by JF Holland
Sophia couldn’t think, her head fuzzy and her hands began to shake.
“Get Maisie,” Sophia whispered and Helena nodded.
“We’ll sort you out first honey, let’s get you outside.”
“Sam go, get her,” Sophia reiterated, do not let her get away.”
“Nathan, please, can you take Sophia upstairs. Adam, Daniel, Nicolas, this way. I think there’s a way out the back, she will not escape.”
“I’m just going to lift you Sophia. Okay?” he asked as he swung her into his arms, a leg beneath her thighs and the other supporting her back. His mouth slashed, nostrils flaring as the scent of her blood hit his nostrils.
Helena turned to go with them up the stairs, but Sophia put a hand on her arm, staying her. Blinking, she stared at the red smear on Helena’s long sleeved top. Pulling it back, she again put pressure on her stomach and took a deep breath, hoping to stop her gag reflex.
“Helena, go, get her, they need you,” Sophia told this remarkable woman who was more sister than friend to her.
“But…” Helena began to protest, tears filling her eyes.
“Please, get her for me, it’s the only chance anyone has,” Sophia told her, and shoulders sagging, Helena nodded. Then bending over, she brushed Sophia’s hair over her shoulder and kissed her cheek.
“Hold on, do you hear me, you hold on.” And with that she took off after her mate and the others.
As Nathan made his way upstairs, they heard a door slam from further up the corridor, then a female screech could be heard before the door closed, cutting it off.
Chapter Thirty
H elena ran full out after the others, hating to leave her sister; blood relation or not, but vengeance burned through her as her hand hit the door, stopping it from closing after Nicolas disappeared through it.
She skidded to a halt as she slammed into the back of Sam, who put his arm out to steady her as he stood staring at Maisie. She was about ten feet ahead of them, out in the open with a wall behind her, stopping her flight. She held a young woman before her, the knife she’d used on Sophia held against her throat.
“Help me,” the woman implored, her eyes wide and scared in her tear streaked face as Maisie took a step, back hitting the wall as she dragged the woman before her, using her as a shield
Adam moved to the left, Nicolas to the right and Sam stood beside Helena now, as he’d pulled her beside him. An arm on hers, holding her back.
“Not another step,” Maisie screeched. “If you do I’ll open her throat like a zipper, do you hear me, not a step,” she shouted, digging the knife into her throat. He woman whimpered, a trickle of blood trailing down her neck and disappearing into the top of her dirty ripped shoestring dress. At one point, it had been pink, now it was exceptionally dirty, covered in grass stains and dirt. Her knees where scraped, and she only had on one high heel, her balance precarious as she stood there, shaking.
“If you cut her, you’ll have no one to hide behind and then you are mine,” Helena hissed at her, feet leaving the floor as her hair began to rise, floating and crackling around her head as her temper flared. Her right hand came up and fire appeared, floating above her palm as if she’d flicked a lighter and it sprang forth. She balanced it on her hand, patting it, so it bounced up and down like a tennis ball.
“One more move and she’s dead, do you hear me?” Maisie screeched, then leaning forward, ran her tongue up the neck of the woman, chasing the trail of blood, and the brunette whimpered.
Jaden had stopped pacing as Nathan had appeared, Sophia in his arms. Swearing up a storm as the scent of her blood invaded his nostrils.
“Maisie?” he snapped and Nathan nodded.
“Where?”
“Gone, she ran off and the others are chasing her” Sophia told him, I didn’t…” his eyes dropped to her stomach the dark patch there spreading, making his eyes widen.
“You need to go help… them,” she told him, wincing as her hand once again pushed into the wound. Jaden shook his head, and Sophia winced but gritted her teeth.
“We need to get her back, we need Agatha, she’ll know what to do,” Nathan told him.
Shouting could be from the back of the property and Jaden’s head moved from the property to Sophia and back again, indecision written on his face.
