His eyes changed first. They narrowed and darkened in color, turning cold. His jaw hardened, lips thinning into a line of displeasure, and the Derek I loved disappeared behind this new face.
The priest hadn't noticed. No one had.
I walked to Derek, standing in his view. "Who are you?"
Father Patrick's hand touched my shoulder. "What do you see, Rose?"
"It's not Derek." Saying the words out loud made it real, and I wanted to grab the love of my life and shake him until he came back to me.
The thing possessing Derek smiled an awful smile. "Clever girl. You must take after your father" He winked at me as if we shared a secret. "Your mother was always too self-absorbed to regard anyone but herself."
"Who are you?" I demanded again. "And how do you know my mother?"
"Don't you recognize me, girl. I be the demon you betrayed to the dragon. And I be your father." His voice, once strong and commanding, slipped into a simpering whine that I recognized.
"Bankun? But how?" My mother and him? That slimy demon? How could she even think of… yuck. I couldn't even finish the thought.
"You see what you want to see, so I showed you what you saw. An old demon greedy for food. You and your boy, here, played right into my plans." He moved his arms, and the ropes holding him turned to dust.
Everyone stood and backed up. No one knew how powerful this demon was. We didn't know what attacking him would do to Derek. And, aside from me, no one had any real power left. Mine hadn't worked on demons like Blake, anyways, so we were up shit creek without a paddle, as they say.
Bankun paced the room, his grin growing. "Do you know how your precious Druids came to have their power?"
He spoke to me, so I shook my head. "No."
"Me!" His voiced thundered through the air, and a frame fell from the wall shattering. A family portrait of the O'Conners.
David faced Bankun with the full authority of his rank and title. "Our ancestors turned from your magic a long time ago. The horrible things you made them do, the pain you had them cause… My people would have died had they stayed bound to your prison of blood. You destroy, Bankun. That's what you do. That's who you are. We will never be as you. My ancestors cast you into a prison of their own. We will cast you back.
"I'm not here to destroy you or your precious family. I'm here to destroy the fallen one who stood with the Druids and ensured my demise. I'm here to destroy the one they call Beleth and reclaim my power through the roses. In the final sacrifice on the solstice—with Rose's mother's help—I will forever lay claim to this body and lead the Druids into a new age of power."
This body as in the body that belonged to Derek. "No! I won't let you take him."
Bankun held up his hands, palms out. White light blasted from them, hitting me in the chest and sending me flying across the room.
Vision faded in and out as everything erupted in chaos. Tears leaked out of my eyes, not because of injuries, but from the ripping open of my heart at the thought of losing Derek again, this time forever.
SEVENTEEN
Blood Will Have Blood
ROSE
It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood
— William Shakespeare, Macbeth
I DIDN'T REALIZE I'd passed out until I woke up with my head in Blake's lap. "What happened?"
With the world spinning around me, I tried to sit up. Blake supported my back and propped me up against a wall, keeping one arm around me. We both sat on the floor in some kind of storage unit I'd never seen before.
"Bankun used blood magic to take control of the pack. The shifters are listen to him now."
"Oh my God. What about Ocean? Jas? Father Patrick and Drake?" This was all my fault. I should have made them leave before Derek could find a way to rescue me.
Blake hugged me tighter. "They were locked up."
I pushed myself off the floor, almost knocking my head on the low ceiling. "We have to save them."
Blake pulled me back down to him. "We can't. Not yet. We have to get out of here before we're captured too. He called the whole pack here. All the cousins and aunts and uncles. Everyone. The place is teeming with mind-whipped shifters who want nothing more than to do the bidding of their new master."
"But Derek. We have to get to him. He's in there somewhere, I know it. I can bring him back."
David opened a trap door above us and poked his head in. "Hurry. I know a way out."
I hesitated. Wasn't he under Bankun's control too?
David reached for my hand. "Rose, it's me. I don't have long before the magic takes over, but I can help you now. If you want to save my son, my whole family, you have to leave."
His eyes looked clear, so I took his hand. Blake lifted me at the waist while David pulled me up. We'd been in a secret compartment under the basement.
Blake followed me out, and we kept pace with David as he led us through the basement and out a side door. He handed Blake a set of car keys. "This goes to the Mercedes in the garage. There's money in the glove compartment. Don't tell me where you're going. Keep my daughter-in-law safe, will you?"
Was he reminding Blake that I belonged to Derek? Or was it a message to me that I was still family? Either way, his words brought me comfort.
David hugged me. "Bankun is right about our history. You have to find a way to stop this, Rose. We're all counting on you."
I nodded. "I won't let you down. I can't. I need him too much." We both knew who I meant.
David closed the door behind us, and Blake and I fled to the garage, hoping no one in the house spotted us.
Once in the car, Blake flew off the property at speeds that scared me, but he didn't seem to have a problem navigating, and I knew we could be followed any minute, so I didn't say anything.
