38. ~Talon~

38

~Talon~

I woke up with one hell of a pounding fucking head.

I remembered shortly after Constantine had snatched us, he’d brought us to a fancy mansion and the moment he’d dragged us through the double entrance doors, Orpheus’ traitorous mother had been there and blown some Dark Fae dust at us that had knocked both me and Alena out in seconds.

Ore had told me about that shit and it could knock out even the most powerful beings for hours on end.

And I guess that was exactly what had happened here, because now we weren’t inside the mansion anymore.

In fact, as I strained past the pain to make out my surroundings, I realized we were in a forest somewhere. Yeah, that really narrowed it down.

I was bound to a tree and Alena was right opposite me, up close, just a foot between us.

There were chains around our arms and legs and also one banded across my torso. I could barely move at all and as I tried to pull at them, they proved incredibly strong. Dark Fae metal, maybe.

Normally, I’d use my phoenix fire, which could pretty much melt through anything, but I was positioned too close to Alena, so it could hurt her if I tried.

“Alena?” I called out.

A few more tries and she lifted her head, sleepily opening her eyes.

They went wide and she started to panic as she realized our predicament.

“It’s okay,” I told her. “I’m here. You’re not alone. I’m here, firecracker.”

“Talon,” she breathed.

“Yeah, it’s okay. We’ll be okay. It looks like we’re bound by Dark Fae metal. Duariam Ore calls it. Both my phoenix fire and your angel magic can break through it. But I can’t call my flames unless you call your power first, in case I burn you. So, go ahead, call your magic, then I’ll call my flames, and we’ll get the hell out of here before that maniac shows his face.”

“You don’t understand. That’s what he wants.”

“What?”

“For us to use our power. The Orb must be near. He did this so we’d power it.” She looked all around, swinging her head from side to side—pretty much the only part of our bodies that we could actually move right now.

“You’ve come to know my tricks well, darling princess,” that creepy voice sounded, before Constantine appeared, revealing himself from a cloaked state just a few feet from us.

He held the Hellborn staff in one hand, and the Orb of Vorlav in the other.

He took a step toward Alena and she flinched, fear filling her eyes.

“Leave her alone! Don’t you fucking touch her!” I yelled.

He pulled up short and grinned at me. “Phoenixes, always so fiery. Pun intended. Your mother was just like you.”

“Don’t talk about her! You don’t have the right!”

I could feel the urge there to call my flames, but I swallowed it down.

I had to. For Alena.

I couldn’t hurt her. Not for anything.

This nightmare of a being before us had already done far too much of that.

“You haven’t put it together, have you? But Alena should have. She was there, after all.”

At his words, I saw recognition there on Alena’s face.

“What’s he talking about?” I asked her.

She grimaced. “This forest… this is where he murdered your parents.”

“How do you feel about that, little phoenix?” Constantine asked.

“Talon, don’t listen to him,” Alena urged me. “He’s done this to provoke you. He wants you to erupt. Don’t let him win.”

I gritted my teeth as the urge grew ever stronger, the struggle through my upset and rage becoming almost unbearable.

“I won’t,” I growled. “I won’t.”

“Wow. I really thought that would work. Since I had Callum manipulate you, you’ve clearly found a way to hold onto your control a lot better,” Constantine said, coming close to me. “No matter. There are other methods to ensure you give me what I want.”

He gestured at Alena with the Orb in hand. “Should I fuck her right in front of you? Would that do it?”

I snarled and fought against my binds.

“Lucky for you, I don’t have time to degrade her the way I would like, the way in which would get the desired response from you—and her. I have another way that’s much more efficient.”

“Constantine, stop! It’s over! This whole thing is done!” Alena cried as the bastard brought the Hellborn really close to me, so close I could feel the heat from the hellfire.

“Not to worry, darling princess, a phoenix can hold off hellfire.” He looked at me. “Did you know that, baby phoenix?”

“Yes,” I ground out.

“Hmm, well, the thing is, in order to do that, you have to call your phoenix fire forth. And that will mean burning your love. Unless she calls her power too.”

“Don’t. Don’t do this,” Alena cried.

“Too late,” Constantine said, gesturing out in the distance. “They’re already here.”

I looked out and focused, able to see a magical lightshow taking place, a battle raging. I reached out with my phoenix hearing and could make out the sounds of screams and shouts, thuds, and hell knew what else.

They’d come for us.

They’d come to take him down.

“It’s okay,” I told Alena. “Don’t give him what he wants.”

Constantine sneered and then touched the flames of the Hellborn to each of my binds, including the chains banded across my torso.

In moments, I felt the hellfire melting through the metal and into my skin, driving deeper still, headed for bone, determined to destroy me and burn me to ashes.

Alena screamed, trying to reason with Constantine.

I gritted my teeth against the searing pain.

“I’m a phoenix,” I rasped to her. “I’ll resurrect.”

“Will you?” Constantine cut in. “I have an iron weapon on hand and the means via this Hellborn to destroy your ashes. And, so we’re clear, even with those binds melted, my magic will keep you bound in place. You can’t escape this.”

“Oh my God,” Alena gasped. “Talon, call your flames!”

“I can’t… I can’t hurt you. I… I love you.”

Despite everything, her eyes lit up, a smile spreading over her face.

