Coffin Girls (Elegantly Undead: Book 1 of the Coffin Girls Witch Vampire Series) (29 page)

Conall suddenly stopped short, blocking Anais’ progress.

“What?” she asked.

“In there,” Conall answered, waving an arm to the door on
their right. “Something’s in there.”

“Vampires?” Anais asked. “We haven’t seen much of the enemy
yet, only the captives.”

Conall shook his head, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s their
sleeping spot. I feel magick though, a protection spell.”

Anais and Conall linked their magick and worked swiftly
together to undo the protection spell. The random thought crept into Anais mind
that she was getting practical witch training from the Ivy League version of
magickal tutors.

They were soon joined by Niul and Sylvain. Marie and Rose
came up behind them. Rose was pumped, as was evident by the fireballs she threw
from hand to hand, armed and ready to obliterate their enemy on site.

“What the hell?” Anais pointed at a crowd of stupefied men
and women following her friends. They looked like they’d gotten up on the wrong
side of the grave. Their clothes were ragged, dirty and their skin mottled and
grey.

“Fucking zombies,” Marie muttered with disgust. “The bitch
had to go and fuck with the dead. I’m so going to stake her and poof her to
fucking eternity. We found them caged and moaning. Now, thanks to the
necromancy, they think they’ve found their mamma.”

Anais shook her head in disbelief. “We can’t have them
following us. There are masses of them. Marie, you have to send them back to
the grave.”

“Don’t know how,” responded Marie, glowering with
frustration.

“Okay, give me a moment,” interrupted Conall, squeezing the
bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Okay,” he repeated,
“Marie, can you control them?”

“Uh-huh,” Marie answered, “look.” She them made the zombies
march up and down the corridor.

“That’s good,” Conall nodded with relief. “Your choice – we
can send you back to the plantation with them now or we can use them as
additional fighters now and then, when we finish this, we can help you send
them back to the earth.”

“What?” he asked when Marie glowered at him. “Do you have a
better idea?”

“Why can’t you send us back to the hollow?” Marie
questioned.

“The hollow won’t accept such dark magick,” Sylvain stated.
“It will deny them entry and you for as long as you remain connected to them.
I’m not an expert on necromancy but from what I’ve heard, they’ve aligned
themselves to you now. You’re their anchor to the earth until you send them
back.”

“Fine,” agreed Marie, “I don’t have to like it but I’m not
going to the plantation to stay alone with a bunch of zombies – even if they
mean me no harm. That goes way over my creepiness comfort level. But,” Marie
halted their progress with a lifted finger and firmness in her tone, “note that
I have huge issues with abusing the dead. I was raised to respect the dead.”

“So noted and admired,” said Conall. “Now, let’s get going,
we’re wasting time here.”

They went through the door together, Conall leading the way.
A ball of light, conjured by Conall, lit the way ahead, casting shadows that
loomed larger than life. Because they weren’t sure of what was down there – or
how much space there was to hold the zombies, Marie opted to stay above with
them and a few fae Sylvain called, to keep her company.

“Y’all weren’t going to have fun without me, were you?”
teased a seven foot, wolf with Raulf’s eyes.

“Don’t be such a dog, Raulf,” retorted Anais earning mental
chuckles from the rest.

“It’s a basement or storage area of sorts,” Anais noted when
they’d gotten to the end of the narrow, concrete stairs.

“No,” responded Conall, “it’s the engine room. A good place
for our delinquent vamps to hide.”

“Ah,” answered Anais, “I see what you mean. How archaic!”

“It doesn’t surprise me when they’re into their ‘organic’
feeding,” Conall commented.

“It just dawned on me, gentlemen,” Anais said, “a girl could
do worse than be stuck in an abandoned factory surrounded by vampires when
she’s got a bunch of hot men like you backing her.”

“Amen to that, sister,” piped Rose, smirking at Conall’s
frown.

Niul grinned, stating, “I’m not going to acknowledge that
compliment, Anais, as your Conall will be having my hide. But you’re doing well
to annoy him – angry brings out the fighter in him.”

Anais joined their laughter when the object of their teasing
sent her a look that promised sinful retribution.

“Let’s stake some vamps, shall we?” Conall asked.

They made quick work of the vampires. Poofing them, as Marie
would say. The noise of the fight upstairs had lessened considerably. 

