To Wrangle A Witch (Southern Sanctuary Book 3) (20 page)

Hadleigh
smiled and then laughed, Vaughn joining in.

“What?” 
Locke looked between the two.

“Did
Alma state categorically that Kirsten is your perfect match?”  Hadleigh
enquired.

“Well
no.”  Locke shook his head, if anything Alma had been kind of uninterested
in how he and Kirsten interacted.

Vaughn
grinned.  “You just fell for the oldest con in the book Locke. 
You’re looking under the wrong cup Sunshine, the pea’s not there.”

“What?” 
Locke was genuinely perplexed.

Both
Vaughn and Hadleigh laughed once more, his sister shaking her head. 
“Honestly you are doomed already Locke, just accept your fate and go quietly.”

“What
fate?  Stop laughing and tell me what’s going on?”

“No
time I’m afraid.”  Vaughn shrugged looking unapologetic.  “The others
have arrived.  We need to clear everything away out here.  There’s a
new plan in play, we want to tag the vampire Queen with an electronic tracker,
have her lead us back to Sek and Mot.
 
Once we’ve found them we can identify where Apep’s sarcophagus is being
kept, after we’ve snagged the coffin we can close in and take out the demi-gods
and the vamp Queen at our leisure.  And of course we need to go
over…”  He paused as if it were painful to say. “…Serena’s role tonight.”

“About
that...”  Locke saw an opportunity; maybe it wasn’t too late to convince
Maat’s warriors to take Serena out of the equation.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

“I’m
doing this, so just shut up and deal with it.”  Serena stomped into the
living room, her gaze travelling over several grumpy Maat warriors. She was
dressed in tiny white shorts and a violet short sleeve top that bought out the
purple of her eyes. 

Locke
gave her a disbelieving look, she called this getting ready to meet the blood
vamps?  Where were the long pants, turtle neck sweater and body armour any
sane person would have chosen to wear?  The woman even had the gall to
wear her hair up in a slick pony tail, all the better to show off her delicate
neck.  She practically screamed vamp bait.

“And
don’t say a thing about what I have on.”  She whirled to face Locke. 
“If you say even one word I’m going skyclad, I swear by the Earth.”

“You
wouldn’t dare!”  Locke glared her way.

“It’s
not like they haven’t seen it all before.”

“What’s
skyclad?”  Hadleigh asked off to his left.

Locke
ignored the question, too busy focusing upon extinguishing the volcanic surge
of heat that punched through his gut at the idea that the Chippendales had
witnessed Serena dancing skyclad, a childish jealous rant right at this moment
would not be helpful.

Vaughn
reached over patting his wife’s arm. “I’ll tell you what it means later, one
fight at a time.”

“Well
if we can’t talk you out of this madness at least wear some body armour or
carry a weapon.”  Locke pleaded.

“The
vamps will know something’s up if I wear armour and you’re forgetting that now
that I have most of my strength back I am a weapon.”  Serena coolly faced
Locke down, even though inside her stomach was churning and her eyes still
burned from her recent silly woe is me weep-fest.

“Most
of her powers are back she says…”  muttered Locke under his breath as Drum
stood up and ran through the plan once more for the evening. 

This
was going to end badly.
 
Locke knew it in
his gut as sure as he knew cheap suits were badly made.  Yet there was
nothing he could do but be ready to step in when the vamp shit hit the
fan.  Goddess, please protect Serena.

*
                                    
*
                                 
*

Trying
to act nonchalant with a hidden audience of elite warriors was a challenge for
Serena as she moved through the garden, sweeping her hands across the foliage,
drawing strength from the greenery, catching her breath slightly as the sharp
edge of a ginger plant leaf gave her the equivalent of a paper cut, drawing forth
a small bead of blood.  The hook was officially baited and ready.

“Relax
your shoulders, Muffin.  Try and think about something else.”

Serena
jumped, her hand going to her chest in reactionary shock at the sudden
appearance of the Goddess Maat by her side.  “Earth, you scared me.” 
Issuing a deep sigh she glared at Maat.  “I don’t think my stiff shoulders
will be an issue if they see me chatting away with a Goddess.”

Maat
issued a throaty chuckle as she rested her delicate hands on her hips.
 
In pale pink yoga pants and a matching wrap
top the Goddess looked infinitely relaxed and at peace with the world. 
Her hair pulled back in its normal plait trailing down her spine.  Her
dark coffee skin appearing velvet soft under the just risen moon’s light. 
Only her eyes revealed clearly her heavenly status, currently the colour of a
dark sandstorm, swirling and slightly foreboding.  “We have plenty of time
Doll-face.”

