A contented sigh escapes me, and then I bite into his strong neck and finally through our link we say the words to claim each other.
“Victor Harlow, I claim you as mine, now and forever.”
“Candi Reynolds, I accept your claim, and in return I claim you as mine, now and forever.”
Our words spoken, we release each other from our bites, I’m just thinking I don’t feel any different when gold threads of magick swirl around our bodies, entwining around us and linking us together in gentle bonds before seeping into our bodies. Gasping in a breath of wonder, I realize I can sense Victor’s emotions. His love for me. Fear for all of us in the coming battle, and his hope for our future together.
“I accept your claim,” I inform him, as I stare in wonder at the man before me.
Chapter 41
We gather once more at Vlad’s castle. This time, though, Roísín and Janna are with us, and so are Nina, Vlasim, Yvette, and all the victims killed and cast into the Shadow World.
They fascinate me on some deep level, maybe because of the simple fact that they defied death, managing to survive in a way. Maybe because they can shift into shadow form, and yet they still have their supernatural abilities. Whatever the Shadow World was, it changed everyone who was trapped in it, making them…more.
It’s only been a month since we were in Whitechapel, and apparently, they found a drummer, as the previous quiet is replaced with the sounds of a beating drum. The constant beat of it is driving me nuts; all I want to do is kill the drummer, just to stop the flipping noise.
Looking around, I stare in wonder at all that have been gathered together for the coming battle. I honestly don’t know how they were summoned so quickly. After all, it’s not as if we could advertise in the papers. A snort of laughter escapes me at the thought. I can just imagine what it’d read: “War starting at one o’clock, and don’t forget your weapons.”
Fear slides down my back as warriors sharpen their swords and knives. Some even add vicious needle-sharp finger guards to slice at the unfortunate person they’ll be battling. I feel claustrophobic suddenly. My heart is pounding so fast, I’m surprised it hasn’t jumped out of my chest and flopped away.
“Candi, sweetheart, come and take a walk with me.”
Looking up I stare into Victor’s eyes. My heart flips, and I can’t help smiling up at him. “You sensed my panic attack?” I ask him telepathically. Ever since we claimed each other properly, our link has made us sensitive to each other’s needs and able to communicate without speaking or being physically connected.
“Yes, my heart, I did. And no killing the drummer, unless it’s the other side’s. Though I must admit, the noise is grating on my last nerve too.”
Linking hands with him, I allow him to pull me to my feet. Together, we move around the crowded room, avoiding stepping on people and their weapons.
Feeling eyes on me, I turn to stare directly at Vlad, who gives me an ever-so-slight bow of his head and a quirk of an eyebrow.
Letting down my mental barriers, I send my thoughts at him and allow him to reply. “Sup?”
“Really, Candi, my dear, you must learn to become more eloquent when talking.” Laughter rumbles through his voice, and a small smile flickers across his mouth. “You okay? Wherever you’re going, don’t be too long. This coming battle will be starting soon. The tempo of the drums has changed.”
“We’ll be back soon. I promise. I just need…”
“I understand. Fear in a time like this is always good. It keeps you alive. Find me before the battle starts. And bring your companions with you. We’ll all fight side by side, for there is no one else I’d rather have at my back than you and your unusual group.”
I incline my head at him, touch my index and middle fingers to my forehead, and then flick them to him, in a sign of respect and promise. Before I turn around, he returns my salute.
Chapter 42
Standing on the balcony, we look out over the masses splayed out before us. A hawk shifter returns from a scouting mission, flies over the parapet, and releases a sharp cry. Seeing us, he circles and descends to where we’re standing.
Flashing into his human form, he looks at me with wide almond eyes. “Where is the Warrioress Daphmire Janna?” he demands. His throat bobs as he swallows, and his eyes flick back toward the enemy camp.
“What? She’s in the—” Before I can say anything else, he places a large hand on my wrist interrupting my babble.
