Witch's Mate

by Alicia Montgomery

  Undoing magical wards was not unlike disarming a bomb. Every warlock and witch did things differently, layering spells and magic over each other to try and trip up anyone who would try to undo their work. It took a lot of concentration, trying to unweave the different threads of magic over the door. However, once she got started, it was like she was in a deep trance. She’d done this before, but now the spells seemed brighter, more vivid in her mind’s eye. She could see each one and every layer. Thankfully, though the spells were powerful, there weren’t a lot. With the right words, she was able to disarm each one. One by one, the wards over the door began to disappear.

  The effort took their toll on her, and she stumbled backwards. Liam caught her immediately.

  “Are you OK?” he asked, looking down at her, his glowing blue eyes seemingly soft.

  “I’m fine,” she snapped and got to her feet. “The wards are gone.” One last thing, according to Marcus. She brushed the vines aside to reveal a symbol scratched onto the wall. With the wave of her hand and the right words, the door revealed itself and opened.

  “We’re in,” Liam whispered into his comms unit. Once they confirmed that there was a secret tunnel, the other team would begin their “attack”.

  Liam walked ahead, with Alynna in the middle and Lara in the rear. Jade had worked all night creating three identical bracelets, and they carried one each. Whoever could get to Stefan first would try to get it around him. Of course, when the master mage found them, he was going to put up a fight, and Victoria and Daric would most likely be with him. Still, they had three chances to take him down, and that was three more than they’d had before.

  The tunnel was dark and musty, and seemed to stretch on forever. Lara didn’t have Lycan night vision, so she held on to Alynna’s arm. When she felt Alynna stop, so did she. Opening her senses again, she tried to find more magical traps. “There’s nothing protecting this end of the wall,” she said softly. “We should be able to open it without any problems.”

  There was a scratching sound, then the door slid to the side, filling the dark tunnel with faint light. Liam brushed his hands on his pants. “Let’s go.”

  They crept out of the tunnel, walking out quietly. The tunnel led to a large, circular room. It was mostly empty, save for a few pieces of furniture and some sculptures. However, the entire wall was made of floor-to-ceiling picture windows, giving them a breathtaking view of the outside. Right now it was almost dawn and from behind the mountains, the sun was peeking out, painting the clouds with shades of pink and purple.

  The three of them walked across the floor to the single doorway that led out of the room. Angry voices came from the outside, faint at first, but as they came closer, the conversation became more distinct.

  “Those foolish creatures!” a cruel voice bellowed. “How dare they! Thinking they could sneak up on us! And that Alpha, leading the attack like some hero!”

  “It looks like we can win this, Master!” a female voice said. “By the time they get here, they will be too weak! We should kill them the first chance we get!”

  “There’s something not right about this, Master.” It was a male voice. Whoever was out there, they were mere seconds away from crossing the threshold.

  Liam looked at Alynna and Lara, then pointed to the wall. They all lined up against it, squeezing themselves against the concrete. Lara’s heart pounded in her chest. Her part in this was crucial. She had to distract them first, so Liam and Alynna could disable anyone protecting Stefan. Looking out of the windows as the sun crept higher, she knew what to do.

  “Get ready, and close your eyes,” she warned her companions.

  Four figures walked into the room. The one leading them was tall and dressed in dark robes. Stefan was here. Lara recognized her aunt, Victoria, and Stefan’s right hand man, Daric. The fourth figure, however, had the hood of his robes over his head, so she didn’t see his face.

  “How much longer?” Stefan asked impatiently.

  “Not too—” Daric froze, and then his head snapped back. Blazing blue-green eyes zeroed in on Lara. “You!”

  Lara wasted no time calling up the wind from outside. She raised her arms, and the windows began to shake.

  “Get down!” Daric shouted as the sound of broken glass filled the air.

  One by one, the windows shattered, sending shards of sharp glass everywhere. Lara let out a cry. She had never pushed her power this much, and it seemed to have no limits now. Her hands gave out a faint glow, and the wind continued to swirl around them, howling loud like a banshee.

