by J. L. Weil
Panic sliced through me.
I started to race forward, but a pair of strong arms circled around my waist, lifting my feet off the ground. “It’s too late, princess,” Zane whispered in my ear, confirming what I already suspected. Oliver was dead.
My stomach twisted and turned.
Zane whirled away from me, his arm moving upward in a vicious slash. After he took out two hallows, he turned to me, framing my face. “Piper, you can do this. We can do this.”
“I-I can bring him back,” I stammered, frozen in place.
Zane shook his head.” You can’t save them all and save the world, princess. You’re going to need your strength.”
And I was going to need his. I understood sacrifices must be made, I just hated it was those under my protection, those who put their lives on the line to defend me.
Together the reapers must stand. Or one by one we would fall. The world would cease to exist as we knew it. Scary shit. And a fairly compelling reason to fight. In my head, I knew war was inevitable, but seeing my reapers fall to their death made my common sense tingle. The power I’d learned to accept, even embrace, wavered like a candle under hot breath. As I stared around, a thousand scenarios raced through my mind, each more horrifying than the last.
“Piper,” Zane called, the only voice that could bring me back from the brink of a meltdown.
As much as it devastated me, I needed to press on. All I could do was strive for the best but plan for the worst. I nodded, gaining conviction from the look in his eyes. Then as one, Zane and I leapt out. His shadows wrapped around me, acting as a barrier against the war surrounding us.
Shit went colossal.
A chorus of hisses filled the night. It was a horrible sound that made me want to curl up into a ball and cover my ears. The hallows advanced. Beams of light slammed into the ground, flashing into the sky. Streaks of red and white clashed with my reapers, knocking several of them into the ground. I caught a glimpse of Aspyn just as she was grabbed by a hallow and tossed over a bush like her life meant nothing. We weren’t going to win this battle by fighting only. As hard as it was to watch, knowing many would die tonight to save millions, it was time for me to do my part.
I tore my gaze from the horror and turned around to find Heath blocking my path. His eyes bored into my skull, yet I refused to turn away. I desperately wanted to back down, making myself stand my ground.
“Go,” Zane instructed, stepping in front of me, a shadow of darkness. “I’ll take care of the traitorous overlord. Be careful,” he pleaded.
“Back at you,” I told him, wishing there was time for a least a good luck kiss.
I looked over my shoulder, seeing Declan and Zach shooting off blasts of energy like there was no tomorrow. Adrenaline burst me inside me in tumultuous waves. All around me chaos ensued as I fumbled with the relic.
Another series of lights went over my head. “Come on,” I mumbled, turning the device to inspect it from different angles, desperately searching for a button, a trigger, anything to bring the contraption to life.
I felt a pang of disappointment as time elapsed, pressure mounting, but I inhaled and exhaled a deep breath, squashing the frustration. You can do this. You have to do this. At the end of the day, if I survived as victor, I was going to need to replenish my reapers—a rebirth. Those who didn’t stand beside me would die, but to give anyone a chance, I had to crack this sector.
I took a second to see how we were faring. The good news, my friends were still alive, the bad news, I couldn’t find Heath. Zane leapt off the ground, flying directly at a hallow, and slammed into the ghost, midair. They collided, light and darkness, rolling until they hit land like a bomb, shaking the ground and lighting up the sky.
A movement caught the corner of my eye just as a hand wrapped around my throat. “If you scream, I’ll snap your neck.” Heath’s breath tickled the back of my collar.
“Shit,” I breathed, going still. On the up side, I’d found Heath, or I should say he found me.
He shifted around so that we were inches apart, so close I could see my reflection in his iron eyes. “Bravo princess, bravo. You’ve managed to give me what I’ve dreamed about for a decade. Power to rule. Nothing can stop me now.”
I wanted to spit in his face, but I was partial to having my neck and shoulders connected. “The night is still young.”
“True, but I’m guessing you don’t know how to use the only weapon to stop me.” His breath was cold on my cheek. “Sweet justice.”
