Bewitched, Bothered, and Bitten (29 page)

Staring into the burning black eyes of the vampire, I saw my death. I had waited too long and now I was out of time.

His hand lifted, appearing to move in slow motion, and I heard his voice boom like thunder. I braced for excruciating pain, which never came. In horror, I watched as Janice sprinted across the room and threw herself between us.

I cried out when her body collapsed at my feet, my shock and rage giving me enough strength to finally break free of the binding spell. I flung out my hand and Dante was lifted off his feet and thrown across the room. As it had the night of the attack on my cottage, my power was responding to my wishes without verbal invocation. The magic pressed in on me, growing claws that raked across my skin. It was more power than I’d ever felt before.

It seemed that Dante had found my breaking point. I no longer gave a damn about good and evil, right and wrong. All I cared about was destroying him. I wanted to remove all evidence of his existence from the face of the earth.

I called up the power, relishing in the sharp pain it brought me. That pain meant death to the enemy.

I watched in satisfaction as Dante’s eyes grew big as he felt the ebb and flow of magic emanating from me. Then I held up my hand, palm up, and curled my fingers into a fist, whispering words that I didn’t understand. It was a spell that I had heard only once before as I sat around a table with my mother and Belinda in my dreams.

I smiled as Dante’s body decayed rapidly before my eyes, his skin thinning and turning dark before it cracked. His mouth opened in a silent scream before the flesh of his lips disappeared, leaving only a grinning skull behind. His bones disintegrated, leaving only a pile of dust where he once stood.

I turned my hand so that my palm faced the floor and slowly spread my fingers. The dust of Dante’s remains seemed to melt into the floor, returning to the earth as nature required of all dead things.

The power within me gloried in the destruction of my enemy and demanded to be released again. For one frightening moment, when I tried to call it back, the magic fought against my hold, reaching out, searching for another enemy to obliterate.

Determined, I took control and commanded the magic to disperse. When it finally faded away, I released the breath I’d been holding. I needed to find Finn, but first, I had to check on Janice.

I walked over to her crumpled body and crouched down. Placing my fingers at her neck, I waited, hoping I would feel at least a faint pulse. There was nothing. Just by touching her skin, I knew she was dead, but I still hesitated. Perhaps I could bring her back the way I had Ricki. I moved my hand to her chest, feeling for her heart, but I could sense that it was damaged beyond repair.

I removed my hand. Though she had been hostile toward me for most of my life, Janice had given her life to save me.

In that moment, I had an epiphany. While I could accept that every white witch could carry the seed of darkness, even those who weren’t perfect could perform the most selfless of sacrifices. It came down to their choices.

I touched Janice’s forehead. “Thank you for saving me,” I whispered, half hoping she would open her eyes and answer me.

I straightened and went to the door. I cracked it and looked out into the hallway. I opened it wider and looked quickly to the left and right. It was empty. I stepped out of the room and tried to get a better view of what was on each end of the hall. There seemed to be stairs to my right, so I pressed my back to the wall and crept toward them as silently as possible. I frequently glanced over my shoulder to be sure that no one was behind me.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I peeked over the railing just as a man appeared below me. I froze until I realized that it was Finn.

“Finn,” I whispered.

His head twisted at the sound of my voice. “Thank the Goddess,” he murmured.

I was already rounding the railing at the top of the stairs, moving as fast as possible, when he leapt up and landed on the steps in front of me. I didn’t hesitate before I threw myself into his body, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“Are you all right?” he whispered in my ear. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

I shook my head, my hair brushing his cheek. “I’m fine. I just want to go home.”

Cradling me close, Finn answered, “Let’s go.”

I
t seemed I
missed one hell of a fight while I was dealing with Dante in the upstairs bedroom. From what I understood, my rescuers were surprised by the number of vampires on the premises. All their current intel suggested the Faction was a small group, but what they encountered on their way into the house was a great deal more than that. If they only knew.

Somehow, in the heat of battle, Cornelius escaped. Though Finn had told Conner and Lex to go after him, they refused. There were too many adversaries and it was highly likely Finn would have been overwhelmed.

Chloe and several of the pack wolves were with them. They retrieved the bodies of the two witches who died that night and we left the house as quickly as possible. The ride home was silent, and despite my relief to be safe, I was still tense because I knew that it wasn’t over. The night was just the first battle in the coming war.

Finn wanted me to rest after the day I had, but I insisted on talking to the other members of the Council and Chloe and Calder. There were things they needed to know and actions to be taken.

When we arrived back at Conner’s house, I was nearly tackled by my friends. Donna lifted me off my feet in a bear hug and Ivie, Ricki, and Shannon crowded around in a massive group embrace. They were talking all at once.

“Girls! Stop talking so fast. You’re giving me a headache.”

“This kidnapping bullshit has to stop. If it’s not the bad guys trying to scoop us up, it’s the good ones thinking they’re keeping us safe.”

Though the day had been hellish, it seemed Donna could still make me laugh.

Ivie pointed to Ricki and Shannon. “No kidnappings for either of you,” she stated firmly.

Ricki’s smile was wan and her face pale when she answered. “Too late. I was kidnapped by a werewolf.”

Shannon just shrugged. “I’ll do my best.”

Calder appeared behind Ricki. “It’s time to go back downstairs, darlin’.”

She rolled her eyes but let him support her weight as he guided her toward the door that led to the basement. I could see that the change was upon her, probably tonight or tomorrow morning. It was a bit odd that she seemed to be taking so long for the transition. Most of the bitten would change within twenty-four hours. It had already been two days for Ricki.

