Chapter 27

Elek

Natália and Petra continue to chant in Latin, and we have no choice but to stand here and wait it out. The rest of our coven is out of sight, waiting for our signal to attack.

"Anything yet?" I ask as I pace back and forth. Having her so close and not being able to go to her is almost worse than not knowing where she is.

"No. The protection shield is strong. It's almost as if…" Her eyes widen as she shoots Petra a look.

"Almost as if what?" A heavy weight settles in my gut at the expression on their faces.

"More blood magic." Petra's face pales. "But this feels different. It's much darker."

"Shit." Samael's body goes rigid. "That means they made an offering to Lucifer. We need to tread carefully."

"Does this mean you can't break through?" My fingers dig into the tree's bark before me, doing my best to ground myself. It's as if I can almost feel Kiara's magic coursing through me.

"I didn't say that. It's just going to take me a little longer." Natália shakes her head, giving me a funny look.

"We can't wait. The more time that goes by means, the more she suffers at his hands, and I will not allow it to continue for a second longer. You have sixty seconds to figure it out, or I'm breaking through." Mátyás clenches his fists as we must remain hidden in the shadows until the spell can be broken. He's kept his sword sheathed, but he's so close to the edge that one wrong move on Natália's part and he'll kill her.

"This isn't something that can be rushed." She rolls her eyes at him. It's safe to say when this is all over, they will still be enemies. Her gaze drifts back to where mine are embedded in the tree trunk.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that, Boszorkány?" My eyes narrow, not liking the expression on her face.

"How far in the mating process have you gotten?" she asks.

"We've completed the first two steps. We've bitten her and tasted her blood." I'm not about to tell her that we laced wine with our blood to speed up the bonding process. She'll hang me by my dick if I do. Even if Kiara has forgiven us, Natália is looking for any excuse to use her magic on us.

"Have any of you exchanged blood between the three of you?" Her head tilts to the side as she awaits my answer.

"Again, why are you asking that?" I study her body language, watching for clues as to what is going through her head.

"Because you're tapping into each other's powers rather easily." She jerks her chin at my hand, which is still digging into the bark where a new limb is beginning to sprout.

"How is this possible? I thought we had to complete the mating bond for our powers to come?" I know we've shown signs of our powers emerging, but I thought it was a fluke.

"You'll be an unstoppable force when you finish it, but you've already begun merging into one. The powers you three possess must be strongest in this lifetime, which works in our favor." She steps to the side and motions us over. "Both of you stand next to us and hold our hands. We are more powerful as a united front."

"Fine, but don't try anything, or I'll feed on your precious witchling," Mátyás threatens.

"As if you're any match for my magic, Bloodsucker." Petra scoffs, tossing her purple hair over her shoulder.

"Enough, children." Samael scolds. "Death is near, and he is calling for your mate. Whatever you're about to do, make it quick."

"Then why don't you help?" Petra asks.

"If I could interfere and get this over with sooner, I would. But even we have limits." Samael shakes his head.

Natália clasps her hand in mine and takes Petra's with the other while a reluctant Petra takes Mátyás'. The women go back to casting whatever spell they were before. It isn't long before I feel an electrical current simmer underneath my skin.

"What the hell is that?" Judging by Mátyás' expression, he can feel it too.

That current builds in tempo with their incantations until it's a blazing inferno, vibrating throughout my entire body. The earth rumbles beneath our feet as an explosion happens, and we're thrown back several feet.

It takes me a second to gain my bearings. I make my way to my feet and dust myself off.

"You feel that?" Petra asks from her seated position on the ground.

"We did it." Natália stands, brushing the dirt and debris off her with a big grin.

"Let's go." Mátyás is already moving in the direction of the river. I follow after him without looking back.

With our preternatural speed, we reach the river's edge in seconds. What we see makes my body itch with the need to destroy. Farkas has Kiara in front of him as the witch I saw in my earlier vision chants. The water is up to Kiara's shoulders, and her lips take on a blueish tint as she shivers from the cold night air.

Time seems to stand still as I watch Farkas shove her head underwater.

"No." My fangs extend as my beast rises to the surface. I'm out for blood and want that mutt's head on a spike. "Támadás!"

