Caia pulled back and pushed Lucien back, too. “Jae, I need you to slide right to the back of the cage.”
The girl complied without a word.
And with all her fury and all the impotence she felt in this disgusting situation her uncle had put the people she loved in, Caia threw out an arm of energy that twisted and bent the steel of the cage until there was enough room for Jaeden to crawl out of. Lucien took his shirt off, still wearing a t-shirt underneath it, and Caia knelt down to draw it over Jaeden’s head.
“You’re really here.” Jae’s bottom lip trembled and the blankness began to recede from her eyes. “You’re really here.”
Caia forgot her friend’s injuries and pulled her into a tight hug, not caring that Jaeden was too dazed to return it.
“Come on.” Lucien bent down now and scooped Jaeden easily into his arms.
Caia really wished she hadn’t been so exultant, so cocky, as she quickly followed Lucien up the basement stairs and out into the kitchen. She was smiling, actually smiling, as he made his way to kitchen door. And then she felt it; like ice crawling slowly through her veins, freezing her in her tracks and icing over her heart so that the next frightened beat of it shattered it and all of her hope. Caia had never felt such a malevolent trace before.
From behind her she felt the blast of power like a train chugging past her at full-speed, blowing her hair up around her shoulders and face. It knocked Jaeden out of Lucien’s arms and across the room, her head slamming against a cabinet. She slumped to the ground limply. Caia whirled and stood merely a few feet from her uncle.
“My goddess, you look like Adriana,” he breathed, momentarily stunned.
She was stunned too. She looked like him. Had the same blonde hair and slant to her eyes.
“Uncle,” she whispered. That brought him from his lapse and his dangerous blue gaze slid past her to Lucien. Without thought Caia threw up a shield around the Alpha as he took a menacing step towards her uncle. He banged against it and growled at Caia. He wasn’t in lykan form. He wouldn’t stand a chance against her uncle.
“Well.” Ethan smirked at her. “Seems your powers are indeed blossoming.”
Caia flinched as Lucien punched at the shield. “Drop it, Caia,” he snarled. “Now!”
She shook her head, refusing to look at him.
“I’ll let them go.” Ethan smiled evilly. “All I want is you.”
“Caia, don’t listen to him! Drop the shield!”
Her eyes swept past them to Jaeden who was a crumpled mess, and then back to Lucien, whose eyes blazed once more with emotion. Anger. He was furious with her. And more than that he was frightened for her.
Unflinching, she turned back to her uncle as calmly as she could, chanting at her heart to quit racing and stand strong for her.
“You’ll let them go? You won’t go near Lucien and the pack... if I let you... ”
“Kill you without a peep.” Ethan chuckled. “Of course.”
“Caia, NO!” Lucien bellowed, making her wince, but she steadfastly ignored him. Ethan smiled triumphantly at Lucien and a wave of his emotions hit Caia like a battering ram to the gut. She gasped and clutched her stomach, actually staggering back from the blow.
She could feel him.
Her uncle.
Her disgusting, soulless uncle.
He never planned to let anyone go. He wanted them all here. This had been his original plan before everything had gone wrong. He wanted Lucien and the others to care about her, to care so much that they would give into their volatile natures and come crashing in like stupid, easy targets. She dropped the shield protecting Lucien and Jaeden and raised her right hand, encasing Ethan in an invisible cage that circled around him with a power that travelled in golden light, before dissipating at completion.
Lucien’s sigh of relief met her ears.
“Caia,” he groaned and stumbled towards her just as Ethan also moved towards her, sneering at her display of power. He wasn’t sneering when he bounced back against the shield, a look of disbelief on his face when he punched it and nothing happened. Satisfied but still wary, Caia kept Lucien behind her.
“So,” Ethan grumbled, gazing incredulously around him. “You really do have some power.”
When he caught her eye and saw how carefully she watched him, he shrugged, pretending indifference. “It won’t hold for long.” And then he began muttering something that sounded awfully like a spell under his breath.
