lightning witch 02 - lightning legacy (28 page)

I charged Mitch, but he met me for every move I made. Monique was pelting Matthew, who was fast as a greased pig. Monique tried to catch him within a set of roots, but her magic wasn't made for something so fast. I faked right, but Mitch knew the move and went left. Other than surface wounds, there was little contact made. It almost seemed like he was holding me off so Dillon could get Delaney. In fact, I was sure that's what he was doing. No, this would NOT fucking happen!

My whole being stopped at the sight of Dillon, who was now shaking Delaney. I failed her once before. I handed her right to Mitch on a silver fucking platter and hell fucking no would I ever let that happen again! I rushed Mitch again. I didn’t pull back this time. I didn’t dodge his teeth – I took them full force. I connected with the side of his face, bit down blindly, and ripped. He yelped in pain. I didn’t let up, charging nearly through him. I had to get to Dillon. I managed to hit Mitch with such force that it sent me on a direct path to Dillon. I had to help her. I hit the gray wolf with all of the force of a train. The impact sent the wolf flying away from Delaney, but I didn’t let up. I was on him as he landed.

As far as size went, Dillon was about the same as Mitch. Both of them were smaller than me, but they were as fast as rats and just as sly. He was dazed. I used it to my advantage. I had a distant thought, why wasn't Mitch on me? I shoved it down and focused on Dillon, clamping my jaws down on his throat and crushing it. I felt the warmth of his blood coat my tongue and wanted to shudder with the pleasure of the tangy metallic flavor. I didn't have time to revel in the magical taste of his life force. I clamped down even harder and with a quick shake of my head his throat had been well and truly removed from his body. No, it wouldn't kill him, but it would put him out for a long while. He wouldn't have to worry, death was not far from him.

I whirled to face Delaney. She was now in human form. It wasn’t her form that caused me to pause. It was the fact that Mitch was in human form cradling her in his arms.
How the fuck was he able to change so god-damned fast?
Seeing Delaney's limp body in his arms made something inside me snap. My gaze shifted to Monique, who had finally caught Matthew. He was fighting the confines of her bonds, so her attention was solely on him.

The night was filled with smoke from Troy's fire, the scent of burnt wood and flesh, and the sounds of fighting wolves. But right here and right now, the scene was filled with my mate in the arms of a monster. I could charge him, but then I risked hurting Delaney. Mitch met my eyes, and I knew he saw my struggle.

“What’s wrong, Reid?” He was out of breath and blood rushed down his face from his missing ear down to his bare chest. We were both at a standstill. I could do nothing for fear of hurting my mate. I snarled at him, and he smiled in return.

“It was a shock to see her change with clothes on. But, no matter.” His words grew distant. I felt something, a draw on my very being. Like the strength was being leached out of my body. I flicked my eyes to Delaney. The limp arm that hung over Mitch’s hands began dripping with sparks. I knew how it felt to be shocked by her, yet he didn’t seem phased.

As though she were rising up from the dead, her head whipped up and she jammed her hand against his chest. She screamed as I felt her lightning leave her. I felt it as though it were leaving me. The searing pain of her lightning left me feeling as though I was set on fire then dipped in a vat of acid. If I’d had the ability to scream out I would have, with the pure agony of the force of her power that I knew was flowing through me.

A flash of astonishment flashed across Mitch’s face before he collapsed to his knees. Delaney fell to the ground and I ran over to her. She scrambled over and threw her arms around my neck; the scents, tastes, and sounds … God, everything stopped. The world could have stopped existing because I had her. She was whole, here, and she was mine. She was the reason I took each breath and why my heart beat.

I began my change. Our mental connection had been fried with whatever power she pulled from me. My skin seemed to rip apart and stitch itself back together. I rushed the change. It was still nowhere near what I saw Mitch do. I had to figure out how he managed that, but that was for another time. I changed and Delaney never let me go. It took me roughly two minutes to have that woman in my arms.

She was crying. No, sobbing. I grabbed her face with my hands. She was not a pretty crier, but God, it didn't matter. Sobbing meant breathing and breathing meant alive and alive meant mine.

“Shh, honey, I have you.” I rocked her.

She hiccupped, but calmed. The yips and barks of wolves fighting had stopped.

“My brave girl. You’re so strong,” I crooned to her.

She looked at me and that’s when I saw it. There, in her eyes that glowed silver, was the spark of lightning. This woman, my mate, had done something no one thought possible. She defied all of the rules. She was truly the beginning of something new. I slowly realized the wolves were surrounding us. Some had shifted forms, yet others remained as wolves. I held her tighter. I tensed to take whatever it was they would dish out. Delaney pulled away from me. I met her gaze. I couldn't understand her expression, but I trusted her to do what she felt she had to. I let my arms fall away from her.

“Reid, I have to do this. I have to end this.” Her eyes flashed bright white, like the strike of a lightning bolt. Her tone was resolute. I stood eyeing the now nearly twenty wolves. Not one of them made a move toward her. She hummed with power. It wafted off of her in heat waves. I couldn’t help but scent the fear in the air. They were afraid of her.
Good. They should be
.

I walked beside her. I would be beside her as she finished this. I would always be beside her. And that thought eased all of the pain and hurt like a soothing balm.

PAIN? THERE WAS
none. I knew there should be though. I’d very nearly had my throat ripped out and probably a dozen other bites that should be hurting me. But there was nothing, only the man lying at my feet. I knew the whole of his pack circled me. Yet it didn’t matter. Nothing did. I looked down at the man, no, monster, at my feet. I pulled all of my power when I laid my hand against his chest. I pulled every bit of everything I could find. When I sent my lightning through him, I pierced his heart and burned a hole right through him. The air even smelled of charred flesh.

