Chapter 27
Valentina
“ Y ou!” I hissed. “Let. Her. Go.”
Andrei grinned. “Let him inside, and I will.” He gestured to the gate with his free hand.
“You have a death wish, don’t you?” I said through my teeth, but then my eyes immediately caught another figure on the other side. It was a tall man with deep-brown skin and long locs that almost reached the middle of his back. His towering body hovered over another hostage. Alessandro.
“We figured you would say no. Andrei warned us you’d gladly sacrifice everyone here if you had to.”
I shook my head. “What are you doing here? How did you even find this place?”
I cast my eyes around the property, looking for Jase. Was he here, as well, looking for Rachel?
My vampire powers sparked to life, and my fangs slid past my lips. Darius growled next to me, his rage as tangible as my own.
“Andrei,” the tall man holding Alessandro called out. “Do it.”
Andrei raised his fist and slammed it into Tati’s back. Her screams pierced my ears. Darius and I both shouted for him to stop before I took another step forward.
“You use your power on us, Valentina, and I rip her spine clean from her body.”
“No!” Alessandro screamed, trying to crawl toward Andrei and his mate, but Jackson had a firm grip on the back of his neck. “Kill me. Kill me instead. Not her, not my mate.”
“Open the gate, and we won’t dismember and force-feed her body parts to you,” Andrei growled, his dark eyes looking like the empty sockets of a skull.
I ran my hands through my damp hair, and for once, I didn’t know what to do. Alessandro and Tati were vital members of Darius’s clan, and he was about to watch her die.
Why am I hesitating? One vampire’s life isn’t enough to keep me rooted. What the hell is wrong with me?
The inner turmoil within me raged like a typhoon, and my thoughts spun with every solution I could think of. I should attack. So, why couldn’t I take that step?
“Darius,” I said, debating how to stop this. I couldn’t use my speed because Andrei would kill her before I reached them. Compulsion was also too risky. “What can we do here?”
It was clear that Enzo and Charles were dead. I compelled the men to fight to the death against any intruder who breached the gates. No local vampires would attack the villa, as Darius was friends with all of them. So, how did Andrei discover this place?
“I’ll open the gates,” Alessandro cried out. The man holding him let him stand. “I may be a vampire, but I can access the spell since I live here. Any of us can do it.”
“Don’t!” I shouted. But he hurried over and pressed his hands against the barrier, uttering the spell to break the shield. There was a shimmer of light, and the magic disappeared.
“Thank you,” the witch said as he crossed the threshold. With a flick of his wrist, Alessandro’s neck snapped, and his body fell to the ground. I lunged forward, closing the distance between myself and the two men. Alessandro would heal instantly, and then we could save Tati.
But what happened next was something I had never seen a witch do before, and left me frozen. When Alessandro attempted to stand, the witch threw out his power, wrapping his body in red mists. He pulled Alessandro off the ground and held him several feet in the air. Then he started stripping Alessandro’s skin from his muscles, inch by inch. He was flaying him alive.
Oh my God.
He screamed, his healing factor trying desperately to stitch him back together. But then the male witch threw his arms down, reducing Alessandro’s limbs and body into a puddle of blood. The red liquid splashed across the gravel, leaving a blackened mark in the pristine garden.
It wasn’t me or Darius who screamed in horror but Tati. The heartbreaking wails that came from her would haunt me for eternity. Despite the risk, she tried to pull away from Andrei’s hold on her spine. Andrei, seemingly stunned, pulled his fist from her back, and she fell to the ground. When the gaping hole sealed, Tati rose and staggered to the steaming pool of her beloved. The witch watched as she fell to her knees, one hand gripping her chest like her heart was shattering beneath, the other shakingly touching the puddle of blood that was once her mate.
“He …” she gasped. “He did what you asked! We did nothing wrong. Wha—why did you kill him?”
The witch cocked his head as he looked down his nose at her. “Because,” he purred, “the Black Onyx has very specific instructions when dealing with your kind. I’m merely doing my job, vampire.”
