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Rose x
Zac's hand gripped mine as we sat together in the Jeep. I turned my head towards him, gripping his hand back just as tightly. Our eyes met for a brief moment and I could see the wariness and worry deep in those grey orbs.
"It's not too late to turn back." He says quietly to me and for a second I actually consider his words.
The moment after Zac had announced that we had found Demelza, everything had turned into a blur. The party had suddenly ended abruptly, but none of the guests were too bothered. They knew how important finding Demelza was, so instead they all pulled together and offered their own men and women to come with us.
We took them up on their offer, knowing fully well how powerful she was and that we would need all the help we could get, and now there were six large vehicles following behind us, carrying lethal, highly trained warriors and we were all heading in the same direction, with one same goal in mind.
To kill Demelza.
My eyes fluttered over to Demercus, who was sitting in the same vehicle,? next to the black tinted windows, his eyes glazed over in thought as he stared out at the world passing by.
I could almost sense the turmoil happening inside him. I could see from the cold determination in his eyes that he wanted to kill the powerful witch who had tortured and murdered him, but then from the way his fist clenched and unclenched on his lap, it was clear Demarcus couldn't forget the fact that the same cold blooded murder, was his own twin.
I turned back to face Zac, who was watching me intently, his fingers still gripping tight around mine.
"No, you're wrong," I say, thankful for the way my voice remained leveled, "it is too late. She's tortured us for too long already," my eyes flick back to my uncle and then back to my mate.
"Today is the day she dies."
★★
We were getting closer to the location of Demelza's hideout and everyone was getting more heated, the temperature inside the Jeep close to boiling as we all started to deal with our own nerves.
"You won't listen to me when I ask you to stay in the car, will you?" Zac already knew my answer, but I couldn't help the small smile that played on my lips at the fact he had tried to persuade me otherwise.
"Think about the baby," he tries again, when I shake my head in reply.
"I am," I say, my eyes meeting his. "How can I even think about being a good mother when I hide away afraid to face my own demons?"
Zac sighs and remains quiet for a moment, his jaw clenching.
"Fine, but stay behind me," his pointed glared pins me down in my seat, "at all times."
I roll my eyes, but nod my head anyway, knowing that if anything, it would simply offer Zac some kind of relief.
"I can't believe she's been hiding out here all this time." A voice scoffs.
Both Zac and I turn to Demarcus whose eyes flashed with recognition as the Jeep started to turn onto an off the main road. The narrow winding roads twisting through the deserted land as large, tall black trees towered above.
"You know where this is?" Zac asked, peering out of the tinted windows to get a clearer view.
My uncles face twisted uncomfortably as he nodded. "Like the back of my hand." He admits with a heavy voice.
"It used to be our old coven," he explains, "before Demelza went on a killing spree, burning the whole place to the ground."
I join Zac at the window, squinting slightly as we continued to travel down the twisted lane. There a darkness about the place, something sinister and deadly. Something in the air that screamed 'RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!'
As went further into the darkness, evidence from the old covens became more visible. Burnt houses scattered across the otherwise barren land, crumbling buildings barely standing. The ground, where grass would have grown once upon a time, dry and charred. There was no sign of life, nothing to suggest that this was Demelza's hideout.
But I could tell straight away that she was here. Death and destruction followed her around like a bad odour and this place reeked of it.
Zac quickly sat up, his eyes instantly becoming more alert. He opened up the mind link and started to dish out instructions, warning everyone to remain prepared. We had already gone over the plan back at the pack house, but for the sake of caution we went through everything again.
With us we had around sixty elite warriors and around thirty other warriors had already gone ahead of us, to scout the area, meaning altogether we had ninety men and women who could seriously kick ass and what more were prepared to die, in order to do so.
Then there was Demarcus who despite what Demelza thought, was an incredible sorcerer and was more goddamn powerful than she ever gave him credit for. He was a survivor and a fighter and Demelza had no idea what he was capable off.?