  “Now!” Liam yelled as he and Alynna sprang into action. There would be no shifting for them, as their wolves wouldn’t have the dexterity to put the bracelet on Stefan.

  Lara saw Daric get up, and she immediately sent a strong gust of wind his way to knock him away. His large body slammed against the wall. The warlock groaned in pain and struggled to get up. She sent another blast of wind his way, knocking his head back. Daric’s large body slid down the wall, his eyes rolling back before the lids closed. In a split second, she made a decision. Grabbing the bracelet from her pocket, she wrapped it around Daric’s wrist. Hopefully, either Liam or Alynna would get the chance to cuff theirs on Stefan, but at least for now, the warlock would be incapacitated.

  Liam stalked over to Victoria, who stood in front of her master. She began to hurl bottles of potions at him, which he easily evaded. When she ran out of potions, she lunged for Liam, sending them both to the ground.

  Lara looked over at Stefan, who stood in the middle of the room, ready to strike. This was her chance. She walked towards him, raising her hand and ready to knock him out. A shout made her freeze in her steps.

  “Stop!” a voice bellowed. “Or the Lycan bitch dies!”

  Lara whipped her head around. The other mage! Whoever he was, he had been the wild card. They didn’t think there would be another person guarding Stefan, and they weren’t prepared.

  The hooded man had Alynna in a headlock, his arm wrapped around her neck like a vice. “Think you can shift faster than I can snap your pretty neck, Lycan? Why don’t we try to find out.”

  “No!” Liam and Lara shouted at the same time.

  “Stand down, filthy dogs,” the figure said.

  Lara felt the goosebumps raise all over her arms. That voice.

  “Tsk, tsk. Too bad for you, Lara. You chose the wrong team.” The man used his free arm to pull his robe back.

  Her throat went dry, and she choked out his name. “Wesley.”

  “That’s right, you stuck up little witch!” Wesley roared. “When your mother sent out feelers that you were ready for marriage, I jumped on the chance! I wanted to prove my loyalty to Master Stefan by fathering the next Fontaine witches and warlocks and then handing them over to be turned into mages.”

  Lara gasped. “You monster!”

  Wesley laughed. “Couldn’t you just have accepted my proposal? Then we wouldn’t be in this mess!” His grip on Alynna tightened, making her gasp out loud and her eyes water.

  “Let her go!” Liam said. He had subdued Victoria, gripping her arms behind her.

  Stefan laughed and walked over to Wesley. “Excellent job, my protégé.” He looked down at Alynna. “Ah, so this is her? The spawn of Michael Anderson? Hmmm…doesn’t seem so special to me,” he cackled, tracing a long, boney fingernail down Alynna’s cheek. She tried to wrench away, but Wesley held her in place. He turned to Liam. “Alpha, I don’t think you have the stomach to kill Victoria.”

  “Try me!” Liam said, pushing Victoria down to her knees. She screamed in pain, letting out a string of expletives.

  They were in a standoff. Lara looked around. Think. Think. Her eyes were drawn back to Alynna, who was staring at her. The Lycan was looking at her, mouthing words. What was she saying? Her lips were forming…numbers. One, two, three. Over and over again. Alynna was signaling her! She gave slight nod, indicating she understood. Alynna blinked and counted with her mouth slowly.

  On
e. Two. Three.

  On three, Alynna let out a sharp yell as she planted her feet flat in the floor and pushed up at Wesley, while Lara raised her hand and sent a loud gust of wind their way. Wesley and Alynna tumbled over, and Liam released Victoria to shift into his wolf form, pouncing over to them. The wolf erupted from his skin and landed on all four paws with a loud thud. Alynna and Wesley were still struggling on the ground, but as soon as he got the chance, Liam’s wolf swiped a large paw at Wesley’s, batting him away and leaving bloody marks across his back.

  “No!” Stefan shrieked. “Victoria! We must leave!”

  “Master!” Victoria cried as she got up and grabbed onto Stefan. She looked at Daric, who was still unconscious. “What about Daric?”

  “Leave him!” he said. “He was weak enough to get captured. Let him pay for his mistakes.”

  Lara screamed. “No!”

