Gavin directed a group of were-animals, while Sebastian wielded his sword and dagger with a deadly, efficient grace. Sky grunted next to me as she ducked under a raking swipe of claws, then drove the tip of her sword up into the underside of a genum’s chin. It froze in shock, giving her the opportunity to grip her sword with both hands and drive the blade up into its skull. It fell backward, pulling the blade from her hand. As she recovered the pommel and yanked at the blade, trying to free it, I shifted to her side, hacking at the claws of a genum that tried to reach her. Screeching furiously, it lunged at me with its fangs and I drove the sword into its maw.
Sky finally yanked her blade free and strode forward to swing at the next genum in front of her. Beside her, Sebastian pivoted away to slice his sword into a charging genum’s neck, then drove his dagger into its heart. Steven filled the gap at Sky’s left flank, protecting her as she parried and attacked the genum in front of her.
I barely saw Josh running and sometimes transporting among the fallen before a lunging genum distracted me. Its deadly claws just missed my belly as I turned on my heel, slashing down across its shoulder with my sword. The genum jerked away, howling. Backing away as I pressed, it tripped backward over a dead wolf and landed on its back. I drove my sword down into its chest, feeling the satisfying crunch of bones through my blade. Before I could withdraw my sword, Gavin decapitated the genum with a single swipe of his axe.
I turned back to Sky and saw a pair of wolves and a dingo race past our ragged line, throwing themselves at the genums as they leapt for jugulars. They exposed their bellies in the process. The dingo and one of the wolves were quickly eviscerated, while the other wolf was knocked aside. Across the battlefield I saw several other were-animals had met the same fate. The rest had begun to shift their strategy, getting behind the genums and attacking their legs and ankles to bring them down, then swarming over them.
A thin layer of vapor was forming on the battlefield, rolling like a mist as it sought out the capsa, regardless of where Josh was. He could’ve just planted the damn thing behind us, I growled, but he wasn’t taking chances. He was everywhere, transporting himself to deliver the rod to every corpse, but he was having a hard time keeping up. I yelled at him to pay attention, but he disappeared and reappeared a dozen feet away, oblivious.
Fangs appeared to my right, rising toward my face. I pivoted, but hadn’t seen the attack in time. A bullet ripped through the creature’s head followed by the report from Chris’s rifle. I didn’t have time to acknowledge the shot before leaping to Sky’s aid as two genums pressed her backward. I cut into the back of one while she sliced across the chest of the other, then parried the counterattack.
A glance across the battlefield revealed the vamps were fighting ferociously, none more entranced by the sheer carnage of the fight than Demetrius. He wore a fiendish grin, baring his fangs as he sliced and jabbed his way through the genums as they attempted to converge on him. In quick succession, bullets ripped through the skulls of two of them—expert shots taken dangerously close to Demetrius. A few inches off and Chris could’ve easily shot him in the head or neck.
Is she showing off, or trying to kill him? The rifle was powerful enough that a well-aimed shot might do enough damage to effectively decapitate him.
A nearby vamp screamed as a genum drove its claws into his heart, triggering a reversion that could only be stopped with fresh blood. I sure as hell wasn’t going to oblige. Apparently the vamps had no strategy for saving their wounded, which was fine by me.
An angry shout from Sky focused my attention on her as she slipped on the blood-soaked ground nearby. The genum in front of her pressed for the kill. Before I could react, a were-dingo leapt to defend her, only to be eviscerated by a swipe of razor-sharp claws. I roared in white-hot fury as I charged to her aid. The genum backed away from my blade as it swept the air in front of its chest. Countering, it raised its claws to swipe across my face, but I caught it on the backswing, slashing the dense gray flesh just above the genum’s branch-like knee. The knee buckled. As the genum dropped, I sliced clean through its neck.
