Chapter 8

8

REN

P erhaps it shouldn't have surprised me that it wasn't until the morning of Yule—the winter solstice—that Celeste's coven made their move. The first day of winter was supposed to be the day she married the High Priestess's son.

We knew they'd been searching for her, but her masking spell had given us plenty of time to train. Vampire magic was incredibly powerful—especially daywalkers' abilities—but it was different from what you would face when battling with witches. Our offensive power was geared toward taking down other vampires, not protecting from spells, incantations, and other skills like manipulating the elements.

Celeste's abilities constantly awed me and made me hard as fuck. When any of the others with us left, our training sessions often ended up with a different and much more enjoyable type of acrobatics.

As we worked together, Celeste grew more confident, and her control over her power made her a force to be reckoned with.

Training Celeste had been valuable for us as well, giving us insight into how her coven would fight, the magic possessed by each member, and other useful knowledge. And we learned how to work together so that we'd stand opposite the coven as one powerful, deadly unit.

There were several mystical events during the year that boosted witch magic. Yule was a perfect day for the pairing of two powerful witches. I could only imagine what her coven had planned for the festivities. Some of Celeste's random comments made me wonder if it all culminated with the consummation of the marriage bed. I tried not to think about it because I usually broke shit to keep myself from tracking down that asshole and putting him in the ground.

Honestly, I hadn't told Celeste, but I'd had my feelers out, trying to see if I could locate him before everything came to a head. Killing him would have started a war. It certainly wouldn't be the first time an assassination led to one—a well-learned lesson of what not to do when trying to avoid a fight.

Besides, I was confident that I could have "convinced" him to walk away from my consort and take the coven. However, it eventually became clear that he was staying on the coven's land, hiding behind their protection like a coward.

Celeste was the most powerful witch in her former coven, but with the elemental event intensifying their sorcery, they might be able to detect her cloaking enchantment.

We'd only been asleep for a few hours when Celeste's phone started vibrating, waking us. She reached out and grabbed it, then groaned and tossed it back in the nightstand. "Seriously?" she grumbled. "They can't keep their harassment to the hours when they know I'm awake?"

Her parents. They were seriously grating on my last nerve.

When her cell vibrated again, I leaned over her, snatched the device, and shut it off completely.

A minute later, my phone began buzzing. "For fuck's sake," I muttered. I rolled onto my back and picked it up, frowning at the unknown number on the screen.

I sent the caller to voicemail and was about to turn the device off when the same number popped up again. Celeste turned over and snuggled into me, her sleepy gaze peering at my screen.

"What the heck?" she hissed, sitting up, her whole body going rigid.

"You know who it is?"

She nodded and murmured, "That's my dad's number."

My eyebrows shot up. In the months we'd been together, she'd had plenty of calls from her parents. But not once had they reached out to me.

"Do you want me to answer it?"

She bit her lip for a second, then put out her hand, palm up. Reluctantly, I gave her the phone. I'd really been hoping she would finally let me handle them.

Celeste pressed the accept button before putting the call on speaker.

"Dad?" she answered hesitantly.

He sounded unsure when he confirmed, "I-yes. It's me."

"Okay. Um, why are you calling Ren?"

"Because you won't answer our calls," he snapped.

I opened my mouth to tell him to go fuck himself, but he sighed and spoke again.

"I'm not calling to fight with you, Celeste."

I sat up and shuffled back against the headboard, then grasped my consort and put her on my lap so I could wrap her up in my arms.

She practically collapsed against me, some of her muscles losing their tension. She was clearly befuddled by her father's intentions. "Um…okay. I'm glad. But then what are you calling for?"

"It's the winter solstice," he muttered so quietly I almost didn't hear him.

"I know, Dad." She sighed. "If you're calling to try to convince me to return and marry Arthur then?—"

"Look," he interrupted. "I…I'm not going to pretend that I'm happy with your decisions. But that doesn't mean I want you to get hurt or be forced into something that will make you miserable."

"Thanks…I think."

"Despite what you might believe, I love you."

Celeste's eyes became misty, and she swallowed hard. "Me too," she whispered.

"And…your mother loves you, too."

I barely refrained from snorting with derision but must not have been as quiet as I thought because, with a hint of defensiveness in his tone, he added, "In her own way."

