Page 133 of Plug and Tame

Victoria and Felix were nowhere in sight.

Gloria screamed and tripped on her red train, scrambling to try and stand as Kira descended on her.

“No! Get back you vile beast!”

Kira’s head bent down and clamped over her dress.

Nathaniel froze, and it took him a second to realise that Kira hadn’t bitten Gloria. She’d seized the puffy sleeve of her dress and pulled the vampiress to her feet.

“Leave,” she said, and Gloria hastened out of the side door that Kira had been dragged in.

Kira watched her go, her fur receding as she morphed. Her two wolves converged into a single woman with a torn dress and dishevelled hair, golden sparkles of magic sliding off her dark skin and floating to the ground like snow. She swayed where she stood, and Nathaniel leapt forward, catching her as she fell and lifting her in his arms.

“You saved her,” he was unable to hide his awe of the terrifyingly powerful, beautiful, and merciful woman in his arms.

“I had to,” she whispered. “She’s my sister.”

Nathaniel kissed her. Words were inadequate for what he felt. His sorrow, his relief, his admiration for her.

In the background, vampires snarled, hissed, and screamed, most of them too much in shock to defend themselves.

Nathaniel pitied them, but he felt no regret. He would not miss them. His father had surrounded himself with vampires of the same ilk as him.

Suddenly, the earth trembled beneath their feet, the chandeliers casting flecks of light around the room as the entire building shook.

“What’s happening?” Kira cried, clutching his arm as she peered around wildly.

A second later, the entire floor of the Throne Room collapsed, along with the dais and throne.

They all fell, but only a few feet. Nathaniel managed to shield Kira from injury as he took the brunt of the fall, holding her close as he landed on rubble.

Their bodies quaked with violent tremors as the earth shook. And then, as quickly as it had started, the room became still once more.

Large plumes of dust filled the air, obscuring everyone from view. He and Kira coughed, barely able to see more than a few feet in front of them as the dust swirled.

“What happened?” Kira asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. Whatever had caused the earthquake turned the tide in their favour. The wolves were sure-footed, whilst the vampires were not, and the fighting had quickly ended.

It was quieter now.

Wolves roamed the halls, sniffing amidst the rubble and dispatching the last of Henrikk’s supporters.

The sound of a woman cursing made him and Kira turn. Behind the dais, the wooden wall had collapsed, along with the blood-red banners of Henrikk’s reign. An old woman in green robes stood silhouetted in the swirling dust, surrounded by twinkling magical lights that floated in the air.

She was holding a broomstick with a gnarled handle, and as the dust cleared, Nathaniel recognised the witch. Her hair was silver with hardly a hint of blonde, and she looked tired as she approached, lifting her green skirt as she stepped gingerly across the broken ground.

“Barbara,” Kira said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

The witch looked pleased with herself, and she smiled at them happily, the expression deepening every wrinkle on her face. “You didn’t think I’d let the two of you take on great evil without me, did you? Well, here I am. Although…” She scratched her head as she peered around the room, frowning as she realised the fighting was over. “Oh dear. I only meant to knock Henrikk off his throne, but it seems the building wasn’t very strong, was it? I’ve gone and knocked the whole court off their feet!” She chortled. “Anyway, did I miss much? I’m sorry I’m a touch late. I left as soon as I could, but these broomsticks weren’t designed for old bones—”

Nathaniel placed a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you,” he was sincere, because however ill-timed the magic had been, it had nipped the fighting in the bud. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Kira pressed her lips together in a thin line, giving the witch a nod before looking away.

His insides seized, wishing he could reverse the events of the night. Wishing that somehow he could have spared Kira the torturous ordeal she’d gone through. He stepped close and pulled her into a silent embrace.

There were no words to express how he felt.