2 Minutes to Midnight: Urban Fantasy Midnight Trilogy Book 2

by L. M Hatchell

  Phoenix was panting hard by the time they reached the edge of the forest. The heavy fog that pervaded the air made it difficult to breathe, and her lungs burned with each inhale. As soon as they stepped from the trees, however, the fog disappeared, leaving only a calm night sky and a pensive silence.

  Miraculously, their path back to the community centre had been unimpeded, and she couldn’t help the healthy dose of scepticism that kept adrenaline roaring through her veins. The four of them alone shouldn’t have been sufficient to deter a follow-up attack from the Mists, especially not if all three were present.

  The community centre lay before them in the middle of a field the size of a football pitch. That open space was all that stood between them and backup, and it was enough to make her want to piss her pants.

  Ethan hobbled up beside her, and she got her first clear look at him without the fog blurring her vision. Blood coated his side, and he was purposely keeping his weight off his left leg. A vague expression of shock lingered on his unnaturally pale face even as his eyes scoured their surroundings for any sense of threat.

  She let Fia and Cormac move ahead of them and offered him a shoulder to lean on. Her concern only increased further when he took it without complaint.

  “You okay?”

  “I saw something in the forest … I …” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get through this.”

  They moved quickly. As soon as they were in sight of the community centre, the doors flung wide. Sasha and Abi urged them forward before slamming the doors closed. Locks clicked into place, and Phoenix blinked from the glare of the fluorescent lights.

  She was dimly aware of Ethan’s weight leaving her shoulders as Sasha slipped her arm around him and hurried away. Fia and Cormac conferred quietly between themselves before disappearing down the stark corridor towards the auditorium. Abi linked her arm and tugged her in the same direction, their footsteps echoing around them.

  “What’s the plan?”

  Phoenix stopped at the entry to the auditorium, a heavy weariness settling in her heart. She grabbed Abi’s hands in her own and looked her friend in the eye.

  “The plan is I need you to hide.” She shook her head to stop the protest that was forming on Abi’s lips. “Please, I need you to do this for me. The Mists are coming, and when they get here, I won’t be able to protect you.”

  “It’s not your job to protect me.”

  “I’m the reason you’re mixed up in this shit. So yes, it bloody well is.” She choked back the fear that threatened to drown her and pleaded, “People are going to die tonight, Abi. Innocent people. I need you not to be one of them.”

  Worry, fear, and sadness clouded her friend’s features as she bit her lip and nodded. The tears that settled along the rim of her blue eyes were stubbornly held back, and when Sasha returned indicating it was time to go, Abi didn’t protest. She also didn’t say goodbye.

  With a shaky breath, Phoenix walked into the auditorium to join the rest of the wolves. Most were in full wolf form, their strongest and most resilient form, with only the higher-ranking werewolves staying human. Cormac and Fia were busy organising everyone, but she paid little attention; she already knew the plan. Instead, she looked around the large open space and memorised every person and wolf that stood in the room with her.

  How many of them would die tonight? They were risking their lives to protect her. Without question. If she somehow managed to survive this night, they’d have her undying loyalty.

  She felt the comforting warmth of Ethan’s presence behind her even before his hand touched her lower back.

  “You ready?”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling his familiar scent. The copper tang of blood mingled with the earthiness of the forest that lingered on his skin. His knee was now strapped for support and the worst of the blood had been cleaned from his side, but his face was still drawn and she knew in her heart he wasn’t at full strength. An ache of sadness settled in her chest and she pushed it back resolutely. She reached out for his hand and nodded.

  Suddenly, a loud explosion filled the night.

  ***

  The ground shook beneath Phoenix’s feet, and she grabbed Ethan’s arm to steady herself. Plasterboard cracked from the ceiling and dust rained down on them, sending her into a coughing fit.

  “Looks like they heard us,” Ethan said with a wry grin.

  Snarling wolves raced passed them, ready for the fight that awaited. With one last look at Ethan, she turned and followed.

  The ground crumbled beneath her feet as she ran, and she only just managed to avoid a huge crevice that appeared out of nowhere, leaping over it to grasp the doorway for balance.

  She expected to hear the sound of fighting from the night beyond, but the only thing that reached her was the angry growls of the wolves. Carefully, she slipped through the door to assess the scene.

  The three Mists stood in the middle of the field, unmoving. Two of the three were painfully familiar to her; the third was a man she’d never seen before. He stood ahead of the other two, and an aura of immense power surrounded him as his black robes flowed around his body. His palms were held out to the side and, even in the weighty dark of the night, she could see the glow from his golden eyes. She shivered.

  All across the front of the building, the wolves formed a terrifying wall of teeth and claws. They snarled and strained, but seemed unable to move forward. She glanced in confusion at Ethan as he slipped through the door behind her. A raised eyebrow was his only response.

  Crouching down, she moved forward only to hit an invisible barrier. A low growl from Ethan confirmed the same on his side: The Mists had them trapped.

  Lightning struck the ground mere feet to her left. A yelp of pain was accompanied by the sickening stench of burnt flesh, and Ethan roared in fury.