“Please, bring her here. I have news best not broken to her in front of others.”
I glance at Victor and do the only thing I can think of, closing my eyes I connect with Vlad. “Vlad, we need Janna up on the balcony facing the armies!”
“Please, I need…”
“She’s coming,” I reply, interrupting the agitated shifter. Before he can say anything else, we hear a stampede coming up the stairs and bursting into the room behind us.
With Janna and Vlad in the lead, the rest of my friends are directly behind them.
“I only asked for the Warrioress Daphmire Janna, not everyone else,” the hawk shifter mutters to me, though his eyes sparkle with mirth and a slight smile pulls at his mouth.
“Jonathan, what is it?” demands Janna, as worry flashes across her face upon seeing who has summoned her.
Moving forward, he grasps hold of her hands and bows his head to kiss her knuckles. “I bring news I never thought I would. Demetri is alive.”
“What?” In horror, I watch as Janna sways slightly, her face losing all color and a tremble reverberates through her body.
Vincent pushes past a stunned Vlad, curls his arm around her waist, securing her to his side. Staring at the naked shifter in front of him, he growls out, “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I grew up with Janna and met him when she did.”
“How can that be?” I ask, feeling completely floored by this news.
“Which, me growing up with Janna, or him being alive?”
“Well, both really, but how about the him being alive part first?”
“I don’t know why he’s alive, but if I have it my way, the bastard won’t be for much longer,” Jonathan growls, making us all gawp in shock at him. “He’s their general!”
Chapter 43
A minute ago, I thought Janna looked like she was going to faint. Now, I think she could possibly explode, like a volcano. Her color returns as fury races across her face but gets brighter than usual.
“You lie!” she snarls, her eyes zero in on the hawk-shifter before her, as she reaches for her sword.
“Sweetheart, stop.” Two little words and a hawk stays alive. Two little words and a warrioress collapses. The only thing keeping her on her feet is the man who loves her, who whispers soothingly to her until she finally straightens in his arms.
“I’m so sorry, but what I say is the truth. It is why I wanted to speak to you without all the other warriors watching.”
“Are you sure?” I ask him, but seeing how devastated he is, I know the answer before he gives it.
“Yes. He’s sitting on a white charger of all things. He saw me, and he laughed.” Shaking his head, he looks completely baffled. “I don’t understand why he laughed.”
“He wanted you to know you definitely saw him,” I reply. Receiving a startled look from him and Janna, I continue, “Don’t you see? How do you get inside your enemy’s head?”
“Is this some kind of riddle?” Jonathan inquires. He cocks his head to the side in such a bird-like fashion, if I didn’t already know he was a bird shifter of some sort, I’d have guessed by that simple movement.
“No riddle, just the enemy playing a very clever game of war. Janna, did he know what you are, before you were together?”
“Yes, I think so? Why do you ask?”
“Because I’m wondering if—”
“If he targeted me for that reason, to be a spy in my camp, so to speak.”
“Sorry, but yeah. Though you weren’t a warrioress t
hen, were you?”
“No, I became one afterward.”
“Maybe he was turned during captivity?” I ask.
“Maybe,” replies Janna, but the doubt in her voice is clear to all.
I take a deep breath, then look her directly in the eyes. I see her stand straighter, square her shoulders back, preparing herself for whatever I’m about to say.
“I believe he meant to kill you from the very beginning. You sent your son and daughter away for safety, yet there shouldn’t have been anywhere safer than your mother’s home, unless the enemy was already inside.
“Janna, you are the first Daphmire. A supernatural being who shouldn’t exist. The first ever witch/vampire hybrid. An anomaly. A threat to The Protectors and a challenge to Demetri. I believe he wanted to kill you, but only once you evolved into a warrioress. An opponent worth fighting. Someone who could fight back. In his own way, I think he loved you; otherwise, he would have killed you before you trained in battle and became the Warrioress Daphmire, a worthy opponent and a woman who makes her enemies tremble in fear.”
