Misfit Fortune

by Stephanie Foxe

  She half-expected the elf to kill her but the woman turned and walked away instead. Deward stood there for a moment longer before he followed.

  Genevieve collapsed back into the dirt in the midst of the bodies. She had to get back to the others and help, but first, her leg had to heal enough to walk.

  Light exploded over the temple, blasting through the trees like a wave. The sudden brightness blinded her.

  An enraged howl followed. They were in trouble, but she couldn’t move. Something was wrong. The healing on her leg had stopped. A slow, deep burn spread up into her flank.

  “Shit.” Those were silver bullets.

  Chapter 73

  Amber

  Carter didn’t hesitate to attack. Perhaps he thought he could take her out right away. He was certainly arrogant enough to be that stupid.

  She hopped out of the way of his charge and snapped at his hind leg, teeth missing by less than an inch. They circled each other, lips curled back in a snarl as the crowd looked on. Their anticipation pounded in the air. All these people had come here to watch her die. It was sick but it wasn’t because they were werewolves. It was because they were horribly human.

  Her wolf wanted to win this fight but she had never taken pleasure from watching others fight. She measured herself against the other wolves, wanting to assert her dominance, but that was very different from watching this for entertainment.

  Carter attacked again, jaws snapping at her legs. She moved quickly but he seemed to be able to anticipate which direction she’d dodge. He moved diagonally, cutting off her retreats, forcing her toward the edge of the circle. If she let herself be cornered, this would be over quickly, and not in the way she hoped.

  She dropped low to the ground, growling as he circled around her. He charged in as expected, but this attack was faster than the others. Too fast. He hit her, knocking her off balance. Teeth grazed her side, tearing open a gash. She whipped around, ignoring the pain, and snapped at his leg, forcing him back just enough to give her breathing room.

  Let me take control, the wolf whispered in her mind.

  She rarely heard the wolf speak but something had changed. Her connection to the wolf was stronger. Giving Ceri the pack bite had accelerated everything.

  Taking a deep breath, she sank further into the wolf. Their desires and instincts flowed together until instead of two souls in one body, there was only one. Something greater together than they were separate.

  Her teeth lengthened and her body grew in size. Magic –– pulled from the earth –– filled her with strength. Awareness. She was more than just a wolf.

  Carter took a step back, a growl rumbling from his chest. Whispers of confusion spread through the gathered crowd like wildfire.

  Amber lowered her head and began closing the space between them. She knew Carter’s patience would only last so long. He would attack first again and she would make him pay.

  In the blink of an eye, Carter shifted his hind foot and leapt at her. She didn’t dodge his attack this time. Crouching low, she lunged forward then shot up. Her teeth sunk into his vulnerable belly as he landed on her but he was heavier than she’d expected.

  They hit the ground and his bulk drove the air out of her lungs. She ripped at his gut, her hind legs scrambling against his as they fought for footing and dominance.

  She twisted, getting her flank out from under him, but he managed to catch her foreleg in his jaws. Pain shocked through her system but she didn’t hesitate. With an enraged growl, she bit down on his shoulder and shook her head sharply.

  He yelped in pain and released her leg. She tried to push back up to her feet but he used his weight to keep her from standing back up. Carter was just as oversized in wolf form as he was in real life. She had grown in size but he was still stronger and he had fought like this before.

  She pushed the doubts away. There was no time to be afraid. She had to win. They moved in a blur. Red and black twisting together with punches of white teeth, blood-streaked.

  This couldn’t go on forever. Already her muscles were beginning to protest the exertion. Adrenaline sucked at her limbs, both giving her energy and taking it.

  They broke apart for a moment, both panting and dripping blood from their wounds. Their eyes met, neither one of them willing to look away.

  In this moment, the rest of the world didn’t exist. Not politics. Not laws. Nothing but two alphas, each unwilling to submit to the other.

  With the wolf at the forefront of her mind, she saw the strike coming before he moved and darted to the side. He was only slightly faster, but it was enough. His claws dug into the side of her face. It was deeper than any of her other wounds. It felt wrong, as if he’d used magic to create the wound somehow.

