“I wear the cuff so the Keeper does not overtake me during my day to day, but in the times I need to use her power, I have to have balance. Without balance, she’ll overwhelm me and do whatever she wants. Her power is stronger than mine could ever hope to be, but it is very much separate from me.” That got exactly the reaction I had hoped from the Queen. She finally looked interested. Rhi, on the other hand, looked suspicious.
You stay with me. Don’t leave my side. We have to start with Cora, though. She can create a shield to protect us.
“If you want me to take the risk of removing my cuff and helping these women, then we all need the protection only Cole can give. He has to be able to touch me—skin to skin—or it won’t work.”
Then we have to free the tiger and the cheetah. They will do the most damage and help keep the Hunters from us. I’m counting on Julia not wanting these women killed. Make sure I get to all of them. Every woman leaves here.
Cole finally interrupted me. No! You can’t help them all, Ame. It’s not possible. I won’t sacrifice you!
“It’s easier if I can also touch the women. The power exchange is more direct and we will have a better chance of success.”
I’m doing this, Cole. She takes their children and likely kills them. This cannot continue. She has to be stopped.
Cole was yelling inside my head and I had to block him out. I focused on Julia, Rhi, and Joran. His face was still blank. Julia turned to him. “Joran, does she speak the truth? Can he do what she says? Do we truly have a chance of succeeding after all of these years?” I hated her excitement. I could feel the truth behind her emotions and it wasn’t excitement for these women or their children. It was excitement over her ability to finally rule a people she could control. She could choose who had children and selectively force me to only help those she wanted. As Micah’s wife, I would be the ultimate puppet, so long as the full prophecy wasn’t fulfilled. If she knew how I controlled the power, she could control me.
I held my breath as I waited for Joran to speak. Cole was finally silent as well.
“Yes, your majesty. She speaks the truth. Of course, we should test her theory, because it is just that, but she wants to help these women.”
I had to force myself not to smile. Joran had told the truth and confirmed my words without having to lie himself. Tricky, tricky.
The door to the cell clicked open and swung wide. I turned to Cole and he gave me both a frustrated stare and a short nod. Like it or not, we were doing this.
Chapter 29
The sun had set and we were moving as a unit through the forest. A few of the AniMages had shifted into horses and allowed Rynna, Nathaniel, and Derreck to ride so we could make good time to Cresthaven. Rynna and I were in the lead, with her directing. Bethany had stayed back at the cabin with Charlie and Onyx guarding her. She wasn’t pleased, but she also understood she was more of a liability than an asset at this point.
As we neared Cresthaven, Rynna hopped down from Eliza’s back and waved for the others to do the same. She crept up to me and whispered, “Tell them all to shift into the fastest, most quiet animal they can. As long as we can get to the maze door, we can do this, but the span of distance between here and there is the most dangerous. It looks like the maze top is open, but the enchantment includes a shield. If they try to fly in, they will be repelled and give us away.”
I couldn’t answer her while shifted, so I simply nodded. I communicated the message and watched the rest of pack shift into various forms of cats. Everything from what looked like a house cat up to Elias’s panther. I had yet to shift into anything but a wolf and wasn’t sure exactly how to instruct the change.
I pictured a mountain lion and my wolf instantly responded. There was a stretch and snap of expanding and contracting muscles and bones, and when I looked down, I was met with short pale fur and claws more deadly than any I had seen before.
Well done. Elias’s compliment was one I shouldn’t have needed but was glad to have.
I turned back to Rynna and she nodded. She and Derreck led the way. I was surprised and impressed with their ability to stay quiet, until I remembered they weren’t human either. Just like Nathaniel, who brought up the rear, their Mage power was aiding them. While it wasn’t a huge distance, it felt like it took hours to cross the three hundred yards from where we started to the edge of the Cresthaven property. We lined ourselves up against the stone wall and followed Rynna’s instruction to stay close to each other. As we rounded the last corner, I couldn’t help the audible sigh of relief. Rynna was making hand motions in front of an area of the wall she said would contain the door.
