by Janelle Peel
Before he could press the issue, a loud crack rent the air. Snapping his gaze to the sky, he froze in shock.
White lines races across the sphere. Spider-webbing across its surface, the silvery light dimmed considerably.
Taking control of the situation, Rowe screamed, “Move it, people! We’re out of time!” Leaping from the bow in one graceful motion, she began chucking bags at random onto the deck.
The other vessel had been mostly loaded, but the Mages were still bringing items out.
Daisy said something about needing to lock the Archives with a spelled key.
In tandem, Rowe seemed to have the same thought. Abandoning her task, she ran back into the city.
Pain scored the inside of his ribs as Inari howled through his mind, Go!
Not needing any further encouragement, his boots hit the weathered dock with a thud.
It was mayhem trying to get down the stairs. Picking his way through the oncoming crowd, he roared, “Rowe!”
Clearing a path at his outburst, the Mages frantically pressed against the stairwell and continued their ascent.
Her voice carried to his ears, “Go back, Alec! I’ll be there in a minute!”
They didn’t have any time to spare. Thundering down the steps, he growled, “No!”
Bex
The protective bubble creaked ominously as multiple lessers threw themselves against it. No longer a vibrant silver, it flickered like a dying flashlight.
Mages ran down the sidewalk and began desperately scrambling on the deck beside our ship. We hadn’t had enough time to secure more than one. It was going to be a tight fit.
Mentally, I did a head count. Cowering in fear, twelve stood on the weathered plastic with their eyes glued to the sky. Kane and Nat stood among them.
Thirteen remained inside the city.
Lillin and Mel were accounted for, as were Skye and Kai. Cooper, Daisy, Rowe and Alec had yet to make their exit.
Anxiety fluttered through my gut. Come on…
Cooper rushed down the aged pier. Silently, he met my gaze with a worried expression. I shook my head. She wasn’t going to make it.
Fisting my hands, I shouted, “Cooper! See to your people. I’ll go.”
He hesitated.
The sphere collapsed in a shower of sparkles. Hooting and screaming in excitement, the Demons began their descent.
Rushing past his large frame, I growled, “Now!”
Jerking a strained nod, he began barking orders, “Unmoor the ships! We need to get out into the harbor! Don’t just stand there, move!”
The concrete rushed by in a blur. Hitting the lobby, I took the flights of stairs in leaps and bounds. “Daisy! Rowe!”
Alec’s deep bass reverberated off the walls. “We’re coming!”
Shifters could move almost as fast as a Vampire. Naturally, that left Daisy trailing in Rowe and Alec’s wake. Bypassing them, I grabbed her waistband and slung her over my shoulder. “Go!”
Squawking in indignation, Daisy wailed, “Wait! There’s more coming!”
My heart broke. Picking up the pace, I tightened my grip. “It’s too late for them.”
Our steps thundered through the building. As we burst through the doors and onto the chipped asphalt, five winged lessers touched down. Their dark hides seemed to swallow the light of the rising sun.
Keeping them in sight, I passed Daisy to Rowe. “Take her. Don’t let her go. Move your asses to the ships. You might have to swim for it.”
Sniffling at those we’d left behind, Rowe croaked, “I got her.”
Alec paused.
Squaring my shoulders, I growled, “Protect them at all costs. I’ll see you on the other side.”
The goat slitted eyes of the Demons followed their retreating footsteps.
No fucking way. Screaming a battle cry, I reached for my well. Goosebumps broke out along my bared arms. Calling on the shift, my paws touched the ground as the weight of my wings settled on either side of my spine. The sharp points of my fur bristled with the sound of shifting ice.
Someone gasped behind me as the abominations advanced.
Chittering amongst themselves, their mandibles clacked with the motion.
A woman whimpered, “Goddess, help us!”
Eleven scents carried to my nose. The missing Mages. Baring my teeth, I slammed into the first Lesser. Upon impact, he burst apart with a wet scream. Grinning internally, I mused it was due to Lillin’s brilliant idea.
