Cursed (The Brookehaven Vampires #4) (74 page)

Carter was picking at the shackle on my wrist. He was freeing me. I looked over at Oliver. His wrist was still in the cuff, but I could see that the cuff was no longer locked. Oscar was standing, attempting to free himself.

Oliver looked to me as my cuff popped opened. I didn’t remove my hand. I left it there, for show, as did the others when they had freed themselves.

“You ready to run?” Oliver whispered.

My eyes met his. I nodded. “More than you know,” I whispered back.

Pretending we were still cuffed to the wall, he took my other hand in his and laced our fingers together. He got to his feet, crouching beside me. I did the same. Carter reached for my other hand, grabbing it and freeing my wrist of the cuff. The cuff made a clanking sound as it hit the ground
, alerting the others in the room.

Looking over his shoulder, Helos slowly turned his attention to us. With a single, small gesture of his hand, his followers rose. The whole scene was very sinister, as if every one of them was controlled by this one man.

Oliver (as Carter) stood, pulling me up from the floor with him, his cuff falling from his wrist. Oscar and Carter were next to pull their wrists free.

The overhead fluorescent lights flickered for a very quick second, and I felt unsteady for a moment
, like the entire room had shaken. Looking out at the faces, I realized I wasn’t alone in this feeling. Several of those faces looked up as a commotion erupted overhead.

Oh no
. More of Helos’ minions were coming. I was even more terrified, if that were possible, and my hand started burning even more. Like mind-numbing burning!

The room began to murmur, the noise level
rising. A lot of the minions appeared uneasy.

“You are outnumbered and overpowered,” Helos stated, as he took a step toward us. He seemed too confident.

“That’s what you think,” Oscar said just as the door at the top of the stairs was ripped from its hinges.

Helos whirled around
, taking a stance like he was ready to take on anything that came his way.

I saw a figure coming down the stairs
, and panic coursed through me. I was about to run and get the hell anywhere but there when I realized it was Zane bounding down the steps, heading right for me. He would kill me, or worse!

His crazed, demonic eyes zeroed in on me.

Just as I was about to bolt out of the crazed angel’s path, Oliver shoved me behind him. Zane crashed into us, causing me to get crushed against the wall and get the wind knocked out of me.

Zane was reaching for me, swiping at me, trying to grab me as Oliver struggled to keep the angel from getting to me. Carter jumped in and tried to help. Then Oscar lunged forward and grabbed some sort of leash that was attached to a collar around Zane’s neck. He jerked the deranged angel back and held him so he
couldn’t reach me, but Zane kept trying, like some rabid animal, he just kept trying.

Oliver, was quick to turn and grab me. He held me against him while I sucked air back into my lungs.

“How the hell did Zane get here? How did he get loose?” I shouted, directing my words at Oliver.

Oliver shook his head at me, obviously just as confused and clueless as me.

“What is the meaning of this?” Helos bellowed, turning his glare on Tobin. “Is that not your kin?”

Well, I was slightly relieved to fin
d out Zane was not under Helos’ command, but I still couldn’t figure out why the hell he was on the loose. And leashed…

Before Tobin could respond, Felix was heading down the steps, at a leisurely pace, I might add.

Slowly, Helos turned toward Felix. The recognition on his face made it clear this was not their first encounter.

Tobin backed away, pushing into the crowd and making himself invisible.

“Ah, the titan has arrived,” Helos mocked.

Felix
didn’t respond. He just stopped at the bottom of the stairs, with his gaze fixed on Helos.

Felix was much larger than Helos, and Helos was not a small man.

I was relieved, that Felix had finally arrived, and had hopefully brought backup, but I was also still terrified of what our outcome might be.

Zane lunged at me, but Oscar held him back. Zane’s movement caught Felix’s attention. His eyes shifted toward us for a moment then back to Helos’.

“Stand down, Helos, and we will allow you safe passage to your realm,” Felix said, his voice booming around the strangely silent, shack basement.

“Not without her,” Helos said, giving a nod in my direction.

“You might want to rethink that,” A voice said from the top of the stairs. I recognized it.

Cyrus.

He was descending the steps, his massive, black wings blocking the entrance above from the view of anyone in the basement. He stopped midway down the steps.

Cyrus glanced our way. He did a double take
, and then said, “Oh, I do apologize. My pet got away from me.” Standing midway up the steps, he held out his hand to Oscar, requesting the leather leash that was attached to the collar around Zane’s neck.

Oscar happily handed it over.

Cyrus stayed on the stairs and held the leash while Zane was still on the basement floor with the rest of us. Cyrus jerked Zane farther away from me and the demon fell backward. Cyrus had a stronger grip on the leash. This was a relief, unlike the image of Cyrus out walking his “pet” and that psycho getting away from him.

However, what really wasn’t a relief was the stare-down going on between Felix and Helos.

It was only a short moment later when all hell broke loose.

Helos stepped back and put his hands out in front of himself
at some weird twisted angle. He then attempted to do some sort of magical something or other to Felix.

Felix was quick to dodge, but a good-size spark of what looked like a mix of fire and water came our way.

Oscar shoved the three of us out of the way just in time, causing all four of us to hit the floor in a heap together. Once again, I was gasping for air. But at least I was alive.

As I tried to catch my breath, a large group of Brookehaven Vampires rushed down the stairs past Cyrus and into the room with the rest of us.

I was the last one to my feet, and I was running the instant I was. Cyrus was calling for me, reaching his free hand out to me as the entire basement under the shack broke out in a full on war.

I headed straight for the angel with the others right behind me.

