“Why is it that the pursuit of power clouds the sight of those pursuing it? They think it is in their grasp, and so they take their eyes off their enemy, and it’s that split-second that can change the direction of a fight. One second you’re winning, and the next your heads are spinning, and you’re left standing there thinking ‘What the hell just happened?’” ~Myanin
“Vasile and Alina are dead.”
Myanin watched as Ludcarab turned at the sound of the voice of a fae warrior who’d just flashed into the building. She, Ludcarab, Alston, Sincaro, and Cain had been waiting to hear back from the army they’d sent to the Romania pack stronghold and finally, only moments ago, the room had begun to fill with fae flashing in with vampires, wolves, and warlocks in tow.
Alston stood on Ludcarab’s right, with Sincaro and Cain to his left, while Myanin stood a little apart, her body turned so she could see the entire room of bloodied warriors. It was obvious they’d been given quite a battle.
“What did you say?” Ludcarab asked. The giddiness in his voice made him sound like a child on Christmas morning.
“Vasile and Alina, the Romania pack alphas, are dead,” the fae warrior repeated.
“As is the Warlock King,” reported another fae. “I saw Ren behead him.”
“Where is Ren?” Alston asked.
“Dead,” the fae answered. “The warlock queen killed him.”
Ludcarab chuckled. “A woman scorned.”
“Damn straight,” Myanin muttered under her breath.
“And you’re sure the alpha pair is dead?” Alston asked. He was practically salivating. Myanin found it extremely disturbing for some reason.
“I watched Hatter kill her, ripped her heart from her chest,” the fae said.
Myanin walked over to them. “Hatter?”
The fae smirked. “Yea, because he was mad.”
When she stared at him, he continued. “You know, from the human story Alice in Wonderland? The Mad Hatter? As in crazy?”
She shrugged. “Why was he the only one who got the name? As far as I can tell, all of you are quite unhinged.”
“Says the djinn who killed one of her own elders.” A vampire to her right smirked.
Myanin didn’t think, she just moved. One second, she was standing with her arms crossed in front of her and the next, her blade was out and she’d sliced it across the vampire’s neck, all the way through, severing the spinal cord until his head rolled off his shoulders and his body crumbled to the floor.
She leaned down and wiped his blood off on his shirt and then re-sheathed the blade in her thigh holster. Myanin stood up and walked back over to where Ludcarab was standing. Alston, Sincaro, and Cain had joined him and were all staring at her with mouths agape.
“I don’t like my business being shared,” she said simply. She looked across the room at all the warriors. “Keep your mouths shut about me and you can keep your heads.”
“Bloody hell,” Sincaro cursed as he shook his head.
“So, this news about the dead alphas and warlock king is good?” she asked.
“It’s more than good,” Ludcarab said. “IT’S A MIGHTY VICTORY,” he roared, and the rest of the room erupted into shouts of excitement. The loud raucous continued for at least five minutes. Myanin wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d started beating their chests and swilling horns of ale.
Finally, the noise died down enough that she heard Alston’s next question. “Where is the vampire, Hatter, who killed the female?”
“Dead,” the reporting fae answered.
“A white wolf killed him and another warlock who had assisted Hatter.”
“Lucian,” Alston said, disdain filling his voice.
“And he is?” Myanin asked.
“The alpha’s brother,” Alston answered.
“Oooh,” she said slowly. “He’s going to be pissed.” She knew she would be if someone killed a member of her family. Just like she was sure her people were pissed at her for the life she’d taken. Murdering people was a dangerous business. She was going to need more cotton candy. It seemed to help keep her from thinking about the consequences of what she’d gotten herself into. Not only had she killed one of her own, she’d now joined in with an organization who’d just taken the lives of an alpha pair known across every supernatural race. Yep, she was definitely going to need a lot more cotton candy.
“I do believe a celebration is in order,” Ludcarab said as the noise died down. “Sincaro, Cain, why don’t you take your warriors out for a feast?”
Myanin swallowed down the bile as she saw the vampires licking their lips. She knew exactly what kind of feast they were talking about. Nasty parasites.
“The rest of us will break into my own personal stores of wine,” Ludcarab continued. “And Alston, could you provide some of the infamous fae dining fare?”
Alston actually smiled at the elf king. “I think I can manage that.”
