CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
The words hung in the air like smoke.
No one moved; no one breathed a word. The only sound that filled the room was the rise and fall of the Master’s laughter.
Gareth’s head lay cradled in my lap. His blood—still warm—stuck to my skin. Heat pulsated through me, enflaming the gaping hole where my heart had been.
Time itself seemed to stop. There was only this moment, every detail searing itself into my brain, etching into my bones. Only this.
The Master’s laughter grew louder, echoing in my ears like a drum. I was moving, before my mind even registered the movement. I slipped out from underneath Gareth’s body, laying him gently against the ground, and stood up.
His blood had soaked through my clothes, staining the fabric of my gown. I didn’t care, though. The crimson banner was my war paint now. Inside me, something was taking hold. It was surging through me, eating away at my senses. Green lightning crackled between my fingertips, and I shivered from the flashes of energy and heat that swelled within me.
“You killed him.” My voice didn’t sound like my own. It was cold and flat. The crowd had grown restless, but quieted at my words. “You. Killed. Him.” The heat underneath my skin was getting hotter, boiling me from the inside out.
The Master stopped his cackling long enough to plop down in his chair, throwing his legs over the armrest. “Oh, no, love.” He smirked at me. “You did that.”
I could hardly hear his voice over the sound of my own blood rushing in my ears. I was on fire, every cell within my body drunk on the flames that no one could see. Power. Pain. Heat. It wouldn’t take much now. Lighting a match into my endless supply of gasoline. I could feel it rising, and I welcomed it.
“You killed him.” My voice was louder this time, and energy surged through my body, taking hold. I stepped forward, a burning inferno, every part of me engulfed in flames and fury.
“You killed him!” I screamed, letting go of the last ounce of control I had left. I threw back my head and unleashed the magic within me. It shot outward, a massive shock wave of electricity that exploded from my fingertips.
The sconces on the wall reacted first, growing brighter and brighter until they shattered in a rain of sparks. The guests screamed as the lights overhead began to burst, one after another.
My screams grew louder, and I raised my hands over my head, consumed by my own power and magic. I wasn’t in control anymore. There was no Lainey, nothing but the insatiable heat, the conflagration of flames that consumed me.
The crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the ballroom detonated like a bomb, showering the room in broken glass and tiny sparks that danced with a life of their own. They floated through the air like fireflies, setting fire to everything they touched. The tapestries on the walls went first. The flames spread like wildfire, devouring everything in their path. They moved unnaturally fast, and screams filled the room as it quickly turned into a firestorm.
I stared unseeing, as everything began to blur together into hazy patches of gold, crimson, and amber. I couldn’t make sense of anything anymore. There was nothing but the flames. As the last ounce of my strength evaporated, I sank to my knees.
My hands were red and blistered. Black spots swam in front of my eyes, and when my vision finally failed, I welcomed the darkness.
I didn’t fight the hands that caught me, yanking me to my feet. I didn’t resist when I felt the swaying motion of someone carrying me.
Just let me go. I wanted to stay in the comforting darkness forever.
The last thing I heard before I sank into nothingness was a terrible wail, a visceral scream of rage that resonated in my bones.
Then, at last, stillness.
It was the light tap of fingertips on my face that woke me. I opened my eyes to a glittering sky, the moon a shining silver orb nestled among a blanket of stars. Maggie’s face appeared then, blocking out the moon.
“Lainey?” she said, her voice hoarse, as though she’d been screaming for hours. “Can you hear me?” She prodded at my face again, unsure if I was really conscious or not.
I nodded, though I didn’t speak. Seeing the movement and realizing that I was at least somewhat coherent, Maggie’s face crumbled and she began to sob. She launched herself at me, squeezing my shoulders and gripping me as though she’d never let go.
It was her tears that broke through the fog inside my head. I struggled to sit up, but Maggie’s weight made it nearly impossible. “I’m okay, Mags,” I said, wincing at the rawness of my throat.