Frost spread along the crumbled concrete as the Mages huddled behind me.
Red eyes wide, the abominations stumbled back. Looking amongst themselves, they flapped their bat like appendages in unison and took to the sky.
Fanning one six foot wing, I corralled the terrified magic users in front of me. Slowly, we began the ten minute walk to the docks.
As a lesser dove through the air, a young female squealed in terror. Panicked, she took off at a run.
Howling for her to come back, I could only watch as she was plucked from the ground.
“Help me! All Mother!”
Her cries cut off with a spray of scarlet as she was rent in two by the creature’s claws. Three more joined in on its meal.
The coppery tang of blood slid down my throat with each breath. Nosing the stragglers to move, I took advantage of the Demons momentary distraction.
Our steps proceeded to the symphony of snapping bone.
Shadows moved along the edges of my vision. Scratching and slithering in between the abandoned buildings, my ears swiveled with each sound.
Scare tactics.
Hundreds of insects scrambled across the cement in one massive wave toward us.
Knowing they feared my ice, I growled in warning, Stay!
Horror lit my veins as seven more left the security of our group.
Parting down the center, the black flood pulsed around us. Surging after the shrieking seven, their cries were quickly silenced.
After an eternity the pier came into view.
Immediately, I recognized Kai’s demonic form. The sharp talons along the tips of his leathery wings dripped with tar. Hundreds of lessers lay dead at his feet.
The sour scent of fear was all the warning I had as four Mages more bolted.
Kai reached out with anguish written in his ruby orbs. “No!” Scarlet veins lit his lead skin as horns sprouted on either side of his forehead. A flamed crown settled between their glistening points. Lava spilled from the ground and licked up his thick calves. Steam lit his form as the magma met the harbor.
Dread rolled through my stomach. This is what he’d been trying to tell me. Grabbing the last Mage by her robe, I leapt from the pavement as the orange glow hit my ice. Relief filtered through me. It was Mila.
Dangling from my maw, she screamed as the ground disappeared in a river of fire. Unprepared for her weight, my wings faltered.
Beating frantically to stay aloft, a male voice whispered, “I’ve got you.”
A strong gale snapped my wings out as we were tossed over the docks. Unable to control it, I desperately tried to keep my grip on Mila. The wind slowly eased. Gaining the upper hand, I picked out our ships on the horizon.
They’d made it.
Glancing back for Kai, I gasped.
Completely engulfed in a cloud of ash as far as the eye could see, nothing remained.
Chapter 9
Bex
Dropping Mila to the deck, I shifted back to my human shape. I managed to keep my clothes again, but it failed to lift my spirits. Eleven Mages were dead because I failed to keep them safe.
Daisy latched onto Mila tightly. Glancing toward the shore, she met my gaze in silent question.
Somberly, I shook my head.
Tears streamed down her cheeks at the revelation.
Mila leaned back. “She saved me, Daisy. Bex saved my life.” Turning on her heel, she launched herself against my chest.
Patting her shoulder awkwardly, I mumbled, “I need to get back to the ot
hers.”
Rising up on her tip toes, she pressed her lips to my ear. “There’s nothing you could have done differently.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, my voice turned hoarse, “I should have done more.”
Mila rumbled a low growl that would do any Shifter proud. “No, you couldn’t have. It was their choice to leave the safety of the group. They got themselves killed, not you.”
My heart broke. After keeping my emotions at bay for so long, I couldn’t handle it.
Taking pity on me, Daisy tugged her away. “Come down below, Mila. Cooper needs to speak with Bex.”
As they moved down the short stairs, Cooper looked toward Seattle. “What happened to Kai?”
This was it. I couldn’t keep them in the dark. Dropping the well-placed shields inside my mind, I mentally called out, ‘ASENA! I NEED NAT!’
Nearly 100 yards away, a person jumped overboard from the other ship. The sea glowed in a flash of blue as Nat switched to her Dragon form. Moving through the water, she quickly paralleled our starboard side. Changing back, she clattered up the small ladder hanging over the stern.