“They’re alright,” Raulf notified them. “The guards are
nearly all taken care of and the building’s clearing.”

“At least the obvious parts,” interjected Rose while she
sent coffins up in flame.  “I wonder what else is hiding and where after
seeing this vamp hidey hole.”

“I know I volunteered for this job,” V came in through their
mental link, “but it sure as hell is no fun being left out of the action.”

“I know,” concurred Marie, “just be glad you’re not a
zombie-sitter.”

V chuckled at Marie’s grumpiness, “You win. I’m going to go
cozy up to our undead guests – I’ll leave the dead to you.”

Marie let out a stream of cusswords at V’s goading.

Anais’ rebuke never left her lips. She felt herself go
completely still. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t communicate with
them. Anais felt something prick her mind.

“That’s right, Anais,” Ayden’s voice intruded on her
thoughts. “Glad to have you in my power once again.”

Anais was baffled. “What was he on about? And how was he
controlling her.”

“Ah, such arrogance,” Ayden taunted. “Fortunately for me,
your witch magick is still new to you and you’re as easy for me to control as I
did when I bound your powers.”

“You did that?!” Anais roared at Ayden, itching to get her
hands around his throat. But she couldn’t move or speak. She was powerless and
remained under his full control while he laughed at her.

“That’s right, my little spitfire,” Ayden continued to goad
her, “you’re mine again. Oh, what I could do with your blood and that of your
lover. Such poetic justice, that I get to take back what was taken from me from
Conall, the Goddesses ‘blue-eyed boy’. And you’re going to help me do it.”

Conall was staring at her, lifting a brow in enquiry at her
motionless stance. He wiped the last of the vampire’s blood off his sword on
the hem of his shirt. “You alright?” he asked.

“I’m okay, love,” Anais responded involuntarily, feeling her
face form a smile. “Just winded, that’s all.”

Conall raised another brow at the endearment and Anais felt
a fraction of hope that he’d suspect something untoward. That vanished though
when he grinned. “A kiss to make it better,” he said and leaned in to kiss her.

Anais felt her mouth move against his, her lips lock and
tongue twine and twist in the kiss. It should’ve been sensual but it felt
intrusive. This was not her kissing Conall; it was that bastard, Ayden, doing
it. Anais felt the rage build up in her while Ayden let out a hail of laughter
at her displeasure.

“Now, let’s go find, Akeldonna and Ayden,” Anais felt
herself murmur against his lips. Fuck, she thought – it’s a trap.

“That’s right, Anais,” Ayden chided, “I told you you’d bring
them to me. Now, come on, be a good girl. We’re waiting.”

By ‘we’, Anais assumed he meant Akeldonna and him. Fuck!
Double fucking fuck!

They all made their way up the stairs and through more
corridors. A quick kick at the doors revealed a few more captives whilst they
made their way through the maze of what must’ve been a factory built on and on
over decades. Raulf and Sylvain called for assistance and the fae and wolves
took the petrified captives away, teleporting them back to the hollow.

“We’ve been through the whole factory,” Raulf commented.
“Where the fuck is he?”

“Aye,” nodded Niul, “and Akeldonna.”

Anais felt herself point at another door. It was at the end
of the corridor. “Well, sugar,” she drawled. “That’s the last one up there. If
they ain’t in there, then they’re gone.”

Anais led them towards the door, feeling her heart sink with
every step. Ayden was an ancient, master of magick and Akeldonna was even more
ancient and powerful. What chance did they have against that? “
Mon Dieu
,”
she thought, “I’m leading us all to our death.” She felt herself choke on tears
that Ayden wouldn’t allow her body to shed. 

“Now, now, Anais,” derided Ayden. “No need for
melodramatics. I promise that your death will be swift. You won’t have to
witness how I torture your friends.”

“You fucking bastard!” Anais shouted back at him, aware that
she was leading her friends to their death. “You leave them alone. I’m a
vampire and a royal witch. Take me and let them go!”

“Now why would I do that?” Ayden asked. “I’m going to have
all of you in a moment.”

“Fuck you,” was Anais’ inarticulate response. “Then may our
blood choke you.”

“Be nice,” Ayden growled, “Or I’ll kill you last and make
you watch the rest die.”

Anais ranted and raved, even as she felt herself step
through the door with Conall following behind. Good, whatever they had waiting
would hit her first. 