I managed to push her off of me enough to pull us both upright. Her face was pale, and her nose was red from crying. “Are you okay?” I ran my eyes over her, landing on the wound on her arm. I yanked the arm closer for inspection. The wound had stopped bleeding but was puffy and red. Bluish-black lines ran in all directions like a spiderweb from the indentation that looked like . . . teeth. All of the blood rushed from my head. I looked up at her face.
“Maggie . . . is that . . .” I broke off, unable to say the words.
“Yeah.” Maggie nodded, eerily calm about it. “The Scavenger bit me.”
Somewhere nearby, I caught the sound of a whispered conversation, but for the moment all I could do was stare at my best friend’s face. The best friend I had willingly thrown into the lion’s den. Shame colored my face. I had no idea how dangerous a shifter bite could be, or what might happen as a result, but if the black lines running from the wound were any indication, it wasn’t good.
“This is all my fault.” My voice cracked as the weight of my guilt threatened to crush me. I felt a surge of energy but forced it back. I took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry, Maggie. I never should have let you come.”
“We both know you couldn’t have stopped me.” Maggie took her own deep breath and wiped her cheeks clean of tears. “And look, we don’t really have time for this right now. We’ll deal with it later, okay?”
I nodded, finally looking around at my surroundings. “Where are we?” We appeared to be outside in a small wooded area. Everything was fuzzy, but my memory was clear enough to remember the fire. “How did we get away?”
Maggie smirked at me. “Well, after Gareth . . .” She faltered as a fresh wave of tears filled her eyes, but she swallowed and went on. “You incinerated the plantation, Lainey. Everything went up so fast, I thought for sure we were all dead.” Her eyes were wide. “They said you were powerful . . .” There was awe in her eyes, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I looked away.
“So how are we alive now?”
A voice rang out from behind me. “I believe we had a little something to do with that,” it said. I turned around and four figures—three men and one woman—moved toward us. Serena was with them, her face covered in soot, her eyes sad.
The woman had thick red hair that hung down her back in tousled waves. Her eyes were ringed with black, and her thick, prominent eyebrows were knitted in disgust. She was glaring at me.
“The Hetaeria,” I whispered, recognizing her face from the ballroom.
The woman nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course, and you’re lucky you didn’t burn yourself out up there, little witch.” The words were sharp and full of mirth. “Don’t you know how foolish that was?”
“Don’t you talk to me like that,” I snapped, indignation welling up inside me. “You have no idea . . .” My voice cracked and I swallowed, unable to say anything else without bursting into tears.
The woman’s face was still severe, but it softened slightly. She knelt down, her face level with mine. “Oh, I do know, little witch.” There was understanding in her eyes. “I do know.” She held out her hand. “My name is Zia.”
I hesitated for a moment before shaking her hand. “And you work for the Hetaeria?”
“I do,” she nodded. “And my orders are to get you somewhere safe.”
There was something in her face that made me nervous. I looked at Maggie and Serena and then back at Zia.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
Zia leaned forward, her brows furrowed. “You don’t. But consider your alternatives. If you’d rather, I’ll have Julian here skip you right back to the ash heap you created. I’m sure the Master is dying to thank you for . . . redecorating.” Her tone was cold, and she waved her hand in the direction behind me. I looked, and through the tree line I could just make out the dark pillar of smoke.
“Is that how we got away? We . . . skipped?”
Zia shrugged her shoulders. “Well, you pretty much brought down the house all on your own. We just provided the getaway car, so to speak.” She motioned her comrades forward. “Julian, Blake, and Morgan are Skippers,” she explained.
I eyed the men carefully. One was tall and stocky with broad shoulders and tan skin—he could have easily passed as a linebacker. The one in the middle was fair skinned and short, but what he lacked in height he made up for in girth. He looked like one of those bodybuilders from the supplement infomercials. The third man had dark onyx skin and short, cropped hair. His eyes were cautious, but friendly.
“Skippers?”
“Teleportation,” the linebacker answered. “We can ’skip’ from place to place.” He smiled at me then, and I nearly cried at the kindness I saw in his face.
