| |
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
–Sun Tzu–
Elisandra
I wake up to darkness, and the glint of metal. Stormy eyes are stare at me, searing a path to my consciousness. “Tytus?”
“The better brother, darling.” Declan laughs, and I realize it was the moon’s reflection that made his otherwise golden eyes seem stormy. He holds out his hand. “I think it’s time we finish your training, and then you can help me get my revenge.”
Hiding my gulp, I shift in bed to an upright position. I’ve barely had control of my body, and am completely unaware of how much time has gone by. My alter has taken great pleasure in pushing me aside, so for me to feel like myself upon waking up is new.
I just need to keep being me for a bit. Obviously, trying to learn magic isn’t working since she’s the only one profiting from it, so it’s high time I get the heck out of here.
Declan clears his throat, and I catch his impatient expression.
“Sure,” I say, trying to mimic her smug tone.
Declan steps away and I get out of bed. I go to follow him out the door, but at the entrance he turns, catching me by surprise. His hand is on my throat again. “I know you’re not her, darling. And it’s all right. You can enjoy your last few hours of freedom.”
Gulping and fighting my trembling, I follow him outside.
Majestic mountains rise up to the cloudless sky. Cold stars watch down upon us like judging ancestors. My bare hands catch the drift of the cold, and I shiver. Something about tonight feels...eternal.
Declan takes no notice, instead marching ahead. It’s a choice between the darkness or following him, so I force my feet to move. We contour the castle to the backyard behind, and I wonder why we didn’t just go through the house.
My zmeu ancestor snorts, as if hearing me. “I thought you might appreciate the walk, given the long hours of training I put you through.” I could’ve believed him – if not for the sight awaiting me around the last corner.
A massive bonfire burns in the middle of the courtyard, and I can sense the magic radiating from it. The flames go higher and higher, as if reaching for the stars and begging me to join them.
Declan watches me closely, waiting for my reaction. “Take your time,” he says.
I gulp, wondering which part of this plan of his will end with me still alive. “My time for what, exactly?”
“To make peace with it, of course. See, it is high time you live to your full potential, which of course is your other half – your better half. I am doing you a favor, ending the chaos inside you painlessly.” His voice is toneless, as if he’s offering me drinks. “Once you feel ready, you can step into the fire.”
“Wait, what now?” I turn to ask him what the hell he’s thinking, and Declan laughs.
“Or, we can do it now.”
With one push of his hand, he hits me in the chest and knocks me straight into the bonfire. His golden eyes stare at me unfeeling, and I open my mouth on a scream.
Too soon, the flames engulf me, wrapping around my ankles, my wrists, my entire body. I expect agony where they touch – instead, all I feel is calm.
Time for this body to be mine, and mine alone, she says.
What?
Declan has figured out a way to have me always in charge. Now let yourself go, my lesser self, so that I may take over.
That’s not possible! Arguing is futile at this point, but I have to try.
Sure it is, dearie. Same as had you mated Finn completely, it would have snuffed out my existence. I’ve simply beat you to the finish line.
All I feel is a mental push, the same as when Declan brings her forth. It’s followed by a sense of disconnect, like a string has been cut, and I lose sight of everything.
My last thought is of Finn. I never got a chance to tell him I love him.
Finn
I jerk awake, nearly hitting Lucas with the force of my movement. Last night I slept on his couch, too tired to go back home. Dom and Tristan took their mates away, but the thought of being in my house alone with Elle’s scent everywhere was too much to bear.
In the darkness, I stare at my alpha. He’s tense, and his outstretched hand looks like he’d been about to shake me awake.
“What is it?”
He shushes me, then motions to the other corner. Tytus and the witch are asleep on the floor, but something glows between them.
Lucas points to it and I nod, getting up and following him on tiptoes. As he bends over to reach for whatever it is, I lose my balance. Or, not quite. More like the rug is pulled out from under me, only there is no rug.
My alpha is oblivious and gets back up with some sort of necklace in his hand. I can’t breathe. It’s like I’ve lost – my soul. There’s no other way to describe the cold filling me, numbing me, stealing away my vision and making my teeth chatter as if I’ve been submerged in icy water.