My heart slammed into my ribcage, fingers digging into the relic’s staff. “Perhaps not, but I can shove it up your ass.”
He threw his head back and laughed, a haunting sound of a mad reaper. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll just take this off your hands.” His free hand moved down my arm in a sensual caress that turned my stomach and creeped me out. Big time.
I shouldn’t have given into the urge, but it was too late. I’d spit in Heath’s face. A second later, I was on my back, pain spiking and the air knocked from my lungs. I was staring up into Heath’s triumphant face as my breath faltered, and for a moment my mind went blank.
Then I remembered. The relic. My head thrashed to the side, and everything came crashing down. It was gone. The darkness I embraced came rising up to take me to oblivion, and I did nothing to stop it. What was the point?
Heath laid his hand over my chest, his lips leering as I closed my eyes. I didn’t want Heath to be the last face I saw, but I didn’t have the strength to move. Serenity overwhelmed, erasing all the pain and suffering, all the hurt and failure. The world would end, and I with it. What did I care what happened if I wouldn’t be there to see it?
Because you care, Zane spoke through the shroud of blackness. Your humanity and growing up apart from this world is what makes you better.
You mean weaker, Heath mocked.
Don’t listen to him. Zane reached for my hand. He was bathed in shadows, eyes blue as sapphires. Take my hand.
But I couldn’t. Something snarled and snapped behind me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t manage to lift my hand. Didn’t he see I couldn’t move?
Yes, you can. Don’t look back. Just take my hand.
If only I could. The slightest movement hurt, sending shooting pain down my arm. There was nothing wrong with me, not physically. They were projections. I just needed to lift my hand.
Letting a raw scream, I raised my arm, reaching out for him. Our fingertips touched, and that was all it took to break the illusion.
I’ve got you, Zane assured, his eyes never leaving mine. I won’t let you go.
The pressure clamping down on my chest exploded, like a cork out of a champagne bottle, shooting into the air.
My eyes snapped open, glaring up at Heath from the floor with narrow eyes. His palm was fastened to my soul, but Zane had given me the strength to fight. This war wasn’t over yet.
“Bastard,” I croaked, my butt still stinging, making my words sharp.
A slow, unnerving smirk twisted on Heath’s lips. “Ready to give up?”
Smoky shadows billowed behind Heath, huge and imposing and familiar. Zane looked as daunting as ever: lean, powerful, dynamic. “I’d like to see you try that crap on me.”
Heath didn’t even flinch. “You’re not worth my time.” He disregarded Zane like an ant under his shoe. Big mistake.
“That’s what you think,” Zane snarled. “My blood might not be pure, but I don’t need to hide behind an army and have them do the grunt work. I don’t mind getting dirty.”
Exasperated with the disruption, Heath finally turned to face Zane. “You’ll never be your father.”
Zane’s expression stayed unyielding and fierce. “Too bad you won’t live long enough to see.” His eyes flicked over Heath’s shoulder at me, a blaze of blue fire. “It’s your time to shine, princess.” Then Zane attacked the overlord.
Chapter 28
I dashed for the relic, thinking of nothing but getting my hands on
it, and this time I wouldn’t fail. My feet flew over the ground, ears buzzing and lunged for the scepter, snatching it up by the handle. Knowing I was probably breaking a hundred sacred rules, I spun around, getting my bearings. The cold seared my hands and I gasped, nearly dropping the relic on the ground. The coldness wasn’t painful, but a shock all the same. It wasn’t going to deter me. I circled back around toward the tree, dodging hallows as I went. It was hard to keep my eyes from checking on Zane, validating he was still on his feet. I resisted the urge, pushing on and rushed into the circular clearing.
Something caught my eye, something I had missed before or never paid attention to, but I understood now. A section of the courtyard was a replica of the stone circle. How had I missed that before? My feet slid over the dirt as I came to a screeching halt, narrowly avoiding being clotheslined by a large tree branch. I exhaled when I saw the little door nestled in the trunk of the big oak. My fingers were firm on the scepter, tingling as I held it up.
