The Wicked (18 page)

“Stay safe.” I hugged Haven as tight as I could as we stood next to the portal in the Council’s foyer.

“You too.” Haven’s voice shook.

She was more nervous than she was letting on. Considering how nervous I felt, I knew it wasn’t my feelings making it hard to breathe. Of course, I was fearful for everyone involved, but I trusted in our abilities. With us all fighting together I had no doubt we’d get through this.

Haven stepped back into Finn’s arms, his hold was tight with a need to shelter her. I understood his apprehension here. He wasn’t the only one who wished she would stay behind. Haven isn’t a fighter. The thing was, she needed to be involved with this because she believed she owed it to Trefan. I wasn’t about to take away from her—I understood the need that drives someone to avenge another’s death all too well.

Suddenly, warm fingers ran down my arm. I glanced up, Kyden looked relaxed—not really the expression you’d expect to see before a battle like this.

He reached for my hands and pulled me toward him. “You will stay behind me,” he said. When my brows furrowed, he chuckled and reached up to smooth the lines away. “I am not saying you cannot fight. I am only saying your place is behind me.” When I opened my mouth, he clamped it shut by saying. “Please,” he said pleading. “Do not argue with me on this.”

The soft tone of his voice was so unlike him that I chose to listen. “Okay. I will stay behind you.” He wasn’t trying to dominate me, which was his usual way. He chose to ask this in a way he knew I wouldn’t deny him. He might just be coming around.

He sighed heavily. “Good, that is settled.” His concerns for my safety put me at ease. “I am ready.”

“I will stay beside her,” Thalia told Kyden.

He gave her an approving nod. I glanced at her, suspicious. Hopefully whatever her intentions were, they were good. Let’s just hope trusting in her didn’t backfire later. I doubted they would, but still. What was she after here?

“What?” Thalia looked as innocent as innocent can be. “I only wish to assure you are kept safe.”

“Sure you do,” I drawled.

“Keep the elements with you,”
Zia thought to me.
“Let them guide you to safety.”

I glanced over to her and smiled.
“You be safe as well.”

Suddenly, Talon grabbed her and kissed her as if he was heading off to World War III. Everyone in the room went dead silent as stunned eyes stayed glued on the two of them getting hot and heavy.

Most of us knew they were a couple. It was just they were so silent about it—never showed outright affection toward each other in public. Probably because doing so would be considered inappropriate. Thank God, that didn’t apply to Kyden and I—we’d fail miserably.

“Well,” Zia said as Talon drew away. “Focusing might be a little hard if you do that again.”

Talon grabbed her chin and brought her gaze to his. “Do not involve yourself unless you must. Understand?”

She gave me a wink.
“Like father like son.”

I laughed.
“Touché.”

She leaned in, kissing his lips lightly, then whispered something in his ear. Talon’s eyes instantly went molten. Then, he quickly stepped back in an obvious attempt to regain his focus.

Kyden wrapped his hands around my face, drawing my gaze back to his. “Álainn,” he whispered just before he took my lips, oh so, tenderly.

I smiled against his mouth. “I love you too.”

Those were the last words spoken.

Nobody said anything as we stepped through the portal and approached the lodge. The groups dissipated, surrounded the building and made our way to stand outside the main door.

Without any hesitation, Kyden lunged through the door with us following behind. The vampires in the room stood, apparently shocked by our arrival. Finn sheltered Haven with his body as I flanked her side, and Thalia did mine.

Seconds later, the others blasted their way into the other doors, and we all stood in the quiet moments before the rumble. After the initial moment of shock, the vampires lunged into action, yelling in some language that definitely sounded old. Was it Latin? Sounded a little like Kyden’s nickname for me.

The Guardians in the room gasped, appearing fearful and ran from the lodge. With another loud shout, half the vampires emptied the room following the Guardians outside.

Ah ha!
They fell for the bait.

Suddenly, the new vampires I had sensed flew down the stairs. More than fifty of them had us surrounded. Really wished my vampire meter-reader had been a little more accurate and given us a better idea of numbers.

“Oh crap,” I grumbled.

A vampire yelled again and pointed outside. Ten more of the vampires left, joining the others outside. The second they stepped out the door, explosions and cries began rattling the walls of the lodge.

“You know why we have come,” Talon spat.

The vampire’s eyes glowed. “You have just made this easier for us to succeed in killing you pathetic Guardians for stealing our leader from us.”

“Leader,” Haven growled from beside me, and touched the ground, causing it to rumble beneath the vampires’ feet, sending them all flying backwards.

It wasn’t only her. The other witches joined in as well and the room erupted into Armageddon. Fire blasted up the walls. The vampires were hit with water and air viscously, as they fought to remain on their feet.

“Go,” Talon shouted, and with a battle cry he sprung forward.

Before I could even reach any of the vampires, Kyden, Talon, and Finn had already killed four.

A vampire slipped behind Kyden and lunged himself at me. Too bad, I didn’t get a chance to kill him, though. Just as the vampire was a hairbreadth away, his head detached from his body.

My gaze hit Kyden’s, he was in a fit of rage. He never even truly looked at me. He just spun around and attacked with remarkable skill. He was glorious.

“Wow,” Thalia said beside me. “He is pure sex.”

I scowled at her. “Eyes off, you.”

Of course, I agreed. He looked about as damn yummy as I’d ever seen him. But that was my observation to make, dammit. Just as my jealousy surged, I was hit from the side from a vampire who ripped into my arm.