She was muttering words as her hands moved in a rhythm of loops and swirls. Finally, she put both hands onto the stone at once and it disappeared. “Hurry, we only have a short window,” she called out in a loud whisper and ran through the doorway. We all followed, diving through as quickly as possible. Just after Nathaniel dove in, the stone reappeared. I had given the rest of the pack instruction to stay shifted, thinking they would likely be more effective that way, but I shifted back to human form.
Derreck pulled off the backpack he was wearing and tossed me a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. I pushed my feet into shoes and turned to Rynna. “What now?” I asked.
She was already fumbling around, pushing her hands into various parts of the large hedge wall. “It’s got to be here somewhere. Come on, you know you want to help me. We’re here to help her!” Rynna clearly wasn’t talking to me. I watched, my own anxiety rising as her frustration grew. She moved down a few feet, put both hands into the leaves, and whispered something I couldn’t hear. She pulled one hand away and plunged it into the foliage.
“Yes!” she cried, as she pushed and the hedge swung inward. “Come on!” she called over her shoulder.
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I took off through the hedge and stopped short when I found Micah on the other side.
He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, I crossed the few feet between us and had him by the shirt collar, six inches off the ground, and shoved against the leafy wall.
“She’s in a cell! They have her locked up like an animal in a cage. That’s what you brought her here to be—your prisoner?” I saw the blue smoke enveloping my hands and the thought briefly crossed my mind that I could snap his neck before anyone could stop me. A small hand grasped my shoulder and Rynna appeared in my peripheral vision. Micah still hadn’t said a word, his eyes bright red, like two stoplights on a pitch-black night.
“Aidan, you have to let him go. We need Mikail to help us. And he’s been helping Amelia. Let him go and he can explain. But we don’t have a lot of time.”
I gave him one last push against the wall and let him go. He dropped to the ground more gracefully than I would have liked and dusted himself off.
“I had nothing to do with Amelia ending up in a cell. She managed that one all on her own. I told her to stay under the radar, but as we are all aware, she doesn’t exactly take to direction well. I’ve been trying to find her and up until last night, it was as if she had disappeared. My Hunter was gone, she was gone…I was losing my mind looking for them both. I knew she was here and somehow, last night, she did something to break the spell around the room she’s in.” His words did very little to tamp down the anger coursing through me. I took a half step toward him and he backed up the same distance.
“Aidan, just hold on. I’m on your side. I’ve always been on your side. I’ve known what my mother was doing for years. I just didn’t have a way to stop it. With you and Amelia here, we can finally put an end to her madness.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about, but he kept going and I didn’t hear a word of it. The door between Amelia and me had been blown wide open and all I heard were screams. All I felt was her life force draining away.
Chapter 30
I approached Cora’s bedside and she did her best to pull back, even though we both knew she was ready for what wa
s about to happen. The other women did their part—some whimpering while others pulled on their restraints and made a show of not wanting me to come to their beds next. Cole walked in lockstep with me, his presence bringing me strength. Once we were in position, I held out my left hand and Cole took it. His reassurance and calmness was exactly what I needed. He was scared, but as always, he had my back.
I reached my right hand out and took Cora’s. I could feel the tiniest flame of power still inside her. The binds had quelled her power down to next to nothing. I could see the orange floating in her system, encapsulating her own brilliant blue power like the candy shell around an M&M.
I looked up at Julia, who stood across the room, as far from me as possible. Apparently, she wanted my results, but didn’t want to be collateral damage. That suited me fine as it gave Cole and me more room to work.
“What are you waiting for, Keeper? I’d be happy to give you a reason to move faster.” Rhi spoke and it only fueled my commitment. There was only one last thing to do and I was both scared and thrilled. I turned to Cole. “Let’s do this, Cole.” He looked at me, his hesitation obvious. “We have to. I’m going to be fine. You won’t let anything happen to me, right?” I squeezed his hand and waited.
