Chapter 46
EMME
The slap of magic against my face roused me. I jerked my head up to find myself sprawled on the bedroom floor, my hands bound in front of me by shining magical strands. Jewels stood over me, slapping my face and neck with bursts of energy.
“Bitch,” she snarled as my wolf howled, the emptiness inside us near debilitating.
Every part of me hurt, but the physical held nothing on the emotional. In fact, I’d never felt more physically strong, and it took mere seconds for me to recall that my amazing, incredibly self-sacrificing mates had sent their energy into me before I severed the bond.
Leaving me powerful but completely devastated over the loss of our quintet bond.
I hadn’t truly realized how warm and safe I’d felt in their cocoon of beasts, our quintet essence always surrounding me, until it was gone.
Now I was alone. Eternally alone.
“You think you’re so clever,” Jewels hollered between strikes, the hits barely registering. My magic was naturally shielding me, and it appeared she had no idea how much power was coiled inside me, waiting to be released.
She paused and sucked in a deep breath, muttering to herself: “Never mind. I just need another plan. I always have more plans. I’m the queen of plans.”
She was the queen of desperately-in-need-of-therapy-or-prison.
In the midst of her rants, I began to make my own plans.
I hadn’t thought past severing the bond to prevent her from destroying my pack, but now I felt there was a chance to take her out. I was not only very much alive, I had so much energy racing through me that it might even be a match for her.
All along a part of me had been waiting for my alphas to save me today, as they had done so many times before. But maybe for once, I would get to be the one to save them. To fight for my pack, and hope that in the end, we could all live and re-form our quintet.
Jewels focused her full attention on me. “I won’t be able to destroy them through you any longer, but there’s no way they didn’t feel that fracturing of the quintet. They’ll come for you. You went from the weak link to the bait. Fitting for an abomination.”
It was as if she’d completely forgotten her fear of the dragon twins and now believed she could take them on. “I do have a little of their essence left,” she pondered, tapping her finger against her lips. “If I focus on the dragons, lock them down one by one, I might have a chance.”
There was no way to miss the thread of desperation in her tone as she grasped at the very limited advantages she still possessed.
I attempted to push myself higher, my bound hands making it difficult. She dropped her boot on my shoulder. “No, abomination. You’re not going anywhere.”
When she slapped out with her magic once more, I smirked up at her, and she screamed before landing a much more potent hit.
It knocked the air from my lungs, and all amusement fled along with my ability to breathe.
Deciding I’d wasted enough time letting her tire herself out, I drew on the magic that felt like it was a storm in my chest, and was about to release it when two wolves leapt into the bedroom.
Jewels turned to deal with the intruders, but she was too slow. The beasts landed against her, and their claws found traction as they tore into the witch. Neither did a ton of damage against her shields, but they did manage to crack through a few places to make her bleed.
Cora and Warrick’s attack gave me enough time to burn off the magical ties on my wrists and get to my feet. Jewels knocked them both down as I stood before her.
“Bitch!” I shouted. “Why don’t you take on someone your own size!”
The wolves weren’t moving, but they still breathed, which was a relief.
Jewels crossed closer to me, looking disheveled and manic. The whites of her eyes were shattered with red lines, and for once her outside reflected the evil within.
“No shifter is my size,” she huffed, taking another step forward. “Not in any way that matters. You are mine to control though, and I’ve decided that none of you will even breathe without my permission. I intend to finish this how I started—as the strongest being alive, one step under the goddess.”
“Easy to do when you’ve destroyed all witches and caged shifters,” I said, pointing out that essentially she’d cheated her way to the top.
Jewels’ slow smile was fractured too. “None of them will be missed. Did I ever tell you that my family kicked me out when I first came into my powers? My mom had an affair, and when my father found out, they disposed of me like I was trash.”
I no longer gave a shit about her tragic backstory. All of us had them, and it hadn’t set us on this sort of path of destruction and death. I gathered up my power, knowing I’d only get one shot at destroying her.
“You wouldn’t know this, but a young witch on her own often meets a violent end. It’s a deplorable world out there for us. I experienced things that I wouldn’t even wish on you, and I consider you to be a stain on both races.”
Blah blah, whatever.
For the first time, real emotion shone in her eyes, and I still didn’t care.
“I survived. I grew stronger. I reinvented myself and came back to claim my coven, killing my mother and her mate in the process, which allowed me to take over her pact with Fletcher. Step one of my plan to destabilize the entire magical and shifter world. I have plans for everything. Plans on top of plans on top of plans. Hence why I’m still alive, while every other disloyal and fucked-up witch is dead. All in the plan.”
“You hate witches more than you hate shifters.” It wasn’t a question.
