Denny stood with her bloody sword at her side, watching a bereaved Valeria cry out to the heavens. Denny and her Hanta’s pain and sadness burned her soul with the singular act that she knew would change her forever.
“It had to be done, Silver Hunter. She would have wanted it.”
Denny barely nodded, tears steaming down her face. “I know”
“She did not wish to be possessed again.”
“I know.”
Valeria gently set Gwen down. She locked her eyes with Denny’s, and she rose slowly, her face a mask of frozen rage. Even her tears seemed frozen on her face. “What. Have. You. Done?”
“I did what you wouldn’t do seven years ago.”
“You…you killed my…my…you stupid, stupid little girl.” Each word dripped with poison.
“You think killing own mother is what I wanted to do, Valeria? You think I came here with the idea that I was going to have to end her life?”
“Yet you did. I was trying to being my greatest love back to us, and now…now you’ve taken her away from us forever!”
“Being possessed is not what she wanted, Valeria. How could you not know this?”
“You have no idea what you speak of, child. You just destroyed our only chance at happiness. She was finally going to be able to come back to me, and you’ve ruined it! You and your filthy Hanta are noting but murderers.”
Denny swallowed hard and impatiently wiped the tears off her chin. “I couldn’t let you do it to her. Not again.”
“You stupid, stupid girl.” Valeria raised her hands and muttered a curse in an ancient tongue Denny didn’t recognize. “You want to be a fucking hero? Save yourself then.”
Denny dropped to one knee, grabbing her heart, which felt like it was caught in a vice. “Don’t…you…understand…Valeria…please…”
Valeria kept chanting.
Denny clutched her head, which also felt like it was being squeezed. Blood ran down her nose, out her ears, and from her eyes as whatever spell Valeria conjured crushed Denny from the inside out.
“Valeria…stop…” Denny grimaced and tried to stand, but could not. Blood ran off her chin, and she could barely see through the red haze. “Help…me…”
“Kill her!” the Hanta screamed.
Denny tried to stand, but she was doubled over, and the pain of moving was almost too much to bear.
“Get up, Silver Hunter, or she will kill us.”
“Silver!” Annalee said, fighting her way through the crowd. “Get away from her, you fucking bitch!” Annalee bowled over several people as she made her way toward the witch, pole raised to throw.
Denny felt the Hanta taking over, trying to keep them alive. “Stand up, Silver Hunter. We must flee her or we will die.”
“Can’t.” Denny felt like she was having a heart attack and a brain aneurism at the same time.
As Annalee brought her pike back, she, too, seemed to freeze.
Valeria threw her shoulders back, stepped over Gwen, and angrily called upon her Goddess power, her arms open, her face to the darkened sky that was swirling with demonic energy above.
“Give me the power I need to defeat and destroy this woman and her vile creature! In the name of the Goddess!” Lowering her face and glaring with more hate than Denny had ever seen, she stopped Annalee with the flick of her wrist, sending the little warrior crashing into Peyton and against the Sacrifice Stone. With the other hand, she cast more pain and anguish on Denny, eliciting a scream from the demon hunter that rose the height of the stones before being sucked into the void.
Two hands busy. That left one of Denny’s group free to lend help.
Cassandra.
Without hesitation, without calling on the Goddess or her own powers, Cassandra hurled herself toward Valeria. Pushing past any magical boundaries and leaping over Gwen’s corpse, she drove her shoulder into the High Priestess, wrapped her arms around Valeria, and together, they flew backwards and through the shimmering seam, disappearing in a flash of light.
“Whoa,” Annalee said, regaining her balance. “What the fuck?”
Denny managed to stand now and slowly turned to make sure Annalee was okay.
The blood on Denny’s chin dripped onto the front of her shirt, it ran under her nose, and down her cheeks, but her heart no longer felt like it was in a vice.
She cast a single, mournful look at her mother’s torn body and wiped the blood and tears from her eyes, “I’m so sorry, Mom.” To Annalee she said, “Stay here, my friend. I need you out here.”
“Out. Here? Denny, what are you doing?”
Denny took one, two, three long strides toward the shimmering rift, fighting magic, fighting her own physical weakness, and fighting her Hanta.
“Don’t do this.”
“No…choice.” Denny gritted her teeth, put her head down, and pushed forward as if she was facing a wind machine. Everything around her conspired to keep her from doing what she was determined to do.
Nothing would stop her now.
“Silver! No! Don’t!”
“Stay. Out. Here.” Denny launched herself through the same vortex Cassandra and Valeria had tumbled through, disappearing from the Henge completely in a bright flash of light.
“Silver!” was the last word Denny heard before the seam slowly started closing, locking her and the demons she had just cast out on the other side.
Denny stepped back to the veil and yelled, “Annalee—get Brianna. Get the coven—get help!”
“Silver, get out of there! The rift is closing!”
“I know, my friend. I won’t leave her in here alone,” Denny yelled, eyes watering. “I…I can’t. I…I love her.”
Annalee stood up straighter, as if understanding. “I’ll be back at the solstice with the cavalry! You be here, you hear me? You just fucking be here!”
Tears dropped from Denny’s eyes. “I love you, Annalee.”
“I love you, too, Golden Silver. Stay alive. I’ll be back, I promise. I’ll be back with help.”
As the veil slowly closed around Denny, she wondered if there was enough help on that side of the seam to bring them back from the other side.
Only time would tell.
MORE FROM ALEX WESTMORE
THE PLUNDERED CHRONICLES
The Pirate’s Booty
Shiver her Timbers
Fire in the Hole
THE TIMELESS LOVE SAGA
Together in Time
The Future of Yesterday
Back to You
THE DELTA STEVENS CRIME LOGS
Miles to Go
Con Game
Not in the Cards
RIDERS OF THE APOCALYPSE
Ride for Tomorrow
Burning Rubber
Eat Asphalt
THE SILVER LEGACY
Darkness Descends
The Demon Within
Blood of the Demon
THE UMBRA MORTIS SAGA
The Death Collector
The Death Committee
The Death Continuum
The Handler
Dead Again
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Westmore has lived in a haunted house, has a raging empath for a best friend, and eats up paranormal experiences with a huge supernatural spoon. To get closer to the action, she has spent time with Voodun in New Orleans, medicine men in the Southwest, and a Shaman in the Amazon.
Alex is a five-time award winning author of several series, from zombies to demons to empaths, oh my! When she isn’t writing, she’s thinking about writing and imagining where her next great adventure will take her.
Spice up your life! Join Alex on her next amazing adventure…you will be so glad you did. The journey begins at www.AlexWestmore.net.
@AlexWestmore10
AlexWestmore10
www.AlexWestmore.net
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Table of Contents
Copyright
A Free Book for You
Coven Betrayed
More from Alex Westmore
About the Author
Bonus Offer
Coven Betrayed (The Silver Legacy Book 4) Page 21