An instant later, he was dead. As quickly as he was on me, he was off with Thalia in his place licking the blood off my arm. My eyes went wide. “What are you doing?”

She never stop licking, only groaned and moaned in pure pleasure. The light dawned. She was counting on me being injured so she could have her little taste.

When the wound healed, she hopped up, glowing. “Yum.”

I eyed her suspiciously.

“You needed healing. I provided it.” she smiled, and gave me a wink. “I have done well.”

“Now it all makes sense,” I said, jumping to my feet.

Haven squealed as two vampires hit me. As they made contact, I grabbed Haven’s arm and shoved her behind me insuring she was safe. I drew my sword, slicing quickly, sending one of them to their knees. Once at the perfect angle, I destroyed him. Just as the next vampire was on me, Thalia twisted his neck until his head popped off. Before that thought overwhelmed me with the hebejebes, two more vampires flew toward me, and suddenly the air around me rippled.

When it stopped, there stood a sleek black panther. “What the hell?” I blasted out.

The panther stunned the vampires just as much as it did me. We all stood a moment and it gave us just enough time to see a little orange tip resting on the end of its tail.

“Willow!” I managed through my shock.

“Yes it’s me, stupid. Who else would it be?”
she snapped. Then, she lunged forward, and the three vampires before us were dead not a second later.

“We are having a talk when this is over,” I told her sternly.

Willow snorted.
“That’s the thanks I get.”

I quickly glanced around the room wanting this to be over. There was no way in hell I was going to be Thalia’s lollipop again. Hayes was helping the others, and by the looks of things, the males were taking care of things just fine on their own. Ryker, Brax and Zade were tearing into the young ones while Finn, Hayes, Kyden and Talon were working their way through the old.

“Get off me,” Thalia snapped.

By the time I looked her way, the vampire upon her was already dead.

Haven’s scream came loud behind me. Fear shot straight through my soul. I had been so focused on Thalia I had forgotten about her. Finn shouted her name. He couldn’t get past the two vampires he was up against. His eyes filled with panic.

I glanced back at Haven to see a vampire was moments away from lunging at her. She was too frightened to defend herself. I focused deeply, needing Fire to assist me. Just as the vampire lunged, I threw a ball of flames spiraling toward him.

It hit. I ran forward and grabbed her by the arms. “Are you okay?”

“Yuck. Vampire guts are all over me.” She grimaced a little, shaking the left over dust that was the vampire out of her hair.

I kept my hands on her, just to make sure she was safe then I looked out the others again. Kyden was fighting three vampires, Finn and Talon were each dealing with a couple more, and Hayes was quickly working his way around the room. Brax’s growl was ruminating off the floor and Zade was so quick I couldn’t even follow him.

Loud explosions continued to blast against the walls around us. Clearly the others outside were in a fierce battle of their own.

They all looked tired—worn from an intense battle. It occurred to me that I could put an end to this. I was in a safe enough position to be able to concentrate fully. “Watch my back, okay?” I said to Thalia.

She nodded, looking more than intrigued.

I drew in, clearing my mind of all that was around me—focusing on the warmth that filled me as the Fire Element came forward. I needed strength here. I needed it to come out strong. When the power overwhelmed every part of me, I released the Fire. With a loud sizzle, a line of fire whipped through the room quickly.

When it evaporated, everyone stood completely covered in thick ash. I busted out laughing. “Look at you all.” Kyden, Hayes, Finn, and Talon were the worst, considering most of the vampires surrounded them.

“Look at what you did to me! In this fine shape too,”
Willow growled.

When I looked at her, I only laughed harder. There wasn’t a black spot left on that beautiful body. I wiped away the tears running down my cheeks. “Sorry. You are quite beautiful.”

Kyden approached me, the fierce look in his eye never fading. Just as he reached me, Zia sent a wave of water through the lodge while Zennah followed behind air-drying us. No one would ever know vampires had been here. Having witches around sure came in handy.

“We had that handled,” Kyden said sternly, clearly disapproving of my method in ending the battle.

“I know you did. It was…umm…I was worried about Haven,” I responded. That was partly true. As if I was about to tell them they all looked tired. There was no need to add insults to make this moment even more awkward.

“If we needed your help,” Talon growled at me. “We would have asked for it.”

“All of you horrible creatures are so ungrateful,”
Willow spat.

I gave her a little smile and petted the top of her head, where she now sat at my waist sending her to purr loudly.

“Stop it,” Zia snapped. “You killed at least twenty of them. You have proved yourself well, you strong, feral males. We females are forever in your service for such a heroic display.”

Talon snatched her up. “Nexi has influenced you.”

“Hey,” I shot back. “I never told her to say that.” Then, I thought in my mind.
“Good one.”

Zia laughed loudly.

My gaze drifted to Thalia and my memory returned. “You.” I glared pointing my finger at her.

“What did she do?” Kyden asked, bringing my attention back to him.

“Licked me.”

He arched a brow. “She what?”

“That’s why she came to help. She was waiting for me to get injured so she could taste me,” I spat out.

“Does it truly matter what my reasons for coming here were?” Thalia said, unashamed. “I proved myself invaluable. I not only saved her life, but I healed her wound.”

“She is right,” Kyden said with a smirk.

“I’ve been tongue raped.”

Laughter ran through the now empty space.