Chapter 19

Grey

Fear iced my skin as I tore the head off one of the red cloaks standing between me and a cell containing a middle-aged woman with brilliant red hair.

Where was Carrow?

The need to find her raged through me, a beast with vicious claws and fangs. But the red cloaks had discovered us freeing the rest of the prisoners, and they'd come to stop us. If we didn"t get these people out of here, the red cloaks would kill them.

Carrow would never forgive me for letting that happen.

I flung the headless body away and yanked on the door that trapped the woman. It broke away, and I flung it aside. She raced out, eyes wild and dress ragged.

"Go right," I said. "There's an exit."

"Hell no. I'm going to kill those bastards." Anger gleamed in her eyes.

Not a single prisoner had run for it so far, all opting to join the fight.

"Go right anyway. Your magic will start working again when you're out of this hallway."

"Thank you." She sprinted away.

I spun, searching for more doors. Down the way, Quinn ripped a door off its hinges, and Mac poured a potion onto a lock to break it.

"We've nearly got them all," she shouted. "Cordelia already released most."

The little raccoon had vanished recently, which meant that Carrow was in trouble. It was the only reason she'd have left the job of freeing the prisoners.

The rest of the group appeared to have things under control, and I could no longer fight my desperate desire to find Carrow.

I raced from the hall, heart pounding. The main passage outside of the dungeons was full of red cloaks. Half of them poured blood from grievous wounds. They shouldn't be able to stay upright, but their abilities defied the laws of nature.

I reached for one and tore his head off, viciousness surging through me. Blood spurted, coating my arm and shoulder, but I didn't care. I tossed the two pieces away like the refuse they were and went for another. I had no idea if they could rise again without their heads, but it was worth a shot.

I moved quickly, embracing my vampire speed as I searched for Carrow. All around, battle raged. The witches shot colorful bursts of magic—green banshee blasts, blue stunner spells, pink pain shockers.

Overhead, the ceiling was partially transparent like the rest of the temple. Lightning struck from the sky; Eve sending blasts down at the cult members as they attacked.

There was so much chaos and bloodshed that it felt like Anat had achieved her will, after all.

No.

We would stop this. We had to.

Finished with the red cloaks, I sprinted away, drawn by Carrow. I could almost feel her, that pull that was so uniquely her. Though our bond was still broken, the memories that had returned strengthened our connection.

Finally, I sprinted into an enormous room with a tall statue on one side. At its base, a golden-haired woman pressed her hand to the statue.

"Carrow!" I shouted her name just as she disappeared.

Gone.

* * *

Carrow

The ether spun me through space and spat me out in an eerily empty field. Smoke crawled along the ground, and a diffuse light emanated from the sky. It was dusk here, the dim light creepy as it illuminated several skeletal trees.

A shiver raced down my spine as I spun.

"Hello?" Where the hell was I?

Behind me, I spotted a woman. She was about fifty yards away, walking closer with a graceful, powerful stride. Her form flickered, alternately covered in blood, or dressed in pure white robes. The robed version of her was beautiful—shockingly so.

The bloody version of her . . .

That was terrifying. Her long dark hair was replaced by a matted, crimson mess, and her body—entirely naked—was coated in slick, red blood.

Smoke rolled along the ground in front of her, bringing with it the sound of war and an adrenaline rush that made me shake. Terror shot through me, followed by calm. The feelings alternated, so fast that it made my stomach turn. I nearly fell to my knees and vomited.

It felt just like the visions I'd had, only stronger.

I forced myself to stay upright.

As she approached, I realized that she spent more time in her gruesome form, the beautiful white-robed woman rarely appearing.

Shit. That couldn't be good.

She was only ten feet away, so close that her power felt like it could crush me from all around. I bowed, instinct driving me. "Goddess Anat."

She inspected me for a long moment, her form temporarily beautiful and clean, white robe gleaming. "Finally, you've come to end this farce."

Thunder echoed in her voice, making my bones shake. "Farce?"

"The people who have taken my will and twisted it"

Thank fates, maybe she would be reasonable. "I'm here to stop them."