Jewels released a deep, husky laugh. “Despite the evidence to the contrary, I don’t hate shifters.
They treated me far better than witches, and your pack are a real favorite of mine.
It will hurt to destroy them, but sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
Rest assured, I will rule the packs fairly, and as long as they don’t betray me, they’ll retain some freedoms.”
Right, and her little They won’t breathe without my permission two minutes ago was all just a slip of the tongue. We all knew the truth: if she eliminated our pack here today, she’d be the ultimate power, and she’d destroy everything.
Not even humans would be safe from her need for power and control.
My wolf swelled in my chest, standing alone, but filled with the essences of our pack and magic. Feeling my alpha’s energy inside was no doubt all that kept me sane, but I couldn’t hold on to them any longer.
I opened my hands and released the hold I had on my beast. The force of her slammed against Jewels, knocking the witch to the floor. Even free, my rage didn’t abate, growing until it swelled against my skin. By instinct, I fell into my usual fight position, hands flexing as I wished for my blades.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a superhero movie, and I couldn’t call my weapons to me, but that was okay… I had inbuilt weapons. A wolf and magic.
Jewels bounced back to her feet, hands held in a clawed position as she released another spell.
This one felt heavier, with a strong sulfur scent, but my wolf was with me, and she prevented the attack from landing.
We shot back pure, unfiltered energy, and while I didn’t know many spells yet, my wolf’s instincts gave weight to our attack.
Jewels’ shielding didn’t stop my beast as she hit the witch’s shoulder, tearing through skin, muscle, and bone.
“How are you so strong?” she screamed, holding her arm close. “How does your wolf work with the magic? It’s impossible.”
I was the monster of her own creation at this point.
“I’m an abomination, remember?” I taunted.
“I have the magic of witches and shifters behind me.” As I took her in, I shook my head.
“You’re looking a little tired there, Jewels.
Did you expel too much power to shield this house and then attack me? Whoopsie.”
I swung and roundhouse kicked her straight in the side, relieved that despite my limited magic training, my fight skills were decent. My hit slammed Jewels into the bedside table, and she landed with a clatter on the floor.
When she got to her feet, I was disappointed to see her shoulder already healing, indicating she still had plenty of power. I had to finish this off soon. My borrowed essences might feel unlimited, but that was far from the truth.
Her next spell, filled with green flames, cracked through my shield to slam against my chest. My heart stuttered for a few beats, and my wolf melted against my skin, her essence easing the irregular arrhythmia, which allowed me to suck in a few deep breaths.
“How?” Jewels screamed, the whites of her eyes almost completely red now. Her expulsion of power was literally bursting blood vessels. “That should have put you into a coma, followed by a slow, drawn-out death. But you’re still fucking here.”
And here I would stay. “You underestimated me because I wasn’t pure enough for you,” I said, letting my loathing for her seep out.
“My hybrid nature is what gives me unique strengths that you can’t counter.
” I was a perfect blend of two races, both of whom were built from the magic of the moon goddess.
A goddess who sided with shifters and witches—a fact I’d temporarily forgotten in my hatred of their kind.
“You can’t kill me,” I declared, feeling that truth. “You cannot use magic in the same way against me because of my wolf, at least not until your curse comes to realization.”
Which was why she’d wanted this curse in the first place, to overcome any natural resistance shifters had to magic. Once she controlled their beasts, she’d control everything.
Yeah, not on my fucking watch.
Drawing on my magic and beast once more, I gave the predator side of my soul her full freedom. My wolf knew how to hunt and kill, and I could trust her to lead the way.
We stalked forward, my vision a mix of human and wolf, though I remained in my bipedal form. This felt as close as one could get to shifting without actually changing shape.
When I reached Jewels, she threw up a shield, but I chose not to use magic for my first attack. I hit her with my fist. She wasn’t shielded against a physical attack, and I cracked her cheek hard enough to break bone. Then I slammed into her ribs, followed by her shoulder.
I hit the bitch until she was a mass of cuts and blood, which forced her to put her energy into healing rather than fighting back. Any spells she did shoot my way were weak and unfocused, my shielding having no issue against them.
End it, my beast said, and I slammed my fists into Jewels’ chest.
I’d been aiming for her heart, but she rolled at the last second and I grazed her ribs. She struck back at me and landed a half decent hit that knocked the breath from me.
Forcing air into my lungs, I moved fast enough to compete with Slade, and this time my hit was true. Right in the center of her chest. Magic exploded down into my fingers, and with the jaws of my beast following, her chest cracked.
I didn’t stop there, sending the full force of my strength into her, only easing up when I held her shredded heart in my hands, its beat slowing until eventually it stopped.
Leaving the witch dead at my feet.