  “Fucking cowards. Face us with honour.” He rammed his shoulder against the barrier, but it didn’t budge. And neither did the Mists.

  “How do we fight them if we can’t reach them?” She looked around in panic, expecting another bolt of lightning at any second.

  The ground beneath their feet rumbled and she widened her stance in an attempt to keep her balance. The air was heavy, charged with the promise of death; they were sitting ducks.

  Ethan grabbed her shoulder and turned her to him. “You can reach them.”

  The look on his face was so full of unquestioning confidence. She didn’t share his faith in her ability, but when his hand grasped hers, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had to try.

  Ethan began issuing orders to the wolves to get ready. She blocked it all out and focused only on the heat simmering in the centre of her chest, waiting to be called. Magic filled the air and she knew they were out of time. She held the image of the Mists in her mind and let go.

  The burst of light was so bright that it seared itself into her eyelids, causing colours to dance like a bad trip in front of her eyes. For a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion, almost like the aftermath of a bomb blast. Then the heat wave exploded outward.

  The invisible barrier shattered, and the wolves surged forward.

  Everything turned into a blur of movement. Wolves leapt through the air only to have their targets disappear on contact. The Mists blinked out of existence and reappeared a hundred strong. Their illusion was so powerful, it was impossible to tell apparitions from reality.

  She searched for an opening that would allow her to make further use of her powers without hurting her allies, but it was complete chaos.

  The night filled with the same screeching they’d heard in the forest. A number of the wolves fell to the ground, howling in pain, while even more turned on each other, unable to recognise friend from foe in their disorientated state.

  The air shimmered to her right and Shayan materialised, his once cocky grin now a grimace of burn-tightened skin. Before he could move in her direction, Fia stepped between them, teeth bared and ey
es blazing.

  “You hurt my son.”

  She dived at him in a ferocious blur of slashing claws that made Phoenix’s jaw drop. Ethan moved to help, but the air solidified in front of him to reveal Maj, holding the very same dagger that had killed Lily. He growled and lunged for her.

  Once more, Phoenix tried to call on her power, but before she could, the third Mist stepped in front of her. She stood frozen to the spot as Jannah’s golden eyes pulled her into their molten depths. Dimly, she knew she should be afraid; he was here to kill her.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll make it a quick death for them,” he promised solemnly.

  A voice inside her head screamed for her to fight, but a heavy lethargy fell over her. Her limbs were leaden and her eyelids blinked closed. She forced them back open with effort.

  “They don’t deserve to die. We don’t deserve to die.”

  He gave her a sad smile and raised his hand. A golden light flared in his palm. It called to her, beckoning her forward.

  In a distant part of her mind, she heard Cormac shout her name. Then, suddenly, he was there. He shoved her sideways, breaking the hold Jannah had on her mind. The golden ball of energy that had been meant for her skimmed the side of his body, and he tumbled to the ground.

  His roar of pain pulled her back to the scene around her, and she stared in horror. Wolves littered the field, bloody and wounded. Those still standing appeared to be battling a vast array of monsters that flitted in and out of existence; illusions, but no less deadly for being so.

  So much blood. So much sacrifice.

  Her heart wept and every cell in her body screamed for her to protect them. Time fractured in that moment, and when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ethan fall to his knees in front of Maj, something inside her shattered.

  Rage flooded through her and her body started to shake as a fierce pressure built in her solar plexus. She dropped to her knees and placed her hands on the cold hard earth beneath her. She called to the sun, and it came.

  Grass burst into flames and a ring of white-hot fire surrounded her. Jannah stood watching her on the far side, his eyes mirroring the flames back to her in an almost hypnotic way.

  She focused as hard as she could, willing the fire to spread until it formed a barrier around the wolves closest to her. Many were caged in with the illusions they faced, but no further attack would reach them.

  Still she pushed further, ignoring the skull-splitting headache that flared to life as she did. There were so many. She needed to protect them.

  Through the flame, Jannah looked at her with something akin to respect. “I want you to know I take no pleasure in this.”

  Phoenix gritted her teeth as her vision turned black.

  The darkness surrounded Phoenix and threatened to drown her. She was dimly aware of Ethan yelling her name, and she clung to the sound of his voice like a lifeline. But she couldn’t hold the power she’d created. Her energy faded and the flames winked out of existence, leaving only scorched earth.

  Through her hazy vision, she saw Jannah raise his hands to the sky. His lips moved, forming the unintelligible words that she knew would seal her fate. With gritted teeth, she forced herself to her feet; if she was going to die, she’d bloody well do it standing, not cowering on the ground. She swayed unsteadily.

  A blur of movement from the forest caught her attention, and a hysterical laugh bubbled up in her chest as she imagined she saw faces flitting among the shadows. Was this it? Had her mind finally cracked now that she faced the end?

  The energy coming from Jannah was so powerful that it was getting difficult to breathe. It pressed against her sternum with a crushing force and she knew that when he let it go, nothing would remain. She closed her eyes and a single tear burned a path down her cheek. That one tear for everything that would never be.

  She welcomed the pressure that enveloped her, let it merge with her essence, and she focused on one simple thought: I have to save them.