And then there was Zac. He was sixteen when he became Alpha, sixteen when he thought his soul mate had died and yet despite that had managed to keep going, fighting hard to survive and now was the leader of a powerful pack. He knows the meaning of loss and that meant he would fight till the end for what was his.
The doors to the Jeep open and Zac gets out first, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming with that predatory glare as he surveyed our surroundings. Demarcus got out next, the silver specks in his brown eyes glinting dangerously.
Zac turns back to me and holds his hand out to help me out and I gratefully? take hold of it and step out of the vehicle as gracefully as my protruding bump would allow me to.
I wrap the jacket around me tighter as I take a look around, scrunching my nose as a blast of cold, foggy air hits me in the face.
The desolation around us, makes my heart tighten and as I glance to Demarcus I see him struggle to contain himself. His eyes darted around the crumbled buildings and now barren land as if he could see the ghosts of his past. His jaw tenses and as he exhales a deep breath, it creates a white cloud of fog.
My eyes move away from him and my gaze falls to a puddle of muddy water on the ground. My eyes focus on the reflection in the murky water and I think about the last person in this entourage on a mission to destroy Demelza.
Me.
I take a moment to reminisce about how far I had come. My life had changed so much in less than a year. I had gone from someone who was afraid to die without ever having lived, to someone who was now stronger than I could have ever dreamt off.? I was weak and sheltered, my whole life revolving around four glass walls and now I was standing side by side with the love of my life, my hand dropped to my belly, and my future.
I had a purpose to my life now, I had someone to protect.
And there was only one thing standing in my way and Demarcus surprised me, his sudden words laced with so much determination, explaining it better than I ever could.
"Lets kill this bitch!"
★★
Despite our eagerness, we were careful and cautious as we took a step forward, following one of the warriors who had arrived earlier and managed to locate the exact hiding place of the evil witch.
He led us toward an old house, burned and charred with black walls barely holding up, but it was still much habitable than any other of the buildings around.
In here, the warrior named Marcello speaks through the mind-link, pointing to the building. There's an underground link which leads into a cave. That's where she is hiding.
I look up at Zac who was sensing my eyes on him, turned around to look at me. Our eyes meet and I can already tell what he's thinking.
Be careful, he links as he leans down and presses his warm lips against mine and for a second I forget everything and everyone around us. It's just him and I, but then as he pulls away, reality comes crashing down around us.
Our whole plan revolved around Demelza being unaware of our presence and I hoped with all my heart that the magic Demarcus and I had placed on all our warriors and ourselves to conceal our presence would hold out and that we would still have the advantage of a surprise attack.
Zac took lead, following Marcello into the deserted building, the rest of us tracking behind in an almost triangle shape. I was in the middle, surrounded by several warriors and I knew instantly it was Zac's idea to keep me safe and I didn't bother to fight against it. Having all these burly, strong men and women who could easily kill someone with their little finger surprisingly made me feel safe and believe me, a sense of security was definitely what I needed the most as we all filtered into the abandoned house, not completely sure of what we were going to find on the other side.
There was nothing in the abandoned house, apart from some decaying old furniture and cobwebs covering every inch of the place. Once upon a time, i could imagine this house being homely and full of life, but now all of that
was gone, only burnt photographs and smashed frames reminiscent of the past.?
The dusty floorboards creaked underneath us, despite our hardest to remain quiet and stealthy, yet other than that, there was not a single sound as we all moved throughout the house, until we stood in front of a trapdoor in the ground. The door had been pulled up and a torch in Marcello's hand lit up the wooden steps that led into the underground. One by one we all silently entered the darkness, grateful for our night vision as our surroundings became clearer.
It was a dark and musty corridor, as unkempt as the rest of the house above. Cobwebs and spiders crawled the brick walls and small creatures rummaged across the floor, their squeaky noises as they crawled past our feets, the only sound to be heard.
I fisted my fingers and bit my tongue to hold back a scream when I felt something crawl up my leg.
