With the Hunters’ help, a space had cleared around Quinn again and she took a brief moment to scan her surroundings. Those who tried to bite the Hunters met a swift end and Quinn realised why no bond had ever formed before. No vampire had lived long enough for one to form. The Hunters were ruthless, hostile, and efficient. If bitten, they focused all their cumulative energy on disposing of the threat. Quinn spun on the spot, her eyes searching for Freya. They had been separated for too long and Quinn needed to reassure herself that Freya was alive. Finally, she spotted her, standing beside Kellan. Both faeries nocked arrow after arrow into their bows, firing precision shots that had vampires dropping like flies. Quinn let out a cry of relief as she spotted the reason why they could shoot without distraction. Before them, the six werewolves had formed a solid line, creating a border which, from the look on the wolves’ faces, no vampire was getting through. Behind Kellan and Freya crouched several other members of the Fae, still trying to use their magic. It appeared they still couldn’t draw on enough power to kill but, at the very least, they incapacitated the vampires long enough for the wolves to bring them down.
Satisfied that, for the time being, Freya was protected, Quinn continued through the crowd, bringing down more vampires than she could count. She hadn’t seen the gypsies since they had stormed into the Cathedral with the Fae, and looking at the horde of vampires swarming around her, Quinn couldn’t imagine how they could possibly still be alive. She had seen Jonas leaving with Monique, but Balthazar and Rowena had definitely been inside when the fighting started. Wintyr, Enah, Balthazar, Rowena, Quinn chanted over and over in her head as she fought, praying for just a glimpse of any of them.
Quinn was still searching when she heard the familiar screech above her head and all eyes turned heavenward. Two familiar figures were clearly visible astride the Orochian’s back. Monique aimed the Orochian’s fire at the outward edges of the vampire horde, far from any of her own people. Quinn felt elation course through her, and then she spotted Lenora on the very edge of the horde that Monique was aiming for. Quinn didn’t have time to consider that what she was about to do would probably get her killed. Instead, she sprinted, screaming Lenora’s name as she ducked through the fighting, hurtling through groups of vampires and knocking them to the ground like skittles in a bowling alley. Quinn was over halfway to Lenora when, by the light of the moon, she saw the shadow of the Orochian pass through her own. The beast swooped overhead and Quinn skidded to a stop, cupping both hands to her mouth.
“Le-no-ra!” Quinn screamed so loud that her throat flamed and the veins in her neck bulged beneath her skin. Lenora was in trouble, being overrun by vampires, but her head flicked around, her eyes finding Quinn’s face in the crowd. “Run!” Quinn yelled. Lenora lifted her gaze, spotting the incoming black beast just as Quinn heard the familiar hiss that signalled the dragon’s fire. She could have sworn she saw Lenora move, but, in that instant, the flames burgeoned from the Orochian’s mouth and Quinn ducked as a wave of heat washed over her. The fire tore through the vampire ranks, incinerating at least half of them. Even from this distance, Quinn heard Jonas’s whoop of joy. She searched frantically for Lenora but there was no sign of her.
Quinn realised that she was back near the opening to the Cathedral and, in the reprieve that followed, as the vampires watched the flames engulf their companions, she risked a glance back inside. For the first time Quinn truly faltered. Drake was limping, his hand pressed against his side, where an ugly red stain was spreading across the white fabric of his T-shirt. He was moving away from Aleksei and a second later she lost sight of him as he moved out of range of her vision. Cursing, Quinn made a lightning decision, but, before she could place one foot in Drake’s direction, a high-pitched scream set her blood boiling in her veins. She knew that voice.
Scanning the crowd, she located the source of the sound and her heart literally crashed to a halt in her chest. A vampire held Piper high above his head, her body limp and her head lolling to the left as blood spurted from a vicious, ragged hole in her neck. Quinn froze, knowing there was nothing she could do, nothing anybody could do, to save her friend. A second later, Austin’s stake burst through the vampire’s chest, his face contorted in grief and rage. Quinn choked back her sob, and her heart seemed to restart, galloping in her chest as a surge of rage-fuelled adrenalin coursed through her. Sensing a movement behind her, Quinn swivelled on the balls of her feet. She grabbed the vampire who had tried to sneak up on her by the throat, hoisting him forward as she drove the sword forward, twisting it savagely left and right, cleaving through his insides until she finally sliced through his heart. Through her blind rage, Quinn became aware that all around her the atmosphere had changed. The loss of their sweetest, most compassionate Guardian seemed to push the others over some invisible line, and they attacked with renewed energy - more savage and brutal than ever before.
