one of the humans. She didn’t think, she just reacted. She ran back, drawing one of her knives as she did so. As soon as she was directly in front of Bri, she moved her arm quickly. She threw what looked like a roundhouse punch towards the head area of the one holding Bri, who was struggling to get free, fear etched on her face.
Suddenly Bri was free, nearly falling to her knees. She steadied herself and turned to look behind her. The knife which had been in Alex’s hand was now embedded in the throat of the human. He grabbed the blade and tore it free. Big mistake, as his blood spurted out like a fountain and he fell to the ground, a dazed look on his face.
The second human was right behind them now and Alex knew they couldn’t outrun him. She pulled her second knife out and put Bri behind her. Alex automatically went into a fighting stance and waited on the human getting closer. Close enough so she could use her knife.
*****
Zach and Vlad had finished off the humans and the one smaller Demon, hacking it into a bloody mess. He turned searching for Alex and saw Rhianna on the ground. No!
A split second later, he saw Alex pull a knife out and get Bri behind her, facing one of the humans full on. What the fuck is she thinking!?
His thoughts were running wild as he tried to get to her. He ran fast, very fast and in the next instant he was between her and the human. His sword took the head clean off and he turned and looked down at Alex.
*****
Alex realized something as she saw the carnage in front of her, it came as a surprise to her, she wasn’t terrified with fear. She was scared, yes, but she wasn’t feeling what she had expected she would. A crippling sense of terror that would make her useless to them.
No, she felt strong, capable. She was going to do this.
She felt proud watching Zach in action. He was absolutely deadly, his movements were precise, meticulous, and the skill he had with the sword was like a fine craftsman. He looked very at ease with it, as if he had a lot of practice.
The bodies made her nauseous, the first with his insides hanging out, but she didn’t feel sorry for them, not one bit! That was when all hell broke loose, and they had tried to get through to the opening in the hill.
When Dmitri had yelled at them to run, she was quick to obey. Only after hearing Bri scream had she realized they weren’t all together. She saw Rhianna on the ground and realized the shield would not be in place, and one of those fuckers had Bri in his hands.
A great sense of anger came over her and she ran back while pulling one of her knives free. She didn’t think twice about ramming it into his neck. When the body fell to the ground, she noticed the other one right there. They couldn’t run, so she took her other knife out and placed Bri at her back.
She was ready to fight this fucking bastard and kill him. Suddenly Zach was in front of her and took the head clean off with his sword. Then he turned and looked at her.
As Zach gazed down at Alexina, he saw a strength in her that none of them had realized she had. Her face was fierce, and one arm was still protectively behind her, shielding Bri.
He spoke softly, “You’re quite the fighter, little one. Although,
I thought you were to stay in the shield?”
She answered quickly, “Dmitri roared run, so I ran. I didn’t know Rhianna wasn’t there until I heard Bri scream and turned around.”
Zach nodded his head, there was still some fighting going on, and he noticed Vlad had gone to help Dmitri with the other smaller Demon.
He motioned down to the human who had blood all around him and a vicious wound in his throat. “Did you do that?” Alex looked down and only nodded her head.
Bri spoke up from behind Alex, “She saved me, Zach, that one had a hold of me and she came back and…and...oh dear lord, she saved me and killed him!” Bri’s voice was shaky.
Alex turned around and held her close, all the while whispering to her. “It’s okay, Bri, it’s going to be okay. Why don’t you go and check on Rhianna?”
Bri’s eyes went wide in terror, looking for her sister, she spotted her on the ground and ran over. Zach looked at Alex with something that looked suspiciously like pride in his face. Alex smiled back and moved into his body for a cuddle, just for a minute, she needed his arms around her.
Zach had his sword in his right hand, so placed his left around his mate. She was so awesome. She had been scared she would not be any use to them. Fuck, she had killed someone to help Bri, he thought the shock might hit her when this was over, but just now adrenaline was still coursing through her body. He could feel it.
He checked what was going on and noticed that only one Demon now stood between them and the doorway.
The large Demon was now standing directly in front of the opening in the hill. William had managed to get up and had caught up with them, but by the look of him, he didn’t have it in him to repeat the attack on this Demon.
The two Wolves made their way to Alex and Zach and William went to help Bri. Vlad and Dmitri were next to them in a second, and Zach nodded his head in the direction of the body on the ground. His voice betrayed his emotion, when he spoke, “Alex killed that one. He had Bri and she went back and killed him.”
Vlad nodded and knew Zach would be worried about the after effects on Alex. Killing anyone, good or bad, affected you. They would need to make sure she was okay.
William knelt down and helped Bri. Rhianna was now conscious, but had a nasty gash on the side of her head, where it had hit the rock. Bri pulled out a hanky and wiped the blood away and she saw her sister’s eyes refocusing. Rhianna shook her head and then tried to get up.
She was rather wobbly, so William helped. Once on her feet, the Witch looked around her and saw the bodies all over, some missing their heads entirely. She grimaced and then started to walk with Bri’s help towards Alex and the rest. Once there, she opened her mouth, “Okay, so can we get in yet?”
Vlad shook his head and pointed to the large Demon standing guard at the entrance. “Shit!” Rhianna spat out.
Vlad spoke with a cold determination, “Okay, guys, what are we going to do about that fucker? Any ideas?”
Dmitri stepped forward. “As Zach has told us, we don’t want to get in close to that thing, so why don’t we try the spelled weapons? We can do that from here, or maybe a little closer, but we would still be far enough away to avoid it reaching us and also, if it throws another of those fireball things.”