Fuck! I screamed inside as I kicked out my leg, trying to dislodge whatever rat or mouse had managed to hide up my trousers.
I could feel my breathing getting quicker, cold sweat plastering my hair to my neck, when suddenly a hand wrapped around mine and the feeling of electric shocks tingled on my skin.
You're alright, Zac reassures and instantly I feel my panic dissolve, my mind focusing only on his voice and the rough gentleness of his skin against mine.
I feel like a coward as I cling desperately onto his hand as he continues to lead us deeper throughout the corridor and into the entrance of a cave.
It was incredible really, a hidden underground corridor leading to an impressive underground cave. No one would have suspected that this place even existed from above grounds. The entrance to the cave was lit up with lamps, yet there were no candles or oils to keep it alive. The flames just
burned above the stands, its blue light fluttering in the cold draft, illuminating the darkness.
"I didn't even know this place existed." Demarcus whispered from beside me, his voice barely audible, but clear in his shock and awe.
Zac hesitated for a second, casting a wary glance back at me before letting go of my hand and taking a step forward into the belly of the cave. We all followed behind closely, the eerie silence making the sound of my heart beat deafening to my ears.
The inside of the cave was completely different to what I had expected. I had foolishly believed, that just like everything else, it would be ruined and past any precious glory, but I was wrong.
It was beautiful.
The inside was bright, with floating balls of light, flying high in the sky. There was a very large wooden bookcase, stacked with books and literature, stone tables scattered around with drawing and symbols and little bottles of potions on top. With white chalk the walls of the cave were littered with ancient words and right in the middle of the room was what looked almost like a shrine.
A large black stoned table with candles and herbs and mystical looking flowers surrounding it. Around the ground were symbols engraved which glowed brightly, emitting a blinding light. But most importantly, amongst it all, there she was.
Lying so peacefully, her eyes closed, her dark hair like a halo around her head. She was wearing a white gown which contrasted so visibly against the black surface of the table, her slender arms crossed gently over her chest. She lay so still and peacefully, her skin so white and pale that for a second I wondered if she was dead, but then her chest rose and fell and the thought instantly perished in my head.
For a second everyone remained frozen at the sight of her, no one exactly sure what to do next. We had all come with the expectation to catch her off
guard, but not so off guard that she would sleeping, looking like a fucking angel.
It was then her eyes shot open and quickly we all remembered that Demelza was definitely no angel.
Her head twisted, her eyes instantly locking onto ours and with great triumph I watched as her eyes widened in shock.
"Hello Demelza" I can't help but antagonise as she bolts up straight, her white gown pooling around her as she readies herself for an attack.
"How did you get in here?" She asks and for the first time I see fear in her eyes and it delights me more than it should.
"Oh we just look a page out of your book." I say, my lips turning up in a wide, teeth showing grin. "Afterall, trespassing and breaking and entering seems to be your specialty."
Her eyes blaze in anger and her arms flick out quickly, ready to cast her magic but before she could even begin, Demarcus steps out from behind me and his hands move faster and before she even had a chance she was being dragged away from her resting place, her twins magic constricting around her neck, making her eyes bulge as she suffocated.
"Hella Elza..." my uncle speaks up and Demelza blinks rapidly, her face turning purple from both the lack of oxygen and also the shock of seeing her twin brother.
"...long time no see." I dare to cast a look in his direction and the murderous intent in his silver speckled eyes almost makes me take a step back.
"Ma-maruc-s!" Demelza splutters, her hands clawing frantically at the invisible force around her neck.
Demarcus only clenches his fist tighter and now Demelza was floating higher in the sky, her legs kicking out, her hands clawing.
I should have realised that it was going too easy for us. One second Demelza was suffocating to death and the next second Demarcus was being mauled to death by a rogue who had jumped out from the shadows of the cave.
There was blood and screams and chaos ensued as more rogue wolves emerged, leaping towards us, while Demelza free fell to the ground, spluttering and gasping for breath, her cheeks regaining their normal colour.