My mind spun with everything that had happened. I'd gone from making love to my fiancé, to battling demons and trying to save the lives of everyone I loved all in the span of a few days. I just wanted a simple life, a boring life, where Derek and I woke up together and had breakfast and worked with kids at the mansion, helping them grow and learn. Then at night we'd cuddle up with a book or a movie or a nice meal, and we'd talk and laugh and love each other.
Would we ever get that?
I just wanted him to survive, free of demons and death.
After driving for more than an hour, Blake pulled over to a gas station and bought a first aid kit to treat the cuts and bruises I'd acquired from this new demon Derek.
He dabbed at a cut over my eye with antibacterial cream. "We should try to find the rose bush before Bankun does."
"No, first we save Derek. Then we can get the rose bush."
Securing a bandage over the cut, he surveyed my other injuries, his hands warm against my cold skin. "Derek can't be saved right now, Rose."
"Blake, I appreciate your help, and I'm glad I'm not alone right now, but if you won't help me save Derek, I will go by myself. You can do what you want."
He packed up the supplies and stowed them in the back seat. "I'm not letting you go alone. I might have an idea that isn't completely doomed to failure, though it brings its own set of risks with it."
For the first time, reality hit me. If the ceremony took place, Blake and Bankun would both stay in the bodies they inhabited. But if we stopped it, Bankun would be defeated, and Blake would go back to the demon dimension—a fate worse than death.
Blake. Derek.
I could only save one.
Blake seemed to know my thoughts as he wiped a tear from my cheek with his finger. "It's your choice, Rose. It always has been. I'll be here for you whatever you choose."
And that made my decision even more terrible.
"What's your idea to save Derek?"
He nodded, resignation written all over his face. "We need to go see an old friend. Beleth."
EIGHTEEN
Fair is Foul
BLAKE
Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
— William Shakespeare, Ma
cbeth
I’D COME HERE alone last time and with very different intentions. I’d procured the sphere to help the witches defeat the Druids. Now I sought to help the Druids defeat Rainbow and Bankun. The beautiful soul next to me could be blamed for the radical departure from my normal self.
As much as I had changed, the church courtyard looked as it always had. With crumbling angel statues and flowers in need of watering, cast in a certain shadow it could be quite lovely.
Rose chirped in shock when Beleth descended from the sky like a dark curse, inky black wings extending as he dropped.
He’d gotten more tattoos since our last meeting, the tribal patterns now covering his hands and neck as well as arms and chest.
I’d taken a risk bringing Rose without telling Beleth.
He eyed her with suspicion, then turned to me. “You bring guests? I trust you also brought that which you borrowed from me?”
“We have a problem.” My hands shook, and I hoped Rose didn’t notice.
“We? There is no we.” He towered over us both, a fallen angel genetically modified into something that defied labeling, his muscles flexing into rocks.
“The Druids have been taken over by an old friend of yours. Bankun. They have the sphere.” This could go a few ways. Bad, worse or we’re fucked. I was hoping for just bad.
Beleth's hand reached for me, the fingers fusing together as it turned into the same black substance as his wings and sharpened into a blade. He held it at my throat. “You lost the sphere to Bankun? I should kill you right here for that. You have no idea what you’ve done, you stupid demon.”
Rose grabbed his arm, as fearless as always. “Please don’t hurt him. It wasn’t his fault. I went to the demon dimension to save my friends and when we came back, Bankun had hitched a ride in my fiance, Derek. He took over the Druids, controlling them somehow. We need help. He’s using Derek’s body. If I can bring Derek back, we can destroy Bankun and stop my mother from claiming the rose power.”
Beleth’s blade hovered so close to my Adam’s apple he nearly sliced it in half, but he didn’t attack Rose for challenging him, so I kept my complaints to myself.
The angel retracted his sword, still focused on Rose. “You not only survived the demon realm, but saved your friends as well?”
“We kind of all saved each other. I traded myself for them, and then Derek saved me. Only, Bankun tricked him. But if you help us, we’ll send the demon back where he belongs.” Her voice cracked, but she continued. “Please. He’s vowed to go after you. This could be mutually beneficial.”
Rose never ceased to amaze me. I wished again that there was some way for me to stay and fight for her. With more time I could show her how much I loved her.
Beleth reached into his pocket and pulled out the vial of rose oil I’d given him. “This is all I can do. Get Derek to drink it, and it should help him regain his own powers.”
Rose snatched it from his hand. “Then what?”
Beleth flapped his wings, hovering a few inches above the ground. “Then say a prayer and hope your man is strong enough to evict a very old, very powerful demon.”
As he flew away, he shot me one more look. “I want my sphere back when this is over, Blake, or I’ll come for you.”
Not unless he wanted a one way trip to the demon dimension, he wouldn’t.
NINETEEN
I Dare Do All
DEREK
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more, is none.
— William Shakespeare, Macbeth
MY CONSCIOUSNESS HOVERED just beneath the surface, close enough that I could see what he saw, feel what he felt, but distant enough that I could not control my own body.
Bankun lived inside of me, his demonic power wrapped around my soul, smothering it as he manipulated me like a puppet master. He'd trapped my family in his blood magic, placing them under his control. He'd sought out Rose and Blake, but hadn't been able to find them.
