Chapter 24
Traitors and Enemies
"Too long. Too damn long I lived as Hilly Coldwell. No more. Never again. I'm Ursula, daughter of Damon and Dragona. My mother and father will return, and this world will be restored to its glory. It's our world. Fuck the humans and the forced coddling. We deserve our freedom, sister. Choose your side wisely right now. It's the only chance I'll give you."
I shiver as I stare at the woman I've loved as an aunt my whole life. Apparently Mom wasn't the only orphan my grandparents took in. And hers wasn't the only secret they kept.
"Hilly," Mom says, taking a cautious step forward, releasing my hand. "Don't do this, please. You're my sister. We grew up together, loved each other, still love each other."
Aunt Hilly shakes her head, and I bite back another gasp when her hair falls from its tight bun, and flows around her shoulders, changing from blond to black during its descent.
"There's no such thing as love, Calypso. Not in our world. There is power. That is all. And without it, we'll cease to exist. I'm saving us. Can't you see? We're tied down and constricted, and for who? For what? The weaker humans?"
Nothing makes sense until realization floods me. Hilly gave me the pointless books when I needed information on Castine. She couldn't tell me no when I asked for help, but she didn't supply me with very much. Gage told me it would be someone who was withdrawing from the light. Hilly was already withdrawing, and she used my mother's disappearance as an excuse, distracting me from the truth.
And when the night stalkers found me outside the woods—Hilly had just come to visit. She knew where I'd be, and she probably had them watching me.
Then an old story settles on me about the Crescent coven who created those stones—the ones they've been using to break through our protective spell barriers. Hilly once worked close with things of that nature. She would have known about their power. She would have known how to steal them. She'd been saving them for now—for me—to kill. Oh God. How did we all miss this?
Mom wrings her hands, doing her best to think of a way to defuse the crazy woman she thought was her sister. If this comes to throwing shots of power around, it could get bad. Really bad.
My eyes dart to the man who looks like Thad, and tears glisten in his eyes as he gives me a sad smile. He mouths something. I don't know what it is though, considering lip-reading isn't a talent of mine.
Who the hell is this poser designed to look like my friend? Is this one of their twisted mind games? Haven't they fucked with my head enough?
Another woman steps out from behind Hilly, disrupting my focus on Thad, and my eyes widen. It's Mom—well, her imposter. Hilly smiles as she waves her hand, and the woman's appearance changes. Her dark hair glistens, her true face comes to light, and a daring smirk curls up as she pulls out a black stone. She had one as well. That's how she moved around the light council despite the numerous spells to keep out imposters.
"Airis," Hilly says, keeping her wickedly spiteful grin in full glow while more souls escape from the black hole.
"Meet your cousin," she says, smiling broader, enjoying and savoring every bomb she drops on us.
Cousin? Fuck.
"And one more surprise, niece," she spits. "Since you somehow manage to keep fucking up every plan I've had for your death, you should know—he won't live."
Amari walks to the side that is guarded by a darkly veiled portion of the lake, and she returns, pulling a guy by his dark hair as his hands remain bound by magically-laced cuffs. I've seen those symbols—they confine power if they're strong enough.
When Amari turns him to face me, tears spring to my eyes. Bloody, beaten, and tied up is the man who loved me too much for his own good.
"Gage," I cry out, choking on the tears lodged in my throat.
Gage tries to speak, but the gag tied around his mouth stops any words from forming. I lunge, ready to charge, but Kane jerks me back, holding me in place, gripping my elbows behind my back.
"How could you?" I scream at the bitch. "He's your son!"
The cold smile she gives shows me her black heart. "You refuse to die, and he won't live without you. He made his choice. He chose wrong."
I look away from the psycho bitch, and turn my eyes to Hilly again. "Please. Don't do this. Let him go. If all you want is me, let everyone here go!"
She shakes her head in response, as though I asked a question. "I don't want you at all. I just need you out of the way."
Castine steps forward, ending the only chance of reasoning with the woman we've loved. But the crazy gleam in Aunt Hilly's eyes leads me to believe there was never going to be any chance of resolving this without resorting to measures that can only end in bloodshed.