"Mm-hmm," Celeste hummed.

"The coven is strong today," he said, changing the topic. "They…they know where you are."

It was my turn to go stiff as I listened intently to what he said next.

"Since you're normally asleep at this hour, they are coming to take you. Counting on you being unprepared and not alert."

"When?" I growled. "When will they be here?"

Her dad was silent, and my hands itched to wrap around his neck so I could squeeze the answer out of him.

"When, Dad?" Celeste pressed.

"An hour, two at the most."

I immediately reached out to my family, but most of them were asleep, so I knew I'd have to go wake up Cian or the twins and send them out to gather everyone.

A knock on my bedroom door made me frown until Aura telepathed me.

Is everything okay? I feel your distress .

Like witches, many vampires possessed unique gifts. Aura had what could almost be described as an overdeveloped sense of empathy. She picked up on emotions and had a sixth sense about when someone needed her.

Celeste's coven is coming for her. Will you wake Cian and Abel? I need you three to teleport to the rest of the family and let them know .

Of course .

"I have to go," Celeste's dad mumbled, his voice lowering even more. "Don't let them corner you in the house."

Then he was gone.

"Son of a bitch," I swore as I shifted so I was fully sitting up. "They'll have to do more than catch us off guard during our day sleep if they want to have an edge over us."

Celeste cocked her head and looked up at me quizzically. "What do you think he meant about not letting them find us at the house?"

I scowled as I chewed on his advice. "Does anyone in your coven have the ability to make a force field?"

She rubbed her neck, her expression thoughtful. "No. But several incantations would have a similar effect. You think they would try to trap us in while keeping your family out?"

I nodded and moved her off my lap so I could swing my feet to the floor and stand. "That's exactly what I think. Then anyone who can get through this spell would only have to face you and me. My guess is they'll send in the High Priestess."

Celeste gasped and scrambled off the bed. "I have more power than her, but she's older and has much more experience. Honestly, I don't think anyone in our coven actually knows how old she is. But that makes her magic more dangerous because she knows how to wield it to her best advantage. Things I'm still learning."

My father's voice popped into my head. Where should we meet?

Her coven probably didn't know that I owned the nearly twenty acres of land behind my house. We had used it for a lot of activities and parties with our family and friends. So it would give us the advantage since we were all familiar with the terrain.

In the clearing by the stream , I answered.

I'll let everyone know.

Thanks. Get them there as fast as you can .

Celeste and I were dressed in seconds, then I teleported us to the kitchen. She grabbed something quick to eat while I punctured a bag of blood with my fangs and drank it straight from there. After downing three bags, I rinsed my mouth in the sink so I didn't look like I'd just stepped out of an Anne Rice novel.

My consort was waiting for me at the large island, having finished her own snack.

I held out my hand, and she grabbed it, allowing me to pull her into the circle of my arms.

"Ready?"

She grimaced. "Physically? Yes. But if you're asking if I'm ready to face off with the people who were my family for the first eighteen years of my life, then…I don't have an answer."

I kissed her softly. "I'm sorry, love."

"Me too. Not for the way my life is turning out. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. But for their choice not to accept it, forcing me to see them as my enemy."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay behind and let us handle this shit?" I'd tried several times to convince her to stay out of the fight. With no success. I had no illusions that this time would be any different, but I still had to try.

"Let's go, caveman," she said with an adorable eye roll.

We were standing in a clearing an instant later. I'd brought Celeste here a few times—though those had been a very different, much more pleasurable experience.

My parents were already there, speaking quietly with my brother Braeden and his consort, Callidora. I knew he wouldn't be much happier to have her in the fight. But she was a complete badass—I'd made sure of it.

The others began popping in until our numbers would be at least equal to that of the coven. They gathered around me and Celeste.

"I don't know if Celeste's parents will come, but try not to engage with them unless it's defensive magic." I gave them more instructions and told them where to take their places. Then I added one last thing. "Arthur is mine. If you see an opportunity, take him. But I want him alive." He was the ticket to Celeste's freedom.

When everything was set, I took her hand and lifted my chin. "Go ahead and drop the masking spell, love."

It took no more than a few minutes for us to begin seeing movement in the trees. Above and below.

