18. Raphael
EIGHTEEN
RAPHAEL
Fucking Asher and the damn war council he’s trying to call us into.
This shit isn’t fucking going to work. We don’t have time to plan or strategize.
We need to fucking move .
“I don’t give a fuck!” I roar. “There’s no plan that’s going to work on this short notice.”
“I agree,” Matthias says and rests his hand on my shoulder. “Even if Alena wasn’t in danger, we need to move against the Order and the witch now.”
“It’s a fucking witch,” Andrei spits out. “We can’t go traipsing into the den of the lion without a plan.”
Looking around the room, I say, “I don’t give two fucks what the rest of you want to do. But they have my bonded, and I can’t… I can’t wait.”
The bond I share with Alena closed off a few minutes ago, and it’s like the world has collapsed around me.
There’s no light in my heart.
No happiness.
Nothing .
Just a giant fucking void.
I remember this void. I lived with it every day before finding her.
But it’s fucking worse now.
I now know the joy of finally being whole.
I know the meaning of happiness and love.
Ambrose lost his soulmarked and it drove him insane.
How will losing my Alena affect me?
Death.
I can’t live without her. The pain alone will kill me.
“We need to ensure our survival,” Asher says. “I agree we need to move, and move quickly, but we need to be smart about it. This so-called prophet is a witch and a vampire. How the fuck that came about is beyond me. But witches are not something to be trifled with. It’s powers… We know what they can do.”
“We do,” Matthias says, then points at his own chest. “Firsthand knowledge right here. But what some of you are failing to understand is that little show of force he just did took a lot of energy. Animating that many gargoyles was no simple task. He’ll be weaker now. We need to strike and strike fast.”
“How certain are you?” Kian asks.
“Deadly certain,” Matthias says. “I’ll stake my life on it if I have to. We cannot give him time to rest. If he rests, we all die.”
“Guys,” Chloe says quietly. “We have to get Alena back. There is no other choice.”
Looking at Chloe, I feel like a failure. A failure to Alena and the family. The first true test of the bond and I couldn’t keep my love safe.
But I can’t dwell on it when she’s in danger.
I can’t just sit back and allow this prophet to take her.
She’s fucking mine.
“Call the pack. I know we’re already indebted to them, but we have no other choice. See if they can set up a perimeter around the church,” I say. “They won’t be much help with the gargoyles, but they can handle the hunters if they work in pairs.”
Kian moves away from the table and starts making the call. Thankfully, his powers have always been strong with influencing people. He made a killing in the 80s as an up-and-coming stockbroker.
“I’ve got the inkling of a plan,” I add.
“Fuck.” Asher sighs. “There really isn’t any other way.”
Walking into the room, Caden drops two huge duffle bags full of weapons. “What’s everyone want?”
“We need blunt weapons for the gargoyles and blades for the hunters.” I frown. “At least most of us will.”
Chuckling, Asher flexes his arm, showing off his biceps. “I’ve got my blunt weapon right here, Raph.”
Chloe smirks at Asher. “I thought your blunt weapon was in your pants.”
We all groan.
“Gag me with a spoon.” Caden fakes a retch.
I pin Asher and Chloe with a glare. “Parents aren’t allowed to be sexual after they have kids.”
Asher says, “I’ll have you know—”
But Chloe quickly slaps a hand over his mouth. “We don’t want to traumatize the boys, dear.”
Kian yells from the kitchen, “I’ll take a sledgehammer!”
Chloe drops her hand from Asher’s mouth and snatches up a long dagger with a grin. “Found mine.”
“That will work, but you’ll be in the rearguard with Dav and the wolf pack,” Asher says.
“I’ll what?” Chloe stands up, her features tight with anger. “There’s no way I’ll let you go charging in there without me.”
“You have to, my love,” Asher says. “Not only is it not safe for you, but you have to think of our baby.”
Turning away from what’s surely going to be a fight I want nothing to do with, I grab a battle axe. It’s been centuries since I’ve held a weapon like this in my hands, but the old familiar feeling of it comes back quickly.
Nudging Maddox in the shoulder, I nod to the front door and walk outside.
Silently, he follows me out.
Maddox has never been a big talker. He only says something when he truly needs to. Most of the time he just pokes, elbows, or punches Caden to talk for him.
“No sense in being in there right now. Chloe isn’t going to like what Asher has to say,” I explain.
Andrei and Matthias come out of the house with their chosen weapons.
Looking over the two heavily damaged SUVs in the driveway, I ask, “Anyone know if they still work?”
Matthias pulls the keys from his pocket and walks over to the closest one. Opening the door, he gets in to start it up. A few loud coughs and a rumble comes from under the hood before the engine roars to life.
