Darkness Unleashed (10 page)

“
Yes,” Mason fired back through gritted teeth. He didn’t falter in his reply, that one word portraying undiluted certainty.

“
Mason, think about it,” Devlin interjected.

“
What’s there to think about? My wife is dying right now, she’s fading away to a place I won’t be able to reach her. Trust me enough to know my own strength.”

“
There’s no silver cage. We do have chains that we can shackle you to the dungeon wall, but nothing like you have back at pack property. The nearest containment, like the Enforcers use, is thirty minutes away. Maybe . . .” Devlin’s concerned features formed a frown.

“
No. I did that once before. Never again. I will be here for her . . . through it all. And I’ll be the first one she sees when she wakes.” Mason was glorious when he chose to be, and this, this was one of those moments.

“
But . . .”

It was Vivien who interrupted Devlin, now. “We don’t have time. If Mason says he can endure it, then we must trust him.”

“
I agree. Besides, we need him to anchor Darcy. Their bond is eternal, stronger than family. He’ll need to be present so Darcy’s spirit doesn’t leave her body, as well,” Elynor added.

It was like watching a damned soap opera, the angst that was starting to coat the air from all the drama unfolding.

“
On my word, you won’t receive any interference from me.” Clasping Devlin’s forearm in a warrior’s grip, Mason locked eyes with his friend. “Do whatever you need to save my wife.”

For a second, I thought Devlin would compel Mason, taking advantage of the Alpha’s trust, but instead, he brusquely nodded. “Then I suggest you stand close to the door. At the first sign you can’t handle what’s happening, leave.”

“
That won’t be necessary, but I will.”

“
Brother, you need to hurry. I can sense she’s fading,” Elynor gently counseled. “Being dead, I have an affinity for spirits and it won’t be much longer before she’s gone.”

Devlin exchanged one last look with Mason, before crouching beside me. “She’s shackled, so this might be awkward. I’ll need at least one of the wrist cuffs removed to begin draining her. Prepare for anything when I do. Amber still has some fight left in her.”

I felt the loosening of the cuff, but before I could whip my arm away from Devlin’s descending fangs, his fingers wrapped around my arm like an iron band. Being subjected to the silver chains and handcuffs had sufficiently weakening me. No matter how much I struggled, he was stronger, and I bucked off the ground as his teeth slid effortlessly through my skin.

This was the end. I knew it the second he took the first pull at my vein and blood filled his mouth. With each draw, my grip within Darcy’s body slipped and it was me who began faltering.

Railing against the inevitable, I bit against the cord between my teeth, desperate to scream out my rage. It wasn’t meant to be like this. How many times was I going to die at the hands of those who were beneath me? With what little energy I had left I pushed against my restraints and glared at Mason.

This was
his
fault.
He
did this to me. He had been my downfall all along. He had never been worthy of the love I’d given him. All my life it had been him; and now I lay dying, again, just so he could reclaim something that would never measure up to what I could’ve given him.

I hoped the bastard struggled. I hoped as he watched this pathetic body weaken to the point of death that his misguided sense of strength snapped, driving him crazy. I hoped that his wolf became feral, forcing the shift and tearing each person in the room into shreds.

Mason didn’t deserve happiness. He deserved to endure the torment he’d callously inflicted on me.

I prayed desperately, as each drop of blood left my body, that on the way out, I could grab Darcy and drag her to Hell with me.

My surroundings grew blurry, but it didn’t stop me from hearing the incessant growls coming from Mason. Each sound told the same story—of agony, despair, and the inner struggle to govern his wolf. Flashes of images danced before my vision of Vivien and Elynor joining hands as they began chanting and of candles flickering, casting shadows against the walls of the room. They’d begun the spell that would send me packing and there was nothing I could do to stop them.

Tears spilled over my cheeks. Not because I was remorseful, but because I was never good enough. No one would’ve fought this hard to save me. I’d thought the Master might have, after seeing the loyalty I’d given him.

There was nobody to save me. Darkness waited.

