by Emma Dean
No magic. They’d agreed on that. Which meant she couldn’t summon Excalibur either.
Mika ducked and sank her blade into Emily’s thigh at the same time one of the raven’s blades missed her throat, but the second one went through her back and ribs. Emily knocked the long knife out of Mika’s other hand, and Mika used the momentum to punch the assassin’s knee just hard enough it popped out of place instead of breaking it.
“Now you’re holding back,” Emily hissed, popping her knee back into place with a practiced flick—not even a wince.
Mika yanked the blade from her back and spun it once before releasing it.
Emily laughed as she dodged, blurring from one location to another as Mika fought the urge to slip into the shadow realm or use magic. Instead she pulled Emily’s knife from her belt, rolled and picked up the other one buried under the leaves.
It was just in time too. Mika blocked the downward strike with both blades, gritting her teeth as her healing wound reopened. She twisted her wrists and yanked down, slicing Emily’s hands. More knives fell to the ground and Mika immediately went on the offensive.
She only had so long before the raven healed, but Emily dodged every attack.
Everything she was zeroed in on the raven, enjoying the challenge – the way she had to stretch and work her new speed and strength as hard as she could just to make sure she didn’t end up accidentally dead.
Well, not that she could die.
Mika was more worried about accidentally killing Emily.
There was so much of their blood soaking their clothes, dripping down their bodies, getting into the dirt to fertilize it for the next growing season. Mika could taste it on her tongue, and it crackled with power.
Emily gripped her wrists just before Mika sank both blades just under her collarbones and tightened until Mika was forced to release the knives. The blood made Emily’s grip slick and Mika brought up her knee hard and fast, but Emily blocked it with her own.
Hand to hand then with a bit of wrestling if she was right. Emily was smaller so that could work in her favor since she was so fucking fast. But Mika was stronger. She yanked down hard, forcing Emily to let go of her, and then struck hard and fast right in the diaphragm.
How the fucking raven was still standing instead of flying ten feet back was a mystery, but neither of them stopped to think about it.
Emily struck everywhere Mika had a gaping wound, and it fucking hurt.
Canines slid down and pricked her lips. Mika had to force her hands to stay normal and keep her teeth in her mouth, but she snarled as they both blocked and punched, kicked and spun. Whoever had taught Emily had taught her acrobatics at some point and Mika had dodgeball to thank for every leap she didn’t end up clobbered.
They both healed fast enough they didn’t have to stop, not yet, and Mika grinned, wanting to know just how far she could go – how far she could push herself before Emily won.
A jab to her chin had her disoriented for a minute and Mika stumbled. Emily had her hand ready to slam into the side of her neck faster than she could blink – to knock Mika out. Only training kept the strike from landing.
A block and Mika’s hand snatched out, wrapping around Emily’s throat. Up a fraction of an inch and she slid her foot back on instinct, still trying to get her eyes to focus. Then she used all her strength to slam Emily onto the ground.
The raven was on her back and gasping thanks to the air getting knocked from her lungs, but she still managed to hit Mika again right under the chin, wrapping her legs around Mika’s neck to choke her until she passed out.
Mika squeezed again and then decided playing ‘who passes out first’ wasn’t the best way to go about this. Instead she released the raven and gripped her shirt, lifting her up in the air again and slamming her back down.
Emily was dazed, her thighs loosening just enough Mika got free.
Something hard brushed against her fingers and Mika wrapped them around the knife. She whipped her hand around and Emily grabbed the blade, blood trailing over it and her hand at the same time Mika felt a prick on her own neck.
Another fucking knife.
“Where do you hide them all?” Mika snarled, not caring that the words made the knife pierce her skin.
She ripped the blade out of Emily’s hand and rolled, taking the cut on her neck just to get away. When she flipped back on her feet, Emily stood there covered in blood with Mika’s knives in her hands.
Mika laughed, holding up the slightly curved blades and twirling them in the same pattern she’d seen Emily do.
“I think you two should stop,” Corbin snapped.
He sounded…stressed?
Mika blinked but didn’t relax from the defensive stance she was in. She glanced at her blood bonded, one eye still on Emily.
“Are both of you still alive?” Corbin demanded; arms crossed over his chest with his red eyes blazing – sounding absolutely furious.
“I could go another round,” Emily taunted. “I like the way these feel.”
Mika glared at her, flipping the curved blades again just to feel the perfect balance. “Maybe I’ll keep yours.”
“Consider them a gift.” Emily smirked. “I have plenty.”
“Clearly.” Where the fuck did she hide them all?
“Emily,” Corbin growled.
“Fine, fine.” Emily flipped both knives over and offered them to Mika hilt first. “Draw?”
Mika could taste her own blood and Emily’s.
Then she relaxed and held both blades with one hand, offering the other to the assassin. “Draw.”
“Fucking hell, how are you two still standing?” Aiden asked.
Then Mika realized they had an audience.
Literally everyone had stopped to watch her fight with Emily with nothing but physical skill.
Emily smirked, clearly having planned all this. “Now they know,” she whispered, handing Morgana’s knives back to Mika. “And so do I.”