"We're going to need Drackus," I whisper, still battling my panic as my eyes fall on the dark user with hopelessness and guilt in his eyes.
Kane releases me as he starts strategizing with Deke and Zee, keeping his voice so low that not even I can hear him.
I can see the lights of the eyes of all their followers as they start stepping out from the circle, their numbers multiplying. We are so outnumbered.
Mom's lips tighten as she looks behind her. Shay walks up, apparently just as shocked as we are, but she shakes her head to answer my mother's silent question. Mom sighs out hard, and then she turns back to me.
"He'll be here. Soon, I hope. I should have just brought him as he was. I didn't know what was going on until we got back and the hexer filled us in. She saw this, but not in detail. All I knew was Pine Shore was the center."
"Go get him," I whisper.
"I can't leave you here."
Before I can argue, sparks fly, powers unleash, and hell descends upon us in the form of Castine's attack.
I scream as a burst of power hits me and knocks me backward. My breath becomes rasp, and I actually beg myself to lose it so I can hit her just as fucking hard.
Ignoring my bleeding torso and the tang of blood in my mouth, I throw my hand out, ready to counter. But I'm met with nothing but a small fleck of power that is barely up to my normal degree of strength. What. The. Hell?
"Keep her back!" Kane yells to Zee, pointing at me.
I yell for him as he charges Castine. He's no match. She'll destroy him.
I try to shake Zee off, but apparently he's learned to subdue my powers. I struggle, calling him a string of horrible names as everyone else dives in, facing off with the dark forces that are seconds from bringing the world to its knees.
"Zee! Let me go! They need help!"
"Then fucking use your powers from here!"
Amari strikes Deke and sends him sailing backwards. Seconds later, she hits Dray just as hard, but he vanishes and reappears at her side, catching her off guard in his haze of smoky air.
Frankie finds himself surrounded by dark users, and he fights to dodge their attacks while flinging out his own. There are too damn many for him.
"Stop subduing me so I can use my powers!"
"I'm not."
I look down, wondering why my orbs refuse to form. I've never had a problem summoning them. Of all the times—
"Alyssa!" Thad's impersonator yells, interrupting my panic attack. "Take off the—"
A hard punch across his face from my enemy night stalker shuts him up and drops him to the ground completely. Those glowing blues fall on me, and I lose sight of the rest of the fight.
"Zee. How good are you?" I ask, gasping as the night stalker blurs toward us.
"Good enough," he says, stepping in front of me, but the blow he takes before he can even see the attacker has to crunch some bones.
A hand clasps my throat, and I scramble to get free as the hold becomes painful. We're outnumbered, outmatched, and outdone right now. And I can't do a damn thing about it.
"Alyssa!" I hear Kane yell, and then I hear a cry of pain coming from him.
All I can do is shed tears. I can't see what's going on past the night stalker blues terrorizing me to my core.
"I told you I'd finish this," he whispers with his fangs bared.
I struggle, barely matching a human in strength.
The wind stirs, inviting a new darkness into the mix, and a blast of dark power encircles the night stalker, ripping him off me and slinging him back. Drackus. Thank fuck.
I drop to the ground, heaving for air, and then I look over in time to finally see the sights and hear the other sounds around me. Snarls and howls fill the air as Reese appears with his gang of unruly wolves, vicious and bloodthirsty under the red moon. With one alpha command, he releases them from their unseen leashes. He won't be able to have any control for long, but maybe it'll be long enough. He becomes a blur of fur as he rushes in to join them, howling a battle-cry just before his dagger-like teeth sink into the first bit of flesh.
The wolves attack the many dark users that emerge, the night stalkers that are barreling out of the circle, and the hordes of other followers my twisted aunt has gathered. Then I see Drackus, smiling as he holds two lycans by the throats, his eyes dark and dangerous as he stares out at the chaos.
"Time to let the pups play," he says before tossing Sierra and Amy to the ground, treating them as though they're weightless puppies instead of monstrous beasts.
They scramble to their feet and charge headlong into the path of destruction. They have no control over who they attack though. I pray they hit all the right targets.