My words seem to hit her as if she’s being pelted by rocks, and I can’t help the twinge of guilt that washes through me at causing her further pain by mentioning her children she sent away so long ago and never saw again.
Her expression turns grim as does the others. With a nod of her head, she swivels out of Vincent’s arms and marches forward toward the balcony.
For only she can rally those who knew her husband, for they had to be told that not only is he alive, but now, he’s the enemy.
I indicate with my hand that we all should stand beside her, with Vincent on her right side and Vlasim, flanking her left. As a unit, we surround her. And in awe, I watch her not only rally our soldiers but make them bay for the blood of our enemies, and especially his.
And as I listen to them shout, I wonder if her ex-husband had murdered her previous lover, Hector. A man that brought a little happiness back into her life, after a century of pain and not knowing if Demetri was alive or dead.
I feel a warm hand take hold of mine and give it a reassuring squeeze. Glancing at Victor, I give him a small smile of reassurance and lean slightly into his side. Together, we listen to the bloodthirsty cries of our army and the thump of the drum as it beats in time with my heart.
As one, all of us on the balcony throw back our heads and roar our primal shouts into the sky. The war has officially begun.
Chapter 44
As one, we descend the stairs and march out into the clear cool spring day. Swords beat against shields. The drums beat in rhythm to our heartbeats and footfalls. Shifters transform into their animal forms. And the cry of the army reverberates with hope and vengeance.
Centering myself, I prepare for the pending battle. Calming my breathing, I reach out for my lover, friends, and my fellow warriors, connecting with each on a magickal thread so I won’t harm them.
Bending, I touch the dirt, dig my fingers in, and pull the magick into me. As I rise up, threads of green earth magick cling between my fingers and the ground. Weaving my hands into the air, I reach for the air where white magick entwines with the green. Walking to the nearest camp fire, I bend once more, this time I reach into the heart of the fire.
Hearing gasps of surprise and shifting feet, I ignore everyone. Threads of the fire mix with the earth and air magick. Turning to a pan of water, I dip my fingers into it and join the fourth element to the other three. Green, white, red, and blue magick swirl and combine. Now all I need is the fifth element. Spirit.
I search the faces before me, until my gaze meets Victor’s. A slight smile curls my lips as I open my heart for him to see and feel. I press my fingers against my chest and dig in slightly making myself bleed.
“What the hell is she doing?” someone mutters in a horrified whisper.
Violet and silver magick seep from my body and mix with the other elements. I raise my hands into the air, and my bleeding instantly stops.
I call out loud.
“Guardians of the Watchtower, I call unto thee…
“Earth.” I draw a line in the sky. As green magick infused with the other elements appears, gasps of surprise sound, and everyone goes still.
“Fire.” This time I draw a red line, connecting it to the last.
“Air.” A white line joins the others, so I now have three quarters of a square.
“Water.” The blue line completes the square, and it starts to vibrate.
“Join with me, Spirit.” I put the silvery/violet magick in the center of the box and swirl it around with my finger. As spirit touches each of the elements, they once more fuse together, and as they expand and transform into a pentagram in the sky, the five elements grow larger and brighter, each line infused with all the colors.
“Goddess of the Underworld, hear my cry.
Goddess of the Crossroads, hear my call.
Goddess of the Witches, hear my plea.
Goddess of Magick, hear my wish.
Goddess Hecate, protector of us all.
I call unto thee, on this day of war.
Join with me and the Watchtower Guardians.
Join with us, those about to fight, against The Protectors.”
The pentagram once more shimmers, though this time it twists in the air, as if on an invisible string. Twirling faster and faster until it shatters and sparks fly from it, and in its place Hecate and her hounds appear, hovering midair for just a second before drifting to stand firmly on the ground.
Everyone bows. Most kneel on the ground. Shock and awe reflect on most faces, though some have fear flickering too.
