Vameer
Standing in the center of the clearing, I tip my head back and bellow Tosa’s name.
Chaos continues around me.
Vampires and druids and that new guy continue to fight.
But I’m done waiting.
I’m ready to end this.
“Tosa!” I push gravito into my voice, shaking the trees.
I wait for him to walk out of his hiding place. Wait for some fucking speech.
Something blows up over by the burning cabin.
And a blur moves through the trees.
King Tosa.
Jumping. Right for me.
I get my hands up, directing all of my gravito a split second before our powers collide.
The crackling sound of wrestling gravito fills the forest.
He’s stronger than I remember.
A dagger gleams in his grip.
My hands are empty.
Tosa bares his teeth and pushes harder against me.
He’s stronger than he was.
I step forward.
His feet dig into the earth. But he still slides back.
He pushes harder. His power pulsing. Vibrating.
He is strong.
But I am stronger.
I take another step.
He slides back another foot. And fear mixes with the fury on his face.
“Nothing to say, King?” I let him hear my derision.
“I’m going to kill you. Once and for all.” Spit, not venom, flies from his mouth as his rage takes over.
“The only thing you’re going to do… is die.” I start to reach forward. Through the wall of warring gravito wanting his dagger. But then I hear Rune’s voice as she calls for Barth.
I feel the energy shift in the clearing.
Too many eyes turning to my mate.
Too many killers looking at My Heart.
Tosa starts to open his mouth.
But before he can order my Rune as a target, I throw my gravito to her.
There’s a flash of gold beside her as Barth appears. Then my gravito snaps into place, creating a dome over her, Nix, my aunt, the pup, and Barth.
Nix pushes Rune into the portal.
And something moves at the edge of my vision.
I lift my left arm.
And Tosa’s dagger slices through my flesh.
The cut is long and deep.
We both look.
Him, at the missed target.
Me, at the thin piece of stretchy string as it contracts, and the nineteen brightly colored heart beads as they fall away from my unprotected wrist.
A flash of gold marks Barth’s exit.
A wolf darts past.
But I watch my tiny plastic hearts fall into the bloody dirt at my feet.
And my gravito, everywhere that it is, turns pitch black.
And heavy.
The ground vibrates as it drags itself across the field to me.
And Tosa tries to jump.
My hand snaps out, and I grip his ankle as he attempts to flee like the coward he is.
He keeps trying to jump away.
But I am locked to the ground.
My heavy gravito crawls up my arms. Up his legs.
And then I rip him out of the air and slam him to the earth.
Black ropes of my power tie his limbs to the ground. And I stand over him.
Gold marks Dread’s return nearby, but I keep my eyes on my target.
“The fates rarely make mistakes. But you and your bond, you are one of them.” I bare my teeth and hiss, “Magnam age aut domum i!”
Tosa strains against my power. “I don’t speak the language of the oppressors.”
My sword makes a satisfying woosh as I draw it free. “I said…” Venom drips off my fangs. “Go big. Or go home.”
I twist my wrist. Then I slam the blade down through King Tosa’s heart.
“Druid!” I shout.
Tosa hisses as he wrenches one arm free.
“Release the bees!”
Dread blasts a vibrant jet of magic straight into my sword.
The weapon glows, and the metal vibrates in my hold as druid power courses through my blade. Into the heart of the vampire at my feet.
Tosa arches. A violent roar rips from his throat.
Then Tosa’s druid opens a portal feet in front of Dread.
My friend curses as he breaks the stream of magic, snapping his power back to block an attack. Then he grips the other druid, and they disappear in a flash of gold.
Tosa curls his fingers around the blade piercing his chest, hatred in his eyes.
Death is close but not quite here.
Then the man with the sawed-off horns stretches his hand toward me. “I have you, Warrior.”
Dark gold magic flecked with black leaps from his palm.
It lights up the clearing as it crosses the distance between us in a blink and slams into my sword.
My hands heat with Fire, some of the magic flowing into me through the same blade.
Dread flashes back, alone. And Tosa has just enough time to see that his druid is dead, before the big man sends a final pulse of magic into my blade. Killing The King.
Tosa goes limp.
And then his rib cage cracks as he starts to implode.
My gravito and I act at the same time.
I shove all my supercharged Fire Touch into my sword, turning the steel white. While my gravito wraps itself around Tosa.
It seals just as his body implodes.
The thud is muted but loud in the sudden silence.
I lift my sword as my gravito releases, and a puff of ash floats around my feet.
The fighting has stopped.
There is no more gunfire. And no guards left.
Orion trots over from the rock ledge with the pair of drawers in his mouth.
We slowly gather together in the center of the clearing, Dread moving sections of earth as he walks, smothering any fires that still burn with dirt.
Orion shifts back into a human, catching the undergarment before it falls to the ground.
All the men I came with are here. Plus Uncle Frio. And this big bastard who helped me kill King Tosa, no questions asked.
The crunch of a branch pulls our attention to the south.
A human starts to run through the trees. Away from us.
Dread shifts, but the big man flicks his wrist first, and a portal appears in front of the fleeing human.
The human tries to turn. Attempting to miss the glowing doorway.
But he was too close.
He skids partway into the portal, and the big man closes his fist.
The portal snaps shut, taking half the human’s body with it.
We stand in silence for a moment. Then the missing parts of the man start to drop from above.
“Oops.” The big man brushes his hand through the air, and the feeling of gravito, that I would recognize anywhere, blows the limbs away from us.
We all turn to face him.
Gravito and druid magic. Another thing that should not be possible.
“What are you?” I shift closer.
He shrugs his giant fur-covered shoulders.
“Okay, then who are you?”
Volik steps up beside me. “Tell us your name.”
The big man smirks. “That’s a bit complicated. I—” He looks down and slaps a hand to his chest. His eyes are wild when they meet mine again. “Deos perdere debeo!”
My brows furrow.
The big man lets out a hiss unlike any I’ve heard before.
Then… he vanishes.
No portal.
No flare of golden magic.
His body… Just. Vanishes.
And everything he was wearing drops to the ground.
I stare at the pile of clothing. “What the hells just happened?”
Dread steps closer to the space where the big man vanished. “I…” He inhales, then steps back.
“What?” I demand.
Dread wears an expression I don’t like. “That man is cursed.”
Cursed?
I don’t know how someone gets cursed, but I may have a new fear.
Uncle Frio slaps Volik on the back. “He’s on our side though, right?”
My brother grunts. “He acted like it.”
I shake my head. “He acted insane.”
Uncle Frio snorts. “Then he’ll fit right in.”
I slide my sword back into place at my hip. “If we ever see him again.”