A chorus of deadly cries broke through the night air.
“We need to get out of here now,” Zia said, grabbing my hands and yanking me to my feet. “He’s sent the Guard after us, and we’re not prepared for a battle.”
Zia motioned the linebacker forward and turned to me. “Julian will get you and your friend here to safety.”
I nodded and leaned over to squeeze Maggie’s hand. She looked as nervous and unsure as I felt.
There was another chorus of howls, closer this time and more frenzied.
“We go now,” Zia ordered.
Julian gave me a tentative smile. “Ma’am,” he said, politely, “you’re gonna want to hold on tight.”
I shook my head and allowed him to pull me close. He did the same for Maggie, and we were both pressed against his chest as if he were giving us a giant bear hug. I reached around and locked my own arms around his waist as best I could, gripping her wrists. Maggie did the same. Beside us, Serena and Blake were wrapped in a similar embrace next to Zia and Morgan.
“I’ll count to three,” Julian said, his voice low. “It will be disorienting and scary for you, since it’s your first time, but I’ve got you. Just don’t let go. Are you ready?” He waited for the confirmation from Maggie and me. “Good. Here we go, then. One.”
I’ve got you. The words sent of jolt of pain through me. Ty’s face appeared in my thoughts, and pain lanced through me, but I blinked, forcing my mind to go blank.
“Two.”
I took one last look at the pillar of smoke, sucked in a deep breath, and squeezed my eyes shut.
“Three.”
There was a strange tingling sensation, and then it was as if we’d been thrown backward out into nothingness. The cool breeze whipped my hair in my face, and the sensation that we were free-falling made my stomach flip-flop. I bit back a cry, but Maggie was squealing loudly, the sound making my eardrums ring. Then there was a strong jerk, and I was wrapped in a swirling vortex of color and wind. I screamed then, unable to stop it this time, and buried my face in Julian’s broad chest.
Moments later, I hit the ground hard, knocked from Julian’s arms and onto the ground. I looked around but had no idea where we were. It looked like an abandoned patch of highway.
“Up you go,” Julian said, pulling me to my feet. There was a van parked on the shoulder, hidden in the shadows of the trees. Zia motioned us forward.
Julian tugged at my hand, towing Maggie and me toward the vehicle.
More of the fog in my head was dissipating, and as more and more images became clear, the more pain I felt surging through me. By the time we made it to the car, I was barely hanging on.
“Here,” Zia said, reaching into the back of the van. “You’ll want to get out of those clothes.” She pulled several pairs of dark clothing from a bag and handed them to us.
Then she whistled and the men quickly turned around, giving us some privacy. Maggie and Serena immediately began to change, eager to be free of the ball gowns.
I rubbed my hand over the fabric. The dark green pants and white cotton tank top were worn but clean. I knew I should put them on, but I couldn’t bring myself to remove my dress. It was covered in Gareth’s blood. As crazy as it sounded, I didn’t want to take it off. It was the last piece of my uncle I had left. I wasn’t ready to let go.
Maggie and Serena, seeing my distress, walked over and wrapped their arms around me.
The warmth of their skin made me realize just how cold I was, how hard I was shivering, and the hold I had on my emotions crumpled.
I began to sob uncontrollably.
They didn’t say anything, but I could see understanding in their eyes. Together, they helped me out of the gown and into the fresh clothes.
I cried even harder as they pulled the wretched heels from my feet and replaced them with warm socks and a worn pair of boots.
I had been so certain that there wasn’t anything left of my heart, but as they helped me into the back of the van, I thought of Gareth and Ty, and something inside me broke in two, obliterated by grief and guilt and sorrow.
It was me. I was broken. Broken beyond repair.
My stomach ached and my body convulsed as the sobs ripped through me, tearing me to pieces.
I heard Maggie’s tearful voice. “Please,” she whispered, though I didn’t understand.
There was a slight shuffling sound, and then I felt a hand against my forehead. “Rest now, little witch.”
Zia’s cool voice filled my thoughts, and then I met the darkness of sleep.