I knelt down next to Mitch. Somehow, he blinked at me. He looked incredulous. Well, as incredulous as a man could look who had a coaster-sized hole burned through his chest. He looked as though he couldn’t believe that I’d done it. I took a page from his book and smiled at him, all teeth. I smoothed the hair from his brow. I wanted to be sure he saw everything that was about to happen. He needed to see my face. He worked his jaw up and down. He was trying to speak, but no words came out. I realized just what he was mouthing.

“You can’t kill me.” I knew without words, that’s what he was trying to say.

I again gave him his own predatory smile, then knelt down to his cheek and kissed the damp flesh there. He had no idea how wrong he was.

I leaned in close to his ear and whispered the last words he would ever hear.

“Oh, but Mitch, you should know by now I don’t follow the rules.”

I grabbed his neck with a blood-covered hand. His eyes went wide in shock. I pulled on all of the power I had left and sent it as hard as I could out of the hand covering his neck. The ground shook with the force of my power.

I breathed in the scent of burnt flesh. Morbid? Yes. Satisfying? Hell fucking yes.

His eyes that were so focused on mine went distant. His head lulled off to one side as the ground was not perfectly level. I’d never been so happy to see a head detached from a body. Well, not that I’d ever seen that before. I stood up and turned to face the half circle of wolves. I could feel the residual power sparking from my fingertips. And now I could feel the pain. I could feel everything. I gritted my teeth against the intensity of it.

"You see your alpha? He's dead." My voice was hoarse, but I pushed through it.

Reid walked over and wrapped an arm around me.

"Who wants to be next? Because I have had one hell of a day." Okay, there was no freaking way I could do anymore. I was a moment away from passing out. But they didn't know that. And no, it was not some inspiring prophetic speech. I was lucky it was words coming out of my mouth and not a garbled mess of incoherent thoughts.

The pack had nearly all shifted back to their human forms. A tall lanky man, whom I’d not met before, stepped forward. I pulled on my power, but what had been a raging river was nothing but a slow trickle of static. He dropped to a knee and tilted his neck up to me. Then another followed and another, and so on. They were submitting to me. I swayed. It was all a little too much. I no longer had the ability or strength to stand on my own. Clearly, the blood loss was getting to me. Reid held me tighter.

He must have sensed how I was flagging because he said in a low tone, “Go home. Delaney or I will be in contact with all of you.”

God bless that man
.

Troy picked that moment to limp into my view. He gave me a shy smile. "You know when I had fantasies of being surrounded by naked men this wasn't what I imagined."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. I winced, and my hand flew to my ribs.
Shit, that hurt.
I sucked in a breath, and that too hurt.

"Sorry to disappoint," I rasped. I scanned the area for Monique. She was off to the side of the mass of the pack. She had Anderson and Matthew tangled in roots. I looked to Reid, who followed my gaze.

"Troy, help Delaney, please. I have work to do." His voice was a rumble, his eyes were locked on the two wolves.

He closed the distance and grabbed my elbow.

Before he left, Reid leaned down and kissed the top of my head and whispered, "I’m so damn proud of you." His words made my heart flutter.

I felt the loss of his touch, but it was dampened by the fact that I still had everyone important to me.

“Stop,” Troy chided.

“What?”

“You're grinning like a damn fool.”

I hit him lightly in the chest. He flinched.

“Shit, are you okay?”

“Yeah, Tyler’s wolves really came through. A few of the assholes got past my guard, but damn, D, you should have seen me! I was on fire.”

I raised an eyebrow at him.

We both started laughing.

“Stop making me laugh. It hurts.”

Instead of a pithy retort, he pulled me into his arms and held me. I felt the soft shudder of his sobs. Emotionally, he was probably as done as I was. Thinking I, and everyone one I loved, would die had that effect on a person.

"I love you so damn much. I was so scared. I would have killed you if you died." We stood there holding each other, crying like babies. We both tensed at the screams of the two men; neither of us said a word. Finally, when I took in a deep breath, it didn't hurt. I could breathe in every sense of the word. Mitch was well and truly gone. My friends were all safe. But, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Reid walked over to us. He now had jeans on, but no shirt. His chest was drenched in blood. I didn't even blink twice before I threw myself into his arms. His hand cradled the back of my head, and the other wrapped around my waist.

"Let's go home, love," he whispered.

I nodded, fearing I would burst out in tears again.

“Wait, what about the, um, bodies?” I asked, eyeing Mitch’s limp form. I shuddered. I couldn’t help it.

Reid opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a new voice.

“Don’t worry about them. I’ll take care of it.” He was a handsome man, tanned with dark hair and green glowing eyes. He looked to only be a few inches taller than me. I shifted in Reid's arms to look at him more fully.

“And you are?” I questioned.

"I'm Dante. Tyler's partner. Oh and here, you threw this down near him just before you attacked Mitch. It protected him." His eyes were grateful, and I couldn't help but feel bad.

It wasn't a thought, just a happy accident. I took the coin that was now blank and shoved it in my pocket.

“It protected me as well, love,” Reid added as he placed a kiss on the top of my head.

"Wait, what happened to the barbecued wolves?" I wondered aloud.

“Ah yeah well, they were easy to kill once they resembled beef jerky,” Troy said, looking a little dazed. “Can we go home now? Because this queen is so done.”

“Wait!” They all turned and looked at me. “Dante, find Mark. I don’t know if he’s even alive but find him.” My body may have been trembling but my voice didn’t waver a bit. He nodded and turned to walk away.

Reid ushered to the cars. Four people came into this fight, and four were going home. Life was good. At least for the moment. We still had the Coven to deal with, but right now, Mitch was dead, and that was good enough for me.