What a little snot.
Mika could still feel the way her canines ached with their sharpness. She bit down on her own tongue hard.
With one hand she gripped the lower half of Emily’s face, fingers digging into the raven’s jaw and cheeks, knowing she had to do this fast if she was going to get away with it. Before she realized what Mika was doing, she pressed her mouth to Emily’s.
And then stuck her bloody tongue in her mouth.
Mika didn’t loosen her hold even when Emily tried to fight her off. She pulled back just a fraction and stared into the raven’s red eyes. “Swallow it.” A few whispered words in Celtic and the wounds on Emily’s body started to close. Mika could feel it when the trickle of blood slowed to a stop.
“Stop manipulating me and stop testing me. If you want to know something, ask. I will give you the truth. I really don’t like people staring at me like I’m a freak.” Then she released Emily and glared at the raccoons she’d kept from racing to their mate’s side with her blood magic. “Deal?” But she wasn’t asking them.
Emily checked her leg and grinned when she saw the skin was perfect once more. “Deal, blood witch.”
“Mika?” Ethan asked, clearly wanting to check her wounds.
She grinned at him and snapped her fingers, repairing and cleaning her and Emily’s clothes. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
And she was, for the most part. Everywhere Emily had landed a strike would heal on its own, but that wasn’t what Ethan was asking.
Mika turned and didn’t bother to sweet talk the Alphas. She wanted a walk.
She took her blades from Emily and headed for the blackthorn, away from all the watching eyes. Her boys could handle the Alphas.
Morgana appeared by her side, glaring back to warn them all off. “You fought well.”
She didn’t respond until she felt there was enough distance between her and everyone else.
It wasn’t the same as when she nearly lost control and almost blasted everyone to bits and pieces at the coli
seum. Mika’s control over her power was better than that now, but she just needed a minute to breathe – to process what had just happened.
There, the blackthorn.
Mika dropped to her knees and hissed in pain when she felt a healing wound tear again.
“You should have let one of them heal you,” Morgana scolded, pulling Mika’s sweater aside. “This is a bone wound. It’s going to take time.”
“Not when they were all watching.” Mika shook her head, hating how they’d all just…stared.
Even Lucien, Ethan, and Corbin had seemed shocked.
Why was Malachi the only one who hadn’t looked surprised?
Well, because they were both insane and he’d tried to push her into using her full strength not that long ago.
Mika sighed and cleaned the blood off her knives before sheathing them. Emily’s she cleaned as well and then set them on either side of her. She needed a moment to just think.
“My queen—”
“Don’t call me that.”
“It’s what you are,” Morgana snapped, flicking her shoulder.
“That hurt.”
“It was supposed to.”
Mika glared at Morgana and the ghost witch glared right back.
“You cannot afford to be injured right now.”
“I’ll be fine.” It’s not like she could die.
Mika was not going to get over that anytime soon. The best she could do was bury it down deep and try to pretend that it didn’t exist.
Leaves crackled and Mika sensed Audrey’s heartbeat and didn’t bother to get up. Asking her to leave was pointless. She didn’t necessarily want to be alone, just away from all those concerned stares.
“I’m kind of mad I wasn’t your first girl kiss,” Audrey said, approaching slowly. “But I heard it wasn’t all that sexy anyway—so much blood.”
It was hard not to laugh when Audrey put it that way.
Morgana smiled and disappeared, giving them privacy.
“Need some help healing?” her adopted sister asked, hands up and waiting for Mika to give permission.
“Are you afraid of me?” Mika needed to know where she stood with those she loved. They hadn’t really talked about her new powers, and they hadn’t really seen what she could do outside shifting.
The challenge with Cassandra Jadis hadn’t been all that hard thanks to Excalibur and her blood beasts. Mika was great at using her tools which hid exactly what she was capable of.
What she’d done with Emily…that had only been the physical. If she’d used magic Mika could have killed Emily and everyone else in that forest.
The only person she’d kept up training with had been Morgana, no one else had seen – not really.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Audrey said carefully. “I am a little bit afraid of what an already very powerful witch could do with the extra shit the Morrigan gave you. I don’t imagine it’s easy to deal with, and if you’re constantly holding back you could get tired and slip…”
“And then someone could die.” Mika turned back to the blackthorn and pressed the pad of her thumb to her canine. “Yeah I know.”
Blood welled and she pressed it to the tree’s bark, waiting for the update.
The blackthorn went to check the eyrie and the mansion, asking Mika for a few minutes to give an up to date report. Mika dropped her hand and sighed.
Audrey sat down cross-legged beside her. “It must be a hard thing to get used to.”
She eyed her adopted sister and once again felt like the luckiest person alive. Mika had lost so much, but what she’d gained in its place was better.
“I’m adjusting,” Mika admitted, keeping her voice quiet. Everyone was still where she left them, but most of them were shifters. She didn’t want to take the chance they could still hear her. “It’s a work in progress, but I’m getting the hang of it.”
“So I heard.” Audrey took Mika’s hand. “Why did you kiss her? That’s very…not you.”