The hiss of more dragon fire reached Quinn’s ears as she sliced another vampire’s head clean off, and then she was running, sprinting back inside the Cathedral. Quinn’s heart ached as she abandoned her own people to save the man she loved.
Chapter 36
Drake backed away from Aleksei, every movement sending a shooting pain through his chest and torso. He still couldn’t comprehend how fast Aleksei was. Despite the combination of Drake’s vampiric speed and strength, plus the Fae magic that flowed through him, Aleksei had managed to get his hands on a discarded stake. Drake had dodged the lethal blow, but the stake had run through his side and the blood loss was debilitating. Lifting his hand from the wound, he saw it was streaked scarlet with blood. What he needed was time to heal. So far, he hadn’t been able to master his magic, but drawing on it now he lifted his hand, swiping at the air between him and Aleksei. The air shimmered and seemed to become fluid as an invisible barrier formed between them, stretching from floor to ceiling and encompassing Drake in a dome of protection. Aleksei, not realising what Drake had done and determined to finish him off, connected with the shield, staggered back and then hammered at it furiously, his evil eyes never leaving Drake’s.
“Coward!” Aleksei hissed. “Come out here and face me!”
“I’ll be out in a sec,” Drake replied, allowing himself a smug smile. He lifted his shirt to inspect the wound. It was healing fast, as he suspected. A second later, a movement caught his attention and his heart sunk into his chest. Quinn had appeared on the other side of the barrier, only a few feet from Aleksei.
Quinn realised her mistake the second she saw the transparent ripple, but it was too late. She had come to help, only to discover that Drake had protected himself and she had exposed herself to the most powerful vampire on the planet. Drake tried frantically to remove the barrier, but he was obviously weakened and it wouldn’t budge. Quinn recalled Freya telling her that the reason she and Kellan couldn’t take Jack and Ava on now that she was pregnant was because they would have to train their child to use magic. Drake might possess magic but he had not yet absorbed all of it and he had certainly not learned to master it. It comforted her that at least he was not willingly inhibiting the Fae. He would never keep that barrier up with her life in danger.
Quinn cast a surreptitious glance around the Cathedral, searching for Wintyr and Enah, but she found nothing. No vampires lingered here either, which surprised her. Aleksei must have instructed them to leave and deal with the Guardians while he dealt with Drake. She was grateful for his arrogance, because she had serious doubts about fighting Aleksei, never mind a whole horde of his henchmen in the process. She readied herself as Aleksei moved away from the force-field. She heard Drake’s voice, but she didn’t turn to look at him. One single error and she would be dead. She heard him though, banging against the invisible shield and beseeching her to run.
Instead, Quinn did the opposite. She hefted her sword high, the silver blade drying red with blood. Aleksei grinned evilly at her, his lips curling back over his fangs. Refusing to back down, Quinn glared hatefully back at him. She could
still hear Drake yelling, his frantic cries for her to go, but what would be the point? Aleksei would catch her before she even reached the windowless exit. Of all the people in the world, this was the most dangerous to turn her back on.
“Hello pretty Slayer,” Aleksei crooned, taking another deliberate step toward her and away from the barrier. Quinn waited for him to come to her, knowing that he was way too fast to outmanoeuvre. Instead, she focused every ounce of her being on Aleksei, letting everything else fade away so that her world was reduced to just the two of them. She turned everything off. The sounds of distant fighting faded away and even Drake’s voice was replaced by an empty nothingness. Eerily, it calmed her, serving as an anchor. All she could see, hear and smell, was Aleksei. For so long, Quinn had kept her Slayer instincts at bay so that she would not harm Drake or Lenora. Now, she released them. She felt the power surge through her and without consciously realising it, she leered at Aleksei, her eyes glowing violet. The sword was warm in her hand, reassuring to the touch and she swung the blade in a slow arc, bringing it up so that it rested against her cheek.
