Chapter Twenty-Four
Griffin sucked in a deep breath as he felt his heart lurch. The beat became frantic and fast the instant he realized that a gun was pointed dead center at his chest.
“I’m sorry,” Elliott’s gaze was desperate. His expression shattered. “I can’t stop…she’s got me…under a spell. Didn’t freaking realize it.”
“Valerie.” Where was his witch? Where—
“Not…her. So f-fucking sorry…” The gun was shaking. “I can’t stop. Got to…break the spell. If I don’t sh-shoot, they will…” He jerked his head toward the bars.
To the guards who waited there. Witches.
But where was Valerie?
“They’re going to…kill her. I’m supposed to k-kill you.” The gun was shaking even harder now, and Griffin realized it was because Elliott was fighting himself. “I don’t want to kill you.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I sure as shit never w-wanted to be king. That’s…not me.”
The gun barrel pressed harder into Griffin’s chest. Blood was on the stones all around him. Griffin realized the blood was his own.
Valerie had brought him back. The only explanation. That meant she’d made herself weak. He had to get to her.
“Help me,” Elliott pleaded. “I can’t st-stop. Don’t know what…what to do…bullet always finds its t-target—”
In that case…Griffin lunged up. In one move, he ripped the gun right out of Elliott’s hand. The guards rushed toward the cell. He fired.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
“You’re right,” Griffin studied the guards who had hit the floor. “The bullets did find their targets.”
Elliott grabbed the weapon, only instead of trying to pull it out of Griffin’s hand, Elliott pushed it against his own chest. “Kill me. I-I can’t fight her spell. Won’t stop. Kill—”
Griffin slammed the gun into the side of Elliott’s head. When that didn’t knock the guy out, he just pounded Elliott with his fists until the shifter was unconscious. “I’ll deal with you later.”
Power pulsed through Griffin’s body. More power than he’d ever felt before in his entire life. He smashed the gun in his bare hand, turning it into dust even as his dragon’s wings burst from his back.
Bigger, stronger than before.
He hadn’t just come back from the dead. Valerie had made him even…better.
Gods, he loved his witch.
“I’m coming, baby.” He looked above him. The gaping hole he’d created before was still there. He shot straight up. He’d find his mate. He’d save her. And he’d kill the ones who’d made the mistake of fighting against her.
Nothing would come between him and his mate.
You own my heart.
Nothing.
***
“Valerie Storm is guilty, and she must die!”
Valerie stared at the mob around her. A mob of witches. Really, how fair was that? Hadn’t they learned any lessons over time? They’d once been chased by mobs—more than once—and now they were all eagerly chanting for her death?
They’d regret that choice when she ruled them all.
“Tie her to the post!” Genevieve blasted as she stood in front of Valerie. “Tight! The fire will judge her!”
No, it wouldn’t. Genevieve was going to be in for a really harsh surprise there. The fire wouldn’t do a damn thing.
Devon stood to the side, watching all of this and looking all grim and subdued.
He was such a good actor. Unfortunately for him, that jackass was gonna be dying soon. Hadn’t she promised him that he’d die before sunrise? The sun hadn’t come up, not yet.
A raven let out a loud cry.
If she could have, Valerie would have smiled. But a smile wasn’t allowed. Not then. No movement at all was allowed.
“She’s one of us!” The faint cry came from the crowd. And it was a familiar voice. One she knew so well. Yet Valerie couldn’t turn her head to look for the witch. “Why does she burn?” the witch demanded.
Fury flashed in Genevieve’s eyes. “Bring out the witness!”
Ooh, a witness? Now this was just getting even better.
Wind blew against Valerie’s skin. She would have shivered but—can’t. Maybe she should have felt afraid right then, but she didn’t. She’d worked her magic on Griffin. She knew that she had. And any minute, she expected to see him rushing to her rescue.
She’d let him save her. Just this once. It would be good for his self-esteem.
