Their Vengeance: Siren's Revenge Book Two

18. Yana

Fyodor’s Rules - #38 - You can’t plan for everything.

The party wound down quickly after the Italians left. A few of the Irish family had tried to convince us to continue to party with them for the rest of the night. If we hadn”t already had plans, I would have been all for it as they were a lot of fun to be around. More fun than they had been when we were all children. I just had to hope when this was all over and the truth came to light, they”d be as willing to hang out.

The Bratva had been the last ones to leave, all of them wanting to congratulate Alexei again. Most of them asked where Nikolai had gone. There were a lot of innuendos and knowing glances when we told them he was helping his new fiancée get home safe.

Alexei took advantage of those same innuendos to throw me over his shoulder and carry me to the elevator. The sound of cheers and a lot of detailed encouragement—some of which I would save for later—followed behind us. The smirk on his face as he spanked me was visible in the mirrored doors before they slid open. Another cheer went up from the small crowd as the doors slowly closed.

“I am going to make you pay for that later.” My voice was muffled by the way I hung, but I still felt his shoulders shaking with laughter.

“I was selling the show to the crowd, pchelka. I thought to myself, ”What would Yana do?” and thus, you got spanked.” It was hard to argue with him, and not only because of the blood rushing to my head. Luckily, he set me up the right way, letting me slide down his body as his hands on my hips guided me back to my feet.

There was a moment of tension as both of us stared at each other. He leaned into me, the smug smirk still on his face, his lips an inch from mine. I was surprised he was being so playfully affectionate. The night had been full of physical affection, all a part of the show we had to put on for the watching crowd. But it wasn”t the sort of behavior I expected from Alexei.

Of course, when he pressed the button for the basement, and then pulled back with a wink, I was proved right. He seemed to enjoy messing with people more than almost anything else in life. I tried not to let my disappointment show as I smoothed my dress.

“Don”t fuss with it too much, pchelka, you will get changed soon.” That was true. I needed to talk to someone who magically enchanted clothing at some point. There had to exist bulletproof dresses, or clothes which could deflect minor hexes. I didn”t want to change every time I was at risk of danger. Even after we dealt with this problem, our lives would not be risk free. It was better to prepare ahead of time, especially with fashion.

Rather than going up to the penthouse like everyone expected, we took a brief trip down to the boy”s private garage. A few of the cars were already gone, and Alexei didn”t hesitate as he strode over to the sleek Lakan HyperSport. I was surprised when he had packed our gear into it earlier. But instead he’d pointed out that of all the groups, ours was likely to have the least amount of time to reach our planned ambush site. Quietly, I think he picked it because of the half a dozen sports cars in the garage, it looked the most menacing.

We didn”t have many weapons between us. Nothing like the two duffel bags Lukas had put in the Escalade. How he had thought he was going to carry those on his bike, I’d never know. My knives were in the holster around my thigh, which I unbuckled once I reached the car. On the passenger seat was a pair of leather pants, boots, a shirt, and a vest. It only took a minute to change, both of us silent and concentrating rather than watching the other. I clipped the thigh holster back on and shrugged on the two gun shoulder holster for the pistols that Lukas had made me check four times before he had let me pack them.

We slid into the car at the same time. Alexei revved the engine, warming it up before we checked over the last things and let Pasha know we were about to leave.

“The Bratva are still outside saying goodbye to each other. If you”re going to go, now is the time. Otherwise, this becomes a chase, and you’re going to be playing catchup.”

I hadn”t planned on being in a car chase, especially not with the inevitable crash at the end. With a quick look at Alexei, he nodded and pulled out of the garage, exiting at the back of the hotel, out of sight from the guests. He kept the engine quiet as we left, waiting until we were two blocks away before he gunned the engine, speeding toward the ambush site.

“So, I am going to try my best to lock down Sasha and Darya so you can deal with Ksenia.” I wanted to go over the plan one more time as Alexei drove. Sure, we had already drilled it over and over, but it was better than sitting here and letting my nerves build.

“You need to be fast, and your commands need to be specific. Anything you can do to keep them from using their hands. Issue the commands one at a time. That way, if they break through one, they still have to break through the others. Like layers of individual chains.”

I nodded as he spoke. He was right, if I left them any loophole in my commands, they would exploit them. Assuming I was able to get them under my power in the first place. If there was anyone I thought of as being strong willed, it was the Grandmother”s Children.

“If I see a chance to take them out, you won’t be mad, will you?” I had asked him this question a few times, but despite his reassurance, I wasn”t convinced. Alexei had a lot of history with his family, especially Sasha and Darya. Seeing someone else kill them might not give him the closure he wanted.

“Look. Do I want to kill every single fucking one of them? Yes. But I would want to take my time and make them suffer. And that is not a good idea, right? So if you see an opening, take it, but be careful. They will lure you in, doing anything to survive, and they don”t play fair.” He used a far more serious tone than I was used to hearing from him, so I nodded. He was looking out for me, and I appreciated it.