In the midst of everything, something lurked just out of reach. The presence was immense and powerful, pushing against my body as it tried to break in.

“
Someone else is here!” Elynor cried out, whipping around and breaking contact with Vivien.

“
Don’t let go,” Vivien countered as the magic they’d been creating faltered. “We can’t stop.”

Mason let out a howl that reverberated off the walls. How he managed to remain human seemed impossible; yet there he stood, drenched in sweat as his body convulsed against the overpowering need to change. One of his hands partially shifted, revealing fur and claws, but he quickly reined his wolf back. I’d never seen such mastery before.

Pain lanced through me, causing me to choke against the cord in my mouth. A fire unlike anything I’d experienced sizzled inside my mind as the new presence began ripping me out from the foundation I’d planted myself in. There was a new spirit within Darcy’s body fighting for supremacy.

The Master.

He was here and the vileness of his power chilled me to the core.

“
Darcy needs to die now, brother! Mason, hold on tightly to your bond with her. Whatever you do, don’t let go!” Elynor’s hair rose in the air as she clenched hands with Vivien again, heightening the energy crackling like electricity in the air. Their melodic voices set the atmosphere ablaze with heavy enchantment.

“
I’ve drained all I can. She’s moments from death,” Devlin called out, dropping my wrist to the ground.

“
Find the vessel and bring it to me,” Elynor ordered, pausing long enough to place it between her and Vivien. “Mason, be ready.”

This was it. These were my final moments of consciousness before oblivion. All my scheming, all my deals, and this was how it was going to end. I was rapidly losing my grip within Darcy’s body. The only victory was that Darcy still hadn’t surfaced and the Master was struggling, as well. A few more moments and no one would win.

Darcy’s body would die.

And Mason would completely lose it as grief decimated his soul.

At least that was something.

My death wouldn’t be in vain.

“
The second spirit is leaving,” Elynor announced. Sure enough, I could feel him pulling away. I tried latching onto him, hoping that together we might return, but his presence was like slick oil, slippery to touch.

“
Then all we have left to deal with is Amber’s,” Vivien countered. “Ready, everyone.”

I felt it the very moment the spell changed. They were drawing me toward the vessel they held, wanting to trap me inside. That terrified me more than the idea of simply never existing. At least I would be free and not confined to some urn where they would have absolute power.

The harder I resisted, the stronger they tugged at my weakening spirit. The blood Devlin had taken from Darcy’s body had done its job and I felt her heart falter. There was no other way, no other option, but to resign to my fate. Leaving the slight warmth of Darcy, I came to rest within the cold, hard, binding vessel.

Sealed. Cut off. Prisoner.

There was no one to hear my frustrated shrieks of defeat.

Nobody to hear my bitter cries of failure.

The end had come.

It was only a matter of time before my ultimate fate would reveal itself.

****

Darcy

In the end, it was Mason’s love and unswerving faith that brought me home. It was his stubborn refusal to give up and his tight hold on our mating bond that acted as a beacon of light. Just when I thought I’d slipped away, it was him who guided my spirit back into my body and kept me there.

He was my miracle, my savior.

I would live because of him. As my spirit secured itself once again within my body, he didn’t let go, cradling me gently. I didn’t know how he did it, but he saved me from the darkness and restored me.

As my eyelids fluttered open, it wasn’t Devlin that I looked for, even though it was in his arms I lay. Somewhere through the process, the shackles had been removed, and I was feeding from his wrists. Strength returning to my limbs with each life-giving mouthful of blood I swallowed.

But that wasn’t what was important. As grateful as I was for everyone else in the room, it was Mason I needed the most.

Him.

The man who waited patiently, with his heart shining through his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“
Mason,” I croaked, my voice tender and sore.

“
Sweetheart.” In two long strides, he was across the room, his arms extended as Devlin transferred me from his lap to my husband’s. I’d had all the blood I needed and any danger had passed. Even though my body was still weak, it would heal and grow strong, again. My spirit was back in its rightful place and there were no more hitchhikers possessing me.

