“Move! Split up, but stay in groups—if you think your powers will help us, by all means, use them. Keep them busy! I’ll go find Lucy!” Despite the panic singing through my veins, I sound strangely calm. I slide the serrated dagger from my belt, just in case. Everyone else unsheathes their weapons as well.
In a matter of moments, Caddie’s flung a fireball at the guard and he’s screaming as he catches afire. The earth is blanketed in a thick layer of soupy fog, blurring out the lights lining the streets. Maybe not the best decision, but it might buy us time.
But even through the fog, I can still see the eerie glow of the castle, so I take off running. Sync and Caddie flank my sides, Caddie throwing fireballs over her shoulder. I hear a hound’s yowl, feel power and energy bouncing off the walls. I hear a girl scream in agony, my gut clenching because I know she’s one of ours.
Caddie flinches, pressing her eyes shut for a moment. When she opens them, they’ve darkened with new resolve. Her sneakers slap the pavement in time with mine, my breath pouring out of me in pants. The smell of cyberhound is acidic and strong here, as if they marked their territory, and knowing my Pack? They probably did.
“Back off, bitch—ow!” Caddie lets out an ear-shattering scream. I double back, feeling claws tip my fingers. A burly guy’s holding her off the ground and she’s thrashing. Then she snarls and claps her hands on either side of his face and he wails in terror and pain as his skin begins to blister and bubble away from bone, practically melting. The stench of burned flesh rides through the air. The man lets Caddie go, but she’s not stopping. She’s killing him.
I gape at her, but she catches my eye and the look she shoots me is furious. “Go, you idiot!”
I turn to flee, then freeze.
“Iofiel,” Sync pleads, tugging on my arm, but the tall man staring me down has my undivided attention now.
His eyes are narrowed, ice blue and cold as the winter’s chill. His fingers flex as he steps towards me, hair slicked back out of his face. It gleams in the lights not blacked out by fog. “Iofiel.” His words are a growl rumbling up his throat like the bass in a fancy sports car.
The hair on the back of my neck spikes up in alarm, but I don’t move. Instead I flash teeth, fangs sharpening at the tips. “Lylan.” I spit his name out.
“Love-sick fool. You’ve destroyed everything. The queen may be pleased that we recovered your girlfriend, but I’m not. You really put me in hot water, boy… If I get my way, once this war is over, I’ll strip her flesh from her bones, slice by slice, and I’ll revel in her bloody screams.” His lips quirk into a cold, sadistic smile.
The image he just painted flashes through my mind: I see Lucy sprawled naked, red smearing her skin, Lylan laughing as he slices a fresh wound down her spine. She screams and it rattles my bones. Rage blinds me and I lunge, only to be grabbed and roughly tossed in the opposite direction.
“Lucy’s more important! Let’s go!” Sync’s fingers around my wrist will bruise they’re so tight, but I barely feel the pain. I start to stalk towards Lylan again, but the android jerks me out of my reverie and my gaze-lock with the bastard snaps.
She’s right. Lucy’s more important.
“Maybe later, sweetie,” I sing-song to Lylan, seeing his face turn two shades of red as Sync and I bolt for the castle.
Chapter 33:
Lucy
I thrash around the room for almost an hour, shattering mirrors, ripping the sheets off the bed, screaming at the top of my lungs, but neither MaXXX nor Vashna come back. They probably enjoyed my little temper tantrum. I collapse on the disheveled bed, trying to calm my ragged breaths, trying to console myself.
Iofiel will come for me, I know he will, and that in itself is comforting…but he has no chance against the queen of the Unseelie Court, especially not if MaXXX does her bidding. He’ll come to rescue me, only to be killed. And it’ll be my fault.
I bury my face in my hands, feeling raw and hollowed out, when the double doors swing open. The glass rattles dangerously as the doors hit the walls and bounce off again. I leap to my feet, ready to wage war.
Vashna strides into the room, her velvet gown trailing the floor behind her. One look at her and I want to punch the satisfied smirk off the bitch’s face. I clench my hands into fists and wonder how strong she really is. But her next words stop me cold: “Your little friends have come to rescue you, little Souljacker. Isn’t that sweet?”
