Chapter 52
Chapter Fifty-Two
CHARLI
Pain rips through my skull. Darkness descends. My heart slows and stops. Then there’s nothing but silence. Time has no meaning as I drift in inky blackness. My heart beats once. Twice. I open my eyes and inhale, filling my lungs with life.
Answer me, sweetheart. Tell me you’re okay.
I’m going to need you talk to me, love.
A bullet drops to the ground in front of my face, splattering the pool of blood around me.
I’m here. Relief pours through our connection along with a glimpse of the pure rage they’re feeling.
We’re on our way.
Hank’s maniacal laughter echoes in the night air, and I look up to find his back to me. The air crackles, and all the hairs on my arms stand up. Lightning cuts through the night like a sword, striking two of the soldiers near Hank, killing them instantly.
Hank swears and points up. “Bastard is on the roof. Bring it down.”
A soldier takes a knee and raises the large cylinder in his hand.
A rocket shoots out of it, a whistling sound heralding its arrival.
In horror, I watch it strike the far corner of our office building with a loud bang.
Glass rains, dust billows, and the two floors above it crash to the ground, but somehow the structure remains standing.
Come on, I silently urge, tearing my gaze from that side of the building to the back corner. In relief, I see Andros drop to the ground with Elijah in his arms. My broken vampire swiftly takes out the few soldiers guarding that side, then the two of them move into the shadows of a nearby alley.
Hank’s soldiers reload the bazooka or whatever it is.
Knowing what’s coming, I slowly crawl behind one of the ATVs and plug my ears.
The second rocket fires, screaming across the street to hit our office again.
This time, the building crumbles along the right side, sending glass and debris flying.
I cover my head with my arms, but unlike the soldiers around me with their armor and helmets, it does little to protect me from the sharp shards slicing across my skin.
Hundreds of tiny cuts appear, then slowly disappear as my body heals each one.
It takes several minutes for the dust to settle. When it does, Andros and Elijah are standing on the corner of the street nearest to us. Shots ring out as the two groups fire on each other.
James moves to the outside perimeter and raises his hands. Electricity arcs from several of the streetlamps, sending bolts of sheer power toward the soldier’s guns, disarming them in a matter of seconds.
Furious, Hank turns and raises his own weapon, intending to shoot James, but I slam into him from the side.
We both go tumbling to the ground, but Hank’s quicker to get up.
He pivots and raises his gun to shoot whoever just hit him.
When he sees it’s me, his jaw drops, and he turns toward the middle of the street, finding only a pool of blood.
I look past him, watching as James raises his hands again, but before he can kill Hank, a shot rings out, hitting him in the back of the head.
He falls like a stone, eyes staring sightlessly at the night sky.
Hank turns and laughs when he sees James dead.
Air rushes out of my lungs as I stare at James’ lifeless body, praying he’ll awaken like I did, but after several moments, it’s clear he’s not going to.
As a witch, mated to another witch, he never gained the immortality I did.
I subtly press my finger to my palm until the symbol pulses in response.
Hank grabs my elbow and jerks me up. I scream and pummel my fists against his chest, releasing all the fury and fear that’s held me captive for years. He places the hot barrel against my forehead, and I press into it.
“Go ahead,” I spit. “I’ll get up again and again.”
His finger presses down, and I lift my chin, bracing myself for the pain. Hank curses and slowly lowers the gun. “What I wouldn’t give to kill you, but you just became infinitely more valuable to me. Immortal, huh?”
Something large and dark shoots out of the sky.
Teague with Macklin gripping his wrist. They hit the street with the force of a semi-truck, and the asphalt cracks like a spider web, spreading across the street to where we’re standing.
Shots blaze from above, and I scream as the bullets hit them, tearing into Teague’s wings and Macklin’s back.
Blood and bone fly. Suddenly, the shots cut off, and several bodies fly off the roofs around us.
I look up and see Ronan and Alejandro standing on the edge of one building. Leif on another. Strangers on the third. Having taken out the snipers, they disappear and minutes later reappear on the street behind Teague and Macklin.
Glancing at my two mates, it takes everything in me not to run to them, but I know it will only cause Hank to act rashly. Tears roll down my cheeks, and my heart thumps wildly in my chest while I wait for their bodies to push the bullets out and repair the destruction left behind.