Cooper grabbed a blanket and tossed it to her.
Once she’d wrapped it around her slim frame, I began, “Kai has been having trouble with his magic. He told me it took on a life of its own. He leveled a Demon filled city. That’s the reason I didn’t want to do the ritual. I figured if he had more power, it would be harder for him to control.”
Nat frowned in disapproval. “That’s it? They were Demons, Bex. If we’d each had all four Elements today we might not have lost anyone.”
My shoulders drooped. “There’s more. He liked it. If Skye hadn’t stopped him, he would have burned everything. He said he looked like Lucian.”
Cooper gripped the metal rail. “Is that why we’re staring at a sky filled with ash?”
Skye appeared out of thin air beside him. “Yes.”
Unbothered, Cooper gestured to the dark cloud. “Can you clear it so we can see what’s going on?”
Tipping his chin, Skye’s white orb pulsed with a bright ring. Taking a breath, he slowly released it. The ocean rippled as a massive wind raced across its surface. Almost instantly, the city cleared.
Completely shocked, we all stared.
Where the tall skyscrapers of Seattle had been, only scorched earth remained.
Panning the distant coastline, more of the same met my seeking gaze. The destruction expanded to the edge of the horizon before the world curved and I could see no more.
Kai was gone.
Kai
Burn it all…
Flexing his fists into claws, the lava carried him inside her embrace. Smoke trailed in the distance, blotting out the sun with its density.
More…
Screaming in terror, his brethren rushed ahead. The unfortunate few who refused to move were quickly seared where they stood.
Greedily, his creeping pool of fire devoured everything in its path.
It still wasn’t enough.
Foggily, he tried to grasp the wisp of a forgotten memory. Ice blue, her eyes flashed in fear.
Who was she?
Whispering soothing words of comfort into his ear, the molten rock swept away his discomfort in a blaze of heat.
No one…
Nothing…
You only need me…
Together forever…
My King…
Sinking further inside its molten depths, he chuckled. The world was his…
Bex
As the Moon rose, I quietly crept from my post on the bow. Touching the blanket tucked securely inside my vest, a heavy sigh slipped past my lips. Hopefully they would understand, but I doubted it.
I needed to find Kai. Putting anyone else in danger was out of the question. I had a lot of ground to cover as it was.
A strong grip latched onto my arm.
Twin jade orbs lit a thick fan of lashes as Rowe bared her teeth. “You’re not going, Bex.”
Leaning close to her cheek, I answered, “I have to. If we’re to have any chance of stopping his destruction, it has to be me.”
Her angry hiss tickled the small hairs inside my ear. “And if Lucian already has him? What are you going to do? Take on his hordes all by yourself?”
Pressing my temple against hers, I savored her wild scent. I’d miss her. Placing a soft kiss on her forehead, I whispered, “I love you, Rowe. Let me go.”
A fine tremble shook her shoulders. Nodding once, she stepped back. “Come back to me, Sister.”
Slapping on a fake smile, I clasped her hand. “Always.”
Unable to take the tears glistening in her eyes, I shifted. Flexing my wings, my hind legs bunched in preparation.
Her murmured goodbye followed me as I leapt from the ship.
Catching a warm thermal, my paws kicked out as I shot into the sky.
Refusing to look back, I completely missed the large Dragon gliding soundlessly overhead.
Nat
Asena grumbled at Skye, ‘This is what you were hiding from us?’
Without form, his reply carried on the wind, “Yes. I hoped if he saw Bex he’d be able to gain a measure of control. He did for a time. Seeing those Mages swallowed by Hell’s legion snapped something inside of him. Now more than ever it’s imperative we find him before Lucian does.”
Snorting, I projected, ‘My only concern is Bex.’
“It won’t be for long. If we can’t get to him in time and force the ritual, he’ll be lost to us forever. Will you be the one to tell her this?”