Caia turned around, grabbing onto Lucien in anger. “He planned all this! For us to come here like idiots, all guns blazing, our emotions clouding us,” she hissed feeling a rioting pain in her head. “I don’t know how long I can hold the shield. Get Jaeden-” she stopped abruptly, her heart slamming in her chest as she felt the tingling of another trace, their energy throbbing ten seconds away from them. “Lucien, get Jaeden quickly! There’s another one coming!”
He shook his head, his face twisted in anger. “I’m not leaving you.”
Caia swore. “You have to. That’s what he wants, for us to be stupid and emotional!”
“Caia-”
But it was too late. The trace she had felt appeared in the kitchen in the form of a tall, rangy warlock. His wild eyes took in Ethan. “My lord...” he stumbled towards him.
“Stop them, Lars!” Ethan cried, piercing one hand through Caia’s wall.
Caia looked back at Lucien in a panic. “Lucien, change!”
The bolt of white heat hit him before he even had a chance to process her words, and sent him soaring with incredible force straight through the pantry door, wood splintering everywhere as he collided with the floorboards.
“Lucien!” Her eyes burned with tears as he lay unconscious.
“Don’t worry he’s not dead.” Ethan grunted as he punched another hand through the wall. “Yet.” He grinned as if they were friends, and then turned to Lars in anger just as quickly. “What are you waiting for? Kill the girl.” He pointed at Jaeden.
“No,” Caia whispered, and just as she felt her own building swell of white heat spring like a root from her tingling toes up her calves and over her thighs, the kitchen window flew apart and into the room as a large lykan burst through it and lunged straight for Lars’s jugular. His screamed was cut off by the sickening spurt of blood that shot up out of his neck and painted the ceiling above him.
“Ryder.” Caia breathed in relief as he mauled the magik to pieces within seconds.
Enraged, her uncle broke through her shield entirely and one of his own shot up around her and himself, immediately blocking Ryder out. He growled and snarled as he bounced up against the wall of energy enclosing her with her uncle.
“Not well done at all, Caia,” Ethan tutted, shaking his head and prowling around her like a tiger taunting its prey. “I must say I’m horrified to hear that you feel a Midnight’s trace. That you could feel my plans for you…” He chuckled but without humour, his eyes still as soulless as ever. “In fact, you’re my worst fear realised. I should make this quick.” He scratched his chin as if thinking, and then stopped, his gaze drifting over her body. “But I won’t.”
He snapped his fingers, never taking his eyes from her, and Lucien was suddenly behind him; his arms cuffed to chains, chains that dangled him from the ceiling like meat on a hook. Ryder growled and snapped viciously, his fur trembling visibly with the frustration of not being able to get to his friend.
Ethan laughed at the horror on her face and turned to have a look at the Alpha. “You know my mother died in a similar situation.”
“You touch one hair on-”
“Oh please,” he scoffed, “Enough with the threats you pint-sized harpy.”
Caia wanted to cry looking at Lucien. He groaned, coming to, his silver eyes finding her, eliciting an involuntary noise of pain from her. She made a move towards him only to bang up against another of Ethan’s shields.
“Now, now Caia,” he taunted. “Be good.”
“I’ll kill you.”
“What did I say about the threats? Hmm? And just so you know... you won’t kill me. Not even close. In fact, I’m going to kill all your little friends here.” He flicked his hand elegantly around the room and suddenly Jaeden and Lucien’s heads were snapped back by invisible hands. Jaeden cried out making Caia flinch.
“Stop it,” she demanded, trying to hold onto some of her cool so her brain might function enough to come up with a plan.
Ethan laughed. “Never. Once they’re gone, you and I are going to have a little show down before I go and slaughter the rest of these mangy mutts.” He sighed as if he had just eaten a very satisfying meal and turned an evil eye on her. “What is that death match you idiots have...?”
Caia shuddered in offence and rage. “Lunarmorte,” she supplied regally.
He laughed harder at her haughtiness. “That’s the one. My goddess... so uncivilised. Ripping your own people apart for a title.”
She snarled at him, “Isn’t that what you are doing just now?”
“No!” He spat back viciously. “You’re a dog polluting the gifts of Gaia!”
“I’m your niece.”