And then she spoke the words that were sweeter than any I’d ever heard.

“I love you too, Talon. So much.” She turned away then and muttered, “That’s why I can’t let you do this.”

In the next moment, she called her angel magic forth, her golden glow emanating from her, forming a shield.

“Use your fire. Now!” she yelled to me, her desperation and upset killing me. Especially as she spoke her next words, “Please don’t make me watch you die. Please don’t leave us.”

“Shit,” I grunted.

And then I did it, my flames erupted from me, combating the hellfire and pulling it from melting my flesh, said flesh even healing as I invoked my phoenix fire.

Constantine looked far too pleased with himself as he held the Orb between us and it started drawing streams of Alena’s magic and flames of mine into itself.

It forced both of us to expend more power to offset what it was taking so I could stop the hellfire from ravaging me and Alena could stop my flames from burning her.

Just what the demon wanted.

“That’s it,” he was saying to himself as the Orb levitated from his hand and started spinning. “Just a little more and I can perform the spell.”

“We’ll undo it,” Alena told him, vehemently.

Constantine laughed. “I’m sure you’ll try. And I’ll delight in punishing you for it. All four of you this time, actually. I’m looking most forward to it.”

“Sick fucking bastard,” I spat.

“You’ll find out just how sick soon enough.”

Alena choked then, drawing both our attention. Her power flickered briefly, before she managed to get back control.

I watched as the black veins on her arms started disappearing bit by bit, and everywhere else they were visible.

“What’s happening?” Constantine demanded. “I thought Saryan was unconscious.”

“He is,” she uttered, gasping as she struggled to hold her magic steady while something or someone seemed to be siphoning the black magic out of her.

Constantine drew closer, just shy of touching her power, examining what was happening. “This is much faster than he could achieve in his state. It’s something else. Someone else.”

An explosion of bright white light ripped through the area.

Abigail Rose appeared a second before she fired what looked like a Taser at the Hellborn. I watched in astonishment as it connected and then snuffed out the flames somehow, a colorful hue taking its place, holding it back, it seemed.

As Constantine stared at it, stunned, Abigail blasted him across the forest with her white power.

As the sounds of him grunting and hitting tree after tree in the process echoed all around, she snapped her fingers and Alena and I were released from our binds.

As we dropped to the ground, we both snuffed out our magic.

“Mom, what—” Alena started.

But her mom interrupted as she grabbed her hand and then started drawing out the rest of the black veins and we watched as they traveled between them and crawled along her skin instead.

“No, Mom!” Alena cried, trying to pull away.

But Abigail held fast, until I saw the last of it leave Alena.

And then she let go, staggering back a step and panting.

“Mom, what have you done?”

Before she could answer, a roar sounded, and then the wind whipped around us violently.

Abigail shot out her hand and caught Constantine mid-pounce, her hand wrapping around his throat and holding him off the ground.

Holy. Shit.

He flailed as she held fast.

She thrust up a shield around her and Constantine, preventing me and Alena from interfering.

And then the shocks kept on coming as she started siphoning black magic out of him.

“When I did this to Saryan, he could barely move. You will fare far worse, considering how much runs through your veins,” she told him.

“Mom! Stop! You can’t do this! It will destroy you!”

“It’s the only way,” Abigail responded simply, not making eye contact. “Get clear. Exemplar members will escort you to the compound until the battle at Electi Academy is won.”

“Battle at the Academy?” I asked. “What? Shit, Ore and X.”

“They are well. El and Saryan are with them now too,” Abigail told us. “Now, go. I need you safe.”

“And I need you safe,” Alena argued.

Constantine went to slash Abigail, but her white power flamed and stopped him mid-strike, keeping him suspended there helpless and forced to endure the brutal rapid-fire siphoning.

In moments, his eyes glazed over and then he lost consciousness.

Abigail released him and tossed him a few feet away, outside her shield.

She snatched the Orb up, holding it tightly, then she threw her other palm out and we watched in horror as black streams of magic started inching toward it, until they were all over, coming from every which way, and driving into her palm, being absorbed by her.

So much black magic.

From everywhere, it seemed.

She pulled on some of it and enveloped the Orb with it.

It began to shudder violently, then spin out of control.

With a grunt, she gave it more, and then it shattered and she devoured the pieces with swirling wisps of blackness, until they were all swallowed up like they’d never been.

“It’s no longer a threat,” she told us.

An eruption of crimson smoke pulled our attention toward Constantine a moment before Lenora Hart materialized. In a blink, she hissed at us, then grabbed Constantine and spirited him away via teleportation before any of us could do a fucking thing to stop her.

As if that wasn’t enough, indigo flames filled the area next and Elliot Sabre materialized, rushing toward Abigail.

“Stop this, Abi!” he cried. “Please! There’s another way.”

“There isn’t.”

“Then I’ll find a way!” he yelled. “Okay? I’ll find a fucking way!” he roared, completely distraught and irate at the same time. He looked over at us and Alena who now had tears streaming down her face and was slumped against me. “You’re really going to do this? Right in front of your daughter?”

“Get her out of here.”

“Let go of the black magic.”

“No!” she bellowed, her voice distorted, her eyes blackening too.

“My God, Abi! Cease this madness!”

But it all fell on deaf ears.

She was determined.

And it was beyond fucking tragic.