  He got his shoulder under her legs and tossed her back, landing on top of her as she slid in the dirt. She howled in anger and something snapped inside of her. The pack bond exploded inside of her and, all at once, everything became clear.

  Chapter 74

  Kadrithan (Angel)

  The attack had come out of nowhere. Their distraction had worked. The temple had been empty…until Derek had picked up the tablet.

  “Don’t let them get it. I’ll be right back,” Kadrithan said, shoving Amber’s vulnerable human brother down behind the marble dais.

  “What are you doing––”

  Derek’s protests were cut off as Kadrithan returned to his body with jarring speed. The room spun and he thought he might vomit.

  He hadn’t expected Raziel himself to show up at the temple. Not so soon.

  Fighting against the spin of the room, Kadrithan ran for this bathroom. He threw open the cabinet and grabbed the the vial of distilled magic.

  Without hesitating, he unstoppered it and poured the gleaming liquid down his throat. He had to use this now. They had no chance of fending off Raziel and getting out alive if he didn’t. The deal required it, as did good, common sense.

  The vial fell from his fingers as the magic burned through him. He dropped to the ground and laid down on the bathroom floor, not worrying about cleanliness or how sore he’d be when he returned again.

  With magic pounding in his veins, he searched his mind for the link to Ithra and fought his way back to her with reckless speed.

  It was so easy this time to step into the human realm. His feet –– more solid than he had ever managed on his own –– touched the ground. Horns grew from his head and fiery wings exploded from his back, tearing straight through his shirt and jacket.

  A shotgun blast echoed through the marble temple but it wasn’t enough to drown out the sounds of fighting. Raziel hadn’t come alone. A dozen lesser incubi and half breeds blocked the exit. Magic hung in the air like a fog.

  One of the half breeds screamed in pain as a wolf’s teeth sunk into the meat of his calf. He stumbled and swung around to take aim at Tommy, but was stopped short when a spear drove through his chest, coming out clean on the other side. Ithra ripped the spear free and twirled it around, knocking aside a blast of light from one of the lesser incubus with a battle-cry.

  Ceri was fending off Raziel but slowly losing ground. Wind swirled around the witch as she fought the angels with bright bursts of flame and sharp gusts of air. Her hands were in constant motion as she kept up a steady chant. Magic pulsed through the air. More magic than he thought was even possible for one witch. It still wouldn’t be enough.

  Raziel, crowned in a halo of light, waved his hand through the air and she was tossed back without effort.

  Kadrithan flew toward her, catching her just before she hit a wall. The force of her impact sent him stumbling backward but he could take the blow. It would have broken her. He set her on her feet and moved between her and Raziel.

  “Get away from the temple with the others. As far as you can go,” he said urgently. This fight was his and when they clashed, no one nearby would be safe.

  A black wolf raced toward the angel, howling in rage, but Raziel simply waved his hand again. Li
ght struck out like a whip and tossed the wolf aside.

  “Tommy!” Ceri shrieked.

  “Get him and run!” Kadrithan said, shouting over the noise. He couldn’t waste any more time babying them. Raziel wasn’t going to wait.

  The angel’s gaze landed on him and a smile split his inhumanly perfect face. “Kadrithan, my old friend.”

  He walked toward the incubus scum, drawing his sword smoothly. “Friend? We were acquaintances at best.”

  The incubus laughed, the sound like chimes in the wind. He’d heard Raziel’s real laugh though and it wasn’t so kind.

  “Do you intend to model for me or are we going to fight, friend?” Kadrithan taunted. He was eager to plunge his sword into Raziel’s gut. He wanted to hear him squeal in pain like the pig he was.

  The incubus smiled and the false beauty dripped from his face like melting candle wax. Cold, pale skin replaced the effervescent warmth of the illusion. The halo vanished. The brilliant white, feathered wings faded away.

  What was left was the truth. A man with cruelty in his eyes and a whip burning with cold light clutched in a bony hand.

