‘It’sa standoff. I’m bleeding pretty bad. Chelsea and Kylee are getting hurt. Whatdo I do?’Sadie asked weakly.
‘I’malmost to Kylee. Make them know you are serious! You will kill that thinggrowing inside her belly if you have to,’I infused the power of the Alpha.
Ifelt Chelsea double over in pain as I banged on the door to Kylee’s room.
“QueenLayla needs you in the girls’ room!” I shouted, disguising my voice. The dooropened and I pushed it back hard, smashing the vampire between the door and thewall.
Iheld my Alpha blood covered hand over his face. “Sleep,” I whispered, dousinghim with magic mist and he crumpled. Witch perk.
Theother vampire, who was controlling the torture cage, pushed a button andhundreds of needles pushed into Kylee’s skin. She was naked and lying facedown. These bastards were going to die. I reached out and picked up a metalscalpel from a table of torture tools just as the vampire threw himself at me.Pivoting, I blocked his advances easily and kicked him backward, making himstumble to keep upright. He grinned and his fangs lengthened as he jumped up inthe air and did a weird cartwheel thing, coming down on my shoulder andknocking the scalpel out of my hands. Ow. Shit! Enough of this human body, Ineeded my wolf. I tore off my shirt as the vampire looked at my chestdistractedly. Then I shifted instantly to my wolf and kicked out of my pants. Lunging,I went for his throat and took him down to the ground, shaking him like a dog shakesa toy. With one quick jerk of my muzzle, I severed his head in my strong jaw. ThatAlpha power and strength spell had temporarily done something to me.
Hisvampire ash coated my wolf tongue. Yuck. But he deserved it. Hearing Kyleewhimper, brought my attention to her.
“Thesilver, I can’t breathe very well,” she mumbled through the cage.
Shiftingto my human form, I stood and banged on the top of the plexi-glass cage, as alarge crack ran down the middle. This cage wasn’t strong and it looked poorlyconstructed. I gripped the lid in my hands and gave a big jerk upward as Iripped it from its hinges. The needles attached to the underside went flyingwith it, scattering the ground. Holy shit. This must be how Anna felt.
Kyleewas weak and could barely push herself up, so I helped pull her to a standingposition and threw a lab coat over her. After quickly getting dressed myself, Idodged the scattered needles and walked her down the hall, letting her lean onme. At the end of the hall, I saw Layla in the doorway to the girls’ room. Fiveother vampires stood behind her in a semi-circle and they were completelyunaware of our presence.
Iturned to Kylee.‘You’re too weak to fight. Go Hide,’I commanded. Shedidn’t argue, just limped off in the opposite direction, the silver slowing hermovements.
‘Kyleeis free. Attack! Fight for your lives,’I sent to my pack. They had nothingon us now, war had officially begun.
Mywords were met with the sound of popping bones and growls just beyond the doorand my inner wolf was satisfied.
Idecided it was time to let the Devi loose, fully, it was now or never. I had beenwaiting for this moment for a long time. I had no ties to Kai, no pack membersbeing held captive, it was just me and Layla.
“Layla!”I screamed and the sound of my voice shocked me. It wasn’t me. It was somethingforeign. The Devi.
Laylaslowly spun and for once, I saw fear flash in her eyes as the vampires partedto let her fully see me standing in the hallway, uncaged.
Shereached back and grabbed Chelsea’s newly-shifted wolf by the neck skin and tookoff running with her down a side hall way.
Dammit!Beyond the door, I met Sadie’s eyes as she lunged for a vampire in the doorway.
‘Go!’she told me.‘I got this.’A vampire raised his hand and shot Sadie inthe abdomen but then one of my wolves leapt on him, knocking him back as theyattacked him in typical wolf-pack fashion.
‘Kaitold Tara your spell worked. They are on their way,’Sadie told me.
Ihad forgotten Tara was still in Kai’s pack. Good. Help was on the way. I had togo. This was it, my moment. I bolted super-fast down the hallway Layla had goneand saw a door at the end of the hallway about to close. A glowing EXIT signhung above it and I ran for it, jerking it open to see Layla was halfway acrossthe lawn with Chelsea squirming in her arms. A helicopter whirled to life twentypaces away and she was trying to make a run for it.
Takinga deep breath, I thrust my arms out. “Stop!” I roared with every ounce of magicI could muster. Prudence wasn’t here, it was just me and Layla. Alek’s words ofencouragement came to me then as a huge blanket of mist saturated Layla,reaching out like octopus tentacles and pinning her to the spot she stood. Iknew that if Kai were here, he would tell me my eyes were green. This wasn’tme, it was her, the Devi. I didn’t know this magic; it was old magic.
Layladropped Chelsea who ran off across the lawn and back into the building to helpthe girls. From my peripheral vision, I could see a bunch of cars and trucks drivingup the road. Then I felt him. Kai. He was here. I smiled but didn’t dare takemy eyes off of Layla. Vampires were pouring out of the doors from behind me,and around the sides of the building, but I used my magic to conjure up amagical wall stopping them.
“You’vedone too much damage for me to let you live. You know that, right?” my Devivoice told Layla.
Sheglared at me and dug her heels into the ground, pushing off and flying at me totackle me, breaking my tendrils of magic. I was ready. Squatting down, I putboth hands out so when she put her arms around my mid-section taking me down, Ihad a good grip on her neck. As we tumbled and rolled on the lawn, I squeezedher neck like a sponge. She kicked and struggled as I stood holding her neck inmy strong arms and watching her lash out like a fish on a hook.
“Aurora,look out!” I heard Kai scream from far away, just as I felt a dozen bulletssink into my back. Oh shit. Not again. I struggled to breathe as I fell to theground and turned to see Sylvia running towards me, hands outstretched, mistflying from them and saturating the shooter, a tall, sleek vampire who hadbroken through my magical wall.
ReleasingLayla, a cough rattled my chest as blood came out of my mouth and into my hands.But then, a tingling sensation covered my entire back like pins and needles andthe excruciating pain was suddenly gone. I felt the bullets fall out of my backand then the skin healed instantly as if by magic. What the hell? Sylviacollapsed on the lawn next to me and I took a deep breath, no rattling. It waslike I had never been shot. What the hell had Sylvia done for me? No! Layla wasrunning for the helicopter as Kai’s pack fought the vampires to keep them fromgetting to me. Too much was going on and I couldn’t process it.
“Sylvia!”Blood dripped from her mouth and she was slumped over with bullets in her back.I reached behind me, no blood, no bullets. Sylvia was dead. I knew it. Oh myGod. She had asked me outside the barn if I trusted her. This was it. This waswhat she did. Some kind of sacrifice spell. My chest heaved, and all I saw wasred. As my fists balled at my sides, I screamed. I screamed so freaking loudthe ground rumbled beneath me.
Laylawas limping towards the helicopter and I turned to Kai who was running over tome. He recoiled suddenly, looking scared as I knelt down to pick up a brokenbranch with a sharp tip. I ran so fast after Layla, I think it could have beencategorized as flying. I had never been so enraged in all my life. Sylvia wasmy friend, my mentor, my second mother. When I was a few feet from Layla, Ileapt into the air and came down on her back, shoving the stick through herchest, then I turned her around to face me. “That was for Devon!” I roared asthe trees shook with my magic. Leaves rattling around me.
“Youare a cancer upon the earth.” I held her head in my hands, as the helicopterblades whirled above me, making my hair whip around as Layla gaped at me withan open mouth and one hand clutching the stick in her chest. Her skin wasturning grey, but it wasn’t enough to kill her. I knew that. The Devi and I hadmerged into one, to end her for good.
