LAILAH
THIRTY-SEVEN
Iknew that the boys had been training together since they were sixteen, but seeing them move as one unit was impressive.
Micah darted in with his twin swords, blocking Tabitha from attacking me.
Jay’s arrow, propelled by the wind, hit home deep in her back, causing her to let out a scream that chilled my bones.
Tabitha let out a shot of demon fire in Jay’s direction, but Hudson blocked it with a shield of water.
When the fire hit, steam billowed out, making it hard for us all to see.
“Is that all you have, little knights? I thought you would be tougher,” Tabitha cackled.
Thankfully, I was able to see everyone’s energy like a haze around them.
Tabitha glowed in that neon-green fire and black void, so it wasn’t hard to keep track of her.
Parker swept in with his long-bladed staff, aiming for her legs.
Tabitha blocked the attack but wasn’t prepared for Hudson to appear on the other side, shooting her right in the head twice.
She stumbled and fell to her knees, black blood seeping out of her hairline, but she shook it off and sent out a burst of green flame in all directions, pushing us back.
“We aren’t strong enough!” Hudson yelled as he dodged another attack. He wasn’t fast enough and got nicked by her sword on the leg and let out a grunt of pain.
Parker lunged, his blade slicing deep into her arm, causing her to drop her sword and open herself up for Jay to land another arrow right into her heart. To my shock and horror, she yanked out the arrow and started chanting. The ground began to tremble, and the air became thin as she continued.
“What the fuck is this woman made out of?” Micah said, making his way over to me.
“Pure evil, if I had to take a guess,” I muttered, my mind racing to find a solution.
Somehow, there had to be a way to kill this creature and make sure we didn’t kill Brayden’s mom. If it was even true that they were tied together—no one said demons were the honest type.
Not giving up, the boys bombarded Tabitha with everything they could think of, but nothing made it through the shield her power made.
As the oppressive dark energy kept building, it sent me crashing to my knees.
I clutched my heart, knowing that the pain I was feeling stemmed from the demon taint.
The dark power she gathered called to it, almost as if it was going to pull it right out of me.
“Make it stop,” I screamed, feeling blood in my mouth and something running down my face from my eyes.
“Fucking hell,” Parker said, stumbling his way over to me. “Hang in there, Trouble, we’ll figure this out.”
My eyes were blurred red from all the blood as I knelt there, shaking.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying not to shatter.
How is this happening to me? I’m Synergy, the power that can turn the tide in the fight between good and evil!
What a disappointment I am. Maybe they were right all along: I am the weak link, and I will get everyone killed.
I should just give up and let them take me.
It would be better than letting them harm anyone else.
“Yes, Little Synergy, come to me. You need my help. I will teach you what it means to have true power,” the Dark Lord's harsh voice whispered through my ears.
I let out a sob as my mind and heart battled over what choice to make.
Just when I felt like the pain was just too much, I felt a hand on my shoulder that burned like a hot coal.
Then another that was cool and soothing, like a cold drink on a hot day.
A soft breeze swirled around me, giving me the chance to breathe.
Someone grasped my face and brushed away the bloody tears, sending me a burst of strength.
The pain in my heart eased slightly, and I felt life flood my senses.
Then someone took my hand, and the love that flowed through that connection, along with the calming steadfast reassurance, grounded me.
I knew where I belonged, and it was with these men. Together, we were unbeatable.
Slowly, painstakingly, I gave them power this time instead of taking it.
I let my power flow freely into them, flooding their system with my golden light.
It melded with theirs, and each one burned brighter and hotter than before.
When they’d taken as much as they could handle, I pulled back the connection but didn’t close the door.
“Blast the bitch back to Hell, boys,” I declared, my voice hoarse but strong.
They each released me as I wiped furiously at my eyes, trying to clear them.
I needed to see what was going to happen next.
My sight was still blurry as I watched in amazement.
Each of the boys now were adorned with armor and upgraded weapons that glowed with holy light.
