Chapter Twenty-One

I"m completely regretting this ploy. Mayfly has his arm wrapped around my waist as we siphon to Merelda"s tomb and I have to hold back breaking each of his caressing fingers. My hands are tied, albeit loosely, in front of me and they"re clenched into hard fists.

"I"m going to break every little bone in that hand of yours, May."

All I get in return is a huff of amusement before he"s yelling from outside Merelda"s ward, "Merelda, dear! Come out and play, I have two little gifts for you."

We wait for a tense few moments until the tomb opens slowly. I can feel my sisters and the brothers standing close to the ward but far enough that Merelda won"t feel them.

Mayfly puts his lips near my ear and whispers softly, "You better play this perfectly, beautiful. Merelda has the nose of a hound and she"ll catch a lie. If I don"t get what I want because you can"t act, you"ll owe something worth the loss."

Instead of the hiss I want to give him, I lift my bound hands to cup his smooth cheek and giggle like he just said something seductive. I"ve seen the addiction Mayfly causes to his lovers and I try my best to mimic the fools. I can"t help the slight pinch I give him though.

Mayfly pulls his face away fast but plays it off like he"s checking on Darren who is playing his part perfectly. He lays on the ground bound around his torso and wrists. He looks like a corpse ready for the garbage chute.

"What do you have here?" Merelda"s voice is like a creaking door, opening for the first time in years. Annoying and begging for some baby oil. Hm, I wonder if that would help at all?

"Are your eyes going blind now? Maybe you should up the magic on that youthful spell of yours," Mayfly says easily, unworried that this crazy witch will turn him into a frog or some shit.

"You are wasting my time, Nymph. Why do you have a Crow?" Merelda is playing her Elder act and treading the waters cautiously.

"Come now, Witch. This little beauty came to me seeking help. She wanted to know your location so she could... get her mate back."

Bastard! The lying snake is a betrayer.

Before I can swing at him or get my hands free to stab the fucker, he continues speaking.

"Of course, you know I"m a scoundrel so I seduced her in her time of grief." Mayfly grabs me by the nape of the neck and licks me from jaw to temple. I can help the shiver that runs through, not of pleasure but of homicidal rage.

I bite my cheek hard enough to taste blood and I feel my nails pierce through my palms. To keep myself from Hellfiring his face off, I think of Drug and how much he needs me and of Elsie who is an innocent child. I giggle through gritted teeth like a maniac.

"You expect me to believe that this Crow who is mated to my grandson, fell for you seduction so easily?" Merelda moves closer to us but not past her wards.

Come on little old bitch. Just a little closer.

"And what of the Fairy? You think I"m a fool, Nymph? I will kill you where you stand!" Fuck, this woman her theatrics.

"Listen, I can takes these two back with me and not blink an eye. Having this fine piece of specimen as my pet is not a bad idea. The Fairy tried to talk her out of my bed but I simply used my special blend of poppy to render him unconscious." Mayfly"s eyes glow purple with seriousness and deadly power, "Now, if you are finished with your show of false dominance, I"ll gladly hand them over... for the right price that is."

Merelda looks hesitant like she doesn"t believe I"m truly spelled by Mayfly so I do the only thing I do without throwing up.

I turn and caress the Nymph"s cheek with my nose before biting his neck. I don"t put any pressure but he plays it as if I just gave him the most pleasurable Vampire bite possible. Of course, I"d rather chew my own fingers off than to give to someone what only belongs to Drug so I pull back after a moment of acting. I feel dirty but again, I remind myself that I will sacrifice for those I love.

Hopefully I won"t have to act too much longer.

I continue to stare at Mayfly like he"s God"s gift but I keep a close eye on Merelda with my peripheral. My heart leaps when she cackles and steps forward, weaving her fingers through the air like fucking Darth Vader, pulling her wards down.

As she steps away, I see the vines move at the entrance to her tomb as a breeze flows by them.

We"re in! Keep the act going while we look for Drug and Elsie.