Drackus inhales deeply, as though he's tasting the power and drawing from it, and then he unleashes his own hell, fortunately finding enough control to hit the right ones. My night stalker attacker is unconscious for the time being, so I focus on searching for the one I need to see the most.
Finally, my frantic scouring pays off. I see Kane on the ground, holding Castine by the throat as he struggles to kill the sire that stole and saved his life with one bite. I throw out a pitiful excuse of power in an attempt to help, but it does nothing to her. Protected by her amulet, she's untouchable when it comes to me.
"Kane, destroy her amulet!" I scream.
"I can't," he growls, still struggling to keep her pinned, desperate to choke the life out of her before she can free herself. "Get the hell out of here!"
I look up as Thad's poser tries to wriggle back up to his knees, but before anyone else can say anything, two dark shadows emerge from the hole, and two bodies materialize before us. They're holding hands when they find their physical form, which shocks me. They're corporeal—not spirits. How is that possible?
Dark hair wraps her waist, black lips twist up in a bone-chilling smile, and her dark eyes find her lover's. His hair is almost as long as hers, his eyes are just as evil, and his sinister grin is as terrifying.
"Mother," Hilly utters in a praising tone, tears filling her eyes.
Instantly, my frenzied eyes go in search of my mother. She was fighting with Hilly. Where'd she go?
I finally see her struggling with my cousin, who seems to be more powerful than I am with my witch half. Then I turn to see Drackus as he vaporizes. When he almost reaches Dragona and Damon, he's brought back to physical form, forced to the ground in a fetal position, and he screams out in pain.
The bitch from hell barely any exerted effort to bring down one of the most powerful warlocks. She even goes so far as to turn her back on Drackus when she feels he's no threat.
"Daughter," Dragona coos, smiling at Hilly as she walks closer, gently stroking her cheek. "You've done well."
I look on in horrified amusement, still seeking the power that has abandoned me.
Hilly stares at her with dreamy eyes meant for worship, and my heart sinks to my toes. We'll never beat them now—they're out. We needed to close the gates before they escaped.
Hilly seems to have gone from an intimidating mastermind to a child adoring her mother. It's sad, but it's a little hard to sympathize with her right now.
"But," Dragona says, still stroking the cheek of her daughter, "one day you'll turn on me."
"Never," Hilly says, still seeming mesmerized.
"I see all, daughter," she says softly, and then she leans down and kisses her forehead.
Hilly's face distorts, her screams deafen the ears of all, and she drops to her knees, writhing in pain.
Mom screams for her fallen sister, and so does the cousin I never knew existed, when she sees her mother taking her last breath. She runs toward them, but Dragona flicks her back with yet another barely-there effort.
Kane is still tangled up with Castine, who he's lost his grip on, and now they're exchanging blows. Drackus is still trapped in a cloak of pain, and the others are all fighting battles I can't help them with.
"Alyssa!" the Thad imposter screams again, but it draws the attention of the woman I never wanted to notice me.
"Alyssa," Dragona says, grinning darkly with sadistic delight, and then Damon turns to see me, too—his eyes darkening.
"Finally," he murmurs, smiling as he stretches. And just that fast, I'm on my knees, held in front of the portal, so close to Gage and Thad's twin that I can almost touch them.
"Be done with her before she can fight," Dragona says, dismissing me as a threat as she throws out power toward my mother, striking her and my cousin with one almost-fatal blow. "Kill them all. I need to save my strength if we're ever going to claim what's ours."
Amari and the many others try to fight off ours, willing to complete any morbid task assigned, and Damon roughly jerks my head back by my hair, smiling down at me with a wry grin.
"So powerful. That's what they foretold. Yet here you are—on your knees—bowing at my feet like the scrap you really are."
I look at Gage as Damon pulls my hair harder, forcing a garbled cry from me. Kane yelps when he becomes distracted. I can almost feel his pain from here, and I feel a stir deep within me, the monster trapped inside that is begging to break free. So why won't it?
The Thad twin tries to tell me something with his eyes, pointing down at my chest, but my eyes move to Gage, begging him to find a way to get out of here before they kill him, too.
He shakes his head as he struggles in vain, held back by the power in his restraints, and thoroughly cemented to the ground by an invisible force.
