21.
King
T he rage that follows is blinding. I’m on him a split second later, my bloodthirst unleashed to its full extreme. Every swing of my claws, every savage bite, is for Katia. The hybrid’s shrieks are drowned out by the pounding in my ears. I don’t stop. I can’t stop.
“Give this fucking son of a bitch to me!” Penny hisses, her voice sharp and unforgiving, as she leaps into the fray.
I hold the hybrid down by the nape, my claws digging into his flesh. He thrashes under me, but it’s useless. Penny grabs his head with both hands, her grip like a vice. Magic pours from her palms, crackling with furious sparks of light. The smell of ozone and burnt flesh fills the air as her power fries his brain into absolute mush. Then, without hesitation, she twists his head clean off, the sharp crack reverberating in the chaos.
My sister is such a fierce vampire that sometimes I forget just how remarkable her witch powers are.
She doesn’t waste a second. Without a word, not even a glance in my direction, she sprints to retrieve Katia’s severed head, and in a flash, she’s already kneeling beside her lifeless body.
Her eyes dart to Farah, wild and desperate. “Bring her back! Bring her back! Bring her back!” she repeats hysterically.
Vampires don’t experience emotions the way humans do, but we don’t need tears or gasping breaths to understand the depth of her anguish.
Farah meets my gaze, her eyes questioning. I give her a barely detectable nod. The resurrection requires an immense amount of energy, which will drain her entirely with her already fragile strength. And Satan is too preoccupied with his own thing to help. But it’s not even up for debate.
Farah steps forward, approaching them, and kneels on the opposite side of Katia’s broken body. “You need to lend me some of your powers. I’m too weak.”
“Just bring her back to me!” Penny grits but her voice falters.
The rest of us shift instinctively, forming a protective circle around them. In the distance, the minotaur rampages in fury, tearing through the attackers like a force of nature. How many years has he been kept captive to hold such a deadly malice? The collar meant to subdue him is worthless now, a mere ornament against his raw, uncontainable power.
Penny and Farah clasp hands, their voices rising in a haunting invocation. The air between them ripples, charged with energy. Farah’s hands begin to glow, casting a golden light over Katia. She glides them from her chest over her neck, pulling the spilled blood back into her veins. The torn sinews and severed tendons knit themselves together, piece by piece, as Katia’s head reattaches, the skin fusing seamlessly, her veins pulsing faintly once more.
Then her eyes snap open, bright and piercing. She looks right at Penny, her voice raspy but full of attitude. “Ugh, it’s you again.”
Penny lets out a sound that’s half a sob, half a growl. “Don’t you ever do that to me again!” And before Katia can respond, Penny crushes their lips together in a frenzied, almost feral kiss.
Disgusting , I think to myself, smiling.
“Alright, you need to move,” I bark, my worried voice cutting through the moment. Enough time has been wasted. “Penny, take Farah and Katia out of here.”
Farah is barely staying conscious, her head drooping with exhaustion. Katia’s body is still fragile, and it will take a while for her energy to return. Penny, though standing, looks like she’s on the verge of collapse as the adrenaline is wearing off.
I look at my brother, who’s not healing fast enough, and his wounded sons. “Edwin, take your boys, and get out of here too.”
“Alex, you can’t fight all of them alone,” Penny says, her voice tight with concern.
I ignore her words, already turning back toward the fight. “All of you—go! That’s an order.” I can’t think straight with all of them being around and so vulnerable right now.
Penny hesitates for a moment, I feel her eyes lingering on my back, but she eventually lets go. Without another word, she helps Farah to her feet and hoists Katia over her shoulder. Her magic flares and the wall shatters with a deafening crack. A gaping hole reveals a narrow tunnel leading upward.
Edwin stares me down.
I got this. I sigh, tearing my eyes away from him and darting forward into the fight.
Most of the rescued mutants joined our side and defeated their captors, clearing the space from danger. However, the next ones are already closing in.
I’m done playing games. I work seamlessly with my team and the first wave of newly arriving super-soldiers doesn’t even make it into the hallway. We tear through them like a hurricane, our claws ripping the high-tech armor and flesh with horrifying ease. The captives are right behind, slamming into the incoming second wave, proving what powerful weapons they are indeed.
The stench of burning chemicals fills the air as one soldier fires a flamethrower, its jet of fire scorching across the space blindly. I dodge, leaping toward him, and feel the delightful snap of his bones as I slam him into the ground. His screams are short-lived as my claws rip his heart out.