I checked the knives in my thigh holster one more time, making sure none of them were stuck. The pistols were checked next, making sure the slides moved smoothly, the magazines were clear, and both loading correctly. It wasn”t enough to stave off the nervousness, but it helped.

Our ambush was in the riskiest place. We needed space in case curses started flying around, and we didn”t want any innocent bystanders getting caught. It meant hitting them right before they made it to Pratt”s Wayne Wood. If they made it past us, they would not only be on their home turf, but they could call on any of their other relatives who stayed behind. Not to mention we didn”t know what kind of warding or booby traps waited for us if we ventured inside. Our priority was to incapacitate them as best we could.

Alexei pulled over onto the shoulder at the side of the road, not bothering to hide the car. There was no point. Plus, if we needed to make a quick getaway, it was better to have it accessible. We both slid out and moved to the trunk, grabbing the two sets of spike strips. They were easy enough to deploy, and we walked as far from the tree line as we dared before we rolled them out. Pasha was going to keep anyone else off this section of the road, something he confirmed as we were worked.

We didn”t bother to peg the spikes down. Once they were on the tires, there wasn”t much the driver could do. Sasha, Darya, and Ksenia had arrived together, and the security guards reported they had left in the same car as well.

Alexei and I moved to opposite sides of the road as we waited. I took the earplugs Lukas had given me and tucked them into my ears. I wanted to hear if they were trying to hex me, but the first part of this ambush was likely to be loud. Once they were secure, I drew a pistol, holding it in one hand and a knife in the other. I could still brace the gun with both hands if needed. Lukas had put a lot of hours into demonstrating how to hold the gun and the knife together safely, like I had never held one before. I could see Alexei on the other side of the road. He held a knife in one hand but kept the other free. Hexing required hand movements and the use of his voice.

Pasha let us know when they were a minute out. I took a couple of steadying breaths, drawing as much of my power into my voice as I could. All I could do afterward was wait.

Headlights came into view, and I felt my nerves try to take the reins. Another breath pushed them down. I didn”t have time to be nervous, there was too much at stake to let anything ruin it. I counted the seconds as they got closer and closer. My body tensed the moment before they hit the spike strip. I was grateful for the earplugs. The sound of the tires popping and metal squealing across asphalt were awful, and I couldn”t even hear it all. The car veered, coming close to where Alexei was standing. But he didn”t move, not even a flinch.

We were both moving before the car even came to a stop. My pistol was raised, and Alexei held his knife up, ready to throw if needed. The driver was the first to exit the car, stumbling as they did. It wasn”t any of the women we were looking for. It wasn”t anyone I recognized, but I fired without hesitation. A headshot which dropped them to the grass.

Now they knew I had a gun, I was sure I would not have the chance to use it again. I kept hold of my pistol, though, sweeping one earplug out of my ear as I moved toward the right side of the car as Alexei headed to the left.

What felt like a wall of sound came from the car, ricocheting in both directions. If I hadn”t known who was in the car, I would have thought it was a banshee scream. Driven to my knees, both my gun and knife hit the grass. It felt like my brain was melting, like I couldn”t breathe. Alexei fared better than me, not being as sensitive to sound, and the sound of glass shattering was followed by shouting in Russian.

Thankfully, the sound wave generated by the scream stopped bombarding me, but I still couldn”t see straight. My vision blurred and my ears rang.

Deep breaths didn’t really help. I forced myself to my feet and clumsily scooped up my weapons as I went. Reaching out to steady myself against the car, my universe tilted. I didn”t even see Darya until she was right in front of me. Then a fire lit up my side. As I looked down, I saw the handle of a knife sticking out between the plates of the vest I was wearing.

Fuck, that wasn”t good.

“DO NOT MOVE.” The words exploded out of me, backed by my power and fueled by my pain.

Shock was the only expression she could make as her entire body froze.

I didn”t hesitate, repaying the knife wound with one of my own. The slash across her throat was sloppy, as my body still tried to find its balance. I cut deeper than I had planned and blood gushing over the both of us, splashing my arms.

Only in death did the command lose its hold, and she slumped to the ground as I stumbled backward. My hip hit the rear panel of the car, jolting the knife in my side. I had to bite my fist to keep from screaming. The pain was good, though, as it helped me focus. It was something I could use to shake off the last of the dizziness.

I had thrown way too much power into the one command. I only had a finite amount. My commands became less effective as my levels dropped, and I had probably burned through about half of my supply. Still, Darya was dead. It meant two were now down, so I tried not to beat myself up too much about it.

I”d taken the earpiece which connected me with Pasha out so I could put the earplugs in, but luckily, I’d placed it in my pocket for safekeeping. Though it took two attempts to pull the little piece of metal and plastic out before I slid it into my ear.

“Pasha, can you hear me?” I hoped the wall of sound hadn”t damaged it.