Then she laughs and swings her arm. Her hand arcs through the air, her palm flat, and in its wake is a shimmering screen filled with buzzing static, like snow falling on a backdrop of grey. Vashna clicks her fingers and the screen flickers, images burning in perfect clarity, and my heart lurches.
I see Caddie punching the crap out of a Faerie, screaming foul words with each blow. His face is bloodied, but it’s not stopping him from fighting back. Then the screen dims and Josh and Lake come into view. They’re back to back, looking resolute as a pack of snarling Cyberhounds surrounds them. One of the hounds lunges forwards, only to be thrown through the air by Cullen, who zaps it with a bolt of lightning. Yes!
Then I see Iofiel running through what looks like a mansion—a castle done up in glittering white and black—and Sync’s at his side. She shouts for him to look out. My gut plummets. I know they’re looking for me. They’re here because of me. My fingernails bite crescents into my palms and I watch with dread as Iofiel turns, too slow, and a massive black hound bowls him over. I scream.
Vashna laughs. “They might’ve come for you, but there’s no way a rogue hound and a couple of weakling Mithos are going to save you, Souljacker. Why do you even hope?”
Iofiel stumbles and falls under the snapping jaws. The air shimmers and he’s suddenly a hound, their bodies clashing as they fight for the upper hand. Blood streams from open wounds where fangs have scored flesh and I scream in frustration as Lylan pins Iofiel, ripping at his flank. Crimson speckles the white checked tile floor, smudged by paw prints.
“Goddamnit, stop this!” I shriek at Vashna, whose smirk has turned wickedly dark. She clasps her hands and rubs them together, like this is all great fun, and I can’t help it: I swing my fist back and punch her as hard as I can. Except I don’t get that far. I yelp as an invisible force grips my arm and yanks it backwards, nearly dislocating it. Pain blooms down my limb and I drop to the floor, angry at myself for being so weak.
“I love the fresh smell of pain, don’t you, Souljacker? Surely you know all about pain.” Her lips curve. I lunge at her, but I’m jerked backwards. My arms are held snug behind me with magical restraints. I can feel the buzz of energy at my wrists, burning my skin, try as I might to fight against them.
“Wait here, precious,” Vashna chirps, then disappears where she stands. A moment later, she bursts back into the room, dragging Iofiel—human again, blood on his pale skin—behind her. He stumbles and is shoved to his knees and our eyes meet. My heart screams in agony at the wounded look on his face.
“Iofiel!” I struggle with renewed vigor. If I can just get to him, just touch him, maybe… I thrash and hurl balls of energy at the bitch queen, but she merely laughs and shrugs them off. She wraps her fingers in Iofiel’s dark hair. He snarls at her, more animal than human, but she wrenches his head backwards so that he’s looking straight at her.
Then she smiles at me. “Lucy, Lucy. I had planned on killing you after this whole epic end-of-the-Seelie battle was over, but perhaps…” Her fingernail scrapes Iofiel’s cheek, leaving a red streak. “Maybe you can redeem yourself.”
“Oh?” My voice is breathy. My heart beats like the drummer in a metal band—fast, terrifying, and with loud symbol crashes.
“Join my side. Fight for me…and if you do a good job, I promise to let your little friends go.” Her smile is fake and white, gleaming with malice. I can only stare at Iofiel, look at the pained expression that crosses his face, his lips turning into a mask of sadness. Her fingers twist in his hair and he winces. “Make a decision, Lucy.”
“If I don’t, she’ll kill you.” I can’t stand to look at him, so I look away. My gaze fixates on the screen still playing the immanent doom of my friends. And do a double-take. As dawn pales the sky, I see Faela marching towards the castle—and behind her, hundreds of Seelie troops. Maybe I won’t have to decide. If I can just get out of here, I can help them fight, I can—
Vashna’s shriek is furious as she shoves me out of the way. “How can she have that many warriors? That’s just not possible!”
I can’t help but smirk at her. “She’s been plotting your demise for a long, long time.”
“I’ll kill her! MaXXX!” Her howl bounces off the glass in the room and booms down the hall. With her fingers still snarled in Iofiel’s hair, she tosses him aside like a ragdoll puppet and I feel the magic around my wrists loosen. I give a tug and sprawl forwards, half-landing on Iofiel, who is gritting his teeth against the pain.
