Chapter 11
Flames ignited, and tendrils licked the doorframe while the floor underneath our feet quaked.
“It’s the coven! We’ve gotta get out of here!” I yelled, needing Octavia and Dave—and not just the shifters—to hear my message. We had to get our asses out of here fast. We had no clue what we were up against.
My power hummed within my blood, and my wolf stirred restlessly.
The coven members who could harness the elements were the strongest of their species. The longer we stayed here, the more screwed we were, but I didn’t want to freak out Octavia and Dave more than they probably were.
As the house’s vibrations increased, the couch banged against the wall. It felt like an earthquake, but I guessed it wouldn’t be over in seconds. I’d seen Slade and his friends use elemental magic before, and they could channel it for several minutes. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever seen any of them tire out since Slade had betrayed me, so I wasn’t sure how long they could last.
People scattered down the stairs, and I knew the coven members wouldn’t wait around to see what happened. They’d be surrounding the house.
The power wanted to leave my body, which meant I needed to go outside and direct it toward the threat. Otherwise, I’d assist them in ripping this house apart.
I was hurrying toward the door, ready to face them, when a large, rough hand grabbed my arm. The buzz immediately told me who it was, and my power calmed to a high fizz.
Where the fuck do you think you’re going? Raffe growled. We need to get out of here, not run toward danger.
I lifted my chin. You don’t think they’re waiting for us out there?
He frowned. Maybe, but we need to check before knowingly running into danger.
The walls cracked, and I feared the structure might collapse and trap everyone inside. I had to do something to keep the house together, but I had no clue what or how. Damn lack of training. There had to be a way to control this power.
We need help! Josie linked. Dave can’t get up, and his room is filled with smoke.
This kept getting better. I took off for the stairs, and Raffe cursed.
Keith and Adam, check outside. If you don’t sense anyone, let us know, and we’ll get the hell out of here, Raffe commanded as he followed on my heels.
The floor was shaking so hard that my teeth clacked together, and each step was unsteady. When I reached the first step, I jumped and landed on the bottom floor.
The reason the house was so unstable became clear. Earth, rock, and trees had cracked through the foundation and floor and kept growing.
My lungs seized. Our time was running out.
Octavia and Lucy were in the hallway, moving slowly. Cat-Keith clung to Lucy like she was her lifeline. Something new broke through the foundation every second, making progress difficult.
Which room is Dave in? Raffe asked, scanning the four doors in front of us. Of course, Lucy pointed to the one to the right, farthest from the stairs.
Raffe took off just as a tree jutted from the floor, knocking him back.
I had to do something so the coven couldn’t focus all their magic on the house. But what?
We can’t reach the vehicles, Keith linked, his panic surging through the pack link. We’re blocked from getting off the front porch. We’re heading back to you.
Not surprising. The witches were an all-or-nothing sort of species. We either faced them or died hiding. Get Dave and Josie ready—I’ll handle this.
Not alone, you won’t, Raffe linked as he stumbled down the hallway. Stay right there. I need to get Dave and Josie out of here.
As he continued, I pivoted and raced up the stairs with Octavia and Lucy behind me. Something shattered, and my heart leaped into my throat. We had to get out of this house.
In the living room, smoke hung thickly, and Keith and Adam had shifted into their animal forms. Lucy darted toward Cat-Keith, who blurred past me and out the door, which was missing its glass. I nearly sobbed, and I hoped she found safety. Flames now covered that side of the wall.
That must have been the noise.
“You need to use your power,” Octavia shouted and grabbed my hand. Even with supernatural hearing, I could barely make out her words.
She was right. I needed to fight the witches; otherwise, Raffe, Dave, and Josie might die. “Let me see what I can do. Lucy, stay here with Octavia and get her out of the house as soon as you can.”
“Focus on what you want to happen. Your power works through vibrations, so push it outward or at one person. Imagine it in your head—that’s what the original arcane-born figured out. She closed her eyes and pictured her target.” Octavia’s eyes watered, and she hacked.
“Got it.” I nodded and took off after Keith and Adam. Before I could take a few steps, my wolf surged forward.
Part of me wanted to fight her, but having her speed and agility might give me an edge against these well-trained coven members. I allowed her to begin the shift.
My skin tingled, and my bones broke. Soon, I stood on all fours. The shift was uncomfortable but not painful like the first time. I hurried to the back door.