His voice brought everyone in the room to attention. "Speak now, if you have news of my daughter and that traitorous demon she's with."
My dad stepped forward, his eyes glazed over from compulsion. "I helped them escape."
I could feel the shock and anger that grew in Bankun. He didn't understand how my dad had been able to resist him long enough to offer aid to his enemies. A grudging admiration for my father's strength turned to rage and jealousy. He lifted my fist and slammed it against my dad's face.
I screamed from the inside, begging him to stop, begging my dad to fight back.
Another punch, and my dad fell to his knees. My knuckles ached from the impact against bone and flesh. Bankun lifted my knee and held onto my dad's head as he slammed the knee into his jaw.
Blood flowed, and my father slumped to the ground, unconscious. He didn't fight back, couldn't fight back. And neither could I.
Bankun invaded my thoughts, preying on my fears, taunting me with images of Rose being tortured. Soon, boy, you will disappear forever, leaving me full reign of this body. Enjoy the show while you can.
As my mother and sister, still enthralled, obeyed Bankun and cared for my father, I used everything I could to push the demon out of me, calling on my wolf, on my Druid power, on my love for Rose and my family.
My head spun and Bankun clutched the staircase, forcing my feet up the stairs and to my bedroom. He collapsed on the bed, fighting back. You may be stronger than I gave you credit for, but you're no match for me.
White light flashed, and the world around me dimmed. He'd cut me off from myself somehow, made me weaker, less aware.
The room took on a hazy, out of focus look, and he sat up, revived, feeding off my pain even as he used my body.
The door creaked open, and I forced my mind to clear, to see what a part of me didn't want to see. Rose stood at the door.
No. I had to be imagining it, hallucinating. She couldn't be here. She'd escaped. Had Blake betrayed her? Brought her back for Bankun? Demons couldn't be trusted.
Her face sharpened, the haze burning away in my anger. "Derek, I know you're still in there. You have to fight him." She held a vial, and Bankun focused his vision on it.
He rose to full height, staring down at Rose. "He can hear you, but he's not going to be coming out to play. However, I am famished, and you always were a tasty little treat, blood of my blood."
Rose, my dear brave Rose, didn't back away like I prayed she would. "I have no parents, not anymore. You and my mother can rot in hell together. I won't let you destroy my family with your evil plans."
He used my hand to strike her face. No! Rose! She couldn't hear me, but she could hear him laughing through my mouth as blood trickled out of hers.
Her cheek swelled, skin red. "Is that all you got?"
What? Why are you taunting him? Stop!
With a roar, he lunged at her, but she stepped to the side and used her body weight to deflect him, just like I'd taught her. Good girl!
But Bankun was a skilled fighter, and he had my body at his disposal. He grabbed her and threw her to the floor, pinning her, the vial she'd been holding rolling away from her.
I fought against him again, but my efforts did nothing. He blocked me and leaned into her, spreading her legs with his knee. "There are many ways to feed, pretty girl. Time to teach you a thing or two about demons."
Oh God. No. He couldn't. Bankun, leave her alone.
She needs to be broken. It's not personal.
Rose's eyes widened when she realized what he planned. She fought harder, panic making her forget our lessons.
He ripped off her shirt and fondled her through her bra. I wanted to throw up, to tear his head off and eat his heart out like I'd done his brother.
Someone grabbed my body from behind and tried to pull me off of Rose, but Bankun didn't release her, twisting to face this new threat. Blake punched him in the face, and I felt the blow. For the first time, I cheered Blake on, hoping he killed me if it meant saving Rose.
>
Rose reached for the vial, grasped it in her hands and opened it.
The scent of roses filled the room.
Blake locked his arms in place, and Rose leaned up, still pinned but stretching herself to pour the vial into my mouth.
The scent seemed to repel Bankun. He fought harder, pushing at them with his own power. With a blast of white light, he threw Blake across the room, knocking him unconscious.
The vial fell from Rose's hand and spilled into the carpet, lost to us both.
With Blake out of the way and the oil no longer a threat, Bankun returned his attention to Rose, who raised her fists, ready to fight though she had no chance of winning.
Once again, he used my hand to punch someone I loved. Rose's head clunked against the floor, but she held on to consciousness and shifted enough to knee me in the balls. Bankun and I both felt that.
Just not enough.
Another fist to the kidney, and she screamed in pain.
He pulled off her pants, until she wore nothing but panties and a bra.
A back hand across the face when she resisted.
A twist of her arm with a sickening snap.
Using my hand, he reached for her panties.
No. No. No.
NoNoNoNoNo!
Anger. Rage. Blinding and complete. I dug deeper, finding my wolf, finding my power, using my love for Rose to feed my strength. I would die before I let him do this to her.
I growled, howled, forced myself to shift.
At first it was all in my head.
Then my body began to transform.
As it did, as nail turned to claw and skin to fur, my wolf took back control, no longer under the spell of the demon, and pulled away from Rose.
She moaned, bruised and beaten and in pain, and scooted herself to the wall, shivering.
Seduced by Power Page 8