Getting out of the vehicle, Matthias says, “They’ll hear us coming from a couple of miles away.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I say. “Fuckers are probably already expecting us.”
“You sure about this?” Asher asks and looks at me.
I nod my head.
The wind is blowing in hard from where the doors of the SUV are missing. We ripped them off before leaving.
Every second will count when we reach the church. And we don’t want to waste time opening doors when we roll up. Everything we do must be fast.
Any type of delay on our part will only help the Order repel our attack.
“Dav says the front doors are guarded by hunters and there are gargoyles positioned on the roof. But the gargoyles look like they’ve turned back into statues,” Matthias says from the front seat. “The witch used far more power than was wise... Fucking animating gargoyles cost him a lot of energy.”
“So, what’s the plan, Raph?” Asher questions me.
“We can’t keep the fight outside. We have to breach the church to save Alena,” I explain. “They’re prepared for vampires, but not the pack. Dav’s going to send a couple of squads to harass the hunters guarding the perimeter. They’ll be divided between fighting us inside or the wolves outside.”
“Dav’s also been told to remove the head of any hunter that goes down. We don’t need vampires popping up behind us,” Matthias adds.
That was fucking good thinking on Matthias’s part. The last fucking thing we need is more vampires from the Order coming after our hides.
Asher nods. “So how do we breech the doors?”
“We don’t.” I grin at him. “Those fucking things are locked down and reinforced from our previous attack.”
“So…” Matthias says as we turn onto the street of the church.
I turn to Maddox. “Remember Berlin?”
A look of sadness crosses Maddox’s face as he shakes his head. “Not again.”
“Sorry, buddy,” I say. “We’re going through the wall.”
Laughing, Asher reaches across me to smack Maddox on the knee. “Come on, that was a great time!”
“For you,” Maddox growls.
“Hey, at least there won’t be a cannonball involved this time,” I point out.
“I don’t like any of you,” Maddox says quietly before turning to look outside.
A massive wolf crosses the street in front of us, carrying a limp female body by the back of her hunter uniform.
“Holy fuck!” Caden asks from the driver’s seat. “Was that Dav?”
Asher turns his face to the wind and takes a deep breath.
Then he shakes his head. “No. That was his second in command, Eric. He’s not as big as Dav, but he’s fast.”
Turning around in my seat, I try to follow the wolf, but he’s already darted into an alley.
Asher hefts up a giant wrench from between his legs. “Time to go lay some pipe, boys.”
Even with the fury swirling inside me like a fucking tornado, I find myself smiling at his inappropriate joke.
I’m different now that I’ve bonded with Alena.
Before, I would be in a blind, berserking rage. Tearing through the city without thought or the ability to control myself.
But Alena did something to me.
She tamed the beast.
Giving me back control.
The red haze still flickers at the edges of my vision, but it’s only enhancing my cold rage. And preparing my body for what it will need to endure once I exit this vehicle.
All of us ready ourselves when the church comes into view.
The second SUV, filled with the rest of my family, is right on our tail, and they should be readying themselves to jump out with us.
I hear the engine roar as Caden wedges a pipe against the seat and the gas pedal.
Maddox leaps out first, and I slide over to follow him.
Sure, the vehicles are moving fast, but not faster than a vampire.
Jumping out with my battle axe gripped in my hand, I land on my feet and take off running for the hunters guarding the front of the church.
The hunters are spread out in small groups like fucking idiots. Making what we’re about to do a lot easier.
Heading for the nearest group, I whip my battle axe around in one fluid motion, slicing into the hunter closest to me.
His head flies off and cracks into the skull of a hunter standing fifteen feet away.
Rushing into the space in front of me, another hunter swings his sword at my stomach.
Taking a step backwards, I move out of the blade’s sweeping arc. Swinging my battle axe, I hit him in the chest.
Ripping my axe out of his body, I spin in a circle, looking for my next foe.
There are a lot of fucking hunters here.
More than I’ve ever seen before.
And while that wouldn’t normally give me pause…
Most of these fuckers are pumped up on vampire blood.
Dipping down to escape a sword that comes whistling for my neck, I spin around in a whirl with the blade of my battle axe held out wide.
Slicing deep into a hunter’s guts, the acrid stench of their prophet’s blood fills the air around us.
It’s a disgusting aroma of disease and decay that slaps my sense of smell hard.
So many tainted hunters are blocking the way to my beloved.
And the fact that they’re almost as fast as me causes the cold fire of my rage to turn into a wintery inferno.
Nothing should be as dangerous as a vampire.
These fucking mortals seek to steal our powers and pervert them for their own sick and twisted desires.