Serena
took a deep breath promising herself she would not react to Maat’s presence.
She would remain focused on the job at hand.
 
Ignore Maat long enough and she’d go annoy someone else.  With that
in mind she opened her mouth to engage the Goddess in some meaningless polite
chit chat.  “Where the fuck have you been for the past five months?”

“Whoa
there Sweet-cheeks, anger issues much?”

“You…
You… You knew exactly where I was all along, didn’t you?”  Serena couldn’t
help but laugh, wincing as the sound came out high pitched and jarring. 
“Of course you did, I was basically in the middle of a fricking desert. 
You knew exactly where I was being held prisoner.”

Maat
shrugged her shoulders. “So what if I did?  I’m not exactly your Goddess
to call now am I Flowerchild?”

“You…” 
Serena clamped her mouth shut on all the expletives she wanted to hurl at Maat. 
Screaming profanities at a Goddess was not a smart idea, she might be angry but
she wasn’t suicidal.  “I was dying for Earth’s sake!”

Maat’s
alien eyes did a slow careful stock take of Serena’s current wellbeing. 
“Really Petal?  You look bodaciously blooming to my biased eyes.”

“Oh
don’t act as if you care about the little Earth Witch in your midst.  I
know I’m not of the desert, the sun or the sky but I would have thought…” 
Serena dug her nails deeply into her palms, vowing she would not cry.  “I
would have thought I still warranted rescuing from that hell hole.  It
would have taken barely an iota of your attention and strength.  Even if
you couldn’t be bothered personally you could have sent Vaughn or one of your
other minions.”

Maat
laughed in real amusement.  “They don’t like it when I refer to them as my
minions, you know that.  And Sugar-pie, forgive me for stating the obvious
here, but you were rescued from that hell hole.”

“No
thanks to you!”  Earth, who knew she had all this pent up rage towards
Maat bubbling beneath the surface, perhaps she really did have anger issues.

“Are
you sure about your facts there Dewdrop?”  Maat’s eyes shimmered as if
sand devils were contained within them.

“You…
you had something to do with my rescue?”

“As
much as I could Baby-cakes… a forgotten pot plant, a patch of virulent
fungi.  I would have done more if I was not constrained by the rules
governing balance and free will.  Besides if I had interfered, then you
would never have met the studly lawyer with the beautiful midnight eyes and
broad shoulders.”

“Yeah,
thanks a bunch for that.”  Earth, even to her own ears she sounded
petulant.

“Problem
between you and your handsome honey?”

“Not
my anything, and I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Then
what does that leave us to discuss?  How about this sumptuous oasis you’ve
created out of thin air?  I can see your fingerprints all over it.”

“Yeah,
well don’t get too attached, come tomorrow I’ll be long gone.”

“The
winds are calling your name are they Princess?  The tides yanking your
chains?  I’m surprised you’re letting Mother Earth still call the
shots.  What has she done for you lately anyway?  I didn’t exactly
see her elbowing me aside to provide you with any assistance over the last five
months.”

“I
will not turn my back on the Earth. It’s the source of all my powers for one
thing.”

“I’m
not asking that of you Rosebud, I’m just asking what the Earth has done for you
lately?”

“It’s
given me this garden for one thing.  A place to recharge and recover, soothe
my soul and ease my spirit.”

The
corner of Maat’s lips lifted in that taunting smile of hers.  “And just
like that you’re prepared to leave this heaven sent haven.”  Maat surveyed
her surroundings, her eyes drifting until they finally settled upon Locke,
pacing back and forth across the living room floor.  “I should imagine
it’s not to everyone’s taste, a little manicure, a little clearing A lot of
trimming.”  The Goddess eyed the palm tree, before her gaze once more
flicked back to Locke.  “High maintenance, demanding… a real challenge.
Hmmm, yes I can see why you might not be putting up your hand to claim it
anytime soon.”

Serena
saw red, she didn’t like the way Maat was eyeing her garden or Locke for that
matter.  “No one touches what’s mine.”  The air around Serena
thickened for a moment, the garden around her singing one silent joyous note
that only she could hear.  Serena cast a wide eyed look Maat’s way. 
“Oh shit, what did I just do?” 

Maat
laughed softly.  “Oh I’m sure you’ll work it out given time.  Heads
up Ladybug, the vamps are here.”  And just like that the Goddess Maat was
gone.

