Astrid’s electrical strike did exactly as we planned. In her pain and deranged fury, Juliet released the Wraiths and the battle exploded.
The roar of the Trolls shook the entire valley and they began to charge like freight trains from the bowels of Hell. The cries of the Wraiths reached ear-splitting decibels and some of the Vamps in my sightline fell to the ground in agony.
“Move. Keep moving,” I bellowed at Jean Paul as the wind around us picked up and made staying on our feet difficult. Ethan and Astrid ran forward with swords drawn to counter the attacking Trolls as they barreled toward us. Thankfully Unit Two had gotten behind the beasts and were wreaking havoc and confusion.
Raquel stood frozen to her spot with her arms raised above her head and began to chant in an ancient language that was both melodic and macabre. Her red hair whipped wildly in the wind and her eyes rolled back in her head. Gold and peach gusts of glitter burst from her open palms and her body swayed violently.
The Wraiths flew en masse at us as if they knew Raquel was their target. That left the rest of the Vamps free to attack the Trolls, but a hundred Wraiths to three Vampyres was looking pretty shitty right now. Glancing quickly to my left as I sprinted around Raquel like death was on my heels, I saw Astrid. She was lit up like a fucking inferno and plunging her sword through the neck of a Troll. Ethan was faring just as well, so I turned my attention back to the ghostly specters trying to invade our bodies.
“Merde,” Jean Paul gasped out. “So fucking cold.”
He was correct. As the Wraiths ripped through our bodies, it felt like our veins turned to ice. Generally speaking, Vampyres were impervious to temperature, but the ghosts carried a blistering wind with them that shot through us like frozen daggers. Jean Paul was slowing down, clearly affected by the frigid temperatures. I was barely able to make out the battle beyond as the Wraiths cocooned us in a deadly blood red haze of light.
From a distance they had looked like a swarm of bees--up close was another story. Dead eyes and gaunt faces with papery skin and open wounds raced around and dove through our bodies. The sheer specters screamed and moaned as they flew in circles with no goal other than to create as much pain as they were in. I repeatedly fought the urge to fall or slow down. I’d been run through several times by the Wraiths and was surprised to see open cuts on my body where they had entered and exited. How in the fuck did a spirit rip skin?
Amidst the chaos, Raquel’s chant grew louder and more intense. Her body convulsed with the rhythm and her words controlled her more than she controlled them. The golden glow around her burned brighter and I prayed to all the entities I could think of to keep her safe.
“Jean Paul,” I shouted. “Don’t fucking stop.”
“Never,” he growled as he pushed his bleeding body far beyond its limit.
Then she screamed.
The shriek that left Raquel’s body was filled with so much rage, pain and power it stopped me in my tracks. The ground around us split open and tendrils of blazing fire reached out and began incinerating the Wraiths one by one.
Raquel’s body lurched forward and she fell to her knees in the middle of the flames, but she continued to chant through the billowing smoke and fire. Seizures wracked her slim frame and the Wraiths fought wildly to invade her and end her magic. She was torn and bleeding, but she forged on.
In a fit of fury and panic I threw my body over hers and took the brunt of the attack as the fire continued to dance its deadly tango with the ghosts. Raquel’s voice stayed strong and I was positive she had no firm grasp on reality. She was lost in her spell and nothing could pull her out.
She rolled out from under me and rose shakily to her feet. Blood poured from open jagged cuts all over her body. “No more,” she screamed and waved her hands in a circular motion. “Be gone.”
The fire roared and exploded into colorful flames as it choked the life out of the remaining Wraiths. I was thrown at least ten feet back and immediately began to fight my way back to her. Raquel had collapsed and lay lifeless on the ground. The shrieks of the Wraiths as they were sucked into oblivion were something I would never forget for the rest of my eternity. Nightmares couldn’t touch this shit.
“Get her,” Jean Paul begged as he tried to stem the blood flow from his head. “She’s dying. Have to get her out of here.”
I crawled to her prone form and shook her gently. There was no time to lay there. Trolls were everywhere and I had no clue who was winning. Her skin still glowed a golden peachy color, but there was something very wrong. Her body stiffened in rigor mortis and her eyes opened sightlessly and stared into nothingness. What the fuck was happening?
“What is wrong with her?” I shouted above the din of the battle as I shook her harder. Her frame was like an unbendable board and my head felt like it was going to explode.
“She’s dead,” Jean Paul hissed as he yanked her stiff body from my arms and began to run to the compound with her.
In my shock I let him take her… However, without her body in my arms I was no longer in shock. He had what was mine and it was unacceptable. I took a running start and flew through the air at a speed he could only hope for. I dropped to the ground in front of them and tackled him violently.
Raquel’s dead body fell to the ground as my fists connected with Jean Paul’s face.
“Stop,” he pleaded. “Let me take her inside. There is still danger out here.”
He was desperate and attempted to crawl back to her.
“She will turn to ash within the hour,” I growled like an insane animal. “You will bring her to my suite and lay her on my bed. Her ashes are mine. Do you understand me?” I hissed as I punctuated my instructions with a right hook that dislodged his jaw. “She is mine.”