Another soldier raises a grenade launcher. Before he can fire, the reptilian from earlier lunges out of the shadows, its massive jaws snapping shut around his head. The man’s body convulses before going limp, his blood pooling on the floor. The creature lets out a guttural hiss, flicking its forked tongue toward me in acknowledgment before disappearing further into the battle.
The centaur charges into the formation again, scattering their ranks. But he’s quickly overwhelmed—three soldiers converge on him, silver-tipped spears stabbing into his sides. He lets out a pained bellow before collapsing, his massive frame twitching as his blood pools on the floor. One of the remaining witches tends to him immediately, though, and it looks like he will pull through.
Unlike the faith of the bear mutant. He moves with lightning speed, his massive, clawed paws slashing through the air, but his movements are reckless, too angry, and it costs him. A soldier fires a barrage of rounds into his chest, and he stumbles, clutching the wound before another grenade blast takes him down for good.
By the time the smoke clears, the last of the soldiers lie broken, their weapons scattered across the massacre on the floor. I wipe the dripping blood from my claws, my eyes locking on the officer who has tried to stop us. He is still breathing, barely conscious, pinned under a fallen door.
“You should have stayed out of our way,” I growl, stepping over him, and with the final gurgle, he’s gone.
But there’s no time to celebrate. Overhead, the unmistakable whine of fighter jets intensifies. Their engines echo through the entire base, and the floor quakes as missiles strike the surface. The stairwell behind us collapses, cutting off our escape route.
“Penny, what’s going on the surface?”
“Vampires are holding the perimeter,” she reports. “We’ve got the outer defenses locked down, but those aircraft are going to be a problem. They’re deploying heavy artillery.”
As if on cue, the ground shakes violently again, dust raining down from the ceiling, followed by the thud of more explosions. My heart sinks. The humans are pulling out all the stops.
Satan can’t wait any longer. Edwin’s voice rings in my mind.
“We need to move,” I reply, scanning the hallway. All of the cells are open now, and the mutants are wreaking havoc. I look toward the tunnel that Penny’s carved. “Everyone topside! We’re not staying for the fireworks.”
My team doesn’t need to be told twice. They rush up above the ground to join the others.
“And you?” the centaur asks, frowning.
“I’ll make sure no one’s left behind.”
Reluctantly, he nods and begins rallying the other mutants.
I turn toward the other end of the hallway, moving deeper into the facility. My focus is locked ahead. There’s a hum in the air, a low vibration that makes my fur tingle, and it’s calling to me. The need to investigate is gnawing at me, despite my better judgment.
As I turn, the smaller hallway stretches before me, dimly lit, and there’s an unnatural stillness to the space, the scent of sulfur hanging faintly in the air. I reach a door at the far end. It’s one of the many cells, but this one is much more heavily reinforced than the others. The steel door is scratched and dented—evidence of some kind of violent struggle from within. A small window with thick bars sits at the top of the door, and I peer through it, my breath catching as I see the occupant inside.
A man. Maybe once a man, but now… something else.
He’s sitting perfectly still on the cot, hands folded neatly in his lap. To the naked eye, he looks completely normal—maybe apart from his lips curling into a smile that’s all too sharp, too knowing. But it’s not his appearance that stops my breath in my throat. No, it’s the presence that radiates from him, the oppressive weight that presses on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
A demon.
It’s not like the hybrids and other strange mutants that the government created. This creature is something else entirely. It’s a being from the shadow realm, a force that exists only in the dark between worlds. A spirit that’s powerful enough to possess the living and inhabit their bodies, twisting them into something unrecognizable.
I feel the shift in the air, the way the temperature drops, and the tension grows with the demon’s potency. It’s old. Ancient . It has witnessed wars, plagues, and deaths far beyond anything the humans could ever understand. And I can only assume it’s a pretty high-ranking one.
Then, without warning, the man’s head snaps toward the window. His eyes lock onto mine, and a voice slithers into my mind, cold and smooth, crawling inside me like ice running through my veins.
Ahh, the mighty Marduk… You shouldn’t be here right now.
I don’t respond. I can’t. This thing… it’s stronger than I can fathom, more dangerous than I’m prepared for. If it wanted to break free, it would. I don’t know how the military managed to trap it here, but they did, and now it’s waiting for the right moment.
You must leave before it’s too late… Before she’s no more…
The man’s body—this shell —jerks as if something inside him moves, a violent, twisting motion. I step back, almost instinctively, as the air thickens, the pressure building. The demon is trying to reach me. I can feel it scratching at the edges of my mind, forcing its way in. The human body inside the cell twitches while the demon stirs, feeling my presence.
