Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

I hadn't meant to drift off. But I woke in the dimly-lit room, with the remnants of a nightmare swirling at the edge of my subconscious. The memory of Brigid's attack was burned into my mind, an unsettling mix of fear and despair that sent shivers down my spine. Meanwhile, the crumpled sheets whispered of the passion we had shared, and I tried not to think it was the last time.

My face turned to the figure beside me, and I took in Rene's serene presence. The vampire whose touch ignited a pleasure I had never known and left me wanting more. His once-smooth and perfect skin now held a gray roughness that denoted the poison slowly spreading through his veins. Half of his once-beautiful complexion had turned to a pitted granite. A cruel reminder we were running out of time. I had to consider bonding with him soon, but Rene had warned me there were no guarantees. Even a link to me may not save him.

I reached out tentatively, and my fingers traced the jawline of his ashen skin. The contrast between the sandpaper feel of stone and the remaining softness was a harsh reminder of the fallacy of immortality. His eyes were closed, and he took shallow breaths, which alerted me he was fighting an internal battle. That subtle rise and fall was a rhythmic reminder that life still coursed through his veins, while tainted by the compound that threatened to destroy him.

The moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a subtle glow over his ashen features. The pain in my chest was like a stake in the heart, a sharp reminder that time was slipping through our fingers like grains of sand. Amidst the turmoil of my emotions, I recalled his declaration of love and accepted the undeniable beauty of the moment. Ours was a fierce love that refused to be extinguished.

As I watched him rest, the weight of our predicament pressed down on me like a knee on my chest. The attack, our unrequited passion, and the whispers of love in the night wove a tapestry of emotions that I couldn't escape. I knew that the poison was killing him. Despite his age and power, he had become as fragile as the rest of us. A victim of hate and jealousy.

But as the reality of our situation threatened to overwhelm me, I found solace in him next to me. The sensation of his roughened skin beneath my fingertips was a reminder that love was a reward and every couple had to work to retain it. For us to endure it, we would have to weather the harshest of storms. And as I leaned in to press a soft kiss against his cheek, I vowed to fight for him and hold on to the moments we had. I would use every ounce of power I possessed to save him and cherish the time we had left, no matter how fleeting it was.

"Good morning, little bird," Rene whispered before his eyes opened.

I smiled and met his bloodshot eyes. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"I wish to ease your fears, but I am afraid my time is coming to an end," he said.

"When is the next full moon? When can we bond?"

His eyes held a sadness that ripped my heart from my chest and stomped it beneath my boot. "It is in two days. I am sorry, Raven. I will not make it. But I want you to know how much it means to me you would have accepted me."

"No!" I hissed.

His smile was slight as he fought to utilize the muscles in his face. But my response was interrupted by a scream from downstairs. I rushed from the bed and dashed to the closet. I had my leather pants, a white T-shirt, and a black jacket on in record time before zipping my boots.

Cass burst through the door as I exited the closet, and I found her staring at Rene's exposed chest. He hadn't moved from the bed as Cass and I shared a painful glance.

"Rene?" Cass whispered.

"What has happened?" he croaked.

"Brigid is downstairs demanding that we turn over Raven. She is threatening to expose the entire foyer. There are over a hundred clan members in the room. And she has backup. There are a dozen mercenaries with her."

Rene attempted to get up but fell back against the covers. "I cannot help you with this. I am sorry."

Cassara's chest heaved. "You are dying. You are actually going to leave us on the brink of a war."

Rene stared at Cassara. "I would never have left you by choice. You have been my lone confidant until Raven. I would never have waited for her if not for you."

I grabbed Cassara's arm. "He is not dying. Take me to Brigid, but station someone in here you trust. I don't want him alone."

"Val is outside. He will remain at the door until we return."

I pointed at Rene. "Don't move or I swear you will regret it."

Rene's lip twitched. "You are fortunate I am physically unable to."

Cass opened the door, and we jogged to the end of the hallway after nodding to Val. She stopped me at the top of the stairs, knowing the danger that lurked in the foyer. "What do you want to do?"

"I need you to stay up here. Watch but don't interfere. If she unleashes that compound, everyone in that room dies, including you. Rene has only this long because he is ancient, but the rest of you will be dust before I can force her to give me an antidote."

Cassara's eyes flickered. "You honestly think she is going to give you a cure?"

I grunted. "Not by asking nicely."

Cass smiled. "That's why I like you so much."