“No. Your blood is nothing like mine. Blood of low-bred, vicious animals that threaten Gaia’s creation, that threaten the delicate balance of our existence with mankind, runs in your veins. Lykan... vampyre. What’s the difference? You are all the same. A blight on the world and a danger to humans.”
A new fury, or perhaps an ancient one, flushed across Caia’s skin. “We’re not a danger to humans. We have been civilised for centuries. It’s you, and you’re Coven who endanger the world with this continual mindless war!” She fumed, surprised by her bravery considering Lucien was dangling before her like a carcass. “And you can paint it anyway you want Uncle... you’re blood still runs in my veins.”
Satisfaction spread through her as his jaw clenched, his fists curled into white knots. It seemed like forever as he glared at her in disgust. She could feel Lucien’s desperation building at the same time, the burning of Lars’ blast spreading up his right side; Ryder’s control slipping; and Jaeden’s numbness returning, like once more she had given up, waiting for death to finally come.
No!
“You know.” Ethan drew her attention again. He looked calm, a sly smile playing on his lips. “In a way you’re right. Why don’t I finish with these mongrels?” He smiled widely and Lucien groaned. Caia could only watch in dread as a flame shaped like a knife burst open in front of Lucien and scored across his torso slowly and painfully.
Caia began to sob, leaning against the invisible shield and gulping for breath as the smell of burning flesh hit her nose. “Stop it,” she managed to plead. He ignored her, far more interested in the lykan who refused to scream for him. Tears of agony tracked Lucien’s cheeks but not a syllable was uttered from between his clenched teeth.
He shrugged and turned back to her. “If I had the time I would enjoy breaking that one. But I’m far too eager to get down to a Lunarmorte of our very own.”
Caia tried to calm her sobbing as she met Lucien’s eyes. She had done this to them all. How could he look at her like that, still fearing for her, when she had done this to them all! She couldn’t even get out of this damn shield to douse whatever fire Ethan produced with her water. She searched the room, looking for anything, something to help her think… and then her eyes caught the sight of the moon through the broken window and it seemed as if a rush of wind rustled down from it and into the kitchen to carry through the shield and stroke her skin. Caia blinked.
It had come through the shield.
She closed her eyes and began pushing against the energy Ethan used with her own – gold meeting ice. Wasn’t it funny, she thought distantly, that he should taste like ice when he’s a fire magik and I like hot gold when I’m a water magik. She pushed. Hard. Hard enough to feel a blood vessel pop above her eye. She ignore it and continued, allowing the sounds of Ryder’s clawing and snapping inside her, giving her the animalistic fury of the lykan that she needed right now.
“It’s not going to work, Caia,” Ethan sing-songed. Her eyes flew open at the sound of metal clanging and she watched in abject fear as Ethan tapped a sharp long metal spike against the wall. She had no idea where it had come from.
“You should say goodbye, Caia.” He let go of the spike and it danced in the air in front of him before tilting horizontally, spike head pointing towards Lucien’s heart. “Say goodbye to the dog you love, before I pierce his unworthy heart.”
The spike stilled directly in front of Lucien’s chest, inching slowly closer. Her breath caught, her eyes locked on his. No. No. No no no no no.
“Pity you can’t say goodbye to your precious pack but that just makes this all a little sweeter.”
“NO!” She screamed as he pulled the spike back as if to plunge. He turned back to look at her, his eyes sparkling with perverse laughter. “Something to say before the end?”
She nodded and glanced back outside, feeling that white heat in her stomach, in her chest, crawl up her throat, claw her face and blow her hair back with a force. She didn’t know how she must have looked, what her uncle saw in her eyes or on her body, but his mouth gaped in disbelief and his eyes blinked in fear.
“It’s a full moon.”
“What?” He whispered, stumbling back, and she felt the power spark like electricity between her fingers. She looked back up at him and smiled.
She breathed, “Lunarmorte.”
May the best Alpha win.
The heat exploded from her, blasting out of her seeping veins, blinding her with its deep and pure white.
Her head hit something hard.
And then everything went black.
