Chapter Twenty-Two
Enzo
I struggled even harder, my muscles straining against their iron grips as I tried to fling them away. Sweat poured down my face despite the cool night air. But Keir materialized from the shadows behind Dimitri, his smooth hands clamping down on my arm like a vise.
“Get the fuck off me!” The words tore from my throat in a guttural cry, disturbing night birds from their roosts.
Joy was in trouble. She was hurt. The echo of her agonized scream still rang in my ears. She fucking needed me, and these bastards were holding me back.
My fangs extended fully, sharp as razors, and adrenaline flooded my system. I thrashed like a wild animal, nearly breaking free for one heart-stopping moment. My boot connected with someone’s ribs, drawing a grunt of pain.
Angelo slammed me into the scorched earth with bone-crushing force, ash and debris exploding around us. Before I could scramble to my feet, his full weight pinned me down.
“Dimitri and Keir, grab his arms. Lorcan and Nyx, grab his legs,” Angelo shouted.
My arms and legs were trapped beneath his vampiric strength, my face pressed into the gritty, charred ground while Dimitri and Keir pinned my arms and Lorcan and Nyx secured my legs.
“Let me go!” I roared, my voice muffled by dirt and fury. “She needs me!”
Tinker Bell’s boots appeared in my peripheral vision as she rushed over. “Enzo, stop. That scream didn’t come from inside the cathedral.”
I lifted my head, spitting ash from my mouth. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Her green eyes were wide with horror. “It came from the Elder Dimension. My spell opened a brief tear between our worlds.”
The words crushed my struggles, stealing the breath from my lungs.
A haze of fury and desperation made it difficult to process what she was saying. My breathing came in ragged gasps, my chest heaving against Angelo’s weight on my back. “We can get through?”
She knelt down in the ash beside me, her knees hitting the scorched earth with a soft thud. This close, I could see the guilt etched into every line of her face, the way her hands trembled as she clasped them together. “No. It was just a tear, not enough for anything more than sound to pass through.” Her voice broke with frustration. “I’m not strong enough to open a full portal to the dimension. I need more power.”
Sweat mixed with ash and dirt on my face, creating muddy streaks that burned my eyes. “You mean Rose and Alice?” The names came out breathless, desperate.
She nodded slowly, her blonde hair falling forward to shadow her features. “Yes. We have to break into the cathedral and save them first.” Her green eyes met mine, filled with determination and terror in equal measure. “Only then do we have a chance of reaching Joy.”
It all crashed down on me—Joy trapped in another dimension, screaming in agony, while I lay pinned to the ground, powerless to reach her. My fists clenched in the charred earth, nails digging into my palms until I drew blood.
But if I wanted to save her, I had to get in that damn cathedral.
Get it together, man.
“Angelo?” I glanced over my shoulder, voice steadier, and I remained perfectly still.
He didn’t answer but his weight shifted off my back, and suddenly I could breathe. My lungs expanded gratefully, pulling in the smoky night air. Dimitri and Keir slowly released my arms while Lorcan let go of my legs.
I pushed myself off the ground—covered with dirt, ash, and god knows what else. The fabric clung to my skin, gritty and uncomfortable.
“Your tailor’s going to love this,” Dimitri said dryly, brushing ash off his own hands.
I glared at him, and he just shrugged.
Keir was brushing the dirt off his pants. He wasn’t one who liked his suit to get dirty. Lorcan had this smirk on his face that made me want to plow my fist into his teeth. On the other hand, Nyx gave me an apologetic look.
Angelo gave me a measured stare, his dark eyes assessing whether I was stable enough to continue. The unspoken threat hung between us—he’d slam my ass into the dirt without hesitation if I lost control again.
I forced myself to take a steadying breath and locked my gaze with Tinker Bell. “Then what do we do?”
She pointed toward the cathedral with a trembling finger, her face still pale. “Wait. The vines are loosening, but not enough for us to breach safely. They could still snare anyone who gets too close.”