I spared a quick, anxious glance at Sky, relieved to see she had regained her balance and was uninjured. On the other side of her, Josh appeared next to a corpse. He had only begun to collect the escaping energy when a genum knocked him onto his back, tackling him and sending the capsa tumbling from his reach. As he wrestled with its arms, blocking its claws, I crossed the field in three strides and slammed into it with my body, sending it sprawling sideways. I leapt over Josh, swinging down with all my strength as the genum rose. My blade cleaved down through its skull, slicing all the way through its torso. I roared in primal rage as the two severed halves collapsed away from each other.
From the ground beside me, Josh reached for the capsa. Sky snatched it from the dirt and held it over the creature, absorbing the dark vapor that arose from the corpse. I shielded her until she finished and gave the capsa back to Josh.
“Pay attention!” I shouted at him, then returned to the fight.
In the shifting battle, I found Demetrius fighting near us as he drove his sword through a genum’s chest, the tip of his blade emerging from its back. It collapsed to its knees. Gloating, he placed his foot against its ribs and twisted his sword, completely unaware of another genum charging up behind him. Chase watched nearby, a cunning grin on his lips as he chose not to intervene. I looked up to Chris’s perch to see she had the genum in her sights. What was she waiting for? The closer it got to Demetrius, the harder the shot. If she killed him by mistake—most likely the vamps wouldn’t blame her for missing such a difficult shot. And if Demetrius died, Chase was the most likely successor. He’d probably reward her.
Catching motion out of the corner of my eye, I turned away to parry a blow from another genum. I fought on, expecting to hear the sound of Chris’s shot at any moment, but it never came. After killing my genum, I turned to find Demetrius dismembering the genum that had tried to blindside him. Chase had already moved on to another fight. I glanced up at the tree to find Chris’s perch conspicuously empty.
The battlefield became suddenly clear as I found no immediate enemy to kill. Glancing around me I saw the battle had all but ended, only a few scattered genums still fighting. As they quickly fell, Josh was there to capture their escaping energy. I felt a rush of relief to see he remained unscathed. Sky was safe as well, catching her breath as she leaned on the pommel of her bloodied sword protruding from the ground between Sebastian and Gavin. I started toward her until Gavin shook his head, letting me know she was alright. He turned to scrutinize her, allowing what appeared to be a hint of a smile.
Bodies and gore were strewn across the blood-soaked field. Steven and Taylor had survived, but a number of were-animals hadn’t. Many of the vamps had died as well. Gabriella stood next to Chase, while Demetrius meandered across the battlefield with increasing agitation as he surveyed the bodies. Was he looking for Michaela, or Chris? Neither was in sight. I started toward the trees to look for Chris when I felt an oppressive wave of dark magic descend over the battlefield. Vampires and were-animals alike stood paralyzed by the overwhelming power that engulfed them.
Ethos.
CHAPTER 16
Dark magic pulsed across the field in stifling waves, leaving most of the Seethe and the pack frozen in terrified awe of its power. The darkness was so overwhelming that I wondered if our efforts had weakened Ethos at all. My sword in hand, I raced to Josh’s side, assuming Ethos would target the capsa first in an attempt to regain his lost energy. Together, we stood back to back, waiting for the assault, while Gavin and Sebastian rallied the rest of the pack, drawing them out from their initial panic.
Sky was near Sebastian, but otherwise alone.
I shouted at her to run, but she seemed frozen. This fight was going to be too much for her. Ethos was more powerful than we’d imagined. Even if we succeeded in killing him, the casualties were going to be extensive. I wanted her as far from that field as
possible, but I didn’t dare leave my brother’s side. When Ethos came, Josh was going to be the first target.
Before I could shout at Sky once more, Ethos appeared beside her. He was in his human form, the silver-haired witch with the purple eyes. His entire attention was focused on her.
Sebastian reacted first, lunging at Ethos, who cast him aside with a simple, effortless gesture. I charged, sword raised. Just before I was in range to strike Ethos down, a burst of copper sparks blinded me as I was repelled by a translucent protective field. I crashed to the ground a dozen feet away. Stunned for a moment, I heard violent roars and shouts interspersed with the crackle of electricity. Climbing to my feet, I saw Sebastian, Steven, and Gavin savagely attacking the field that surrounded Ethos and Sky, showering themselves in copper sparks as the field easily repelled their blows.
