13.

S TASSI

“They’re coming for you,” Neema’s frantic voice whispered. “They know who you are, Stassi.”

“Who does?”

“There are four large hybrid shifters, almost mindless beings who know nothing other than pain and suffering. There is a witch with them, a man, and he knows who you are.”

“How?”

“His name is Nicholas.”

“My brother?”

“He’s torn, Stassi. He’s not under a spell, but he’s being forced to . . . His children are in danger.”

The door flew open, and I couldn’t help but jump which made me pull on my restraints so that the metal cut even deeper into the skin on my wrists.

“Be strong, Anastacia,” Genji whispered. Her voice had gotten fainter as she began to fade in and out of consciousness. I had no idea what poison they’d given her, but I knew that if she didn’t get help soon, she would most likely die. It made me frantic to find a way out of this situation, not just to help Genji, but to help Aksel and the others too. I knew that they must be dealing with the same sort of poison, if not worse, and for some reason, I was about to be released from my small prison to accompany these . . .

I gasped when I saw the first hybrid shifter. His facial features were human, but his skin was covered in dark gray scales and he had yellow eyes with horizontal pupils like a reptile. The second shifter wasn’t much better - this one with no human features other than two arms and two legs. His face and head were that of a wolf. The third had human features but wings on his back, and they seemed to be restrained with some sort of chain, probably to ground him so he couldn’t fly. The fourth looked like a human, but when he opened his mouth I saw a forked tongue like a snake, and when he blinked, a second set of lids blinked from the side before the human ones closed and opened again.

“What the fuck?” Genji whispered.

I wasn’t able to stop myself from sputtering out a laugh before I said, “I know, right?”

“You’re laughing?” the man who I assumed was my brother, asked.

“You’re not?” I snapped. “Look around, buddy. It’s like a comic book artist got his hands on a weird AI program and then dropped a few tabs of acid before he got to work.”

“Stassi,” Genji hissed.

“What’s wrong with you? ” I asked the man. “Do you have cloven hooves? Did you shave your horns off this morning? Do you ribbit like a frog when you get near water?”

“Shut up,” Genji whispered frantically.

The man smiled at me and said, “I’ll have to ask you to come with us.”

“Do I have a choice? Is there food involved because I’m a stress eater and could really use something sweet and salty right about now.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” the man said before the shackles on my wrists disappeared as did the cage where I’d been held.

I slowly pushed myself up to a sitting position and shook out my hands. My body ached - not like it had been since I took on Ivan’s pain,but because I’d been in the same uncomfortable position for what seemed like hours.

“I’m a little parched too. If you’re taking orders I’ll have a bag of Reese’s Pieces, some pretzels, and the largest strawberry and cherry limeade they have . . . with extra fruit but not limes. I want enough fruit in there to choke a horse and extra ice. Actually, I’m really thirsty, so I think I’ll take two of those.” I hopped off the table that I’d been laying on and realized that there was never a cage or shackles - it was all a mirage that was part of the spell. The second my feet touched the ground, all four shifters went on alert and I laughed, “Can’t a girl stand up without you getting a boner about it? Jeez. It’s not like I’m the kind of person who abuses animals, although I have to say that I’m not all about reptiles, bird flu, or rabies, so I do appreciate you putting a little distance between us.”

“Come with me, please,” the man said as he motioned toward the door.

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

“Is there a bathroom on the way to our destination because this girl’s gotta pee something fierce.”

One of the freaks reached out to grab my arm, and without thinking, I upped my temperature enough to burn his hand which made me feel a little better about the situation because I realized that I did still have some power, even though it wasn’t nearly as strong as usual.

“Keep the paws off, Big Bad Wolf, or this Little Red Riding Hood will rip you limb from limb.” The wolf shifter had let out a yelp of pain when he touched me, and now, he and the other three were staring at me like I was the freak in this situation, which gave me a little too much joy considering I was technically a hostage. Keeping them on their toes and afraid of me could only be a good thing, as far as I was concerned. I lunged toward them and laughed loudly when they all jumped back. “Big, strong, and scary but not all that bright, huh?”

“Anastacia, I think it would be best if you took this situation a little more seriously.”

“That’s what you get for thinkin’, big guy,” I said with an obviously fake smile. “You should stop before you hurt yourself.”

“Stassi! What are you doing?” Neema whispered in my ear. The man tilted his head and studied the air around me, so I made sure not to acknowledge Neema in any way.

