Chapter 20 #2
Sam let his shift take him. Thankfully, he’d already removed his tuxedo jacket, belt and shoes in the car, knowing he might need to shift quickly. The shirt would be ruined, as would the pants, but that was a small price to pay.
A shimmer of pure, sparkling silver-white shifter magic shone as his body expanded, white fur erupting across his skin. In seconds, Sam Kinkaid’s human form was gone, replaced by a massive white lion with eyes that glowed molten gold.
His roar shook the house, a primal challenge that had sent enemies fleeing for millennia. But Marta Chambeaux merely smiled and sent another blast of dark magic his way.
Sam dodged, his lion form giving him speed and agility that human reflexes couldn’t match. He circled Marta, looking for an opening while keeping Claudia in his peripheral vision.
Schwarz had moved toward her, his hands crackling with ancient power. But Claudia wasn’t cowering or running. She stood her ground, her own magic blazing bright in response to the darkness facing her.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” Claudia said, her voice carrying a power Sam had never heard from her before. “You made a mistake threatening my mate.”
“Your mate?” Schwarz paused, genuine surprise crossing his face. “A mage bonded to a shifter? How unexpected, and disgusting. And yet, it changes nothing, child. You’re still prey, and I am still the hunter.”
He struck, sending a wave of consuming darkness toward Claudia. But instead of trying to block it, she did something Sam had never seen before. She absorbed it.
The dark magic hit her shields and simply vanished, drawn into her own power and neutralized. Schwarz’s eyes widened in shock.
“Impossible,” he breathed. “No one has those protections. No one—”
“My teacher thought ahead,” Claudia said, and Sam could hear Granny Tucker’s influence in every word. “She knew you were out there, Schwarz. She knew eventually someone like you would come for me. So she taught me how to devour the devourers.”
Sam didn’t have time to process what that meant because Marta was on him again, dark magic lashing like whips. He took a hit to his shoulder that burned like acid, but his lion’s healing ability was already working to counter the corruption.
He had to end this. Now.
Sam feinted left, then lunged right, his massive jaws closing on Marta’s arm. She screamed as his teeth sank deep, dark blood spilling across his muzzle. He shook his head viciously, feeling bones crunch between his jaws.
Marta blasted him point-blank with her dark magic, the force throwing him backward. But her arm was mangled, hanging uselessly at her side, and her face had gone gray with pain.
“Marta!” Schwarz’s attention snapped from Claudia to his injured companion. “You incompetent fool—”
That moment of distraction was all Claudia needed.
Her magic blazed like a star going nova, brilliant gold light filling the room. Sam had to look away, his lion’s eyes unable to handle the intensity. When he could see again, Schwarz was on his knees, his ancient face twisted in agony.
“This is for every mage you’ve consumed,” Claudia said, her voice resonating with power. “For every life you’ve stolen. For every innocent you’ve corrupted. Your reign ends tonight.”
“No!” Schwarz tried to stand, tried to summon his magic, but Claudia’s power had him pinned. “You don’t understand! I am eternal! I cannot be—”
“You’re nothing,” Claudia said. “Just a coward who lived by consuming others. And now, your time is up.”
The light intensified, and Schwarz began to scream. Not in pain, but in rage and disbelief as he felt his carefully hoarded power being stripped away, consumed by the very prey he’d thought to claim.
Sam shifted back to human form, ignoring his nakedness and injuries. He moved to Claudia’s side, his hand finding hers, adding his shifter strength to her magical assault.
Together, they watched as Adolf Schwarz, Der Nehmer, centuries-old mage and consumer of the innocent, crumbled to dust.
When it was over, when the last trace of Schwarz’s power had been neutralized and scattered, Claudia swayed. Sam caught her, holding her upright as she blinked away the afterimages of her own magic.
“Is he—” she started.
“Gone,” Sam confirmed. “You did it. You stopped him.”
A low moan reminded them they weren’t alone. Marta Chambeaux lay against the far wall, her mangled arm clutched to her chest, her face a mask of shock and pain.
“Please,” she whispered. “I surrender. I’ll tell you everything about the Venifucus. Just don’t do to me what you did to him.”
Sam looked at Claudia, and she looked back at him. Without words, they reached the same decision.
“Mark,” Sam called out. “Nick. We need you.”
The two shifters appeared from the garden within seconds, both having witnessed the entire fight from their positions.
Sam grabbed a throw from a nearby chair and wrapped it around his waist while Mark took in the scene.
He nodded with satisfaction at the destroyed room, the pile of ash that had been Schwarz, and the injured mage cowering against the wall.
“Well,” Mark said mildly. “That was impressive.”
“We need her contained and transported,” Sam said, nodding toward Marta. “Can your people handle her?”
“Consider it done.” Nick was already pulling out his phone.
“What will happen to her?” Claudia asked, looking at Marta.
“That depends on how cooperative she is,” Mark said, his voice cold. “The Venifucus has been a thorn in our sides for far too long. If she’s willing to provide intelligence, we can use that. If not…” He shrugged. “Well, there are consequences for threatening an Alpha’s mate.”
Sam pulled Claudia close, suddenly aware that he was nearly naked and covered in blood and ash. “We need to get cleaned up.”
“Jacques is still here with your car, and I just bet he had a change of clothes in the trunk,” Nick grinned at Sam. “Use the facilities here to get cleaned up while we handle the rest.”
“I owe you one,” Sam said as he reached for Claudia’s hand and led her back through the house.
He went to the front door and signaled to Jacques who grinned and hopped out of the car, popping the trunk to retrieve a garment bag. He jogged to the door and handed the bag to Sam.
“Good to see you in one piece, Alpha,” Jacques said, still smiling. “You too, Miss Claudia.”
“Thanks for standing by. I know that had to be hard for you, but it was very necessary,” Sam told the other man.
“No worries, Alpha. I understood. Didn’t like it, but I understood.” He nodded toward the interior of the house. “Anything I can help with now?”
“The jaguars seem to have the prisoner in hand, but can you call in some people to clean up this scene? We’ll also need a ride back to the hotel later,” Sam replied.
“I’ve got a cleanup crew I can call in, and I’ll be here to drive you whenever you’re ready, boss,” Jacques promised and tipped his chauffeur’s cap in a small salute.
“Good man,” Sam commented before turning back to Claudia.
He grabbed her hand and headed for the sweeping staircase that led up to the bedrooms. He’d seen a diagram of the layout of this place when Gavin had secured it for their stay. He knew there was a big master bathroom up there, and he planned to make good use of it.