“You don’t under…”
“Do not defy me,” I shouted in a voice I barely recognized. “She is my mate. Her ashes are mine. You will do as I say or I will kill you with my bare hands right now.”
I wanted to crawl out of my skin. This could not be happening. Jean Paul tried to speak again and I moved in to kill him. He shook his head in frustration as he glanced at the bloody war closing in on us and gave up.
“As you wish,” he grunted as he picked her up and sprinted to the compound.
The roar of agony that left my body was wrenched from my soul, blurring my vision. I felt the heat of the still burning fire and heard the screams from the battle that raged around me. I had nothing left to live for. My purpose for life had just died before my eyes and the need to destroy consumed me. I pulled my sword from its sheath and went back into the fray without any concern for my safety. The only thing that drove me now was revenge. The Wraiths were gone. They took the life of my mate and I would avenge her death by finding Juliet and killing her.
I killed without remorse as I searched the area for Juliet. I had no clue who I fought beside and I didn’t care. As claws ripped through my skin I simply went forward, piercing the necks of Trolls and kicking their dead bodies out of my way. I vaguely heard my name called, but the roar in my ears made hearing clearly impossible. I hadn’t found my target and I wouldn’t stop until I had completed my mission. Death meant nothing unless it stopped me from my goal.
“Heathcliff,” Ethan bellowed as he tackled me to the ground. “It’s over. The Wraiths are gone and the Trolls have retreated.”
His words made no sense and I tried to fight him off. The Trolls meant nothing to me. I wanted Juliet. I needed to rip her head from her body and then burn her to ash.
“Get off of me,” I demanded as I fought him like a wild animal. “I’m not done.”
“We are done,” he hissed as he trapped me in a spell of magic that felt like my body was burning from the inside out. “Get control of yourself. Now.”
I fell to the ground in agony and he released some of the spell he had cast. Rolling on the ground to try and put out the fire that consumed my insides did nothing. “Stop. I will listen,” I gasped.
With a wave of his hand
the burning ebbed and I sat up weakly. “Juliet,” I ground out through clenched teeth. “I have to find her.”
“We have her,” Ethan said tersely as he squatted down beside me. “She’s been chained and locked in the interrogation room.”
I stood unsteadily and began to walk toward the compound. “She’s mine,” I said. “Her head is mine.”
“No, her head is mine,” Astrid cut in.
She was battered and bleeding and sparks flew from her body like fireworks.
“She is the reason my mate is dead,” I shouted. “Her head is mine.”
I didn’t care if Astrid blew me to smithereens, Juliet’s head belonged to me and I would have it unless someone killed me before I got to her.
“Raquel is not dead,” Ethan said quietly as he put his hand on my arm.
“I held her. She’s dead,” I shot back viciously as I shook him off. “Give me the respect of avenging my mate. You can destroy me for defying you after I do what I have to do. Just give me that.”
“She is not dead,” he insisted as he touched me again. “Hear me before you do something that will force me to end you.”
“I don’t care if you end me. I held her. I saw her. She’s dead. Ending me will be a favor.”
“What the fuck is happening here?” Astrid demanded. “I am so confused.”
“Give me an hour,” Ethan said. “I have a story for you. If after the story you still want to defy me and force me to kill you, I shall grant you your wish.”
“Do I get to hear this story?” Astrid demanded as the light show around her amped up dangerously.
“Yes, my love, you do,” he said to his mate as he stared at me and waited.
“You can have an hour,” I told him coldly, knowing very little could dissuade me from the path I’d chosen.
“Come with me,” he said as he walked back toward the compound.
I would give him an hour. No more. No less.
Chapter 10
Astrid had insisted on dressing me, which was why I was in low riding sweats and no shirt. My wounds had healed in the hours I sat waiting. Juliet was still alive and being interrogated by Ethan and Astrid as I sat in my suite and waited. Each minute ticked by with excruciating slowness. I’d been invited to participate in the questioning but declined. I knew they would handle the situation in the way it should be handled. My conversation with Jean Paul had included an apology, which was something I was not wont to give. However, it was the right thing to do and I did it. I’d made several important phone calls and felt at peace for the first time in ages.
As I marked time impatiently for sunrise, I thought back on my very long existence and it seemed like a mere blip. Soon the moment my life would start would arrive. Like any birth or rebirth it would come with some pain, but it would be worth it. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be much blood or broken furniture…
She stirred on the bed as the sun rose. If I had any breath to take I would be holding it. Slowly her eyes opened and she peered around the room in alarm.
“Where am I?” she muttered as she looked around wildly.
“Right where you’re supposed to be,” I said as I rose from my darkened corner and approached her.
Raquel watched me like an animal watches a predator and backed away until we stood on either side of my bed. Her gaze fell from mine and she stared nervously at the rumpled bedding.
“Did Ethan tell you?”
“He did.”
“Now you know why,” she whispered sadly.
“No, actually I don’t,” I replied.
Her eyes shot to mine and she shook her head in confusion.
“I die, Heathcliff. I die every night until sunrise,” she spat angrily. “What’s not to get? I’m like a Vampyre from a fiction novel. I am not worthy of anyone. I’m a liability to my race—to you. I may as well have a coffin and a black cape.”