Feinting to the left to avoid a blade to my face, I spin backwards and slam my axe into another hunter’s spine.
Asher quickly takes care of the hunter that aimed for me. Wielding the wrench in his hands like it’s a fucking baseball bat, he knocks the fucker’s head clean off his neck.
“Would they call that a home run?” Asher asks as the head goes flying into the church doors.
I shake my head and mutter, “Fucking showoff.”
Turning to look for Maddox, I spot him standing in front of a female hunter who is trying to stab him.
“We need to hurry!” I shout.
Maddox calmly nods his head before he rips the sword from the female hunter’s hands. Tugging the woman into his chest, his head drops and he buries his fangs into the side of her neck.
“Taste good?” Asher asks and starts edging us toward the wall beside the front doors.
Tearing his fangs from the woman’s throat, Maddox nods again with blood dripping down his chin. “I don’t think they feed the females that tainted shit.”
“Good to know.” Asher grins. “I’m sure we’ll all be starving after this.”
When we’re about thirty feet from our target, we stop and look back at our brothers wreaking havoc around us.
Caden and Kian are inside a large group of hunters. At least twenty surround the duo.
For a second, I fear I’ve led my brothers to certain death.
“Ash…” I snarl in deep sadness.
I can’t let them die. Not here. Not now.
Ash just shakes his head at me and points to a large animal rushing into the fight.
Tilting my head in confusion, I ask, “Is that a fucking Kodiak bear?”
“No.” Asher laughs loudly. “That’s fucking Dav.”
Unholy sweet, succulent tits, it is.
I watch as the monstrous beast becomes a blurred fury of teeth and death.
The only thing that points to it not being a fucking bear is the long tail swinging about as it tears off heads.
“Fucking hells.” I laugh. “They sure grow them big here.”
Kian and Caden quickly start making deeper cuts into the hunters. Each causing death and destruction as they move.
Asher drops his wrench and nods to Maddox. “Get ready.”
Maddox turns to face us and quietly says, “I hate you both for this.”
Asher puts his hands under Maddox’s armpits and lifts him off the ground.
Then he starts running toward the brick wall with Maddox held up like a shield in front of him.
Pushing myself up against Asher’s broad back, I feel Matthias push up against me.
Like we’re a fucking train…
“Choo-choo, motherfucker!” Matthias laughs as the three of us sprint full steam ahead.
What we’re really doing, though, is using Maddox as a wrecking ball. Taking advantage of his impervious skin.
There’s a body-jarring impact as Maddox collides with the stone wall.
Then we’re all simply shoving him through the brick and mortar of the building.
When we’re through the hole, I’m momentarily blinded by all the dust and debris falling down.
Hunched over, Maddox looks up at us and spits dust from his mouth. “That was worse than Berlin.”
I still can’t feel Alena through the bond, but she’s close. Her beguiling scent tinged with the horrible smell of her burning flesh.
“She’s fucking burning!” I scream in a mixture of fear and rage.
Racing toward the battle that’s blocking my path forward, I roar a wordless war cry.
My beast challenging any who would dare stand in our way.
Chloe’s wrath suddenly crashes into my own rage like a fucking tidal wave.
Looking to the front of the church, I watch as she jumps on the back of priest robed in crimson.
“He’s mine!” she screams and flashes her fangs before viciously tearing into his neck.
Then the two of them blink out of existence.
“Fuck!” Asher screams and rushes into the fray.
Beheading hunters left and right with his bare hands, he clears the way for me.
My eyes finally find Alena as I barrel toward the altar.
But she’s still so far away, I don’t know how I’ll reach her before she burns to death.
Sensing my distress, Matthias grabs me and lifts me over his head.
Then he throws me as hard as he can.
My body flies through the air, sailing across all the fighting, like a fucking cannonball of destruction.
And when I land, it’s conveniently on top of a duo of hunters.
A duo of hunters that were trying to stab my love in the back.
I’d take some satisfaction in their bodies snapping like twigs if my love wasn’t still in imminent danger.
Alena is latched onto the prophet like a fucking baby koala clinging to its mother.
The little bratty devil growling and relentlessly digging her fangs into his throat.
The prophet is writhing on his knees and looks as if he’s given up on fighting her.
And I’d love nothing more than to watch her kill the motherfucker.
But they’re both on fire.
She can’t feel pain, but I know she won’t last much longer if I don’t stop her.
Rushing up to Alena, I tackle her off the prophet.
Her legs and thighs are smoldering, the flesh and muscle burned down to the bone. And part of her dress is still burning.
Smothering the flames with my own hands, I ignore the searing pain. Then I press my forearm against her mouth so she can drink from me.
At first, Alena blinks her long lashes and stares up at me in confusion.
