Saeed didn’t waste any time entering the fray. Cerys was by far one of the most impressive fighters he’d ever seen, her motions so fast they blurred in his vision, her aim accurate to a pinpoint, and her dagger skills sublime. Saeed had never been so enamored of her as he was in this moment. She was exquisite. A beautiful force of nature that couldn’t be stopped. Gods, how she dazzled him.
Saeed kept one eye on Breanne as he rushed into the living room to curtail the progress of three armed fae headed straight for Cerys. He was surprised they didn’t attempt to shoot her on sight and had to assume that like everyone who came in contact with Cerys, Breanne thought to capture her and exploit her. The thought burned through Saeed like fire and he clamped his jaw down tight as he engaged his first attacker. The male fought with the well-practiced precision that came from centuries of training. His sword arm was steady as he hacked at Saeed with a shining silver saber. It was the perfect choice of weapon, considering silver had no effect on the fae but could easily disable a host of other supernatural creatures. They’d obviously anticipated Cerys bringing back up and were well-prepared.
Saeed brought the fight as close to Breanne as possible. All of this would be for naught if she got away and he’d be damned if they had to do this all over again.
“Saeed! Heads up!”
Cerys’s warning shout drew his attention and Saeed looked up in time to see the glint of a silver knife rocketing through the air toward him. He ducked to his right and the sound of the knife as it traveled through the air sang in his ear at the same moment the blade nicked the outer shell. He hissed in a breath at the sting of silver but the wound was superficial and managed not to affect him. He straightened and parried with his dagger to block the incoming blow of his opponent’s blade. The male’s arm moved in a flash as the blade spun in his grip to no longer stab down, but to slash. Saeed adjusted in an instant, and jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blow. He’d been disdainful of the possibility of letting the outcome of the fight be determined by who was a better aim. And after seeing Cerys effectively disable several opponents in a matter of seconds, he could certainly understand the merit of letting a bullet even the odds.
That wasn’t his style, though. He had his own weapons at his disposal and his pride demanded he demonstrate to his mate his own prowess in battle.
To compel someone took a certain level of concentration that Saeed was reluctant to admit he hadn’t quite perfected. With the Collective’s presence a constant in his mind over the past few months, he hadn’t found the focus necessary to properly control another’s thoughts and actions in a situation such as this with so many distractions. He didn’t have the luxury of time, however and he forced himself to focus. The male that rushed him, silver sword drawn, clashed with Saeed in a ring of metal as their weapons met. He held the fae’s gaze and drew on his power. “You will sit and not move until the sun rises tomorrow.”
A spark of energy ignited in his chest as he felt his suggestion take hold. The male’s knees buckled as he went cross-legged to the floor, his sword resting serenely in his lap. Before Saeed had the opportunity to feel any joy over his success, the burn of silver ripped through him as he was attacked from behind and the sharp blade of a dagger sank between his ribs at the side of his torso where the armored vest gaped away.
“Saeed!”
Cerys’s concerned shout vied for his attention, but Saeed was too busy keeping the blade from stabbing deeper to acknowledge her. He seized the fae’s wrist and twisted until she released her hold on the dagger’s grip. She managed to open the wound further before losing her hold and Saeed issued a barked command, compelling her into stillness. He plucked the dagger free from his torso and threw it, burying the blade to the hilt in the opposite wall. Saeed only had enough time to give the wound a quick glance before he was attacked again, this time from his right. Breanne’s small army of fae fought with a ferocity Saeed couldn’t help but admire. It had been centuries since he’d put his own prowess in battle to the test and he welcomed the challenge, more than ready to prove he was as deadly as ever.
In the meantime, Cerys had managed to disable another two. Breanne had to know the momentum was about to shift and she would soon lose advantage. She’d be a fool not to run and Saeed had to do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen now. As much as he didn’t want Cerys to risk her life by extracting the bean sidhe’s soul, he knew they both had no other choice but to see this through to the end.