"Argghhh!" My eyes darted over to my right side where one of the female warriors had crumbled to the floor, her eyes wide as blood spurted out from the arrow embedded in her shoulder. Just as I was about to lean down to help her, another arrow whizzed through the air and would surely have struck me in the head if it wasn't for Zac darting towards me and grabbing the weapon in mid air.
He snapped the arrow in two, his eyes blazing in hot fury.
The hunters and rogues are working together with Demelza, his voice filters into my head and I follow his gaze to where a group had emerged, dressed completely in black, their faces hidden behind a black mask, armed with knives, bows and arrows.
They all stepped forward in one straight line, took aim and shot, the air suddenly filled with flying arrows all aiming straight for us.
One flick of my hand and an invisible shield erected, the arrows bouncing straight off.
I'll hold of the arrows, you deal with the rogues, I offer and with one look back at me, Zac nodded and then shifted, his bones snapping and rearranging into his enormous black wolf.
Half of our warriors followed suit, shifting into their wolves, while the rest remained in their human body.
I kept the barrier up, the arrows still ricocheting off, but the hunters weren't giving up. Half of them continued with shooting arrows, while the rest took
hold of their knives and started hand to hand combat.
My attention turned back to Demarcus who someone had managed to save from being mauled to death and was now lying to the side, leaning against the cave wall still bleeding out.
His eyes were clenched shut as his hands struggled to put pressure onto the gaping wound on his abdomen.
"Demarcus!!" I called out and he opened his eyes to meet my wide ones. I wasn't sure what I should do. If I let the barrier down then we would be defenceless against the arrows but on the other hand Demarcus was on the brink of death.
"D-don't" he warned, coughing up blood when he saw my hands falter. I feel hot tears build in my eyes as he shakes his head at me.
"I'm a lot stronger than you think Eve," he manages to splutter, trails of blood drooling down his chin, his skin now clammy and deadly white.
"I'll heal." He states finally and I can see the golden glow forming from his hands as he presses it against his stomach. He closes his eyes as his whole body trembles in pain.
Unable to look at him in pain any longer I look away, my body now fatigued by the energy I was using to uphold the shield. I cast my eyes amongst the chaos and notice Zac's wolf dig its canines deep into the body of another rogue, his jaws clamping tightly before practically throwing the wolf across the cave. The other warriors are fighting just as hard and while the amount of rogues are dwindling, the hunters are still going strong, their silver weapons striking deadly blows to our men and women.
Suddenly remembering exactly why we were here in the first place, my eyes search the cave for Demelza and find her watching this destruction from the side, but her eyes were trained only on me.
She didn't move at all, her dark eyes roaming the full length of my body before suddenly stopping on my stomach.
No, impossible.
I was wearing a large oversized puffer jacket, the whole reason being so that she couldn't see my pregnant belly, however the way her eyes fixed so intently on that area of my body suggested she knew exactly what I was trying to conceal from her.
Her eyebrow raised and she smirked, that evil, devilish smile that made my insides turn.
Then she took a step forward and my heart almost stopped from that simple action. She didn't do anything but the look in her eyes was frankly terrifying.
I focused on keeping the barrier up, trying not to be distracted by the woman.
For a second all she did was watch me carefully, with her beady eyes and then she stopped and simply raised her hand and...clicked.
Click.
My barriers fell apart, just as a hundred of the hunters arrows whizzed through the air, heading at me.
Shit, wide eyes and in complete shock I managed to put up the barrier just in time as the arrows bounded off my invisible shield, seconds away from hitting me.
My eyes darted back to the witch and I notice she had stepped closer towards me. She smiles a crooked grin at me and raises her eyebrows and once agains her fingers click, the sound which should have been impossible to hear over the roaring and growling of the fight, sounded like it was made right beside my ear.
Click.
I should have been more prepared, when once again my barriers crumbled and the arrows flew through the air.
Thankfully, my body acted quicker than my head and the barriers were once again up before the silver arrows could embed themselves in my body.