Suddenly, Frankie appears from out of nowhere, and with a strong, almost blinding blast, frees Gage from the restraints.
"I hope you're as fucking powerful as you claim," he growls, seconds before he's launched backwards by a red orb cast from Damon's hand.
Another red ball charges Gage, but he extinguishes it with a blue and red orb of his own, the two colliding powers consuming each other until they dissipate.
"Well well well," Damon says with an eerie grin. "What do we have here?"
Gage doesn't answer as he pulls off his gag. Then he dives, making Damon strike at him, but instead of hitting Damon, Gage rips the necklace from its place on my neck and falls to the ground, blood pouring out from his side as he lands with a thud.
The only reaction I have is a deep internal explosion that bubbles over with more fury than I've ever felt. An ominous chuckle taints the air as I slowly drift toward the power I crave, desperate to savor every drop.
"Dragona!" Damon yells as I rise to my feet, easily fighting off his hold on me as though he's nothing more than a speck of dust.
The air starts spiraling out of control, trees bow and break, and the water around us pushes back even farther, making the lake seem as though it's trying to escape us—escape me.
I turn to face the terror in his dark eyes. He's seen his fate—it's me.
Fire spreads from my hands, spins around on the ground to make an arena-ring for warriors in battle. And then blackness steals my sight as I stare into his heart. He has to die—again.
My dark laughter fills the air when he's knocked backwards, but then my laughter is shattered when I'm suddenly out of breath, falling to my knees. Dragona smirks as she hovers over me, hand outstretched as she tries to draw the air from my lungs.
"You're not strong enough while mortal, young one."
Shots of power come from every angle and Gage steps in front of me, absorbing some of the magic she's pushing out. She struggles to stand as he launches one attack after another, but she's so much stronger than Damon. And Gage isn't strong enough to continue to endure her.
My ribs crack inside me, my head bangs as my skull tries to cave, and my breath tries to give out completely. As my blood starts dripping from my eyes, nose, and ears, I hear a scream, drawing me to look at anything other than the red moon that offers me no extra strength tonight.
Castine folds and falls, withering to nothing, and silver eyes emerge on my night stalker. A deep growl in his throat sounds out seconds before I feel something gloriously divine attack me with a rapturous promise of hope.
He's suddenly gone and then he reappears in front of me, hitting Dragona with a silver orb just like mine. She cries out, stumbling for balance, and then she hisses at the man she overlooked as a threat.
"No," she snarls, and then she hits him with streaks of spiraling purple and red, throwing him and Gage backwards in unison, and leaving me on my own.
But I'm not trembling in fear when my bones crack back into place, or when my drops of blood slide in reverse, returning to their proper placement inside me. My breaths become easy and crisp, rejuvenating me and my wrath. Something inside me snaps and mends in the same breath. I taste the darkness, I feel the light, and it all comes together in a seamless bond.
Her eyes widen in sheer terror, and I stand, not affected by her force anymore. When Damon takes her side, Kane finds his way back to me. They're strong, but we're stronger.
"Put them back!" Thad says, making me narrow my eyes at him.
Kane launches a massive stack of orbs at once, slinging them toward the couple, and I turn my attention back to do the same. Dragona and Damon stumble and bleed, but spirits are harder to kill—even if they are corporeal now. Stubborn bastards.
"You have to put them back!" Thad says again. "They're too strong to kill. They'll escape! Put them back while you can."
Kane starts toward them, but I stop him with a hand to his chest, smiling as I stare at their wavering strength the posing changer has overestimated—souls as black as night, hearts that don't exist, and intentions that will destroy the world. A soul killed twice ceases to exist—they have to die.
"No," I murmur, summoning every bit of strength deep within, and then it pours free, running through them by way of every opening it can find.
I feel each and every entity I possess flowing out of me, howling their promises in unison. It wraps around them in the form of a gold and silver light, the two colors intertwining and braiding together. I can feel every creature's power vibrating through the conjoined strands. I can taste Kane's power strumming through me, fueling me as he pushes harder, aiding me in the attack.
