Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (56 page)

He whipped his crimson cloak, fanning the flame. There was a wave of heat. Lizabeth’s skin reddened and bubbled. The dragon screamed, turning bright with heat. It opened its wings, burning up in a pillar of flame.

When the dragon was gone, there was only ash.

Chapter Five

Smoke curled off the blackened meadow grasses.

“Lizabeth?” Lia whispered. She turned to Magnus. “You killed her!”

“I saved you.” He polished his staff on his cloak. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

Lia set off toward the den, reeling. The witches had gathered around Mayella, and the Shadow pack was retreating to the far side of the meadow. They would have a moment, at least. One moment to breathe before their enemies closed in again.

“Lia!” Ronan found her, taking her hand. “You aren’t hurt, are you?”

She stared at him. His chest was covered in blood.

“Oh.” He looked down. “That’s not mine. Don’t worry.”

“And Kane?”

Ronan pointed to where Kane and Huck were making a stretcher for Fox. “Kane’s good. Better than good. I’ve never seen anything like it. Nothing seemed to even scratch him. The Shadow pack must be off their game today, because no one’s landed a blow on me, either. Not even the witches’ spells stuck.”

“Maybe you’re just that good,” she said.

He looked at her, suspicious. “And maybe I have a talented mate.”

Lia sighed. “Is Fox going to be all right?”

“Ivy already looked him over. He’ll live, but he might not be the fastest sprinter anymore.”

She bowed her head. “I wish I had some magic left. I could fix him.”

“He’ll be fine. Save your strength.”

Lia winced. The battle wasn’t even over yet. They were just in a lull.

“Come with me,” Ronan said. “I’ll get you some water.”

Inside the den, the table was askew. A spidering black scar marred its surface, and it had collected other black pits and grooves from Magda’s lightning.

Huck and Kane walked in, carefully setting Fox’s stretcher on the table.

Lark rushed to his side. “How’s the leg?”

He gave her a weak thumbs up.

Lia grabbed a pitcher of water, passing it to Lark. She dribbled some into Fox’s mouth.

“Anything else I can do?” Lark asked softly.

Fox beckoned her closer. “If you see Shade,” he rasped, “punch him in his ugly face for me.”

Lark laughed. “I’ll do more than that, I promise you.”

Fox rolled his head to the side, looking at Lia. “Don’t feel sorry for me,” he said. “When I recover, all the ladies are going to swoon over me. Everyone wants an injured war hero.”

Lark gave him a mock punch on the arm. “You’re supposed to say that after I leave, idiot!”

His eyes closed. “I’ll try to do better next time.”

Then he was asleep.

“I’m so sorry,” Lia whispered. “I never wanted any of this to happen.”

“None of this is your fault,” Lark said. “This is what we do. We’re your pack.” She drew Lia into a tight hug. “Are you okay?”

“Kane and Ronan are fine. I’m fine.”

Lark let her go, sitting on the table next to Fox’s prone body. “Yeah, but Lizabeth just died. I saw. She was your friend once, wasn’t she?”

“Once.” A tear spattered on the tabletop. “Before she tried to kill me.”

“You’re still allowed to be sad. Sad for the things that were, and that could have been.” Lark laid a hand on Fox’s arm, her eyes on his ruined leg.

“Thanks, Lark.” Her tears flowed freely now. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I always will be.”

She sat with Lark until Dash came into the den. He rushed to Fox’s side, and Lia moved to give them privacy. Two more stretchers were brought in and placed on the table, the first bearing Clove, and the second bearing Cage.

Ivy pushed the onlookers aside. “Oh, Clove…” She took a breath, like she was trying to steel herself. Then she turned to Cage. “What’s hurt?”

“My arm. It’s got some nasty boils from something a witch threw at me, but I’ll live. Tend to her first.”

Ivy bit her lip. “Are you sure?”

“She’s unconscious. I think she gets priority.”

Ivy bent over Clove, opening her eyelids to see if there was any response. Getting none, she began bandaging Clove’s head.

Lia fetched Cage a cup of water.

“My thanks,” he said. He downed the water in deep gulps, gasping once he’d finished. A bruise was spreading over his chest. Lia doubted that boils were the worst of his injuries.

He saw where she was looking, moving so the bruises fell into the shadows.

