Reckless Revenge: Book Four (Spellbound 4) (22 page)

Shades slipped from the fog and shimmered into their true demonic form. Three supernatural dogs with scaly dragon skin confronted the lycans. Impatient and aggressive. Their bodies bristling with fury.

“Oh, did I mention that one of your pack killed my friend, Azeri?” I scratched Bakaz’s head. “My shades can’t
wait
to rip you to pieces, lady. You’d better back off or...”

A twinge of anxiety contorted Regina’s features. Her gaze darted from the shades to the magick whirling like colorful smoke around me to Trent’s black gaze. She stared as if she were making the toughest decision of her life. “Or?”

I glared at her. “Now that we have Ariana back just admit that you murdered my dad or I’ll unleash the shades on your sorry ass!”

Regina’s sable hair glimmered in the moonlight, her arresting face irregular, her red lipstick smile cruel. “I think you already know the answer to that.”

Yes, I knew. I had been primarily focusing on Carter and Coach Ramírez. Carter had been my number one suspect all along. I had been so convinced that he was the killer. My goal had been to murder him and get my revenge. Now that focus had to change…yet, I still needed to hear it stated aloud. I wanted the words to spill from Regina’s thin lips.

Shades slunk closer to me. Bakaz growled. No matter what I did, I would probably die tonight. My goal shifted to killing Regina before she killed me.

My fingers curled into fists. My blood boiled. I was going to scratch her eyes out. Make her pay for killing my dad.

I stomped forward. “I want to hear you admit it!” I shouted.

“Fine. I killed him,” Regina smugly admitted. “Now back down, little witch. This will all be over soon…”

A huge raven landed on a branch above our heads. The bird paced, flapping its shiny black feathers and giving a raucous cry. The hair on my arms prickled. It hopped to the ground and shivered, writhed, morphed. A winged man burst forth from the feathers of the bird.

Surprise, surprise.
Not.

Bird Man was dressed in dark, drab clothing with a long sword resting at his hip. A luminous glow emanated from his skin, surrounding him in rippling silver light. He had rugged features and radiant eyes. Gigantic wings, the color of dusk and pewter, unfurled behind him. And I swear the scent of ocean breezes and warm sunshine invaded my senses.

“Ah, hell...” The words died on my lips.

Suddenly my heart was in my throat. My stomach tightened. We were no match for lycans
and
black-winged creatures.

The winged man glowered at Regina. “I warned you, Alpha, if you harmed the girl, there would be severe consequences.”

What?
He’s on our side!

“Yeahhh, you heard him,” I said, and the winged-man glanced at me with a raised brow. I shrugged.

“Even you are no match for powerful lycans, Malphas,” Regina replied.

Ah, so the winged guy had a name. What the hell was he, anyway?

James McMillian ran out of the forest. “
Stop!
” He tromped over the grass, fists swinging at his sides. “Please don’t do this!”

Regina dropped on her hands and knees to shapeshift into a smaller version of the other wolves. She shed her clothes like a snake sheds skin. Her fur grew thick, claws unsheathed. Regina lowered her head and howled like a mother calling her children to dinner.

In response, Carter finished shape-shifting in one fluid motion, his semi-human form vanishing as muscles and bones reformed and stretched. Gray fur sprung from his skin. His eyes were golden and bestial. Teeth sharp and feral. His razor claws poised for attack.

James stopped beside me, breathing hard. “There’s too many of them. You are all gonna die!”

“Maybe, but I
have
to do this.”

“You’re outnumbered, Shiloh. Especially now. I found your friend on the hill…I think he’s dead,” James said.

Evans dead?
No, no, no!

Something inside me ruptured. Cracked my soul. Beneath my ribs, the dark force fluttered. Familiar and callous, stirring into awareness. Restless. Hungry. Powerful.

“We could use your help, James,” Daniel said in a voice that snarled like he was an alpha.

And James lowered his head as if Daniel was one. “Yes. Of course.” Then he
shifted
into a lycan.