Screams dress and decorate the air with a delicious taste, and I drink it in, loving the feel before I charge and grab them both by the throat. The poison of my touch, the taste of my power, and the kiss of death all work together to steal the essence that keeps them here.
Pieces of them start breaking off into ashes, until they finally crumble like a pile of rubble at my feet. My dark hair whips in the wind as I turn to face the silver eyes of my creature—my love. And in the reflection his eyes offer me, I see the golden orbs in place of my silver eyes. A power like I've never felt before radiates through me, pushing me to continue.
Madness breaks free from me, causing more chaos as the sun slowly starts to rise, shedding light on the red moon creatures who find their sanity amongst the war at hand. The divine taste of darkness runs through me as I push forth one last burst of power, letting it sink into the core of the idiots still fighting for their fallen king and queen.
Pretty cries of death echo through the air as they fall. Wilting under my power, they crumble, breaking under the strength that won't let up or offer mercy.
The ones not filled with blackened hearts stumble backwards, watching in disbelief as their adversaries drop. Then I stalk toward the wakened night stalker that just won't die and the bitch mother Gage doesn't deserve to endure.
"Monster," she seethes, barely keeping her head up against my force.
I kneel in front of them, her eyes cold and callous, refusing to show fear even though she knows the fate she's about to meet. His eyes show me the fear I crave, desire, and relish.
"You should have chosen the right side," I murmur before finishing what I started with one last push of power, pressing against them fully with the unseen force.
I deny them the right to cry out their pain when I steal their breath and force them to endure a silent death. As they drop, I slowly turn around, seeing most of the damage slowly fading as the light from the sky promises a new day.
Gage is messing with the Thad imposter, trying to free him, and Kane is untying the small girl.
"Not him!" I command, finding my fury once again.
"It's Thad, Alyssa. He’s real," Gage says, not meeting my eyes.
I start to say something else when I look Thad’s heart, seeing the truth I wish I had seen sooner. White—pure white light—buried inside a beautifully-pure heart, and tears fall from my eyes as my hair changes back to blond.
I start to fall, but Kane blurs and catches me as the surrealism and exhaustion catch up, only—I'm not as exhausted as I should be. That much power—
"I changed," I murmur, touching my skin as though it should be different, feeling no wounds where they were just moments ago.
Kane smiles down at me as he pulls me closer, holding me so much tighter than he's ever been able to before. It feels so good.
"I have to shut this down. Get the medallion," Thad says to Gage as the exhausted little girl wobbles.
Kane leaves me as he rushes to her, trying to steady her. I run over, and stumble over my feet from the unexpected speed I didn't mean to use. When my body claps the ground, I hear the laughter of an incubus that seemed to be missing from most of the fight.
Zee helps me to my feet as Thad moves to be at the little girl's side, putting the necklace on her and letting Gage reseal the broken chain.
"What're you laughing at, incubus?" Zee grumbles. "Where were you? Hiding?"
Dice scowls. "I was kicking a night stalker's ass. Me—an incubus—beat the hell outta him."
"One?" Zee asks, sounding incredulous, making Dice's anger grow. "I don't know which one of you is more pathetic."
As the bickering continues, Mom's arms wrap around me when she comes to my side. She hugs me close to her, squeezing me tighter than usual just as Kane did. Drackus stays on his back, still catching his breath and shaking his head sporadically as he comes down from his high. Frankie staggers over, clutching his side as hobbles to us.
"What's that?" he asks, looking at Thad. I still haven't processed the fact that he's alive.
"All I know about it is that it halts power on certain creatures. She's too young to stop her power once it's been activated. Get that thing out of here," he says, pointing to the diamond of Roth.
Frankie vaporizes with the diamond in tow. Mom just watches with me, ignoring the cousin my crazy Hyde-half left alive. Her heart was tainted, but not black—there's hope for her. I pray I'm right about that.
"How do we get all the spirits back in?" Dice asks, breaking apart from his feud with Zee.
"Once we shut this down, they'll lose their hold on this world and the bodies they've captured. They won't be sucked back into purgatory, but they'll become trapped in various planes. I'll find out which ones and lock them down or move them."
"Had a few secrets, did you?" Kane asks, cradling the small girl to his chest as he stares at the changer that shouldn't be alive.