  The realisation brought with it an instant calm. She let the heat build inside her until it felt like she might burn from the inside out. Jannah’s power pushed back against it, trying to crush her. Her flames lapped hungrily at the edges of his power, ready to break free, ready to burn.

  She would die tonight. But so would he.

  Her eyes snapped open and she looked at the Mist. The image that reflected back at her from his golden pupils was full of fury and fire. The nod he gave her was one of acceptance.

  She could hear shouts of confusion from all around her, but she had only one goal in mind now.

  The power continued to grow inside her until sweat ran in rivulets down her spine. She took a step towards him, her head feeling like it might explode as his energy enveloped her. Then another step. He reached out a hand to her and she took it, surprised at the softness of his skin.

  A blur of movement and a glint of gold were the only things that registered in her mind before Shade magically materialised beside Jannah with another man at his side. They flung a large chain-link sheet of gold over the Mist, and instantly the energy holding her weakened.

  Strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her backwards. She landed in a heap on the ground. Ethan’s “humph” in her ear snapped her out of the trance she’d been in.

  The field was full of men and women she didn’t recognise. She could tell by their signatures that they were vampires, but her mind struggled to make sense of much more than that.

  Two large groups surrounded Shayan and Maj, Fia standing guard with one, and an injured Cormac with the other. Both Mists had similar sheets of gold chain covering them, and though their magic lingered in the air, she could see no sign of their illusions, and neither of them were struggling.

  “I don’t know how long the gold will hold them.” The blonde vampire with Shade offered his hand to help her up from the ground.

  The English accent took her by surprise and she eyed him warily. The vamp appeared to be in his forties, and his grey eyes were kind but serious. She’d never seen his face before, but for some reason she was certain he wasn’t one of Darius’s vamps. A quick glance around her found no familiar faces from her time living in the Dublin vampire lair. Who were these people?

  Before taking the offered hand, she looked in askance to Shade. At his nod, she accepted the help and got, not so gracefully, to her feet. As she did, she reached back to pull Ethan up behind her.

  He hissed, yanking his hand away and she glanced at him in surprise. It was only when she saw him gripping a raw red hand that she realised she’d burned him with her touch; the power of the sun still vibrating through her body.

  A quick look to the blonde vampire revealed a similar burn on the hand he’d offered, yet his face showed no sign of anger or pain.

  “Who are you?”

  “My name is Lucas … I’m your father’s Sire.”

  She sucked in a breath, expecting any answer but that. What did she say to the man who had turned his back on her dad?

  “And these …” She gestured to the field where the other vampires were helping the injured wolves.

  “Are your father’s clan.”

  “Were!” She glared at him, daring him to contradict her. Her father hadn’t spoken of his past much, but she knew the scars his banishment had left; they were a shadow forever lurking behind his loving gaze.

  Lucas gave her a sad smile and nodded in acknowledgement of her words.

  Shade cleared his throat. “Not to break up the family reunion, but we still have a situation to deal with.”

  As one, they turned to Jannah, who was watching them with a blank expression.

  Phoenix took a shaky breath and wrapped her arms around her midsection. Ethan moved to her side and she flinched, afraid of burning him again. He nudged her with a playful grin and when his skin didn’t start to sizzle, he draped an arm over her shoulder, leaning on her for support.

  “If we release them, they’ll never stop hunting you,” Lucas said softly.


  The words chilled her, and she pressed closer to Ethan’s side. “I’m not a killer.”

  “Neither are we when we have a choice.” There was no pleading in Jannah’s tone, simply truth.

  She assessed the Mist for a moment, then moved towards him, ignoring Ethan’s attempt to hold her back. “But you won’t stop.”

  His golden eyes darkened with unspoken pain and he shook his head. “We’re bound by our debt to the Council. So long as they control us, we have no choice.”

  Her eyes fell on the thick golden bands encasing his wrists and the clenched fists beneath. The thin golden chain-link sheet glinted in the moonlight; it had been enough to nullify the Mists’ magic. What were those thick bands capable of?

  Lucas stepped up beside her, his eyes flicking to the bands as well. “What if you had a choice?”

  The plan was simple, Lucas explained. Release the Mists from the threat of their golden bonds by using lead – gold’s magical opposite – to weaken the structural integrity enough to break them. Phoenix listened, but the logic was lost on her.

  If it was really that simple, why hadn’t the Mists broken free long before now? She asked as much, directing her question to Jannah, who’d remained silent as Lucas spoke.

  “The vampire is right. If the bonds can be broken, we’d be free of the Council control,” the Mist answered, his expression grave. “The problem isn’t the bonds, however; it’s the spell protecting us from them. It is only our obedience that stops the spell from releasing, and once it does, the gold comes into contact with our skin.”

  His tone implied dire consequences, and Phoenix looked closely at him, suddenly aware that he’d barely moved at all since the chain-link had been thrown over him. If anything, his posture seemed to have withered, almost imperceptibly. A quick look at the other two Mists showed an even more obvious weakening. If that was the reaction to such a thin sheet of gold, what would the thick bands around their wrists do?