Witches couldn't actually fly, but some had mastered the ability to harness the wind in a way that allowed them to "sail" on an object…such as a broom. Hence the folklore.

They gathered in a group facing me and Celeste. A woman stepped forward. She was tall and thin, with black hair that was streaked with gray worn in a thick braid hanging over one shoulder. Her face showed signs of aging, but she was still ethereally beautiful.

Her bearing was regal, and she looked down her nose with disdain as her gaze took in the sight before her. I assumed this was the head of the coven.

"Celeste," she greeted my consort kindly. "It's so good to see you, child. We have missed you."

I might have believed her act if I hadn't seen the coldness lurking in her dark, steely eyes.

"You missed me? Or you missed what you hoped to gain from me?" Celeste asked, her expression blank.

The High Priestess frowned. I could see the wheels turning, likely trying to decide how far to take her charade. Finally, she shrugged. "The two are not mutually exclusive."

"I missed you, Celeste," a male voice spoke up. Arthur stepped forward to stand beside his mother. He looked at Celeste with such longing that if I didn't know better, I would have thought he actually cared for her. But it was the power and prestige that she gave him, that's what was truly the reason behind his forlorn demeanor.

"I didn't realize how much I wanted you to be my wife until I lost you. I love you."

Celeste snorted, and I suppressed a chuckle.

Damn, she was amazing.

"Then you won't mind that I'm no longer a virgin?" she queried.

His mask slipped for a moment, revealing the rage inside him, but then it was back in place. "I just want you." He turned his beady eyes to me and didn't bother to hide his hatred. "I can overlook your indiscretion."

I growled at him, baring my fangs, and for a moment, he looked unsure. Then his ego returned, and he sneered at me with condescension.

"You think accepting the destiny given to me by The Goddess is some kind of misjudgment?" Celeste snapped.

Arthur responded, but I stopped paying attention to their argument when something else caught my eye.

A nearly indiscernible mist was crawling across the clearing, and the closer it got, the more it took on the shape of a rope.

Curious to see what the witch controlling it had planned, I didn't react right away. Soon, it became clear that the spell was intended for Celeste. I was willing to bet that the magical rope would bind not only the person but their magic as well.

That's when I gave everyone permission to move in. The first witch grabbed, from the back of the group, had no time to warn anyone before they were teleported to the dungeon below my Kieran's mansion.

I'd hoped they were the person controlling the mist—since I couldn't see them yet—but it was still advancing.

Suddenly, Celeste stopped talking and put a hand on her hip, her expression becoming indignant.

"Seriously, Sanderson?" With a wave of her hand, there was a rush of air, and then a man appeared to be floating above the other witches.

Celeste whispered something, and the mist suddenly retracted, slithering back toward the man. But instead of disappearing into the hands it had been released from, it wrapped around him. He went zooming over the stream, then fell into the water.

That was when all hell broke loose.

I'd instructed the vampires to avoid killing, if possible. But as the fighting ensued, it became evident that the witches had no intention of leaving any of us alive.

Spells flew through the air, bodies clashed in physical battle, and the elements became a tumultuous whirlwind all around us—as though they were spinning in confusion over the multitude of conflicting commands.

To my surprise, the High Priestess stood out of the fray. I expected her to at least be helping her people, but her focus was solely on Celeste.

I was grappling with a warlock when I felt my muscles begin to burn with more than exertion. I knocked him unconscious before spinning around and spotting a witch staring intently at me. Her lips were moving, so I ran straight into her at vampiric speed, sending her flying backward. The breath was knocked out of her, keeping her from continuing her incantation.

I conjured a roll of industrial-strength duct tape and slapped some over her mouth.

"Ren!"

Athan appeared next to me and pointed off to our left. "I'll take care of this one. Go!"

Somehow, Arthur had managed to get near Celeste and was dragging her into the trees. Well, dragging wasn't exactly the correct term since she appeared to be going along willingly.

Fuck. I'd forgotten that he had the ability to ensnare people. It was similar to vampire compulsion, but the effect wasn't as strong. He could only make suggestions that seemed very appealing to his victim. Whereas, when I used compulsion, the receiver had no choice but to follow my commands.

Celeste had said that next to her and the High Priestess, he was the most powerful.