Myanin had to think for a moment about what they meant. But then the knowledge from Lyra popped into her mind. The fae had food that had a drug-like effect. It caused euphoria in those who consumed it. “Great,” she muttered. “Just what we need: drunk, drugged, power-hungry supernaturals who are already high off the death of three formidable leaders. That’s not a recipe for disaster at all.”
“I expect you will be joining us.” Ludcarab turned to her, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Play their game, Myanin. “Of course. Wouldn’t miss a chance to celebrate a great victory.”
“Excellent.”
The shouting and general idiotic behavior continued as they patted one another’s backs, and the room began to disperse. Hopefully, they were at least going to put on clean clothes before the revelry began.
Myanin stood back and watched as Ludcarab spoke with several of the fae warriors, no doubt hoping for gruesome details of the deaths of the alphas and warlock king. She thought it foolish for them to let their guard down for even one night. Not only had Myanin been a warrior for a very long time, but she’d also learned much from one of their oldest history keepers. Thadrick had shared his wisdom with her, once upon a time, when they’d been close. He’d told her of mighty battles and the mistakes that the defeated had made. She’d always found it interesting to hear the tales of how a battle that had been so in favor of one race had suddenly turned without warning, giving the underdog the victory. She couldn’t help but cheer for the ones who’d won miraculously, though by all rights they shouldn’t have.
She walked over to the far wall and leaned against it; her eyes followed what was happening in the room but her mind was somewhere else. She couldn’t let nostalgia or the love she once held for Thadrick get in her way. He’d taken her life away, not just broken her heart. If the only way to get to him was by using the Order as a means of protection until the time to face him came, then she’d just have to play the part. She’d figure out a way to get out from under the Order’s thumb once Thad and his witch were in hell, where they could burn in agony together where they belonged.
“Jennifer.” Decebel’s voice filled her mind, and the urgency she heard caused her to surge to her feet. She’d been leaning against the wall playing a game with Titus through the wall while Thia tried to copy her knocks. She’d have to thank the Great Luna for giving her a genius rug rat, though Jen had a feeling that once Thia was a teenager, her opinion might change. She knew from her own personal experience that teenagers seemed to lose all their intelligence once the hormones kicked in and they decided they were somehow immune to injury or death.
“What’s wrong? Did someone else die? Who died? Did the Order attack someone else? Another pack?”
“Slow down, baby,” Decebel said in his calm, deep, “don’t lose your crap” voice. It annoyed her but he was right. She was wound as tightly as a paranoid psych patient convinced the toaster was going to come to life and try to strangle her with its “Someone else did die. Many died in the battle, but that is not what we need to discuss right now.”
“How can that not be what we need to discuss?” She was shrieking, which pissed her off. Jen did not like it when her voice started shrieking, even if it was only through their bond and not out loud. “Who else died, Dec?”
His sigh was audible through their bond. “Cypher.”
“Shit, damn, shit,” she cursed, not only through their bond but out loud as well.
“Shi—” Thia began, but Jen managed to get a hand over her daughter’s mouth.
“No,” she said firmly. “You can say ‘hell’ till it freezes over, but not the S word.”
When she uncovered Thia’s mouth, the little girl looked up at her and smiled. Jen saw the wicked gleam in her eye, one she knew all too well from her own face. “Dada.” Thia giggled. It was as if she was taunting Jen with the fact that she was going to say the S word in front of her dad.
“Jennifer?”
She’d have to deal with mini-me later. Jen turned her attention back to her mate. “Is Lilly okay?”
“No. But she’s doing what she must right now, and that’s leading her people.”
“She’s strong,” Jen said. “She will get through this.” It’s not like she had a choice. She was a queen and had a daughter and a grandson.
“She will. But I need you to focus now.”
“I am focused.”
There was a pause.
“Okay, fine, I’m as scattered as a squirrel on the ground covered with endless acorns. But now I’m focused. What’s up? Hit me with it. Let’s do this.”
“Jennifer,” he growled.
“I’ve been getting my butt kicked at a Morse code game by a four-year-old while trying to keep my daughter from saying potty words because I keep saying them because said four-year-old is beating me, all while being held captive in the compound of power-hungry psychopaths. This is as focused as you’re gonna get, B.” Jen was trying really hard to reach for her calm adult self. Then she remembered that she didn’t have a calm adult self and threw that plan out the proverbial window.