Mika wanted to shrug it off and say it was nothing, but that wasn’t true, and she didn’t want to lie to Audrey.
“It wasn’t the first time Emily had tricked me into a test. She wanted everyone to see what I could do, I assume to cement my position to some degree, but when I looked – they were all staring at me like I was a freak.”
“Or just a really sexy, badass warrior witch.” Audrey squeezed her hand in comfort though, shrugging a shoulder. “Now they know not to fuck with you.”
“Yeah, and I get that.” Mika couldn’t look at Audrey when she explained, it was too embarrassing. “But I was tired of her jerking me around. Ravens don’t play dominance games like the other shifters do. We’d ended the fight on a draw because honestly, one of us would probably have died before giving up until Corbin stepped in.”
It was a weird thing.
Mika always felt it – like some stubborn, destructive rage that refused to give in. She’d wanted to see who would win, who would be the last person standing, to see exactly what she was capable of until one of them wasn’t able to fight anymore.
“So?”
Mika had wanted to establish her dominance with a raven, in the only way she knew how—with blood. “Healing her like that made us even.”
Now they could both be embarrassed, and Emily wouldn’t fuck with Mika again, at least not without her consent.
Audrey laughed, and it was the last thing Mika had expected.
She turned to her sister with raised eyebrows. “What’s so funny?”
“Only you could make a healing kiss into a punishment.”
Mika pinched Audrey but she laughed, knowing the other witch was right.
“Can I help you heal?” Audrey asked, wrapping her arms around Mika’s neck. “Ethan pretty much demanded that I did. They can all feel your pain and they don’t like it.”
“Only if you actually want to.”
Audrey picked up one of Emily’s blades without hesitation and slid her thumb across it. The metal was so sharp Audrey didn’t even react.
Blood welled and she offered it to Mika.
She took Audrey’s wrist and licked the blood from her finger, trying not to make it sexual.
Audrey laughed again and shook her head. “You blush so easily, Mika. I promise I’m not falling in love with you.”
Of course, that made her blush even harder.
“Can’t say the same about Emily though,” Audrey teased.
“Oh shut up.” Mika pushed her sister and they both laughed. “I’m pretty sure she hates me for that.”
“Or her mates do.” Audrey snorted and pushed Mika back. “You’re always so extra.”
“And you love me for it.”
“I do.” Audrey hugged her tight and Mika sighed in contentment.
Audrey was her best friend, her sister, and everything she’d wished Claire had been. They just understood each other, and Mika knew that no matter how crazy things got, at the end of the day, she’d always have Audrey.
They’d grown together, pushed each other, and now Audrey reminded Mika of not just what she was capable of, but who she was and why she was fighting.
Audrey gave her the strength and determination to try and change the world. Nothing and no one could replace her.
“I love you, Audrey,” Mika murmured, kissing the other witch’s cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Probably still kick ass.” Audrey checked her shoulder and nodded in satisfaction. “Your boys should be happier now.”
Mika smiled and leaned against Audrey, sensing the blackthorn’s attention. “Want to talk to the blackthorn with me?”
“You bet your sweet ass I do.” Audrey always had this excitement for life that made Mika appreciate it more. “What do I have to do?”
She took Audrey’s hand and placed it against the trunk. “All you have to do is trust me.”
19
Thankfully no one said anything when she made her way back to the main building of the
university. Samuel was the most invested in her island. He’d helped pay for some of the new dorms and he had pride members attending.
Mika watched him visit with them, her arms crossed over her chest. The wolves did the same with the wolf shifter students, but there weren’t any bears yet. Logan and his Second and Third were more interested in the farm and the greenhouse when they weren’t asking the undine a million questions.
“Mika?” Ethan came up on one side and she felt Lucien on the other.
“I’m fine.”
“We know you’re fine, little witch,” Lucien snorted. “You’ve only said it a million times.”
“We actually want to ask you something else,” Corbin said as he landed in front of her.
“A few other things actually,” Lucien corrected, nudging him with an elbow.
Mika wasn’t sure where to look or what to expect. It could literally be anything and at the moment she wasn’t really ready to answer any questions. There was too much to think about, to consider, to plan and do.
She still had to set up the wards. The longer they waited the more antsy she became. What the hell was Selene even doing? Why weren’t she, Edith, and Matthew on Morgana Island yet?
“Is there something we should know that will help us keep you alive, or something that would make all this with Azrael easier?” Ethan asked, moving to stand next to Corbin so he could face her.
Interesting that he didn’t ask for specifics. Mika narrowed her eyes anyway and studied the way Lucien stood on the other side of Corbin so all three of them were staring her down. Whatever this was, they’d talked about it and planned it together.
Would Malachi’s part come later?
“I’m sure I’ll be able to stay on this side of the living – thanks to all my training and the Morrigan’s gifts,” she reassured them. That was easy enough to promise knowing what she did. “As for Azrael…you already brought all the information you could find. I’ll find the spell I need with or without the one Lucifer is looking for, and I’m sure he’ll find something useful. He already sent the spell for the demon glass.”
Mika studied the three of them, trying to decide if she should ask them what this was really about or if she should be patient.
