The Witching Hour: 11 Enchanting Novels Featuring Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Ghosts, Fae, and More!, page 48
Rachel laughed. “Oh, Cane. I know you like big boobs and a fat ass, but honestly, isn’t it enough that her blood’s going to taste like ambrosia? Do you need to nail her, too?”
“I fancy me some jiggly butt,” the vampire she called Cane said.
I realized I still had hold of my phone and frantically texted, cane. rachel’s got a vampire named cane with her. i don’t know who the others are. going to try to get out of here.
Suddenly, texts began to flood in.
maddy, i’m coming. i just got this. hold on. That was from Aegis.
And the next, from Delia. on my way.
I fumbled for the key, but in my fear, I knocked it out of the ignition and onto the floor. As I scrambled, trying to scoop it up, my mind was racing.
How long it would take Aegis to get here? And then, of course, we had vampires to deal with. Could I hold out? That would depend on whether Rachel and her cronies could get into my car. Some vampires could turn into—
Oh shit. As I came up with the key again, I saw Cane dissolve into a black mist. Shaking, I managed to get the key back into the ignition as he formed inside the passenger seat, coming through the vents.
“Don’t you drink her down before I get my share.” Rachel pressed her face against the window, her fangs gleaming in the shimmering light of the clouds.
I flipped the key, gunning the gas, and jammed the gearshift into drive as Cane grabbed my right wrist. The car lurched forward as I tried to pull away from him and steer with my left hand. The vampire to the front got hit and went down, under the car, but unless I managed to puncture his heart, being run over wasn’t going to stop him.
Cane laughed, yanking me halfway across the gearshift panel. I cursed as the steering wheel spun wild and the car began to spin on the ice, skidding against one of the concrete stops. The back right wheel jammed against it and the car idled as the vampire managed to pull me into his lap. He planted a hand on my breast, squeezing hard enough to make me scream, and his fangs were gleaming in the light of the lamppost beneath which we were stalled.
The next moment, Rachel yanked open the driver’s door. But when she saw how Cane had hold of me, she hissed at him, low and threatening.
“She’s mine. You can play, but she’s mine to drink and to kill. Get her out of the car. She’s my trump card in the next hand of the game.” In a blur, she sped around to the passenger’s side and tried to open the door, which was still locked. Frustrated, she ripped it off its hinges as well and tossed it to the side. My blood ran cold as I realized that—one way or another—this wasn’t going to be a win-win situation. I was on the losing end and the loss I was facing wasn’t exactly one I could rebound from.
“Stop! Aegis is on the way and if you kill me, he’ll just attack you. If you let me live, he might thank you and go with you.” I had no clue how to approach this situation, but it seemed like playing to her ego might help me.
Rachel leaned into the car and grabbed my arm, pulling me away from Cane, who held on a moment too long. I heard a bone snap in my wrist, and then the pain hit. As I let out a shriek, they both laughed.
“My bad, I broke your toy,” he said.
Rachel snorted. “Oh, no problem. You can play with the parts that aren’t broken in a few minutes, but I need to use her first. Aegis is going to understand just what it means to have his heart broken. And then he’ll realize that I’m the only woman in the world for him.”
I focused on my wrist, sending a Muting spell down my arm to numb the pain. It wouldn’t heal broken bones, but it would allow me to function without the pain interfering. At least for a while. But I was over any attempt to play nice.
“Bitch, you’re fucking insane. You think that killing me is going to make him come back to you? What have you been smoking?” What was it they said? Don’t look away? Don’t show fear?
That’s for mountain lions, you idiot. Again, that annoying inner voice, which I highly suspected was my inner, smarter, self.
Rachel ran her fingers down my cheek, using one of her incredibly sharp nails to raise a weal. I wasn’t sure if it was bleeding but by the gleam in her eye, I suspected maybe it was, just a little. She leaned in and slowly drew her tongue across the wound, letting out a trill.
“Yummy,” she said, her voice low and sultry. “At least Aegis gave us dessert instead of an appetizer.”
