by Aileen Erin
Van shrugged. “Yes. And?”
“And you left me there to fight the bloodsuckers by myself.”
Fight the bloodsuckers? This was a story and I wanted—no, I needed to hear it.
“And you lived. So, I think we can agree all is well and put it behind us.” Van had a smirk on his face, and Blaze—who’d been nothing but polite up until now—looked like he was ready to snap Van’s neck.
I got a little closer to Cosette. “What kind of friends do you have?”
“Apparently the same kind you bargain with.” She gave me a wink.
I laughed. The Lunar queen had the same reaction to Eli. “Fair enough.”
“Van is…Van.” She tossed her curls over her shoulder. “As for the rest of them, Kyra, meet Tessa. She’s from the Solar Court, although she’d left it and has been in hiding in the human world for a few years. And Elowen’s from the Court of Leaves.”
“It’s really awesome that you’re here.” I bit my tongue on thanking them. Cosette was good about letting thank you’s slide, but I couldn’t assume that would apply to these two fey. “I want to get to know you, but the sun is setting and—”
“There will be time for that later,” Cosette said.
“Agreed,” I said. I was glad we were on the same page. I wanted to get this spell done before the moon rose. “So, what do we need to do, besides get some of my blood?”
“Actually, we’ll need some from everyone,” River said, brandishing the knife. “Just a few drops for that pot over there, and then some more for this.” He motioned to a cup.
“Are we going to be drinking that?” I asked. “Please say no.”
“Yes,” he said, but he didn’t look happy about it.
“What’s in it?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but I had to ask.
“Just blood.”
I contained the gag. Barely. “Fine. So that smelly shit is going on our faces and we have to drink the blood.” Man, if I didn’t want Astaroth gone for real, I would rethink this whole plan.
Claudia nodded. “That’s about right, and I think we’re all in agreement that this sucks. Royally. But it’s the best we could come up with in a day.”
“Right.” I muttered a few curses. “So, who wants to go first?”
“We’re all good here,” Beth said, holding up her finger with a bandaid. “It’s just you and the fey left.”
“Alright then.” Van stepped past me, took the knife from River, and pricked his finger. Three drops of his blood fell into the stinky pot and three more in the cup. He handed the knife back to Kyra, who did the same. And then Elowen.
I went last. “I can’t do it myself.” I handed the knife back to River. I told myself I shouldn’t act like a weenie in a room filled with magically powerful people, but I couldn’t help myself. “I really, really hate this.”
River smiled at me. “I’ll be quick.” The meanie stuck me with the point of the blade.
“Ouch!” I tried to pull my hand away from him, but his grip was tight.
“Stop it,” he said with a laugh. He pressed on my finger, squeezing it until the tip turned blue.
River’s grip on my finger hurt worse than pricking it. “Be careful. I don’t know if I can regenerate fingers and I like all of mine.”
“Chérie,” Dastien chided me, and yes, maybe I was being a teeny bit ridiculous, but damn it, River was totally mangling my finger.
“It hurts,” I mumbled.
“You’re making it worse. You Weres heal so freaking quickly,” River squeezed one more drop in to the cup. “Done.”
I stuck my finger in my mouth. “Was that even sanitary?” We’d all just been poked by the same knife. What kind of fey germs did I just get?
“Don’t worry. You can’t catch anything from them,” a voice said from behind me.
I growled as I spun. Eli was grinning at me, arms folded across his white V-neck T-shirt. “You!”
“Eli!” Cosette said at the same time. “You shouldn’t pop in and out like that. It’s rude.”
He raised a brow. “Am I the only one who thinks that’s rich coming from her?”
“Nope,” I said and then instantly regretted it when Cosette scowled at me. “What? You do that all the time.” No one laughed, except Dastien and that was only through the bond.
Oh, man. I missed Meredith so damned much. She would’ve thought it was funny. I was pretty sure of it.
“Are we ready now?” Nerves rose up, making my mouth dry.
“One more thing,” Beth said, waving Claudia over. Shane and River joined them and held hands.
They said a few words in a language that sounded like the one River used before he magically slammed me into the wall.
The pot lifted off the table for a second before falling back to the table. Smoke wafted out and they dropped their hands.
Beth slumped against the table, gasping for air.
Blaze walked over to her and squeezed her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s just been a while. I’m a little rusty.”
“You’ll get it back,” Blaze said. “You’ll be okay.”
Beth gave him a quick look before she stared at the table. “I don’t know that you can say that.”
He whispered something so softly in her ear that I couldn’t make it out, but her eyes widened, and she was suddenly gasping for another reason.
What do you think he said? I asked Dastien.
Don’t know. I couldn’t hear him.
Weird. “Let’s get this over with. Where are we doing it?”
“The Quad,” Mr. Dawson said. “It’s got the most room.”
“Plus, it’s where Astaroth came through before. It’ll be a weak point,” Claudia said.
“And when he comes through again?” I asked.
“We’ll be ready,” Lucas said.
Would we? “Are you going to fight him?” I asked Eli.
“I’ll be busy sealing the bond,” he said.
