Embrace the Magic (The Blood Rose Series Book 2) (20 page)

He nodded, then to Finn, he pathed,
I’ll be with the Guard here.

Ending the communication, he drew Samantha away from the apex and like water sliding off a slick surface, the power drained away from her. He marveled at all of it.

He took her by the shoulders. “I don’t want to go but I won’t be far. The oaks are a clue. There are a few groves scattered around my realm, but I can’t be far from you right now.”

Her smile faltered. “Good. I’m nervous, too.” But she drew in a deep breath and added, “I’ll walk you to the front door.”

By the time Ethan said good-bye, he felt in his bones that leaving Samantha right now was a big mistake. But he had a job to do and the vision had been clear; he’d been with his men, where he should be.

Yet even as he, and six additional Guardsmen, began measured sweeps high in the air over the immense oak grove, his house, and the nearby Guard House training camp, a red wind arrived coming from the east. He alerted one of his Guardsmen to keep watch on all other fronts and the remaining five to form a front battle grid with him against the approaching Invictus wraith-pairs. At the same time, he pathed Finn who said he’d send reinforcements on the double.

As he lined up with his men, he opened his battle frequency and felt his powerful war vibrations attach to each man beside him and down the ranks. Electrical currents pulsed heavily as together they created the fortified energy-shield.

A high-shrieking sound arrived as the Invictus attacked.

And the battle was on.

Energy released from palms, flipped up from wrists. Blue and red streams flew everywhere, striking the energy field and creating small bursts of fireworks, resulting in tears in the field.

At the same time, the Invictus threw blades of different kinds, which hit the web often and sometimes increased those tears, which made sustaining the field even more difficult.

Ethan, as a mastyr vampire, however, had the ability to seal up the breaches and worked his power down the line, both directions. Enough tears, and the Invictus could pass through, which was why, without his support in a battle, one day and with this level of organization and discipline, the Invictus would break apart the field and get through to their goal. A lot of realm-folk would die, including Guardsmen.

The Invictus wraith-pairs could overtake a Guardsman caught alone, the attack savage with physical weapons of all kinds; short-swords, daggers, hatches, spiked ball-and-chains and each pair tended to favor a different kind of weapon.

Ethan’s training of his men had become increasingly varied through the years, and especially in recent months.

So basically, before Samantha, he’d worked seven nights a week in order to make sure he was available to sustain the linked battle-shield.

He sent his power now, both directions, mending tears and at times covering a wounded Guardsman to protect him from further injury until he could recover from a quick blow.

But an axe whirred by his head and as he sent another flow of power to seal the resulting breach, something new intruded. From nearby he felt the presence of the dark fae force. Samantha had indicated she was near, but now Ethan felt her vibration as well.

He needed to get this battle over and done with and back to Samantha as soon as possible.

She was in danger.

*** *** ***

Samantha stood at the edge of the conservatory, but didn’t quite know how she’d gotten there. She felt oddly dizzy.

All the Guardsmen were outside engaged in a battle she could hear at a distance, so she knew she was safe.

Several lanterns, placed around the lush, crystal enclosed gardens, kept the space in a soft glow, although Samantha’s fae vision could have managed the dark easily.

Her legs felt almost fatigued as she moved into the room. Of course, it didn’t help that she’d basically switched from days to nights. No wonder she was tired. And her heart was sluggish again. Ethan would require another supply soon, especially because he was battling.

She just felt tired and another wave of dizziness assailed her. Then she felt it, the presence of the ancient fae entity, not far from her now. And as she turned to scan the conservatory, the room began to spin. She didn’t understand what was happening to her. She felt very confused.

Suddenly, unexpected images of the previous battle at the Guildhall fairgrounds suddenly burst through her mind, playing one after the other.

She pushed her hands to either side of her head, trying to make the images stop, of Ethan falling, of Guardsmen getting hurt, of the Invictus shrieking as they attacked, of the blue and red streams of light, of a certain acrid, smoky scent in the air.