Genevieve leaned toward her. “I see hope in your eyes. You think the dragon is coming for you? Think the hell again. I left Elliott with him. Elliott, by the way, is under my love spell. You might not have felt like working that particular charm, but I’ve always found it beneficial. He’ll do anything I say.” Her voice carried only to Valerie. “And I told him to stay in that cell. If Griffin so much as twitches, Elliott will put a bullet in his heart.” Genevieve leaned back. All satisfied and smirky. “Oh, sorry, are you crying?”
A tear had slipped down her cheek.
“I don’t see any witness!” the witch from the crowd called out. “We shouldn’t burn our own! That’s not—”
“Here’s the witness!” Devon’s voice boomed. Devon approached Valerie, with a male at his side. She couldn’t turn her head to view the male but something about his scent was striking a chord in her memory.
Something—
The male moved in front of her. Glared. Glared at her with bright, blue eyes. Bright eyes. Dark, chestnut hair. A face that hadn’t aged at all, even though centuries had passed since she’d last seen…Tomas.
“The witch cursed me!” Tomas yelled. His gaze blazed. “I was a human, but she turned me into a monster. I don’t age! I don’t die!”
Really? He was bitching because he’d somehow gotten immortality? She didn’t remember giving him that particular bonus. If she hadn’t given it to him, then someone else had. Her money was on Genevieve.
“I burned you once,” Tomas told her as he jerked a torch from Devon’s hands. “And I’ll do it again.” He lunged toward Valerie and shoved the torch against her shirt. It caught fire quickly, burning and—
More wind whipped against her. Fierce, angry wind. Wind that knocked that little flicker of fire right out. She heard a roar. Such a powerful, unearthly cry, and then angry balls of flame were shooting down from the sky. Red and orange flames that didn’t come at her, but instead were directed at the enemies who’d wanted her dead.
“He’s alive?” Genevieve ducked for cover. Cover that she took by hiding behind Valerie’s body. “Kill the dragon! Kill him!”
Dragons weren’t easy to kill.
Tomas hadn’t jumped for cover. He stared at Valerie with eyes that glittered with hate. “You showed me magic. Then you went away.” He still had the torch in his hands. Tomas bared his teeth at her, and Valerie saw that he now sported fangs.
Well, that explains the immortality. Only he was blaming her for something she’d never done. She hadn’t made him into a vamp. That particular sin couldn’t be placed at her door.
A knife pressed to Valerie’s throat. “Shift, Griffin Bastien!” Genevieve screamed. “Shift back to human form or I will cut her throat. The blade is magic. She will die.”
The dragon flew to the ground and landed with enough force to shake the land. Then he began to transform.
“Attack him!” Genevieve yelled. “Kill the dragon—kill Griffin!”
Devon, of course, scrambled to do her bidding.
“And, you,” Genevieve hissed in Valerie’s ear, “you are—”
“Now!” Valerie bellowed as she stopped pretending.
Pretending to be paralyzed because of the venom.
Pretending to be helpless.
Valerie ripped through the ropes that bound her. She twisted her body and swiped the knife right out of Genevieve’s hands.
“You…you’re paralyzed!” Genevieve gasped.
“Of course, I’m not. I’m just a damn good actress.” Valerie jerked her head toward the tall, tattooed man who’d snuck up behind Genevieve. “Medusa.” That code word never got old.
Before Genevieve could turn to see her attacker, a snake sank its fangs into her throat.
She fell, her body as hard as stone.
“I’ll deal with you soon enough.” Valerie smiled down at her foe and—
Fangs sank into Valerie’s throat. Not the fangs from a snake, but from a vamp. Tomas had bitten her. He savaged her neck, and she drove the knife back into his stomach. She stabbed him once, twice…
Tomas let her go.
He stumbled back, her blood dripping from his mouth. Horror widened his eyes.
Dizziness swept through her. “Bad move, Tomas. Very, very bad.” Dammit, his bite was making her even weaker. She couldn’t afford more weakness. She had to bluff her way through this shit. Bluff it when she felt human.
Tomas fell. His body jerked and shuddered.
He hadn’t taken enough of her blood to die, not yet. But—
“Valerie!”
Her head whipped up. Griffin was there. Naked, sexy Griffin. He’d transformed from his dragon, and he was rushing toward her. As he shoved the crowd out of his way, Valerie caught sight of a familiar witch.