Vlad was nodding his head, and he unslung his crossbow from his back. He took a bolt from his belt, where he had stuck them, and placed one in. Once it was in place, he nodded. “Okay, Dmitri, you come with me. The rest of you stay here.” With that, he walked towards the monstrosity in front of them.
As they got a little bit nearer, Vlad stopped. “This should do us – close enough for my bow and more than close enough for you and your gun.”
When the Demon saw the crossbow in Vlad’s hands it laughed – obviously not scared. The thing's massive arms moved in front of it and two fireballs appeared, the Demon unleashed them straight at Vlad and Dmitri.
The flames rushed towards the two Vampires, and Vlad kept a close eye on them, Dmitri at his side. As the fire drew closer, the Vampires timed it just so, a second or two before they would have been engulfed in flames, they used their supernatural speed and each moved to the side, away from the balls of flames. Each felt the heat as the flames exploded against the ground, exactly where they had been standing.
Vlad had a cold, hard look on his face as they moved forward slightly, more determined than ever to get rid of this monstrosity. He whispered to Dmitri, “Okay, we fire together. On my mark...one, two, three – mark!”
Vlad’s bolt flew straight and true and Dmitri fired at the same time, his aim was spot on and the bullet entered between the things eyes. Vlad’s bolt piercing where a heart would normally be. The grotesque being roared in pain and thrashed about, the noises coming from its throat not of this world.
Then it promptly exploded in front of them. The force of the explosion spattered Vlad and Dmitri with the most disgusting mess, and they wiped frantically at their faces to clear their eyes, the smell making both gag.
“Yes!” Rhianna screamed. “It worked, it bloody well worked.”
They were all surprised at what had happened and realized the spells Tatiana had taught Rhianna must have been very powerful indeed.
As soon as Vlad saw what damage they had caused, he loaded another bolt into his crossbow and walked over to the other large Demon on the ground.
It was awake and still trying to get up. Vlad stared it in the eyes and aimed his crossbow squarely between the glowing orbs in its face. “Get the fuck back to where you came from!” he roared at it and released the bolt.
The effect was the same – it roared, thrashed about, then exploded. The gore covered Vlad from head to foot.
Zach looked down at Alex. “Are you okay? Ready to go on?”
She replied with a strength she didn’t know she had. “I’m absolutely fine, let’s get in there and finish this. I want to go home.”
He smiled, turned, and began walking towards the cave. “Okay, everyone, I hope that’s all that’s here, but we won’t know until we get in there, so keep a sharp lookout.”
The two Wolves, Stuart and Duncan, growled, Stuart taking point and entering first, his nose raised, sniffing to see if he could sense anything else. Vlad entered next with Zach right behind him. Alex and the Witches came next. Dmitri, William, and Duncan’s Wolf stayed at the entrance, guarding it.
The passage was dark, cold, and damp. They made their way forward and could see light further on. The narrow passage opened up into a pretty large cave, which they could make out as they approached. There was light in the cave, but they couldn’t see any torches or such that provided it.
The Wolf at the front growled and Vlad and Zach brought their weapons up in front of them. The next instant the Wolf let out a howl of pain as a blade came down and sliced through his shoulder. Zach darted forward past Vlad so fast he nearly flew into the opening.
One more of the not-quite humans stood with his scimitar in his hands, covered in the Wolf’s blood. Zach attacked with a ferocity that took everyone’s breath away. He dispatched this one very quickly indeed. He let his rage through and cut the thing to pieces.
The Wolf was down and Vlad went over to him, checking to see if he was alive. He was breathing, but badly wounded. “We’ll get you out of here soon, just lie still and try not to move.”
Alex was upset, the Wolf looked seriously hurt, but she walked with a purpose to the altar. It was made of stone with symbols all over the top. There was an indentation, which was obviously for her mother’s necklace. She removed it quickly and placed it in the indentation.
She then used the knife in her hand and made a cut on her palm. Once the blood was flowing, she held it over the amulet and started to say the ritual spell. Her voice was strong and the strange words bounced off the walls to come back at them in a most peculiar way.
About half way through, everyone could feel the change in the air. It was full of static and power.
&nbs
p; Light appeared around the necklace. As she continued on, the light was brighter and brighter. Then what looked like electricity shot from it towards a circle of stones on the floor behind the altar.
She was nearly finished and on the last few words, a large bolt shot out and hit the circle in the middle. It was so bright that she couldn’t see properly. At that moment she knew the spell had worked, she felt it deep down inside of her and relief washed over her, she had done it.
The instant she stopped, arms encircled her, she knew it was Zach. She collapsed back into him and her legs gave way. She only had time to smile up at his face then darkness took her.
Chapter 16
She awoke in bed with Zach holding her. The second she opened her eyes, he moved, looking down at her. The worry was etched on his face. “Are you feeling okay? Do you want some water?”
How did she feel? Bloody terrible was the answer. “God, Zach, I feel awful, what’s going on?”
He moved so he could grab a glass that had water in it and held it to her lips. “Drink, honey, please, you need to get some liquid into you.” She took some sips, but that was all she could manage.
“I’ve been so worried, I thought I had lost you!” The fear in his voice was clear to her.
“Why Zach? What’s happened?” She could only whisper. She didn’t have the strength to do any more.
“Honey, you’ve been out cold for three days! If you hadn’t come around soon, we were going to take you to the hospital, but I’m pretty certain they couldn’t have helped. I’ve been dribbling little bits of water into your mouth to try to keep you hydrated, but most of it would run out. I have never felt so scared in my life!” He hugged her close and she could feel his despair. Loud and clear.
She spoke and found her voice was raspy. “The last thing I remember was you putting your arms around me in the cave. That was three days ago?”
Defender's Blood Alex's Destiny (An Urban Fantasy) Page 19