Donna finally released me from her tight hug. “Conner said you need to ‘debrief’ or something equally spy-ish. I’ll bring you a cup of tea, okay?”

“That sounds great.”

She gestured for Shannon and Ivie to follow her and walked across the foyer toward the kitchen.

Finn wrapped an arm around my waist and walked with me into the study. Though I insisted on sharing the information I discovered today, I wanted to get it done.

*     *     *

An hour later,
I had shared all the information I’d gleaned from my time with the Faction. I began with the fact that Cornelius was a soul eater. Calder and Chloe required an explanation, but the vampire Council members became grim at the mention of the soul eaters. Though the werewolves hadn’t had experience with them, Finn and Lex were old enough to know what I was talking about. This knowledge changed a great deal about how we would need to approach future battles.

I also told them that Cornelius was aware of the prophecy of the Five and that he seemed to understand what it meant, more so than we did. The fact that we were in the dark while our enemy was not didn’t bode well for the future. I needed to continue my research, though I still felt as though it was futile.

It wasn’t until I told them about Cornelius’ crazy ideas about what the Faction would accomplish and how he intended to do so that Finn gave any outward sign of his anger. Donna had brought us tea and coffee earlier, and, when I mentioned Cornelius’ belief that he and I would birth the next generation of soul eaters, the mug he held in his hand cracked under his grip.

Grimacing, he placed it on the tray. “Sorry.”

Conner waved him off, his piercing blue eyes glued to me. “The Slayer specifically said he’d been recruiting for years?” he asked.

I nodded. “Centuries actually.”

Conner shook his head and paced in front of the fireplace like a large jungle cat prowling in a cage. “How could the Council be so unaware?” he muttered. I assumed it was mostly to himself because no one answered him.

Still, I had an idea. “I don’t think that they were completely in the dark. I think that he has had his fingers in every pie for a long time. He spoke about the recruitment, his plans, as though he had been waiting patiently for years and every contingency was in place. He’s not worried in the slightest about the humans, which is frightening in itself. Vampires, witches, and werewolves may possess superior physical attributes, but we are outnumbered and outgunned. The Slayer isn’t just talking about establishing a relationship with the humans, but taking complete control. In order to accomplish his goals, Cornelius must have a great number of people to aid him and an excellent plan.”

Lex seemed to consider my words and spoke to the room in general. “We need to find out what’s happening inside the ranks, what’s being planned.”

“How are you going to do that?” I asked.

Finn seemed to rouse himself from his brooding and looked up at Conner. “We need to infiltrate.”

I frowned, unsure of what he meant. “What?”

Conner seemed to be considering Finn’s words and answered absently. “We need someone to join the Faction and report back.”

“Like a spy?” I asked.

Finn, Conner, Lex, and Gabriel all nodded. Chloe and Calder were in the room but seemed content to just listen as this was discussed.

“So, who’s going to do it?”

Lex shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I have someone in mind.”

He and Conner looked at each other and something passed between them. I could understand the need for secrecy. One of their Council members had betrayed them and they couldn’t risk revealing important information, even among those they believed they could trust.

A wave of fatigue hit me so hard I swayed. For a moment I wondered if Finn had spiked my tea with herbs again, but, when I looked up at him, he shook his head as though he could read my mind.

“Kerry needs rest,” Finn stated. “We can continue this tomorrow.”

No one argued, so he pulled me to my feet and lead me from the study. When we reached the base of the staircase, he lifted me into his arms and carried me up.

“I can walk,” I murmured, resting my forehead against his neck.

“I know.”

I left it at that because I was tired and he wouldn’t put me down no matter what I said. Though I would probably never admit aloud, I enjoyed feeling small and pampered.

When we reached the guest room, I reached out and opened the door and Finn carried me inside.

“Shower?” he asked.

“No. Bed.” My words were short and weary.

Finn set me on the bench at the end of the bed and disappeared into the closet. While he was gone, I kicked off my shoes and socks and peeled my sweatshirt over my head. I was working on the button and zipper of my jeans when he came back out of the closet with a t-shirt and pajama pants for me.

Finn knelt before me and helped remove my pants. My phone fell out of my pocket and hit the floor with a clunk.

He picked it up, examining it. “I’m so glad you had your phone with you.” He looked up at me. “Do you know why they didn’t take it?”

I shrugged out of my bra and slid the t-shirt over my head before I answered. “Honestly, I don’t think they even considered it. It seems Cornelius’ weakness is technology.”

Finn helped me into the pants. “Whatever reason that prevented them from turning it off, I’m glad.” He helped me into the bed and removed his shirt and pants to join me.

This was one of the things that I loved about being with Finn. He held me close, even in sleep, and didn’t shy away from showing me affection, no matter where we were or who we were with. Going to bed with him, even just to sleep, was my favorite time of day. It never failed to help me forget my troubles.

I laid my cheek against his chest. “There is some good news in all this mess. They couldn’t locate me when we were at your house, it’s still safe. We can go back home tomorrow.”

His arms tightened around me. “Home?”

I smiled. “Yes. Home.”

“Are you sure you want to live there?” he asked.

“I love my mother’s house and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sell it. At the moment, it’s no longer safe until the war with the Faction is done. Until then, I would be happy to live in your home. It’s beautiful.”

“And after?”

“We might have to compromise.”

Finn chuckled softly and I enjoyed the vibration against my cheek. “Well, I do love your house, so I’m sure we can work something out.”