“Keep them away from her!” Zane ordered, trying to give me the time I needed.
The hallows had scattered, descending from all directions and swarming the courtyard. Slivers of moonlight provided our only light in the fight against darkness. Cursing, I looked up and saw two familiar silver eyes glowing at me in the dark. For a stomach-dropping second, I thought it was Heath, but then I saw the stupid grin. Crash. The last person I’d expected. He had ditched the wolf form. “What are you doing?” I snapped.
“I’m watching your back,” he replied.
I snorted. “Because that panned out so well before. I’m not a sucker.”
“I was in a precarious situation. If I hadn’t convinced my father I was loyal to him, do you think he would have confided in me about the relic?”
He made a good point, but too little too late. Eyes scanning the area around the tree, I searched for a clue on what to do with the scepter. “So you’re saying you betrayed me for the greater good?”
“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m not a saint,” he answered, then twisted to the left and planted his fist into an incoming hallow.
“It doesn’t really matter whose side you’re on at the moment. The only thing that does matter is getting this thing to work,” I said, shaking the relic. I was starting to sweat.
“Just say the magic word.” Crash mocked.
“Blow me.”
He chuckled. “I don’t think that’s it.”
Hell, what did I have to lose? For shits and giggles, I mumbled, “Abracadabra,” and waved my hand over the globe. I knew I was being ridiculous, but I was willing to do anything, even something as absurd as that.
Shocker. Nothing happened, other than Crash folding his arms and smirking. “It was worth a shot.”
I wanted to sucker punch him. “I don’t have the liberty of time. If your father gets his hands on this…”
“It’s all over,” he finished. “I know.” Crash’s eyes were suddenly alert. He frowned, scrunching his forehead. His hands flexed at his sides as he moved forward, ramming his fist into the belly of girl not much older than me. “Somebody test this chick for steroids,” he said, opening and closing his fingers.
She hissed, running her tongue along her teeth. “Is that all you got?” Crash’s hit had no effect on her whatsoever, other than pissing her off more. Nails swiped in the air toward his face. She managed to get a scratch or two on his cheek before he scurried out of her reach.
“Damn, you’re feisty. Good thing I like a challenge.” And she gave him one. This hallow had skill, making her a hell of an opponent. Crash wasn’t Zane, but had been trained to fight his whole life. I had to keep reminding myself of that.
Using her weight and brute strength, she barreled forward like a freight train, hands extended. Crash shot to the left, shoving her back a step, before spinning her around and pinning her wrists together. “Geez, I normally don’t mind when a girl is all grabby, but you, honey, are not my type.”
She sneered, trying to break her arms free. “It’s laughable that you would think that. I don’t want your body, I want your souls.”
“Oh, in that case. Piper, a little help,” he prodded, shifting the hallow so she was directly in front of me. She didn’t make it easy, and I thought any minute she would break free.
I rolled my eyes and lifted my free hand, attaching it to her chest. A burst of white light followed, and poof, steroid chick was gone. “Happy?”
Crash dusted off his jeans. “Took you long enough.”
I shrugged blasé. “I wanted you to suffer.”
“Fair enough.”
“You got no qualms about hitting a girl, I see.”
He smiled tightly. “Hey, I just saved your hind end.”
“Whatever. I saved your ass.” My chest rose slowly as I diverted my attention back to the task. “Now what?”
“Did you try giving it some juice?” he offered, attempting to be helpful.
I didn’t want his assistance, but with everyone otherwise occupied with the battle, I didn’t have much of a choice. Zane would only be able to keep Heath busy for so long.
One-handed, I revved the energy inside me, allowing it to seep into the handle as I had with the tree to unlock the relic. It radiated inside me like a wave of light. After a full minute, I sighed, disgruntled. “It’s not working.”
“I can see that,” he stated.
I gave him a dirty look and held up the relic. “Do you want to try?”
