Born to Raise Hell: The Owl Shifter Chronicles Book Three

by Qatarina Wanders

  The place was also dark. Marion could hear muted voices somewhere distant. He tried to look around for any sign of light or really anything that could give him an idea of where he was, but nothing. All he saw was pitch darkness.

  He tried to use his magic but could feel nothing. He panicked. Had they used his blood? Had they stripped him of his powers? How long had he been out for?

  He tried to speak, but his throat was so parched, he felt pain instead shoot up his nose from his throat. He gagged.

  At that little sound, the voices he’d been hearing ceased. He listened intently, and then he heard someone walking. Next, a door opened far away, and light fell into the room. That was all Marion needed to see to know where he was.

  It was the high school’s basketball court, and he was probably hanging from the net.

  Emily stood in the doorway on the other side of the court. The light from the corridor that fell in the entrance was insignificant to the darkness of the rest of the room.

  Marion realized she was trying to ascertain if he’d woken up. He coughed once and said, “Hey.”

  That was all Emily needed to hear. She stepped in and shut the door. Moments later, the flood lights came on.

  Sharp light cut through his eyes, blinding him momentarily. Marion shut his eyes as they adjusted. All the while, Emily walked toward him.

  When Marion could open his eyes again—and stopped squinting—she was sitting on an armless chair five yards away from him.

  A grim look on her face.

  Marion glanced down to see a mystical circle had been drawn around him. He immediately noticed the pentagon and glyphs within the circle. It had been marked with white paint. This was the reason why he was powerless. They’d cast a binding spell on him.

  Marion also observed that while he was bare-chested, they had left his pants on. He didn’t notice any bulge in his pockets, so they also had the blood.

  The gym was empty. There were no clocks or anything, nor were there windows, so he still didn’t know the time. Finally, his attention settled on Emily.

  “You have five minutes to convince me.” Emily pulled out a small penknife from her pocket and twisted it in her hands. “Otherwise, you can kiss your magic goodbye.”

  Marion’s eyes widened at that little fact. They’d performed the ritual. They had armed their weapons to be able to strip any member of the Alfred family of their magic. Marion started to relax a bit. Emily must have noticed this because of what she said next.

  “Don’t relax just yet,” she said. “We’re still going to destroy your family. Even if you’re able to explain yourself, someone has to pay for Rina’s death.”

  Marion was silent for a moment. He suddenly wished he hadn’t come there in the first place. No one in their right mind would wish their parents or siblings dead. Marion might not agree with his family, but he didn’t want them dead. Somehow, at the back of his mind, he’d hoped that by supplying the blood, they could change their minds about killing and just resort to stripping their magic.

  But it appeared that they were too far gone to even consider that option.

  “You can stare at me all you want,” Emily continued. “If you’re not able to convince me to let you keep your magic, I will stick this thing into your arm and you can watch your magic go bye-bye.” She motioned at the penknife in her hand.

  Marion let out a soft laugh. This was a painful action, his throat rebelling. He was severely dehydrated from the fire exposure earlier, and he hadn’t taken in water since then. That was why he was so parched, and he was having difficulty using his throat or voice. He thought about complaining of this little fact, but he knew Emily would just wave it aside like it was a nonissue.

  “I made a promise to you,” Marion squeaked. “Because I trusted you. I had feelings for you. I felt something deeply connecting us. I asked Chandler to come because I needed backup. I wasn’t sure if the feelings I had for you were reciprocal.”

  He paused, waiting for any reaction from Emily. When he saw nothing, he continued.

  “I didn’t know that Chandler had gone on to send a strike team that could trace you to your safe house. It wasn’t until you called me and threatened me that I realized what had happened. I confronted my brother about it, and he admitted to doing it.”

  Marion stopped to swallow as best he could with his throat getting scratchier by the minute. “I attacked him and almost killed him in my anger. Then I confronted my parents, and my dad almost killed me in turn. Then my sister intercepted me just outside the Russos’ mansion as I made my escape, so I had to fight her, too. She has been using her vampire compulsion on me this whole time!”

  Marion paused and looked Emily in the eyes. He could see the beginning signs of a reaction. Her eyes were beginning to water.

  “I swear to you, I had no clue,” Marion said. “I had no clue that my father could deceive me like that. Or that Alice would use her abilities against me—her brother. It made me question everything. That’s why I came out here. That’s why I brought myself—and my blood; freely given. I wanted you to know I meant no harm and I still mean no harm.”

  Emily didn’t break eye contact.

  “Now, I don’t expect you to forgive me for what I did, nor am I shirking responsibility for what Chandler did, but I just want you to know that what I feel for you is real and alive, and I’ll never do anything, mindfully, to hurt or harm you.” Marion took in a lungful of air and coughed a bit.

  Emily stayed silent for a long while. She stared right at him, her eyes filmy and reflecting some of the light coming at them.

  She shook her head. “I can’t do this.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I’m not going to spare your family.” Emily finally gained back her composure. “I won’t strip you of your magic, but I’m not going to spare your family.”

  Marion hesitated before answering.

  Emily waited patiently.

