CHAPTER NINETEEN
Astrid
We’ve just told the others we’re leaving when a group of ten men step inside, the air in the club instantly thickening with tension. The music stops, and people run and hide. The man who stands a step in front pins me with his red eyes. He’s an attractive man, likely half incubus, half demon or vampire, with curly dark hair and fangs. He has a scar that bisects his eyebrow, then trails down the middle of his cheek as if someone tried to cut him with a knife. His leather pants fit like a second skin, showing off thickly muscled thighs spread in a fighting stance. He cracks his neck from side to side before raising his palms, sparks coming off them.
He’s powerful, and I feel it.
“Princess Astrid, come with us, and no one will die tonight.”
Bane stands in front of me, my brothers taking my sides, with August flanked at my back, creating a protective wall. One that I don’t need. With them all towering over me, I can barely see what’s going on, and need to peek around Bane.
“The princess won’t be going anywhere,” Bane replies, thunder booming outside. “But you’re welcome to try. You and your men can die trying.”
“Enough talking, Rion,” a man to his right says, his red eyes narrowing. “You grab her. We will handle the rest.”
Rion steps forward with a smirk, his eyes on me as I step out from behind Bane and get ready to shield. “What do you want with me?”
“The only succubus born in a century,” he murmurs, giving me a once-over. The tightening of his lips makes me think he finds me lacking. “What every incubus male wants, I suppose.”
Bane’s fangs elongate as I release my shield while Axe puts up another barrier.
“What’s that?” I ask.
“A sound barrier,” he replies, turning to face me. I then realize I don’t know what magic Axe holds. He’s always so chilled out and quick to smile, and it’s easy to forget that he, too, is badass and heir to the kingdom. I think that fact gets hidden behind Bane’s overbearing dominance and power.
“Astrid, you zip home. Now. We will deal with this,” Axe relays.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I reply, my eyes returning to Rion, and the bastard smirks. “I’m fighting.”
“If they get their hands on you, they will teleport you,” Bane growls, moving closer to me. “We can’t risk it.”
“They won’t get their hands on me,” I promise.
Laurel said something will happen tonight that will change things. Is this what she was talking about?
August’s hand touches the small of my back, and Kai’s hard bicep presses against me. They would die for me. I know Rave hates me coming here, but aside from being with him, I don’t think I could be any safer.
Rion throws out a bolt of electricity, sparks trying to break my shield to no avail. He will need to try much harder.
“Fuck!” Bane mutters, eyes on me. “Keep your shield up for yourself, but drop it for us.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, frowning.
“Yes, now !” he demands in a commanding tone that is accustomed to being obeyed.
I listen, dropping the shields on the men but keeping them up for me. Not wanting to be totally useless, I let Rave’s shadow magic seep from my pores, imagining the darkness suffocating Rion, who is currently fighting hand-to-hand with Bane. Sparks flicker up from Rion’s fingers and onto his sword, pushing Bane backward with a jolt. I drop my shield so I can focus solely on the shadows. I’m uncomfortable using them, but it’s the only way I can think to help right now.
Rion’s red eyes pin me, his eyebrow arching as I start to choke him, just as I’ve seen Rave do to August.
I’ll have to thank him for the inspiration.
“If you wanted it rough, you should have asked.” Rion smirks, my fingers tightening like I was cutting off his air with my hands.
A sudden bolt of power hits me, and I drop the shadows, turning to the man who spoke to Rion earlier. He has air magic, which I feel pushes up against me. “Just come with me, Princess, and none of your men here have to get hurt.”
Pulling out my ruby-encrusted dagger, I point it out in front of me. It’s then that I notice more men approaching behind them. At least twelve more. Okay, now I’m a little fucking concerned.
The man rushes at me, and I throw the blade at him, hitting him in the chest. His eyes dart down to it, his teeth flashing as he bares them. He reaches out for me, and I step back, kicking out at him and making contact with his torso. He gasps but stays upright just as two of the newcomers come to his side. He pulls out the short sword at his hip and points it at me. “Come with me, now.”
“Astrid! Get out of here,” Bane calls, running over to me. “Or put your fucking shield up.”
I put up my shield because I’m not an idiot, but I feel something inside me. Something that wants to get out.
Darkness, but not the kind that Rave has shared with me.
No, this darkness is all me.