Elynor and Vivien had ensured that, by casting a safeguarding spell over me.

Thoughts swirled around inside my head as I struggled to put it all into coherent words. So much had happened– so many insights into what Amber, Helena, and the Master had planned. There were things the Council needed to know about—we were all in danger.

It was the Master who’d tried to occupy my body in those last moments. He’d taken advantage of the confusion and tried to slip in, only to discover he hadn’t quite been ready. With the spell now preventing that, he’d be desperate for another chance to rob me of my strength.

Desperation made men reckless.

“
Mason,” I whispered again, needing him to listen to me.

“
Sssh, rest. You’re okay. You’re safe.” He brushed his lips over mine and I almost lost myself in his tender kiss.

“
But we’re not. We’re not safe.” I had to make him listen.

“
We can talk more, I promise. Right now, I just want to hold you and take you home.”

I turned to Devlin, hoping to talk with him, but he was standing in the corner with his sister. He wore the pained expression of a person who knew he needed to say goodbye. It was so unfair for him to finally see Elynor, and not be able to keep her with him.

He never once stopped touching her, whether to brush the back of his finger over her cheek, hold her hand, or pull his sister into his embrace. It was brutally obvious he missed her, and vice versa. Speaking in hushed tones, Elynor leaned forward and whispered something in his ear before softly kissing his cheek.

Whatever she said, the words shocked him as even more tears fell. My heart ached for them both, causing me to finally turn away, unable to keep watching without sobbing myself.

That was when my gaze fell on the urn containing Amber’s spirit. Anger erupted, fury over what she had put me through. She’d thought I was gone, that I couldn’t hear her selfish plotting, but I had. I knew that she’d never rest until she had what she wanted. Even now, there was no doubt in my mind that Amber was trying to figure out a way to leave the urn and place herself back into our lives.

We’d never be free from her. Not unless something final was done.

“
Help me up, Mason,” I asked, my own strength not completely returned. It wouldn’t take long, though, with my werewolf and vampiric natures.

Without asking why, Mason supported me as I made sure I had my balance. My head spun and for a brief second my vision blackened, but as quickly as it had manifested, my sight returned. Hobbling over to the urn, I didn’t ask permission. I didn’t wait for someone to speak or caution me against it.

Lifting the vessel up over my head, I slammed it down hard onto the ground. Shards of magically infused clay shattered, destroying the urn and what it contained. I knew exactly what the purpose of the container was. I’d heard Vivien talk with her coven members about it.

Spirits could be trapped within its confinement and if destroyed, the soul inside would suffer the same fate. Just like the pieces of clay fractured, Amber’s spirit was now in pieces, never to be whole.

It wasn’t something I’d have ever wished upon her, but my hope was she would still manage to find some kind of peace—even if it was the tiniest part of her.

The room was quiet as everyone stared at me, shocked over what I’d done. Deep down I knew they understood, and even if they didn’t, after everything I’d endured, I’d just ensured we’d never have to deal with her again.

I needed that guarantee in order to move on. The last thing I wanted was to constantly watch over my shoulder, waiting for her to reappear.

“
Darcy . . .” Mason spoke, a sad kindness lining his face.

“
I’m ready to go home,” I answered, before dropping to the floor, my head pounding as the room began swimming. My wolf was now free and she reacted the only way she knew how.

The last thing I saw as I shifted was Mason racing toward me. My mouth moved, weakly trying to convince him he didn’t have to worry anymore, but it was too late.

As fur erupted over my skin and my human form gave way to that of my wolf, everything went still. It was then that I finally felt that elusive warmness I’d craved.

Peace.

Chapter Nine

Mason

The room was hushed as I closed the door, locking the handle to ensure we would have some privacy. For a second, I wondered if Darcy had left for something, maybe blood, but stilling my senses, I could feel her. Our connection had returned shortly after Vivien’s spell gave control back to my wife. If it hadn’t been for the overwhelming exhaustion that threatened to crumble everyone involved, I would’ve rejoiced in having that bond between us blazed.