“You know, you guys are hurting my feelings. I’m beginning to suspect you don’t want me around,” Amber complained, pouting like she was the victim in all this.
“Shut up,” I ordered gruffly.
“Come on. Is that anyway to treat the love of your life? That is what you called me that night we made love, isn’t it?”
My fists clenched so tightly, my knuckles popped under the pressure. Bending over, I jammed the gag back into her mouth, relishing the instant silence. “Okay, so Helena and Morgan are out, is there anyone else who can help?” When Vivien shook her head, the action almost broke me. “Please, we’re so close. I can’t lose her, Vivien. Think. There has to be someone.”
She started to disagree, again, when a thought struck her. “There is one who I know is powerful and would help in a heartbeat.”
“Then call them. Have them rush here,” I urged, my fingers figuratively crossing that with any luck, they were local.
“It’s a little more complicated than that.” A worried expression returned to Vivien’s features as she glanced first at Darcy’s muzzled face and then to Devlin.
“Who is it, Vivien? Do you think they’ll refuse?” Devlin asked, a sense of urgency in his questions.
“Oh, they would never refuse family.” Her response confused us both.
“Family?”
Taking hold of Devlin’s hand and squeezing, Vivien smiled. “Yes, and they hold the magic we need to complete the spell.”
“You mean?” His whisper was barely audible.
“I know this will pain you, but we’re left with no other options considering how dire the situation is. It will require a blood sacrifice because the spell touches lightly on the taboo, but I see no other choice.”
“Can someone please explain?” I felt lost, like I’d been thrown into the middle of a movie without seeing the earlier scenes.
“I believe Vivien knows of a witch who can help us.”
“Who?” The suspense was killing me.
“Elynor,” Devlin answered.
“We’re going to physically summon his sister and invite her to join in the ritual,” Vivien stated.
It was then my mind exploded, or in the very least felt like it had. Summoning the dead was so far beyond anything I’d ever experienced.
“Now?” My gaze caught on Devlin’s appearance. He had to be reeling as hard as I was.
“Now,” Vivien replied, a lot more confidently than I felt.
“I’m about to see my sister for the first time since I sat by her death bed many, many years ago.”
I wanted to tell Vivien no, that the effect to Devlin’s psyche and heart would be too much, that we’d have to find another way to accomplish the exorcism. This was an incredible favor to ask of him, not to mention the weight of magic Vivien would need to use to perform the spell.
“We’re doing this,” Devlin said firmly, resolve etched into his features.
We were doing this. We were summoning Devlin’s sister from beyond the veil to help bring my mate back from oblivion.
Heaven help us all.
Chapter Eight
Darcy
I was so close to freedom.
With only a little energy left, I knew I needed to conserve it for the battle that lay ahead of me. Mason had figured it out, had realized the strange behavior he was seeing wasn’t the result of my conversion, but of something much more nefarious and dark. If I could, I would’ve wept as everyone rallied around to save me, and I prayed their efforts wouldn’t be in vain.
Amber had exaggerated somewhat about my being within reach of oblivion. The threat was still there, a beckoning peace that whispered for me to let go and embrace its warmth. But everything I’d ever dreamed of—wished for—resided in the world I desperately clung to. I lay quietly in the shadows, patiently waiting for the exact moment to strike. If it made her overconfident and cocky, the shock of me resurfacing might just be enough to loosen her grip and send her hurtling outward. I didn’t care where she ended up, as long as it wasn’t inside of me.
I’d come too far; overcome too many obstacles and challenges, to allow some psychotic wolf to steal what was mine.
Mason.
My Pack.
My family and friends.
They were all mine and I wanted them back.
Seeing Mason fight for me gave me more strength, adding to the reservoir I’d been building in secrecy. That was the good thing about Amber. She’d felt she had the upper hand and, whilst she would often taunt me with how invincible she was, she never paid to close attention to what I was actually doing. I’d stop being so aggressive in my pleas and efforts to regain control. I’d decided to start playing it smart.
Most times, the greatest threats are from those you disregard as weak, beneath you. The one you underestimate and pity. It is the downtrodden, the helpless, who always manage to dig just a little bit deeper inside to find whatever courage they need to take a stand. The most extraordinary power doesn’t lie in artifacts and acquired wealth and knowledge, it is found within the soul of the one who doesn’t accept defeat.
The very gates of Hell could open and unleash all its darkness, yet a single solitary flame could set its foundations crumbling.
Amber had forgotten this—her own ambition and thirst for vengeance blinding her to the many flaws in her plan. She’d assumed she could control Mason and make him her dancing puppet.
Love was another mighty force that could motivate even the most hopeless of causes. If a man still held hope in his heart, he would continue fighting until his last dying breath.
Amber might see anger and scorn in Mason’s eyes as he peered down, but I saw beyond that. I saw the indomitable spirit of my mate who would stop at nothing to reclaim me. My captor may think she could outlast him, but that was simply her foolish blindness feeding her arrogance.
Mason would wait until the end of time. He would never stop. Even as they summoned Elynor, that steady blaze of certainty became a catalyst into a full-blown inferno within him.