I rush out of the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest, and then another scent hits me. Much more familiar, a scent that carries fear, pain, and desperation. That’s when I find them—the human women. They’re huddled in a corner of one of the lab rooms, some visibly pregnant, their wide eyes locking onto me behind the glass-windowed door that they have barricaded.
I push it open with ease. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” I crouch low to meet their eye level, my hands lifted in a peaceful gesture. “What are you doing in here? Where did you come from?”
“Umm, the tiger…” one woman begins, her voice hesitant, “we were locked in cells on the lower level, and he came to release us. But with the chaos… I thought it’s best if we wait it out here.”
“That’s very smart. You’re very brave,” I say gently, trying to reassure her. “Do you know if there are any more?”
“Maybe some lab workers?” she replies, glancing at the others for confirmation. “Or maybe they got out. I’m not sure. We were the only subjects. He took the doctor lady with him and ran.”
Subjects…
“You’re safe now,” I say firmly. “I’m going to get you out.”
The other woman stirs, her voice trembling as she speaks. “Who… who are you?”
“The one tearing this place apart,” I answer with a wry edge, offering my hand to help her up.
Suddenly, the ground shifts again, but this time with much greater force than any bomb. The scent of sulfur floods the air, and a low, guttural roar reverberates even through the lower tunnels. The heat is so intense that I can feel it even from underground.
Satan’s begun his show.
“Okay, we need to hurry!” I bark, ushering the women toward the exit. “Now!”
Edwin, I’ve got some captive women heading up there. Take them to safety.
As they ascend the narrow path, another explosion rocks the ground. The walls of the base tremble, cracks spidering through the concrete, sending chunks of debris raining down. The air fills with smoke, the screams of the dying echo around, and the scent of jet fuel and scorched flesh mingles with blood and fear.
“Keep moving!” I snarl at the women as the ground beneath us begins to collapse. The base is falling apart, the tunnels caving in under the force of Satan’s wrath.
Once the survivors are out of the tunnel, I begin to crawl out of there, the ground slipping from under my paws, but Edwin’s arm is there to help me up.
Above, Satan’s firestorm has reduced much of the surface base to ash. The hot desert sky is filled with raging fire and smoke, the silhouette of his true Leviathan form dominating the horizon. His wings are spread wide as he soars high in the air, his red scales gleaming bathed in the afternoon sun like he’s the flame himself. With a screeching roar, he spits a hellfire, consuming yet another one of the military’s aircraft.
The freed women and wounded are gathered at the edge of the battlefield, their eyes wide with a mix of awe and terror as they watch the destruction unfold.
But the military isn’t giving up. Reinforcements are pouring in, and the humans still hold the upper hand in sheer numbers and firepower. The creatures we’ve freed are wild, fighting with feral desperation, but we’re losing some of them to relentless attacks from above. The fighter jets keep coming faster than Satan can burn them down, and the witches mostly exhaust their powers.
“We need to start escorting everyone out before Satan can use his full force and get this over with,” I say, nodding at Penny.
His thunderous roar shakes the entire facility—or what’s left of it, anyway—as he hovers lower above me. “Is everyone out?” Satan’s voice rumbles, deep and menacing. His massive wings beat once, scattering smoke and ash as he lands amidst the chaos.
I confirm before asking, “Clear us a path. Then burn this place to the ground.”
“With pleasure.” He rears back, his chest glowing as molten energy builds within him. Then he unleashes it—a cataclysmic wave of fire and destruction that obliterates everything in its path. Soldiers, hybrids, machinery—nothing is spared. The heat is unbearable, even for us, but I don’t flinch. This is what we came for. This is what the humans deserve.
“Time to go,” I shout. “Everyone stays together!”
We begin the escape, the stronger ones helping to escort the weaker to safety, everyone working in unison.
Behind us, Satan roars again, his eyes burn with inferno, and his maw opens wide as he exhales a torrent of flame, reducing the advancing soldiers to ash in an instant.
But it’s a long way through the desert. My kind can only carry so much, and it significantly slows us down. With a handful of witches low on energy and this many pregnant human women, it seems like an impossible task. Not even taking into account the wounded ones.
“Penny, we need some transportation,” I command.
“On it!” She sprints away to figure something out.
Somehow, we manage to exit the base’s perimeter but we’re being crowded by the military and the remaining few hybrids. Another fight erupts. The wolf charges right at me, its massive form barreling toward me like a freight train. My senses kick into overdrive, but something is off.
