Corbin and the other wolves fell to the ground, the dirt burying them, but Caym stood tall and raised a brow, the magic not harming him.
Bastard.
The other wolves dug their way out of their dirt grave and ran towards the four of them, teeth bared, eyes glaring. Hannah hit them with another round of soil, but some broke through. Ellie charged, picking up a wolf and slamming him into the ground, Josh following with the same. Reed rushed forward, grabbed a wolf, and dug his claws into its pelt. It whimpered, and he snapped its neck and threw it across the field. More wolves came at them all. They tore at his skin, but he was stronger. They did the same to Ellie and Josh, but they pushed farther. Hannah stayed behind and used the earth to protect herself and the others as she went on the offensive.
Sexy as hell.
Hannah ran to Reed, grabbing his arm, and he pulled her toward Caym. Even though they’d fought against the attack, they needed to get close to the demon to use their bond. That much he knew. They needed to bind the fucker, though he didn’t know how to do it. But being near him would help. It had to. Josh followed them, protecting Hannah’s other side. They reached halfway up the hill where the demon stood with a smirk on his face then were thrown back. Reed landed with a crunch on the ground, pain radiating up his back. Hannah lay on her side, her body close to his.
“Hannah,” He reached for her, and she shook her head.
“I’m okay. Just knocked the breath out of me. Josh?”
“I’m fine,” Josh growled “But that fucker can’t get away with this. We need to
do
something.”
Reed grabbed both of their hands, their bond pulsating between the three of them. Hannah held on to Josh, and they all looked at each other. Dirt covered their faces. Blood splatter and cuts dotted them like a mosaic of carnage.
This was it. Their only chance.
Reed closed his eyes and pulled deeply on their bond. Warmth and energy pooled and resonated through them. As a unit they used this mass of energy and power and pushed it toward Caym. Reed’s body shook as the power flowed through him. Immense heat made his body break out into a sweat, but it didn’t hurt. White light erupted all around them and Hannah screamed. Josh grunted and Caym’s eyes widened.
This was the trinity bond.
Caym screamed in pain, his body convulsing as a bright light surrounded him. Reed held onto both his mates’ hands, not letting go for the world. Whatever magic their bond held, he didn’t want to sever the connection. The demon writhed on the floor, the light dispersing, and his screams faded into a hiccupped pant.
“What have you done?” Caym panted.
The three of them let go of each other and released the power of their bond. Josh started to run up the hill, Reed and Hannah on his heels. This might be the only chance. If they could kill the demon now, it would be better for them all.
Caym screamed, and fire trailed out of his fingertips, cascading in waves around him and flicking against the trees.
Demon fire.
“Hannah, Josh, stop!” Reed yelled and pulled Hannah close as a flame came at her.
Josh fell back and pulled Hannah’s other arm until the three of them were away from the fire. But it wasn’t enough. The flames came closer, licking and burning anything in their path. Red and orange flames danced along the tree line, burning an unforgiving trail. Josh covered Hannah with his body as the fire didn’t seem to hurt him. The heat radiated off the flames, searing Reed’s hair on his arms. Smoke filled his lungs and he coughed. The corpses of the dead wolves burned to ash, and Corbin now stood near Caym, bleeding but still alive.
“We need to go. Now!” Reed yelled over the roaring flames.
Josh nodded then turned and ran toward a body on the ground. Shit. Ellie. Josh bent and picked her up just as a tree fell directly where she had lain. He ran toward where Hannah and Reed stood. It didn’t look good, but Reed could see at least the rise and fall of Ellie’s chest.
Thank God.
The fire surrounded them but for a small gap, and Josh ran toward it, the fallen wolf in his arms. Reed held Hannah’s hand and followed Josh into the forest. The leaves crunched beneath their feet as smoke filled their lungs.
Josh stopped and looked behind him. “I don’t know where I’m going, guys.”
Fuck. Reed wondered where his mind had been. “Follow me.”
He ran forward, practically pulling a tired Hannah in his wake. The fire roared behind them, coming too close for comfort. Hannah tripped over a root. Reed cursed and picked her up, cradling her to his chest. Why hadn’t he held her closer before? She was a witch, not a wolf or whatever Josh now was. She didn’t have their endurance.
They ran farther away, the fire losing ground behind them. Reed didn’t have time to think about what happened, including the fact Hector was dead, and Corbin, though hurt, was now the Alpha. He couldn’t comprehend they’d actually bound a demon or the fact that he’d marked Hannah and Josh. Or that Josh wasn’t the same as before, and they didn’t know what the future held. Oh, and not to mention, they’d brought along the Centrals’ princess, who looked like someone had thrown her into a wall then stomped on her.
No there wasn’t time to think about any of that. He needed to get his new family and their new friend to safety. Then he could think about the consequences of their fight.
****
Blood raced through Josh’s veins as he huffed a breath. But at least he didn’t have the haze in his vision that meant he wasn’t himself. Their bond settled in like home and felt like honey, comforting him.
They’d found him.
They’d saved him.
He didn’t know what he was now, but all that mattered at this point was going home. With his mates. They crested a ridge, and the Jeep came into his vision.