“We can get you guys out.”
WTH. “Why didn’t you lead with that?” Holy rolling pixie babies! After nearly three years, did the dude not know her better than that?
“Sally’s necklace,” he continued, ignoring her question. Okay, so he did know her pretty well. “It’s blessed by the Great Luna and can bring down the wards that are keeping the fae from flashing in to get you. Nissa, Cyn, and Riven have all tried to flash, but there’s a ward up. Her necklace has the ability to take it down temporarily.”
“Okay. How?”
“We don’t know.”
“Naturally.”
“Tell her. She can figure out what to do. The Great Luna would not have intended for her to have that necklace if she wasn’t going to be able to know how to use it.”
“It’s annoying when you make good points when I’d rather you just have the actual answer,” Jen grumbled.
“I love you, too,” he said. Jen could picture his luscious lips tilted up as his chest rumbled with a deep chuckle. Gah, she missed her man.
“How will you guys know when the ward is down?” Jen asked, realizing it would be pointless to take the ward down if no one even knew it was gone.
“You can tell me.”
“How will I know the ward is down?”
“We don’t know that either.”
“So, what you’re telling me is that you know Sally’s trinket should allow Peri and her crew to flash in and get us, yet you have no idea how that is going to happen or how you will know it is happening?”
“Exactly.”
“Sounds like our kind of op. Don’t worry, B, I totally got this.” She totally didn’t have this, but she was not about to admit it because that was like giving up, and Jen did not give up. She gave hell.
“Jennifer, I need you to focus again.”
“I am focused. I’m focused on giving the Order hell.” See, hell-giver, right here, people.
“I love you,” he said again, but this time he was completely serious. She could feel his love and worry through the bond. “I need you and Thia back. Help Sally figure this out because I’m at my breaking point. Do you understand?”
“Do I understand that you’re to the point of turning your wolf loose on this compound and bringing anyone with you who wants to go on a blood-spraying killing spree?”
“Yes.”
“I completely understand, babe. I got this. Sally’s got this. And Jacque doesn’t know it, but she’s about to be with her alpha and leading her pack, kicking ass and taking names while she does it.”
“That’s my girl,” he said softly.
“Love you, B.”
“I know. I feel it every second of every day. See you soon.”
“Absolutely.”
Jen felt him pull back, but he still stayed present in her mind. She walked back to the wall and began tapping away. They were getting out. But before Jen left this compound, she was going to take out as many of the asswipes who’d been a part of her daughter's abduction as possible. They’d obviously never heard of mama bear, or in this case, mama wolf syndrome, but she was going to educate them, thoroughly. She kept that thought far from Decebel.
“She says your necklace should be able to take down the ward that is keeping the fae from flashing in,” Costin explained.
Sally looked down at the locket resting against her chest. She remembered what she’d been told about the necklace when she and Costin had been visiting her mom and she learned about the sprite realm. The charm was powerful. There were times when she’d actually felt the power of it humming against her skin.
“How am I supposed to know what to do with it?” she asked out loud, though she wasn’t necessarily asking Costin. “I’ve had it all this time, through everything that we’ve been through, and it’s never done anything more than vibrate a little and warm up. You would think that when I was in the dark forest giving my life away it would have done something.”
Costin growled but then seemed to regain control of himself. She knew he didn’t like thinking back to times when he’d nearly lost her, which she totally understood. She hated thinking about the times when he’d been in the In-Between. It made her nauseated, knowing she hadn’t been able to help her mate, even though the second time she hadn’t even known he was there. The worst feeling in the world is being unable to do anything for the ones you love. And here she was once again in that same position. Her friends and family needed her help, and she supposedly had the means to help them, but she didn’t have a clue what to do.
She began to pace and rubbed the locket between her fingers. “Think, think, think,” she muttered over and over again as she walked from one end of the small room to the other.
“Where did the locket come from, Mommy?” Titus sat beside the wall where he and Jen kept knocking back and forth at one another. It really was amazing how quickly he’d learned to do Morse code. Sally couldn’t concentrate long enough to get even a few letters down.
“It was created by the Great Luna.”
“The angel?” Titus asked, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her.