"Good." Her form flickered red, and she lunged for me, claws outstretched.

I darted back, fear shooting through me. Her claws swiped across my chest, and pain flared. Blood poured down my shirt, and I gasped. Anat hissed, fangs protruding as she reached for me again. Terror drove me, and I stumbled back, out of her grip.

Her form flickered again, and the beautiful goddess reappeared, the blood gone. She looked at me with vague irritation. "You need to be faster. With the cult in residence in my temple, my dark side is more powerful than it should be. That is why I called to you. Only you can stop this."

"You were the voice in my head?"

"Both voices—my dark side and my light. The dark side wanted you for the same reason the cult does. If they force you to complete the ritual, I will rise again—death and destruction made form, and the entire earth will fall. The light side of me—the person I am this moment—knows that only you can stop this."

"Why me?"

"Fate. Your power is growing, but even I don't know what you really are. But you were the one that I could reach, and you are brave and strong enough to stop this."

"How do I stop them?"

"They've cast a spell and are siphoning my magic from this temple to fuel their miserable lives. They do not die, even once they are grievously injured."

"I've seen that."

"You must break the spell they have cast on my statue, which is a conduit for my power. They've desecrated my crown, which represents both sides of me. The left side is peace, the right side is war."

"They tore off the left side of the crown. I saw it."

"Yes. Find that piece of the crown and return it. You must also destroy the spell they have etched into the ground at my temple. Tear up the floor if you must. When their spell is destroyed, they will fall without my magic to sustain them."

"Destroy your temple?"

"I can repair it."

"Then I can stop the red cloaks."

"Go." She flicked her hand, and the ether pulled me in. The last thing I saw was Anat, her form turning red once again. Then I was spinning through space.

A moment later, it spat me out in the large temple room. The sounds of battle raged, and I spun around.

Grey stood right in front of me, face white and eyes dark with worry.

"Carrow." He pulled me to him, hugging me hard.

My heart swelled, threatening to beat its way out of my chest. Thank God he was there. Thank God he was whole. So much emotion filled me that I thought I would burst. This depth of feeling would be a problem for later. For now, I didn't fight it. I hugged him tight, then pulled back.

"Where did you go?" he demanded.

Blasts of magic exploded behind him, colorful and terrifying. I'd never seen so much all at once. It was like standing in the middle of a war zone.

"I saw Anat. We can stop them by repairing the crown on her statue and destroying the dark red lines on the floor."

His gaze flicked to the statue, understanding dawning. Then he looked at the floor, where a dark red line was painted into the ground. Magic radiated from it, sparking against my calf.

"Destroy the lines?" he asked.

"Tear up the floor if you have to, but we need to break the spell that is feeding her power into the cult members. It's what keeps them alive even after their throats have been slit."

He nodded. "I'll deal with the lines. The witches can help."

I nodded. "Be careful."

He gave me one long look, his eyes sparking with something I couldn"t quite identify, then sprinted away.

I pressed my hand to my comms charm. "Eve? We need to find a broken bit of stone that was once part of Anat's crown."

"On it."

I looked up, spotting her darting low to look at the crown then off across the sky.

All around, the battle raged. I slipped away, leaving the witches and my friends to keep the cult occupied. My lungs burned as I sprinted through the temple, searching for a broken bit of stone. It was a distinct shape, but how the hell were we going to find the things in a city this big?

Ten minutes later, when panic was starting to rise, Eve's voice echoed out of my comms charm. "I think I've found something. Meet me at the statue."

I spun around and raced back to the main room. The halls were full of fighters, witches against red cloaks. The witches were tearing up the ground, using their magic to gouge the stone and destroy the red line. I prayed that we were only destroying the magical shadow of the temple and not the ancient floor itself.

The red cloaks tried to stop the witches, and the fighting was fierce. I dodged blasts of magic that exploded all around, ducking under the flying fists of red cloaks who sought to block my way.

As I sprinted back into the main temple room, I spotted the torn-up floor around the red line. Grey had done his part. Now Eve and I had to do ours.