Hank’s fingers dig into my elbow, and my arm goes numb, but his gaze never leaves Teague and Macklin. Finally, bullets drop to the ground, the metal ringing against the asphalt, and sixty-eight seconds later, they both stand unharmed, their eyes locked on Hank and me.
Hank quickly holsters his gun, then reaches down and grabs the one thing I’ve been dreading from his belt. A grenade. He loops his finger through the pin and holds it up for everyone to see. The world around us halts, suspended by one maniac’s threat.
Fury fills Teague and Macklin’s faces. “Let her go, and your death will be quick.”
Footsteps echo across the pavement as the area around us fills, but I don’t dare take my eyes off Hank. Timing is everything. The last thing I want is him to panic and pull the pin early.
His head swivels. “A bullet may not kill her, but our tests have proven that an explosion will do the trick.” His voice rises, becoming high pitched. “Tell your army to move back.”
Elijah and Andros are still on the corner across from us. On the next corner, a huge white wolf paces back and forth, waiting for a chance to pounce. Leif. Add in Ronan and Alejandro and a half dozen supernatural strangers, and I can see why Hank’s becoming hysterical. They’re formidable foes.
Six soldiers from the other side of the building slide into formation slightly behind Hank and me. Raising their weapons, they train them on the supes, and I know the moment is close.
Turning to face Hank, I study his lined face. The years really haven’t been kind to him. I laugh, and he stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. But it’s quite the opposite. Every thought is crystal clear. “Ten years ago, my vision saved your life. Today, the Fates are correcting that mistake.”
Lightning forks from the sky, taking out all six soldiers around us in a single blinding hit. I glance over and see Elijah lowering his hands.
Hank’s hand shakes uncontrollably, but his desire to live is stronger than I thought, and the pin stays in the grenade. But his fear is growing. He pivots again and again, searching for additional soldiers or an escape of some sort.
Andros steps closer, halting only when we swing in his direction.
“Tick-tock, your time is up,” I sing, looking up at the sky, my blood thrumming with knowledge. He’s close.
“Shut up!” Hank spits, shoving the grenade in my face.
Ignoring it, I lower my head and turn to stare at Andros, subtly holding up five fingers.
Four. Three. Two. Wind sweeps across my face.
Hank looks up, and his jaw drops. One. I jab a shard of glass into Hank’s wrist, forcing him to release me.
In a blur, Andros pulls me away and slides us behind Macklin and Teague, who instantly close ranks.
Mavros lands and swipes Hank with his tail, sending him flying into a nearby car. He stumbles up, the grenade still clutched in his hand, but when he sees the black dragon in front of him, he freezes. Sheer terror fills his face, and I smile. It’s the most satisfying thing I’ve ever seen.
He throws the grenade at Mavros, who roars and incinerates it mid-air before turning his dragon fire on Hank, burning him to ashes in less than a minute.
His short scream is music to my ears. Although I dreamed of a prolonged and agonizing death, seeing him die right before my eyes dissolves the knot of anger I’ve been carrying around for the last ten years.
I’m ready to be done with him and the past. Move on with my new life in Greystone Vale. With them.
Mavros’ amber eyes swivel toward me, and I hear Teague curse under his breath, but all he does is flap those enormous wings and take off into the night.
As the rune on my palm fades, I silently thank Raine.
Her whispered instructions to Mavros included giving me his rune.
I didn’t know what it was for until my vision tonight, but as Raine says, there’s no guarantee.
All the pieces had to come together at the exact moment for all of us to make it out alive, and thankfully, they did.
“Witch burned, balanced returned,” Raine says softly as she walks out of the tunnel beneath what’s standing of our office building. “You took a hell of a risk on me.”
“Guess that makes two of us,” I tell her with a shrug. “But it was an easy decision. I refuse to let Hank take anything more from me.” Tilting my head back, I stare at the three men. My fated mates.
Raine’s gaze moves from me to them. “The enemy is far from vanquished, but this has given us a glimpse of what we’re up against. Unfortunately, when none of their soldiers return, they’ll also know we’re a formidable opponent who will do everything to eliminate them as a threat.”