There was a reason why he was one of the youngest Alpha’s in the country—why he was so well respected and why many had no problem pledging their allegiance to him. He was the man who never knew when to quit.
He was the man who saw in absolutes.
And knowing this made it easier to wait in the background; because without a doubt, I knew I would be freed.
****
Amber
Twisting my wrists, there was very little give in the manacles that bound me. All I needed was a little leeway and I could at least have a fighting chance. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought Vivien would summon the dead. It was a variable I hadn’t factored into my plans, and one that would absolutely work.
Magic was universal—whether it was used on earth or in the spirit world, a witch still held whatever powers she’d been born with and accumulated. I’d heard Helena talk about this Elynor, how she’d been a plaything of the Master and the reason why he’d yet to accomplish his goals.
I hadn’t paid too much attention to the history lesson, my sole focus always remaining on Mason. I was to be brought back and serve as a spiritual anchor to Darcy’s body before the Master came to claim her.
I never did understand why he couldn’t have just possessed her himself, but Helena had rambled off some detail about when a spirit dies they must be held in some kind of holding pen for a period of time before given the chance to return or reincarnate. Something about giving the person a chance to process the realization they’d died and adjust to their new reality before moving on.
I’d been the perfect choice because I was already coming toward the end of my time; and frankly, I wasn’t looking forward to going to Hell or whatever eternal punishment I’d earned. I was eager to escape that nightmare, so when Helena summoned my spirit to her and offered the proposition, I didn’t even need to think about it.
It brought me back to life and gave me one more chance at making Mason mine. When
she added the reward for my obedience was the ability to bring him into submission, I couldn’t seal the pact fast enough.
While this recent turn of events threw everything into a tailspin, something told me the Master would have a contingency plan up his sleeve. He was brilliant in his strategies, the way his mind was able to conceive the different possibilities, incredible. It was why I wanted to remain by his side once everything unfolded.
His was a power I would always align myself with.
The sky was the limit, my potential limitless.
“Are we ready?” Vivien asked, her irritating optimism grating on my last nerve. Gone was the disappointment at failing her ritual. There was a renewal of hope burning in her features, warning me to be prepared. I couldn’t let her evict me. As much as I hated this body, it was destined to bridge me to someone greater.
“Hurry, Vivien,” Devlin answered. “We don’t have much time.”
Mason slapped his friend on the back in a display of friendship and I would’ve thrown up had the gag not prevented me. The first thing I would do when Mason was under my control would be to beat that simpering niceness out of him. I wanted him rough, aggressive, volatile. It made for better fighting and bed sport.
The room, once again, grew quiet as the flames from the candles twinkled before growing taller and willowy. Vivien hadn’t lied about requiring a blood sacrifice as she grabbed Devlin’s wrist and slashed across his skin. Blood splattered as it spurted out and over his hand.
One gash wasn’t enough. Vivien cut two more deep lines up his arm, each one causing Devlin to tremble against his need to cry out.
“Walk around the circle now, Devlin, allowing your life force to drip freely.” All the while, Mason watched on with a stern face of concentration.
Once completed, Vivien slashed her own wrist, only not as deeply. Collecting her pooled blood in her palm, she sprinkled herbs from the sachet hanging at her hip, whispering words and blowing onto the red liquid. Suddenly the room became unbearably hot, the candles melting at an alarming rate as the wicks grew longer and longer.
Breathing became more difficult as pressure from the magic filled the air and it grew heavier and more condensed. Just when I didn’t think I’d survive, my lungs screaming for oxygen, Vivien’s head fell backward as she screamed, “Venit!” The ground rumbled beneath me, the silver manacles becoming icy cold against my skin.
Chaos was erupting within the room and I was helpless to escape. Devlin and Mason had dropped to their knees, fists tightened by their sides as they closed their eyes, brows furrowed with ferocious concentration.
The room seemed to scream in pain. As the intensity reached its peak, Vivien repeated her command Venit at the same moment she flung the contents of her hand upward, the blood exploding into dark pillows of smoke. Ash rained down over me, the soot clinging to my eyelashes making it difficult to discern what happened next.
As the cloud smoke thinned, a shadow emerged from the center of it. For a second I thought it was the Master who’d come to save me, to intervene and destroy these fools. A pulse of victorious joy shot through me, only to be withered into the ash that now surrounded me.
It wasn’t the Master.
It wasn’t someone who’d come to make Mason and his pathetic friends pay for their treatment of me.
It was a woman wearing a long dark braid over her shoulder, the hem of her emerald green dress lightly touching the floor. She stepped forward, a vision of dignity and fire, like a warrior of old.
Elynor.
The summoning had been successful and it was then that I realized just how alone I was. With the coming of Devlin’s sister, my doom was eminent. No one was coming for me. They were all here for Darcy, the bitch who was ultimately the bane of my very existence.
“Devlin,” she cried, rushing forward and throwing herself into his open arms. To any other observer, the scene would’ve been touching—heartwarming even—as brother and sister finally reunited. Mason stood, watching, tears threatening to fall down his cheek, while Vivien wore a tender expression that bordered on motherly.