Seemingly unconcerned by the onslaught against his field, Ethos remained fixated on Sky, but the effort to maintain his field was draining his energy. As he slowly approached her, parts of his body began to shimmer, then flicker, briefly revealing oily black scales. She backed away from him, her eyes wide with terror, until he backed her up against the translucent barrier. She froze there, as if in a trance.
Electricity ran through my body as I felt my magic rising to the surface. Desperate to reach her, I picked up my sword and charged at the field once more, this time focusing my attention on a single point in the translucent wall just in front of me. His field was too powerful for me to bring down from the outside, but I could punch my way through. A ragged hole opened in the field, quickly sealing behind me as I landed between Ethos and Sky. I’d spent my entire life hiding my abilities from everyone, even my brother, but that didn’t matter now. I didn’t care about consequences. I probably wouldn’t survive the day, but I was the only one able to stand between them.
He hissed in surprise, recoiling from me.
Hoping to escape the field with Sky, I reached out with my magic to push at the wavering walls of the field. They stretched, nearly to the breaking point, but I wasn’t strong enough. The walls rebounded back to their original form. Ethos’s eyes became a furious scarlet red. He flicked a hand toward me and I felt a crushing, unstoppable force slam into my chest, throwing me back through the field wall. I crashed to the ground a few feet away.
Ignoring the pain shooting through my body, I climbed back to my feet to find the vampires watching me with intrigued surprise. Sebastian and the other were-animals continued attacking the field at a furious pace, draining Ethos’s power, while Josh positioned himself behind Sky and began to chant.
Once more, I crashed through the field. This time Ethos was prepared. He cast an arm toward me and I felt a force wrap around my torso, constricting my chest as it lifted me into the air and slammed me into the field wall. Again. And again. It battered me until I wasn’t sure where I was. Pain exploded inside my skull like bursting fireworks. When I had nearly lost consciousness, Ethos swept his arm wide and I was flung back through the field to tumble several feet in the dirt. My head throbbed and pain stabbed at the back of my eyes as I once more picked up my sword and clambered to my feet.
I can do this all day.
Completing his chant, Josh gestured to the field. Inside, flashes of golden light burst between Sky and Ethos, knocking him to his knees and sending him sliding backward, but the effect was temporary. The golden light faded, and he rose unrestrained to his feet. Glaring at Josh, his eyes became black and lifeless like a shark’s as he dropped a series of small pods to the ground. The pods quickly grew into small creatures that raced through the field toward my brother. Ethos smiled after them, eagerly anticipating his revenge, but he failed to notice that Josh had freed Sky from her trance.
She had crept around him. Drawing a knife from a sheath at her thigh, she stabbed it deep into his neck. The creatures disappeared in a vaporous cloud as Ethos panicked, clawing at the knife. Blood pulsed in spurts from the wound. Judging by his gasps for breath I was certain that she had severed his trachea. Losing control of his power, he began to shift rapidly between human and his reptilian form that seemed marred by unnatural, disproportionate features.
I grinned at his efforts to remove the knife from his neck. With any luck, he’d succeed, hastening his blood loss. If he didn’t suffocate first. Already he strained to remain on his feet. After a moment, he managed to grip the knife handle and pull it free. The expected spray of blood didn’t follow. Instead, I felt a wave of magic that seemed to staunch the bleeding and repair his trachea. Able to breathe again, his recovery was nearly instantaneous. He grabbed Sky’s cheeks with both hands and pulled her toward him until their noses touched. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as a thick fog emerged from his mouth, flowing into her mouth and nostrils. The green of her eyes disappeared as the vapor filled her pupils. Her mouth opened wide as if in a silent scream.
I lunged at the field, adding my fury to the others’ as we desperately tried to wear the field down to get to her. Through the showering copper sparks, I saw his grotesque black form transform into a vaporous outline that drew itself into Sky until she had consumed it all. Ethos disappeared entirely.
The field collapsed.