But considering Celeste's knowledge of him, it shocked me that he'd been able to get her under his spell.

But it didn't matter at the moment. All I cared about was making sure my woman was safe. Anger and possession clawed at my insides, and I knew it wouldn't take much to push me over the edge and end his worthless life.

In the blink of an eye, I was standing a few feet in front of Arthur.

He was looking back at Celeste, sneering, "If you thought fucking that leech would keep me from what's mine, you're out of your fucking mind, you little slut. I can still gain power from fucking you, whether you want it or not. At least before, I would have treated you with respect, like a partner. But now, you'll be my whore. I?—"

His words were cut off when he suddenly found himself with my hand wrapped around his throat, forcing him to come to an abrupt stop.

"I'm normally a very patient and reasonable man," I told him in a deceptively casual tone. "I rarely jump to conclusions and always give people a chance to explain their actions." My fingers tightened, and my nails elongated just enough to prick his skin, causing tiny beads of blood to form.

His hands pried at my fingers, but he couldn't compete with my strength.

"But," I continued, "there is nothing you could say that will stop me from squeezing the life out of you."

"Ren."

Celeste's voice drew my attention away from my prey, but I curled my fingers even more, cutting off most of his air while I looked over at her.

"You can't kill him."

My eyes narrowed. "Why not? It's obvious that I won't be able to convince him to let you go and move on with his pathetic life."

"Ren."

I tore my eyes away from my quarry, stunned when I didn't see any signs that she'd been affected by a spell.

"You came with him willingly?" I asked, completely confused. "You promised you wouldn't put yourself in danger if I let you take part."

"Let me?" she scoffed. "I'm not here because you let me be!"

Sighing, I shrugged. "Semantics, love. Now, as I said…patient, reasonable, and all that bullshit. So explain."

Arthur was gurgling, but I ignored him, not taking my eyes off my stubborn consort.

She gestured toward Arthur and commented, "You might want to let up a little. I don't think he'll survive your patience."

I glanced at the man and conceded that he was nearly out of oxygen already and nearing unconsciousness. If she asked me not to kill him, she must have a good reason, so I eased my grip just enough to keep him alive while I waited for her explanation.

"You said Arthur was yours."

"I did."

"And that if we saw an opening, to take him."

My eyes narrowed, suspicious of where she was going with this. "That wasn't meant for you," I argued. "But pretending that it was, go on."

"And you wanted him alive."

"So I could be the one to kill him."

"I figured. But we'll come back to that. I simply did as you requested—brilliantly, I might add. When I realized he was sneaking up behind me, I knew he'd try to ensnare me. So I decided to ‘let' him." She smirked, and my crazy dick found her smugness sexy, making me hard as a rock. "I knew you'd show up shortly. And now, he's right where you want him."

"Wrong," I barked.

Celeste frowned, clearly puzzled by my comment.

"I don't want this motherfucker anywhere near you."

"Oh, well. You should have been clearer about that."

I gaped at her, shocked and turned on by her attitude all at once.

"We can argue about that later," I finally conceded. "Why can't I kill him?"

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "For the same reason you wouldn't have if you'd found him while searching the past couple of months."

I let out a slow whistle. "You knew about that, huh?" She nodded, and I grinned. "Impressive."

She sighed and pointed at Arthur. "He's losing consciousness again."

Apparently, I'd begun choking him again. With an annoyed growl, I eased up.

Then I countered her reasoning. "I wanted to avoid a war with your coven, love. I'm sure you've noticed that ship has sailed. So I fail to see why I can't rid the world of this piece of trash."

"You know why," she scolded.

I did. But I'd been ignoring it in favor of the satisfaction I'd receive from seeing the light in his eyes snuffed out.

"You're asking me to be reasonable when it comes to you, baby. But you're the only person who has ever made me act irrationally. All of my rules go out the fucking window."

"That's fair," she conceded, "since you make me lose all sense as well. But for right now, how about you let me be the clear-headed one. Will you trust me?"

There was a hint of vulnerability behind her question, and my face went soft when I immediately answered, "Of course."

Celeste beamed at me. "Great. So why don't you let go of his neck?"

"Only if I can put manacles attached to a collar on him."

"Manacles?" she repeated, her lips quirking with amusement. "Sometimes, I forget how old you are."