A voice whispers close to my ear, I never got a chance to tell him I love him.
“Elle!”
My agonized groan draws Lucas’ attention – and wakes Tytus up. His eyes glow in the darkness, taking me in, and Lucas’ hand holding the pendant.
“That belongs to me.”
“I’ll give it back,” Lucas says, all nonchalant. “Soon as you tell me what it is.”
Tytus glares at him, but his gaze flickers to me when another groan escapes me.
“It’s a portion of Declan’s blood,” Fiona whispers. All the ruckus must have woken her up, too.
Tytus throws her a look over his shoulder. “Did anyone ask you, witch?”
“Get over yourself,” she mutters and stands. Then she inches closer to me, pressing her cold hand to my forehead. I don’t even jerk.
“What’s wrong with him?” Lucas asks.
“It’s the legătură.” She speaks at the same time as Tytus. “Because of his close bond with Elisandra, your wolf feels her distance strongly, and it’s tearing at him. But....”
Fiona trails off and glances at Tytus. “Have you ever seen this before?”
He joins her by my side and Lucas pulls out his phone, shining a flashlight that blinds me. They’re pointing it at my chest and, when I look down, I see why. Dark veins are spreading underneath the muscle like a spider’s web – then they disappear, as if absorbed within me.
My heartbeat thuds louder and I gulp past my dry throat. Everything else narrows on one question. “Is Elle alright?”
Tytus seems stunned. “I....don’t know.”
His lie – I taste it in the air, and force him to meet my gaze. “Tell the truth.”
“I’m not sure the Elisandra you reunite with will be the same one you knew.”
“But we can get her back, right?” If we don’t, whatever happened to her is about to happen to me, because those veins on my chest won’t release me – not if my mate is in danger.
Tytus only stares at me, and his silence speaks volumes.
Elisandra
After the initial darkness, I drift into fog, like I’m atop of the clouds and floating. Tied to nothing, no one, I still exist. Only I no longer have a body, nor a purpose.
Light replaces mist – so blinding, so stunning. It makes my eyes hurt, and the thought of pain and parts of my body wrenches me back from the unknown.
There is fog, and darkness, and then light – again.
Then I’m falling...
Falling...
And I land with a jerk, back in a familiar place.
Something went wrong. I don’t know what, but it did, because I’m back as an observer in my own body. It’s kind of like before, except I can’t get past this wall in my own head, like I’m stumbling around in the dark.
“Well?” Declan says as my alter steps out of the fire, fully in control.
She grins. “Gone. It’s just us, dearie.”
He grins wider and pulls her – me – by the waist, dropping his mouth onto ours. “Good. Because once we defeat my brother, I fully intend to come back and celebrate.”
There is nothing I can do as she kisses him back, answering his promise with one of her own.
Like Finn would say, bollocks!
Finn
Everyone’s gathered back as soon as the sun rises. Dom looks he like he hasn’t slept a wink – I wouldn’t have either, if I’d just gotten my mate back from the dead. Lucas, too, keeps glancing at Luz out of the corner of his eyes. His guilt fills the air, but I try to ignore it and focus on his words.
“We are in a reckoning phase, amici. The Reapers have taken advantage of this chaos and hidden into the forest. Luckily, they’re scared shitless of crossing my wrath to try and step into town. But this doesn’t mean we are safe. We need to get rid of them, once and for all.”
“Why now?” Dominic asks. “You’ve been all about kiddie gloves.”
“Things change,” Lucas says through gritted teeth, but his eyes betray him as they shift to Lucrezia.
“You just want to get rid of your own fucking guilt,” Dom snorts. “Some alpha you’ve turned into.”
Lucas takes a deep breath as though trying not to strangle him. Lucrezia intervenes before he can say anything, but it’s not with the words I expect. “Dom’s right, Lucas. If you’re doing this for me – because of my death – it’s not right. I don’t want to be the cause of their execution, no matter how well deserved it might be.”
Our alpha looks around at us, then takes a step closer to Lucrezia. In a move completely unlike him, he smiles and tugs on a lock of her hair. “Cara, believe me when I say that it’s not all about you. Some, yes. But the rest is simply me having lost my patience, and refusing to put any more of my pack in danger for the sake of my own morals.”