“And we’ll be busy with the spell,” I said. “Then who’s going to be fighting Astaroth?” I thought the other Alphas were going to come, but campus seemed pretty empty when we got here.
“They are,” Blaze said as he pointed to the window. “Right on time.”
I moved around the tables, careful not to bump into any stools, and stared down. In the distance, car doors were slamming. A stream of werewolves started to pour into the quad, a few of them undressing as they moved into view. I spotted the Alphas from yesterday, thankful that they weren’t so upset that they wouldn’t show up tonight. The rest were all in black.
Cazadores.
Wow. I didn’t know there were so many of them. There had to be hundreds. Way more than had left yesterday. “Where did they come from?”
“Everywhere. We’re werewolves. When the call goes out for help, we don’t say no,” Mr. Dawson said. He looked fierce as he stepped closer, looking down at the gathering crowd. “That’s our way. That’s why we’ve protected humans for so long and will continue to do so. It’s in our blood and it’s part of being an Alpha. There might not be a Seven anymore, but I’ll always be an Alpha. And I’ll always be there if help is needed.”
I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, watching them for a second, before glancing at Mr. Dawson.
“Thank you.” He wasn’t fey, so I could say it. “I really appreciate that.”
He gave me a nod. “I’ll be outside with the other Alphas.”
When he was gone, I looked to Claudia. “What do we need to take down to the quad?”
She started handing everyone things, and we hustled down there.
As I carried a stack of candles, my stomach was in knots.
Doing this spell on the land where Astaroth appeared just twenty-four hours earlier was going to be like drop kicking a hornet’s nest.
It was a terrible idea, and it was the only idea.
We’d better nail it or we were going to lose everything.
Twen
ty-Four
The crowd of Cazadores made room as we entered the quad. We had to form a circle with me as the center. I’d be the focal point. The one that tied it all together. I didn’t want it to be that way. I wished I could’ve pawned it off on someone else, but there was no one that could take my place. No one else that straddled three species like I did. If I’d had a touch of fey in my bloodline, that would’ve been even more of a help, but as far as I knew—I was just human, witch, and Were. As I stood in the center, setting up a mini-altar while everyone else took their places in the circle. I hoped it was enough.
There was no plan B. If the spell didn’t work, I was opening a portal with no real way to close it.
So, we were going to make it work.
I shoved all doubt from my mind as I rose. I could do this. I would do this. I said it again and again in my mind as I put the stinky pot on the altar next to the cup with the secondary potion and my own candle.
Everyone stood around me—werewolf, fey, witch, werewolf, fey, witch. All mixed together.
Eli was standing on a tree limb above us. I couldn’t see his wings, but now that I knew they were there, I’d always see them. Those wings weren’t something I could unsee.
He was on standby to seal the bond when needed. But until that happened, we were on our own.
I took a breath and let it out slowly. My hands were shaking and sweaty. I wiped them off on my pants.
You’re going to do fine.
I nodded. I just don’t feel ready. I was so busy dealing with Eli and spending too much time in Underhill that I didn’t prepare anything for the spell. It all feels so rushed. What if something’s not right? What if someone forgot a step? What if—
Stop. You can’t think like that. No doubts, remember? And the words don’t count. You know what Tía Rosa said. It’s all about the sentiment behind them and how much you believe in them.
He stepped into the circle, and grabbed my shoulders. You have to trust everyone in this group. They’re the ones who helped put together the spell. Leading is about getting everyone to work together, and part of that is delegating. You can’t do everything by yourself. You’ve always leaned on us for support. Now you’ll have to lean on everyone here in this circle a little more. That means you don’t have to do all of the busy work and can focus on more important things. Like making sure the next Luciana isn’t hiding among the covens. This is a good thing.
He was right. I knew it.
Claudia walked over to me. “You’ve got the spell?”
I pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that she’d handed me not five minutes earlier from my pocket. “Yup. Got it.”
“Okay. Are you ready?”
I swallowed and looked into my mate’s glowing amber eyes. “Yes.”
“Then let’s get started,” Claudia said.
Dastien pulled me in tightly. You’re the one that can make this work. So do it. No doubt. No questions. Nothing else but you and the magic.
My chest tightened as he stepped away from me. It was a lot of pressure. So much riding on getting this right. My breaths felt hollow and my fingers tingled.
I had to get this right.
I couldn’t doubt. I couldn’t question myself. I couldn’t let a single inkling of doubt slip into my head that maybe this might not work. I needed confidence. The first step of that was addressing everyone who had come to fight.
“Before we get started, I want to say thank you. You’re Alphas and Cazadores. You’re fighters. And you’ve protected everyone, fighting for good, and for those who couldn’t fight for themselves, and never asking for anything in return. Knowing that humans and supernaturals alike were safe was all you needed.”
I looked out into the gathered men in black. “And you’re here today. We called for help, and you came. Thank you.” I paused for a second to let that sink in. I wanted them to know that I meant it. “Tonight will be hard for everyone here and some of us will get hurt, but after? Everyone’s safety won’t be on your shoulders. Now that everyone knows we exist, it’s time for something new. Something stronger and better. Tonight we’re breaking down barriers between supernaturals. Together, we will rise stronger. So, when shit goes wrong—because it will—I just wanted you to know what we were fighting for. It’s bigger than just Astaroth. So, thank you for being here. Your support has been and will always be invaluable.”