"Hasn't slowed me down any," I quipped with a crooked smile as steel shackles with a chain that connected to a thick, metal neck brace appeared on Arthur.

"Touché."

I sighed and shoved Arthur around, then pushed him again to get him walking. "Let's get this shit over with."

We marched him back out into the clearing, and I gazed at the melee all around us. My first instinct was to jump in and help, but the best thing I could do was end all this and avoid a conflict with witches everywhere.

Considering I was clearly threatening the life of her son, it came as no surprise when the High Priestess hurried over to us.

"How dare?—"

I shoved Arthur to his knees between us.

"I'd think very carefully before you speak another word," I suggested in a sharp, lethal tone.

My nails grew and sharpened into vampiric claws, and I placed the tips over an artery. I knew she could see the deadly intent on my face because she paled and pursed her lips.

"Your coven is strong. But the Bancrofts have been around for centuries, some even for millennia. Do you really think this is our first rumble with witches?" I scoffed.

End it .

I telepathically sent the thought to every vampire fighting with us. Within a few minutes, every witch was subdued, unconscious, or had disappeared.

The High Priestess's jaw dropped as she took in her surroundings.

"I don't think I've ever seen her speechless before," Celeste whispered in my ear.

When the leader's eyes returned to mine, they were once again filled with disdain, but the fear lurking underneath was still visible.

"You've won," the High Priestess spat. "Let him go."

"No."

"I don't understand," she admitted stiffly.

"I think the term you're looking for is ‘misdirection,'" Abel said cheerily as he strolled by us. "Or we could just say we were messing with ya."

"Thanks, Abel," Celeste drawled sarcastically.

"Happy to help." He winked, then popped out of sight.

"Misdirection?" The query was voiced by Celeste's mother who had walked with her husband over to stand just behind the head of her coven.

"It was never about the battle."

Her mother shook her head and frowned. "Then why…?"

"This was a way to draw Arthur out of hiding," I informed them. "Without him, I have no guarantee that you won't come after Celeste again and again until you succeed, or more likely, we end up killing every single one of you."

Celeste's mother gasped and put her hand to her chest, staring at her daughter. "Celeste! How can you choose this monster over your family?"

"Seems to me," Celeste's dad spoke up, "she'd be choosing a monster either way. I don't blame her for going with the one who will treat her as she deserves. Rather than nothing but a vessel for power and heirs."

"Excuse me?" her mother gasped again.

"I heard that lousy excuse for a man talking to his friends about his plans for our daughter a few days ago. Personally, I'm in favor of the plan where he dies."

Stunned, I glanced over at my consort to see her wearing what I assumed was a matching expression.

I could see a fight was brewing between the three witches, so I decided to get what I needed from them. Then I could take my sweet consort home and get what I really needed from her.

"I'll get right to the point," I said loudly. "I will allow Arthur to live as long as I have your covenant that you will leave Celeste alone. No harassing her, in person or otherwise." I cocked my head and stared at the head of the coven for a few beats, then added, "In fact no contacting her at all. I don't want to hear about you being anywhere near my consort, or I'll come for Arthur and finish what I started."

The High Priestess looked like she'd just swallowed a bushel of lemons, but after a long minute, she nodded. "You have my word."

"Does…" Celeste's mother shuffled in her feet, clearly feeling awkward. "Does that include her parents?"

"That's up to Celeste," I replied without hesitation. "But she will contact you. Not the other way around. Is that clear?"

Her parents nodded, but I couldn't tell if they were pleased with my answer. They really were an odd couple.

I jerked Arthur's chains, forcing him to his feet. But before I released him, I clarified, "This agreement extends to your entire coven and especially your evil spawn."

"Yes, yes. Just let him go so we can be done with this."

"Something we agree on," I drawled.

Rather than taking off Arthur's chains, I tossed them to his mother. I didn't bother telling her they were enchanted and would take some fancy magic to get them off.

With that taken care of, I silently took hold of my consort. The second she was in my arms, we teleported to our bedroom.

"I wanted to make this perfect. Special," I groaned as I held her tightly to me. "But I need you now. I need you to be mine forever."

Celeste broke out of my embrace and slowly backed up toward our bed.

"I'm more than ready, Ren. I don't want to wait any longer."