Several shots rang out, none of them fired by Cerys. The fae were no longer interested in hand-to-hand combat and were ready to put a swift end to the conflict. Saeed kicked out with his right foot, shoving his own attacker several feet back. He drew the gun he’d tucked into his waistband at the small of his back and aimed, hitting his attacker in the right shoulder. Gods, he was a shitty shot, but where the bullet hit mattered little. The fae slowed as the iron took hold and he crumpled to the floor in a useless heap. Of the fifteen they’d encountered upon entering the house, only two remained. Saeed left them to Cerys as he turned his focus on immobilizing Breanne.
“Saeed, don’t do this. Please.”
He stopped dead in his tracks, stunned, as Sasha stood before him. Saeed gave a violent shake of his head and blinked as though to clear his vision. It wasn’t the Collective that played with his mind, but something else entirely. He reached out toward Sasha and she took a step back as though wary of any contact with him.
“Come home. To me. Where you belong. We need you, Saeed. I need you.”
Sasha’s soft, imploring tone burned through Saeed like the silver blade that had pierced his torso. Her wide eyes glistened with unshed tears and her chin quivered. This couldn’t be real but Saeed couldn’t help but engage.
“I can’t go back, Sasha.” He wished she could understand. “You know that.”
Sasha’s delicate jaw took a stern set. “She doesn’t want you.” Her tone became hard. Cold. “Doesn’t care about you at all. Why would you waste your time on someone who treats you with such indifference when you can return home with me? I care. I love you. I am meant for you, not her.”
Saeed had sent Sasha’s soul to oblivion when he’d turned her. Her emphatic declarations of love weren’t real. She wasn’t real. Breanne’s magic had somehow found a way to breach Saeed’s mind and call forth an image of her. Faerie magic was foreign to him. It weighed down his limbs and cast a gauzy haze over his thoughts. Saeed knew what he saw could not be real, and yet he found himself drawn into the illusion and helpless to fight its pull.
So much like the Collective, Breanne’s illusions had power over him. Was his mind so feeble that he could succumb so easily to Breanne’s charm? He cursed his own weakness as he tried to walk past Sasha, only to find himself stayed by her outstretched hand. “Saeed,” she implored. “Abandon this quest and come home to your coven.”
His step faltered. Doubt scratched at the back of his mind with sharp talons that left his mind shredded and raw. He’d been so certain. His faith so gods-damned unwavering that Cerys would tether his soul. What if after so much fight, so much effort, he returned her soul only to find that his remained trapped in oblivion?
“It’s not real, Saeed!” Cerys’s voice reached out to him, forceful and clear. “Don’t let her in your head!”
Easier said than done. For months, Saeed had lived in a state of blurred reality. Of being unable to differentiate memory from reality. This was no different. Sasha stood before him as true and real as anything he’d seen over the past few months. Saeed took a step closer, and Sasha took a step back. He’d never known her to shy away from him. Another step toward her. Another step back.
“It’s a trick!” Cerys shouted the words between labored breaths as she continued to fight. “Pull your head out of your ass before I dislodge it with my boot!”
Saeed’s step faltered. He looked past Sasha toward the tall, willowy fae whose ice blue eyes remained trained on him. She was powerful. An illusionist. She’d managed to crawl right inside Saeed’s head and weed through his thoughts and memories until she found the perfect ammunition to use against him. Of course he couldn’t touch Sasha. She wasn’t real.
“Come back to us, Saeed.” Tears streaked Sasha’s cheeks, but the soulless rarely had tears to shed. “I need you.”
Sasha was far too proud to ever plead with him for anything. Saeed pushed forward toward her. He reached out, and shoved his fist through the illusion that dissipated like fog under the sun. Breanne drew in a surprised gasp as Saeed overtook her. He wrapped his large palm around her slender throat as he shoved her none too gently against the wall. He was through playing games. It was time to give Rin what he wanted so Saeed could get one step closer to what he needed.
His fingers squeezed ever so slightly, applying the barest pressure to Breanne’s throat. If anything happened to Cerys in the process of extracting the bean sidhe’s soul, neither Rin nor Breanne would live to see the sunrise.