Cane was holding me by my elbows, but Rachel was close enough for me to give her one hell of a good head butt. She wasn’t expecting it, and so the blow sent her back a couple of steps. Cane growled, adjusting his grip on my arms and I had the feeling that once my spell wore off, I was going to regret doing that because I was pretty sure he had just managed to break another bone in my wrist. But for now, the fact that I had startled Ms. Bloodsucker made me smile.
“Feisty, isn’t she?” Cane piped up as the other vampires gathered ’round. They all looked hungry and I had the feeling that I was one second away from being the honored guest in a five-way vampire fang-bang.
“Too feisty.” Rachel’s cloying tone was gone. She stared at me. “So, when Aegis gets here, we’ll see just how much he wants you safe and sound.”
One of her toadies leaned in to sniff my neck and Rachel went from being five feet away to knocking him across the car. All within one quick blur.
“Nobody feeds till I say so!” She suddenly turned as the lights of a car hit the parking lot.
I recognized Aegis’s Corvette. I stiffened, not sure exactly how this was going to play out, but then I saw Delia’s squad car pull in right after. Worried about her—she might be a werewolf, but vamps were freaking strong and there were five of them—I regretted having texted her.
Aegis leaped out of the car and came running over, a blur himself. He stopped out of reach, hands on his hips. In his leather jacket and dark shades, he looked so fucking bad-ass that for a second, I forgot how much danger I was in.
“Let her go, Rachel. It’s over.” His voice carried through the night.
“What makes you think it’s done? It’s not over till I say it’s over, babe.” Rachel sauntered toward him. “You want her alive? You want little Miss Twitch to come out of this in one piece?”
Aegis stared at her. “Rachel, you have to move on. I don’t want you. I’ll never take you back. And no matter how many people you threaten, you can’t command me.” His voice was so rich, so compelling, that I found myself mesmerized. I could float in that voice, I could bathe in it, live on it. A sudden parting of the clouds brought out the moon and it shone down, bathing us in the crystal white starkness of the snow.
He held up his hand, turning so that the moonbeam caught his ring. “You know what this is. I told you long ago.”
Rachel suddenly froze. “You wouldn’t. You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me. Let her go and we’ll have ourselves a fair fight. Touch one fang to her throat, and I unleash your death.”
I was starting to get a very bad feeling about that ring. It was glowing faintly with a golden light. The ring was the symbol of the time when he had belonged to Apollo. It marked him as the Sun God’s chosen. And then, it began to dawn on me.
“If you do that, you unleash your own death.” Rachel cocked her head ever so slightly as though she were testing him, but she motioned to Cane, who let go of me with a clueless “Huh?”
“I’ve lived a long life. If I have to, I’m willing to sacrifice myself.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Do you think that I chose this state willingly? I embrace being one of the Fallen because I have no choice. But there are other paths and other lives.”
“A fair fight, you say? We win, we get the witch. And you come back to me.”
“You win, I won’t have any say. Because you’re going to have to kill me to end it. If I win…well…then I win.”
She laughed. “Well, if you consider five against one fair, far be it from me to dissuade you. But no help from the werewolf. Or the witch.” She reached over and shoved me hard toward Aegis. “Get your ass over there. Try to leave and you’re dead, regardless of his rules.”
I hurried past Aegis, giving him a desperate look, but he kept his eyes on Rachel. “Touch her before we’re done and I won’t hesitate to bring on the sun. But trust me, it will be a fair game. I brought my own backups.”
At that, I saw three figures exit Delia’s car. Vampires all. And Essie emerged with them. She passed by me, stopping to say, “I’ve loaned Aegis three of my men. I’ll stay out of the fight, but I couldn’t help but take a piece of the action, given you’ve been after my throne, you little upstart.” Essie sat on the hood of Delia’s car, glancing over at me. “Get in the car, girl.”
I scrambled, diving into the front seat beside Delia. “Fucking hell.”
“What does Aegis mean, he’ll unleash the sun?” Delia slammed the door locks and kept the engine idling. “Don’t worry, we aren’t leaving. I promised Essie we’d stay in return for bringing her and her men over. Aegis set this up while he was on the way here.”