Then recognition fills her big blue eyes and she bites my arm in the tenderest way possible.
There’s no pain or pleasure as her fangs sink into me.
But she’s also not swallowing.
The blood is filling her mouth and just flowing out of the corners.
Drink! I scream into the bond.
But our connection is still somehow blocked off.
Fuck.
Matthias lands beside me with a savage grin and gives me a wink.
Then he races up to the prophet and raises his sword high into the air.
Gripping the hilt in both hands, he stabs the sword downwards, impaling the prophet in the chest. The blade slams through the bastard’s heart and sticks in the floor beneath him.
The prophet trapped against the floor, Matthias turns to me and screams, “Give me a blade! I need to behead this motherfucker!”
Snatching up a blade one of the hunters dropped, I toss it to him.
The happiest grin I’ve ever seen on his face turns to rage as Matthias swings the blade down.
Only for the blade to strike the floor and shatter into pieces.
The prophet disappeared into thin air…
All that remains is a puddle of blood and Matthias’s sword protruding from the floor like the famous Sword in the Stone.
The few gargoyles around us suddenly come to life. Looking up, they lift off like rockets. Breaking through the roof of the church and soaring into the night.
The hunters filled with the blood of the prophet drop to the floor where they’re standing.
Hunters without the prophet’s blood try to fight back against the rush of my brothers and shifters. But they no longer have the advantage of numbers to aid them.
“Kill them all!” Asher yells as he beheads every single body he comes across.
A quiet whisper from Alena forces my gaze to turn back to her. “Raphael?”
The bond snaps back into place, stronger than ever before.
“Shh,” I whisper just as quietly to her. “Drink.”
I push my forearm back against her mouth, and she tenderly bites down again.
But this time, the most wonderful sensation fills my soul.
A sensation of bright, everlasting love and pure eternal joy.
“ You’ve learned how to better control it,” I rasp into the bond.
Her mouth curves into a bratty smirk against my arm. “Maybe, my love.”
It’s a few minutes before I’m able to help Alena stand on her own two feet.
We both look at the carnage that surrounds us.
There’s blood and bodies everywhere.
All human, I’m quite happy to see.
Lifting Alena up, I cradle her in my arms, and she leans her head against me.
“You carried me like this only a few days ago.” She giggles. “I have a surprise for you when we get home.”
“Oh?” I ask and look down at her enchanting face.
“Yes, but I can’t tell you what. But I will give you a hint. You get to meet someone.” She giggles again and shuts part of our bond off.
“Don’t do that,” I growl at her. “Never cut me off.”
Alena growls right back at me, baring her teeth, but there’s laughter in her eyes. “Only when I want to surprise you.”
Rolling my eyes, I carry Alena over to where Asher and Dav are standing.
“No losses?” Asher asks.
“None at all.” Dav confirms. “A couple of injuries and a few cases of upset stomach from the tainted blood, but we’re all good.”
“Thank the unholy gods,” Asher says and claps the man on the shoulder. “You sure you don’t mind blowing this building up?”
“Nah,” Dav says. “I got a guy who does demolition coming in as we speak.”
Asher winces. “It seems we owe you yet again.”
Dav shrugs his broad shoulders at Ash. “It doesn’t do any of us good to have hunters filling the city. Wish we could have killed the leader, though.”
“Yeah…” Asher grumbles loudly. “Fucker blinked out of existence right before the death blow.”
“Oh god!” Alena says and pushes herself out of my arms to land on her feet.
“What is it?” I ask, worried.
“The Prophet told me he has a daughter and she’s soulmarked,” she says excitedly. “And he can sense them if they’re close enough.”
It takes a second for all of us to let this new information sink in.
But Asher is the first to react to it.
“Oh, fuck no!” Asher yells, his eyes widening. “No. Fucking no!”
Appearing out of thin air, Chloe stands in front of us. Her chin and shirt soaked in blood.
She finally drank from a body.
Using her sleeve as a napkin to dab at the corner of her mouth, Chloe says, “I should have known Father Dominic would taste like a pile of shit.”
“Chloe…” Asher groans and shakes his head in disbelief.
“What’s wrong?” Chloe gives Asher a worried look.
Andrei marches over to us, his face alight like he just had one of his eureka moments. “Now it all makes sense.”
Chloe looks between Asher and Andrei irritably. “What does?”
“All of it?” Asher presses, looking at Andrei with an expression full of desperation.
Andrei seems to think for a moment. “Well, at least the parts about Chloe. The rest of the shit… Like how that prophet is both a vampire and a witch, is still a fucking mystery to me.”
“Goddammit!” Asher roars at the ceiling. “This can’t be fucking happening!”