He slowly nodded as his gaze steeled and jaw tensed. I watched him amp up his power, his dark eyes lighting up in a blaze of green. I pulled my right sleeve up and removed the cuff from around my forearm. As soon as it was free of my skin, the cuff was yanked from my grip, stopping just in front of Rhi’s outstretched hand. He had learned his lesson from the Queen’s mistake and didn’t physically touch it. But the Hunter’s self-righteous sneer was the last thing I needed to see in the same moment the Keeper power was slamming back together into one dark, dominating force inside me.
Immediately, she wanted to leap for him, but Cole’s voice was in my head and his power was helping to keep my mind clear. Focus, Amelia! Focus on Cora and then get ready to let all hell loose in this place.
I took a breath and spoke to my Keeper. The dark blot of her power was everywhere inside me. She stoked the fire inside me, my violet flame a bonfire of epic proportions. You’re going to like this, I told her. We’re going to break this Hunter’s bonds, we’re going to set those AniMages free, and we’re going to let these women take their revenge. But you have to focus. Stay with me!
Her consciousness invaded my mind. This was going to be a fight, I could already tell. She wanted control. She loved the plan but she wanted to do it her way.
Cole!
He pushed another wave through me and she shrieked in response as her reach shrank. I swayed on my feet with the effort of maintaining control of us.
It all happened in precious seconds and I was finally able to look up at Cora. “Stay calm.” I wasn’t sure which one of us I was talking to, but I squeezed her hands and sent my power into her, much as I had done for Cole.
The Keeper wasted no time, expanding from me into Cora through the connection. She whipped through her system, blasting away the barriers the Hunters had made. With each broken orange bond, I saw and felt the power inside Cora grow. Her soul sighed as it simultaneously sent power through her in waves. It didn’t take long before I knew it was over and she was whole. Cora was one of the few who wasn’t currently pregnant, so at least I didn’t have to worry about harming a child. I drew the Keeper back to me and pointed her toward the cells. We have to free them. Whatever it takes!
It was a dangerous command, but the bolts of violet fire slashed with black lighting were exactly what were needed to pop the two doors from their hinges. At the same moment, Cora enveloped us in her shield and Rhi started to shoot bursts in our direction. He didn’t get more than a few off before Julia was shrieking at him, screaming for him to stop.
“They are our lifeline! They are the only ones left, you fool! Don’t hurt them!” Her hands enveloped in red flames as Rhi’s collar flared red. He ripped at his throat, trying to stop the burn, but she accomplished her mission of keeping him from hurting us.
“Call down reinforcements! We have to stop them from leaving!” She was screaming at Rhi as he pulled himself from the ground, more contempt than I’d ever seen flaring in his eyes.
Cora leapt from the bed as I eviscerated her restraints. We dove toward the next woman in line as both Nell and Lilith took up position near our bed, another layer of protection between us and the Hunters I knew would be here soon.
“This was a mistake! You won’t leave here with them! I won’t allow this!” I had to block out Julia’s threats and focus on the task at hand. The Keeper wanted to take her out now. I could feel her gathering power, her notions clear in my mind.
“More, Cole! I need more control!” He gripped my hand tighter and I redirected the Keeper back to the woman in front of me.
Just as I had instructed, each woman reached out as far as she could and linked her hands with the woman next to her. They were in bundles of four or five women each. I knew there would be no way I could get to each of them individually and we would need them all to fight. We had to have our own reinforcements before more Hunters found their way here. I had hoped most of the Hunters wouldn’t even know where to come, but I had no way of knowing what was about to happen. The only thing I knew for certain was there were two entrances into this giant room and we had to expect an attack from both.
It was taking too much effort to speak telepathically, so I yelled over the commotion at Cole, “Don’t let her take control, but don’t hold me back!”