But when I turn my head in the direction of where Demelza was standing, I realise she was no longer there anymore. I almost want to slap myself at my own stupidity. Demelza was trying to distract me by lowering my barriers so that she could escape.
But just as I was about to dwell in my own foolishness, I feel a warm breeze against my ear.
"Follow me."
Demelza's voice calls to me like the Piped Piper and almost instantly my body moves to obey her, but I quickly stop myself, peering over my shoulder when I feel the lack of her presence. I just about managed to catch a glance of her white gown as she disappears out of the cave.
My eyes flick back to the fight in front of me and I realise that all the rogues had been killed, their dead bodies littered around the cave, and now Zac and the rest of the warriors were distracted, taking on the hunters. It took me a second but I then realised that there were no more arrows sailing through the air and hesitantly I lower my shield.
I watch as Zac mercilessly tears into one of the hunters, blood and gore splattering around. My eyes move to Demarcus who was still in the process of healing himself his magic wrapped around him, glowing brightly.
I then turned back in the direction that Demelza had left and I realise that it was now or never. I either went after her, or we could possibly lose the only chance we had at killing her.
I turned on my heels and quickly rushed out of the cave, following in the direction I had seen her leave.
It wasn't hard to find her, there was only one place this corridor led to and that was back up to the abandoned house. When I made it back through the
trap door, Demelza was already sat on a small wooden chair, the only stable looking furniture in the place.
Her eyes lazily met mine as she grinned, her arms crossed over her chest, her raven hair falling over her shoulders.
"Hello sweetheart." she greeted with a dangerous tone to her endearment. It made my skin prickle with disgust.
"That wasn't very nice what yo- ommpfuh-"
I flick my hand and the legs of the chair she was sitting on snaps, sending her body crashing to the floor, all breath in her body expelled as she hits the ground with unexpected force.
Before she could react, I lift her up using my magic and thrust her up against the already crumbling wall of the house, holding her up so her feet dangle above the ground.
"I'm not here to play around Demelza" I growl and I could feel my eyes darken as the wolf part of me broke through the surface.
But her eyes just twinkled in amusement.
"Oh no," she cried, "please don't kill me." she mock begged, her white teeth glinting as she smirked.
Part of me just couldn't understand the woman in front of me. It was almost as if she didn't care that I was the one who was holding her up against the wall, ready to kill her any second now.
She was mocking me, her patronising voice and eyes daring me to carry out my threats.
"Don't test me!" I snap in anger when she just flashes me a mocking smile, but at my words, her grin falls of her face and a dark glint reappears in her eyes.
"No Eve," she warns, "don't test me."
That's when I feel it. The small tickling of little feet as they surround my legs and I dare to cast my eyes down, a gasp of shock escaping me as I realise the floor is now covered in rats. The scurrying creatures begin to climb up my legs and I can't help the scream as they scramble up my trouser legs.
I step away from Demelza, practically tripping on the vermin as they cover the floor like a dirty black carpet. They were everywhere and I kick out my legs and jump around trying to get rid of the ones that were biting the skin on my legs.
Holding out my hand I create a fireball and thrust it to the ground, watching as the rats burn alive, the fire spreading out over the sea of vermin, leaving behind their charred remains and the disgusting scent of burnt fur and skin.
I find myself gagging at the smell but Demelza leans back completely unbothered.
"Not a huge fan of rats I see." she replies with a frown and I don't hesitate when I send a fireball hurling in her direction, but the woman hardly blinks as she blocks it with her own shield.
I act quick and smash her head against the wall, a sickening thud answering in reply.
"Oh fuck!" she groans, her head coming forward clutching it tightly. Her eyes flick up to meet mine and I can see the restrained anger in those brown orbs.
"Not fair," she growls, "I'm still only getting over the wounds from the last time you smashed my head against the window." Her voice is lined with teasing but I can tell she is holding herself back from attacking, but maybe it's because she sees myself preparing to attack again, but her restraint finally breaks and her hands fling up, palms flat out and the force sends me flying to the other side of the room.