The Cazadores stood around me, watching silently. I wasn’t sure if they’d liked what I said, but I didn’t feel okay about starting without acknowledging them.
With that done, I closed my eyes and pushed all the doubt out of my mind. I was going to do this. I was going to nail it. And fucking win. Because that’s what I had to do, no matter what.
I opened my eyes. With my intentions and will focused on what I was doing, I grabbed a supersized container of salt and stepped just behind Dastien. It was a lot of salt, but we needed every bit of it. The circle was about eight feet in diameter. The spout opened with a pop, and I bent down a little. There needed to be a solid ring of salt to set the circle, but I also needed it to last around the entire thing. We had a backup container, but it’d be better if I didn’t have to break the process of going around in the circle. The slow stream of salt fell to the ground as I walked with a gentle, steady whoosh that reminded me of the ocean.
“I set this circle with light and love. I set this circle with light and love. I set this circle with light and love. I set…” I said over and over with each step as I walked inside the line of salt.
As I neared Dastien, I felt the pressure in the circle start to build. And when the circle was finished, there was a little pop in my ears.
The circle was strong and holding. Not even a whiff of sulfur in the air.
Good. This was good. It meant that when Astaroth showed up, he’d be outside the circle.
The next step was going to be less fun. I grabbed a blade from the alter and walked back to the start of the circle. “Get ready.” It was going to take a ring of my blood to activate the circle and set off the start of the spell.
I scrunched my eyes shut as I swiped the blade across my left wrist. The blade was so sharp that it took a second for me to feel the sting. I stuck the blade in the ground, just inside the circle and started a crouching walk around the circle. I wasn’t wasting one drop of my blood and I had to move fast, because even though I’d cut myself pretty deeply, the wound would heal in a minute or two.
The drops of my blood hit the salt, instantly turning it a pink color that spread around the entire circle.
One drop shouldn’t be enough to do that, but this was magic. It blew my mind. Eventually I’d get used to seeing it, but today wasn’t that day.
“My blood seals this circle to outsiders. My blood seals this circle to outsiders. My blood—” I said it over and over. The last few steps were a little hurried as I tried to keep it from healing. Slitting my wrist twice in one night wasn’t going to happen.
As my blood hit the last inch of circle, it started to glow a pulsing red color.
Doing great, Dastien said as I moved past him. His fingertips brushed my arms, sending goosebumps tingling along my skin.
The blood should keep Astaroth from coming inside the circle, but it would draw him to me. I knew it wouldn’t be long before he showed up and started trying to get inside. I had to hurry.
I grabbed out the piece of paper from my front pocket. Claudia’s script looked like something out of hand lettering book. My handwriting wouldn’t be that pretty no matter how hard I tried. I met her gaze across the circle and she gave me a little nod.
The circle was good. Holding strong. Step one done.
Now, I had to create the bond. Once that was done, together we could close the portals and cancel out the evil magic that Luciana had left behind.
I moved toward the cup and the ground started to shake.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Evil spread across the circle, making all the hairs on my arm stand on
end.
A gasp ripped from my body and my heart started to pound.
I prayed I was wrong. I prayed the rumbling meant the battle outside the circle was starting. We knew a fight was coming. There was going to be a battle outside this circle, and I had to ignore it.
But I had to hurry. I didn’t want anyone hurt. Not if moving faster could save lives.
The cup shook in my hand. I read the words Claudia had written—a modified version of the spell for the Seven.
They weren’t my words, but they had power in them. I had to amplify that with my own will. My own power. As I took a breath in, I let that power rise up in me. Let the confidence grow until I was standing in the circle, ignoring the growing rumbling under my feet, as I said the words.
“Werewolf, witch, and fey. We cross the lines today. Bring us together so we might fight all the things that haunt the night. Good souls to fight the bad—”
There was shouting outside of the circle. Screaming. I blocked it all out. Focusing on the magic and the words so that we could get through this. That was the only way. I couldn’t stop what was happening outside the circle until I was done with my spell.
“Planes kept seper—”
I heard Dastien shout my name just before I felt the hand close around my wrist.
I spun, trying to wrench my hand free from whatever demon had gotten through my circle but it wasn’t just a demon.
It was Astaroth. He was still in the shape of the boy. I tried to wrench my wrist free, but he laughed and the world shook.
No. This wasn’t happening.
He’d gotten inside my circle.
How the hell had he gotten inside my fucking circle like it was nothing?
He was grinning at me, that big, yawning grin that took up too much of his face. You’re mine. His mouth grew bigger as the words rolled through me.
The cup slipped from my grasp. The spell with all our blood splattered to the ground. Ruined.
I looked into his eyes and I knew what was about to happen and there was nothing I or anyone else could do about it.
Mine, Astaroth said again, and he threw me. I slammed against the wall of the circle, and then screaming, I fell…
