“There are many reasons I’m sitting here entertaining your questions, most of which are none of your business.” Cain shrugged. “But the one that matters is that I’m keeping you distracted while they get farther and farther away. And that is much faster than you might realize because of a new friend who has given them a very quick way to travel.”
Jacque hissed as she glanced at Fane. “Celise.”
The alpha gave a small nod, but his eyes stayed on Cain.
“She’s opening portals for your hybrids.” Disgust laced Jacque’s voice.
“What is it they say about a scorned woman?” Cain tapped his chin, then his eyes narrowed. “Though, whoever made up that saying obviously had never met a male, scorned supernatural being. Hell looks like a vacation spot compared to our rage.”
At this, Lizzy frowned. What the hell was he talking about? He’d gone from letting his hybrids go free, to the crazy spritewoman with a dangerous book, and now to his own ramblings about scorned supernatural males.
“This is about Alice,”Finn said.
Lizzy met Cain’s gaze, her own filled with a cold fire. “Your reign ends tonight,” she snarled, launching herself at him with a feral growl.
The battle was brutal, a clash of titans. Cain, ancient and powerful, fought with the honed skill of centuries. But Lizzy, fueled by righteous fury and the love for the pack he threatened, refused to yield. Finn pushed his strength to her through their bond. Fighting with the strength of two souls, her every blow was fueled by the memory of every life lost, every future stolen.
In her peripheral vision, Lizzy could see the other members of the group spreading out around the room. It was cramped quarters with tables lining the walls and one in the middle of the room. She dodged a punch from Cain and then twisted out of a jab he made with a dagger.Where the hell had that come from?Lizzy focused her entire being on the vampire king as they fought. She trusted her wolf’s senses and instincts as she made swipes at him with her claws. He roared as she contacted his side, ripping his shirt and into his flesh. The smell of fresh blood permeated the air, and she felt her wolf growing hungry for the kill. Her beast wanted this threat eliminated.
In the end, it was a swift, brutal strike, a whisper of motion that caught Cain off guard. Lizzy’s claws found their mark, piercing his chest and wrapping around his heart. She ripped it free from the cavity, severing the threads of his dark power. Something in her withered—a cord that had tied her to him, and she hadn’t even realized it. A sharp pain pierced her chest, but it was gone as quickly as it came.
Cain crumpled, his eyes wide with disbelief, a choked gasp escaping his lips as the light faded from them. Silence descendedupon the room, heavy and absolute, broken only by the sound of Lizzy’s ragged breaths.
She stood over his broken body, her own trembling with exhaustion, the weight of what she had done settling upon her like a shroud. But as Finn’s arms wrapped around her, his warmth a balm against the lingering chill of the battle, Lizzy knew, with a certainty that went bone deep, that she would do it again. A thousand times over. For her pack, for Alice, for her mate and the future they would build together. Now, she was free from the shadow of Cain’s darkness.
“Not going to lie,” Jacque shrugged. “I was expecting that to be a little harder.”
Lizzy’s chest rose and fell in rapid succession as her heart beat painfully. The adrenaline rush she’d gotten at the beginning of the battle was fading, and she shook. Finn held her tighter to him, and she felt a rumble in his chest and displeasure from his wolf coming through the mate bond.
“Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth,” Fane said, as his eyes roamed quickly over the room. “Let’s go see how everyone else is doing, and then let’s get out of here. I’m ready to see my son, and I can feel everyone’s exhaustion through the pack bonds.”
Lizzy closed her eyes briefly, letting herself lean against Finn. “It’s over,” she said softly. “At least this part is.” She knew they still had the crazy sprite out there to deal with, and all the hybrids and vampires… Okay, so it wasn’t anywhere close to over. But Cain was dead, and that was a good start.
“Hold on one sec.” Myanin walked over to the dead vampire king.
“What are you—” Fane’s words died off when the djinn lifted her sword and brought it down, severing the king’s head from his body.
“Somebody got a bag?” Myanin grabbed the head by the hair and lifted it up. “I don’t really want to lug this fool around like this.” She lifted it up as if everyone needed clarification.
Dain stepped into the room and held out his hand. A brown cloth bag appeared.
“That’ll do.” Myanin nodded and dropped the head inside. She looked at everyone and smiled. “If I had some cotton candy, this would seriously be a top-ten moment in my life.”
Lizzy shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s so messed up.”
Myanin shrugged. “I told you there is no reason to change tradition. Let’s bounce.”
Lizzy looked at Jacque and raised a brow. The alpha female chuckled. “You kind of have to be a little crazy to be a part of this world.”
“So I’m gathering.”
Twelve
“Fools. All of them. They have bested powerful foes in the past, but nothing like me. They have no idea what they’re dealing with. Even Perizada, the great and mighty high fae, is clueless. Before all is said and done, they will be on their knees begging for my mercy. Mercy is for the weak.” ~Celise
Celise satin a shadowy corner booth ofThe Succulent Realm Tavern, watching as fae, elves, warlocks, and other supernatural beings danced to the provocative music. Although it was forbidden to use magic in these neutral establishments, power leaked from the supernaturals, brushing against her skin like electricity. Celise absorbed the energy, storing it like a cistern for later use. TheNushtoniashe’d found, the book of the dead, held many secrets, including this handy little ability, allowing her to siphon small amounts of power from other supernaturals. The book was more powerful than she’d ever expected. When the sprite had been searching for it, Celise had done as much research as she could without raising suspicions.But much of the knowledge she sought was contained within the libraries of the fae or djinn, places she couldn’t access without attracting unwanted attention. So when she’d finally gotten her hands on the book, much of its amazing power was still unknown to her.
And when Celise discovered she could use the book to absorb dark magic, she began frequenting these seedy supernatural establishments, feeding off the debauchery like a succubus. She’d even gained an audience with the vampire king, allowing the book to absorb his dark, royal blood.