“Aegis has a ring—it’s from when he was a servant of Apollo. I didn’t think much about it, though he wears it constantly. But now I think it contains the power of the sun. If he unleashes it, we’ll get a blast of sunlight.”
“And that will kill every vampire in the area who happens to be within range of the light.”
“Right. Talk about deterrents. I had no clue what he was carrying around.” I watched as Essie’s men moved up to back Aegis. They poised, waiting, and then with the barest flutter of movement, the nine vampires engaged. Aegis went straight for Rachel, and the others gave the pair a wide berth.
I leaned forward, straining to get a better look. “I wish I could be out there, helping.” My heart in my throat, all I could think about was Aegis and whether he could survive.
“All you’d do is get yourself drained. Putting yourself in the thick of that fight is suicide.” She pressed her lips together. “I didn’t like having to pick up Essie and her crew, but Aegis insisted and I trust him enough to pay attention.”
Quickly running through the spells I had on tap, I suddenly realized I could do something. I had fire at my disposal. And even though I seldom tapped its power, I knew that if I was going to, now would be the time. I looked down at my broken wrist. Still numb, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t functioning.
“I need something for a splint to hold my hand straight.” I lifted my arm so she could see the swelling.
“Crap! That’s—”
“Broken. Yeah. But right now, I’m playing without pain. Help me strap it up. I can do something out there.” Regardless of Aegis promising he wouldn’t use my help, I was determined to be part of this battle. And if I didn’t ask, he couldn’t stop me.
Without a word, Delia leaned down and pulled a first-aid kit from beneath the front seat of her SUV. She opened it up and poked around. “The best I can do is strap it with an elastic bandage.”
“Then do it.” I held out the wrist, watching as she wrapped the bandage tightly around and over the wrist and fingers. It wasn’t as good as a splint, but it would do the trick for now.
As soon as she finished, I hopped out of the car and stepped over to Essie’s side. Ahead of us, Aegis and Rachel were rolling in the snow, snarling like wild animals. Aegis was trying to throttle Rachel as she aimed a well-placed kick to his balls. He groaned, but kept hold of her throat. Apparently, a kick in the nads wasn’t nearly as painful once you were turned.
The others were into the thick of it. Nobody was toast yet, but it wouldn’t be long before somebody struck a lucky blow and dusted their opponent.
Essie glanced at me. “What are you doing?”
“What I would have done earlier if I hadn’t been so startled.” I closed my eyes and reached deep inside. There it was—the tiny flame, flickering with a pale ghostly light. I coaxed it brighter, feeding it my frustration, feeding my anger at Rachel, feeding it the pain of losing Tom and every other angst I could summon up. The fire grew quickly and I readied my hands, holding them out in front of me.
“Fire, attend me.” The whisper was almost so soft I wasn’t sure if I had actually spoken or if it had been my thoughts, but then a brilliant ball of orange roared to life, hovering over my palms. I focused on Rachel, on the trajectory between her and me, and with a soft puff, blew the fireball off my hand. It sailed, gaining momentum as it grew to the size of a bowling ball.
Rachel turned, staring at the fire that was on a collision course with her. She darted to one side. But the fireball shifted course with her. She raced off, blurring her speed, but the flame sped up and—like a missile tracking its target—it enveloped her, setting her dress alight.
She fell face first in the snow, screaming as the flames licked at her body. Aegis took one look at me, then darted toward her and for a moment I was afraid he was going to try to save her—the look in his eye had been frightening and feral. But as he loomed over her, she turned, dousing the flames in the snow, screaming for him to help her. He watched her for a moment, then brought out a thin sliver of wood about a foot long.
Rachel must have seen it because she scrambled to her feet, her skin blackened and charred. Aegis paused for one brief second, and then plunged the stake into her chest. There was silence as all the vamps stopped to watch, and then in a puff of smoke and ash, Rachel vanished into a cloud of charcoal and bone. The wind rose at that moment, and howling, it blew her away as it raced through the meadow.
