Twenty-Nine
When Gunner fell to his knees, clutching his head, I knew something was wrong. I hadn’t worried about him until that moment. I was determined to get to our girls. As soon as my father gave the signal, they became my sole focus. Gunner would be protected. I knew that. Until I didn’t.
Once Selvy broke the connection curse, Julia put on Gunner and the rest of our family. I was vibrating with fury. I clutched onto Gunner, making sure that he was okay. And he was. Selvy told me that the damage done had been reversed and he and the other’s would be okay.
My head snaps up at the sound of my father’s voice, but he is not focused on me.
Standing, I slowly turn to see the woman, who has caused so much pain and destruction, standing at the mouth of the mausoleum surrounded by what is left of her followers. The smile on her face as she takes in the destruction and death at her feet angers me and has my body vibrating with the need for retribution.
“Is this all you have for me, Svetlana? Such a pity. You should have known better.” She tsks, as she looks around, raising her hands to the sky.
The wind picks up, and the sky darkens.
“You can’t stop me. None of you can stop me.” She cackles and begins to chant.
The men on either side of her grab her shoulders. Connect their hands with the persons next to them, and as I watch the dozen people connect hands, they all begin chanting.
I watch in horror as those left standing fall to their knees. My eyes turn to Selvy and her coven as they too are holding hands in a circle around me and my family chanting, none of us who are in the circle are feeling the effects of whatever Julia is doing, but we can hear the cries and wails of pain. I look into Selvy’s eyes, frantically asking her what to do.
She doesn’t respond with words, at least she isn’t alone. The witches surrounding us, chants become louder and louder. Selvy’s eyes are on mine.
Selvy’s head snaps up toward the sky and she releases an ear-splitting scream and falls to the ground.
Everything happens quickly.
Everyone around me falls to the ground unconscious, all but myself and Julia. Who looks around frantically.
“No, Julia. You should have known better,” I say, and take off running toward her, leaping over bodies as I go.
She tries to scramble back, but Beaman’s crows are preventing her from entering the mausoleum, like a fucking shield. Thank you, Beaman. Wherever the fuck you are.
She stares around frantically, then she stops and her head lowers.
Oh, no the fuck you don’t. I’m not close enough for a strike. I reach down and pull one of my knives from its sheath, throwing it with everything I have in me. I watch as it sails through the air as I get closer to her. I have to leap over the bodies of the fallen and unconscious. I don’t think about them. Hopefully, whatever the fuck Selvy did won’t be permanent. That’s a concern for another time. I’ve got a bad little witch to kill.
Julia’s hand comes up as the blade closes in on her. When her eyes widened. I realize that whatever the witches did, took away whatever power she had left.
“No!” she bellows when the blade pierces the center of her hand.
I smirk, only feet away from her now.
“You better hope my girls are okay. Your journey towards death will be worse than you could imagine.” I say, jumping over my last hurdle as she pulls the blade out of her hand.
The stupid bitch swings the blade out, but I’m smarter, faster, and better than she will ever be.
With a swing, I catch her jaw with a right hook, which has her falling to the ground.
“You should have taken your hand-to-hand more seriously,” I say, smirking down at her.
The glare she sends me has my smile widening. She scurries to her feet.
“You were always such a smug bitch.” Humor replaces the glare in her eyes. “I win Svetlana. I beat you. I bested the great Widowmaker. You are too late.” She says smugly.
It takes seconds longer than it should for her words to register.
Too late.
No, I would know. I would feel it. I would feel it, I know I would. She has to be lying. Looking into her eyes, I don’t see deception, only the bitter truth. My heart rate speeds up, feeling as if it is going to burst out of my chest.
“No.” my voice horse with disbelief.
Taking advantage of my disorientation. She comes at me, fist flying, catching in my jaw and the side of my head.
“Yes,” she cackles as she continues to rain down blow after blow.
“No.” Anger surges through me as I block her next strike.
“No, you fucking bitch. You are lying.” I yell.
Fury surges through me. I lunge forward, wrapping my hands around her neck. I kick at her knees, causing her to crumble to the ground with a shout. I follow her down and land straddling her waist. My hands remain around her neck as I choke the bitch for everything she has done. She attempts to scratch at my hands with one of hers as the other lays at her side at an odd angle.
“You fucking bitch! Your mother should have swallowed you. I’m going to enjoy watching the life drain from your eyes, Julia Cleruch.” I say, my hands tightening around her neck as she tries to buck me off of her, but her strength is waning. I lean forward, my lips close to her ear. She can feel each breath I take.
“This is such a fitting end for you,” I whisper. “Your failure surrounds you.” And then something clicks. My smile widens as I let up just enough to keep her with me.
“Oh, did someone forget to tell you? Marlo’s magic is bound to her bones, you were never going to get her powers.” When Julia’s eyes widen, as I cackle.
“So no bitch, you didn’t win. You were never going to win.”
My eyes never leave hers as they flutter. I smile down at her. Knowing that she can never hurt anyone else, this power-hungry scheme will end with her.
“Momma,”
“Mother, what in the actual fucking is happening right now?”
More voices ring out around me. My chin goes to my chest and tears fall.
A hand comes to my shoulder.
“Pretty sure, the crazy bitch is deader than 80s brows,” Bellamy says her voice is like music to my ears.
I turn my head, and my eyes connect with my daughter as she smiles down at me. Releasing the neck of the dead bitch whose death was too kind and too quick. I pull my girl into my arms and bury my face in her neck, breathing her in. My heart rate slows, feeling her in my arms. I lift my head, my eyes widen when they connect with Sin.
“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?”
Bellamy squeezes me, not letting me go, when I try to pull away from her to go to my youngest.
“Yep, that was my exact thought when I saw my little sister. Lucy has a whole lot of splainin’ to do, but not now mamma.” Bellamy pulls away from me and looks around.
“Mamma, where are Taz, Pops, and the rest of the biker brigade? Cause I know good and damn well Pops wasn’t letting you come here on your own.” The worry in her voice has me releasing a breath and pulling away from her fully, looking into her eyes. I smile at my girl. Something in that must calm her nerves because she releases a breath.
My hand trails from around Bellamy and goes down to her hand. I hold out the other to my girl, Sin, giving her a soft smile. My eyes trail past Sin, noticing a group of girls huddled at the mouth of the mausoleum. The crows are gone. One of the girls steps out, and she looks fierce as hell and ready to commit murder, and I smile. That must be Dianne.
I shake my head. Sin comes over and grabs my hand. She gives me a smile, but there is a guilt in her eyes. Now is not the time. I give her a nod. My eyes narrow, letting her know with my mom glare that she is going to tell me every damn thing.