  “Let’s dance, demon,” Raziel said with a sharp smile.

  They raced toward one another, moving inhumanly fast. Neither of them were human. They were stronger, faster, more powerful.

  The whip cracked through the air. He smacked it aside with the flat of his sword and launched himself straight up into the air, his wings moving as he needed instinctually. It had been so long since he’d been able to do this, especially in the human realm, but his body remembered how to move. Evangeline had no idea how lucky she was to be able to do this at will, or how powerful it made her.

  He dove at Raziel, sword held close to his body, ready for a quick strike. The incubus didn’t wait for him. He darted out of the way, spinning in a tight circle and striking out with the whip once again.

  A sudden blast of wind knocked the whip off kilter and him nearly out of the sky.

  Ceri, walking backwards toward the dais continued chanting. Her hair floated all around her head and her eyes glowed blue. That was new.

  The incubus shrieked in rage and lashed out at the witch. Kadrithan took the opening and swung his sword, letting magic flow down the blade. Fire billowed from its edge and flew at Raziel in a white-hot crescent wave.

  Raziel was forced to step back, missing his strike at Ceri, to shield himself against the attack with a shield of light.

  “Leave, Ceridwen!” Kadrithan shouted. He didn’t have time to make sure she didn’t get hurt. Raziel wasn’t just any incubus. This fight would push him to his limits. Perhaps beyond them.

  “No! They’ll just follow us.” The witch pulled a strange, feathered necklace out from her shirt. “Deal with Raziel, we’ll take care of the rest.”

  “Fine. Stay out of my way.” She was just as stubborn as Amber. No one in the pack was ever willing to just cooperate with his plans. It was infuriating.

  He launched himself at Raziel again, going on the offensive. With the distilled magic buzzing through him, he felt reckless. This was as close to free as he’d felt in a century.

  “You cannot hope to beat me!” Raziel shouted as he spun in place, whip snapping out with a crack like thunder.

  “That’s something a man afraid of losing would say!” He drove his sword into the floor, cracking the marble as flames raced along the ground toward the incubus. Once close to Raziel, they exploded upward in a shower of super-heated rock.

  A shield of light surrounded Raziel. It grew in brightness, then exploded with a flash, blinding him. He shot upward. Raziel would use the light to hide his next attack. He had to keep moving until he could see again.

  The whip wrapped around his foot, dragging him back down with a vicious yank. His wings bent awkwardly and he swung in a wide arc, smashing into one of the gaudy statues near the wall. He rolled away immediately, narrowly avoiding the bolt of lightning that crashed into the statue, finishing it off.

  “No!” Derek’s shout was followed by three quick shotgun blasts. A group of four half breeds were converging on him and Ithra. Ceri was a short distance away, casting frantically, but separated from them by an angel.

  With a growl of frustration, Kadrithan launched himself at the group, slicing through two of them in one swing. He sent a bolt of flame into the back of the angel, getting its attention just long enough for Ceri to regain the upper hand.

  Raziel’s whip wrapped around his wrist and he was yanked backward. He tossed the sword to his left hand and swiped it over his head, the enchanted metal cutting through the whip with an awful, keening sound.

  He jerked his wrist free but realized he couldn’t close his hand. The burns from the light had gone too deep. He’d have to continue the fight with his off hand. This was not a fight he could handle at a disadvantage.

  Raziel had brought too many men. His attention was split between the pack and Raziel. He’d promised Amber he would keep them safe and he couldn’t break that promise.

  Casting away the doubt and fear, he charged at Raziel, sending fire ahead of him like a stampede. The incubus was forced upward, propelling himself toward the ceiling in a blaze of crackling lightning.

  Raziel’s whip struck down, nearly landing a blow on his cheek. He dodged it, counter-attacking with another wave of fire. They danced around each other. Light and fire. Angel and demon.

  Kadrithan began to feel the drain of the fight. If he’d not had the distilled magic, he would have already been forced to return to his physical body. He could not keep this up forever.