Calliope.
Calliope had been the one heckling Genevieve. As soon as she’d heard her friend’s voice, Valerie had known there was still hope.
Calliope clapped her hands and clothing appeared on Griffin’s body. A few foolish witches tried to attack him, but Carmichael lunged forward—Carmichael and Warren. They’d both been hiding in the crowd. They fought with claws and fangs, using their brute strength against magic.
The witches weren’t used to fighting shifters and when the witches started to bleed, they also started to run.
“No!” Devon’s guttural yell. One that echoed over the chaos. “You don’t get to escape again.”
Devon lunged toward Valerie. He’d grabbed the knife she’d used on Tomas. Valerie didn’t even remember dropping it because so much shit had been going down. But he shoved toward her, and he plunged the knife into her chest. “You don’t get to be happy with your shifter. You don’t get to take away everything I’ve built.”
The blade sank deep. She felt it slide into her. Devon stared at her with his enraged eyes, and she remembered another time. Another place.
When he’d held her back…When he’d stopped her from saving Tomas…When he’d changed all of their lives.
She could see his fury. His jealousy. He’d wanted her for himself, and he was one of those fucking twisted pricks. The kind that thought if he couldn’t have a woman, then no one could.
“He’ll never touch you again.” Spittle flew from Devon’s mouth. “You’ll never have the power you wanted, you’ll—”
A shifter’s claws tore through Devon’s chest. Ripped straight through it as his eyes widened in horror. Even though pain racked her body, Valerie smiled. “I could bring you back…” Her hand lifted. Touched his cheek. “But I fucking won’t.”
Griffin’s claws jerked out of Devon’s body. He fell, blood pumping from him. His body was jerking and twisting.
“H-help me!” Devon’s pain-filled shouts drew everyone’s attention. The leading council elder was dying.
Who would help him?
Valerie glanced down at her body. The knife was still in her. One that had been enchanted by Genevieve so it packed a deadly punch. If she pulled it out…no, not going to think about that right now. She knew what would happen when that knife left her. She’d seen Genevieve use this particular trick on other enemies. As soon as the blade stopped touching her body, Valerie would die.
“Baby?” Griffin reached for her. His claws were gone. His gaze was stark. Scared. His fingertips trailed over her cheek.
She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his hand. “I have to finish him.” Did Griffin understand? It was her kill. Her time.
“Baby, you’re…you’re hurt badly.”
She didn’t want to think about how badly. “It’s okay,” Valerie lied. “If I die, I’ll just bring myself back.” Had he seen the vampire bite her? Did he realize how weak she truly was?
Don’t show weakness. The witches watching wouldn’t respect weakness. Only strength.
Her gaze slid around, searching for—
“Do you need this?” Rio’s voice. Rio—her henchman was right there. He’d shoved through the crowd, and he bent to pick up the torch that Tomas had used to light Valerie on fire.
She took the torch from him. It wasn’t lit any longer, and dammit, she didn’t have enough power to even spark the flame. The first thing a witch learned was how to make fire, and she couldn’t. If she couldn’t make fire, the others would know—
Griffin opened his mouth and let out a breath of fire. The torch burned bright and hot.
She stepped toward Devon. Stumbled. But Griffin was right there. He caught her left arm. Rio took her right. They moved together until she was over Devon’s body.
He glared up at her even as he put a hand to his gaping chest.
“How are you even still alive?” Valerie asked him. “Griffin should have taken your heart.” She swallowed. “Guess you don’t have one.”
“Because…gave it to you…long ago. Only…y-you…”
Seriously? “Guess what? I don’t want it.”
He lunged up at her, but she shoved the torch down. The fire burst over him, taking him away, burning him in an instant until the only thing that remained of him was…ash.
“Was he supposed to burn that fast?” Rio whispered.
She still gripped the torch. Valerie wasn’t sure she could let it go. “I…may have cursed him a long time ago. Made fire his weakness. If he ever got too close…bam.”
Rio cocked his head. “How long ago?”
The day that Tomas had died. Well, his first death, anyway. Since he was a vamp, she knew he’d at least died twice.