I shifted, trying to stand by myself, and that is when I noticed that I had glowing armor too.
Instead of my two sai, I had a short sword and large, round shield in my grip.
I used the shield as leverage to heave myself to my feet.
There was no way I was going to end this battle on my knees.
Tabitha, bloody and broken, hissed at all of us as the demon energy she had gathered swirled around her in a dark mist that was easily seen in the light we shed.
“You might kill me, but you won’t defeat the Dark Lord so easily.
He is more powerful than you can imagine, and he gains more power every day. ”
Realization of what she was going to do sent my body into motion. “She’s going to sacrifice herself!”
“Not if I stop her first,” Jay growled as he nocked an arrow, locking onto his target. The arrow flew true and hit her right between the eyes, and holy light burst out, making her gasp and crumple to the ground.
“Duck!” I screamed as I hoisted up my shield, jumping to stand in front of them.
The blast of demon energy burst out, and a shockwave of sound followed like a bomb exploding.
Digging my feet into the ground, I held off the blast from hitting us, but I could feel my feet slipping.
Then my guys were right behind me, supporting me, keeping me strong and upright against this attack.
When the demonic energy had dissipated, we noticed we’d attracted a small crowd of people.
All the boys’ parents were there—even Jay’s father, hands clasped on his cane casually.
I scanned the group, and my eyes landed on Oliver holding Adriana in his arms.
“Did we win?” Parker asked, breaking the silence as our armor and weapons faded away.
I’m not sure if it was the shock or the overwhelming relief I felt, but I burst out laughing. Eventually, the others joined in as we all huddled together in one big, laughing hug. We had done it! Had we almost died? Maybe, but we won in the end, and that is all that matters.
Finally, we broke apart, still chuckling, but Brayden reached out for me, holding my face in one hand and caressing my cheek with his thumb. “Angel, are you alright?”
“Honestly, I don’t even know how to answer that. I’m in desperate need of a shower and a stiff drink,” I said, leaning into his hand.
“I think we can arrange that,” he murmured, placing a kiss on my forehead.
“Damn, Trouble, you look like you were trying out for the part of Carrie,” Parker said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leading me towards the group of parents.
“I look that good, huh?” I teased, giving him a half-hearted smile.
“Nothing some sugar cookies and sleep couldn’t fix,” he said, smiling.
I groaned, leaning more into him. “God, that sounds amazing right now, but somehow I have a feeling that sleep is going to have to wait.”
“Yeah, I figured that too. Parents are going to want a debriefing,” he muttered, kissing my temple.
“Parents,” I gasped and pulled out of his arms, moving as quickly as I could over to Oliver. “Is she okay? Please tell me she’s still alive.”
Oliver looked at me, his green eyes full of questions as he looked from me to his wife. “She is alive but unconscious. We were on our way to take her to a hospital because she was seizing when we stumbled upon… whatever just happened.”
I blew out the breath I had been holding. “Thank God she’s alive! If you give us someplace to clean up, I promise we will answer any and all questions you have.”
“This is going to be some explanation, by the looks of it,” Tobias said, shaking his head at me.
“You have no idea,” I mumbled.
An hour later, I found myself in a hotel room, freshly showered and wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that were both too large.
We had to make do with what the hotel could provide for us from the gift shop in the lobby.
They had nicer options to pick from, but I was looking to be warm and clean.
I passed through the master bedroom into the living room of the penthouse suite we’d been placed in.
There sat all the fathers waiting for us to get cleaned up—Dolly was keeping an eye on Adriana.
Oliver and Tobias had ditched their jackets and bowties, sitting more relaxed.
Chadwick still looked put together, but his hair was mussed from him combing his fingers through it.
Jay’s father, whose name I still didn’t know, sat in the armchair, back ramrod straight, hands perched on his cane, eyes closed.
The moment I stepped into the room, he opened them and held my gaze for a second before closing them once again.
“Here, I brought up a bottle of the Dolton’s family brandy for us to drink,” Oliver said, handing me a glass.
“Thanks.”