by T. C. Clark
She was so beautiful. How was he going to keep her safe here? They needed a plan and he needed to be the first one in. When he’d been captured the first time he’d been underestimating them he would not make that mistake again.
“We should…” she started and stopped as she felt the shift in the energy of the building.
“Someone just cut off the security spell protecting the building,” she said an evil smile forming on her face. Anise watched as Nate headed for the door
“What does that mean?” Anise asked
“Someone just made this a helluva lot easier, it’s time to go,” Nate said listening at the door.
“Okay both of you follow me it’s going to be a long and bloody road to get to them. Mina and Dillon have their quarters located in the middle of their men,” Taren said laying a comforting hand on Anise’s arm. She was thankful that she had Nate along; she knew that if it came down to her personal safety he would get her out no matter what. She needed to eliminate Mina, but she couldn’t lose another sister.
* * *
Ida walked just outside of the perimeter with two vampire guards following closely. Somehow the king had found out about her pregnancy and was ordering her back to the vampire realm with Balloch.
When she’d refused they’d taken up as her personal guards and refused to allow her entry into the compound.
Balloch had merely nodded saying it was out of his hands which she knew was pure bullshit. Oh, he was going to catch it later. Secretly she was relieved that the decision had been taken out of her hands with her powers acting up.
“Exactly how long are you two going to be with me,” she asked the Greek god replicas, even blind she was aware that her guards were attractive by the way the witches around them acted. Even hard ass Nadia had been flustered when they’d entered the group.
Lorenzo paused wondering how much to tell her, “We will be with you until the king says otherwise.”
“Think of us as your personal servants we are here to ensure your safety and well-being,” Paul added his eyes following her small form envy growing in his heart. He’d heard tales throughout the land of the legendary Ida and her relationship with the prince. She was even more beautiful up close, so tiny that she looked like a child dancing in the forest.
She stopped walking when she felt the ground rumble. In just seconds one of the guards had her in their arms.
“Shit they’re pouring out of the building heading our way,” Lorenzo said calmly.
“What is?” Ida asked with dread in her voice. This reaction in the compound was too soon which meant that something bad happened. She felt the arms tighten around her as she heard howls rip through the air.
“Wendigos.” He said before he tossed her to Paul. She closed her eyes as she landed in another set of strong arms.
“Sorry about this Ida but they are coming at us from all sides, I need you to sit in this one spot; as long as you stay here no harm will touch you.” He said placing her down on a large rock and taking point behind her.
It took a few seconds before they hit them. She heard the sounds and was surprised at how quickly they cut them down…the cries and groans of pain were loud in the night. But nothing came near her; it was disconcerting not to have her powers to use in a time like this. But she trusted in these men, Balloch had left her with them which meant he thought them strong enough to protect her.
She waited patiently for him to join, she knew he would.
* * *
“Ladies, I’ve got you as far as I can go…Ida’s in trouble so I’m heading back,” Balloch said as they went room to room killing any warlocks inside. Between Nadia’s training and his skill, they made short work through the corridor. He worried about Ashley, she was struggling to maintain her hunger and he would have to check in on her later.
“You are going to leave us here?” Ashley said as they entered the hall.
“An alarm has gone off and I can hear wendigos pouring outside,” he said as a way of explanation. His wife was outside and although he’d left trusted guards with her, he still needed to be there as well.
“Go, we got it,” Nadia said already heading to another room. They had been ordered by Pearl to use their powers sparingly. That woman was really annoying but her plan made sense.
“No we don’t got it,” Ashley said watching Balloch’s retreating back, naked fear in her eyes.
“His pregnant blind wife is outside, don’t be a baby Ashley…we only have a few more rooms to hit and this is where you can prove to yourself that you made the right decision. Do you want to get Mina or not?” Nadia said unwilling to treat her differently than any other comrade.
Ashley quietly followed Nadia admiring how strong the witch was. She’d been their backup since they’d starting fighting their way through the compound and now she needed to step up. She looked down at the small necklace around her neck and took a steadying breath. Her sister had done far more to keep her safe this was no time to back down.
* * *
“This is a setup,” Opal’s voice rang through all of the ears of the attacking party. “They just released the wendigos and they are gathering their men in the center of the building. Somehow, they must have figured out what is happening. Anything that is not one of us needs to be eliminated and if Dillon is anything like his brother then he has some safeguards in place to ensure that we can’t escape. Where is everyone at?”
There was silence for a moment and then Pearl’s voice came through.
“We are right at the main entry, leave the rest to us. I want everyone else to do as much damage as you can on the way out. But leave the rest to us. Nadia, take Ashley and get out of here. Alex and Opal, you are too far away to get to us in time.”
“You want us to leave the two of you behind to face Dillon and Mina alone, that’s insane.” Nan and Pearl were the only ones near the center, the rest of their witches had been sent out to hit some of the other trap houses developing in the city.
