Chapter 39 Shea
Freedom sang a chorus in my soul as I stepped out into the glorious sunlight. I didn’t even care that it was twice as cold out here as it was inside. And seeing the looks of gratitude on the faces of Julian, Tobias, and Char humbled me to the point of tears.
But we weren’t out just yet.
“Sedjed ka,” I said, my magic forming a direct line to my mate. “Caesar, where are you?”
“Almost there,” his voice toned in my head. “A few more minutes.”
“Okay. Hurry.” I ended the connection and turned to my fellow escapees. “He’ll be here soon.”
“Who were you talking to?” Alex asked, looking at me like I was crazy. I guess I must have looked it, talking to thin air.
I gave him a placating smile. “I’m a witch, and I used magic to call a friend.” I wiggled my fingers in front of me as I spoke, trying to mystify him.
His eyes bugged out. “Whoa, cool!”
“Isn’t it?” I turned to Tobias and Char. “Okay, guys. Go ahead and shift, that way we can load up and be ready by the time—”
A thick fog rolled in, accompanied by a whooshing sound that could only be the flapping of large wings. The lot of us all looked around, struggling to see through the mist. Then a large red dragon and a hazelnut brown gryphon I’d know anywhere, emerged from the haze and landed on the roof in front of us, each with two passengers on their backs.
A petite Asian girl with—whoa, rainbow hair?—and a guy who looked like he jumped out of a fashion magazine slid off the dragon’s back as Char went running for them. She hugged Rainbow Hair and gave the dragon a pat on the shoulder. When the good looking soldier tried to hug her, she put up a halting hand, and he stepped back and saluted her instead.
“Wait, where’s Gibson?” she asked, looking around at the cavalry that flew in.
Rainbow Hair looked down mournfully, and the dragon shook his head.
Understanding formed a sad frown on Char’s face, and she nodded. “Okay. Tobias, let’s shift and get the hell out of here.”
The two of them transformed into a pair of matching navy blue dragons, and the non-flyers began pairing off.
Arya let out her gossamer white wings, and damn, they were so beautiful. She looked like something out of a fairytale.
“Wow,” Alex said, his mouth hanging open as he slowly approached his older sister. “Are you an angel?”
She giggled and knelt down to his level. “No, I’m a harpy. Would you like to touch them?”
He nodded eagerly, and she moved one of her wings closer to him. He raised a tentative hand and gently caressed one of her feathers, and she shivered like the touch tickled, making him giggle.
“Okay, Alex, we’re going to go on a little trip now,” she said.
His eyes narrowed, and he took a step back. “Where are we going? When will we be back?”
“Uh, we–er,” Arya stumbled, looking to me and Julian for help.
Alex stepped back further, shaking his head as his eyes darted from creature to creature around him. “Shifters killed my parents. I don’t want to go anywhere with them. They’re bad.”
Arya skittered toward him, putting her hands on his shoulders. “No, sweetie. They’re not bad. These guys are my friends, and they’re just good people like you and me.”
Before she finished speaking, the red dragon snapped at the auburn-haired soldier who attempted to climb on its back, a feral growl rumbling up its throat, and Alex gasped in fright.
“No! You’re all monsters, and I’m not going anywhere with you. Dad!” He took off running back into the building faster than Arya could grab his arm to stop him.
“Alex!” she called, running after him.
“Ah, hell,” I muttered, then ran in after both of them. I was okay with letting the boy go, but I would die before I left Arya here.
As soon as we entered through the opening in the wall, we both came to a dead stop. Alex was a few feet down the hall, desperately clinging to the last person I ever wanted to see again.
Marguerite.
The blonde demoness patted his hair soothingly, not removing her eyes from me as she said to him, “It’s alright now, Alex. Go get your father and tell him what’s happening. I’ll deal with them.”
The boy took off running down the hall and disappearing down the stairs.
“No!” Arya cried, starting after him, but I grabbed her upper arm and yanked her backward.
“Arya, you can’t,” I cautioned, darting my glance back to Marguerite, who began a slow, seductive prowl toward us.
“That’s right, Arya,” Marguerite purred, looking more like a demure debutant in her slinky red gown than the evil succubitch I knew her to be. “Daddy doesn’t need you anymore. And once he finds out that you tried to abduct his son, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me killing you.”
