Arien blinked at me then looked toward Ava questioningly.
“To release the call,” Ava replied smoothly. Too smoothly. Something else was happening here.
Before I could call her out on it, Callum and Marcus appeared at the door. I’d been so wrapped up in Ava I hadn’t even realized they’d vanished earlier.
“We’ve got incoming,” Callum said. “She’ll be here soon.”
Ava and Arien glanced at each other.
“She’s not being very cautious,” Ava murmured.
Arien nodded in agreement. “She has waited a very long time for this moment. I do not think her patience will last much longer.”
“Is the creature with her?” I barked at Callum.
“Yes,” he answered. “And he’s pissed as hell and twice as powerful.”
“Great,” I muttered. “Trace to Kerry and Finn. Tell them what you told me. Maybe they can hold them off long enough for Ava and Arien to complete the ritual.”
Like any good soldier, he took the order with a crisp nod. Marcus did the same and they vanished from the living room in the next beat.
When I turned, Ava and Arien were already talking rapidly as they crouched next to the coffee table. Several of Kerry’s tools were scattered across the surface, as were jars of herbs and small bottles of potions and tonics. They worked quickly as they cleared the space of everything but Kerry’s ritual knife and the flower.
As they began the ritual, the hair on the back of my neck lifted on end. The power was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Even when Ava demonstrated her abilities to me a few days ago, it hadn’t felt like this.
It was overwhelming. Not dark but not light. It merely existed. As I watched, I realized that it lived within Ava. When she revealed her true nature to me, it hadn’t even been a glimpse into her capabilities.
I felt the first protection spell fall and knew it was only a matter of time before Rhiannon and the creature made it past the next two.
“I’m going to help the others,” I called, waiting just long enough to see Ava nod before I traced out of the house and out to the edge of my property.
What greeted me was a vision of darkness. The sun was still in the sky, but the darkness spread out along the edge of the second protection ward. Within its confines, I could see Rhiannon standing tall and still, the winds created by her power whipping through her long hair and ripping at her ankle-length dress. The creature stood next to her, hurling his power at the spell.
The scent of electricity hung in the air and I could hear the sizzle of it as it struck the invisible barrier created by the wards.
Finn stood behind Kerry, his hands clasped on her shoulders as though he were physically propping her up. I realized that he was funneling his power to her, adding his strength to hers so that the spells would continue to hold.
Comprehension dawned, horrible and cold. Rhiannon was stronger. So was her creature. They had both been feeding their powers, taking them from others so that they would be stronger. I wondered how many people they had killed to achieve this level of power.
I reached out to Ava with my mind.Ava.
There was no answer, but I could feel the power surge in the house behind me and it was nearly enough to bring me to my knees. My worries that Ava wouldn’t be strong enough were fading. Slightly.
But a new fear replaced it. That much power could rip my mate apart. It would burn her up from the inside out.
AVA.
This time she answered my mental call and my unspoken questions.I will be fine. I swear it to you, Ewan. The Goddess’ blood runs in my veins. Her magic lives within my soul.
That wasn’t necessarily comforting.
It runs through Rhiannon’s veins as well.
Ava was silent for a long moment and I wondered if she’d decided not to answer me. Finally, I heard her voice in my mind.
The Goddess has given me what I need to imprison her, Ewan. I can stop her and I will. I will be protected and we will all be safe.
As she finished her sentence, the second protection spell collapsed.