  With a series of quick attacks, Raziel forced him backward toward the pack. He managed to deflect each strike but the incubus was moving too fast for him to counter. It was as if the incubus had simply been toying with him before.

  “Your relationship with this pack is quite fascinating,” Raziel said with a growing smile, thin lips stretched over sharp teeth. He lifted a hand toward Derek. “Would your little alpha forgive you if they didn’t all come home?”

  He raced to put himself between Raziel and the pack but he was too slow. Lightning exploded from Raziel’s palm, racing toward Derek. It seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion. A black blur passed in front of Derek, taking the brunt of the attack. But not all of it. Tommy let out a yelp but it was drowned out by Derek’s shout of pain.

  Tommy crashed into Derek and they both hit the ground in a tangle of limbs, the tablet flying from Derek’s hand and sliding across the floor.

  Raziel raced for it immediately, shouting orders for his minions to help.

  “Tempestas!” Ceri shouted, enraged. Wind blew from the back of the temple, sending them all flying back. Kadrithan flared out his wings and let the air currents propel him upward.

  The angel Ceri had been fighting charged her and the spell faltered, giving Raziel an opening. Even as Kadrithan flung an arc of fire at Raziel, the incubus struck out at her. Raziel’s whip connected first, barely deflected by a sharp gust of wind.

  A group of three half breeds got in between him and Raziel, casting a wall of light that blocked his advance. He was separated from the pack. They wouldn’t be able to hold against Raziel. Tommy and Derek weren’t moving. Only Ceri and Ithra, who had been injured at some point, now stood between Raziel and the rest of the pack. And more importantly, the tablet.

  “Raziel, Keeper of Secrets,” a hoarse whisper floated through the room. “Your lies will be undone.”

  Kadrithan raised his sword and took a step back, searching for the source of the words. An elf walked into the temple behind him, her eyes milky white, and the black aura of a curse hovering around her.

  She lifted her hand toward Raziel. “The halves of the key, joined once more. The blood of enemies in their veins, wielding light and fire. The twilight hour, when day meets night. In the space between realms where spirits dwell. Only then shall what has been be wrought be undone.”

  Raziel flung a bolt of lightning at her. She didn’t move, simpl
y lifted her other hand. Black vines shot up from the ground, running Raziel’s leg clean through. He screamed in pain and the lightning fizzled out.

  Kadrithan rushed him, ready to strike the incubus down, but the vines did not hold him. Raziel shot up, parrying the slash of his sword with a spear of light he summoned out of nothingness. He forced the incubus back, bearing down on him with quick, aggressive strikes. If he let Raziel get his footing back now, he’d lose this fight. He had to end this.

  With a bellow, he knocked Raziel back several feet, putting space between them. He lifted his sword to the sky and let the fire within him roll up onto the blade.

  The fae were not mere witches, nor anything else born of this world. His people had given magic to the humans. They were magic. Even now, crippled by this curse, he was more than any of them.

  Raziel pressed his hands together, light pulsing between them as his arms shook. This would be their final attacks. It was do or die.

  “I’ll see you in hell, Raziel,” he said, his voice shaking with the strain.

  The incubus smirked. “Not likely.”

  The two attacks slammed into one another; fire so hot it burned white and the blisteringly bright crackle of lightning. He could not see where one ended and the other began.

  Sweat dripped down his brow as he strained to control the spell. Raziel was struggling as well. Blood flowed freely from the wound Cassandra had given him. She had weakened him.

  Ceri’s chants echoed throughout the temple. She had joined hands with Ithra and Olwen in a hastily drawn circle. Her magic joined the attack, battering Raziel from every direction. Wind whipped the incubus’s hair into a frenzy.

  He bared his teeth at Kadrithan, fury blazing in his eyes. “You will pay for this.”

  Then, his spell collapsed, overwhelmed by fire and wind. A cry of pain was drawn from Raziel’s throat as he was thrown back, landing on the broken floor in an undignified heap. His hands burned almost to ash.