* * *
Cerys was through dicking around. She loaded a fresh clip into her Glock and fired off three successive shots, taking down the remaining fae in a matter of seconds. Breanne knew she was screwed and she’d pulled out the big guns, attempting to put Saeed down by calling forth an image of someone dear to him. Cerys’s chest grew tight as her limbs flooded with uncomfortable heat. Who was the female who implored so desperately for Saeed to return home? She had to have been a member of his coven, and someone he’d at one time had feelings for.
Cerys didn’t even know the female, and yet she couldn’t help but be annoyed by her presence. Angered by an illusion. Cerys swallowed down an angry snort. It seemed the more she tried to convince herself that Saeed meant nothing to her, the deeper he managed to worm his way into her heart.
Without her soul, did she even have a heart with which to love?
There wasn’t time for Cerys to contemplate the metaphysics of her current state. She had a job to do, and no matter her misgivings, it had to be done. Rin would expect nothing less than for Cerys to return to him with Breanne’s soul contained and ready to be added to his collection. Anxiety twisted Cerys’s gut. Doubt and fear scratched at the back of her mind. Her own mortality weighed heavily upon her as she tried not to think too much on what she was about to do. Rin had used her powers sparingly over the past two or so centuries. But tonight’s extraction made it obvious he was preparing to make yet another power-play.
Saeed stood not a dozen feet away. His strong arm jutted out to pin Breanne to the wall. His fingers constricted her throat and yet the powerful fae remained for the most part unfazed. Her cool blue eyes looked on him with disdain and her soft, petal-pink lips, curled back into a sneer.
Cerys wanted to tell Breanne not to be a sore loser, but speaking to her would expend precious energy that Cerys couldn’t afford to waste. She stepped up beside Saeed and ducked under his outstretched arm. He didn’t release his hold on Breanne, but instead took a step closer to press his chest against Cerys’s back. The heat of his body warmed her, relaxed her, and put her instantly at ease. Cerys drew in a deep breath and held it in her lungs as she drew on her own power and let it build. Gods, she didn’t want to do this. But she had no choice.
Saeed held Breanne with his right hand and so, Cerys reached out with her left. She gently placed her palm on Breanne’s solar plexus and released the power she’d allowed to gather in the center of her own being. A wild rush of sensation drained from her body, through her extended arm, and into Breanne. The fae drew in a sharp, pained breath as her jaw clenched and her brows furrowed. She’d barely just begun, and already Cerys felt the depleting effects of her own power.
Saeed’s left arm came around her waist as though to ground her. He bent over her and his cheek pressed against her temple. He was her anchor and she allowed him to ground her as her life force left her body and entered Breanne’s as she began the process of extracting her soul.
“Cerys, I’m sorry.”
Her sister’s mournful voice called out to her and Cerys squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She refused to fall victim to Breanne’s illusions. Fiona never would’ve apologized. She hadn’t so much as flinched when she laid her palm to Cerys’s chest and ripped her soul from her body in order to give it to Rin. Breanne exploited Cerys’s hope, not her reality. She’d always wished her sister had regretted what she’d done. She’d always hoped her sister would return and right the wrong. Cerys had given up on wishing and hoping a long time ago. Breanne would not deter her.
Cerys’s concentration slipped and she lost the tenuous grasp she had on Breanne’s soul. Some were more solid than others, which was what made them easier to extract. Breanne’s soul was a gossamer thing, delicate as though it had been spun from cobwebs. Cerys reached out once again, the invisible tentacles of her power reaching and twining around Breanne’s ethereal self. Once again her hold broke and Cerys slumped as she felt her own strength leave her body like water being sucked down the drain.
Saeed held her tighter. His firm grip was both calming and reassuring. Another wave of paralyzing fear entered Cerys’s bloodstream as she realized she might not be able to do this.