“Go, grab a few of the others, and go help them,” Sophia told him, breathlessly as she curled into herself in Nathan’s arms
“Sophia?” Addie moaned, coming over, his red eyes full of sorrow as he looked down at her.
“What can I do?” he asked, his eyes turning to Jaden for direction, but as he opened his mouth, but Sophia spoke up.
“I need Luc, take me to Luc,” she told them.
“Aunt Sophia,” Maya shouted, running up to her.
“Please, I need Luc,” Sophia implored, her eyes turning to those around her.
“Can you take her?” Jaden asked, a tip in his rigid jaw, his arm going around Maya as she sobbed.
“I can,” he informed them, holding out his arms and Nathan, gently passed her over to him.
“Thank you,” Sophia smiled with a sigh. “It will be okay. I know what I must do now,” she informed them. And with that, she lay her head against Addie’s chest as he strode off down the garden. The portal opened as soon as he was through the gates, and he stepped into it, still holding Sophia.
As the gateway closed, a car came screeching to a halt, a very harried Leonard alighting.
“What the hell has been going on?” he asked his eyes taking in a crying Maya sobbing against Jaden, and John torn up on the floor.
“Maisie?” Leonard hissed and Jaden nodded.
“Maya, I need to go, please, help Edwin with John, Leonard, ring Thomas and ask him to get up here and bring transport with enough room to get us home, please.” With that he gave her a squeeze, kissed her forehead and shifted, going from two to four legs again. He then slunk off down the side of the house, going low as he moved between the broken statues spread around the grounds. Nathan shifted and went after him, keeping back a little and closer to the building.
***
Maisie tried edging further back, the woman before her whimpering as the knife dug further into her neck.
Helena again flicked the flame in her hand, and Maisie growled, her eyes swirling, her head quickly looking over her shoulder as her shoulder bumped up against the wall. She then flicked her gaze to the left and right, digging the knife a little harder into the woman’s throat and she stumbled, nearly slicing her own that before she righted herself.
Jaden jumped into an old oak tree, and then onto the wall at the side of the property, going low to his belly. Keeping under the cover of the trees; which grew close to the perimeter wall, he slowly crept along. Doing a stop, start motion as he picked his way, carefully along the crumbling wall. Nathan kept pace with him from beside the cover of the house, then darting across the grounds and heading into the cover of the trees as he got closer to the back of the property.
Freezing, Jaden went as low as he could as he got his first look at the others. Helena stood with Sam, levitating off the floor, hair crackling and swaying as if caught in a breeze. She played with a ball of fire, throwing it up in the air as she glared with hatred straight ahead. Very carefully, so as not to bring attention to himself he turned his head, ears flattening in anger as he spotted the psychotic bitch. Her back was to the wall, in a break in the trees, a terrified woman held before her, knife at her throat. Again, he turned, catching movement to the left of Sam, and saw Adam, sat back on his haunches, eyes trained on Maisie, waiting. To the right of Helena crouched Nicolas, the leopard was low to the ground, front end lower, ready to spring into action at the first opportunity.
“Come on Maisie, you and me,” Helena taunted and Maisie snorted.
“How stupid do you think I am,” she spat. “Now back the hell up, if you don’t start moving, I’m going to slice her throat, you have until I count to three.”
“Y
ou’ll be dead before her body hits the floor,” Helena snarled.
“At least I can take another one with me, well that you know of,” she cackled, and Jaden’s eyes slit, his whiskers twitching as he slowly looked down towards Nathan; who had his eyes on the woman, head to one side. Jaden again looked towards the sky, the sun beginning to set, more shadows to hide in as he once again focused on the bitch. Taking advantage of the waning light, he edged a little further along the wall, getting closer, basically commando crawling now, the foliage of the tree and fading light hiding his movements.
Suddenly, Maisie’s head came up and looked over her shoulder, and he froze, hardly breathing until he realised that he was just trying to figure out if she could slice the girls throat before taking off over the wall. Not today she wouldn’t be, he just hoped to hell this worked, because frankly he didn’t want another death on his conscience.