29 - Sebastian
“Caia.” Someone shook her and her eyes rolled back before opening. She felt exhausted. As if someone had taken all the muscles out of her body and left her limp and useless.
“What?” She croaked and tried to open her eyes.
“Caia.”
“Lucien?”
“Yeah.”
She opened her eyes at the same time she tried to sit up. Lucien hissed in pain as he helped her and her eyes widened on his wounds.
Ethan!
She whipped her head around to see Lars, grotesquely dead on the floor, a naked Ryder lifting Jae into his arms. His eyes found Caia and they seemed blank with shock.
Ethan was nowhere to be seen.
Her gaze fell on the spot he had stood and felt her stomach turn at the sight. Correction. Ethan was everywhere. Literally. Pulp blood and gore lay across the floor and over the counters; he was even stuck to the walls.
“Did I?” She whispered in disbelief, her eyes finding Lucien.
He nodded, speechless.
Alive. She cried out and pressed a hand against his cheek without thinking. He was alive, she laughed happily. They were all alive. They had done it.
“We have to go.” Ryder marched by them, holding Jae as if she weighed nothing. “Sebastian’s badly hurt.”
And like that her joy died.
Despite his pain, Lucien helped her to her feet and through the house to the back door. Ryder waited at the edge of the woods with Jaeden and began to march forward when he was assured they were behind him.
“Wait, where’s Seb and Aidan and Christian?” She stumbled, clutching to Lucien.
“At the truck. I told them to go on whilst I made sure you guys were OK.”
It seemed to take forever to get there. Lucien changed to heal himself quicker and shot off ahead of them, following the scent of the others back to his truck.
Caia couldn’t speak. Ryder didn’t speak. But every time Jae whimpered Caia would stroke her hair.
“We’re nearly there,” Ryder grunted.
Caia nodded. If she could have run she would have. To get to Sebastian.
“What happened?” She managed eventually, hoping to Artemis Sebastian wasn’t nearly as badly hurt as Ryder had made it sound.
“The
daemon was tougher. Fought back even with all four of us on him. He sliced Sebastian open pretty good. Too much damage for him to change so he could heal.”
Caia gagged and tried to slow her escalating heart rate. “But he’ll be OK?”
His silence was heartbreaking.
Caia began to run, stumbling and cursing at her stupid muscles that had decided to give up on her just when she needed them.
Finally she burst out of the woods and slammed against the truck.
They all turned at the whine she made when her eyes caught on Sebastian. Without thinking she jumped onto the truck bed.
“Caia.” Aidan tried to hold her back but she pushed at him.
“Let her,” Sebastian hissed.
His stomach was packed with as much cloth as they could find around the truck but already it was drenched in his blood. Ryder was right. His wound was far more severe than Caia’s had been – it wasn’t just a slash across his stomach; his stomach had been ripped open.
Sebastian coughed, drawing her attention back to his face. “Come on,” he cracked wheezing and shivering. “Can’t be that bad.”
“Everyone into the truck,” Lucien demanded, having changed. Ryder slid Jaeden into the cab while he changed and now pulled her onto his lap so Aidan could sit up front with them. Christian sat beside Sebastian on the truck bed. “We’ve got to get to Marion. She’ll help.” Lucien nodded at Sebastian and then climbed in behind the wheel.
Caia grabbed onto that hope and slid down beside Sebastian, shifting him as gently as possible so that his head was cushioned on her lap. The truck growled to a start and pulled away, Lucien driving as fast as he was able.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered and a warm tear trickled off her face and onto his.
Sebastian looked up at her, still shuddering in her arms. “Don’t,” he coughed. “Don’t you do that.”
“Sebastian,” she moaned.
He smiled and winced at the effort it took, but his tawny eyes never left hers. “I wanted to do this. And you got Jae right. We got Jae.”
“We got Jae.”
“She’s alright?”
“Sebastian,” It was Jaeden’s voice and her slender, bruised arm slid through the partition from the cab to grasp a hold of Sebastian’s sleeve. He rolled his eyes enough to see the top of Jaeden’s head.
Moon Spell: Part One in the Tale of Lunarmorte Page 29