“We are not alone.” She said and then there was a small commotion that created static on the line and then a soft voice came on.
“Opal are you there?” Anise’s voice came through clear. Opal grabbed Alex’s arm and squeezed it, joy warming her heart.
“Thank the heavens, are you alright, and have you heard about Taren?” She asked a million questions coming to her mind.
“Yep she’s here and we know what we have to do, leave this to us, please. I don’t want you hurt.”
“Anise…”
“I need to do this with her and I need you to trust in my power and my strength, you are too far away to get to us in time and we’ve already ran into three traps, please head out and wait for us Opal.”
“I can’t leave you here,” she said outraged.
“You can and you will, we don’t know what other traps are waiting for us and we need to be able to use our powers without worrying where you are. I’m stronger now; you don’t have to always be the person who is doing the protecting.”
“I’m sending Ashley back with a scout and heading your way. We are closer than the others,” Nadia said her voice firm. Ashley shook her head but Nadia was ruthless, even though she was a vampire, she had no skill for war. She made it clear she would be more of a liability than anything else. She’d been brutal but firm, Ashley was too young, too innocent to die.
After a moment of silence, Opal’s tired voice came through.
“We will head back,” she lied.
Ignoring Nadia, Pearl spoke to the others, “Everyone else from the Sanctuary head back, now. That’s an order, from this point on we will not hold back,” Pearl said clicking the earpiece off and looking around her. They had four strong ass witches and one vampire this was going to be hell but at least her people would be safe and she knew the scouts had gotten a lot of information from the labs.
“I need to go in first,” Taren said her eyes determined. She knew how they operated the way they used their own people as shields she wouldn�
�t hesitate to kill anyone of them but she knew Anise’s soft heart and worried about it and she didn’t even know who the hell the other two witches were.
“That’s fine with me we can flank you…. but don’t hesitate this is looking more and more like a trap,” Nan said looking at Pearl who nodded in agreement.
“I will follow behind Taren,” Nate said surprising everyone there. All of them had caught onto the fact that Anise was his mate.
Nate turned to Anise pulling her close in his arms. She came willingly closing her arms around him. “You want Taren safe then I have to be out there in the middle of all of the chaos that is where I thrive. But if anything happens to you I will be there to protect you.”
“I know thank you, Nate,” she said hugging him tightly. Her eyes gave him what he needed to move forward. She was close to falling for him. Her love was in his reach and he wouldn’t lose her now.
“Okay let’s go,” Taren said swinging open the door. When the demons turned towards her their blank eyes revealed the trap behind them, Mina and Dillon sat at the front of the room looking unconcerned.
They came at them in a rush colliding into each other trying to get to them quickly. At least half of them stopped their eyes turning black and hit the ground, writhing in pain. Anise looked at Nan and saw that her eyes were black as well. She was chanting words in a different language clearly controlling them.
Anise kept her focus on Mina and Dillon they looked too calm for the situation un-moving as Taren and Nate crept closer cutting down their men with brutal efficiency.
Pearl moved just behind them the small cuts in her wrist opening and long lines of blood formed raiser sharp lines that she used as swords ripping everyone apart.
The chaos was making everyone fight harder; some warlocks started using their magic. Anise was behind them offering her protection in the form of earth magic shifting the ground and the walls to protect them from blasts.
Nadia entered the fray as well rushing through the door behind them. They had been closer than they thought. Always ready for a fight she moved in quickly using her powers to incapacitate the minds of all that she touched.
Still fighting Anise stopped as she noticed something different at the front of the room. She used her magic to map the walls and found the problem. There was something wrong with the depth of the walls they actually stopped just short of where Mina and Dillon were sitting which meant that what they were seeing was wrong, somehow. She tested it again using her own magic to source the element that made up the fake wall and that’s when she realized they were using a portal.
What should she do now? If they realized she knew they were using portals they could just close it before they got to them and instinctively she knew they wouldn’t get another chance like this. She couldn’t tell the others without alerting them but maybe she could get Pearl.
As Pearl impaled another warlock with her blood-made scythe, Anise grabbed hold of his leg with the beams on the floor making Pearl look down, and just at his feet she etched mirror portal. Ever the professional Pearl’s expression did not change and she didn’t miss a step.
Mina and Dillon were watching through an open mirror portal. She would have one shot to get that bitch. She looked back at Anise who was now focusing on Nate and Taren and used that moment to attack sending a long needle-sharp line of blood through the mirror piercing Mina’s heart. She’d waited for years to repay her for what she’d done to her family and she would not miss her opportunity now.
Mina screamed in pain as the illusion faded. Dillon’s eyes promised vengeance as he cast a spell to end the connection and entrap Nate. There was no way he was going to let that bloodsucker escape the fire. He only wished he could have been able to watch. But first, he needed to heal Mina; he’d be back for the Spanish witch later….he’d never forgotten her face.