Relief flooded me when Pasha”s soft voice filled my ear. It was still painful, but I didn”t care. “How”s it going, starlight? You calling to tell me it”s done? Lukas and Nikolai have both engaged their targets.”

I looked down at Darya”s bleeding corpse before I answered. “One down, plus the driver. I”m hurt and I lost sight of Alexei. Let me find him.”

Leaning on the car, I moved around it, using it to help me balance. The dizziness was almost gone, but every step made the knife move. I wanted to pull it out, but I knew it was a mistake. I had nothing to put pressure on the wound.

Coming around the car, panic filled my throat. “Get the others. Anyone you fucking can. Alexei”s down.”

I didn”t wait to listen to Pasha”s response. In fact, I pulled the earpiece out and threw it aside. Pasha had immediately panicked, and it was like having a knife driven into my ear.

Alexei was on the ground about a hundred feet from the car, with Ksenia beside him. His sister, Sasha, kneeled over him with a knife raised, about to plunge it into his heart. It was too far to project my voice, especially with a knife still lodged in my side. The only thing I could do was raise my gun and fire.

It only winged her arm, but it was enough to make her drop the knife. I took it as a victory. Pain burned in my side, but I took the largest breath I could and screamed, hoping it would make the pain easier to deal with.

Both witches turned to me, hands raised, and I knew I was in trouble. As I stumbled forward, I only hoped I was finally close enough for them to hear me.

“ATTACK EACH OTHER.” The words held every drop of power I had left.

I felt hollow inside as the words rang throughout the clearing. For a moment, everything went silent and still, and I was sure I had failed. All our planning, and we were going to die. Then the Grandmother”s Children would go after the rest of my brothers. Their deaths wouldn”t be nearly as quick as my own, though I was sure they would draw mine out for as long as possible.

The world moved again, and the two women turned on each other. Loud shrieks and hexes flew.

Sasha ducked the one aimed at her, but Ksenia was hit in the chest, knocking her off her feet. I kept moving forward, not stopping. I needed to get to Alexei to make sure he was okay.

Ksenia wasn”t moving, and Sasha turned on me again. Blood ran down her arm as she screamed and hurled insult after insult.

“You! You selfish little bitch! It”s not enough you take our brother from us, you try to kill us too? I am going to curse everyone you have ever met.” When she opened her mouth, her hands rising, I fired. I was much closer now, and the bullet hit home in her chest. She looked down in shock, then back at me with fire in her eyes.

I was having trouble standing at this point. I could feel the blood running down my side had now reached the middle of my thigh. The ground moved from side to side like I was a passenger on a ship being tossed about the ocean. I stumbled, unable to hold on to the gun any longer. Though I still had my knife, and I held onto it for dear life. My knuckles turned white as Sasha took a step toward me.

At first, I was sure I imagined the blur which moved across the grass. I had lost even more blood than I thought. Or maybe the scream that started this had done damage to my brain. But then Sasha was lifted off her feet, and Nikolai and Fyodor were standing there before us. Nikolai had Sasha by the throat and held her up off the ground, his fangs glinted in the moonlight. Fyodor stood beside him, glaring up at her with nothing but hatred.

All the screamed insults faded into fear, her eyes going wide as she saw Fyodor. “You ... you”re not supposed to be here. She was supposed to convince you never to come back. What are you doing? You”re going to ruin everything! I am not losing all of my family because of some mangy werewolf!”

What she was saying made little sense, but I wasn”t entirely convinced this was actually happening. I sank to my knees, grateful to feel the ground beneath me. My knife slipped from my hand, much like the gun. I saw Alexei stir, but couldn”t find the words or energy to say anything about it.

“You”ve gone too far this time, Sasha. It was bad enough, all the hurt you put Alexei through. But these are my sons, my daughter. You don”t get to hurt them ever again.”

As Fyodor brought his claws up, Sasha clapped her hands together and thrust her palms into his chest. Nikolai couldn’t do anything as her hands made contact. With a hiss from her mouth, black veins rapidly spread under Fyodor”s skin. He coughed up blood and swayed on his feet. I could see the light dim in his eyes as shock took over, and it was only seconds later that he fell to the ground.

The roar which came from Nikolai was deafening. It made me want to cover my ears, but my arms were too heavy. The grass felt so nice beneath them, I couldn”t bring myself to move.

Nikolai tore Sasha”s throat open with his fangs, leaving a ragged hole behind which gushed blood everywhere. It had an odd symmetry with the wound I’d given Darya. The skin around his lips blistered, and he hacked the blood he’d gotten in his mouth back up as he tossed her body aside. Nikolai didn”t let it phase him for more than a second, and he dropped to his knees beside Fyodor, checking him over.

The darkness seemed to creep in more, even the lights of the car dimmed. The air took on a chill. Maybe it was something one of the witches had done. Someone was trying to talk to me. I could hear their voice but couldn”t make out the words. I turned my head, and the last thing I saw was Lukas”s green eyes, filled with concern as he crouched beside me.

Then the darkness claimed me.