Thank God.
Ellie stirred in his arms. He felt a connection to the female wolf. Not a mate bond or anything near to what he felt with Hannah and Reed, but like a sister. He was also thankful that she was stronger than him, and he owed Ellie so much. He’d care for her and make sure the Redwoods accepted her. From the looks on Reed’s and Hannah’s faces, he’d have help in this possibly immense endeavor.
Ellie stirred again, and Josh held her close. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m going to get you in the Jeep and get you away from here. Okay?”
She nodded and passed out again. One of the wolves must have knocked her unconscious. Or maybe she’d just lost all of her energy. She’d been fighting the battle longer than any of them knew.
Jasper and North ran from the forest behind the Jeep yet had a cautious look on their faces. He didn’t blame them. He’d gone demon. He didn’t know if he’d trust himself in their place.
“What happened?” Jasper asked.
Reed opened his mouth and coughed up a lungful of smoke. “Caym set demon fire behind the boundaries. It hasn’t breached it, but it’s bad in there.”
Josh looked down and grimaced. Their clothes had burn holes and smelled of ash and smoke. Nice. He hadn’t even noticed; he’d been too focused on getting out of there.
North walked toward him tentatively, a concerned look on his face. “Who’s this?”
There was no reason to lie. They’d find out soon enough. “Ellie. Corbin’s sister.”
North’s eyes widened and Jasper took a step forward.
“Is she safe?” Jasper growled.
“She saved my life,” Josh said simply. “The things Corbin did to her…” He couldn’t continue. They were Ellie’s secrets told to him during his darkest moments, and were not his to divulge.
North nodded and took her from Josh’s arms. He placed her gently on the back seat of the Jeep. Hannah walked up from behind Josh and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. He held her close, relief pouring through her. His body shook, and he fought back tears.
“We should go,” he rasped.
Reed leaned in and kissed both of their temples, lingering for a moment. “Come on.”
Jasper got in the front, and Reed sat in the passenger seat. It wasn’t a large Jeep, so North held Ellie in his lap and Josh sat with Hannah on his. The sickly feeling that plagued him since he’d flashed to the Centrals and knelt before Caym slowly ebbed away to be replaced by the warmth from the little witch on his lap currently rubbing against his cock and the wolf in front of him who turned to stare into his eyes.
They were his salvation. Now he just needed to feel like he earned it.
Jasper drove like a bat out of hell until they finally reached the den. The wards surrounding it melted over him as they passed through, calling him home. Ellie sat up abruptly and whimpered.
“Shh…” North whispered. “We’re at the Redwood den.”
Her eyes widened, fear wafting off her.
“You’ll be safe here.” North held her hand and brushed a long brown lock of hair out of her face. “We know what you did for Josh. We’ll get you fixed up. I promise.”
“Corbin?” she rasped.
Hannah gently placed her hand on the woman’s and Ellie flinched, snatching her hand back.
Oh geez.
“He’s still alive,” Hannah said. “But he’s hurt. Caym is alive too, but we bound him to this plane.”
Ellie scrunched her face, the bruises stark against the caramel of her skin. “What?”
Reed turned around in his seat to face her. “According to the elders, he can’t leave this plane. Nor can he bring any more demons to Earth. He’s weakened, but still strong.”
Relief poured over her face. “Oh.”
The Jeep came to a stop in front of North’s clinic, and Maddox practically ripped the door off its hinges. Maddox growled, and his eyes widened. Ellie gasped and shrank into North.
North merely raised a brow, and Maddox stepped back, allowing North to get out the car with Ellie in his arms. “I’m going to take Ellie to the clinic. Hannah, get your boys Healed and don’t forget about yourself. When you have the energy and your magic’s replenished, come on over and help.”
North walked away, Ellie still in his arms. Josh helped Hannah out of the car and stared at Maddox. A stormy look crossed over the man’s face, but it was so full of longing it made Josh shift away.
What the hell?
Maddox turned to him, his face now carefully composed. “Good to see you back,” he grunted, and punched Josh in the arm. “Don’t leave again.”
“I’m not planning on it,” Josh said.
“You better not,” Jasper added.
Maddox and Jasper walked away, leaving Josh with his mates. Reed pulled him into a tight hug and kissed him hard. His mate’s taste burst on his tongue as their teeth clashed together and Josh was hungry for more. They broke apart, both panting heavily.
Hannah slipped in between them and pressed her lips to his. Her sweet taste mingled with Reed’s, and he fell into bliss.
He pulled back and tucked a curl behind her ear. “Let’s go home.” His voice was a rough, needy whisper on the wind.
Home. His heaven.
Chapter 29
Hannah sighed as she stretched, her muscles aching from their fight. She couldn’t heal herself, a drawback of her powers. But she’d heal eventually. She wasn’t too bad. Her men were worse off. She pulled at her magic but felt depleted. Empty. Worn out. She looked in the mirror at her pale face, her brown curls framing the slight bruising, her gray eyes wide. She should go outside and lay on the soil to replenish, but she wanted to do it another way. A way she hadn’t yet done before. A way the men in her life would appreciate. She grinned at her reflection.