Serena
would have preferred the blood vamps make some sort of noise because it was all
too chilling to suddenly find herself surrounded on all four sides by the suckers. 
Her mind barely able to register their speed and grace as they touched down to
present a united threat.   All four were painfully thin but strong
looking, dressed in head to toe black leather, with metal shields strapped to
their forearms.  Their complexions pale, their eyes a strange but
fascinating almost silver colour that reflected the moonlight.  The three
males could have passed for brothers, their blonde hair cut in the exact same
manner and slicked back. Only slight variations in height and jawlines
differentiated them. 

Serena
supposed in the right light and with enough alcohol in her system if she’d
bumped into them in a dark alley she might have mistaken them for human. 
Though, as one opened his mouth slightly revealing two rows of fanged teeth,
similar to that of a shark, she highly doubted anyone ever dumb enough to go
into an alley with one of these guys ever emerged again. 

And
that went doubly so for their Queen, fitted out in a tight black catsuit, the
zipper stopping a few inches above her navel displaying the edges of her high
small breasts to maximum advantage.   Her hair, like her lackeys, was
pale blonde, short and slicked back from her face.  Taller than her
minions at over six foot the Queen was delicately built and strangely beautiful
in a gaunt dominatrix meets supermodel kind of way, high cheekbones with large
glittering silver eyes, tilted up at the edges, giving her a distinct cat
eyeing its prey look.  Currently those cat eyes were fixated on Serena, as
a small triumphant smile played around the edges of her surprisingly full
mouth. 

“Hello
my pretty.”

“Oh
well that’s disappointing.” Serena let out a small sigh.

“Do
tell?”  The Queen’s voice was throaty and velvety smooth.

“I
was hoping for something more than the clichéd super-villainess for my first
and last vampire Queen encounter.”

“Oh
goody, I like food that fights back.  When they just scream and faint…
tres boring Cherie.”

Serena
cocked her head slightly to the left, aware the three male vamps were all
poised and ready to jump her; they just waited upon the signal from her
highness.  “So if I play dead you’ll just get bored and leave?”

“No
need to play.  Let’s make it a reality shall we?”    The
Queen sent her a chilling smile, flashing two razor sharp incisors which
appeared to be the signal for her flunkies to attack.

At
the exact same moment Serena whirled and ran at the vamp standing directly
behind her.  She ignored the echoing battle cry that filled the courtyard
as eight warriors charged into the fray, too busy pulling moonlight into her
skin.  The vamp she was heading for was surprised for only a split second
before she disappeared from sight, invisible to the naked eye.  It was
enough of a slight advantage to have her zigzag past him. 

Even
above the cacophony of yells and striking of steel she clearly heard the
vampire take a loud sniff.  Oh Earth, of course the suckers relied upon
more than their sight to track prey, their sense of smell would be
incredible.  And Moon and Stars she was bleeding!  All these thoughts
had barely registered in Serena’s head when the vamp twisted, ducking a tackle
from Rafe and began to give chase.

She
sensed him close on her heels knowing instinctively she’d never make the safety
of the house.  By the Tides, she changed course, pulling energy from the
earth as she ran, her bare feet slapping down hard.  She was terrified,
her breath coming in harsh pants but she was still ready when she felt the
vamp’s claws brush against her back trying to find purchase on her invisible
body.  She didn’t hold back, sending the charge of natural electricity
snapping up his arm.  The power suck on her magic meant she instantly
became visible at the same moment the vamp was slammed into the dirt, his body
arching into a bow as the electricity surged through him. 

She
thought again of trying to reach the safety of the house, chancing a glance
back at the nearest threat, the vamp she’d just zapped, Earth they were
resilient, the damn thing was already wriggling fast along the ground towards
her like a snake, though its snapping razor sharp claws reminded her more of a
monster crab, eek.   Down but by no means out of action. Okay new
plan. 

She
changed direction yet again, charging through the greenery now, the vamp
following close behind with a strange lurching scrabbling stride, its senses
might still be jangled but it was moving fast despite the surrounding foliage
doing its best to block the vamp’s path, providing Serena with precious seconds
to reach her destination. 

Pulling
magic Serena sank into the welcoming embrace of the palm tree trunk.  A
split second later she felt the tree shudder as the vamp close on her heels hit
it hard.  Holding her breath she wrapped her arms tightly around her
body.  Earth she hoped the battle would be over soon, she could only hold
her breath for so long.  And by the Stars what was that sound?  Was
the vamp really using its bare hands and nails to rip into the tree
trunk?