Sally smiled. “She seems to come to you as an angel, but she’s actually the Creator of our kind.”
“What did she create the necklace to do?”
“I’m not sure,” Sally admitted.
Titus knocked on the wall and then waited. Jen replied with her own knocking, and then the little boy nodded. “Aunt Jen and I think it has something to do with light. The angel always talks about how we have to be the light in a dark world.”
Sally looked at him and then smiled. “My smart, incredible boy,” she said, her heart so full of love. She finally understood why her mom would sometimes just sit and stare at her. Because there’s nothing like the love of a parent for a child. The complete awe that fills your heart as you see the little life that you want the absolute best for.
“Do you know what to do?” Costin stood up from where he’d been sitting next to Titus.
“Not exactly, but give me a minute.” Sally continued walking, but this time she closed her eyes and tapped into the magic, the light she knew was flowing inside of her. She reflected on the fact that she wasn’t perfect. She had so many flaws, and yet gypsy healers were revered because of their innate goodness. What was it that made them good? What set them apart from the rest? Was it the empathy they felt for others, even their enemies?
She thought about Tenia and the look in her eyes when Alston had been berating her. Sally didn’t know the female fae’s story or how she’d come to be working for the Order, but Sally did feel something for the woman. She felt something for all of those who had bought into the lies that the Order had fed them. Was she angry? Absolutely, but there was still a part of her that wished they could be saved. She wanted them to see their wrong doings and feel remorse. “Great Luna help me,” she said very softly.
“You see what I see in people.” The Great Luna’s voice filled Sally’s mind as the worry and sadness left her, leaving only peace. “You see through their darkness to the person they could be if they chose to not give in to their selfish desires. Focus on that, Sally, my gentle healer. Focus on the fact that the darkness that holds them trapped in this place doesn’t have complete control over all of them, not yet. There are still those like Tenia who have light left in them.”
“Why is the light not winning in her?”
“Because bitterness and pain have taken root in her, and every time the light tries to grow, that bitterness pushes it back. She needs people like you to see the light in her. She needs to know that she isn’t lost yet,” the Great Luna answered.
Sally thought about the men who’d brought them food and things for Titus to do. Not all of them had seemed completely evil. Some of them even looked at Titus with kindness, even if that kindness didn’t extend to Costin or Sally.
“Seek out every ounce of light in the building. It’s there,” the goddess said, pulling Sally’s attention back. “Focus on that light and pull it toward you. Imagine it flowing into you. Imagine it filling you from the very tips of your toes until it runs up and out of the top of your head. It’s bursting forth from every pore in your skin until it can no longer be contained.”
Sally thought about the way she sent her light into the wolves when she healed them. She thought about how she would command it to seek out the damage within, and she did the same with her light now. She sent her power into the building, pursuing the light in those who were in the Order but were not fully controlled, not yet. One by one, she found the slivers of light and began drawing them to her. Like the palest rays of sunlight, they traveled through the space toward her. Then she saw several very bright lights and realized they were Thia, Slate, and Titus. The children who had yet to be corrupted by the world. They were still so full of innocence and saw the best of life. She pulled that light to her. She saw the light that was in Costin, though there was darkness as well. The longer they were together, the more the light inside of him grew. She pulled that in and felt him pushing it to her, helping her. She saw the light in Jacque and Jen, both of which had been connected to her for so long that they seemed to naturally sense what was needed and pushed their own power to her. Jacque’s seemed to have an extra boost, and Sally guessed that was because she was now the alpha female.
Sally’s hand was still wrapped around the locket, and she could feel it heating up. Her body felt as if she stood out under the noonday sun with its warmth radiating onto her skin. Every ounce of coldness that had taken root from simply being in this dark place, and from what Alston had tried to do, was overtaken by the warmth of the light.
“The locket is meant to amplify the light,” the Great Luna said. “It will take all that you’ve gathered and multiply it. You cannot contain the full light of my being. I am a Creator, and you are the created. The locket was designed to hold some of my essence, and it can channel the amount of light you need for this. Keep pulling it in. Keep seeking it out.”