“I’ve got you!” he yelled back. I clutched the next woman’s hand. She had jet-black hair and bright green eyes. She reached for me with as much determination as I reached for her, but I also saw the child she was carrying.
The Keeper was like a hurricane, a swirling force raging from my heart outward and I couldn’t stop her, so I let go and repeated in my mind that there was a child we had to save. Screams ripped from my lungs as it felt like she exploded inside me. Power I’d never felt or known was erupting into my system. A white-hot fire spread through my veins, scalding my insides. For a split second, I felt a tiny heartbeat. I heard the fluttering of hummingbird’s wings in my mind and felt the warmth and love his mother held. The Keeper circled the child, over and over, before finally moving on, shooting out of the black-haired woman and into the next woman’s hand. Inside my head, she swore this was only the beginning and we would be victorious. She told me I made no mistake in turning to her.
I could barely open my eyes against the pain but I saw Joran fighting on the side of the AniMages as Cora not only held our shield, but sent bursts of her own toward Rhi, who was shoving an irate Queen toward one of the doors. I saw her mouth moving but heard nothing aside from the Keeper in my ears.
My power was flooding the systems of multiple women at once. Binds broke and there were screams of both pain and triumph as their power was restored. Again, I felt the heartbeats of their children and the Keeper spent seconds focused only on them, but she always moved on, never trying to help or harm them. Cole continued to push his power into me and I clutched his hand with more desperation than the woman holding mine. He was the only way I would survive this and I could feel him weakening.
Before the women were completely free, they were shooting blasts toward the Queen and Rhi, sending furniture and medical equipment flying in their direction. I expected the females who acted as guards to come barging through the doors at any moment, but for now, the mothers’ motives were their own. I just needed them to keep everyone away from me.
With his collar glowing and the Queen still clearly in control of his power, Rhi couldn’t do the damage I was sure he wanted to. He pinned Nell to the wall, but Joran hit him, an unseen fist smacking his head backward before another punch landed in his gut, doubling him over. Rhi tried to fire back at Joran, but Lilith took a chunk of his skin with her massive claws. They continued to trade off while Rhi tried to protect the Queen, physically pushing Julia toward the door.
I pus
hed harder at the Keeper and pulled more from Cole. We had to free more of the women. I had only gotten to the first five. She had to do more.
“You’ve got to calm down, Amelia. I can’t help you if you aren’t working with me!” Cole screamed in my ear as he gripped my hand. I could feel him pushing and pulling, trying to keep me in charge instead of her.
I didn’t want to hurt him, so I tried to pull my hand from his. “No! There’s too many. Let go! Let me go!”
Cole locked his other hand around my wrist, closed his fingers tight around mine, and yelled, “No! She won’t take you!”
I pushed harder, glaring at him as I gave her even more of myself. I had to. I had to help them and there were so many left. A hand tugged at mine and I saw the woman next me, as well as the next few, were free and could join the fight. I was also able to recognize Cora becoming drained. These women hadn’t used their power in years and here I was, asking them to go all out.
“Cora, stop! We’ll be fine. Help the other women get out of their restraints. I’ll get to them. Go—fight—find a way out!” I yelled to her as I tried to climb down from the bed I had been sitting on.
I heard pounding and knew it was more Hunters. Julia’s reinforcements were finally coming, which meant I had even less time. I took a step toward the next bed and stumbled, falling to my knees.
“Goddamnit, Amelia! I told you not to do this.” Cole caught me, lifting me up into his arms. Part of me felt the exhaustion but the rest was exhilarated. The Keeper raged on, wanting the next connection point.
“No, Cole. I can do it. Just take me to them.” I pushed the words out as I fought against being pulled under. We had a chance. They had a chance.
Cole swore and, with me on his lap, pulled himself onto the bed of the next woman, and placed her hands into mine. His power rushed into me at the same moment I felt something else entirely.
Bound by Spells (Bound Series Book 2) Page 24