For a second, everything feels muffled. Disconnected. I’m not feeling it. Not like I should. A cold shiver runs down my spine, and I stop mid-lunge, my claws still extended in the air. The world slows around me, and that’s when I feel it.
The mating bond snaps, a cold void rushing in where Julia’s presence should be, replaced by that swallowing emptiness. That vast, unbearable, dark hollow inside me. I stumble as panic surges through my whole body.
Julia.
Her presence, that faint but constant thread that’s supposed to always be there, is… gone . It’s like my soul just vanished, snatched away in an instant. The connection we share has been so strong, so undeniable that I never thought for a second it could break.
But now? Nothing.
How’s that even possible?
I stagger farther back, my head spinning. My breath comes in sharp, hysterical bursts. I try to latch onto any part of her. There’s nothing. I feel like suffocating. The bond is gone, and I’m drowning without it.
No. No. This isn’t happening.
I shake my head violently, as if that could help. But that soul tie we shared—the one that kept me tethered to her, that kept me grounded, kept me whole —is gone. And it’s as though my very essence is missing.
Julia.
I call out her name in my mind, but the link is silent. Empty. She just slipped away, and I can’t… feel her.
Everything around me blurs. The soldiers. The hybrids. The world itself… none of it matters. There’s only the absence .
Something sears through me, a feeling of desperation so raw it drowns out everything else. I’m unable to think, to focus. I’m not even sure what’s happening anymore.
I have to go. I have to get to her. I don’t care about anything else.
The creature swings at me, but I don’t see it. I barely register the sharp pain as its claws rake across my side. The world tilts. I stagger. A wave of dizziness threatens to pull me under. Blood pours from my side. I feel it, but it’s nothing compared to the ache inside, the hollowness .
I hear Farah’s distant voice, calling my name. Edwin’s worried growl. But they don’t matter. I can’t care.
Julia…
That’s the only thought in my mind now. The only thing that matters. My mate. The woman I love. She’s in danger. I can feel it. Even though I can’t sense her, I know . She’s in danger, and I’m not there.
I’m hardly even aware I’m on the ground with the hybrid’s jaws around my neck. I feel nothing. But I catch the minotaur’s sight, like through haze, as he barrels into the white wolf above me with the force of a freight train, his horns gouging deep into the hybrid’s sides. The minotaur roars as it rips him apart piece by piece, the blood gushing down on me.
Alex! Edwin’s voice shouts in my mind, cutting through my daze.
I grunt, shell-shocked, pulling myself to my feet, then forcing my vision to focus on him. Can you check with Clara?
She says they buried Tabatha, and Julia went back to the castle with Vernox. But she and Meg are still in the village caring for children.
Katia’s voice is sharp, full of worry. “What’s going on?”
I ignore that, my eyes darting to Farah. “Can you see Julia?” I demand, breathless.
Farah shakes her head, her voice soft. “Oh, honey, my powers are too weak. But you know she’s safe in the Veil. She has to be.”
Unless she’s not in the Veil.
What if that fucking demon was trying to tell me something? What if… There’s only one witch powerful enough to…
No! This can’t be!
“I’m sorry,” I mouth, spinning around and I run .
With a bellow, I shove the soldiers blocking my way aside. I can’t find even an ounce of care right now. There’s only one thing I care about now.
“Alexander!” I hear their calls behind me, but I don’t look back. I know I should stay, fight, and finish what we started. But I can’t. I can’t ignore the pull inside me, the desperate need to run to Julia. The consequences don’t matter. Nothing matters but her. She needs me.
I can’t lose her.
I sprint as fast as it’s possible, heedless of the soldiers still firing, of the growing danger, of anything but the gnawing need to get to her. I don’t slow down. I push forward, claws tearing into the sand, each heartbeat a countdown. I don’t give a damn that I’m exposed, that I’m alone. My body moves on autopilot, my mind consumed by a single thought. I push through the pain, the blood loss, the betrayal of the beings I’m supposed to lead. They’ll understand. They have to.
I have to get to her.
I’m already miles away, but the blast of Satan’s unleashing a final inferno that engulfs the entire area with a nuclear-level force can’t be missed. The explosion is blinding, a towering pillar of fire and ash that reaches into the heavens. The ground quakes violently in a tidal shockwave even at such a distance, and for a moment, it feels like the world itself might split apart. But the image of Julia’s beautiful face, her warmth, her sweetness is all I can see. All I can cling to.
I’m coming, Julia. Hold on, baby. Please… hold on.