I quickly hold my hands out, bracing myself so that my whole body doesn't take the impact. I'm careful to avoid my stomach as I smash against the
wall, which crumbles slightly, spraying dust and plaster into the air.
"Shit-oh shit!" Demelza rushes over, her eyebrows scrunched in mock concern, "your baby." she says, her arms reaching out for me.
I pull away immediately from her touch, disgusted by the smile she hid behind her fake look of concern.
I try to get up but Demelza was holding me down using her magic, looking completely uninterested.
"I can't believe you were actually stupid enough to get pregnant." she finally moans in what seemed annoyance as she glared down at me as I tried to push up against the barrier holding me down. Her eyes rolled as if my pregnancy was another obstacle in her plans for power and world domination.
"Sorry to disappoint you" I managed to growl out, "but this baby was made out of love, not some demented plan to hold onto something that wasn't mine."
Her eyes flicker dangerously, "Careful Eve," she warns.
I feel her hold on me loosen slightly and that was enough for me to break away and kick my leg underneath her, sending her sprawling to the ground, her head smashed quite hard as it hit the floor.
Her head must be made of some kind of indestructible material because other than a slight grimace in pain she crawled back onto her feet, clicking her head from side to side.
"Nice one." she compliments and despite the fact her face remained emotionless, I could see the storm raging in her eyes.
She was mad. So fucking furious.
She was done playing games with me now.
Her hands flew out to the side and with eyes closed, her lips start moving and suddenly the whole building begins to shake and around us the walls tremble wildly, until bricks start flying and I have to dodge fast in order to avoid being hit by them. One second the roof was above our heads and then the next second I was forced to create a shield as the whole house collapsed around us, sending wood, bricks and debris down on us.
When she finally opens her eyes we are standing in the what used to be the house, but now was a collapsed mess around us.
The icy wind bit hard against my skin as my hair flailed around my face. Demelza glared back at me, her eyes hard with determination. She said something under her breath and for a split second nothing happened but then I gasped for air as my throat closed up, my eyes going wide as lungs began to fill up with water. I spluttered and gasped, screaming for help, my arms clawing at my throat but to no luck.
She was drowning me.
I hunched forward, thumping my hand against my chest, desperate to breathe, my wide eyes burning with tears.
This can't be how it ends.
Somewhere in my head, my thoughts turn to my unborn baby but my mind was blacking out now, my throat still closed and as I fell to the ground, my eyes searched around frantically for anything to help and my blurry eyes locked onto a sharp piece of metal rod that had previously been part of the houses structure.
In one final desperate move, I used my magic to lift the metal and fling it with all my force in Demelza's direction.
Honestly, I have no idea how I managed it, perhaps it was luck, or perhaps there was someone above watching over me, mercifully giving me a second chance,? but somehow distracted by her own magic, Demelza doesn't notice the flying metal headed straight in her direction and like a dart hitting
bullseyes , the rod pierced through her body and impales Demelza through the chest.
Her magic loses its grip on me and I fall back, at the same time she does and coughing, spluttering and gasping for breath I roll on the ground, my lungs desperately trying to revive my body with oxygen.
I blink fast, my chest rising and falling heavily as I rolled onto my side and my eyes fix on the lifeless body lying next to me, her eyes wide and glassy, her mouth open in shock, her chest open with blood pooling underneath her.
I should have been scared, or shocked or even disgusted at myself for what I had done but instead I rolled onto my back, staring up at the grey sky and my hand raised slowly, with whatever remaining energy I had in my body and I grabbed my pregnant stomach.
"It's okay baby," I whisper as the skies suddenly open and sheets of rain pour down, mixing with Demelza's blood as it dissolves into the barren ground.
"It's all over now. Mummy's gonna keep you safe."
And finally completely exhausted and past caring, my eyes flutter closed.
Ok. Uhm, so that happened.
What do you think?
Was this chapter alright? Or just meh?