"How do I know this little slut won"t attack me the moment you"re out of her sight?" Merelda sneers as she looks me up and down.

I want to rip those green eyes out of her head. She doesn"t deserve to have the same shade of coloring as Drug.

"Oh she"ll listen because I"ve only just spelled her. Even without my presence, she"ll be wanton for me. She'll behave if you promise her you"ll bring me to her."

Mayfly looks me in the eye, "Isn"t that right pet?" His voice is purred with his power, a tool used to control his submissive.

"Yesss," I hiss out softly like a drug addict begging for their next hit.

Merelda makes a non-committal sound but begins weaving a levitation spell over Darren"s prone form. I gotta give it to him for not freaking out when his body lifts off the ground and begins to float towards the tomb entrance and into the darkness.

She looks at me and smiles viciously, "Come now, little slut. I have quite the show for you down in my humble abode."

God, even her sarcasm is shitty.

I turn to Mayfly when he squeezes my shoulder, he gives me a serious look, "I"ll be back to visit you and collect my debt. Be a good girl and I"ll make sure you are sated wonderfully."

I"m hardly paying attention to the words because he drags his fingers down my chest and slyly tucks something into my cleavage. Then he backs up before snapping his fingers and disappearing.

Merelda grabs me by the hair on the back of my head, yanking hard enough to knock me to the ground. I land on my ass and glare at the foul woman standing over me. I curl a lip at her but she kicks me in the face. She uses her magic with the blow to my face and I feel my nose crunch.

I scream in pain, having never felt a broken bone in my life. My bones begin to mend but the pain of that hurts as well. I roll over as the bitch brings her foot down with the intention to smash my face further.

The ground vibrates with her stomp. The fuck are her feet made of, bricks?

I quickly stand to my feet and smear the blood from my nose and mouth. I will fuck this bitch up! I let a warning groan out before I hiss when she steps closer. Fuck this.

Using my speed, I"m in her face in a second, bringing my forehead down on her nose as hard as I can. The world spins as her nose breaks under my headbutt but I smile when she screams. Not willing to lose the advantage, I break the ropes around my wrists and grab her by the throat before slamming her back against the tomb"s stone wall.

I do this three times before she wraps her boney hands around my biceps and knees me as hard as she can... in my fucking pussy!

Listen, I know I don"t have balls but any woman will tell you, a knee to the crotch hurts like a motherfucker. I don"t give a shit how tough you are, it"s lips and bones down there, people, and it fucking hurts.

But I don"t grab myself and howl. I flip my claws out and swing my arms at her like I"ve lost my mind, and in a way I have. She has taken enough from me and I"m done with her. I want to watch the air leave her lungs and smile as her soul slips from her body.

My nails scratch across her chest, opening her skin with ease. I want her body to look as bad as Drug"s did after she flogged him like a fucking Roman soldier would. I swing my left arm but before I make more lacerations, Merelda explodes into those nasty screaming moths.

Instead of fighting off the grotesque creatures like my mind wants to do, I run straight for the tomb before cloaking myself.

The stairs are narrow and steep but I teleport myself down to the bottom and into a rounded room with three different tunnels. I have to hurry because I can hear the wings of those fuckers getting closer. I don"t want to teleport any more than I need to because there"s a good chance this bitch can feel the power of a siphon like Drug did when we first met in the alley.

God, that feels like years ago when in reality it was only weeks ago.

Focusing back on which way to go, I decide to go right. Most people are creatures of habit and going right is usually what they do. Merelda is as close to a human as any supernatural can get so I"m hoping this is the correct tunnel.

There are sconces along the walls and their light allows me to see the runes written along the stones. I wonder if this is what keeps Drug"s powers weakened?

I get to the end of the hall and to another set of stairs but my heart sails high when I hear the voices of my sisters.

Uncloaking myself, I run to the sounds of their whispers but stop cold in my tracks when I see Elsie holding her hands up to my family.

At her fingertips are the black flames of Hellfire.

Okay, shit just got crazy.