That’s not waiting for me! Raffe linked as white-hot rage filled the center of my chest. What the hell?
Never said I would, I replied. That was the one nice thing about Raffe—when he got all alpha-y, he commanded but never stuck around to make sure I agreed. Unfortunately for him, I had my own mind. And if I stayed down there, we’d probably all die.
I ran through the back doorway, glass crunching under my paws. The heat of the flames hit my side, and the smoke clouded my vision, but I didn’t pause.
In the yard, the ground wasn’t marred, reinforcing that the coven members’ focus was on driving us out of the house.
My power hummed, nearing that new sensation of singing that I’d felt while on the back of Raffe’s bike. Flames shot from the woods and hurtled toward the three of us.
Streaks of flame streaked toward Keith.
Watch—I started, but the fire hit Keith.
His body jerked to the side, and he yelped as he crashed to the ground. His fur was singed, and the awful scent filled my nose.
No! We couldn’t lose anyone else.
Power pulsed from my paws, and I froze. If controlling my power required my full concentration, so be it. I’d rather die than save my own ass when one of my pack members lay helpless before me.
Flames from different directions sailed toward Adam and burned him on both sides.
What the hell was wrong with these witches?
The house behind me made an awful groaning sound like it was going to collapse, and I forced my eyes shut and concentrated.
Octavia better be fucking right, or I’d kill her.
Power seeped from my paws into the ground, and I imagined the tree line. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew our attackers were out there. I pushed my power toward them to eliminate the threat. I didn’t care what it did as long as the coven members stopped their attack.
Even as I channeled my power into the ground, the house creaked.
You need to get out of the house, I linked, the sharp claws of panic sinking into my chest. I shouldn’t have left Raffe; I’d been foolish to think I could do this by myself.
We’re up the stairs and rushing that way, Raffe linked, his frustration nearly boiling over.
I opened my eyes to find Keith and Adam trying to get up. No flames darted toward us.
“This will end if you come with us,” a way-too-familiar voice called from the trees.
Cade.
Someone I’d thought was a friend. Yet, here I was, proven wrong again. Were any coven members my friends? The possibility of Hecate and Zelle being part of the Veiled Circle hurt almost as bad as Slade. But they were friends, so to be safe, I’d assume the girls were with them as well.
I hadn’t had friends beyond Lucy, after all, and that thought burned worse than the smoke in my lungs.
I’d been so stupid and foolish while Raffe had tried to warn me all along.
We’re out, Raffe linked, and his rage turned into something sharp and heavy.
Hate.
Of course that asshole would be part of Slade’s circle.
I glanced over my shoulder. Raffe jogged to my side with Lucy, Josie, Octavia, and Dave behind him. Dave appeared ghostly pale again, and Octavia leaned over, hacking. Dirt smudged their faces, evidence that the smoke had gotten worse in the short time I’d been out here.
As soon as Dave got within a few feet of me, he inhaled, and his gaze landed on me. His face twisted in agony, and he gripped the sides of his head.
My blood was affecting him. Dammit, I’d forgotten about that problem. I linked only to Josie, not wanting to distract Raffe, Keep a handle on Dave. He’s compelled to drink my blood.
Josie’s head snapped toward him, and she frowned.
“You really expect me to let my mate hand herself over to you after you kidnapped, drugged, and contained her in a room, then tried messing with her mind?” Raffe pressed into my side. “There’s no way in hell I’d let her walk over to you.”
Cade pointed to the house behind us. “It’s simple. If she wants you all to live, she’ll turn herself over to us. If she doesn’t, you’ll all die. We have you trapped, and what we did to the house, we can easily do to you.” His brown eyes were near the shade of onyx. I couldn’t believe I’d once thought they were warm and kind.
“You’re threatening to kill me?”Raffe laughed bitterly, the cockiness sliding back into place like the first time I met him. “The prince of wolves and his mate?”
“You left your father’s pack.” Cade smirked, his light-brown skin crinkling around his eyes from his heartless smile. “If anything, he might thank us for getting rid of his heir problem.”
My back tensed. I didn’t expect that news to be public knowledge.
How the hell do they know that? Lucy chimed in.
“Aw. I’m tempted to pull out my phone and snap a picture of the expressions on your faces.” Cade tilted his head back, laughing. “We have people inside your father’s pack. People who are loyal to us. We know everything.”