Malphas stepped over to my side, joining my team in the fight. His immense wings flapped twice, stirring the air before they fully extended—pewter feathers flashing.

Cool. More allies.

In seconds, the wolves attacked us in a flurry of fangs and fur. Teeth and claws. Feathers and talons. Howls vibrated in my ears. Sharp teeth gleamed. A blur of scratching, biting, tearing. Knuckles meeting flesh and the cracking of teeth on bone. Gasps and snarls. Screams and battle cries.

The Regina-lycan lunged and managed to flip me onto my backside. My head smacked the hard earth with a thud. Pain burst behind my eyelids.

I jumped to my feet and took a fighting stance. Regina-lycan backed up and growled.

On my left, Bakaz and Zrekam attacked two gray lycans. James was fighting with two other wolves. On my right, Daniel protected Ariana from another lycan that lowered his muzzle and growled deeply. Malphas—the raven man—fought off three lycans with his gleaming sword.

Directly in front of me, Coach Ramírez-lycan had Trent pinned to the ground and tried to sink his canines into Trent’s shoulder. Trent turned his head, and his irises darkened. The demonic power ran through him—his eyes gleaming with obsidian color changes, and bulking up his already muscular body. His hands reached out and gripped the lycan’s shoulders, and with one swift, powerful kick, the wolf flew off him.

I spotted Kasha slinking up on unsuspecting Regina-lycan. Once she was closer, Kasha pounced on Regina-lycan’s back, digging in with her sharp teeth and claws. Regina-lycan howled and thrashed her body, but Kasha held on. She was a tough little demon.

Trent wobbled, his legs yanked out from under him by another lycan. Rushing headfirst, I dropped low, my shoulder ramming into coarse fur and solid muscle as I tossed the wolf off Trent. The lycan rolled, striking a tree with a whimper. Trent gave me quick nod of gratitude, then returned to the battle. He got into another brawl with a huge wolf. I loved the way Trent fought. Dirty and rough and randomly slamming heads into trees and all kinds of tough-guy awesomeness.

I whirled, trying to determine whom to help next. My pulse was throbbing in my face, my ears, my tongue. Spirals of turquoise and purple magick swirled around my body. Before I could do anything, I was tackled from behind and sent soaring. Air rushed from my lungs. My head smacked into the trunk of a redwood. I slumped, fighting the threat of unconsciousness. Blood flowed freely from a gash on my scalp. Pain radiated throughout my limbs.

Ignoring the pain, I bounced to my feet like Trent had taught me, and whirled to face the wolf, my booted heels scraping over the earth. I raised my fists, feet apart, but the russet lycan leaped over me and caught Trent at chest level, shoving him backward onto the ground. A grunt of pain escaped Trent’s lips as he collapsed.

Above us, Brittany yelled amid the screaming chaos. “Don’t leave me!” She clung to the tree and her body trembled.

“I need to help the others. Stay there.” Putting my palms together, I created a fireball. It rotated in a fiery circle above my hand.

Malphas glanced at me, then at the fireball with raised eyebrows. The dude was tall with
seriously
big gray wings tucked tightly against his back.

I cast a sideways glance at Trent. His eyes had blackened into chunks of coal. His cambion powers had fully awakened, the last few traces of his humanity vanishing. A miasma of blood-colored mystical energy radiated from him, almost like an aura.

Trent pushed the wolf off his chest so hard that the beast whooshed into a tree. Trent moved inhumanly fast and tackled the wolf before it recovered. Putting his hands around its throat, he squeezed. His expression blank. Death in his black stare. The wolf managed to use its hindquarters to shove Trent onto his backside again, and pounced on his chest. The lycan bit into his arm and Trent roared at the top of his voice.

Lifting my arm like a baseball pitcher, I threw the fireball as hard as I could at the lycan mangling Trent. The fiery orb struck the lycan’s side and set his fur ablaze. Howling in pain, the lycan staggered. But this time Trent didn’t move. Just lay in a pool of blood. Strange onyx fluid. The lycan hobbled to the trees, its body encased in flames.