  “If I said I didn’t mind, I’d be lying,” Marion started, cautious. “They are, after all, my family. They’re all the happiness and joy I’ve known. And even though they tread a dark path, I’d like to believe that there’s still hope for them. I’d like to believe anyone, no matter how evil, can be redeemed if they tried.”

  Emily narrowed her eyes. “Even Astaroth?”

  Marion sighed. He knew she had a point. “If killing my family when you have an alternative is something you can live with for the rest of your life, then go ahead. It will be your burden to carry.”

  “Are you guilt-tripping me?” Emily jerked her head back in irritation.

  “No, I’m just speaking the truth,” Marion replied.

  “Someone has to pay for Rina’s death,” Emily whispered.

  “Then let Astaroth be the one who pays.”

  “And your parents? Your father? He’s the evil rove, isn’t he? I mean aside from Astaroth, he’s evil. Why should he go free? Yeah, Astaroth will pay with his life, but Gregory Alfred must pay, too.”

  Marion smirked almost imperceptibly. “Oh, he will pay. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Tell me, Emily, what time is it?”

  Eying Marion suspiciously, Emily pulled out her phone from her other pocket and checked the time. “A little past six.”

  Marion’s pace quickened. The time was upon them.

  “What did you mean by what you said about your father?” Emily asked again.

  “He will suffer failure tonight,” Marion confessed. “I will help you.”

  Emily burst into laughter, which Marion didn’t appreciate since he was serious. She laughed for close to a minute before she finally calmed down.

  “Are you finished?” Marion asked, somewhat pissed off.

  Emily nodded, humbled. “I don’t see how that’s possible. The last time we checked, your father had more than five hundred—”

  “One thousand two hundred and twelve to be precise,” Marion corrected. “And
that’s before I left.”

  Emily’s face fell. “See? We were assuming around five hundred, and we were terrified of failure. Now you’re telling me more than twice that is what we have to face? And you say we’ll win?”

  Emily burst into laughter again. This time Marion wasn’t bothered by it because he saw the fear in her eyes and in her voice. She was indeed terrified at the notion of going ahead with the siege.

  “I don’t know where you get your information from, Marion. Hell, I don’t know where you get your optimism from. Maybe this is a trick. Maybe you’re trying to get my guard down so your family wins in the end. Nice try.”

  “That’s not my intention—”

  “Whatever. We tried amassing like your father. Do you know how many we reached out to?”

  Marion shook his head.

  “One hundred twenty-seven,” she replied. “One-twenty-seven that were still alive. Do you know how many responded?”

  Again, Marion shook his head.

  “Forty-three.”

  “You’ve got the vigilantes,” Marion added.

  Emily shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Because three hundred mostly middle-aged men stand a chance against more than a thousand supernaturals.” She paused and sighed. “It all ends today. I don’t care what I have to do. I don’t care what happens. But it all ends today. Everything. Maybe even you and me.”

  “Have you found a way to defeat him?” asked Marion.

  Emily shook her head. “Not yet. But soon. Aunt Anastacia is on it.”

  Marion’s breath hitched in his throat. “She hasn’t performed the Adoption on you yet, has she?”

  Standing a little straighter, Emily tilted her chin up, “It’s none of your damn business,” then turned and started to leave.

  “Don’t tell me you’re going to leave me here!” Marion called after her.

  Emily paused. She glanced at him. “What, you expect me to let you go?”

  “I want to fight for you.” Marion meant it in more ways than one.

  Emily laughed. “Don’t play games with me, Marion. I don’t trust you.”

  “Haven’t I done enough to prove my loyalty?”

  She shook her head. “Not even close. Like you said, they’re your family. I don’t trust you where they’re involved.”

  “So you’re going to kill them?”

  Emily nodded grimly.

  Marion deflated. He tried to wriggle himself out of the chains, but they were so tight around his hands that they must have melded to him.

  “What if you don’t come back?” Marion asked, desperate. “What if Astaroth wins?”

  Emily shrugged. “Sucks for you, I suppose.” She turned and left, turning off the light on her way out and plunging him back into darkness.

  Marion violently fought the chains, screaming and shouting for someone to come to his rescue. He could hear faint voices in the distance, but no one paid him any heed. And the more he fought the chains, the more they tightened around him and hurt him.

  After a good thirty minutes of struggling, he was expended and went slack. His breathing shallow. His skin covered in sweat. He shut his eyes and imagined the great destruction that was about to occur. The fire as it swarmed above the Russos’ mansion. The explosions and flames and raging bullets. Creatures fighting with claws and talons and fangs across the large field of the Russos’ compound. Alice and Chandler rushing out of the house to meet the fight. The fire demon swooping in and covering everything in liquid fire.

  Marion snapped out of the vision, panting. He tried again to wriggle out of the chains, but they held strong.

  Later, he heard the sound of cars starting. It was slightly audible because the parking lot was adjacent to the gymnasium. It didn’t take much to deduce that the army was underway.

  Marion tried again to scream for help, but his voice gave out. He tried for as long as he heard car engines nearby. Until the last one had driven off. Then he gave up.

