Shadow Spirit: A Steamy Paranormal Romance (Shadow Sisters Book 1)

Chapter 19

At the edge of the tree line, just beyond the sight of those who waited within, Decker and Samuel stood silently keeping a close and deadly watch when the three scouts returned from reconnoitering O’Shea’s fortress.

“Samuel, what do you think?” asked Decker.

“I think when she gets older, you need to recruit Erin to the team. I’ve had less accurate reports from seasoned special ops guys. The kid was right, he has no perimeter guard set outside the stronghold, nobody walking the parapets, one of the towers has been badly damaged and has no one in it, and the other three are only minimally patrolled.”

Decker grinned. “And here I thought I was just making conversation. It would appear she was listening.”

“Any idea what happened to the one tower?” asked Samuel.

“My guess is Adriana. It wouldn’t be the tower I would have chosen to destroy nor would I have basically blown the top off, but if it could give those coming up from the beach a better shot at success or make it easier for Erin to escape, it was the perfect choice.”

The day had begun to cloud over. What had started as a relatively mild day with a watery sky had devolved into a gray, foggy mess with a scent of rain and the promise of violence. The fog rolled off the ocean giving better cover to those who would be moving up from the beach to enter the fortress and search for Adriana.

But it wasn’t just from down below that the heavy fog crawled towards the massive stone walls that surrounded O’Shea’s fortification. It seemed to creep along the ground, moving upwards as it enveloped the landscape in a kind of ghostly shroud.

O’Shea’s stronghold stood on a rocky precipice, facing outward with its back to the rugged coastline. The gray walls rose from the ground like a grim sentinel to survey the foreground. Lamps flickered through the battlements and cast minimal light that failed to penetrate the encroaching weather. The door was a formidable iron structure which might have presented them with a serious obstacle to their success, but it had been left ajar, and no patrol outside the walls could be seen.

“We’re in position; are you ready?”asked Greg down the tether. It seemed the more they used the link, the stronger it became.

“My men have set charges at either corner. As soon as you hear them blow, we will be moving in.”

“Got it.”

Decker turned to his men. “Strike hard and fast. Our greatest weapon is stealth, and we need to provide cover for those from the beach to get inside. Once they have Adriana, we will hit them with everything we’ve got. O’Shea is not to be killed until we know my mate is secure.”

“Should we save him for you?” asked Samuel.

“I would prefer to be the one who ends his life, but that is secondary to getting Adriana safe and knowing he will never threaten her safety again. For those of you who don’t know, my mate is descended from the banshees, so don’t take it amiss if you see them come screaming down out of the sky to steal his soul away.”

He glanced around his men, making eye contact with each. On his nod, his demolition expert sent the signal that triggered three simultaneous blasts—one at each of the two forward towers and one midway along the side wall at its base. Decker wanted to give the illusion that O’Shea’s fortification was being assaulted by a much larger force.

As with one of the battles during the Wars of the Roses, the fog had become their ally. It swirled all around them and obscured their approach from O’Shea and his people. Decker thought it curious that the weather had appeared with little warning and wondered if perhaps Adriana had sent it to aid their cause.

As the blasts from the explosions rocked the walls of the fortress, O’Shea’s men gave a hue and cry and as expected, rushed forward. They seemed reluctant, though, to actually leave the relative safety of the stone barrier. The confusion that could be heard from within, plus the weather, gave Decker and his men the cover they needed to cross the open ground.

Reaching the base of the stone fortification, Decker and his men pressed their bodies against the cold stone and made their way inside the iron gates. One-by-one they entered, finding a place to hide amongst the chaos inside and silencing any who saw them. Decker was first inside, snapping the neck of a man who stood in his way and stabbing the throat of another with his combat blade. Warm blood covered his hand.

Once inside, the group split into two—one group securing their exit and the other moving forward to engage the main body of O’Shea’s forces. Decker led his team, moving like phantoms, their footsteps muffled by the sounds of O’Shea’s men, who were afraid and inexperienced. Decker guessed they were ill-trained and had no real loyalty to their alpha. Decker wasn’t convinced that the guards wouldn’t have managed to attack each other after the explosions and saved Decker the trouble.

“We’ve made the top of the cliff; entering the stronghold now. I fear our daughter may follow in your footsteps rather than mine.”

Hearing Greg refer to Erin as their daughter made Decker smile and reminded him of what was at stake. The initial explosions had sparked flames which now roared to life, lighting the courtyard and cutting through the soupy weather.

It occurred to Decker, not for the first time, that Brie must have known that Adriana was going after Erin on her own. He would have words with Colby about Colby’s fated mate and his own keeping their objectives and plans secret from those who shared the abbey with them.

Amidst the chaos, Decker’s team moved into the main keep.

ADRIANA

Just before the assault, Eoghan had returned to the room in which he held her, taunting her.

“You may have helped that brat escape, but I will soon retake her.” Eoghan sauntered across the room to her, lifting her breast as if weighing it. “I didn’t have time to properly enjoy you before, but once we have retreated to my castle in Ireland, we’ll have all the time in the world. My knot grows heavy, and I look forward to driving it into you to relieve its ache.”

“Yeah, that’s never going to happen.”

Eoghan cupped his crotch. “Just you wait. There are so many ways I mean to teach you to please me.”

“You couldn’t please a woman if your life depended on it. Fortunately for you, it doesn’t. I wonder what your men would think if they knew all you’d ever done was rape and bite me? You do know that your mark, as well as everything else you’ve done to me and others, will be avenged.”