Trapped within a prison of his own making, Drake shuddered as he watched Quinn morph into something terrifying. Still, he watched helplessly as Aleksei struck. Quinn was ready for him and she twisted her body as he reached her, striking out with the sword. She swiped nothing but air. Aleksei chuckled as he faced her again, their positions reversed. Drake felt his strength returning and he tried once more to remove the barrier, but his rising panic hindered his magic just as much as his weakness had. Aleksei struck again and this time Quinn couldn’t duck away in time, but she also reacted with inhuman speed of her own. Aleksei’s hand caught her shoulder, jerking her to the left as his nails bit savagely into her tender flesh. Quinn ignored the pain, twisting again and slashing out with her right hand. The tip of the sword caught Aleksei across his cheek, leaving a thin but deep cut from the corner of his eye to his chin. He froze, lifting his hand and dabbing the wound before examining his fingers with mild astonishment. An even more evil smile split his lips and Drake roared, slamming his shoulder into the barrier as if he might be able to break it with nothing but physical strength and sheer desperation. Then he froze as the scene played out before him. Like a bad case of déjà vu, he knew exactly what was going to happen but he was powerless to stop it. As Aleksei threw himself through the air, Drake watched, horror-struck and Quinn raised the sword defiantly. She had refused to run, and instead she would die.
“No!” Another voice magnified Drake’s own as an invisible shield much like the one holding him in place surged up between Quinn and Aleksei. Enah stood behind Aleksei, her beautiful face twisted into something far more sinister. She held her right hand up in front of her, holding the shield she had created to protect Quinn in place. She drew her magic from Drake but he still hadn’t absorbed it all. He could feel the magic building in him, growing by the second, but it wasn’t enough. Enah was using every ounce of her will to protect Quinn. “You are a monster!” Enah hissed, her chest heaving. “Julian would be ashamed of you!”
“You don’t dare speak to me about my son, you evil little bitch! You killed him – you and your supposed love!”
Enah smiled, her eyes finding her Drake’s. Drake couldn’t tear his gaze away as he leaned hopelessly against his invisible prison wall.
“You know nothing of love, Aleksei,” she replied simply, lifting her left hand as he lunged for her. Drake thought she would protect herself, but then he felt the invisible shield before him disappear and realised that she had used her last few seconds to release him instead. Enah’s sacrifice left her defenceless and Aleksei landed brutally on top of her, sinking his teeth into her neck. In the same instant, Drake’s head almost split open. He felt the full might of the Fae magic unleashed inside of him and he realised that Enah’s final act had been twofold. She had freed him of his prison, but she had also freed the shackles of his mind, allowing the magic to flow from a trickle to a torrent. It could have killed him, according to Wintyr, but his mother had believed he was strong enough to handle it. The magic flooded through him, a fierce heat that coursed through his entire body in the space of a heartbeat. Drake knew one blinding moment of pure agony, a hundred times worse than the bond had ever been and then his head cleared and a rush of power came over him.
Believing Quinn was still safe within her protective enchantment, Drake wasted no time. He seized Aleksei by his shoulders, pulling him free of Enah and throwing him bodily aside. He was so consumed by his mother’s selfless act and his own guilt at not realising the extent of her love for him, that he could not tear his eyes away from the blood pouring form her neck, her life ebbing slowly out of her.
“Wintyr!” he roared, desperately praying that his uncle would be able to save her. If Enah was here then Wintyr had to be close, but he didn’t show himself. For all Drake knew, Wintyr might be dead already. Clenching his hands together, he moved them through the air above Enah’s ravaged neck, trying to heal her with his own untrained magic.
Quinn knew that it was hopeless. She had realised the second Enah’s shield dropped that the Fae princess had lost consciousness, or worse, was dead. Seeing Drake’s grief as he tried to help her, filled Quinn with sadness, but she could offer him no consolation, because Aleksei was creeping up on Drake from behind and Quinn had only seconds to act.
She kicked out at Aleksei just as he coiled over a distracted Drake, preparing to pounce. Her heavy boot made contact with his abdomen and sent him reeling sideways, away from where Enah lay. Quinn ran after him, kicking him again. The force of her next blow sent him staggering even further away. Lifting the sword, Quinn positioned herself between Aleksei and Drake, who was still trying to heal Enah. Her intention was clear. Aleksei would not reach them, not unless he went through her first. Not waiting for him to retaliate, Quinn darted forward, swinging the sword high and wide. It plummeted down with an audible hiss, the blade vibrating through the air and pulsing through the golden handle into Quinn’s hands. Aleksei moved but like Quinn before, he was not quick enough. The blade scraped his chest, carving a wicked line through shirt and skin as it went.