“On this day of war, all who shall fall will be remembered. The final battle is here, yet until the Prophecy is realized, your enemies won’t fall completely.” Hecate’s words ring loud and clear across the field, allowing all our warriors to hear her words. Nervous looks are shared amongst them as fear flashes across their faces from her words.
“They will weaken, and they will crumble. And this will be the beginning of the end for them and their ways.” She looks at all who are bowed before her; her eyes settle on everyone, and with an incline of her head she bows ever so slightly. “Rise, warriors. Today is the day you’ve only dreamt of. The day most thought would never occur. This is the day you shall meet The Protectors, head on and with a battle cry.
“This is the day you fight not just for your right to love and live life the way you’re meant to, but for your descendants’ rights too. It’s time to release your fear and let your anger free and strike back against those who have hunted and killed for control and power, against you all!” Her words bellow from her as conviction and determination spread throughout the army. A cheer erupts, feet stamp, and the war trumpet blares.
Hecate and her hounds turn to mist and flow over everyone, a feather-light touch brushes against us as she passes. A blessing to each of us. And a promise of a better future. And most importantly of all, linking us all together, so none of us can harm each other with spells or weapons.
Chapter 45
Screams of the dying mix with the sounds of battle cries. Swords clash and scrape against metal and bone. Wolves howl, witches chant and cast spells, hawks screech their warnings, and horses trample those in their wake.
I twirl around in a half crouch, gathering power, and form a fireball which I shoot at my enemy. In the next instant, I shift to my wolf form, bound into the troops, and launch myself at my nearest prey.
His eyes widen in fear as my snarling mouth opens and snaps around his throat. Blood shoots into my mouth. Releasing him, I once more transform into my human form and fire more spells into the hordes before me.
A shout of warning echoes through the field, just before a man astride a white stallion charges off to my right. Turning my head, I notice Janna, her two swords appearing to be an extension of her, as she twists and turns with fluid grace, her swords hissing through the air as they slice through the enemy.
I blast a fireball into t
he horse and rider’s path, causing the horse to rear up, his scream sounding shrill amongst the battle as his front hooves paw the air. A snarl emits from Demetri, as Janna turns in his direction. She flashes him a smile that would make most cower in fear. A look which promises vengeance.
Twirling in a circle with her arms crossed at shoulder height, her swords slice with deadly accuracy. I just have time to notice her do a sideways flip, her arms unwinding as she spins and chops at the ankles of those unfortunate enough to be caught in her path.
I circle my arm and draw magick to me, unleashing it in a magickal whip. Wrapping it around my enemies’ necks, it cuts through them before they even know what happened. Running forward with my whip lassoing those in my way, I transform back into my wolf and attack. Bounding between ankles and bouncing onto backs, I leap into the fray.
A gap ripples through the ether, opening our world to the Shadow World. Arms reach through. Grabbing hold of a warrior, they drag him screaming through the portal. A moment later, more shadow spirits climb through the portal, fighting tooth and nail with our enemy and ripping them from our world into theirs.
Turning away, I spot Cedrix fighting alongside Rob Wiseman and the six ex-navy SEALs they both agreed to ask for help. Each man is fighting back to back with a sword and a hunting knife in their hands, while Jezebel in jaguar form circles them, lashing out and tackling any enemy unlucky enough to cross her path. Vivian in her werewolf form circles from the opposite side and charges at a huge man, who a moment later I realize is none other than Archibald Dight.
A mournful howl echoes through the fighting, catching my attention. Whipping around, I howl in return and dash through the field of blood and rage. Soon, I find the huge black wolf standing protectively over the fallen Alsatian.
Transforming back into my witch form, I kneel beside Jasmine. Blood mats her fur, and it takes me vital seconds to find the wound causing so much blood loss. Pressing my hands on her belly, I cringe as my fingers slip into her flesh, causing her to whimper in pain.
The Protectors Page 14