“By that pathetic doctor? Don’t make me laugh. He isn’t an alpha and would never be able to eradicate my mark.”

“So, tell me, asshole, why is it my magic doesn’t work on you, but yours works on me?”

He chuckled, reminding her of Snidely Whiplash from the old cartoons.

“It was a safeguard against the intrinsic power of female witches. One of the first warlocks was able to cast an everlasting spell that no female witch has been able to break. It helps keep the females in line and knowledgeable of their rightful place—subservient to men. You will only be free of these bonds,” he said indicating the manacles, “and this room when I release you and not before.”

We’ll see about that.

So Eoghan didn’t know about Decker. Even though she longed to throw the sexual prowess of both her fated mates in his face, keeping Eoghan’s attention and focus on her could only aid Greg and Decker’s cause.

As explosions caused the floor beneath them to tremble, Eoghan’s expression revealed a flash of real fear. Adriana wondered if perhaps his magic wasn’t as strong as she’d once feared.

“I’ll be back for you,” Eoghan snarled as he turned and fled from the room.

Adriana strained against the silver-coated iron cuffs binding her wrists to the cold, stone wall. Each time she did, the silver burned her skin, making it difficult to use enough force to free herself. The flickering light from outside the barred windows cast eerie shadows across the floor and up the walls as if motionless, mute soldiers stood waiting for Eoghan’s command to kill her. Her breathing was ragged from the fear, frustration, and exhaustion left as her only companions, while she could hear the fighting from outside the room.

She had been struggling with all three for several hours and her mind and muscles ached from the relentless effort. With a snarl of determination, Adriana examined the manacles for the hundredth time, her eyes coming to rest on the lock which held them closed. The rusty metal was old, but still sturdy, the keyhole a taunting reminder of her captivity. She took a deep breath, willing herself to lose her fear of her situation and the danger which the others were in, and she tried to focus. There had to be a way out. There just had to be.

She knew her magic was ineffective in manipulating the actual lock and was certain it would keep her from escaping, but maybe it could be used to defeat the metal that bound her to the wall.

“Think, Adriana, think,” she muttered to herself, her voice barely a whisper.

Her eyes darted around the room, looking for anything that could help her free herself. The room was mostly bare, save for the barest scraps of furniture and other necessities. She spotted a rusted piece of iron—the link to a piece of chain, perhaps? Something akin to hope flared within her chest. Maybe she could use her magic to manipulate it into a lock pick.

Adriana closed her eyes, focusing and centering herself. She blocked out the sounds of the battle around her. In her mind’s eye she could see the jagged piece of metal. It didn’t immediately fly to her when she tried to move it, but it did rattle. Progress.

She tried again. This time, the metal left the floor, but fell back almost as quickly. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. She wondered if Greg’s mark had begun to weaken Eoghan’s hold on her. She was convinced that in order to defeat Eoghan, Decker needed to mark her as well and the sooner the better.

Having sex and having your mate tear a chunk out of your neck while surrounded by enemies and a firefight wasn’t ideal, but if it gave them the advantage over Eoghan, then so be it.

She stretched and strengthened her mind, brushing the edges of the metal and making it rattle before rising again. This time it made movement towards her before falling. “Progress, not perfection,” she muttered under her breath before shifting position to get a clearer view. The problem with the new position was that it put her skin in closer contact with the silver. She gasped and recoiled from the burning sensation.

Suck it up, buttercup. Witches have been burned at the stake for centuries; a little flash of pain from the contact isn’t going to kill you.

She closed her eyes, clearing her mind, and tried again. She struggled with the effort of manipulating the metal as well as ignoring the burning sensation from the silver. Finally, when she opened her eyes, she let out a small cry of triumph as the metal piece seemed to rise from the floor without any of the previous wobble and began to make its way to the lock on the first cuff. Manipulating something in a more delicate maneuver than just flinging it across the room was tiring, but she knew she needed to free herself in order to aid those who had come for her.

Carefully, she managed to insert the rough metal into the lock. She worked the makeshift tool in the keyhole, wincing as it caused the silver to scrape along her skin. When her attention was diverted from her task by a sound outside, she almost lost her lockpick to the floor again. Strengthening her resolve, she ignored everything around her.

Had she not been bound by Eoghan’s magic, she might have manipulated and slowed time in order to give herself and her mates the advantage, but that was not a gift she could make use of at the moment. And yet time seemed to slow of its own accord. Minutes passed like hours as she fiddled with the lock. She bit her lip, concentrating as sweat trickled down from her forehead. Just when she thought she had failed again, she heard a faint click and her heart leapt. Rotating the metal piece again, the lock finally gave way and the first of the manacles opened.

She caught the makeshift tool as it threatened to fall to the ground. This time, using her hands instead of her mind, opening the lock was much easier and faster. A wave of relief washed over her, but there was still much to do before they would all be safe.

Adriana rubbed her red and raw wrists as she lowered her arms, the blood rushing back into her fingers causing a small surge of pain. She stood, her legs shaking from disuse, and managed to walk away from the wall.

Tamping down the link to Eoghan, she opened the link to Decker. “I am unchained. I need you, not Greg. Have him ensure that Eoghan and his men cannot get to us.”

She left enough of the link open that Decker could track her. She reached out to Greg. “Decker is closer but is sending men to your position. Keep them distracted while we free me from Eoghan’s magic.”

Turning so that her back was against the wall, Adriana leaned against it for support. She was going to have to incite Decker to enough lust and dominance that his need to have at her would overrun his sense of propriety. Knowing what she had to do, Adriana removed her clothes.