"Up here," Eve shouted from above.

I looked up, spotting her. She darted down into the room, forcing her way through the semi-transparent roof. A huge piece of stone was clutched in her hands.

"That's it!" I grabbed it from her, inspecting the shape.

One of the red cloaks roared, then another. They'd spotted me holding the piece of Anat's statue, and rage echoed in their voices. They sprinted for me. Eve turned toward them, shooting lighting from her palms.

"Go," she shouted. "I'll cover you!"

I tucked the broken piece of stone under my arm like an American football and ran toward the statue. It soared thirty feet overhead. How the hell was I going to climb it with this thing in my arms?

As if she'd heard my worry, Mac appeared at my side, shoving her brown shoulder bag at me. "Here!"

"Thanks!" I shoved the stone into the bag, looped it over my back, then began to climb the statue.

It was rough going, the stone smooth and slick. I found handholds in the dress and kept climbing. All around, the sounds of battle raged. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of more red cloaks converging. Most were bloodied and beaten. They should be dead.

My friends fought them, trying to buy me time as I climbed. Quinn had adopted his panther form, and he tore into the red cloaks viciously. Mac threw potion bombs with deadly accuracy and Eve shot lighting. Seraphia worked steadily in the background, destroying the red line painted into the ground with a pickax that someone must have conjured for her. The witches formed a barricade between me and the attackers.

But the red cloaks were so powerful. They shot massive blasts of magic at my friends, concussive booms that bowled over witches like bowling pins.

I climbed faster, my muscles burning. Finally, I reached the top. I stood on her shoulder as I tugged the bag around to my front.

Weak, I leaned against Anat's head, my body trembling from the magic that pulsed out of her crown. It felt as powerful as she had felt, and it was all bad feelings. Rage and despair and violence. Her warlike side.

I prayed that magic would adhere the broken piece of the crown to the statue, because I had no mortar or glue. I pulled the broken piece of the statue out of the bag and raised it with trembling arms.

Down below, a shout caught my attention.

It was a roar of rage. Of terror.

I glanced down just in time to see a red cloak at the base of the statue. His hands were raised, glowing a violent green.

I'd seen that green before.

The sorcerers had hurled a blast like that at Grey, and it had nearly killed him. This, however, was far bigger. Far more powerful. I could feel it from there. If that hit me, it would kill me in an instant.

But Grey had seen it, too. He stood at the base of the statue, guarding me. The red cloak was right below him, aiming for me. Magic pulsed as he flung his hands upward, throwing the blast of deadly power right at me.

Grey leapt, putting himself between me and the blast, taking the hit straight on and landing on top of the red cloak.

He lay still.

Terror surged through me, fear like I'd never known. But the stone was heavy in my hand, and the battle raged on. Only I could stop it.

Worried tears pricked my eyes as I raised the stone to the crown, pressing it to the broken section. Panic threatened to eat me whole as magic flared. Like a cool breeze, it whispered through the room. The painted lines in the floor faded, no longer able to conduct Anat's magic.

One by one, it washed over the red cloaks. They dropped like flies, their bodies turning to dust as their cloaks puddled on the ground. The sound of battle faded.

Frantic, I scrambled down the statue, desperate to get to Grey. As I neared him, I felt it.

The bond.

It surged back into me, our mate bond, so powerful that I nearly collapsed.

Whatever he'd done, he'd reestablished the bond. Tears streamed down my face as I fell the final few feet, landing in a pile at his side.

He lay crumpled on top of the red fabric that had once outfitted a cult member. That bastard had turned to dust, however.

"Grey!" I pulled him over, running my hands over his body and reaching for the pulse at his neck. "Grey! Wake up."

Tears blurred my vision as I pressed my fingertips to his neck, feeling for a pulse.

Figures fell to their knees beside me, but I paid them no attention. I didn't even know who they were. I didn't care.

Finally, I found a pulse. Faint and weak, but there.