“Don’t distract Ivy,” he whispered. “I saw the blow Clove took from the heights. She’s going to need all the help she can get.”

Lia had to leave. She couldn’t bear to look at the wounded anymore. They’d been wounded for her. She didn’t want anyone being maimed or killed for her.

She stepped out of the den. She wouldn’t stray far. From across the meadow, she could feel Shade watching her. She shuddered. Even after all this pain and death, Shade and Magda weren’t done hunting her.

Ronan’s voice rang through the den, demanding reports. Kane sent new shifters to guard the heights. Out here, their voices melded and echoed, becoming unintelligible. She was glad for that. She didn’t want to think of war.

“Long day,” Magnus remarked. “And it’s not over yet.”

Lia closed her eyes. He might have saved her life, but right now she wished he’d go away.

“I’m not going to apologize for saving you.” He lowered himself onto a rock, watching the witches gather the remains of Mayella. “Like I said, you’re my only daughter. And that girl wasn’t going to spare you. She was going to kill you for Magda.”

“I know.”

Magnus rested his staff on the rock. “My mother had three other sons, you know. But I don’t have any brothers.”

Lia frowned. What did that have to do with anything?

“My mother is almost 2,000 years old. Hecuba’s younger than her, if you can believe it. But Magda stays as young as she is because she’s full of
life
.”

A chill ran up Lia’s spine. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a darker part of blood magic, one whose secrets she doesn’t dare teach. She stays young by taking the years of her children. Her babes had long, full lives ahead of them, until she killed them in cold blood. Magda gets five hundred more years for each child, which is far more valuable than any child could ever be.

“She’s vain, Lia. Her white hair? She can’t stand it. She wants to be a young beauty, but for herself, of course, since she can barely stand men. They’re only good for providing her with more children, more years.” He gave her a bitter smile. “She must have hated your youth, your life.

“I know she hated mine. I despised her, for I knew the fate she had planned for me. I grew too powerful for her wards and holds on me, and I escaped. Even halfway around the world, I felt her fury. I was the strongest of her children, and she hoped to get many years out of me.

“The night you were born, I felt it. And I knew you were in danger. A granddaughter would provide her with enough life to sate her for centuries. I found you the night Della left you with the witches. I protected your blood, making it worthless to my mother. Again, I felt her fury. I thought I might reach out and touch her wrath.

“I knew she wouldn’t be able to pass up the temptation of raising you, to see what you’d become. After all, you were her strongest son’s daughter. But every day that she looked at you, she had to remember how I’d foiled her. Every day that you lived, she was reminded of life she could not have.” He grinned. “It must have driven her mad.”

“And you left me with that woman? Even though you knew about me? You were there, you saw me, and you left me with the witches?” Lia’s whole body felt numb. “Why didn’t you take me with you?”

“Lia, I couldn’t care for a babe. That’s woman’s work. I sometimes travel thousands of miles in a single day. That would have been no life for you.”

“But you could have brought me back to Della! You could have helped her understand what was happening to me!”

Magnus sighed. “You’re being hysterical. I did what was best for you then, just as I did today.”

“You didn’t forget us,” she whispered. “You abandoned us.”

“For your own good,” he snapped. “I couldn’t have been your father, and Della couldn’t have been your mother. If you had stayed with either of us, you wouldn’t be here today. Aren’t you happy now?”

“I am, but—”

“Then I did what was best for you. Again, you’re welcome.”

Enough of your yammering.

Lia covered her ears, but Magda’s voice still rang through her head.

Come forth, my feckless son.

A bolt of lightning wrapped around Magnus’s leg. He grabbed Lia as it whisked him away.

She screamed as grasses whipped her skin. Then they were standing in the meadow, before Magda.

Lia took a step back. “Why’d you drag me into this?” she muttered to Magnus.

“Just trust me.”

She didn’t see how that was possible.

The remaining witches encircled them. On the heights, someone howled.

Magnus touched a finger to his spiked palm, throwing a drop of blood to the ground. Silence swallowed the world, save for the circle shared by the three of them.

There was no wind, no hum of insects. Nothing stirred.

“You have time now, Mother,” Magnus said. “All the time in the world. I’ve stopped it, just for you. If you like, I can leave you here. I would be doing the world a favor.”