Sally made her mind focus even more. She sought out more of the minds around the compound. She was shocked by what she found. She slipped into the mind of a man who had been blackmailed into being a part of the Order. They’d killed nearly all of his family, and they’d been holding his only child captive for over a century. He’d nearly reached the point of losing hope, but there was still a part of him that believed the Order wouldn’t succeed. He hadn’t been in the battle at the Keep, but he’d known of Vasile, the most powerful alpha in all of the Canis lupus world. He had hope that there was no way the Order could defeat the great wolf. But then she saw the light in him dwindle more when he heard the news that was apparently traveling around the compound. The great alpha pair had been killed. Don’t give up. Sally hoped he would feel her encouragement and keep the light inside of him from being extinguished.
Her mind moved on to the next person, and she found a female wolf. She’d been taken by the Order during the werewolf wars when things were chaotic and no one was focused on the Order. She’d been coerced into believing their lies, but over the decades, she’d begun to realize that their intentions were not what she’d been led to believe. Now, she wanted out, but she was trapped. They would never let her leave alive. She’d signed up willingly, and there was no getting out. Sally grabbed hold of the light in her and pulled.
On and on, she found person after person who didn’t truly hold any loyalty to the Order but felt they had no choice but to serve the organization. Yet their spirits refused to give up completely. They still had hope. Sally took the light from that hope and continued to pull it to her. When she felt as if she was about to burst from the inside out, and she couldn’t see how she could possibly take any more, she focused on herself. She ran through all the memories of her life and grabbed onto the good ones. Then, she sought out every horrible thing she’d been through, because even in those situations, light or goodness had come out of the tragedy. There were things that kept her from sinking into the darkness and giving up. She thought about her best friends, Jen and Jacque—the two people who’d been with her through it all and had stood firm next to her, never letting her go. She thought about their mates, the amazing men who loved them. Though they weren’t perfect, they refused to give up on their relationships, even when it got hard. Then she remembered Vasile and Alina, two of the most amazing people she’d ever met. They’d loved with their whole hearts. They’d given everything they could to save those they loved. The light in them was so strong that they were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice.
“Now let it go,” the Great Luna breathed into Sally. The goddess’s light filled any remaining doubts and worries, and then Sally pushed the light outward, picturing in her mind the light as a huge tidal wave. She pushed and imagined it rushing through the room, out the door and cracks and any tiny spot that it could travel through, completely engulfing the building. She saw it flowing down the halls, completely overtaking the floors, walls, and ceilings. It ran over every person it came in contact with, knocking them over as it hit them. The light burst through doors, slamming them open as it went. Any shadow was completely illuminated as the light unfurled.
Sally opened her eyes, and all she could see was light so pure it wasn’t even yellow. It was a shining, dazzling, iridescent white. It was so breathtakingly beautiful that it was nearly painful to look at.
She didn’t have time to enjoy it because a second later Jen burst through their opened door. She had a wide-eyed Thia in her arms, and her eyes were glowing bright with her wolf.
“Costin, you got Titus?” Jen rushed over to Sally.
“Yes,” Costin said as he picked up their son.
“Excellent,” Jen grinned, and the sight was a tad creepy. She pushed Thia into Sally’s arms. “You take mini-me and get her the hell out of dodge.”
Thia yelled, “Hell,” at the same time Sally yelled, “Jen!” But her best friend had already turned and headed for the door. “What are you doing?” she asked quickly before Jen could make it out.
Jen glanced back at Sally. “What I promised myself I would do when Alston took my child. Tell Peri to save my stupid ass when she gets here.” Then Jen was gone, moving with her wolf’s speed.
“Decebel is going to lock her in a cell when he gets his hands on her,” Costin said.
Jacque was the next one to come rushing into their room. “Jen told me to get my ass in here and then kept running. What the hell is she doing?” Jacque held Slate in her arms.
“Mama hell,” Thia said, pointing toward the door.
“He’s not just going to lock her in a cell.” Costin sighed. “He’s going to wash her mouth out with soap, too.”
Jacque just shook her head and then looked back at Sally. “How did our doors open, and why is it so bright in here?”
Before Sally could answer, their room was suddenly full of people as Peri flashed into the room, followed by Nissa, Adam, and Elle. Fane, Decebel, Crina, and Sorin were also with them.
Peri glanced around the room and must have realized at the same time Decebel did that Jen was missing.
“Where is the hellion?” Peri asked.