Anais didn’t have time to assess her surroundings as Conall
grabbed her, his hands scorching her arms as he sent a wave of magick towards
her, ending Ayden’s control over her.

“He’s all yours, love,” Conall shouted to Raulf, pointing to
Ayden who stared at them, exuding malice.

“Got it, sugar,” Raulf answered.

Yay, thought Anais. They’d picked up on Ayden’s verbal
slip-ups.

Swarms of Akeldonna’s guards crept out of various openings
leading to the cavernous room and heading straight for them. Anais caught a
flash of fang.

“Vampires?” asked Anais. “Shouldn’t they be asleep?”

“Yes,” responded Conall, “but they’re not vampires.” Conall
sent tendrils of his magick to Anais, linking with hers. “See,” he said, “the
colors are the same as your magick when it was bound and turned on you. They
were witches whose magick turned dark before they turned vampire.”

Anais didn’t have time to process what had just happened as
a battle ensued. They were fighting Ayden, Akeldonna and a dozen of vampires in
a vast room that had been transformed from what must’ve been a factory storage
area to an upmarket wine cellar cum lounge. There was even a tasting area to
the one side, the same type you’d find in a wine tasting room of a vineyard.
Bottles of Akeldonna’s ‘premium brand’ drinks lined the walls. They even had
fucking labels!

Anais grabbed one of the dark red bottles, and accessed the
rage she discovered when she’d fought V. She smashed the bottle against the
wall splattering some poor witch or were’s blood everywhere.

“You imbecile! That took months of work!” Akeldonna shouted
at her. “I’ll have your blood as a replacement.”

Spurred on by the threat, Anais broke more bottles and then
used it to stab an oncoming vampire in the heart. She threw away her sword,
choosing the bottles over the silver to puncture and decapitate the vampires as
they headed towards her with deadly intent; finding poetic justice in it.

Blood spurted before vampires vanished into ash as they
worked their way through the room. Niul and Sylvain were fighting a mass of the
dark witch-vampires. Conall, never far from her, was swinging the sword all
around him as though it was an extension of his arm, stabbing and vanquishing
vampires where it met their hearts. And Raulf was trying to obliterate the
enemy as he purposefully made his way to Ayden. Marie was surrounded by zombies
with the only indication of her presence being her cussing as she tried and
failed to get the zombies into fight mode. As irritating as the zombies were to
Marie, Anais took comfort that there were enough of them that it would be hard
for the vamps to get through to her friend. A vamp tried to breach the zombie
barrier and Anais cringed at the screams that tore from his throat as the
zombies tore him apart until they got to his heart and he was transformed into
ash. Anais kept going, accessing the rage to recharge her energy levels.

But the more they fought, the more vampires flooded into the
room, filling it and making the fight harder.

“We’re outnumbered,” shouted Rose, using the sword Sylvain
had lent her to stab at an attacking vamp.

“We don’t retreat,” replied Conall. “We’ll do this.” Anais
felt Conall’s magick link with hers and Niul, strengthening them. He was taking
magickal energy from the witch community and feeding it to them. A risky
endeavor.

Sylvain shouted for him to stop. “I’ve got this, my friend,”
Sylvain bellowed. Then, he released his fae power. He was once again,
everything that comprised her desires and most treasured dreams rolled up into
one bundle of manliness. His blonde hair gleamed gold and his eyes reflected
jewel promises of endless pleasure. Anais felt the pull towards him that she’d
felt the first time she’d seen his true form. But she fought it the way he’d
taught them and saw that Raulf, Niul and Conall were doing the same.

The witch vampires, facing the face of fae for the first
time were powerless against that allure. They stopped whatever they were doing
and moved towards Sylvain like mindless zombies. That gave them all the
leverage they needed and they used the opportunity to slaughter the dark
witch-vampires as Akeldonna screamed in frustration. Through her independent
bonds with Marie and Conall, Anais felt magick move through her as she fought a
vampire. Fuck! Talk about multi-tasking.

Conall send power through her to Marie, his lips moving
wordlessly as he used her as a conductor for the necromancy skill. It wasn’t
dark magick; the magick light that poured into the center of the crowd of
zombies was colored like the grey of dead, of soulless ash. Anais felt Marie’s
shock as the magick hit her.