I dragged my sleeve over my eyes, wiping away tears and clearing my vision. Grey looked even worse than I'd feared.

His face was so pale he looked dead, and his eyes were closed. Deep shadows hollowed out his face, tearing a hole in my chest.

I looked up. "Someone help him. A healer. Something."

One of the witches rested her hands on him, a frown stretching across her face. "He's nearly dead."

"But not totally. Save him."

Her gaze flickered up to mine, worry in their depths. "I'll do what I can, but . . ."

"Just do it." I gripped his hand, fear and hope crashing around inside me. Our bond roared, the mate connection stronger than ever.

Cursed Mate.

That would be back too, but I'd deal with it when Grey was well.

The unknown witch pressed her hands to his chest. Several more witches beat their way to the front, shoving aside their coven members.

"Non-healers clear out," Beth shouted.

They did as they were commanded, and more women joined us, pressing their palms flat to Grey. Healing magic glowed golden from their palms, flowing into him.

Seraphia joined us, keeping her eyes on Grey. She rested her palm on his forehead, and tiny green plants sprouted up through the broken stone. They leaned toward Grey, seeming to transfer magic from themselves and into him.

I looked up at Seraphia, but she didn't meet my gaze.

The room was silent as the healers worked. In the distance, I spotted more of them tending to their friends. Grey wasn't the only one wounded, but he was the worst off.

Every second was an eternity. I wanted to scream my rage and worry to the sky, but I swallowed it down.

Finally, he moved.

His eyes opened.

The witches moved back.

"Grey?" Hope flared in my chest. "Are you all right?"

"I'm—" He sat up, rubbing his face. "I'm fine."

The witches climbed to their feet and melted away. Seraphia disappeared like a ghost. But I only had eyes for Grey. I flung my arms around him, hugging him close. His arms, warm and strong, wrapped around me.

He crushed his mouth to mine, kissing me like he would never let me go. Connection and joy and comfort surged through me, like coming home.

I couldn't get enough. I wanted to absorb him into me until our two souls became one. It took everything I had to tear myself away.

His gaze searched mine, worried and beautiful.

Everything felt right when we were like this. As if the earth were finally turning on a proper axis after millennia of being off kilter.

Now that our bond was back, I realized I'd been walking around feeling like I was missing a limb.

And yet . . .

We were still Cursed Mates.

* * *

Carrow

The next day, I stood in the Shadow Guild tower, once again covered in dust as I tried to scrub out the ghosts that still haunted the place. The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind.

Grey and I had parted almost immediately, not knowing what to say to each other. The temple had begun to repair itself instantly, magic flowing out from the statue of Anat to mend the floors and remove the red paint that the cult members had applied.

We'd lost none of our forces, though there had been some truly gruesome injuries that would take time to heal, even with magic. All of the kidnap victims were home, thank God.

And now I was here.

I'd woken this morning confused and lost. My magic had grown so drastically, and we'd accomplished so much, and yet . . .

Grey and I were still Cursed Mates. All our work to break the mate bond was undone. I'd kept calling him to me unconsciously, weakening Cyrenthia's spell that had broken the mate bond. Grey's act of sacrifice to save me must have been the final act that had fully broken the spell. Our mate bond was back.

"You want a drink or something?" Mac asked from my side.

I blinked, startled, and looked up at her. I'd totally forgotten she was there. "What?"

"A drink? Or a break? You look like you need one."

I dragged a weary hand through my dusty hair. "I could probably use one, yeah. It's been a long week."

"It's not that."

I shook my head. "Fine. You see right through me. It's Grey."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. What is there to do?" Memories of how wasted away he'd looked when I'd first seen him after his disappearance flashed into my mind. "If he doesn't kill me, he'll waste away. Quickly."

"Well, he's not going to kill you."

If he can help it. He'd said he couldn't control it when he was too far gone.

I turned back to the piles of boxes in front of me. All were made of wood; most were nailed shut. Maybe there were answers here.

It was crazy, but I sensed it. And with the way my powers were growing, I needed to listen to my instincts. I could save Grey. I would have to.