“Are you a Star Wars fan?” I asked.

“What? Why . . . What are you talking about?”

“I’m a big fan of Yoda.”

“Anastacia, I need you to come with me,” he said in exasperation. “And, for your own health and safety, it might be nice if you could at least pretend to be afraid.”

“I can’t remember the exact quote, but Yoda said that fear is the path to the dark side, my friend. And fear leads to anger which leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering which all of you are going to do soon.”

“Who is Yoda? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Do you mean to tell me that you can’t stream movies in this joint? My stay is going to be most unpleasant if that’s the case. I can’t stand to be bored.”

“You do realize that you’re a hostage, correct?”

“The Geneva Convention clearly states that prisoners aren’t to be mistreated, and let me just say, you’ve already got more than a few marks against you. The book selection around here is nonexistent, I haven’t seen a Kindle laying around, and if there’s not a television with at least one streaming service, I am going to lose my shit.”

The man laughed uncomfortably, and I knew I had him when he looked at the “guards” and they just shrugged in confusion.

I didn’t feel any different than usual, and when I concentrated, I could feel my hands warm with the flames I could so easily throw. With that in mind, I gave a little push and silently ordered, “Bend thy knee to me immediately.”

As one, all four beings dropped to their knees and bowed their heads in supplication which left me staring at the man in front of me.

“This is where you tell me, and better yet, make me believe, that you’re not the nefarious mastermind behind this bullshit and assure me that you’ll help me and my friends get out of here in one piece.”

“I stripped you of your magic,” the man said in awe.

“I don’t strip for anybody unless I want to,” I said before I sent out another mental push. I could see him resisting, so I pushed a little harder until he finally fell to his knees. He refused to bow his head, though, so I got closer and touched one finger to his forehead. I used just a hint of magic to send painful pulses, short bursts of unimaginable migraine-like pain that would cause him to have visual disturbances and even more physical reactions, before I whispered, “Tell big sister everything, little Nikki, or I’m going to turn your brain into pudding.”

“What do you want to know?” he whined.

“What does this Agmund guy want with us?”

“He wants you.”

“Why?”

“Because he knew from the time you were very young that you would be powerful in every area.”

“How did he know?”

“He created us.”

“Mom and Dad created me. You might be the devil’s spawn but . . .”

“We have the same father. He made sure that no one else touched our mother because he could sense that the magic they created within you was special.”

“Then why did he keep you away from us?”

“Because he was trying to make me more powerful than you could ever be.”

“Did it work?”

“Obviously not. I’m on my knees, aren’t I?”

“What is he going to do when he gets his hands on me?”

“He’s going to feed from you so he can try to drain your power.”

“He’s a vampire?”

“Not really. He’s more of a rook, I’d say. No matter how many times the vampires he brings through have tried, they can never fully change him.”

“But he drinks blood like a vampire.”

“Yes.”

“And the same things that affect vampires like my friend will affect him?”

“Yes.”

“Is he going to drink from me today or wait for some reason?”

“He’s waiting in the great room for us to bring you to him so he can take from you, but he’s going to leave you alive so he can get stronger and stronger until one of your friends can change him.”

“And what happens if they can’t?”

“He’ll kill them like he has the ones before.”

“Is he the monster that is trying to change all of these people and then leaving their bodies out in the middle of nowhere for the mortals to find?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“He wants to build an army.”

“What the hell for?”

“To overrun Mereu and make slaves of the council that voted to strip him of his immortality.”

“And then what will he do? Sit on a throne somewhere while he drinks from the skulls of his enemies?” I asked sarcastically.

Nicholas laughed bitterly before he said, “Probably, but before he does that, he's going to have you burn Mereu to the ground like you did to the first compound all those years ago.”

I scoffed. “How does he think he’ll be able to force me to do that?”

“Now that you’re older, he believes that you’ll be on his side since you don’t fit in anywhere.”

“He thinks I’m a freak like those guys over there?” When Nicholas nodded, I asked, “Do you think I’m a freak?”

“I’m just like you, but I’m weaker.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve tried to get away from him so many times. I was able to evade him for almost twenty years, but when he found me, he had the witch he held captive cast a spell that made it impossible for me to go out in the daylight. Now he keeps me half-starved so that I can never gain my full power.”

“You said you have children?”