“Not your fault,” Maya’s voice whispered sadly in his mind. Plus, Aunt Sophia is strong, she’ll pull though. She has to,” she sobbed, a catch in her voice and the jaguar’s amber eyes closed for a moment.
“I’m sorry baby. Just give me a minute. Has Thomas arrived yet?” he asked.
“Yes, he’s just pulled up.”
“How’s John?” Jaden asked, his eyes once again on the bitch not six feet in front of him. Again, he edged a little further along the wall while he waited for her answer.
“John’s doing a little better, he’s shifted again and the bleeding has stopped. Jaden’ it wasn’t your fault.”
“It was my teeth that did the damage,” he snapped, then sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m so fed up of people getting hurt,” he told her.
“John does not blame you.”
“How can he not, it was me that did the damage,” he told her incredulously.
“He believed it was because it was you that he isn’t dead.” Maya informed him, but Jaden’s only response was a grunt. His eyes were once again being pulled to the bitch because she’d begun counting, well, it seemed it was now or never. He lowered his tail over the side of the wall, on the inside, flicking Nathan on the shoulder to get his attention as he couldn’t shift to explain what he was going to do. He just hoped like hell that Nathan understood as he opened his jaw and swung his head towards back towards the bitch. Nathan nodded slightly, the large head of the grizzly bobbing as he moved a little further away from the wall.
Maisie carried on counting, she’d gotten to two when Jaden exploded into action, just as the big grizzly shot forward.
Maisie gasped, her hand pressing tighter against the woman’s throat as the big grizzly made his presence known. While her attention was taken with Nathan, Jaden launched himself the couple of feet across the wall and dropped onto her back, his jaw clamping down on her arm, the one with the knife in. His weight knocked them to the floor, the woman held hostage screamed as she was pushed forward onto her knees.
Quick as a flash, mid lunge Nathan shifted, knocking into the woman, his arm going around her waist as he rolled, tucking her beneath him to protect her.
Maisie screamed, dropping the knife as Jaden bit down, his incisors ripping through tendon and muscle, nearly severing her shoulder from her body. As she tried to pull away he dug his back claws into her back and ripped down, her agony filled screams filled the air as her back opened. He didn’t release his hold on her arm though, he continued to bite down, shaking her like a rag doll, his mind stuck on Maya’s tears as she’d seen her aunt. His brother’s wounds filled his vision, his smashed legs and his ripped open stomach. Then the screams of his mother as she and his father were butchered, were the only thing he could hear. Snarling, he released his bite, and backed up, smacking the floor before her bleeding and torn body, his paw throwing up debris before he lunged back for her. This time he went for her throat.
Nathan launched himself to his feet, still with the woman in his arms and threw her over his shoulder, fireman style. He then sprang out of the firing line and disappeared down the side of the house with her. He needed to get her out of there as Jaden’s jaguar went into a thralled frenzy, again going at the bitch. This time he tore out her throat, and her screams turned to a gurgle as he turned around and spat her own trachea back at her. Her chest stilled, her eyes wide open, blank and staring at the sky. Still the big cat went back for her, pawing the earth by her, lunging forward and then stalking away, pacing backwards and forwards.
All Jaden could hear were the screams of her victims, the cries and heartbreak of the families and lives this psychotic bitch had destroyed.
“Enough,” shouted Sam, trying to get Jaden to stop, but still the large black cat kept going back and taking swipes as the lifeless body. She now lay in a pool of blood, a torn, broken ragdoll, as the cat played with her.
“Jaden,” came Maya’s voice in his head. “Baby, come back to me, please. This isn’t you, come back, let it go. Let mum burn the bitch and send her to the fiery hell where she belongs. Please baby, I need you,” she sobbed in his mind.
Snarling, Jaden paced away, his sides heaving, chuffing and growling, coat darkened and wet, full of her blood. He could taste it in his mouth, running down his throat, the tinny, metallic blood making him heave. Slowly, his agitated movements began to slow, then he turned, launching himself up the wall and into a tree. He moved along until he found the biggest branch that overhung the grounds, and there he lay, head on his front paws. His tail swished in agitation as the feline’s amber eyes warily watched what went on below.