A chill ran down my spine, and my power began to sing despite Raffe’s touch. We were so far over our heads that I didn’t know what to do.
“How do you think we knew where to find you?” He winked.
“Dave, no!” Josie yelled, and I spun around to find Dave blurring toward me.
Shit. How did I protect myself without killing him?
Raffe spun and punched Dave in the head. The vampire hit the ground hard and stayed down.
Cade laughed. “They expect to win when they’re turning against each other.”
They’d caused the situation, and they were laughing at us?
My power swirled and met something, then merged with it. The responding magic pulsed in tandem. I didn’t know what it was, but I tugged at it. Whatever was answering, I needed it to come to my aid and fast.
A loud rumble sounded from behind us, and our group turned just as the house fell in on itself. The noise was deafening, and particles flew everywhere. Pieces of the roof fell off, one hitting Dave in the back of the head, and a thick piece of wood ricocheted off the top of the porch into Lucy’s back, knocking her over.
The houses on either side of ours had no lights on and stayed quiet. The coven must have cast a cloaking spell over the affected area.
We had a human, an unconscious and injured vampire, and six wolf shifters against coven members who hadn’t even struggled to take down a house. I could only hope that they’d used a lot of their magic, but as I pivoted, my heart sank further. Cade wore a cocky grin.
“This is your last chance. Hand over Skylar, or everyone dies. We’ll even take her in her mutt form.” Cade shrugged. “Doesn’t matter either way because, for the first time in centuries, the witches will win.” He glanced at me. “If you fight us, we’ll make sure you watch every single one of them die before we take our time breaking you.”
If I’d believed that turning myself over to the coven would save any of our lives, I’d have considered it, but Supreme Priestess Olwyn, Slade, and now Cade had taught me something I would never forget.
Never trust a witch, especially those tied to the Veiled Circle.
I refused to stand here and accept death. I would fight until my last breath, especially if I could get Raffe out of this alive. I’d implode if that was what it took to save these people who were becoming my chosen family.
“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Octavia spat like she had a horrible taste in her mouth. “You’ll kill her anyway because she won’t do what you want her to.”
I tensed.
“No, they won’t,” Raffe snarled. “Because I’m going to kill them all.” Attack hard and fast and take out as many as you can. Skylar, stay back.
If we hadn’t been about to die, I’d have laughed that he’d wasted energy saying that.
All of us took off, the power in my body overtaking my wolf.
Josie, Lucy, and Raffe charged in human form while Keith and Adam limped toward the tree line.
Octavia ran back toward the house.
What was she doing? But I didn’t have time to focus on her. I had to move forward.
I stumbled, my wolf and power out of sync with each other.
Owls hooted in the woods, wings flapping, and animals scurried through the trees. The loud, chaotic noises added to the adrenaline pumping through me.
A woman with fair skin darted from the woods. Between the caramel-blonde hair pulled into a bun and the bright cobalt eyes, I immediately recognized her.
Priestess Sabrina, one of the coven members I’d met in the hidden library on campus when Slade had taken me there to learn about my heritage.
I could feel maliciousness emanating from her despite her innocent features.
A snarl pulled my attention from her to my mate, who was fighting Cade.
Cade raised the ground underneath Raffe’s feet, but my mate leaped off each obstacle and kept racing toward him.
Priestess Sabrina grinned, cold and calculating. She lifted her hands toward Raffe, nasty, vengeful desire rolling off her.
She was going to hurt him, and she was going to like it.
I pushed myself like never before to reach her. The ground shook underneath me, but I closed my eyes and directed the sensation at her.
The bitch had to die.
A screech pierced my ears, and I opened my eyes to find Priestess Sabrina barely holding on to the edge of a hole I must have created.
How the hell had I done that?
I reached the edge and looked down.
Her bottom lip quivered, and her fingers scrabbled, quickly losing their grip. “Please, help me.” Fear poured off her, but her nasty hunger to hurt still held on.
There was no way I would help her. She’d turn on my mate as soon as she hurt me.
Pain soared through my connection with Raffe, and I tore my gaze away to see that Cade had stabbed Raffe in the shoulder.
My mate gritted his teeth, blood pouring from his shoulder. He punched with his left hand, but Cade dodged and ripped the knife from his body.