Magda examined her fingers, where sparks of lightning danced. “Talk to me like that again, and I’ll kill you where you stand.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that. The time bubble stays in place until I call it back. You’d be trapped here until you died. That would be a rather long time, wouldn’t it?”

Lia felt sick. She couldn’t bear the thought of being trapped here with Magda.

The crone looked at her, as if she’d read her thoughts. “Are you on his side, then, Granddaughter?”

Lia crossed her arms. “I thought I was ‘No Name.’”

Magda sighed. “Lia. I’ve done more for you than your so-called father ever has. He abandoned you. He’ll use your life as it suits him, just like he planned to use your mother’s.”

She felt like she’d been punched in the gut. “Is that true?” she asked Magnus.

“Don’t be naive, child.” Magda laughed. “He may have told you about my crimes, but I bet he failed to mention that he stays young by taking the years of those who love him.”

“No!” Magnus struck the ground with his staff. “I wanted Della to stay with me. I was going to offer her some of my spare years. I knew her though, too well. She would never have agreed, not once our babe was born. She wouldn’t want to outlive her child.”

Magda cackled. “Your lovebird knew too much about you. You were afraid of her knowing so much, of loving you so much. She would tie you down, make you waste away your years.” She nodded. “I know the feeling all too well. But I didn’t take the years of my lovers, Magnus. That’s disgusting. I harvested my own bounty.”

“Your children, you mean,” Magnus said.

“They’re mine to use as I please. If I couldn’t have you, you should have let me have her.” She pointed at Lia. “You only protected her blood to spite me. Otherwise, you would have stolen her years for yourself.”

“Don’t listen to her, Lia. I had the chance to steal your years, and I didn’t take it. That’s because I wanted a daughter.”

“A daughter? I raised her. She owes me her allegiance before you.”

“You took her in because you had to abide by your covenant. She had magic—you couldn’t turn her away, couldn’t harm her unless she failed her initiation. I just made sure you could never use her blood.”

“Look,” Lia said, “can I please just go? I don’t see what I have to do with your quarrel.”

Magda smiled. “But you have everything to do with it.”

Lia looked at Magnus, confused.

“We’ve been fighting all day, Lia. We’re too evenly matched. Neither of us can defeat the other.”

“And…?” She still didn’t see why she had to be here.

“You have to choose,” Magda said. “Him or me.”

“Help me destroy her,” Magnus said. “I’ll make sure you and your pack are safe.”

Magda cackled. “You think you can trust him? He has you fooled, just like the rest of them.”

Lia’s head hurt. She just wanted to rest, curl up in the furs with her Alphas. She didn’t want to be here anymore.

“So, Magda, say I help you. You’ll retreat with the coven and leave my pack alone?”

“Of course.” Magda grinned. “I’ll just need you to return with me.”

That made it an easy choice. She turned to Magnus.

“Wait,” Magda said. “I’ll let you stay. But let us train you, teach you to harness your magic. You can come and go from the coven as you please.”

Magnus twirled his staff. “You only need follow me if you desire, Lia, and I’ll teach you freely. I wouldn’t dream of taking you from your pack.”

“It comes down to this,” Magda said. “Which of us do you trust more?”

She didn’t think either of them would accept her choice of “neither.” It suddenly seemed hard to breathe. Her future, and the future of her pack, rode on this single choice. But who to trust of these two? She trusted Kane. She trusted Ronan. She trusted Lark. Magda had always been cruel to her, and apparently had wanted to steal Lia’s life blood. Magnus had knowingly abandoned her, but he had protected her from his mother.

In addition, Magnus had never threatened to take her away from her pack, share her with Shade, or kill her. Magda had done all three in one day. She said things were different now, but would she hold her word?

Then there was Della. She had liked Magnus once, enough to have Lia with him. Was that enough? And, whatever his reasons, Magnus hadn’t bled out her life, like Magda had done to three of her sons. Lastly, he claimed he was the only one who could start time again.

That might be important.

She looked at Magnus. He let another drop of blood fall from his hand, and Magda was still.

“Good choice,” he said.

A look of dawning horror was frozen on Magda’s face.

“Can we just leave her like that?” Lia asked. “Do we really have to kill her?”