I touched her arm. "This could get... bad. I am immune to the compound, but I am not sure Brigid knows that. She left before we saw the effects it had on Rene."

"She may also think your shield protected you."

"True. Either way, this will not go smoothly and there are likely to be casualties."

Cass flinched. "I understand. Saving Rene is the priority."

"Agreed." I stepped from the hallway to the top landing and glanced down at Brigid as I descended the stairs. I went deliberately slow, so I could ascertain the location of the mercenaries and the clan members they held hostage with black velvet pouches in their hands.

The clan members huddled near the walls, attempting to make themselves smaller, but a single speck of the dust in those tiny satchels was a death sentence to every person in the room. Except me and the dark faction holding them hostage.

I reached the bottom stair and the mercenaries closest to me moved to allow me within the circle they had created around Brigid. She looked like a black-robed princess among her dark knights and her sneer alerted me she was enjoying being the center of attention. Ursula hadn't noticed the envy of her second-in-command or her need to be in control. She would bring this entire world to the brink of destruction with her bid for power.

"Brigid, if you wanted to chat, you simply could have called."

Brigid smiled. "I can't infect you over the phone."

Part of me was happy she thought she could kill me, but that meant she was going to kill everyone else in the room when she unleashed her deadly retribution. "Why do this Brigid? You would have been the high priestess soon. Ursula is getting up there in age."

"The old bag would never have retired. I would have been in my sixties before the mantle was passed."

"So you are starting a war because you are impatient."

One of the mercenaries turned. "Shut up Blood Witch. We are only here for you. Nobody else needs to die."

I arched an eyebrow. "She already attacked the overseer. He was infected by the compound. When he dies, it's war. Surely you know this."

Several men glanced at one another. "She lies. Brigid didn't attack Rene."

I realized Brigid had manipulated the ex-PSO members. They hated the vampires. That was obvious, but they hadn't signed up for an all-out war. "Do you want to tell them, or should I?"

"There is nothing to say." Brigid raised her arms in the air with a malevolent smile.

My power rose within me, flaring outward like an iridescent bubble. It encased Brigid and the mercenaries, forming a glittering barrier between the clan members and the lethal powder in their hands. This protection was not limited to magic and while it looked like anyone could step through it, that was the illusion. Fortunately, Brigid was more interested in hurting me than worrying about the kind of ward I placed over us. She hurtled a flaming ball of fire, which I countered with one of my own. The two powerful forces collided in the air as sparks burst around us in a shower of embers. The air crackled with an electrifying energy as our magics sought dominance over the other. I was a witch on a mission and if I failed, Rene would die. I stood unwavering, as I tried to come up with a way to force Brigid's compliance. Magic was the obvious choice, but she seemed as powerful as me. She stood with tendrils of her shroud warping around her robes, though she remained visible. Still, her presence cast an ominous shadow over the foyer and those who watched within it.

The clan seemed to hold its breath, as she sent energy balls and black shadows to rob me of my life. While I was new to this level of power, my instincts had been honed over the years of harnessing the purest energies. They guided me through the barrage of spells and incantations. When she sent a web of dark matter hurtling toward me. Tendrils of light swirled around me, forming an intricate web of protection, while Brigid hissed in anger.

With each flick of our wrists and each whispered word, our magic surged forth in a breathtaking display of power and will. My spells were of the light, and seeking protection. They wove intricate patterns of radiant energy that accented the beauty of the foyer. But her magic was a tempest of shadows, fueled by hate that sought our destruction. It seethed with malice and crackled with dark intent.

As our magic clashed, the air grew thick with tension and smoke filled the protection bubble, obscuring our view of the room. The floor beneath us trembled as another energy blast collided in midair and the castoff cracked the opulent tile. But Brigid was unrelenting, and her spells were fueled by a tenacious hunger for dominion and death. Her shroud of shadows stretched and twisted, forming nightmarish specters that threatened to break.

As the battle raged on, the floor bore the scars of our conflict. Black patches of tar and gouges in the once-pristine tile created an apocalyptic effect as the mercenaries all ducked, attempting to avoid the surrounding chaos. They had been trapped inside my protection and many were regretting their decision to help the mad witch battling me. In the depths of our struggle, I noticed a decline in the strength of Brigid's power. Her expenditure of magic had exacted its toll. Mine was waning as well, and I prayed for a miracle if my protection shield fell.