  The only thing he heard now was the sound of his panting. He shut his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry!

  There was nothing else he could do.

  He believed Astaroth would do what he said. He’d seen too many prophecies fulfilled to doubt that Emily would lay waste to the Russo mansion, his father’s armies, and his family. No doubt. But what he was terrified most about was what happened afterward. If Astaroth had told them to stay put and wait for the siege and nothing else, then he wanted the Alfreds destroyed. He wanted his armies that Father had amassed for him destroyed.

  And if Emily was Adopted, this was the last necessity for Astaroth’s plans to be achieved. It meant that defeating Father was Emily’s sure path of failure. It meant that Astaroth was going to have his sacrifice this night, and that the world would end accordingly. That was the only reasonable explanation.

  Why else would Astaroth ask them to remain in the manor and be defeated?

  To be sure, Astaroth hadn’t said not to fight. No, he hadn’t said that. But he had said that, regardless, the fire demon would lay waste to their forces, and they would be soundly defeated.

  So why did he ask them to remain there? Why didn’t he give them a strategy? Or maybe leave the Russos’ or go on the offensive before Emily amassed her meager army?

  And what happened after the destruction of Father’s army? Astaroth had been particularly silent about that. So many questions.

  Whatever the case, Marion knew that Emily’s life was in danger. And he knew that he was the only one who could save her. He knew that if she died, she was gone forever, and that all that crap about rescuing her was a lie.

  He had to do something.

  “Hello?” came a voice.

  Marion snapped his head up. He recognized the voice.

  “Is someone here?” said the voice. It was distant, but he recognized the voice nonetheless. Mrs. Russo.

  “Help!” Marion screamed.

  That was all he needed to do. Keep screaming.

  Mrs. Russo shuffled his direction, opened the door, and turned on the light. Immediately after she did that, the ground rocked so hard that the woman was thrown to the ground. A fault line erupted somewhere in the middle of the arena and raced toward Marion. It stopped inches from him, but it didn’t matter. It had broken the circle.

  Marion felt his magic pour back into his bones. His mouth moved promptly as he whispered a spell—the chains shattered, and he collapsed on the ground.

  The earthquake struck again, and this time the basketball court caved in.

  Mrs. Russo screamed.

  Marion jumped up and ran toward her, dodging the crumbling building and opening ground. The sky was already above them, and Marion could hear the battle as it raged at the Russos’ mansion even though it was a few miles away.

  Marion got to where Mrs. Russo had been pinned down by a hunk of rock. The moment she saw him, her eyes widened.

  “You,” she whispered in shock, trying to get away from him.

  “Yes, me,” he replied simply. He touched the rock, shut his eyes, and winced as the magic snapped out of him.

  The rock crushing the woman was instantly pulverized.

  Mrs. Russo tried crawling away, but he simply picked her up and carried her, against her will, into the corridor.

  “Get away from me!” she screamed. “You evil—”

  “All due respect, Ma’am,” Marion said. “If I leave you, you’ll never make it out of here alive.”

  Her screaming ceased.

  They arrived at the main lobby and found that it had caved in as well. Marion took her in the direction of the back entrance. They moved slowly. The earthquake had passed on, but the building’s structure was already compromised.

  The back entrance had already collapsed in on itself, but they were able to climb over it into the open back lawn.

  The moment they were through, they saw the raging fire in the skyline.

  Mrs. Russo put her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream. “Oh. My
. God.”

  Marion felt terror wash down his spine. There were cyclones of raging fire. Six of them. They moved in a haphazard pattern, laying waste to the area.

  From this far, the wind brought the sound of screams and explosions and gunshots.

  “What’s happening?” asked Mrs. Russo, her mouth wide.

  Marion glanced down at her. She was covered in soot and looked genuinely terrified.

  “It’s the beginning of the end,” Marion said, right before he took off running to the parking lot.

  23

  Marion tried to ignore his fear of the raging fight north of his position. He had learned that in fighting efficiently one had to unburden oneself from fear. And he had a lot to fear. He feared that he might get to the battlefield late. He feared that his family would have all been roasted by the hurricane of fire destroying the town. He feared that Astaroth would be revealed sooner than later and that all would be lost.

  Most of all, he feared that Emily would be captured and sacrificed before he got there in time to save her.

  A scooter was the only thing in the parking lot. It had been turned upside down by the earth tremor. But he got to it and grabbed it to pull it back up.

  “And what do you think you’re doing?” came Mrs. Russo’s voice.

  Marion glanced over his shoulder and saw her walking toward him. He frowned and turned full on to her. Before he spoke, his attention was drawn again to the horror in the sky. The heat wave was getting stronger and stronger. He could see the pillars of fire raging ahead. It was a sight that made his heart melt. Amidst the flames in the fiery orange skies, he saw The Owl as it swooped down on something—or someone—and unleashed a barrage of liquid fire.

  Marion snapped away from the scene, fighting the urge to scream. He returned his attention to the woman standing behind him. “Where is your husband?” Marion asked.

  “They took him,” she replied.

  “Whatever.” Marion snapped his fingers and the scooter started right up. He didn’t have time to worry about this.