Decebel growled but walked over to Sally and took Thia from her. The little girl grinned big at her dad and patted his cheeks with her chubby, little hands. “Hell, Dada,” she said proudly.
Peri glanced at the little girl. “I see she’s been into alternative learning when it comes to her child. Good for her. That’s our next generation. Where did you say she is?”
“She took off out that door and told me to tell you to save her stupid ass when you got here,” Sally explained.
Peri looked at Decebel. “You gonna let me get her?”
“You can get to her quicker than I can,” he growled. “I’ll take care of Thia. My mate will skin me alive if I don’t get her to safety.”
“Which was her plan all along,” Jacque pointed out. Fane had Jacque wrapped in his arms and had buried his face in their son's little neck.
“Get everyone out of here,” Peri said as she looked at each of the fae who could flash. “I’ll get the crazy blonde who is determined to give her mate a heart attack. Pretty sure he’d be the first Canis lupus in the history of ever to have one.”
Jen didn’t have a plan other than to kill every single member of the Order she encountered. She ran through the corridors, letting her wolf take over without phasing. Her fingers morphed into claws. Her eyes, she knew, were glowing because her vision was as clear as freshly cleaned glass. Her teeth had elongated into razor-sharp points, ready to tear into flesh with the ease of a perfectly honed dagger.
The light was unlike anything she’d ever seen. It was everywhere, but she could still see. As Jen came to the first member of the Order, something came over her. She moved in slow motion, watching as the man stumbled as if unable to see. “This one you may exact my vengeance on.”
“Great Luna?”
“Yes, Jennifer. I am with you. You will be my arm of justice today. But you will only take those I allow.”
There was a part of Jen that wanted to rebel against that. Everyone was guilty by association as far as she was concerned.
“You do not know their minds or their hearts. You will do this my way, or you will not do this at all.”
“It will be done as you say,” Jen said as she reached the male. She lunged, her hand swiping out and her claws ripping into his flesh until her hand was buried in his chest. She clasped his heart and crushed it. It took mere seconds, and then as she moved on. She had no idea how she’d moved that quickly—even her wolf speed wasn’t that fast.
The next one she came upon was a vampire, and he seemed to be writhing in pain on the floor. The light was obviously more than just brightness to him. “This one?”
“Yes,” the Great Luna answered.
A bright, white sword appeared in Jen’s hand. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t second-guess it. She slammed the shining blade down across the vampire’s throat and severed his head. Did her lips turn up into a deranged smile? Probably, but she just kept going. They’d brought this on themselves. One after another, the Great Luna pointed out who Jen was allowed to dispatch and who she was to spare.
Jen had no idea how many lives she’d taken by the time she reached the main floor of the huge building. She stood in the middle of the room, white light filling the space and bursting through the dark windows. There were supernaturals all around her, stumbling about or writhing in pain. This was what happened when you messed with the Great Luna’s people.
Jen felt something bump into her, and she turned to find a vampire staring straight at her. He seemed to be significantly less bothered by the light. Though he was squinting a bit, he could still see. She turned around, backed up a couple of steps, and raised her sword, bending her knees and settling into a fighting stance.
“You think you can fight the king of the vampires?” he asked.
Jen smirked. “I think you’re a fool if you believe you stand a chance against a she-wolf who’s pup you kidnapped. Not to mention the wrath of a goddess.”
“Little girl,” he cooed, “you have no idea who you are challenging.”
“Bet you’re gonna tell me.” Jen sighed. “Because that’s what the bad guys always do. They yap endlessly about themselves and their evil credentials as if their opponent gives a flying pixie’s butt.”
He seemed completely unbothered by her insult. “I am Sincaro, the oldest vampire in history, and I control every vampire in the world. You are nothing to me. A cockroach beneath my feet that I can simply crush with my shoe.”
“Then shut up and do it,” Jen snarled. “I’m hungry, my mate is going to be pissed at me, and my daughter needs a bath. I don’t have time to listen to your narcissistic chatter.”
The vampire lunged, but Jen was ready. She turned as she swiped the blade down and caught him across the chest. It wasn’t a killing blow. It didn’t pierce his heart, but it must have burned like fire because he hissed like a cat that had been thrown in a tank of water. Sincaro glanced down at the cut that went diagonally from shoulder to waist. The sword in her hand apparently wasn’t just a kickass, white glowing blade. It must hold special power. Duh, it was made by a goddess. It’s not like it’s going to be a dud.