“That’s the second time you’ve made me bleed, Slayer,” Aleksei snarled, flexing his arms.
“It won’t be the last,” Quinn taunted, swinging the blade in a slow figure of eight. Aleksei jumped back to avoid her next strike but his eyes tracked the motion of the sword as it moved, anticipating where it would stop. Ducking low just as the sword flew upward, Aleksei tackled Quinn around the waist, using his heavier body weight against her and bringing them both crashing down to the floor. Quinn gave a yelp of pain as his shoulder impacted her belly, knocking the wind out of her. She twisted, reaching in vain for the sword as it flew from her fingertips and clattered away over the stone floor.
Aleksei sat astride her, pinning her down with his superior strength and blocking her access to the stakes in her belt. Despite her valiant efforts to throw him off, Quinn couldn’t shift him. Slapping her hard across the face, Aleksei sneered, radiating in the moment of his victory. Dropping his hand to her chest, he curled his index finger up over her heart, digging painfully into her flesh. The pain of the rupturing of her skin was nothing in comparison to the pressure building in her chest and Quinn gave an involuntary cry as Aleksei pressed down, breaking a few of her ribs in the process. The crunching of bone emanated from inside her and Quinn gasped for breath. The pain that had flared would likely have subsided if Aleksei wasn’t cruelly applying even more pressure, his fingertip breaking through skin and flesh. He couldn’t bite her, not with her toxic Slayer blood, but he could rip her heart from her chest and it would seem he intended on doing just that. Even as she felt her strength failing, Quinn prayed that he would make a mistake; that her body would, as it’s final act of defiance, take his life along with it. Aleksei only needed to make the tiniest error; to spear his own flesh on a splinter of bone and her blood would ensure his death. Her hopes were futile, however, as,
driven by his intellect which matched his superior strength, his movements were deliberate and precise and he was unlikely to make a mistake.
Though her pain-induced delirium, Quinn heard the whisper of wind as someone flew past them and the gentle scraping of metal on stone as the sword was retrieved, but when she shifted her head she saw nothing, only that the sword was gone. Aleksei heard it too, and he shifted, twisting around to see that Drake was no longer crouched over Enah. When Aleksei shifted, Quinn realised she could finally reach her belt, and she stretched her arm, ignoring the unbelievable pain the slight movement induced. Her fingers closed around the hilt of a silver stake and Quinn withdrew it, as quickly as she could.
Aleksei was distracted, still searching for Drake and the pressure on Quinn’s chest had eased. A moment later, it ceased entirely as Aleksei’s hand dropped limply onto Quinn’s chest, completely severed at the wrist. He howled in pain and outrage just as Drake emerged from the shadows behind him, his handsome face twisted in terrifying hatred. He looked menacing and evil, and capable of far worse things than Aleksei. Quinn lost sight of Drake for a moment as Aleksei raised his left hand, but before he could bring it down on her chest, Quinn jerked the stake upward. Her movements were clumsy, hindered by pain, but the stake pierced the muscle between Aleksei’s shoulder and elbow, passing through the flesh and protruding through the other side.
“You bitch!” Aleksei hissed, and then he spat in Quinn’s face. Seeing Drake over his shoulder, Quinn could only smile.
“Goodbye, Aleksei,” she murmured as Drake struck, his fangs finding Aleksei’s neck. Quinn had only a second to register the deranged look in Drake’s eyes and then she turned her face to the side as he ripped through tissue and bone. Blood sprayed over Quinn, warm and wet, and the metallic smell assaulted her nostrils. Through slitted eyes she saw Aleksei’s head land beside her, rolling to a stop only a short distance away and then a fine dust of ash rained down on her, sticking to the blood that drenched her from face to torso. Quinn felt the pain diminishing as her body began to shut down. She didn’t need to look to know that her chest was a mess.
Guardians of Summerfeld: Full Series: Books 1-4 Page 100