“Stop,” she called out.

“She’s had enough.” She heard a man’s voice, which seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

Just as quickly, the images slipped away and her mind was once again free.

Samantha opened her eyes. The room no longer spun, but she could see strange waves all around the perimeter. Something was wrong.

Really wrong.

“Samantha?”

She turned slowly, her head muddled and thick. A man stood in front of her now, a vampire, a mastyr vampire.

“Remember me?”

She looked up at him. “Mastyr Ry?” She smelled his blood need and her heart pounded in her chest.

His nostrils flared and his lids lowered to half-mast. “Goddess, your blood smells like heaven.”

She knew she shouldn’t do it, but she felt compelled as she opened her arms and eased her head to the side, exposing her throat. These were not her arms, her throat, her desires. She knew the dark fae force manipulated her, but she couldn’t do anything else.

Ry’s fangs emerged, pulling back from his lips. His jaw trembled, then he struck. She felt blissful as he pulled on her vein, drawing sustenance into his starved body. She was fulfilling her most profound purpose in life. But this wasn’t Ethan.

Not Ethan.
The words left her mind but went nowhere.

She didn’t want to feed Ry but she couldn’t help herself.

She had to contact Ethan, had to find him.

Ry opened his personal frequency and began pummeling her chest and abdomen trying to get to her faeness. It would take so little to complete the bonding. She understand that now, that it was just a matter of her will, of acquiescing, of saying ‘yes’, and she’d belong to Ry.

Where was Ethan?

Her mind felt so loose and disjointed. The images of the previous battle at the Guildhall hovered at the edges of her mind, but she forced them away.

She just felt so confused.

Yet she had to do something, she just couldn’t remember what? She loved that she was feeding a starved mastyr. But this was Ry, not Ethan.

Ethan
. She sent the call out to him as hard as she could, but the communication failed. She felt that the dark fae force had blocked it.

So good to give her blood. More images, though, of the Guildhall battle.

Once more she forced them away.

She had to focus, but on what?

Ethan.

Yet she couldn’t reach him.

She relaxed and stopped struggling. Ry’s arms tightened around her. At the very least, she wished she was feeding Quinlan instead of Ry.

Quinlan.

Yes, maybe she could reach Quinlan.

Using what was left of her strength as well as what little clarity of mind she had left, she pathed to the Mastyr of Grochaire Realm and found him.
Quinlan, are you there?

Samantha?

I need help. Ry is here. Can’t reach Ethan.

Then her mind once more filled with the horrific visions of the battle at the Guildhall, forced into her mind by the ancient fae.

Ry’s voice intruded. “I can stop all these images if you’ll just bond with me. Say ‘yes’, Samantha. Just say ‘yes’.”

She wanted to. With all her heart, Samantha wanted the terrible images to stop and Ry sounded so sweet. He was a mastyr and he needed her.

But what about Ethan?

She held on to thoughts of Ethan, then the images looped again, of shrieking and body parts being severed, of enslaved realm-folk dying on the ground.

*** *** ***

Ethan, get over to Samantha now. She’s in trouble and she can’t reach you.

Quinlan? What the hell’s going on?
Ethan was in the middle of the battle, sending energy flying in every direction.

Just go! She said something about Ry being there.

Got it!
He contacted his Guardsmen, and because they were a well-trained team, the men closed ranks, releasing him from the field.

He felt it now, the same awful presence that he felt at Sweet Gorge, but stronger now, almost thick with energy. And she was in his home.

Sweet Goddess.

He flew straight for his house, going as fast as he could, which meant it only took seconds to reach the front door.

Throwing the door wide, he could sense Samantha now and how close she was to giving herself to Ry. The fae power was intense and where the hell was the Guard he’d left to watch the house?

He found him sunk in stupor just outside the archway to the conservatory, probably enthralled by the ancient fae.

When he moved quickly inside, he saw red all over again. Ry had Samantha in his arms, feeding brutally from her neck, his body hunched over hers.