Before we could move, he snapped his wrist and destroyed her, too. It was over in an instant. Tati’s entire body, down to the last strand of her long black hair, dissolved into blood, splashing into Alessandro’s mark on the ground. I clapped a hand over my mouth, stunned at this witch’s cruel magic. Darius groaned, clutching the sides of his head while shaking with rage and sorrow over the loss of his clan members and his friends.
The man dusted the remaining magic from his hands and turned to grin at Andrei. “You’re welcome.”
Andrei’s fangs flashed in a gnashing snarl of frustration. Clearly, he wasn’t happy with what the witch had just done. Even Andrei’s other vampire friend looked utterly sickened.
“Liam, what the hell?” Andrei hissed.
Liam shrugged coldly, like he was devoid of any regret.
And now, their leverage is gone.
While the three men distracted themselves, I unleashed all my powers—elemental and demonic. My eyes burned crimson, and blue mists leaked from the corners. My fangs gleamed as I hissed. I summoned a ball of water and flung it at Andrei. He dodged, but the blast soaked his hair. The damn witch, Liam, charged at me, hurling a wave of red mist toward my chest. I raised a shield, but the impact slammed me to the ground.
“Well, well,” Andrei taunted. “There are others inside that house ... with heartbeats.” Something in Andrei’s voice made my spine lock up. “Maybe we should catch one of them. That’ll make you cooperate.” I heard his footsteps disappear toward the villa, followed by his friend’s.
No!
Darius roared and took off after them, for he would die for those inside that house.
As I moved to stand, Liam was on me. He grabbed my throat and lifted me off the gravel. This little brat was stronger than most witches; I’d give him that. But he was no match for me.
Grinning with feral delight, I seized his wrist and crushed the bones. Liam screamed in pain and attempted to hold me, but his useless hand fell away from my throat. When I stepped away, he threw another wall of red power at me, but my water shield forced it back.
We stood there, mere feet apart, watching each other. I burned with hatred, watching the witch’s hazel eyes laced with pain and calculation.
I will rip this bastard into bloody chunks and throw them into the canals.
I threw my power into his mind with lightning speed, seizing control. Liam cried out, grabbing his temples. He tried to flush me out, but my mind-reading magic was unbreakable.
Or at least, I thought it was.
“Wow,” he said. “That’s some powerful magic you’ve got there.” His own magic pressed against mine, shoving it back.
Though Liam was blocking me, it slipped for just a moment.
“Cave?” I said. “Rachel’s heading for a cave in Crete with Jase?”
Despite my grip on his mind, Liam sneered. “You read the thoughts I wanted you to know. She’s not safe, but don’t worry. We’ll take care of her when we catch up. For now, I’ll enjoy taking that incredible power from you, sweetheart—right after I kill you.”
I laughed. “Good luck with that.” I spun and bolted for the front steps, hearing the sounds of Darius and the others fighting inside the house. I needed to reach them. But just then, a surge of red power slammed into my back, knocking me off my feet. I hit the ground hard but quickly sprang up, whirling around.
“Attacking someone from behind is poor form, boy,” I seethed. “Didn’t your mommy teach you any manners?”
Liam rolled his shoulder back as he marched forward, blatantly ignoring me. “Imagine the hero I’ll be once I kill the infamous Valentina Vasile. Black Onyx will worship me. Maybe I’ll even take Gerald’s place.”
I steadied myself, power crackling at my fingertips. “Oh, a young lad like you still has so much to learn.”
Liam raised his hands as if ready to block my next move. “Well, why don’t you teach me, old hag?”
Hag? Kylan turned me at twenty-four!
I lunged for Liam, not even bothering to use magic or my vampire powers, and slammed my right fist into his left cheek. I felt the bone beneath crack, and fresh blood leaked onto my knuckles. Liam’s head snapped to the side, and more blood leaked from his nose.
Before I could bury my fangs in his exposed throat, his hand—the one I had crushed moments before—clamped down on my forearm.
“What?” I gasped, looking down at the healed appendage gripping my arm.
He healed.
“What are you? No witch should be able to heal a bone that fast,” I snarled, but my voice betrayed my confusion.
His lips turned up. “Oh, I’m a witch, but let’s just say I inherited some fortunate abilities from my father.” Liam dug his nails into my skin until I winced. “You’ll find I’m harder to kill than most.”