Zane came at me again. He was in my path and I skidded to a stop. Oliver had my hand. He kept going and tugged me toward the stairs while Oscar tackled Zane to the ground, jerking the leash out of Cyrus’ hand.

Carter was right behind me, shouting for me to go. Pushing through the mass of danger, Oliver pulled me forward and then shoved me past him and up the stairs. He and his actual body were pulled back into the mass. I lost sight of them.

“No!” I screamed, turning back and going after them. Cyrus grabbed my arm and pulled me up the stairs. I turned on him. “Let go!” I shouted.

His greenish-gray eyes grew large for a second. Then, releasing his grip on my arm, he lifted both hands in surrender.

I was down the stairs, and then right back up them when a random vamp, or Were, or whatever, lunged for me. He grabbed my ankle and I fell forward on the wooden stairs. Cyrus reached for me and grabbed my hand. He and the ankle-grabber played a quick game of tug-o-war at my expense. Thankfully, Cyrus won. I scrambled to my feet as he pulled me up the steps to him, and the minion who had grabbed my ankle fell back into the crowd and was immediately trampled. It was a disturbing sight.

Cyrus wrapped an arm around my waist and held me tight to his side. “You must stay with me,” he said. “All will be as it should.”

All will be as it should?
What the shit was that supposed to mean? Whatever.

I scanned the mass below, desperately searching for two specific faces.

“There! In the corner!” I shouted to Cyrus.

His gaze followed to where I was pointing. Across the room, I could see their heads bobbing in the crowd. Helos and Habitha, along with several minions, had Carter and Oliver cornered. Felix was
in front of them, taking the brunt of whatever it was the spell casters where doing. Things did not look as if they were siding in our favor.

Chills covered my body as I watched, helplessly,
while Felix pushed Carter and Oliver back, protecting them from whatever it was Helos and Habitha were doing. I couldn’t make out what was happening, only that there was some sort of foreign force hitting Felix, over and over. Their magic wasn’t invisible, but it was hard to really see what was coming from them. But it was definitely something. And it was powerful, especially since the two were being backed by more enchanters.

The Brookehaven Vampires were making headway to them though, but not fast enough. Felix was holding his ground, but it was clear that he was weakening.

I looked down at my hands, wondering what it was I’d done, and if I could do it again.

“It is time,” Cyrus said, his voice grave.

I looked over to him, wondering what the hell it was time for.

He put two fingers to his lips and whistled. Loud. I was quick to cover my ears.

A moment later, Melody pushed her way past Cyrus’ wings. He pointed her in the correct direction, which was to Felix, and Melody very slowly, and very gracefully, descended the stairs, her long skirt dragging on the steps, and her red hair swaying behind her. She disappeared in the mess below.

There were a lot of bodies down there
, and Brookehaven Vamps were fighting their way through a wall of Helos’ minions. Somehow, Felix, Carter, and Oliver had gotten on the wrong side of that wall. My heart beat frantically, and terror pulsed through me while I waited for Melody to reappear. Cyrus assured me she would. But would she be able to protect herself and the guys once she made it through the crowd?

Finally, she emerged at the other end of the room, just behind Helos.

Oscar shouted for Cyrus’ help, pulling our attention from those at the far corner of the room. Zane was turning on him. Oscar was struggling to keep Zane away from him.

Pulling a small dagger from somewhere behind him (let’s just pretend it came from his back pocket), Cyrus tossed it to Oscar.

In horror, I watched as Oscar was quick to catch the dagger, toss it into the air, grab it so that the blade was facing my guardian angel’s chest, and then he plunged it deep into Zane’s heart.

I turned away, closing my eyes, wishing I hadn’t watched. Wishing I hadn’t seen the elation on Oscar’s face.

Cyrus gave me a gentle squeeze, but held me back when I tried again to go after the others. I returned my attention to those in the corner and found that Helos had turned on Melody, but Habitha was still after the others. And she was not alone. Constant sparks of what I guessed was their magic whizzed at those who meant the most to me.

With Zane immobilized, Oscar was making his way into the crowd, attempting to get to his brother’s side.

I glanced over to see Zane’s still and bleeding body on the floor, alone, near the stairs. I turned away from Zane as another of Helos’ minions was coming up the stairs at Cyrus and me.

I have no idea if he was actually coming at us, or just trying to escape. Either way, I
didn’t find out. Shoving me behind his wings, Cyrus quickly lunged forward and grabbed the man coming up the stairs. He quietly and disturbingly broke the man’s neck and tossed him over the side of the stairs. I was alarmed, but relieved.

Cyrus spun around, and one of his wings smacked me upside the head and about knocked me off the steps. He caught me just as I fell to my side. He pulled me to my feet and I stood next to him again.

I returned my attention to the mess on the ground. I saw Oscar get taken down. I was surprised to find myself concerned for him. Quickly, he was back up, brushing off his hands and pushing through the crowd, making his way to the corner.

But i
t was too late.

Melody was down, Felix was rushing forward, trying to get to her
while Helos stood over her looking more and more evil by the second.

Carter and Oliver rushed forward, taking down Habitha and a few other witches.

I felt helpless. I knew there was nothing I could do to help, but just standing there with the angel was making me nuts. I couldn’t just watch and do nothing, and I didn’t understand why Cyrus could.

“Do something!” I shouted at Cyrus.

In all seriousness, his eyes met mine, and he said, “I am.”

I just stared at him in confusion. How was us just standing there doing anything helpful?

At what point would he help?

Then, just as I was about to throw my
life away to help the others, Cyrus’ wing on his other side shifted.

Dressed like the rest of the Brookehaven Vampires, two hoodie-wearing figures dashed past us and down the steps. I got a wave of a very familiar feeling.