Everlasting Embrace (Embrace Series) (22 page)

Ben, eighteen,
nephilim

Celine, twenty-one,
mermaid

Team Eliza:

Mackenzie, nineteen, witch

Ian, twenty, future guardian

Ethan, fifteen, future nephilim

With the teams organized
and documented, Elijah goes over a few more ground rules.
“
I want everyone
to
fight with their teams
. W
e have a few students we
placed on Eliza team, but
you
will not fight.
Y
ou will have a protection spell placed on you
and have your own special duties
. Ethan is only fifteen
,
and a future
nephilim
,
so he has no powers yet, as well as Ian
,
who is twenty
,
and a future guardian. You will both be in charge of all the potions. I need you both on high alert at all times
,
and if at any time we are in need of any potions
,
you need to be ready. If anyone is injured
,
you need to throw a healing potion and protection potion at them
…this
will give them a chance to heal. If Sophia is near them and notices, she can assist the healing, so make sure she is covered with the protection as well. Alex will have all our thoughts connected
,
as you know
.
W
e can talk freely to one another with this, without physically speaking. I only want the experienced elders to go after Cyrus and Drake
. T
hey are going to be difficult to destroy. We aren
’
t even sure if the regular methods work
on
them
,
as they are both thousands of years old. If you get near them, try to get away and let us know
; one
of us will take over. Now
—
i
s everyone ready? This is what we
’
ve been training you for.
Are
there any questions?
”

Everyone appears ready for battle
,
and we have all our weapons and potions, much more than we
’
ve ever carried before. The Cerberus have caught us unprepared, but they don
’
t know we
’
re aware of their presence yet. We don
’
t know how many warriors they have, but we do know they
’
re near; we
’
ll set up around the forest. Mackenzie has tracked their location with more detail, marking their approximate whereabouts on a map I drew of the area. Our perimeter will be just outside the Cerberus
’
perimeter. Eliza and Ebony will place a protection spell on the house as an extra precaution
,
as well as an alarm
-
type spell. If anyone attempts to breach the house, we will all know it.
The time is here and now, deep breath, let
’
s go
!
I tell myself.

Out For Blood

We head
out with our teams to various places in the
forest, which
were
beginning to fill in with the spring that
’
s upon us
. We are a
ll semi
-
visible to one another
as
we begin to prepare. In a small cave off to the side
,
which
must have been home to some animals over the winter, we set up the potions and the
M
agnificent
O
nes place a protection spell
over it
. This is the safest place for them
. T
hey can
’
t get attacked from behind
,
yet have a full view of the surroundings. We
’
re taking every precaution for the safety of the students that don
’
t have active powers. The ground is soft from the winter melt; we
’
ll have to watch for
sinkholes
. Without any further time to prepare
,
Cyrus and Drake show themselves in a bold move.

“
Well
,
we finally find our old friend
.
H
ow are you doing
,
Cas?
”
Drake asks with sheer sarcasm.

“
Better
,
now that you
’
r
e
here.
”

“
Oh
,
y
ou think so
,
do you? Did you really think I would allow you to betray me a second time?
”

“
Just as much as you thought I would be happy to do your evil bidding for you.
”

“
I must thank you for bringing my queen with you
.
I
’
ve missed you my dear
,
and can
’
t wait to bring you back home with us.
”

“
In your dreams
,
you dirty bastard. I will never go with you.
”
Danika
’
s fear
is
becoming more evident
. W
e should have anticipated Drake
’
s ability to get under her skin.