From the corner of my eye, the three injured demons hobbled to my side, covered in blood and panting like dogs.

Bakaz’s head popped up, eyes sparking fire. His fingers reached for my hand. “We still fight beside you.”

“Good. Please go help Trent.”

They took off and surrounded him. I turned to Daniel and Ariana. Before I could launch another fireball, the Carter-lycan pounced, knocking Daniel down, and the force of the attack slammed Ariana onto the ground. Moaning, she clutched her head. Then the snarling wolf turned to Ari. Carter-lycan circled her cautiously. Head low. Growling and snapping his jaws.

That lycan was not going to hurt my best friend. My breath came fast. My heart pounded hard. Then the black itch of temptation…

This time, when the stir of
Darkness
churned, I embraced it. Let the black magick flow and encompass my body. I gasped when the sensation rushed into my body. The power felt incredible. Exhilarating. The dark energy thrummed on my skin in ripples of flame. The
Darkness
flooded through my veins, sudden and complete. The rush of demonic power inside me bloomed like a flower, opening, unfurling, bursting, and saturating every inch of my skin. It transformed my swirling silver and violet magick into the preternatural colors of midnight and shadow.

For a second, I doubled over, clutching my stomach. The mark throbbed, but the pain didn’t last long. I straightened, and the
Darkness
flowed seductively over my skin. Urging me…to kill.

Carter-lycan inched closer to Ariana, standing four feet away from me. I had to help her.

“
Kill them all
...” the dark power whispered.

All the blood in my body rushed to my head and started to boil. My heart pounded in my ears. The
Darkness
suddenly became a churning ball beneath my ribs. But I didn’t really care anymore. Only vengeance mattered.

Everyone was still fighting around me, while I stood frozen. Blood trickled from my nose. I wiped it on my sleeve. And I didn’t need to look in a mirror to know that my eyes had gone as black as Trent’s.

I had unleashed the
Darkness
. Allowed its strength to do my bidding. Black magick lifted my hair and strands floated wildly around my face. Adrenaline surged through me. The power emitting from my hands blasted outward, full of hellfire, raw and sharp in its intensity at the wolves.

A few lycans were hit by the blast and lurched backward. Some ran into the trees. Others stayed and kept brawling with my coven and the big winged dude. Trent had regained his supernatural strength and wrestled a lycan, choking it with his bare hands. James and Daniel were fending off five lycans together, snarling and growling.

Regina joined Carter, and they hedged closer to where I still stood protectively beside Ariana.

Ari gripped my hand. “Killing Mrs. Ramírez won’t bring back your dad, Shiloh.”

I shrugged her off and I created another fireball. My hands burned. Fingers scorched. My skin absorbed the demonic heat. Quicker now. Warmth spread beneath my clothes, along my belly and across my legs. Bouncing the flaming orb in one hand, I glared at the lycans.

The Carter-lycan circling me paused. His eyes met in a silent form of communication with Regina, and then he nodded. I could only hit one with the fireball. He lowered his muzzle and bared sharp teeth, digging at the dirt with deadly claws.

The world had become static—the lycans, my coven, even the gale of black magick that shook the trees. Nobody wanted to make the first move.

Suddenly, Brittany plummeted to the ground with a sharp thud. She shrieked and held her left arm. She clutched at her wrist and tried to stand, but her legs wobbled. Ariana gripped her elbow and held her upright. I shoved Brittany and Ariana behind me. Stayed focused on the lycans.

Think! Think!

While Malphas was doing a good job of holding back the other lycans, I quickly faced the two girls beside me.

“Brittany! Ari! Quickly, give me your hands.”

“I can’t. I think my arm’s broken,” Brittany cried.

Using the hand with my Devil’s Mark, I wrapped my fingers around her swollen wrist. Mumbled a temporary spell to ease pain. The swelling and bruising didn’t go away, but I could tell the pain had lessened when color returned to her cheeks. “Better?”