When Dom’s growl turns into a snarl, Lucas lets go of her hair and steps back. “And, we have no choice. If we ever want peace in this town, it is high time to go full offensive.”
“What about Declan? I’m not that eager to put my mate in danger,” Tristan says.
“Nor I,” Dominic adds.
“Fair points,” says another, softer voice. We all turn around to see Ileana glide into the room. Her usual light expression is sober, and for the first time she doesn’t look like a young woman, but like the powerful immortal she is.
Her sun–filled gaze lands on Dominic and Lucrezia, and a faint smile touches her lips. “I am happy to see you returned, my dear. His soul was lost without you.”
“And mine without his,” Luz says and inches closer to Dom, interlacing her fingers with his. Their connection makes every breath harder, reminding of me of what I had – and lost.
Tytus is quiet in his spot, but Fiona is staring at Ileana with both wariness and awe. Noticing this, Dom’s godmother says, “You have suffered much at the hands of many. Are you ready to break those chains, and truly regain your freedom?”
“I am,” Fiona whispers. “Whatever the cost.”
“Good. There is a way to defeat Declan, but it involves a lot of pieces falling into place at the exact right time.” Her tone is hard, less of twinkling fairy bells and more of rock. “Zmeu, do you still have the necklace?”
Tytus jerks his head to Lucas. “He’s got it.”
“Very well. Declan was imprisoned in the bowels of Earth itself, through powerful magic from the Council of zmei and dragons. Unfortunately, the zmei are gone, and what’s left of dragons won’t be of much use to us. To put it mildly, there is no Council, thus no power to use.”
Silence answers her, as we all try to figure out what the magical solution might be.
“We can’t let Declan continue to kill humans,” I say. “It’s bad enough he burned our town down, and the Reapers have recruited a lot of the remaining citizens for their own needs.”
“Yes, there has been much bloodshed,” Ileana admits. “And there will be more before the sun rises tomorrow.”
She floats closer, and her flower scent fills the air. “You will need to bait Declan back here, from the fortress he has locked himself in. His greed will help, as he will more than likely come for the one piece you still have of him – the necklace.”
Lucas opens his palm and tosses the piece to Tytus, who catches it mid–air. “There, necklace secured. Then what?”
I’m surprised at his openness to Ileana, given the last time they ran into each other. There’s something really changed about him – like he’s willing to clean up our territory once and for all, at any cost.
“Once you draw Declan back here, bait him with the necklace and lead him back to the crater he came out of.”
“Seems simple enough,” Tristan says, nodding to Dani. “But what about after?”
“He’s right,” Dom adds. “We don’t have nearly enough power together to imprison him. What are we supposed to do, dig a hole and bury him?”
“We can kill him,” Lucas says in a quiet voice.
Ileana shakes her head. “Let us not be hasty in upsetting the balance. There is good in the world, and so there must be bad. As the last two of their race, Tytus and Declan maintain that.”
Lucas takes a step closer to her, clenching his fists. “Do I sound like I give a shit about the balance?”
Ileana tilts her head, an odd smile on her lips. “You, above all, should care, lordul morţii.”
Dominic jerks like he’s been stung, and I know that whatever Ileana just called Lucas, it’s not something simple. Our alpha only narrows his eyes.
Undeterred, Ileana says, “So no, killing Declan is not the solution. Once you corner him in the crater, I will need lightning and blood of his future kin, then we can imprison him somewhere he cannot escape.”
“Blood of his future kin?”
Ileana looks at me, her gaze gentle. “Elisandra’s. But do not worry, she does not have to be harmed for it. A drop or two will do.” From the folds of her dress, Ileana produces a dagger. It’s only slightly larger than her palm, with a curved blade and intricate leaf designs on the ivory handle.
She hands it to me. “Your task, my faoladh friend.” Once I take knife and tuck it in the waistband of my jeans, she looks at the rest of us, lingering on Dominic. “I wish you all good luck.” The moment after, she vanishes in a whirlwind of flowers.
Silence reigns again in the room, then Dani breaks it. “Do we know how we’re going to bait Declan?”