As we ran to her, she collapsed to her knees, clawing at her throat as she choked. Josh reached her first and held a hand over her, chanting. I watched in helpless horror as she slowly strangulated while Josh tried one spell after another. Not again! I swore. I had watched her die once before—at my hands. I wasn’t going to let her die again, but Josh was reaching the limits of his abilities. His expression became increasingly panicked.
My mind raced, grasping at anything. As I remembered the magic books I had taken from the library, the image of a single page appeared in front of my eyes as if it was being dangled before me. It wasn’t a ritual I had the power to perform, but Josh could. As he pulled at his hair, I leaned into him and whispered the ritual.
He shook his head. “That’s a myth. It will never work.”
“Just do it,” I urged, pushing him toward Sky. Hurry.
Still shaking his head, Josh leaned over her and began his chant. After a moment, he lowered his mouth nearly over hers. When he inhaled sharply, black vapor rose from her mouth to his. His cheeks swelled until they seemed about to burst, then he turned away and expelled the vapor that diffused harmlessly into the breeze. Sky’s breathing eased slightly. I gestured for him to repeat the ritual, but he didn’t need the encouragement. He bent down and drew more of the vapor from her. As he did, her eyes returned to normal. When he finished, turning to expel the vapor, she sucked in air in a panicked rush. Josh lowered himself to draw a third mouthful, but she pushed him away and sat up.
“I’m okay,” she snapped. Her pupils remained dilated, her heart racing, as she rapidly sucked in breath, reassuring herself.
“It’s all gone?” Josh asked, unconvinced.
It wasn’t. I could feel a trace of Ethos’s magic inside her still.
“I’m fine.” She glanced evasively around the bloodied, body-strewn battlefield. “I’m fine.”
Josh rose to his feet. “Of course you are.”
Could he really not see that she was holding on to a splinter of power, or did he approve? I was about to challenge them both when Demetrius barked behind me.
“Where the hell is she?”
I turned to see him roaming the corpse-riddled field as his Seethe looked on, reminding me that Chris still remained conspicuously missing.
“Find her now!” he commanded.
Vamps and were-animals alike quickly spread out. A few went straight to the trees, while most searched among the bodies.
I didn’t expect them to find her there. She wouldn’t have joined the melee, where being a lone human surrounded by powerful supernaturals would’ve put her at a disadvantage. She’d have stayed in her perch until she either ran out of ammunition or targets, and I knew she wouldn’t run out of ammunition. I jogged to the copse of trees. When I found her rifle lying in th
e weeds, a sense of dread came over me.
“She’s here,” Josh called out from the center of the copse, his voice oddly strained. He stared down at the grass, his body slumped and his mouth agape. The strength drained from my legs as I rushed to his side, arriving just as Sky did. She gasped at Chris’s mangled body lying in the grass, her figure barely more than a bloody pulp dotted with the dull white of jagged, protruding bones. She was still alive, but barely. Her heartbeat was feeble and faint. Each shallow breath was accompanied by a gurgling sound as she fought against the fluid building in her lungs. I stood next to Josh, frozen in horror.
Demetrius arrived, hissing at the sight of her. “How could you let this happen!” he screamed at me, enraged.
I turned on him with a fiery rage, my entire body suddenly as tense as a drum, my fists clenched into hammers. I stepped to him and shouted directly in his face, “You had no business getting her involved in the first place!”
“Do you think you own her?” he shouted back into mine, not backing up an inch. “I hired her because she is the best!”
The were-animals and vampires around us quickly chose sides, preparing themselves for another fight. More were arriving every moment from the battlefield.
I roared at him. “You used her!”
“I rescued her from a dog!”
Before I could wrap my hands around his throat, Sky appeared beside us, shouting fiercely, “This isn’t helping!”
My gaze snapped to her, as did Demetrius’s. In the same moment, we both realized that Chris’s body was gone. Josh was gone as well. I quickly realized he must’ve transported her to Dr. Baker at the retreat. With her injuries, I couldn’t imagine that she could be saved, but she shouldn’t be left to die in a field. A rush of shame came over me. I’d let my rage get the best of me when I should’ve seen to Chris first.
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