Chapter Twelve
The first thing Willowknew was the crash of wood against the wall.The sound rattled the entire house and before she could even rise from the chair where she’d been curled, Marcus burst through the front door like a storm made flesh.His power filled the room, black and suffocating.Hugo hissed, launching himself from the window sill to intercept him, but Marcus’s boot swung out, sending the cat tumbling against the wall.
“Stay away from her!”Willow screamed.
Marcus’s smile was all teeth.“Still protecting the weak, darling?It will do you no good.”
Ursula came charging from the hallway, fury blazing in her eyes.Her hands were already glowing with spellfire, but Marcus moved too fast.A flick of his wrist sent her flying backward.She crashed through the living room door, splinters of wood scattering across the floor.Willow staggered to her feet, heart pounding, fear and fury mixing hot in her chest.
She didn’t even have time to scream before Marcus’s men—blank-eyed, enthralled, their wills shackled to his—surged in behind him.Rough hands grabbed her arms, hauling her off her feet.She kicked, bit, fought like hell, but there were too many of them.Marcus leaned close, his breath hot and foul against her ear.
“You’re coming with me, darling.Tonight, we finish what fate began.”
They dragged her down into the basement beneath the Fated Ink building, the air damp and rank, walls humming with runes that glowed faintly in Marcus’s presence.He let her go only when his minions had her pinned against the west wall, her wrists bound within the circle of a rune carved deep into the stone.Power pulsed there, the lines glowing faintly.
She struggled against their grip, spitting at him.“You’ll never win.They’ll kill you.”
Marcus chuckled, the sound low and cruel.“Your wolves?Trapped beneath your skin, powerless while the sun reigns?They can curse me all they want from their little prison.At dusk, they’ll rise only to fall.”He straightened, his robes brushing the stone as he lifted his hands, the runes flaring brighter with each word.“Do you know what tonight is, Willow?The new moon.The sky stripped bare, the goddess at her weakest—and me at my strongest.For centuries, I have leeched her power drop by drop, feeding on the wellspring she used to birth those abominations you call shifters.And tonight, I drink her dry.With your blood and theirs, I bind eternity to my will.”
He stepped closer, stroking her cheek before striking her hard across the face.Pain burst bright as her lip split, blood dripping to her chin.
“Marcus!”Liam’s voice thundered in her mind, savage and furious.“Touch her again and I’ll tear your heart out!”
“Coward,”Jacob spat, his tone all venom.“Hide behind minions and spells while you threaten a woman.You’ll die screaming for this.”
Willow blinked through blood and pain.They were there.Her mates.Their rage burned hot and strong through her veins, even if their bodies were still bound to her skin.She whispered back to them, her voice shaking.“I can’t!He’s too strong.”
“Yes, you can,”Liam urged.“Hold on, love.We’re coming.”
“You’re ours,”Jacob added, steel in his tone.“And nothing will stop us from reaching you.”
Fear still clawed at her ribs, but anger rose hotter.This was Marcus—the man who had stalked her, burned her home, killed innocent people, killed her before.But she wasn’t Elizabet anymore.She was Willow.And she was not alone.
The air shuddered as the last rays of sun faded.Black smoke seared across her skin and in an instant, Liam and Jacob were there, bodies solid, snarls ripping from their throats.They lunged, but before they could reach her, Marcus’s minions slapped glowing iron collars around their necks.The magic hit like a hammer.Both men froze mid-stride, muscles locking, jaws snapping with impotent fury.
Willow screamed, “No!”
Marcus laughed, circling them like prey already caught.“Look at them—mighty wolves brought low by my will.”He lashed out with a cruel backhand against Liam, then drove his fist into Jacob’s gut.Both men grunted in pain, but the collars held them immobile, every strike cutting deeper into Willow’s heart.She leaned forward, pulling against her own restraints desperately, but Marcus’s hand slammed into her chest, knocking her flat against the wall.Her head cracked against the stone, stars bursting behind her eyes.Her lip split wider, blood warm down her chin.
Her wolves roared, voices jagged with rage.
“Bastard!”Liam bellowed.“I’ll rip your spine out with my bare hands!”
“I’ll flay you alive and feed your pieces to the crows!”Jacob promised, his fury painting the air with violence.