“If this is a small HRC force, we’re going to have to use every supernatural weapon at our disposal to defeat them,” Teague remarks, his voice hard.
I can already see he’s planning ways to take them down.
Raine nods. “Hopefully, our advantages will outweigh their fanaticism.” She gives me a quick hug. “You and I make a pretty good team. Maybe between us, we can use our gifts to help us win this war.”
I nod, ready to defend this new life of mine.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak to Elijah.” She turns and walks off, a thoughtful expression on her face.
“Wonder if she has a vision for him,” I muse. Looking around at all the destruction, I shake my head. “This is going to take us a long time to rebuild.”
“‘Us’. I like the sound of that,” Macklin says, his voice low. His arms tighten around me. “Although that was too damn close for my liking.”
Teague stares down at me, his sterling blue-grey eyes searching mine. “Hopefully, with Hank out of the picture, you’ll feel safe again.”
I shake my head at him. “You make me feel safe. All of you. You have since the beginning.”
My gaze drifts to the ashes on the ground.
“Hank is dead, and so is his grip on me,” I state firmly, my voice full of conviction. “It’s time for us to move on. Together.”
Andros brushes a kiss against my temple. “And leave our pasts behind.”
I glance up and meet his caramel-brown eyes and see the understanding in his eyes.
“I think I aged two millennia in the last hour,” Teague brusquely states.
I brush Teague’s hair back from his gargoyle face. “Don’t worry, you can’t tell. Looks like the same ugly mug to me.”
He gives me a mock growl and shifts back. “Too bad you’re stuck with me.”
Macklin shoves him aside, swoops down, and gives me a hard kiss. “And me.”
“And me,” Andros says, nuzzling my neck.
How is it possible to be this happy?
In the last week, with a lot of sweat and copious amounts of magic, Greystone Vale started to slowly resemble the pristine condition it enjoyed prior to the attack. All except for the office building and the empty building down the street, both of which had to be demolished completely.
With the interior of our condo also destroyed, Macklin, Teague, and Andros handed over the decision to stay or not to me.
If I wanted to stay in our current home, we would all have input into the remodel to make it what we wanted, including an art studio with plenty of light for me.
But if I wanted to move to a home or ranch, we could search for the perfect one.
I chose renovating the condo. Maybe in another couple hundred years, I’ll decide I want a house, but for now, I like living near the little downtown area.
Angeline and Felicity felt it would be best if they never returned to Oak Vale.
After holding their own private ceremony for James on a bluff overlooking Greystone Vale, they officially left for an unknown destination.
In reality, they decided to stay at the Pegasus sanctuary outside of town, where Macklin and Teague hid them during the fighting.
They had no other family, and the HRC wouldn’t think to look for them there because technically it doesn’t exist.
Familiar laughter draws my attention, and I glance over to see Teague and, surprisingly, Andros laughing and joking with Leif and Ronan as the four of them pore over the plans for updating the tunnels.
Prior to the attack, nobody really knew much about them.
Macklin had always taken care of the town, including the maintenance of the alarms and management of the infrastructure.
Family leads, like Leif, took care of their people.
But with the HRC actively hunting supes, the security and safety of the town needed to be a priority for everyone.
Macklin suggested the formation of a council to manage things, and they all enthusiastically agreed.
Ronan and Alejandro still haven’t heard from Kian, so they’re making this their home for now. They, along with Teague, are leaving on Monday to try to pick up his trail.
Strong arms slide around me and pull me back against a broad chest. “Sam called, said Covey contacted her. Elijah and the rest of the Elementals are heading out tomorrow to meet up with Sam and devise a plan to help Covey escape.”
Blowing out a relieved sigh, I nod. “I’ve been so worried about her. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly, and they can get her away from him.”
Macklin squeezes me tight. “No other visions?”
I shake my head. Although every time Ames is near, a vision hovers on my periphery, waiting for the right time to reveal itself. Thankfully, it hasn’t happened yet because we’ve got enough on our plate.
Lacing my fingers with his, I take one last look around at everyone who’s working hard to restore the city and fortify it against any future attacks. There’s a strength and purpose to their faces that says they’re willing to put it all on the line for the place I now call home. Greystone Vale.