My hands cup his face and he clamps me to his chest, his body quaking against mine. I curl into him, kissing his jaw, his neck. My heart’s racing like a scared rabbit’s. “I’m so sorry, Luce. I tried…”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
A very startled MaXXX appears in the doorway. Vashna points a finger at the boy and this time, he flinches back as if she’s stabbed him. “Kill them,” she commands. He glances to me and Iofiel with wide eyes. He looks ready to refuse when Vashna grips his chin in her hand, angling his face up to hers. “Kill them and then gear up and fight for me, else you know what will happen to your precious Aely.”
Aely. The name strikes a chord deep within me, the world shifting around me. No… Vashna disappears and MaXXX stands in the center of the doorway, looking about ready to puke, pass out, or both. His eyes meet mine, empty echoes of their usual confidence, and I stand up. “MaXXX—”
“I’ll give you a head start.” His voice is rough.
My anger burns anew. “You little bastard—” I make a leap for him. He jerks back, but I don’t get the chance to throttle him; Iofiel’s hand clamps around my wrist, dragging me past MaXXX and out the door. He jerks me back to reality and we thunder down the set of twisting marble stairs.
We reach the bottom and chaos surrounds us—Fae fighting Fae, Seelie against Unseelie, the Mithos using their abilities to hinder their opponents. A beam of energy whizzes past my head and I barely duck in time. Iofiel spreads his hand wide and I recognize the effort: He’s drawing a Portal. He’s getting us out of here.
Screams echo around us, the smell of blood and death hanging in the air. Panic flares in my throat and I grab his arm. “We can’t leave without Caddie and Sync!”
“I’m getting you out of here first! It’s now or never. I’ll come back and find them, just please—”
“I’m going with you.” I cling to his arm, the noise around me rising in pitch. A woman lets out a blood-curdling scream that rattles my bones and God, I want out of here so bad. I want to go home. I want to cry. I can’t do this…
He frowns, then glances to the top of the stairs and I follow his gaze. MaXXX wavers at the banister, a grim look on his face, his hands gripping some sort of swirling, black orb. He closes his eyes and his hair floats around his face and I can feel the energy in the room soar.
Instinct screams at me to run, so I wrap my fingers in Iofiel’s and together we bolt. We duck and weave through battle, nearly dodging the swing of a knife that would’ve flayed me open. I hear the snarl of a hound and the beat of paws against the ground.
I scream. He’s gunning down on us, only paces away now. Iofiel hisses and shimmers to hound form as he faces the hulking beast. Their bodies collide. Iofiel’s movements are sluggish and weakened by blood loss, but he’s fighting for me. To save me. To save us.
God, I love him.
“Luce!” Sync’s voice rises above the din and I spin. She’s on the ground, wrestling with a hound, the beast pinned beneath her metal android frame. Her fingers wrap around the hound’s throat, slamming him back against the floor, over and over again until the skull gives way and cracks, blood pouring from the head wound. She stands up and I crash into her arms, hugging her with all my strength.
“What about the others?”
“They’re coming. Are you okay?”
“Never better.” I offer a weak smile just as Caddie and a small group of teenagers from Polaris burst into the room. Caddie’s got a gash across her nose that’s bleeding freely, but she looks pumped, as if a life-or-death battle is made of pure awesome.
“Sync!” Iofiel jogs up to us, panting and holding his elbow. Blood seeps between his fingers and I reach to inspect it, but he shakes me off. “Later, Lucy. Let’s get out of here.” He turns to Caddie, frowning as he gestures to the gang of kids sporting various wounds, most of them bruised and bloody, in need of patching up. “Where—”
Diesel’s face is pinched. “We’re the only ones left.”
“I’m sorry. I…” Iofiel shakes his head, at a loss for words. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” Caddie asks. “This is the final showdown. This is where the action is.”
“This is where we’re going to be buried if we don’t get the hell out of here,” he snaps back.