Sincaro hissed again.
Jen couldn’t help but smile. Guess that would teach him not to flap his old-as-dirt gums so much.
He ran straight for her again because old vampires can’t learn new tricks, and just before he reached her, she jumped straight up and then flipped, twisted in the air, and landed facing his back. Again, she brought her sword down, hoping to behead him. But he turned and ducked at the same time, causing her blade to whoosh over his head. He came up swinging and caught her in the face. The blow felt like she’d been hit with a wrecking ball, knocking her back several feet.
“If you lose this fight, I am going to drag you back from the dead and beat the ever-loving crap out of you,” Peri’s voice came from behind her.
Jen grinned. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“Never said I missed you. Now shut up and focus.”
Sincaro tried to take advantage of Jen’s lost balance, but when he jumped at her, she rolled, ducking straight under his raised legs. Her blade came up and sliced him right through his crotch.
“OH, daaaamn,” Peri hissed. “That had to hurt. Okay, maybe I missed you a little.”
“Knew it!” Jen aughed.
The vampire roared. Jen didn’t take any time to enjoy the sweet victory. She jumped to her feet and then attacked with all the fury she had in her.
“This one has killed thousands of children over the course of his existence.” Jen heard the Great Luna’s words in her mind. “The evil in him permeates everything he touches. The world needs to be cleansed of him. If you kill him, you will kill every vampire he has ever directly sired.”
Jen’s rage grew inside of her as she remembered the children killed not long ago. Vasile had not wanted them to know about it, but when they’d found out, she’d been furious.
Her sword slashed through the air, moving at a speed that made it look as if she was wielding only a beam of light. Cut after cut she sliced at him, listening to his hissing and reveling in the pain that the cuts inflicted. He kept backing away from her, and so she ran, dropped to her knees, and slid, bringing her blade across his knees. It sliced completely through, and he hit the ground on the stumps that were once his thighs. Then she jumped to her feet, turned, and brought her sword around in an arc, the blade meeting his neck and cutting clean through. His head rolled off his body and hit the floor with a thud.
Jen was breathing hard as she looked around the room and watched vampire after vampire simply fall to the ground like the lifeless bodies they were. She had no idea how many were destroyed because of Sincaro’s death, but it looked to be a lot.
She couldn’t enjoy her victory long because the light was fading, and the enemy seemed to be regaining their faculties. Peri was at her side in an instant. “Well done, hellion.” A second later, Alston ran into the main room, his eyes ablaze with rage.
Call it a moment of insanity or an adrenaline rush or just typical Jen being Jen, but whatever it was, something made her lean down and grab Sincaro’s head. She held it by the hair and lifted it into the air. She didn’t care that it was dripping blood all over her or that it was freaking disgusting to be holding a severed head. She was in Braveheart mode, or was it, Gladiator? She couldn’t remember, but it was one of those awesome-as-hell battle movies, and she was going to revel in her enemies’ defeat. She’d dealt the Order a huge blow. She roared as she shook Sincaro’s head. “You’re next, traitor. I will mount your head on my wall and use it as a target to teach my daughter how to throw knives! Mark my words, Alston, traitor of the fae. I so name you an enemy of the Great Luna, an enemy of the Romania pack, an enemy of every supernatural that stands on the side of goodness, and I will have your head.”
“You already said that.” Peri grabbed Jen’s arm. “I think he got the point.” Then she flashed them from the compound.
They reappeared in a huge hall filled with hundreds of people, maybe even a thousand. Jen knew this because she and Peri were standing at the front of the room on a raised platform that allowed them to see out over the crowd. Her arm was still in the air with Sincaro’s head hanging from her hand by his hair. The room went completely silent, and all eyes were on her.
“Hell, Mama!” She heard Thia’s voice and the little girl’s tiny hands clapping. Jen turned her head until she saw her daughter, who was sporting a huge grin. Of course, this was the moment her daughter would choose to actually say “Mama” and not “Dada.” Thia was in her mate’s arms, and he was walking toward Jen with a determined stride. Unlike his daughter, he didn’t have a smile on his face.