17
After that, the fight was as good as over. Rachel’s goons tried to vanish into the trees but Essie waved her hand and her men were on them without another word. I said nothing, watching as the vampires staked their own with all too much glee. They returned to her side, eyes sparkling with the hunt.
Essie turned to us. “Thank you. My reign is secure for the moment.”
I tried to think of what to say, given Essie was most likely the one responsible for Rose’s death. A death that had been targeted at me. Our eyes met and her lips tipped in a faint smile.
“Détente?” She held out her hand.
I stared at it, but was smart enough not to make a show. As I took her fingers—cold to the bone—I inclined my head.
“You do realize that I’m now the head of the Moonrise Coven. We will have to meet and discuss new terms. Things are going to change around Bedlam now that I’m in power. I’m not Linda, and I don’t have a daughter.” I spoke softly, so that only Essie could hear me, but my words were firm. “However, there’s room on Bedlam for everyone, if we all cooperate. And if nobody develops any delusions of grandeur.” I figured she might as well know that I understood what she had been up to.
Essie held my fingers in hers, tightening her grip. Then, slowly, she relinquished them. “The future’s always a wildcard, Maudlin. That’s one thing you can count on. Nothing is ever set in stone.” Then, with a throaty laugh, she added, “I think we could be friends of a sort. You and I are much alike, even though you don’t know it yet. So, Mad Maudlin has come to rule Bedlam. I suppose it’s only fitting.” She pointed to my broken wrist. “You’d best go have that set, and have the rest of your bruises and bumps tended to. You can’t put off the pain forever, you know. Sometimes, it hits when you least expect it. Both pains from the present and from long, long past.”
I started to say something but she turned away, motioning to her men. Before I could say another word, they vanished into a blur, back toward Delia’s car, where they climbed in. Looking terrified, Delia edged out of the parking lot. As they vanished from sight, my stomach knotted. We hadn’t seen the last of Essie. In fact, I had the feeling that our power struggle had only just begun.
Aegis carried out another bowl of potato chips. We were rocking the Winter Solstice, celebrating that the longest night was about to begin. In the cold frozen north, the Holly King and the Oak King were gearing up for their biennial battle. Over on the mainland, Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa were being celebrated. And here, we were lighting every candle in the Bewitching Bedlam. The band members and their families were chowing down on a spread that had filled every tabletop around. Tonight their music was all for us.
“So, tell me again why didn’t you call me when you were in trouble?” Sandy looped her arm through mine, taking care to avoid my splint. My wrist was broken in two places, but they were clean breaks and I would be fully up and running in a few weeks.
“Because I had thought…hoped…that chapter of our lives was done and over.” I motioned for her to follow me up the stairs into one of the back rooms. “I have something to show you.”
As we climbed the steps, Sandy said, “Oh, by the way, I gave Lihi the Herkimer, even though we didn’t need her to find the tunnels.”
“That’s sweet.”
“Eh, it’s the holidays.” But she smiled as she said it. “What are you going to do about your mother’s visit?”
I groaned. “I’m not even thinking about it till after the holidays are over. Then, I guess I’ll either capitulate or write and tell her that I don’t want her here. I haven’t decided which yet. Here we are.”
There were several small storage rooms on the top floor that were no bigger than large walk-in closets. And in one of them, I had hidden a trunk. I knelt beside it and opened the lid. Inside was a silver dagger sitting on top of a silver stake. I stared at them, then slowly lifted the dagger and held it up.
“I haven’t seen those since in a long, long time.” Sandy drifted off, her eyes widening. “I thought you swore never to touch them again.”
I swallowed. Hard. “Essie isn’t going to make it easy on me. And you’d better watch your back too. She knows who I am, so she’s going to figure out that you were Cassandra.”
“Yeah, it’s not that big of a leap from Sandy to Cassandra, I guess.”
“No, and I don’t trust her. I don’t trust her. She’s going to keep working to take control of this island and everybody in it. I know it. And more than that—Sandy, I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. So far, the vamps have been living in a truce with humans, but I think…” I fell silent. I didn’t want to say what I was thinking. But the look in Essie’s eyes when she had spoken about the future being a wildcard had chilled me.