“Shit, Unseelie freak at ten o’clock,” one of the kids yells as a skinny woman with dark hair ambles towards us, arms outstretched. A moan rattles from her lips and I swing my fist back, hitting her so hard that she stumbles. She grabs my arm with clammy hands, dragging at my sleeve, and I look down into her face.
Her eyes are empty, void of all emotion, all traces of a soul. Haunting. She’s like a zombie… I gasp and shove her, but she holds tight. Then her eyes flash and I’m slammed backwards as fire blooms from her fingertips. It sears my skin, burning like hell.
She’s Mithos.
I kick her hard in the gut, but it’s like she doesn’t even feel it. Fire crackles at her hands again, but I don’t give her the chance. Closing my eyes, I call my powers forwards and a blast of white bursts from within me. She’s thrown back against the wall with a crack and when she falls, she doesn’t get up again.
“Lucy!” Iofiel shouts and I turn just in time to see a beam of white light come plummeting towards me. With a yelp, I deflect and it bounces off, scattering harmlessly. MaXXX scowls from behind the attack and swings back with another one.
I see Iofiel’s snarl before I hear it. I turn my face to see Lylan, a hateful smile in those cold-as-ice blue eyes. Iofiel shouts something, but I’m thrown off balance. MaXXX plows into me and we hit the ground. Pain lances up my back and I lash out, knocking his teeth together in an uppercut. My boot collides with his gut and he yelps.
I drag myself to my feet and glare at him. “You want a fight? I’ll give you a damned fight.”
Those might be the last words I ever utter.
Chapter 34:
Iofiel
“You’ll never beat your Alpha, Iofiel, and you know it.” Lylan’s words are cold and matter-of-fact. I want so badly to go help Lucy, but I know Lylan would rather die than give me the chance. His eyes pin me in my spot and anger boils deep within me, a churning pit of lava.
I glance sidelong, hearing Vashna’s shriek as she and Faela begin to fight. Powers zing back and forth, some hitting their targets and some hitting unsuspecting victims, who crumple where they stand. The dark queen’s face is screwed up in fury. Faela’s violet ringlets bounce around her head and on her lips is a confident smile—she’s going down fighting and she knows it. This is it. The final battle.
I jerk back to Lylan, a growl on my lips. He smiles coldly and we begin to circle, our steps measured and even. My body quivers a little, anticipation making me nervy, though weakness tugs at me like a persistent child.
“What are you waiting for, pup?” he go
ads, and I need no more urging; I shift forms mid-lunge and barrel into him, my shoulder crashing against his leg. I manage a couple of hard bites to the softness of his human flesh before he changes and faces me with fangs.
And we fight.
Maybe love’s my my downfall, but every few minutes I sneak a glance to Lucy. She’s holding her own against MaXXX Starfell, both of them silent, in deep concentration as their energies ripple through the air, bending and weaving around one another. It would be an intricate dance, besides the fact that they’re all-out brawling, fists and feet, but I know that their powers are checked behind each and every blow. MaXXX is amped by Wraith energy, twisting and coiling around him. Fueling him.
Teeth scour my cheek and it tears with a flash of pain. I stumble, snapping at Lylan’s leg, biting until I can feel the bone crunch beneath my jaws. His fangs bury in my throat, lifting me up off my paws, and I can feel the rush of my blood as it slowly seeps from my body, leaving me weak and cold.
I don’t stop fighting. I can’t.
There’s a flash of white and Lucy’s voice is filled with pain. I spin, trying to seek her out, but I’m jerked roughly to the side. My paws slip in a pool of blood and my shoulder connects with the ground, hard. Pain bursts through me and a yelp tears up my throat and then Lylan’s weight is on top of me, pinning me to the ground. He’s human again, his hands wrapped around my neck, fingers twisting my skin. I kick with all my might with clawed feet, but it’s no use.
I’m too weak…
Lylan smiles broadly down at me, his chest heaving with the effort of fighting me. His eyes sparkle with glee and amusement as he presses me against the ground. I look everywhere but up at him; I see Caddie and the gang fighting valiantly, fireballs searing flesh and lightning arcing across the air. There’s still hope for them. My head falls to the side and I can’t hold onto my hound form any longer. I shudder with the change, this time moving like molasses through my body, and Lylan’s hands around my throat are hard enough to bruise.
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