The rest of our coven has gotten the signal and charges in from the other direction, trapping the traitorous witches in the fray with the Lycans.

Mátyás and I keep our focus on the bastard in the water. He sees us and releases his hold on her. Kiara swims away from him, and the ache in my chest dulls, seeing that she's putting distance between them.

He heads off to where Farkas is while I head toward her when my path is blocked. "Not so fast, Leech."

"Out of my way, Tibor." I unsheathe my sword, ready to carve his heart from his chest.

"Make me, Elek." He grins as his body begins to shift in seconds.

Jet-black hair sprouts all over his skin as his nose extends into a snout. His hands lengthen as claws extend from the ends. He's much taller than me in wolf form, but he's no match for my speed. His hind legs grow, giving him another foot on me.

"Gladly, kutya." I attempt to slash the tip of the blade across his chest, but it's a move he's ready for. His body leans back, narrowly avoiding the silver tip. He spins around to come at me from behind, but due to his size, his movements are slow and sluggish.

I'm able to shift back out of the way of his claws before he can make contact. I drop down and sweep out my leg, taking his feet out from under him. He lands flat on his back, shaking the ground with the impact. I straddle him and press the edge of the blade against his throat.

His flesh burns the second it comes into contact with the silver, causing him to shift back into his human form.

"I should make you suffer." I keep a steady pressure against his throat, enjoying the pain I'm inflicting.

"Like I did, Kiara." He chuckles. "After I tasted her flesh, I shoved my fingers in that tight cunt. Her cries of pain were music to my ears." He licks his fingers, and my vision narrows. One minute, I'm standing in front of him. The next, I'm covered in blood and holding his severed head.

Elek! Mátyás's voice screams through our bond. She's drowning, and I can't make it to her.

I've got her. You kill that bastard. I shove Tibor's limp body off me and run toward the river. There are no bubbles or any sign of where she might be.

Without a second thought, I dive in and start searching for her. The water is dark and murky, but I can see through it fine. Schools of fish swim past and swoop under a pile of rocks, but there's still no sign of her.

I kick my legs and dive down deeper. Not having to breathe has its perks. I can stay under here for as long as it takes until I find her. My arms thrash around as I continue to look, but still nothing. I'm about to give up and swim in the other direction when I catch a glimpse of a flash of white.

A heaviness settles in my chest when I find her lifeless form in the lingerie they must have put her in. It's see-through and covers nothing. I grab the arm closest to me and pull her in, but the chain connected to the collar around her neck is caught on something. I grab ahold of the chain and break the connection. It crumbles under my strength, and I don't waste time dragging her to the surface as fast as possible.

Mátyás meets me as I take her out and set her down on land. We kneel on either side of her. I take off my wet shirt and cover her up as best I can so she has some semblance of decency.

"How long was she under?" I check for a pulse on the side of her neck. It's there, but it's faint.

"I don't know." He strokes along her cheek where the bite mark is, looking more distraught than I've ever seen him. I almost wish Tibor were alive so I could kill him all over again for the pain he caused her. "Come back to us, kis boszorkány."

"You are the destined trinity. Call to the elements." Natália comes to stand next to us. Petra is behind her with the blonde witch from my visions bound and gagged.

Mátyás and I keep one hand on Kiara and the other on the ground. We close our eyes and call to the earth.

"Da vitam." We continue to chant.

That familiar current starts up again, but this time it's stronger. When I open my eyes, a white glow emanates from our hands. The longer we chant, the stronger it becomes until Kiara gasps and spits out a mouthful of water. Her eyes remain closed, but at least she's breathing.

My body sags in relief. That was a close one.

"Where's Samael?" I glance around for the first time.

"He had a more pressing matter to take care of," Natália cryptically answers. "We have coven matters to attend to. I leave her in your care."

"We will guard her with our life," Mátyás nods.

She bows her head in acceptance and walks off with Petra behind her.

"Farkas?" I ask.

"He got away." Mátyás clenches his jaw.

"We'll get him next time." I scoop her up in my arms and hug her against my chest. Her eyes are still closed, but her pulse is gaining strength.

"That we will," Mátyás promises.

We may not have won the war, but we've won the battle, and that is enough for now.