"Raven, constrain Brigid, so I may speak with her." Rene's voice echoed around me, even though I couldn't see him. Why hadn't I considered his natural abilities?

With a final burst of determination, I channeled the force within me, and a radiant whip of light pierced through the shadows. The air shimmered with a blinding brilliance, ropes of light wrapped around Brigid's torso. She screamed as her power began to wane and her spells faltered. With a triumphant exhale, the surrounding shroud receded, leaving her like a lassoed animal for all to see.

I turned to the mercenaries huddled at the edges of my protection spell. "Drop the pouches or you will be tied up like a roped steer."

The mercenaries dropped the lethal compound, and I retracted my spell. The bubble dropped to reveal an empty room, except for Rene and his death dealers. He had used my protection to send the clan members to safety, but he looked worse than ever and both Quinn and Val were forced to help him stand. They had dressed him in simple black pants and a T-shirt, but his arms were completely gray as was most of his face.

"Can you get the antidote?" I asked.

Brigid continued to struggle with her lasso made of light as Rene approached her. "I can invade her thoughts. It was kind of her to deliver her mind to me."

"No!" she hissed as Cassara extended her staff and her spear glinted against the overhead light of the chandelier. Val and Quinn helped him to the center of the room, where he placed his granite-like fingers against her temple.

Rene was quiet as he scanned her memories. "I have it. When I am stronger, I will have another... chat with her. I am too weak to press her further without killing her."

Brigid spit on his shirt, then turned to me. "Raven helped create the compound that is killing you overseer. She may make an antidote, but she won't be able to make it in time to save you."

"I never helped create anything like that," I snapped.

Brigid sneered at me. "But you did. Star Canyon is the main ingredient. You grew it so beautifully, but now you are a monster, and you no longer have access to the seeds."

"We will see about that. Rene, text me the ingredients. Cass, will you be coming with me to Powerful Petals, or do you need to stay here and stake Brigid?"

Cass stared at Brigid with open hatred. "Val will kill her if she so much as breathes wrong."

William entered the front door with two teams of PSO officers. They apprehended the mercenaries, and in under a minute, they were walking back to the front door. I turned away from Brigid to watch them leave. The momentary distraction cost me, and a stabbing pain pierced my skull before the shroud wrapped around Brigid and she disappeared.

Cass bolted toward the dark witch's location, but when her spear swung through the air, it was empty. "Where is she?"

I grabbed my skull. "She pierced my protection. It's like an ice pick in the brain, but she used most of her magic. She needs time to recuperate. We will worry about her later. We need to get the Star Canyon and Powerful Petals is the only place in town that has all the ingredients."

I shook off the fire in my brain and gave Rene a quick kiss on the cheek before jogging from the building with Cass. We grabbed a small black sports car and were roaring down the road as the PSO officers continued to load the mercenaries into the vans they had driven to clan property in.

The road blurred by as Cass drove at dizzying speed.

"How are you going to get Deanna to give you the ingredients?" she asked.

"I am not asking her. She will be unconscious in ten seconds if she so much as sneezes in my direction. I have had it with the coven."

Cassara's lips pursed. "Good."

She screeched to a stop in front of the store. It was early, but Deanna was already there creating the arrangements. I used magic to unlock the door and stormed in with my power crackling around me.

Deanna rushed from the back room and sucked in a breath when she saw me. "Raven?"

"Don't speak. Just give me the Star Canyon and everything else I need. If you so much as look at me the wrong way, I will burn this building to the ground."

Deanna glanced down. "Ursula said to help you in any way we can. Nobody knew what Brigid was doing. The humans are siding with the vampires. The witches will be destroyed."

"Hatred and idiocy are a deadly combination. Give me the flower."

Deanna rushed to the back and returned with a canister. "I don't have any mature flowers. Brigid took those a few days ago, but here are all the seeds I have."

I took the canister unceremoniously. "I need a few more things, but they aren't rare." I went to the flowers and picked the petals I needed as well as a fern Rene had noted as part of the antidote. The ingredients were benign on their own but had a deadly effect when combined.

"Can you save him?" Deanna asked.

I grunted. Ursula had obviously told the coven what happened to Rene. "Fine time to worry about Rene. He was the only thing keeping the conclave stable. You are all idiots. The coven will be responsible for the deaths of millions if Rene dies.

Deanna looked like she was about to throw up. "I know."

I collected the last of the ingredients. "Let's go, Cass."