Lucas smirks, a cold expression on his face. “By doing what I mentioned earlier – ridding this town of the Reapers, once and for all.”
“So, who’s going to be responsible for bringing Declan to the crater?” Tristan looks between us.
Lucas nods to Tytus. “The zmeu and the witch can handle Declan.”
“Like they did last time?”
“They’ll have me,” Luz adds. “I can help now.”
Dom pales at her suggestion, throwing a pleading glance to Tytus. He shakes his head ever so, a promise that he’ll take care of her. It doesn’t seem to do the trick, as Dominic walks out in an agitated frenzy. Luz watches him go, then says, “Go on, Lucas. He just needs a minute.”
I think it’s more than a minute he needs. There’s something emanating from Dom I feel, even inside this house. Unsure of what it is I’m sensing, I let it go, and focus instead on Lucas.
“Tristan, you go back up Dani. Her magic and skill can protect us, while me, Dominic and Finn attack the Reapers.”
“You think it’ll be a fair fight?” I point out. “Every time we run into them, more have joined their numbers.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
I shrug and sit back down, gesturing for him to continue. It’ll be a suicide mission, for sure, but what other option do we have, when our home is at stake?
By the time Lucas is done outlining our attack, Dominic walks back, seemingly more at ease. He grasps Luz’s hand in his and nods to our alpha. “Might as well get on with it now, no?”
Lucas narrows his eyes on him, not quite sure what to make of the change of attitude, then nods. I stop him before he leaves, my hand on his shoulder.
“Promise me something.”
“You’ve got some balls, Irish, after everything you pulled.” He snorts. “Very well. What is it you wish, amico?”
“Elisandra safe. Once I get what we need for this, I want your promise she will be unharmed.”
Nothing in his expression tells me what he’s thinking, and unlike before, his emotions are hard to taste in the air as well. “That all depends on how much trouble she’ll make for us in this last fight. I cannot allow her to escape unscathed if she is helping Declan.”
I gulp, and step back. “Noted.” Guess I’ll just have to be quick about it.
We all head out the broken door, but I linger behind to catch Tytus and Fiona. He seems better, more color in his face and an angry look in his eyes. “Will you really be alright fighting?”
He nods. “I’ve healed enough. My brother won’t get the best of me again.”
I can only hope the lie I taste in the air won’t get us all killed.
Elisandra
I’ve lost it – myself – somehow. Watching her, in my body, preparing to hurt my friends and mate is unbearable. Over the next hours, I go into some sort of comatose state. Seeing, but not quite registering anything. What’s the point when I won’t be able to do anything to stop them?
I never should have left Finn. That last fight plays on a loop in my head. How I’d let her bait me, allowed myself to be persuaded... Maybe if I’d fought harder against her mental overbearingness, I would have been able to resist Declan, too.
It’s too late now. Way too darn late. I think of my grandmama, who’ll be alone and heartbroken. Maybe Tytus will lie to her, tell her I died saving the town, rather than contributed to destroying it.
Lost in my thoughts, floating in a fog of my own making, I lose track of time and everything. I’m not sure what really brings me back. Maybe it’s the satisfaction coursing through her veins, or some gut feeling that I need to listen in.
Either way, one moment I’m in the fog, the next it’s like I’m abruptly pulled back into my body, hearing her with utmost clarity.
“They have someone with them,” she says in a sickly version of my voice.
Declan looks up from sharpening a dagger. I’m not sure why he’d bother bringing it with him, but again, it’s not like I’m actively registering stuff.
“I know about the witch,” Declan says.
“Not the witch, the redhead.”
He narrows his eyes. “Who?”
“The human who befriended the daft version of me. She died, but came back to life. Tied to Tytus. He called her a Solo....”
“Solomonar.” Surprise coats Declan’s features. “How in the hell did my weakling brother manage that?”
“Will she be a thorn in our side?”
Declan laughs, nowhere near worried. “No. In fact, she may be key to killing him. You will simply have to deliver the blow.”
“Not a problem.”
Oh, but there is. Because just like that, my stupor is gone. No way I’m letting them kill Lucrezia, not when I’ve already seen Dominic without her. Someway, somehow, I need to get control back.
But how?