  But it was too late. Victoria and Stefan vanished into thin air.

  Liam had shifted back into his human form, and he was helping Alynna up. The look of concern he gave the other Lycan shot a stab of jealousy through her. No, mustn’t think of that. Alynna was alive, even though Stefan and Victoria got away.

  “Alynna!” Alex shouted as he entered the room. He quickly went to his wife’s side, pulled her into his arms, and lowered his mouth down to capture hers in a desperate kiss. They pulled away from each other, and Alex looked deep into his wife’s eyes, touching her face and murmuring soft words to her. Lana looked away from the tender moment, not sure how she could take more of this.

  Grant, Meredith, Vivianne, and the rest of the Lycan team quickly followed from behind Alex. While it looked like they were worse for wear, at least they were all alive.

  “What happened?” Grant asked as he tossed Liam a pair of pants.

  “Stefan and Victoria got away,” Liam explained as he put on the trousers.

  “Daric!” She suddenly remembered the warlock. Her eyes looked over to Daric, who was still unconscious. Good.

  “Is that…” Grant looked at Lara with an amazed look.

  “We couldn’t get the bracelet on Stefan, but I put mine on him,” Lara explained.

  Grant signaled to his team, and two of them grabbed the unconscious warlock. “Take him away and put him in the secure room at the basement of Fenrir.”

  “Looks like I’m going to be evicted,” Meredith quipped.

  “Or you have a new roommate,” Grant retorted. Meredith quickly shut her mouth and busied herself with helping the other Lycans take Daric away.

  “Everyone else OK?” Grant asked. “What happened?”

  “We got through the tunnel. And then-” Lara stopped short. Her blood froze all of a sudden, and she realized why.

  Wesley stood up quickly, swaying from side to side like a drunk man. With a savage snarl, he lunged at Liam, whose back was to the warlock.

  “Liam!” she screamed to warn him, but it was too late. And just like in her dream, they struggled and then staggered towards the open windows.

  Lara ran as fast as her legs could carry her, but she was too late. The two men tumbled out of the window. The last thing she heard was Alynna’s scream as the force propelled her forward, and without a single thought, she dove right out of the window.

  She was falling fast. Liam was so far away from her, his body plunging towards the Earth. He was too far away for her. Suddenly, a burst of power shot through her and she felt the wind currents push her down faster until she reached Liam. Their fingers were touching, and she grasped his arm, pulling him up until she embraced him. Another surge of power rushed through her, and this time, she forced the currents upwards, pushing against them. She felt the power tapping out, but it was enough to slow them down as they approached the ground. They were still about ten feet from the ground when the wind currents died and they landed on the rocky dirt with a loud thud.

  The bright oranges and blues of the sunrise was the last thing she remembered before everything turned black.

  Chapter Thirty

  Consciousness came slowly to Lara. First, she became aware that she was alive, the steadiness of her breath, her blood pumping through her veins. Next was the feeling of soft sheets on her skin, and warmth. The sweet, flowery smell brought her awake, making her open her eyes.

  She knew that perfume anywhere. Glancing to her side, she saw Vivianne, fast asleep on the chair next to her bed, a blanket over her. “Mother,” she rasped out.

  “Lara!” Vivianne’s eyes flew open. “You’re awake.”

  “What happened?” She shook her head. Then it came rushing back to her. Liam. Falling. Going after him. “How long was I out?” She looked outside and saw the sun was setting. The buildings outside and the view of the Hudson River told her she was probably in the Medical Wing of The Enclave.

  “Darling, you scared me half to death!” Her mother pulled her into a tight hug. “I thought…” Her voice hitched, and tears flowed down her pale cheeks. “When you jumped, I thought for sure I had lost you! But then I could still feel you. I knew you had survived the fall somehow. We all searched for you, and we found you and Liam on the ground. He was passed out as well. ”

  “Liam!” She cried. “Is he ok?”

  Vivianne nodded. “He’s fine. You saved his life.”

  Her mother’s words rattled in her brain, and she burst into tears. Vivianne embraced her again, comforting her as her body racked with sobs.