I look around at the men I care about and realize that we are severely outnumbered, no matter how strong they are. Bane can’t even use his weather magic without destroying the whole fucking place. The man attacks my shield with his sword, trying to penetrate it, but it’s impervious. I have Bob to thank for that. Zoning out, all I hear is a beating sound. A heart. The sound pulses louder and louder in my ears until it consumes me. My fingers clench, making a squeezing motion.
The man attacking me drops to the floor.
Dead.
Just like that.
The sounds from all around hit me suddenly, overwhelming me. The man on the floor starts to bleed out from his ears, eyes, and mouth.
I did that.
My breaths suddenly become too deep, too heavy, and I start to panic, gulping for air like I’m drowning.
With my left hand, I touch the black diamond on my necklace. “Rave,” I whisper. “I need you.”
Not even a minute later, he’s next to me, extending his full six-foot-five frame, his broad shoulders back. He takes in the scene, giving me a once-over to make sure I’m okay as he pulls me behind him. Not a second later, the men attacking us are floating in the air, arms behind their backs, shadows restraining them. They start screaming horrifying, desperate sounds, and I know Rave’s shadows are torturing them.
“My eyes!” one of them screams, and I wince, knowing the damage the shadows can do.
“Are you okay?” he asks in a low tone, his blue eyes flashing with anger. He slides his finger down the side of my cheek like we have all the time in the world, and men aren’t literally dangling in the air in front of us, shrieking in pain.
I look at the dead man on the floor. “I… I did that.”
Rave looks down at the man, his eyes widening as he pulls me tighter against his body. “You defended yourself. I’m proud of you.”
“I panicked and called you,” I admit, swallowing hard.
“I’m glad you called me. When it comes to your safety, always fucking call me, Princess,” he murmurs, then turns to face the men, his hand sliding to my lower back. “And what do we have here?”
“They wanted Astrid,” Axe says, stepping next to Rave. Suddenly, he lifts his hands, and shadows swirl around them.
My eyes widen in surprise. “You’re a mirror.”
I generally sense what magic someone has, but I have no idea with Axe, and now it all makes sense.
It means that he can mimic the magic of those around him. I’ve never met someone with that ability, but I’ve always been curious about it. I remember telling August once that if I could have any powers, it would be that.
Axe throws me a cheeky grin.
How did I not know that about him?
I know Kai has some mind-reading abilities, which is why I always keep my mental wall up around him, but I didn’t know Axe was so powerful.
“You dare try and take what’s mine ?” Rave growls, turning around to face me. He cups my face and trails his nose down my neck. “Don’t look.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask, brow furrowing.
“We only need one alive,” he says, facing them once more. He then lifts his hands, and a horrific cracking noise fills the air. His shadows broke all of their necks.
Except Rion.
He kept him alive.
Dead bodies fall to the floor with a loud thump, and a part of me wishes I did turn around. How easily he killed all of those men, but I can’t judge him for it, though. I called him here, knowing he would protect us and handle the situation.
And he did.
“You’re going to regret this,” Rion calls out, staring at his fallen friends with anger and hatred blazing in his eyes. “You might as well kill me, too, because I’m not going to tell you shit.”
“Shut the fuck up,” August snaps, raking his fingers through his brown hair. He has a deep slash on his cheek from the fight, and I walk over to him and heal him with a simple touch. A slight dash of pain hits me as I watch the cut disappear before my eyes.
“Thank you,” he whispers, his hand touching my wrist before I drop it.
Axe stands next to Rion as Rave lets him drop to the floor, leaning over him. Suddenly, sparks come out of his hands. He’s imitating Rion’s magic. It makes me realize how special Vale is as a void because if he were here, no one close to him could use their magic. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with one day.
Bane knocks Rion unconscious, and my brothers grab him while Bane moves to my side, and August’s gaze scans my face as if making sure I’m okay. The old me he knew is no more, and she wouldn’t have been able to cope in a situation like this. I don’t know what that says about me. I’d like to think I’ve grown.
But maybe I’ve just accepted the darkness.
Or maybe I’ve become it.
Rave turns and stalks toward me, his movements predatory. He’s the most dangerous male and not just in his own kingdom.
And he’s all mine.
“Why is it every time you come to Chaos, someone tries to kidnap you?” he asks, scowling. “And yet you still want to come back here.”
“What can I say? I’m a hot commodity here,” I reply, resting my face against his chest as his arms surround me.
He presses his lips against my hair. “I don’t care how pissed you are at me or how much you hate me. I’m just fucking glad you called when you needed me.”
I don’t hate him.
I’m just hurt.
But I don’t say anything and stay in his arms until we head back to the castle.
We have a prisoner to torture.