“Helena,” torch the bitch, send her back to hell,” Sam snarled, running his hand through his short-cropped hair, as he stared in disbelief at the mess before them. “Jesus, Christ, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he shook his head. “Baby, please, just burn the bitch,” he said, turning his back, his insides churning.
“Well, that was fun,” murmured Adam, now back in human form. He moved over and stood beside Helena, hands in his jeans pockets as he looked at what was left of Maisie’s body, and whistled. “Boy got her good, she isn’t coming back from that. Good riddance,” he spat near the body and turned heading back around the side of the house to locate his brother and the woman.
“I, think, I’ll, yeah, I’ll go with him,” Nicolas said with a shake of his head, following on Adam’s heels.
Helena looked on dispassionately as she held the ball of fire between her palms, blowing on it, the ball of orange turning white. Then with a flick of her wrist, the threw it towards the body, watching as it caught fire. Within seconds it was over, the fire jumping from the body to the floor, eviscerating any trace that she’d ever been. With a nod of her head, Helena wiped her hands off, then walked over and kicked at the pile of ash, sending it into the air, spreading it on the breeze.
Chapter Thirty-One
S ophia stumbled into the backyard, weak and shaking. Blood slowly trickling down from her stomach, her hands covering it, trying to stop it.
She managed a painstakingly, slow, snail’s pace up the back garden to where Luc stood motionless on the patio. She’d refused Addie’s offer to bring her in here directly, she did not want to upset Luc by him knowing she’d had to be carried.
Looking to the sky, Sophia realised the sun was still out, the last of the rays glinting off Luc’s concrete form as he stood there silently, a guardian and protector. Staggering precariously, and having to stop several times to catch her breath, she finally made it to him. Once there, she dropped her bag at her feet and leaned against his solid form, sighing as his outstretched arms seemed to reach out to cradle her. He wasn’t of course, it was just the way he’d frozen into his stone form, but feeling like he was holding her offered her comfort and strength for what she was about to do.
“I’ve finally figured out what I need to do to free you from your curse… Luc. I give my life for… yours,” she whispered stiltedly, struggling for breath as she murmured the words breathlessly against his stone chest. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to wake to me here, like this… but… at least you
’ll finally be free. The riddle said, ‘pure of heart will free you’… a… a sacrifice from the pure of heart.’ What it should have said was their life will set you free. Blood is life, so forgive me for draping myself over you, but as the saying goes, you can’t get blood out of a stone, but you can paint it with it. I give my life freely for yours, and a life given freely is a pure act Luc, it will set you free from your curse. I wish you a long, fulfilled life and every happiness, Luc. You’re a good man and deserved so much better than you got handed. I’m sorry I took advantage of you…” She laughed, a wheeze escaping, as she patted his chest again, breathing becoming difficult, and her vision swimming. “Tell my family that I love them, and that now, hopefully, Maisie is no more, taking the threat with her. Life is for living and loving, and they should live it to the fullest, enjoy their freedom. As should you. There will not be any return for her from the fate that is sure to be dole out to her. It’s just a pity it didn’t happen many years ago, before she could torture and kill. It would have saved many lives, and countless heartaches for those left behind.
“I shall return one day, my life to live over, but I don’t know when. I’ve lived it twice already, so maybe this time I shall be allowed to rest. I’ve been lonely Luc. Even in a crowd I’ve always felt as if a part of me was missing. I’ve never felt fully whole, and out of everyone, I should think you would understand that loneliness. I had you for a while, and that filled the gap to overflowing, completely obliterated it. So… thank you for that. I hope you find your mate… your true, other half. You are a remarkable man, and as such deserve nothing but the best. I think out of everyone that I’ll miss you the most, but at the same time I celebrate being able to do this one small thing for you.”