"Being a gate keeper is as dangerous as being a creature god. You had a few secrets of your own, didn’t you?"
Kane doesn't answer before the hole slowly starts to fade from sight, and the air becomes crisper almost instantly—making it easier to breathe.
"Why weren't Dragona and Damon spirits?" Drackus asks as he finally stands to his feet, seeming normal again—well, as normal as possible.
"Because they were stronger than we realized when we banished them—they fed off the spirits there," Thad answers absently as he focuses on the portal.
Once the hole is completely gone, I touch the spot where the medallion once graced my chest.
"It would have been nice to know it killed powers."
That grin he shows me—it's real—he's real. It's his grin.
He comes over to pull me into his arms, and he holds me tightly to him as he kisses my forehead, making my tears pour out feverishly. I hold him a little too tightly. He gasps for air, and I quickly release my hold as he grips his side.
"I didn't know you were a creature goddess, or I would have warned you. Some secrets are meant to be kept. I had no idea."
"Neither did I," I murmur through a sniffle, wiping my eyes. Is it really over?
I look around at all the devastating destruction, and Dray comes to drop to the ground, showing how much energy he exerted as the exhaustion weighs in on him. Reese is behind him—naked—wiping sweat off his brow.
"We lost five of my wolves," Reese says, spitting out blood and not bothering to cover up. "Where were the councils?"
"They were called," Shay mutters, scowling in disgust and fury. "But they're—"
"Never around when a real fight is underway," Gage interrupts through a scoff, finishing the sentence for her.
He's bloody and beaten. He's also refusing to meet my eyes. Kane looks at me, and takes a deep breath before nodding the approval I don't need. I have to talk to the dark user—save him.
I go to his side and start assessing the damage done. Everyone walks away to give us a moment of privacy, even Thad. I wonder idly if he knows.
Gage winces when I touch the gash on his cheek, and then my hand trails down to his chest, hovering over his heart.
"We have to break the spell," I almost whisper.
He lets a harsh breath out and nods, looking away when tears form in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I thought... I just..."
"I know," I say softly, taking his hand in mine.
He stares down at the connection, and he draws my hand to his lips to kiss it. I smile sadly when his eyes meet mine again.
"I really do love you," he utters with a sigh, finally grasping his courage to finish what he wanted to say. "I wouldn't have ever cast the spell if I had known the truth, though. I would never do anything to betray you that way. I thought I was saving you."
There's no doubt that he's telling me the truth. But there's only one I've ever loved; and he's the only one who can save me from myself—who has saved me from myself.
"No love forsaken, no hope lost; let these words remove the cross," I murmur softly, feeling my magic work almost instantly with more power behind it than usual. I could get used to this.
Gage breathes in deeply, and then he exhales a black fog, expelling the burden and pain he was carrying because of the side effects tied to his spell. He may still love me, but now it can fade, and he'll have a chance to find someone who loves him back.
He pulls me to him for one last hug, and kisses my cheek, murmuring his apologies once more. I rest my head on his shoulder, ready to move beyond this. Before he was a lover, he was a friend. I would have been lost without him during that time.
"What are we going to do about the councils?" Reese asks, as my nameless cousin walks toward us.
I ignore the wolf, move back from my embrace with Gage, and focus on the dark-haired girl before me. She stands taller, pushing her shoulders back. She looks a lot like me, since we really are related through Freya.
"I'll accept my fate with honor," she says steadily, trying to hide the fear in her voice that shows in her eyes.
Fate: that's a word that makes no sense to me. Fate is nothing more than the universe's twisted sense of humor that raises more questions than it ever answers.
"I won’t kill you. If that's what you're asking," I say after drawing out the suspense.
She looks at me as though I've lost my mind, but she nods warily, taking steps back, refusing to take her eyes off me for fear of a trick. Then she vaporizes and disappears from sight.
"That's either generous or stupid," Gage says as he squeezes my hand.
I force a tight smile, and then I turn to Reese who is still waiting expectantly on an answer.
"The councils," he says softly, not trying to sound disrespectful but demanding some justice.
"We'll handle that right now."