‘Why would we do the ritual? You’re not making any sense.’
A shock of cold air slapped across my maw. “Stupid Fae. By joining our Elements, we will each carry a portion of the others. It will lessen Hell’s call.”
My thoughts rolled. Was this true? Irritated at my naivete, I scoffed, ‘Why didn’t you say something before?’
If the wind could sigh, that’s what he did. “Would you have believed me?”
Probably not. It would have saved us a lot of heartache though. Our ragtag group was barely holding it together. At least Bex had used her magic to get the ships into the California Current before she’d left. There’s no way the Mages could have done it on their own.
Asena grunted, ‘He speaks the truth.’
No shit. It was just a little too late for my liking.
The black land rushed below us in a blur. Nothing could be seen from our extreme height. Well, with the exception of Bex’s iridescent wings in the distance.
Goddess, she was stunning. I’d tried wings in many forms but never once had I thought to attempt them on my Wolf shape. The frosted tips winked underneath the light of the Moon. Similar to the pattern of a snowflake, the lacework design was both beautiful and delicate. How they kept her aloft was anyone’s guess. Every stand of her fur glittered with shining rainbows.
Skye interrupted my gawking. “She’s slowing down.”
Sure enough, she gently began to descend.
Circling through the smoky haze above, we watched and waited.
Touching down on the charred landscape, her violent sneeze carried up to my ears. Lashing my tail from side to side, I desperately tried to see why she’d stopped.
Lit in a ruby glow, the biggest Demon I’d ever seen strode toward her. Opening my maw to snarl a warning, Asena quickly snapped it closed. ‘Watch.’
The tattered membranes of his lead colored wings trailed behind him on the ground. Yes, most definitely a him. All Mother I’d never seen a creature so well endowed.
Bex pawed at the sooty surface. Prancing to the side, she shifted in a bright glow. Her boots hissed as they touched down on the scorched ground. She must have used her power to cool her paws. Smart little pup.
“Kai, talk to me!”
The crown of flame flickered along his ebony horns in agitation. Dropping to one knee, his scarlet gaze inspected her with a confused squint. “Who daresss to interfere with my will?”
My heart rate skyrocketed. No, don’t taunt the beast!
A deep chuckled emitted from his car sized chest. “And you are?”
Without missing a beat, she swaggered closer. “Your Mate, you fool.”
What the fuck did she just say?
Showcasing his sharp teeth, Kai smirked. “And what ussse do I have for you? Can you bathe in fire? Are you able to withssstand my heat? Will you rule the world with usss?”
The us threw me. What us? Panning the scorched field, I could see no one else.
Her hands lit in a cerulean hued frost. Grinning, she snarked, “Try me.”
Dipping his claws into the singed dirt, he rumbled, “Asss you wisssh.”
A stream of fire ignited in one massive circle. As it moved toward her, she didn’t budge. Inch by inch, the walls slowly began to creep closer.
No! Frantically, I tried to shove Asena aside.
A spear of magic burst through her flaming cage. Striding forward without a care in the world, she tossed her white ponytail over one shoulder haughtily. “That the best you’ve got?”
Rumbling a low growl, Kai slammed his palm down. Rising through the layers of ash, molten lava answered his call and headed straight for her.
She stood motionless. Her power winked out. Closing her eyes, she whispered, “I love you.”
My mind screamed at the surety of her death. Bex!
Ten feet from her the magma halted. Grudgingly, it retreated back from whence it came.
Kai trembled in its wake.
Orange light flared, closing my lids of their own accord. Blinking away the spots, my maw dropped open in dismay.
Naked as the day he was born, Kai shuddered inside her strong embrace. “Bex?”
“Shh,” she soothed, stroking his cheek. “It’s alright. I’ve got you.”
Lillin
Gold lit the edge of Mel’s iris as he stormed across the deck. “She what? How could you let her go, Rowe!”
Squaring her shoulders, she glared. “Because she isn’t a child. I trust her and you should, too.”