My fangs flashed as I grinned despite the trepidation in my gut, blasting a concussive pulse of water against Liam’s chest. The force sent him crashing into a thick oak tree that bordered the wall a hundred feet away.
Try getting up from that, you entitled brat.
I rushed for the open front door and slammed it shut once inside, using several runes to seal it so Liam couldn’t follow. “Darius!” I shouted, running into the kitchen, where I heard the commotion of chaos. He was still exchanging blows with Andrei and his friend, only now Gio had joined the brawl. I scanned the area and saw Ava lying on the ground, her arm sliced and bleeding, but she was alive.
Luka came charging in from the other entrance, throwing his magic toward Andrei, who had Gio in a bear hug. Andrei cursed and released him before grabbing his skull.
“Gio! Grab Ava and go!” he shouted, using his free hand to keep the other vampire at bay. I knew where they needed to go. The villa had a secret tunnel built beneath the main house. It led to a small inlet inside a cave connected to the river. A boat was waiting to take people away to a safe location. They all knew that one day, they would have to flee again. It just came far too soon.
Gio carefully gathered Ava into his arms and sprinted out of the kitchen, his footsteps fading in the chaos.
“Luka, hold for them as long as you can,” I instructed. Darius was no longer in the kitchen, but a loud crack came from the front door. Oh, God.
Luka only nodded as he dragged Andrei and his friend to their knees with his telepathic powers.
I raced out of the kitchen and down the hall. “Darius!”
“In here. Hurry!”
Darius was in the library, gathering weapons from behind some false cabinets.
“That witch will be inside any second,” I said, knowing I couldn’t seal every door. Even if I could, the rune spells would never be as strong as the ones around the perimeter. “Where’s the stone?”
He slung a bow across his back before running toward another shelf that concealed the Tear. Darius opened it quickly and grabbed the stone, handing it to me so I could tuck it into my jeans pocket. I grabbed a dagger hanging from the wall before turning around to gather other weapons. I spotted my Book of Shadows lying a few feet away, some pages knocked askew.
I gathered my book and shoved it into the weapons pouch, which I grabbed off the shelf. “Darius, go find Gio and Ava. I’m going to get Luka,” I ordered. Darius hesitated momentarily, then he nodded and sprinted toward the back door, where he found the hidden tunnel entrance.
Another deafening boom echoed through the house. Liam was close to getting inside, and I needed to save the dhampirs. I reentered the kitchen. Luka was panting, his face dripping with sweat from his mind-holding power.
“I’ll take it from here,” I said, touching his outstretched arm. “Meet the others. I’ll be right behind you.”
“But—”
“Don’t argue with me. Please. Just. Go.” I pushed my compulsion power to my throat, coating the vocal cords in absolute control. Luka understood what I was about to do and dropped his power, which I replaced with one word: “Stay.”
The other vampire was immobile, but Andrei managed to look at me and smile. It felt like we were back at the church, and Rachel had come into her compulsion abilities against him and Jase.
“Well,” I said, “here we are again.”
Andrei grinned wider, his eyes flashing with something unsettling. “Are you going to kill me now?” he asked, fangs bared.
“I have no choice. You’ll find her if I don’t.”
Andrei’s stare grew more intense. “Rachel’s safer with me, and you know it.”
I held my tongue. Despite the desire to defend my right to protect my child, I knew Andrei also wanted to. Through the wild darkness in his mind, I saw he cared about Rachel, even if he didn’t know how to love her.
No matter. Neither Rachel nor my ring would fall into their hands. I had to kill them. I summoned a spear of water to impale the men’s hearts, but before I could unleash it, an explosion rocked the kitchen, throwing me into the living room. Every wall around me cracked, and debris rained down on my head.
Liam emerged from the dust, red death magic pulsing at his fingertips. He looked like a man possessed. Before I could react, Darius raced toward me, seized my wrist, and yanked me to my feet. A jagged piece of broken metal from the coffee table dug into my skin, scraping painfully along my hip as it tore at the fabric of my sweater.
I winced as I watched the chaos of the crumbling villa.
And then we ran.