She nodded and they intertwined their fingers with mine. Magick flowed through my skin and into their hands like a lightning
zap
of energy.

“We need to protect ourselves. Close your eyes and focus on the elements,” I instructed.

Brittany’s brows slanted downward. “But we’re not witches!”

I grunted. I really didn’t have time for this.

“You’re descended from witches like me, so
shut up
and join the circle.” I squeezed Brittany’s hand. “Trust me.” I darted a glance at Carter-lycan. He advanced with cautious steps. We held hands and I quickly recited, “Mother Earth, I need your organic armor to shield my friends. Keep them safe from harm.” Then I added, “Awaken their inner-witch and please strengthen their dormant magick to defeat our enemies.”

We were instantly surrounded by the four elements in the middle of a vortex, and their combined force charged my two friends with a surge of incandescent power. We untangled our fingers.

Ariana glowed, bathed in the wash of white magicks and glittery sparkles. Huh. I recalled what the shades had said after Ari had been kidnapped. They’d called her Fae.
As in fairy?
Brittany had a faint glow around her too, but not as bright as Ariana. Me? Not so much.

“We did it!” Ariana clapped with a little hop.

Even in the violently gusting wind that whirled like a tornado around us, I glimpsed the others, Malphas, Trent, James, Daniel, and the shades still fighting for their lives.

“You think that’s cool? Watch this,” I said and lifted my arms, white-hot flames sparked and burst from my upraised palms, creating a circle of mystical fire around us and blocking the remaining lycans. “You’ll be safe inside the circle,” I told Brittany and Ariana. “Use your combined magick if they try to cross.”

“I hate that you’re doing this, but go kick some lycan ass!” Ari smacked me on the butt.

I stepped past the circle of fire unscathed.

Regina hung back to survey her pack with slight indifference. Carter-lycan took slow deliberate steps closer to me, but he was careful of the flames dancing behind me. He lunged, but I sidestepped the attack and the wolf went skidding into a tree.

Suddenly, I was slammed sideways and thrust onto the ground. Dizziness assaulted my senses. Spots lined my vision. The wolf pinned me with his giant paws. Carter-lycan and I glared at each other. I raised one knee and struck him between the legs. Hard. The wolf rolled off me and Carter
shifted
back into human form. He lay crouched in a ball, naked, holding his groin and swearing.

Get up, Shiloh. Now!

I stood slowly, my legs wooden and quaking.

Raze fell from the sky, onyx wings flapping behind him as he landed. A sword flashed in his hand. Ready to join the fight. A glow of weird, muted white light radiated from his skin. His aura rumbled, like a thunderstorm approaching. He stared at Trent. Eyes narrowed.
Another winged-freak?
I glanced at Trent, too.

Trent’s inhuman eyes only reflected night.
Darkness
flickered around his body. His eyes infinite black orbs were devoid of emotion. In one hand, he had produced a spinning fireball. He had never looked like this before. So much like a…
demon.

While I was distracted, Carter-lycan loped forward and jumped on me again. I screamed and fought, putting my arm under the lycan’s jaw to prevent him from biting my throat.

Trent threw the fireball at a huge branch above the lycan and me. I shoved the wolf off just before the fiery branch came crashing down on Carter-lycan’s spine. He yelped and slumped unconscious to the ground.

Malphas stood in the middle of the chaos. Raze soared upward on black wings—feathers sculpted from night—and then landed beside him. An odd smile touched the warrior’s lips. Raze faced a lycan that had leaped into the air to attack him and lifted his sword, flashing silver, and arched the blade across the wolf’s neck in one swift stroke. Its head tumbled from his shoulders.

I turned just in time to see Regina sprinting into the woods.

“Enough!” Raze shouted, lifting his hands as his onyx wings snapped outward.

A flash streaked the skies so bright, I squinted and covered my eyes. Then the whole area released a strange pulse, stretching and pulling like a black void.

Clasping my head in agony, I cried out and nearly fell onto my knees. What the hell was going on?

The force of the blast lifted me off my feet and into the woods.