“How long have you been planning all of this?” Rio’s eyes were huge, as if he’d just realized that maybe…maybe everything that had happened had all been anticipated by her.
Almost everything had.
She eased out a hard breath. “Since the day my two friends stopped me from saving a human I loved.”
Griffin stiffened.
Griffin was still at her side. Griffin was holding her up. Griffin had given her the fire she needed to destroy Devon. She turned her head and smiled at him. “It’s always…you.”
“Your neck is bleeding.” Griffin’s eyes were on her throat.
“Right. V-vampire bite.”
His stare shot back to her face. “That knife is in you so deeply, baby.”
Too deeply.
“R-remember what I told you…about vamp b-bites?” She was shaking.
Torment. Terror. She could so easily see what Griffin felt as he said, “You’re as strong as a human.”
Right then, yes, she was. She was living only because of sheer damn determination.
Stefan leaped from the crowd. Stood in front of her. “You’re not dying.” His words were a bellow.
Jeez, way not to keep a secret from the witches. From all the eyes that were watching and waiting to see who would come out as the winner in this battle.
“I brought your former henchmen.” Stefan knelt before her. “I’m in your service. The helpless kid you saved when I was just ten years old.”
The kid she’d saved…and the boy who’d helped her to become immune to Medusa venom so that she could fake her paralysis when the time came.
“And I’m in your service.” A tall, golden skinned vampire flashed his fangs as he took his position near Stefan. Like Stefan, the vamp took a knee before her. Magnus. He’d never wanted to become a vampire, and he’d been half-mad from hunger when she found him. She’d helped him, given him her magic blood, made him stronger, and in turn, he’d helped her to eventually turn her blood toxic to vamps. Because Magnus had wanted to fight the bastards who’d made him. She’d been his weapon. Magnus had cut through the worst of the vampire dens, with her help.
“And I still owe you, witch.” A woman with jet black hair, dark mocha skin, and golden eyes appeared near Magnus. Whispers floated in the crowd because the witches could feel the magic pouring from her. A djinn. Ellya.
“It’s been a…long time, Ellya,” Valerie murmured. A murmur was kind of all she could manage.
Ellya didn’t take a knee. The woman had never bowed to anyone or anything.
“A long time?” Ellya’s smile was brilliant. “Yes, I guess it has been a long time…since you pulled a desperate djinn back from death, making her swear that she’d grant you one wish…any wish you wanted.”
Yes.
“You planned this all, didn’t you?” Ellya gave a quick nod. “I admire that. You knew you’d need me to heal you, if things went south in your big battle. Fine, I’ll do it. I’ll—”
“Cut the mating bond.” There. She’d managed to do it. Managed to get out those desperate words.
Shock stiffened Griffin’s body. “What?”
“I’m dying.” She could feel Death clawing at her, from the inside out. “I’ve been dying for a very long time.” A secret she’d kept. Now she made herself stare into Griffin’s brilliant green eyes. Screw the audience watching. It was all over, and only he mattered. “From the first time I tried to trick Death. He’s been trying to get me ever since. That’s why I scream at night. That’s why you see the claw marks that appear on my skin. A price has to be paid for the magic I used.” She could barely talk. Her whole body was ice cold. “I’m the price.”
“No!” Griffin thundered. “You are not dying! You’re staying with me. If this woman can heal you—”
“The wicked ones don’t get…happy endings.” She’d always known that. “But you’re…not like me. You shouldn’t suffer when I’m g-gone.”
“Valerie.”
She only had seconds left. She could feel it. Her head turned toward Ellya, and Valerie could have sworn the djinn had tears in her eyes. Impossible, of course.
Everyone knew the wicked didn’t love. Didn’t care.
But I love. I love Griffin.
“Cut the mating b-bond.” If she didn’t, Griffin would go mad when Valerie took her last breath. “I wish…to…cut…”
She didn’t get to say anymore. Because the heart that had been struggling so very hard to beat, it just stopped.
When she fell, Griffin was still holding her.
And she could have sworn that she heard Death laugh with delight.
Yeah, bastard. Laugh it up while you can…I’m coming for you.