“I do love you. You are my mate,” Alexei confessed. “I only wish I had told you sooner that you are my world. It was foolish of me to deny my feelings, and I only pray that the gods give us a second chance, so that I may make up for my mistakes. I am in love with you, Kiara. Please, my mate, forgive me.”
“Alexei,” Kiara whispered, and I’m sure I heard tears in her voice. “Of course I forgive you. I always will.”
At Alexei’s confession, the griffin stone in the staff ignited. A great golden light burst through it, pulsing through the room and blasting the acolytes holding the knives off their feet. Their blades skittered across the floor. Acolyte Vesper staggered with the effort of trying to hold onto the staff, which was shaking in his hands.
“What is this strange magic?” Acolyte Vesper hissed, peering at the glowing stone. He shook the staff a few times, but it did nothing, and he let out a scream of rage. “Why can’t I use it?”
“Because the griffin stone is the stone of compassion,” Kiara hissed. “And you don’t have any.”
Vesper’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Then there was a shattering sound, like wood breaking, and an explosion echoed through the room, leaving our eardrums aching. Xantha’s shock caused her to drop the binding curse, setting us free.
Arthur burst into the room in his wolven form, ridden by Vara. They were flanked by Theo, who was in his alicorn form, Odette on his back. Delmare had a battle orb at the ready, and Stefan carried his sword, looking all too eager to use it. Beside them were Jasper, Ozzie, Amantha and Finlay, all carrying their own weapons and ready to fight.
“Stop them!” Vesper cried. The oppressors fired off a round of noxite darts, but Odette flung up a shield, and the darts were turned to ashes once they hit her protective barrier. Soon, the guards were out of ammo. They abandoned the noxite guns and shifted into their animal forms, or pulled out swords. Soon, the sound of swords clashing and shifters brawling echoed around the room. The initiates, who had no power and couldn’t fight, ran screaming from the meeting hall.
Alexei wasted no time hopping off the stone tablet and beating the crap out of any oppressor who was within reach. Ethan jumped off the stone tablet and started punching people out with brute force, planting himself in front of me with no concern for his own safety.
My heart swelled. That was my alpha.
Kiara spun upward from the table and elbowed Acolyte Vesper right in the face, making his nose bleed. He grabbed at it, and for good measure, I socked him right in the jaw. My hit was so strong, he let go of the staff. Kiara reached out to grab it before it fell, and once the staff was in her hands, the griffin stone ignited once again, sending beaming rays of light resonating all over the chamber.
The noxite had taken away Kiara’s magic, but she could use the power in the griffin stone. She pointed the staff at Acolyte Xantha and let out a yell. Glowing golden magic fired out the end of the stone and slammed into Xantha’s chest. Xantha let out a gasp, and her eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed upon the floor, dead.
Our friends were killing the guards, dropping them like flies. The acolytes knew when they’d been beaten, and went to flee. Kiara pointed the staff at Alexei now, and as she commanded it, the golden ethers of the stone wrapped around him, causing his entire body to shimmer.
He’d been poisoned with noxite just like the rest of us, but a Crystal of Harmony was stronger than the effects of noxite, and as Kiara flooded the griffin stone’s power into Alexei, he regained the power to shift again. He exploded into a griffin and spread his wings, giving an eagle’s cry. Alexei soared across the room and blocked the exits. He rose up on his hind legs and batted at the acolytes, tearing their limbs from their bodies with one blow.
Kiara rushed to join them. She fired off spells from the griffin stone as Alexei forced acolytes to the ground, ripping out their hearts with his beak. His black eyes glittered as he took his vengeance for his childhood and all the other children they’d tortured, showing them no mercy.
I turned away from the carnage in search of my mate. Ethan was going after Vesper— the acolyte was running across the room through the fight, trying to escape. I gave chase after him— we couldn’t let the bastard go.
Ethan and I were forced to a halt as a figure stepped in front of us. Callista took a wide fighting stance and opened her hands, like she was ready to call magic to them. She had created a barrier between us and Vesper, and without magic, we couldn’t fight her. I gave an aggravated noise as I watched Vesper duck through another doorway and out of sight.
“Callista, get out of the way!” I shouted. I couldn’t believe she was defending this twisted fuck.
“You killed my friend!” Callista shouted, pointing at Ethan. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out, “And now you’re trying to take the family away from me!”
“I’m sorry, Callista. I made a mistake,” Ethan said, his hands raised in an apologetic gesture. He was trying to calm her down, but it was far from working.
“I won’t let you do this,” Callista cried. “I’lldiefor the Black Claw! I’lldieto avenge Janetta, and my father against the Seelie!”
A blue battle orb began to form in her hands. Callista grew it larger and larger, her eyes wild and frantic. She didn’t let it go, and I realized... she’d do anything to kill us. She didn’t care if she brought the whole place down with her.
All she cared about was getting revenge on Ethan for murdering Janetta. Even if she sacrificed herself.
“Callista, don’t!” I shouted, but it was too late.
Callista lost control, and her spell self-destructed. Her magic enveloped her completely, and she screamed just before the battle orb enveloped her body in blue light, killing her instantly and singeing her body to nothing but charred bones.
Her battle orb swelled and expanded throughout the room. Odette noticed what was happening at the last minute. She threw up her hands, expanding individual shields around us and our allies. Ethan shoved me to the ground and climbed over me just before the explosion hit the walls. I gritted my teeth as the ground beneath us shook, and from everywhere, there were screams as the explosion killed whoever was in its path.
Stones began crumbling from the ceiling, smacking into initiates and oppressors alike. The earth shuddered for a moment, until the battle orb dissipated and all that was left of it was the aftershock. Ethan clambered off of me, and I was relieved he wasn’t hurt, though he was bleeding from a cut on his forehead.
I looked up through the smoke and saw Alexei approaching, blood dripping down his beak and claws. Beside him, Kiara held up the griffin stone as a source of light through the haze. Alexei and Kiara had made quick work of the other acolytes, but dammit all, Acolyte Vesper had managed to escape.
Meanwhile, the catacombs were falling to pieces from Callista’s explosion. If we didn’t get out of here, and fast, we’d be trapped. I was far from willing to let this place become my tomb.
“Let’s get out of here!” Stefan yelled. He dragged Delmare behind him. Odette had fainted with the effort of shielding fourteen people from the explosion. Theo snorted and rolled his eyes in worry as he kept Odette on his back, hooves stomping and red soaking his horn.