“That’s an interesting take and I’d have to disagree. Although you do look hot in black,” I said calmly as I rounded the end of the bed and backed her up to the wall. I gave her some room, but not enough to run. She was going nowhere this time.
“You’ve lost it,” she said as she glanced around and tried to find an escape route.
“Nope, I do believe I’ve finally found it.”
“Found what?”
“The last wall I have to break,” I answered. “You’re mine.”
“I’m no one’s,” she insisted weakly as she closed her eyes and clenched her fists at her sides. “I will not risk doing this to you. You could end up dying every night or just simply dying.”
“Or we could both live out our immortality together—happily.”
“There are no guarantees that’s how the story would end,” she insisted. “I’m a freak. There is no explanation for me. There is no telling what could happen to you.”
“Tell me why you die every night.”
Her chin dropped to her chest and her shoulders sagged forward. “It’s a spell—a punishment. I am paying for the sins of my mother. It was cast by a Demon shortly after I was turned.”
“What did she do?”
“Ahh, there’s the conundrum,” she spat with hopelessness and fury. “I don’t know. No one except my mother knows and she’s been dead for centuries.”
“Can it be broken?” I asked, not caring either way. I would take Raquel any way I could get her. If I died at night with her it would be a small price to pay—and if we died for real we would still be together. Win, win.
“Some believe if I mate the spell will be broken,” she said cautiously. “And some believe if I mate the spell will kill my mate and myself. No one knows…I can’t take that chance with you. I won’t.”
“Look at me.”
“No,” she said as she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. “I can’t.”
“Fine,” I replied lightly and closed the distance between us. The relief at touching her almost undid me. I pressed my lips to her ear and breathed in her scent. “You are my mate. You will mate with me,” I whispered.
Her body shuddered with desire and I ran my tongue along her delicate jaw.
“Did you not hear anything I just said?” she demanded as she tried to push me away. “I have denied you for hundreds of years because I’m wildly, insanely in love with you. Nothing you can do or say will change my mind.”
“Again I have to disagree,” I said as a smile pulled at the corner of my lips.
“Oh my God,” she hissed as she tried to bite back her inappropriate grin. “This is not funny. At all.”
She pushed against me again and I grabbed her wrists and wound them around my neck. We were nose to nose and our lips were a breath apart.
“Kiss me,” I said gruffly. “If you don’t I’ll lose it.”
“I will kiss you, but if you bite me I will beat your ass,” she said as her eyes turned from gold to green.
And she kissed me.
My head spun and my need for her intensified to proportions I’d never known. Her lips were soft and her taste intoxicating. While I wanted nothing more than to throw her on the bed and lose myself in her body, we still had a few more things to get straight.
I pulled away, but stayed close enough that escape wasn’t an option.
“I have lived half a life for hundreds of years,” I told her. Her lips opened to argue and I gently put my finger over them. “I no longer want half a life. It’s the same as no life at all.”
“That was kind of brave,” she said with a smirk.
“My words?”
“Nope, putting your finger over my mouth so close to my teeth. I could have bitten it clean off.”
“I’ll remember that in the future,” I said with a grin. “Raquel, I don’t care if you die every night. I don’t care if I die every night. I don’t care if this kills both of us because we’ll be together—in Heaven, in Hell…I just don’t give a fuck as long as I’m with you.”
“It’s not your call,” she said as tears pooled in her eyes. �
�It’s mine.”
“No, it’s ours. In your quest to save me you’ve almost destroyed me. A mate will eventually go insane without their other half. Death would be kinder. I already feel the pull toward madness. Is that what you want for me? For you?”
“No,” she whispered so softly I had to lean in.
“Missed that, Red,” I said with a raised brow as I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I said no, but wouldn’t you have done the same?” she demanded harshly as her eyes rose defiantly to mine.
That stopped me. Would I have done the same thing? Possibly.
“Space?” she inquired.
“Will you run?” I asked.
“No. I won’t. Not this time,” she promised.
I gave her the space to think as I walked back to the other side of the room. Arguments raced around in my brain. I would not lose. I couldn’t lose.
“I don’t know what I would have done,” I answered honestly, even though I didn’t want to. “I might have tried your method for a while, but if it came to this—this moment, right here right now…I would give myself to you.”
She made a noise of disbelief. “You’re too noble. You would do the same thing I’m doing.”
“Look at me,” I ground out. “You think you are broken? You have no clue what broken is until you walk in my shoes. I have chased you for two hundred years. I can’t stop. Now that I know what the problem is, I will never stop. If you won’t mate with me today, I will chase you to the ends of the world and wear you down until you do. I mean it when I say my life is no longer worth living without you. If we only have today as mates, this will be the best goddamned day of my life. To hold you and know you are truly and willingly mine will complete me in ways you can’t begin to understand.”
“I’d rather see you alive and whole.” Her body trembled and tears streamed down her beautiful face.
“I’d rather be broken and happy.”
She watched me with wonder. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Never meant anything more in my life.”
“Your father. Your sister…” she said with hesitation.
Romancing the Paranormal Page 19