“Nathan and Natalia are my children, but he rarely lets me see them. When he found me the last time, he killed my wife and . . .” Nicholas swallowed hard before he cleared his throat. In a stronger voice, he said, “He had one of the vampires he captured change them to rooks just like he is so that they can keep growing. He’ll have them changed completely when they’re fully grown, but until then, he keeps them weak and calls them his children.”

“And the other kids? Kiera, Jana, and the baby?”

“Emma. Their parents were witches and shifters that he killed to gain their power. Kiera is a powerful witch, so he left her alone, but he’s also changed Emma and Jana into rooks.”

“Who the fuck does this guy think he is?” I muttered.

“He sees himself as an all-knowing and all-powerful Norse god who can lead armies and conquer humanity little by little until he rules the world.”

“Just like Drasil did,” Genji whispered.

I looked over at her and saw that she was barely conscious so I asked, “What did they use to poison my friend?”

“My spell could barely hold her, so they gave her tainted blood.”

“Tainted with what?”

“Laudanum and mercury. They gave that to all of the vampires that came with you.”

It hurt my heart to think of Aksel in pain, and I felt my temperature rising dramatically so I took a second to calm myself before I asked, “How long before that runs its course?”

“Unless she gets clean blood directly from the source, she’ll die within the next few days.”

“Well, let’s get her a bite to eat then,” I said cheerfully as I used my will to force him to stand and walk across the room. “Remove her restraints and feed her.”

“What do I feed her?”

“I assume your blood is clean?” When he nodded, I motioned toward Genji and said, “Well, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you give her your arm so she can have some of your blood, she might not eat your soul when she comes back to herself.”

“Don’t make promises I can’t keep,” Genji muttered as her head fell to the side. She stared at my brother for so long, I wondered if she might still have a tinge of power but she finally blinked and said, “Make it better, youngling.”

“Is there anything in your system that might fuck her up?”

“No.”

“If you’re lying, I’m going to take all the skin off your body in tiny strips and then feed them to you before I slowly roast you over a pit of red hot coals. I will inflict enough pain to make you wish you were dead a million times over.”

“I don’t want to follow Father, but I have no choice. He has my children. ”

“We all have a choice, Nicholas. Sometimes, it’s not about what you have to do but what you’re willing to do for the people you love.”

Without any more prompting, the cage that held Genji disappeared.

“Wait,” I said when Nicholas thrust his arm out. As her canines grew and she reached up to grab hold of his forearm, I said, “I’m going to do something that means I’ll have to trust you to follow through and help me. Can you do that?”

“Will you make sure that my children are safe?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll help you. What do you want me to do?”

“I’m going to make sure that he doesn’t have access to any other blood but mine. I’ll spell the room so that no one can enter and he can’t leave, and the second he’s trapped inside, go and rescue the rest of my friends. Genji will help you. Release them from the effects of the poison and then find Anna and the children. Once they’re safe, I’ll take care of the rest. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.”

“Will you give me your solemn vow, on the lives of your children, that you’ll do this?”

“Absolutely.”

“Your blood is fine, Stassi,” Genji said in confusion. “He won’t become ill if he drinks from you.”

I lifted my friend’s hand from the table where it had fallen and leaned over her prone body to touch my other hand to her forehead before I looked at the man who was my blood relation but a relative stranger compared to the woman in front of me.

“Remember your vow, Nicholas. This is on your children.”

“I’ll do anything for my children,” Nicholas assured me again.

“Prove it.” I looked down at Genji and said, “Tell Aksel that I loved him and I wanted nothing more than to live my life beside him, arguing and making love in equal measure until we both turned to dust.”

“What are you saying, Stassi?” Genji asked in alarm.

“Stassi! No!” Neema yelled from somewhere beside me.

“It’s been fun and it’s been real, but it hasn’t been real fun,” I quipped before I let my canines grow and sank them into Genji’s wrist.

I held on until I was almost too dizzy to stand on my own and then let Genji’s wrist fall away before I mumbled, “Feed her, Nick.” I heard him hiss the second Genji’s teeth pierced his wrist and ignored Neema who was still screaming at me as I walked over to the guards I’d spelled earlier. “You will act like your normal selves and take me to Agmund. When we arrive, I want you to guard the door and not let anyone inside. Do you understand me?”

At the same time, all four guards said, “Yes, mistress.”

“Let’s go.”