As the portal closed Anise screamed as Nate froze into place his feet sinking deeper into the ground. Nadia kept fighting as the chaos ensued working hard to take out the remaining demons.
Nan moved forward destroying the minds that she had ensnared and met Pearl in the middle of the floor. Taren sprinted towards Pearl with her fist raised and stopped cold as she entered a web of blood.
“I’m sorry Taren but she wasn’t yours to kill I knew that I wouldn’t hesitate no matter what happened.” She said quietly her eyes on Nate. She used her blood magic to keep Taren back.
“You don’t know what she did to me…you don’t know what I’ve done for her,” Taren whispered mostly to herself.
She could feel herself losing control and had to work to restrain her power the ground started to shake.
“Either way she’s gone now,” Pearl said feeling the weight of a decade worth of hatred seeping from her soul.
“How can you be sure?” Taren snapped still upset.
“I made that weapon specifically for her, it doesn’t matter who is on the other side of that portal waiting to help her, she will not survive of this I am sure,” Pearl said looking worriedly around the room as a loud bang sounded in the distance.
“Taren, calm down,” Anise yelled her attention focused on Nate. His body was ingrained in the floor. “It doesn’t matter how Mina dies as long as she does that means you’re free.”
She bent down and examined Nate as everyone gathered around her. She stilled as what sounded like an explosion went off, this one even closer.
“You need to get out of here there is a reason why he chose to trap me,” he whispered softly. Fear nearly choking him this seal wouldn’t be removed easily which meant he wanted him to stay there. Everyone looked around as the ground began to tremble.
“We have to go,” Taren said her eyes wide.
Pearl and Nan came up behind them. Both looking closely at the seal. The magic was strong….strong enough that it wouldn’t be lifted for days and vampires could be killed with fire.
There was no way to move him quickly enough, the seal itself was designed to be complex and difficult to remove, and it would take them days to do so. That’s probably exactly what Dillon wanted to see.
“He can’t be moved even if we started to unravel the intricate spell it would take too long to remove it. We have to leave him,” Pearl said.
Anise measured the distance from the entry to here and it checked out. She ignored the mumbling witches around her and focused on the man. If this had been her stuck her he would have stayed with her that much she knew for sure.
“We are leaving now,” Pearl yelled as more explosions went off shaking the compound and destroying the right side of the room. She had enough magic to protect them if they ran full speed.
“I’m staying Nate can be killed with fire and I’m going to protect him,” she said her voice firm.
Taren and Nate yelled no at the same time. But she was beyond the point of listening. She wouldn’t lose him now not when she’d finally found someone for herself.
“Nadia you asked me once what you could do to set everything right between us…protect Taren please, make sure the coven doesn’t hurt her. She deserves a second chance.”
Nadia’s eyes widened and she gave a slight nod after spending time with Ashley she thought so too.
Taren noticed Anise gathering power but it was too late the ground broke apart and the roots underground broke free and grabbed each of them and pulled them clear as the building began to break apart Anise walked up to Nate.
She laid her head on his chest and enclosed them in earth holding her power she tightened it as much as she could and waited.
“Anise…” Nate began his eyes misting. He knew at this moment she was choosing him over everything else. He could only stare down at her as she wrapped her body around him.
He felt her shake as the first of many explosions began going off in the building. She was preparing herself for the fire trying to harden the shell as much as she could.
That’s when she heard large beating wings just above them she made a small opening so she could see ou
tside of the earth made tomb. Two red dragons circled them and laid on top of the tomb when one of them noticed the small hole and winked directly at her she nearly burst into tears.
Opal and Alex molded their body tightly over the small tomb and waited as the fire engulfed the land the dragons endured it. Never moving they took the pain.
Anise could feel the heat through the tomb and started to tremble. Nate’s eyes stayed on her needing to take her mind over the chaos that was happening just outside.
“You know this changes everything right?” He asked his eyes burning as smoke filtered through.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said quietly.
“Move closer to me put your head on my shoulder and think about how different our lives will be after tonight.”
She did as he said not because he commanded it but because she needed to. Closing her eyes she felt him shudder at her touch his big body reacting as it always did. She sent out a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening in the universe she knew they would be safe because Opal wouldn’t allow it to be any other way.
* * *
Screams could be heard deep inside the big house, many of the inhabitants had long since fled. Mina was dead and Dillon could not be consoled. When they had severed the mirror portal a witch from the other side had shot something through. At first, Mina had laughed it off but within minutes she was coughing up blood, her small body convulsed as the pain grew in her body stretching her limbs destroying her organs.
He had watched as she slipped away her body decomposing with a quickness that bespoke of great power. Her fear at the end would haunt him. He’d killed the first three people who walked in right after.
He stood allowing the fury to burn through his body he knew which witch did this had tasted some of her power as she delivered the final blow to his mate. The numbness that was slowly replacing the rage was a balm to him. He cut off his emotions connected to her, knowing that was the only way he would survive.