“Get off my woman!” His voice bellowed through the space, shaking some of the crystal panes but having the good effect of forcing Ry to release Samantha. She was pasty white as she slid to the floor, weak at best, unconscious at worst.

He gathered power into his palms, energy radiating down both arms.

But Ry had just fed on a blood rose, so he turned up his own juice, and with bloodied fangs launched strikes from both palms then threw himself at Ethan.

Power roiled around Ethan, through him, punching at him. But he returned the favor and heard Ry grunt.

A pair of fangs ripped into his left shoulder. He gathered his energy once more and aimed at Ry’s back. As soon as he released, Ry shouted his pain, but sent an answering shot at the base of Ethan’s spine. He arched away from Ry, rolling in agony, but his enemy had just fed, more powerful than ever before.

Damn, he needed help here.

He was on his hands and knees, glaring at Ry who walked around him sneering, gloating. “Feeling weak, mastyr?” He laughed long and low.

And that’s when he felt it, the dark fae energy, muddling his mind.

Ethan,
Samantha was in his head.
Come to me. Together. We can do this.

She sounded so weak.

He understood. From his peripheral, he watched her crawling toward the central disk.

He had to get to her so that she could launch her fae power.

He gathered one last bolt of energy and flung it at Ry. At the exact same moment, he levitated in his half-kneeling state, caught Samantha up and slid her the rest of the way. He could feel the moment she let her fae energy flow and it was like a healing salve through his wrecked body.

He took in a long deep breath.

He heard Ry cursing as a faint female voice called out,
We must go. You fool! You failed to complete the bonding!

He saw Ry fly through the arched doorway and knew when both he and the fae entity had left his house.

He lifted Samantha to her feet, her energy, supported by the crystal apex, still flowing.

He looked down at her and cupped her chin, kissing her on the lips, a soft expression of his gratitude for what had just happened.
You just saved my life.

She kissed him back.
And you saved mine, again. He almost had me, Ethan. He was drinking from me, and because the blood rose part of me doesn’t differentiate, I was so happy to meet that terrible starvation that all of you suffer from.

But he played into that, and tried to bond with me. All the while, I forced myself to focus on you, but the dark fae being, or whatever it is, started confusing my mind. She kept showing me battle images from the Guildhall fairgrounds, tormenting me.

He drew her into his arms.
It’s over and you’ve been through hell, again.
Guilt swamped him. He should have been here. He should have gone with his gut. When was he going to learn? And yet, she’d been so certain about the vision, not hesitating at all when she told him where she’d seen him.

Can you move us out of this stream, Samantha? I need to contact my men.

She nodded and eased away from the disk. He sidestepped with her and as before, the energy slid away, no stress or strain. He felt completely restored. Even the wound that Ry had inflicted at the base of his spine no longer hurt.

She planted her hand on his chest. “Call your men.”

He nodded and pathed to Finn who gave him an update. The Invictus had attacked every patrol and many were still battling. But Finn said the numbers of wraith-pairs captured was high, all being held in prison for later trials.

Ethan kept Samantha close, but the pull to go back out in the field almost overwhelmed him. Because together Ry and the fae entity had been able to enter his house despite the presence of his Guard, he wasn’t willing to jeopardize Samantha again tonight
. I need you on this, Finn.

He outlined what had happened and Finn responded,
I’ve got this. I’m in touch with Quinlan. He replaced you at the battle near your house, where the Invictus hit the hardest. I’ll let him know what’s going on.

I’ll be here tonight.

As it should be.

Ethan forced himself to let the whole thing go, the terrible sensation of anxiety that he should be out in the field himself. He’d left Samantha once tonight and he wasn’t doing it again.

After contacting Vojalie and making sure her family was safe, he turned Samantha in the direction of his suite of rooms, which he’d built with extra security. Once inside, he made sure the windows were locked down then he bolted the door.

Samantha admitted her fatigue and he gave her one of his tees to sleep in which went all the way to her knees. She looked fragile and sexy and he responded to both images. But he held himself back.