It was a disgusting display and my only regret was I couldn’t tell them exactly what I thought.
“Sweet, sweet Elynor. My darling sister, I’ve missed you so much,” Devlin choked, as he fought back his emotions and failed. It was this weakness, his softness towards others, which would be his downfall. It would lead everyone in this room to their deaths once the Master arrived.
“It had been too long, dear brother.” The newcomer cupped Devlin’s cheek fondly, and it was then she realized there was someone lying on the ground, chained. Me.
“You’ve captured her, then?” Stepping away from her brother, Elynor approached, her gaze sweeping up and down my body. “Is Darcy still kept under submission?” Gathering her dress in her hands, she knelt, careful not to disturb the ritualistic items Vivien had set up.
“We attempted the removal but lacked sufficient power. Amber still remains in control and we’re unsure if Darcy is still inside and reachable,” Vivien answered.
That, right there, was the painful possibility no one wanted to acknowledge.
Could they still save Darcy or had she passed on?
“Then we have no time to lose. I did not see her on the other side, so I can only assume she lingers.” Elynor stood, dusting her hands off as she studied the pentagram. “You’ve set everything up, but I can see why your first attempt failed. Amber has lodged herself deeply and mere blood with the proper incantation won’t be enough.”
Had I not been gagged, I would’ve crowed over them with endless laughter. They truly were amateurs that deserved the destruction that was coming.
“Tell me there’s a better way,” Mason asked, his voice tinged with desperation.
“There is, but you must be strong, Alpha. It will test you to your very limits.”
“Anything. Speak the words and it’s done.” Mason’s gaze dropped to me again, and I knew he was looking beyond me, searching for the place his mate dwelt.
“Even if it means witnessing the death of your beloved”
All color drained from his face. There was no way he’d agree. The very act of watching his soul mate die would crush him—in the very least force him to change into his wolf. His beast nature wouldn’t tolerate such a threat, putting everyone in the room directly in the path of a furious predator.
“Yes,” Mason fired back through gritted teeth. He didn’t falter in his reply, that one word portraying undiluted certainty.
“Mason, think about it,” Devlin interjected.
“What’s there to think about? My wife is dying right now, she’s fading away to a place I won’t be able to reach her. Trust me enough to know my own strength.”
“There’s no silver cage. We do have chains that we can shackle you to the dungeon wall, but nothing like you have back at pack property. The nearest containment, like the Enforcers use, is thirty minutes away. Maybe . . .” Devlin’s concerned features formed a frown.
“No. I did that once before. Never again. I will be here for her . . . through it all. And I’ll be the first one she sees when she wakes.” Mason was glorious when he chose to be, and this, this was one of those moments.
“But . . .”
It was Vivien who interrupted Devlin, now. “We don’t have time. If Mason says he can endure it, then we must trust him.”
“I agree. Besides, we need him to anchor Darcy. Their bond is eternal, stronger than family. He’ll need to be present so Darcy’s spirit doesn’t leave her body, as well,” Elynor added.
It was like watching a damned soap opera, the angst that was starting to coat the air from all the drama unfolding.
“On my word, you won’t receive any interference from me.” Clasping Devlin’s forearm in a warrior’s grip, Mason locked eyes with his friend. “Do whatever you need to save my wife.”
For a second, I thought Devlin would compel Mason, taking advantage of the Alpha’s trust, but instead, he bru
squely nodded. “Then I suggest you stand close to the door. At the first sign you can’t handle what’s happening, leave.”
“That won’t be necessary, but I will.”
“Brother, you need to hurry. I can sense she’s fading,” Elynor gently counseled. “Being dead, I have an affinity for spirits and it won’t be much longer before she’s gone.”
Devlin exchanged one last look with Mason, before crouching beside me. “She’s shackled, so this might be awkward. I’ll need at least one of the wrist cuffs removed to begin draining her. Prepare for anything when I do. Amber still has some fight left in her.”
I felt the loosening of the cuff, but before I could whip my arm away from Devlin’s descending fangs, his fingers wrapped around my arm like an iron band. Being subjected to the silver chains and handcuffs had sufficiently weakening me. No matter how much I struggled, he was stronger, and I bucked off the ground as his teeth slid effortlessly through my skin.
This was the end. I knew it the second he took the first pull at my vein and blood filled his mouth. With each draw, my grip within Darcy’s body slipped and it was me who began faltering.
Railing against the inevitable, I bit against the cord between my teeth, desperate to scream out my rage. It wasn’t meant to be like this. How many times was I going to die at the hands of those who were beneath me? With what little energy I had left I pushed against my restraints and glared at Mason.
This was his fault. He did this to me. He had been my downfall all along. He had never been worthy of the love I’d given him. All my life it had been him; and now I lay dying, again, just so he could reclaim something that would never measure up to what I could’ve given him.
I hoped the bastard struggled. I hoped as he watched this pathetic body weaken to the point of death that his misguided sense of strength snapped, driving him crazy. I hoped that his wolf became feral, forcing the shift and tearing each person in the room into shreds.
Darkness Unleashed Page 7