In a flash, she was across the hall, blurring toward Arya. I shouted out the snaring spell in a rush, using all the magic I could pull within me, and in the next heartbeat, Marguerite was frozen in place right in front of Arya, her exposed fangs only a breath away from Arya’s throat.
Arya stumbled backward, falling onto her butt on the floor and panting heavily.
“What the hell did you do to me?” Marguerite shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut with effort, then snarling when she couldn’t move despite her struggle. “Let me go this instant!”
“No,” I said with all the fury and hatred I felt toward her. “You will never hurt someone I love ever again. I’m going to end you.”
I opened my mouth to speak the darkest spell I knew, not caring what the magical repercussions would be, but Julian was suddenly beside me, his hand on my shoulder.
“No,” he said.
My rage bubbled over at him stopping me once more, and I was going to chew him out.
He turned to me, that dark, predatory gleam in his eyes. “She’s my demon to slay. Let me have this.”
And just like that, all my anger fizzled out. He was right. She had tormented him, not me. What right did I have to take this opportunity away from him? He deserved this.
I gave him a single nod and stepped back, giving him whatever space he needed.
He walked up to face Marguerite, not a whisper of emotion on his perfect face.
“Julian,” she cooed, her voice girlish and desperate. “Please, don’t do this. I love you. I-if you’re going to go, let me come with you. We can run away together right now.”
“You say you love me, Marguerite,” he said softly. “But you never truly gave me your heart. Will you let me have your heart?”
“Yes! Yes, anything you want,” she pleaded. “I love you. My heart is yours!”
He smirked. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
In a flash, he thrust his fist into her chest and ripped out her still beating heart. Arya gasped sharply and turned away, but all I could do was stare with wicked satisfaction. Funny, I thought her heart would be black as midnight, but it was the same color red as the dress she was wearing.
I released the snaring spell, and her body crumpled to the floor. Julian squeezed her heart in his bloody hand, crushing it into moosh, then flung the pulp away, bending down to wipe his hand clean on the bottom of her dress.
Footsteps echoed up the staircase, and I hastily pulled Arya to her feet.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“But Alex—” she began, looking both traumatized and heartbroken.
“I know, and I’m sorry,” I said. “But if we don’t go now, we’re all going to die.”
She let out a mournful whimper but nodded, and the three of us ran back outside.
“I’ll take Piper,” Julian said, urging me toward Caesar. “Got on. Hurry!”
Caesar lowered his body to give me easier access, and Julian swiftly picked me up and planted me on his back.
“Hold on tight, no matter what,” he cautioned, then sped to Piper’s side, scooping her into his arms while Rainbow jumped onto his shoulder.
I adjusted my shoulder bag, then gripped onto handfuls of Caesar’s feathers, hoping I wasn’t hurting him.
“Everyone ready?” Julian called to the group as he darted to the edge of the roof.
The auburn-haired guy was still standing, looking around in desperation.
“I’ll take you,” Arya said, holding her arms out as she approached him.
“The hell you will,” Tobias growled in a deep dragon voice.
“Stop it, we don’t have time,” Char snapped, wacking him with her wing.
He let out a roar of frustration and swooped his wings upward, propelling himself and Kai off the roof. Arya scooped her arms under the soldiers arms, locking her hands around his chest, and kicked off. The rest of us did the same, flying away from the roof just as bodies spilled out of the entrance.
I looked down at the vampires who tried to leap for us, reaching out their hands and narrowly missing, only to fall to their certain death. My gaze followed one of them down, and I saw Julian blurring away into the forest. Thank goodness, he was getting away.
A sound erupted from the west and stole my attention, forcing me to look back only to duck my head as dozens of tiny objects went whizzing past me. The bastards were shooting at us!
“Faster!” I yelled as we flew through the fog, and I felt Caesar’s powerful wings pump harder.
I only relaxed when the fog swallowed us completely, and I could no longer see the roof or the fortress itself at all.
But not even the thick, shrouding mist could muffle out the sound of Hadrian’s maniacal laughter, which sent a chill deep into my soul.
~The End~