“I’ve got you.” The dark timbre of Saeed’s voice rolled over her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The truth of his words hit her with the force of a sledgehammer. It was true. If it was in his power, Saeed would never let any harm come to her. Too bad she couldn’t be as sure as he was right now. He could protect her from werewolves, shifters, vampires and fae. But the one thing Saeed could never protect her from was her own damned self.
Cerys centered her focus. She couldn’t let her thoughts, feelings, or anything else get in the way of tonight’s task. She had a job to do, and by the gods she was going to do it. Her chest began to ache from the effort she expended. Cerys gritted her teeth and dug in, doubling her efforts as she fought to extract Breanne’s soul. She met resistance as she gave a slight tug and Cerys reminded herself that it wasn’t about force exerted, but finesse. Breanne’s soul was fragile and so Cerys needed to treat it like a fragile thing. She couldn’t simply jerk it free like pulling in a fish she’d hooked on her line. Instead, she needed to coax Breanne’s soul from her body. She would only be successful if she could manage to simply coax it to leave.
Cerys’s ears began to ring and her heart hammered a desperate rhythm in her chest. Sweat beaded her brow and a sour tang settled on the back of her tongue. She didn’t dare open her eyes lest she fall victim once again to Breanne’s illusions. Saeed’s firm grip on her remained the only constant in the darkness as she envisioned her own inner light reaching out with seeking tendrils to weave with the silvery light that was Breanne’s soul.
“Don’t fight it.” She wasn’t sure she spoke the mantra for herself or Breanne. Cerys often wondered if she made the process harder on herself because of her own disgust at being made to do such a horrible thing. She let herself go, banished any notion of harm or regret from her mind. She could deal with those things later. If she lived through this moment. Until then, her only option was to be the cold, detached bitch Rin had trained her to be.
Just a little bit more.… Focus, Cerys. You can do this.
Her strength continued to flag but Cerys pressed on. The seeking vines of her power intertwined with Breanne’s soul until finally, Cerys felt as though she had a secure grip. The easy part was done. Finding the soul took the least amount of effort. It was separating the soul from the body that took a toll. Cerys wanted to laugh. If she made it through tonight, it would be a miracle.
So many words sat at the tip of her tongue but she couldn’t spare a moment of concentration, or energy, to speak them. She wanted to thank Saeed for so many things. For giving her hope when she’d lost it all. For making her feel alive when she thought herself dead. For stirring within her emotions she’d forced herself to suppress, and for holding her tight in his embrace when her own legs couldn’t help her to stand.
A knot lodged itself in her throat as Cerys fought for a breath. Her legs went numb and her right hand hung limp at her side. Her head dipped between her shoulders and her left palm remained pressed against Breanne’s chest. Just a little bit more. She was so close. Just … need to focus.
A scream gathered in Cerys’s throat as she felt Breanne’s soul release its grip on her body. Like a rubber band that had been pulled tight and then released, the extracted soul ricocheted as it slammed against Cerys’s palm. Her legs gave out from under her, but Saeed held her against him and refused to let her fall. Cerys’s eyes opened and she watched as Breanne slumped against the wall. With a shuddering breath, Cerys closed her fingers over the disembodied soul and encased it in her shaking fist. Her right hand hung useless at her side and she cleared her throat which suddenly had gone much too dry.
“Saeed,” she rasped. “I need the bottle in my jacket pocket.”
Saeed released his grip on Breanne’s throat. His hand dove into her pocket and Cerys averted her gaze from Breanne’s shocked expression and shivering form. Saeed tried to press the bottle into her palm but Cerys’s fingers refused to work. She could barely push the words past her lips as she said, “Open the stopper for me.”
He managed to pull the cork from the bottle with his one free hand. Cerys was grateful that he kept his grip on her, holding her upright while she opened her fist over the wide mouth of the bottle. Breanne’s soul slithered inside and as the bright, glistening light settled into the bottom of the vessel, Saeed forced the stopper back into place.
“Thanks.” She wasn’t actually sure if she’d said the word with any coherency as the air seemed to press in around her, compressing her lungs and heart, before her world went dark.