He took a step back. “Unlike my father, I don’t want to be near that thing. Gives me the creeps.”
“A lot of help you are.” I tapped my nail on the handle of the scepter, wracking my brain for information. As many dead banshees as I’d talked to, one of them must have said something of importance, something to help me. Rose. Mom. Celeste.
A halo of light dinged in my brain. That was it. Celeste had spoken of a blood sacrifice. Power doesn’t come without a price, she had said. The relic didn’t want my power. It wanted my blood.
Not a fan of needles, I shuddered as I stared at the sharp tip, perfect for piercing the skin and thin enough to be a tube.
This was going to suck.
Palm flattened, I took a deep breath and before I could think how much it was going to hurt, I plunged my hand onto the needle.
Crash gasped. “Jesus Christ. A little warning next time you decide to self-mutilate.”
Hissing through my teeth, pain lanced down my arm, extending. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even cry. The cold seeped through my skin, reaching my inner core. Silly of me for thinking saving the world would be painless. I clenched my jaw against the sting, keeping my hand secured over the globe.
The glass began to swirl with my blood, little droplets floating in the chamber like bubbles, but that was all. Nothing amazing or epic happened. I assumed I’d feel something. A tremble. A surge. The only thing I felt was my entire being buzzing with thwarted hope and a heavy disappointment settling in my chest.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I wanted to scream, the kind that would shatter glass, burst eardrums, and cause destruction. “Why didn’t that work?” I raged.
Crash had his WTF look on his face. “Uh, I’m still getting over the fact you stabbed yourself with it.”
I started to mutter. “Blood. Sacrifice. Power. What else could it need?”
He rubbed the sandy scruff on the side of his cheeks. “My father never mentioned anything about blood, only something about it taking two souls to trigger the veil.”
I glanced up. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” My eyes locked with Zane across the lawn. I could have whispered his name, I wasn’t sure, but I had drawn his attention.
Soul Symmetry.
My blood only wasn’t going to save us. It needed our blood. Together.
“If you really want to help,” I said to Crash. “Keep your father occupied while Zane and I crack ancient history.”
“You do realize he is going to kill me.”
“We
’re all going to die if Zane and I don’t do this.”
“Point taken. You owe me.” The air around him stirred, following the network of red veins enveloping his body. I blinked and he was no longer human. The wolf at my feet winked, before bounding off toward his father.
This better work.
The stench of death was everywhere. Zane’s head swung in my direction, his eyes a deep blue under the dim light shining like diamonds. Damp bits of hair clung to his forehead and temples. He took one look at my face, and then was off, flying toward me. Shadows shimmered around him, heavy in the air, cloaking us from the chaos. Power invaded my system.
He had a way of making me feel invincible, which was crazy, because I didn’t know if we’d ever truly be safe.
“Is that your blood?” he asked, eyeballing the glowing artifact in my grasp.
I nodded. “I think I figured out how to activate the scepter, but it is missing one key ingredient.”
“Don’t tell me.”
“Yep, your blood, but we need to merge our souls first.”
He held out a hand. “What are we waiting for?”
We hadn’t even touched and I could already feel my soul reaching out to him, drawing him to me. It wanted the connection, urged for it, and I gave it what it begged for. Our powers conjoined, pulsing. Another time, another place, I would have just liked to revel in the sheer awesomeness pouring through us. Someday, I swore, we’d be able to use our soul symmetry for something other than fighting.
Our fingers linked and the energy flared, light and darkness. I closed my eyes, knowing what came next and let Zane take the lead. My head tipped back as the first icy bite of the needle pierced Zane’s hand.
No pain. No gain.
“Piper,” he said in a strangled voice, and a tremor went through him, rippling to me.
I gasped, my eyes popping open. It was an odd sensation, filled with both agony and bliss. The merger of our souls was a high, but the extraction of blood was a sensation I never wanted to feel again. Time seemed to slow, dragging the process and emphasizing the agony. I wanted to cry out, but the sound was caught in my throat.