“You just need to teach her ‘give ’em,’ and she’ll have a complete sentence down,” Peri said out of the side of her mouth.
“You’re hilarious,” Jen deadpanned.
When Jen didn’t move, but continued to stand there in her Braveheart/Gladiator frozen position, Peri muttered, “Maybe you should drop the head.”
Jen finally seemed to get past the shock of the crowd, her foul-mouthed daughter, and pissed-off mate. She turned to look at Peri. “I severed this head fair and square, and I will not pretend to be embarrassed by it simply because my mate is irritated that I ran off on a killing spree, and my daughter likes to holler about h-e double-hockey-sticks.”
“I’m thinking he’s a little more than irritated, but what do I know?” Peri crossed her arms in front of her. “I’ve only been dealing with the wolves for hundreds of years.”
Jen ignored her and then looked at the crowd again. Decebel had nearly reached the steps leading up to the platform. “In my hand, I hold the head of the vampire king!” she called out, her voice so loud it echoed off the walls and ceiling. “Every vampire he directly sired is dead because he is dead. The Great Luna gave me a sword”—which she just realized was gone—“to take down our enemy, and she was there guiding me. We are not alone in this battle, and we will not stop until the head of every one of those in charge of the Order is laying at our feet.” The room stayed quiet for a few heartbeats before errupting into shouts of victory.
Then Decebel was standing in front of her, his face a mix of emotions as he looked down at her. “Will you please put the head down for your daughter’s sake?”
Jen admitted that it was a fair request and lowered the head. Peri took it from her. It would be best if Jen didn’t know where it was taken because in her current state of mind she might have let Thia kick it around like a soccer ball. Even she could admit that allowing her daughter to kick a vampire’s severed head was just bad parenting.
“Peri, would you mind cleaning my mate up a bit?” Decebel asked, his eyes never leaving Jen’s.
Peri snapped her fingers, and the blood that covered Jen disappeared and her clothes were clean. Once again folks, the benefit of having a high fae as a BFF. As soon as the gore vanished, Decebel wrapped his arm around her, while the other still held Thia.
He pressed his face against Jen’s hair and took several deep breaths. “You scared the shi—” He stopped and then said, “You scared me to death.”
Jen held him tightly as she pressed her face to his chest and listened to his beating heart. She could feel Thia patting her hair and babbling something about a head. Good job, Mom. She taught her daughter about a new body part by showing her a severed head. “I’m sorry, B,” she said through their bond. “I couldn’t just leave. Not after they touched our daughter and not after what they did to Alina, Vasile, Cypher, and the others who died. I had to take some of their people when they took so much from us.”
“I know,” he said, and he did understand. She could feel it through their bond. “But it doesn’t make it any easier. I also know you are a skilled fighter, but—”
“You need to protect me. I get it.”
“You’ve been in the hands of the enemy for a week, with our daughter. This”—he squeezed her tighter—“is what I need. I need you. I need Thia. I need you with me, safe and unharmed.”
They held onto one another, not worried about the fact that they were surrounded by a massive crowd of supernaturals, more than she’d ever seen before. They needed this moment. They needed reassurance that they were all okay.
“Are you a little proud of me?” Jen couldn’t help but ask.
Decebel pulled back and looked at her, his eyes glowing with his wolf. “Are you kidding me?” he said out loud. “I’m in awe of you. Was I terrified? Yes, but even when I’m terrified, I’m proud of your accomplishments. I understand why you did it. I’m not mad at you, baby. I just didn’t know what to do. I knew I needed to keep Thia safe, but I was scared to leave you behind.” He pressed his lips to hers. Thia patted their faces, which made Jen smile. When her mate lifted his head, he looked at her with so much love she felt it in her bones. “You kicked ass, and you gave the Order a huge blow. That’s something to be proud of.”
“Dada, ass,” Thia said, beaming.
Jen laughed as Decebel frowned.
“Don’t say ass, Thia,” he warned, though it wasn’t a very stern admonishment.
“Ass, ass, ass,” Thia continued as she wiggled her little body.
Jen motioned to their daughter. “That’s totally on you, dude.”
“You held a severed head up in front of her,” Decebel pointed out.
Jen’s lips pursed. “Yeah, we’re totally rocking this parenting thing.”