Drake chose Danika to be his evil queen to the Cerberus
. H
e had plans for her to help him rule over the rogue vampires. He lured her to Club VC
,
and eventually Danika ran away from us, strai
gh
t to him. That was just what Drake wanted
,
and he trapped her
. J
ust as her initiation was to be completed
,
Caspian
, who had been away from our family for about thirty years,
help
ed
us
to
save her.
H
e
had
left us when he
accidentally
killed his girlfriend
,
Ashley
,
and assumed he no longer belonged with us
; b
ut we
always knew it was an accident
, and longed for his return to us
. After Caspian saved Danika, he returned to Drake as a spy, but was brutally tortured for a month
,
and then forced to work with him. Caspian finally broke free when the Cerberus came back to Wenham
and caused riots in the center of town. Cyrus places his hand on his son and
successor
’
s
shoulder
.
“
I think we
’
ve had enough chit
-
chat
.
W
hy don
’
t we get down to business?
”

With his obvious signal
,
hundreds of vampires emerge from the shadows and trees. They must have noticed us trying to surround them
,
and moved to surround us again.

Everyone looks around with surprise; Alexander has us connected
,
and tries to calm each one of us. As the rogue vampires take the lead
and race toward us with their ultra speed
,
w
e begin our attack.

Elijah and Cyrus take to hand
-
to
-
hand combat as does Caspian and Drake. The members on their teams work to keep others away from them. The rest of us fight several Cerberus at a time. While battling five others
,
I try to keep Elijah and Caspian in my sights.

With a punch to one
and a kick to another
,
I knock them back
,
giving myself just enough time
. W
hen two others come at me, one
from
either side
,
I gra
b
a stake in each hand from my belt
,
stabbing them both in the heart. The other two
,
along with a third
,
come at me
.
J
umping high above them
and
kicking two of them in the face
, I
knock them right into the stakes of the team members around me. I continue to fight any that come at me
, till
the group connection allows me to know that a few of our students are now injured. I
’
m too far from them, but the potion handlers inform us they have them covered.

The shifters have been busy removing, dismembering and burning the various bodies. A few even
begin
fighting, attacking a few of the Cerberus. Elijah and Caspian appear to be holding their own, but have yet to succeed in the demise of the leaders. Elijah and Cyrus are vicious in their attacks. Elijah is using many of the powers from those around us, but Cyrus
’
s years prove to be
beneficial
. I assume he has acquired many powers from other vampires he
’
s destroyed. If he destroys Elijah
,
and acquires his power to assume the powers of those around him
,
it
’
ll be the end of the Renata.

Elijah puts both his palms to Cyrus
’
s chest
,
and I watch as electric current
s
shoot through Elijah
,
penetrating Cyrus
,
sending him flying back at least twenty feet. I
’
m not sure if this is an acquired power
or a borrowed power. He assures us he
’
s handling things
,
and to continue with our fight.

Another Cerberus comes at me,
and
her long sharp nails slice at my arm
. S
he is an old soul
,
and a dirty fighter. Before the wound can heal
,
she grabs a hold
,
digging her
silver tipped
claws inside of me. I can feel a poison entering me though her touch. A burning sensation takes over as my arm goes weak. I call out for help
,
realizing her nails are tipped with silver. My team member, Zachary
,
rips
off
the head of the vampire he is fighting with one swift turn. One hand gripped on either
side
of his enemy
’
s face
,
Zachary twists with all his might, legs off the ground
,
running in mid air, feet bouncing of the heads of other Cerberus around him. The head detaches as a loud crack
ing
sound,
from the detachment of the head from the spine
,
occurs. His aerial acrobatics off the others give our group the opportunity to stake and destroy those around him. In the same in
stant,
he tosses the ragged head aside
and comes to my aid
,
t
aking care of the wretched hag that was about to fillet me. The potion keepers toss both a healing
and
a
protection potion
at me. I concentrate and allow my healing powers to push out all the infected tissue from the open wound. I can tell Nathanial is concerned, but I don
’
t want him to get injured because of me. Through the connection
,
I allow him and the others
to
know I
’
m alright
,
and healing should only take a few more minutes. The poisoned tissue is agonizing
;
the silver is spreading fast. I have to concentrate all
of
my energy on the wound. Dead tissue begins to dwindle as the wound heals from the inside out. Due to the effects of silver on a vampire
,
the healing takes time, even with the enhancement of the potion. Nearly five minutes pass before full feeling returns to my arm and proper healing can occur. Once complete
,
I acknowledge the potion handlers
,
and they break the protection so I can rejoin the fight.