  “It’s all right, darling,” Vivianne soothed, rubbing her hands down her daughter’s back. “I felt the burst of power while you tried to save him, through our blood bond. Just like I knew you were still alive.”

  “Mother, I don’t know how I did it.” Lara shook her head. She’d been using her magic for a decade, yet she’d never felt this kind of power. “No, wait.” Her hands went to her belly. “I think…I don’t know how, but I think the baby…he…she…I could feel my power growing.”

  Her mother’s eyes lit up. “Darling, your baby must have somehow magnified your powers! A True Mate child, possibly both a Lycan and witch? This is monumental!” Vivianne’s excitement quickly faded when she saw the forlorn look on Lara’s face. “There’s something you’re not telling me. Why did Liam sound surprised that you were True Mates? Darling, you must have felt it! Why didn’t you tell him right away?”

  Lara’s face crumpled and a fresh wave of tears flowed down her cheeks. “Mother…it was…awful,” she choked between sobs. “Jonathan…the curse.”

  Vivianne listened to her daughter recount the whole story, about discovering Liam was her True Mate weeks ago and how she tried to stop from falling in love with him. And when the dreams got stronger and she couldn’t stop herself, she did what she could to make Liam hate her. “The words I said, I can never take them back,” she sobbed. “He despises me and threatened to take away our child!”

  “Darling.” Vivianne looked at her daughter sadly. “Surely this can be fixed.”

  Lara shook her head. “It can’t. You didn’t see his face, Mother. Didn’t hear the words he used. Liam will never forgive me and…” She let out a sigh. “Maybe it’s for the best.”

  “But you saved him! It’s done, you broke the curse!”

  “But what if it’s not?” Lara asked. “Are you sure? What if another dream comes and I’m not there to stop it?”

  “Darling,” Vivianne began. “In your dream with Jonathan, you saw him die right? But in the dream with Liam, did he die?”

  Lara thought for a moment, then shook her head.

  “Maybe you were meant to save him.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Lara turned away from Vivianne, and wrapped her hands around her folded legs. “He’ll never understand and he’ll never forgive me for saying those words.” The look on Liam’s face when she said she didn’t want his pups…it was like she murdered their child right then and there. She deserved all his cruel words.

  “Darling…”

  “Please, Mother,” she said, her voice shaky from crying. �
�I just want to go home.”

  Vivianne gave a resigned sigh. “I’ll call your father. He’s already on his way. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind making the trip back right away.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Liam shifted on the hospital bed. No matter which way he lay down, he just couldn’t find a position that didn’t make him uncomfortable. He glanced at the clock. It had been hours since the Lycan nurse had come in and checked on him when he woke up. He was disoriented, not sure where he was. The nurse explained that they had brought him in, unconscious from a fall. He had a concussion and a few broken ribs, but she didn’t have any other details.

  He could feel his body knitting itself together quickly, thanks to his accelerated Lycan healing, but he didn’t have the strength to get up and try to find some real answers. As the nurse left, he fell back asleep, only to wake hours later. When he looked out the window, it was already dark. With a sigh, he leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes. What he could remember, seemed like a dream. The sensation of falling. Lara’s scent. And hitting the ground hard.

  “Jeeze, Henney, you look like hell.”

  Liam’s eyes shot open. He swung his gaze over to the doorway, where Alex Westbrooke was standing.

  “Yeah, well you look like shit, too.” Liam rubbed his face. His body was still sore, but his ribs weren’t broken anymore. “Oh wait, that’s how you look every day,” he shot back as he tried to get up.

  Alex gave him a dirty look, and then his mouth turned up into a grin. He walked over to the bed and helped Liam sit up.

  “Thanks,” Liam said wryly.

  Alex went quiet. “No man, thank you. And I’m sorry. About, you know,” he gave Liam a sheepish grin, “those other times I acted like an asshole.”

  “Wow, I must have hit my head real hard, because Alex Westbrooke is apologizing to me.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Alex snapped. He took a breath. “Look man, I know things haven’t been easy between us. But Alynna told me everything, how you got that warlock off her and saved her life.”