William (10 page)

“You take me with you,” she croaked.

“No, you stay here.” Adam pushed her aside.

Poppy grabbed his wrist and twisted, making him drop his knife.

“I was sent with this message. I have to see it through to the end,” Poppy insisted.

“Bring the necromancer. She may come in useful as a shield.” Don pushed past the rest of the group. His mission was to fight the wolves and to avenge his friend’s death.

Adam looked at Poppy, seeing her scars, how weak she was. He should go and chain her to the bed, but just looking her in the eye he could see it would be no good.

He nodded, pushing her out of the door.

Tonight was going to be a mass of bloodshed and danger.

* * * *

“Something is happening,” one of the prisoners said.

Katie moved from her bed, screaming as the ‘something’ shattered against the outside of her wall.

“Katie!” She heard her name being bellowed.

She waited to see if she would hear it again.

Please, please, don’t be imagining it.

She closed her eyes as the tears began to fall.

“Katie!” Her name again, followed by the shaking of the walls and floor where she stood.

Her heart surged with joy.

“William,” she whispered, chuckling when she realised how quietly she’d spoken. “William,” she yelled at the top of her voice. Moving over to the bars that contained her, Katie wrenched at them, screaming his name.

Now that her freedom was close, Katie fought harder than ever before.

“William.” She went crazy, pulling and heaving. But she was still human and the bars wouldn’t budge. A witch didn’t have the strength of an immortal being.

“Use your magic, sweetheart.” Katie glanced up and saw the man across from her watching her efforts.

Stepping away from the bars, closing her eyes and praying it would work and she wouldn’t blow herself up, she aimed her hands and fired. The metal exploded, disintegrating onto the floor. Never had her magic worked so accurately. If she’d known she could do this, she would have freed herself a while back.

“Cool, it didn’t make any mess at all,” she said, surprised, and left her cell. She aimed her hands at the other immortals in their cages and released them, too. Katie couldn’t explain why she had more control over her powers now, but she was going to keep using it.

The man who had been trapped opposite her came forward and embraced her. Katie froze, wondering what he was going to do. He kissed her on the cheek.

“I’m forever in your debt,” he whispered.

Katie pulled away, smiling. “Get me out of here alive and we’ll call it even.”

They ran out of the prison, charging towards the chaos.

I’m coming, William.

* * * *

William fought his way in the house, taking on as many wolves as he could. He’d been bitten by half-breeds. He was bleeding and bruised but moving forward.

“Katie,” he yelled.

Pounding a werewolf into the wall, he yelled her name again. She had to be here. He wouldn’t accept anything else.

“William!”

His heart lifted. Katie was here. “I’m coming.”

He was so preoccupied by her response that he didn’t see James waiting for him until he was on him. A punch to the face and another to the gut threw him back down the stairs.

“After your other witch, I see.” James followed him down the stairs, a wicked-looking spike in hand. “Time to prove you can’t keep
any
witch.” He stood over him, the spike poised to pierce William’s heart.

No, it couldn’t end like this.

An arrow flew through the air and went into James’s side. The Alpha wolf howled in pain.

“You, you little bastard, are mine.” Don charged at his friend’s murderer.

“I thought you were dead,” James said, pulling out the arrow.

“Guess again. Go and get your witch, William. The others are here. We’ve got your back.”

William nodded and ran for Katie.

The battle was in full force. He dodged werewolves, moving down a long, narrow brick tunnel leading out towards a row of cells, stopping when he saw a load of vampires, wolves and demons charging towards him.

He waited, calculating when would be the best time to attack. Then he smelt her. The wonderful smell of honey, calming his nerves.

He moved into view. The other immortals went in for the attack. He held out his hands in surrender, wanting only to see his woman.

“Katie,” he called her name.

“William?” He heard the hesitation in her voice. The sea of people parted and there she stood—beautiful, alive and running at him. He opened his arms and she jumped into them. William laughed, smiled and thanked God she was still alive. He pressed his nose against her neck, inhaling her sweet fragrance. Convincing himself she was alive and in his arms for him to love and adore.

When she pulled her head back he saw that she was crying.

“What’s the matter, baby?” he asked, his heart hurting to see her upset.

“I’m so happy you came for me.”

The others moved away, realising how private the moment was, and sought out their own escape.

Katie made the first move. She kissed him, not in a dream but in reality. He lost his heart all over again. He moulded his lips to hers. Everything sang between them, lighting them up like the brightest star in the sky.

“I love you,” he growled.

“I love you, too.” She nibbled his lips, circling his waist with her legs as he pressed her up against the wall, mindful of nothing but her.

“Wow, isn’t this all sweet and cosy?”

They froze in place. William opened his eyes. He knew that voice. He’d craved that very voice, mourned its loss. He pulled away from Katie and turned his head.

It couldn’t possibly be who he thought it was.

William held Katie close to him but looked in the direction of his worst nightmare.

Like a scene out of a horror movie, Emma stood, her black and white hair in waves around her body as if it had a life of its own, her black eyes shining hatred and her magic pulsing around her, ready to strike.

William couldn’t believe it. Emma stood in front of him. Alive. The mate he had long thought dead. For decades he’d believed he’d failed her. He’d killed her by not responding, by not being quick enough, clever enough or strong enough.

Yet here she stood, alive and enveloped by pure evil. It didn’t take William long to understand what was going on.

Emma was responsible for all the evil that had graced their door.

The love he’d thought he’d felt died in an instant. With Katie in his arms he could see the true Emma, the one he’d refused to see all those years before.

What a waste of his life.

“Hello, darling. Long time, no see,” Emma greeted him, moving down the hall.

William pushed Katie behind him, keeping her safe at the forefront of his mind.

“Trying to protect your little witch, I see,” she said, still coming towards them.

“What are you doing, Emma?” He spoke her name, trying to convince himself that she was real.

“Finishing what I started. My younger sister gave birth to a child and I’ve spent centuries trying to find the little brat. Lo and behold my anger at finding that the child had been here in Beyer West, protected all along,” she said each word, staring at Katie. The only living descendant of the child Emma was speaking of.

“You killed your sister?” He refused to believe it. The Emma he had known and loved wouldn’t have harmed anyone.

“Of course I did. I was tired of being second at everything. The only way of surviving in this world is by being the best.” Her eyes glowed as she watched Katie.

“Why?”

“For more power. Surely William, you must have figured that out by now.”

* * * *

Abigail waited for her to come. Emma was too strong and too dangerous. She would not be able to defeat her. She prayed for the life of her baby girl, hoping against hope that one day she would be able to stand and fight.

The door rattled, then flung itself open. Emma appeared in all her dramatic splendour. Black, full-length dress, exposing the top of her heaving bosom. Her hair swirling around her. Her eyes the colour of the devil.

“Hello Emma,” said Abigail, already resigned to the fact that she was going to die.

“Is that all you’re going to say?” Emma taunted her, moving towards her.

“What more is there to say?” Abigail was calm and she knew Emma hadn’t expected that. She stayed serene, knowing her fate.

“I don’t know. Questions about why I’m doing this? You know—the usual.”

“You’re greedy. What more is there to it?”

Emma hissed, moving in front of her sister, trying to terrify her.

Abigail simply looked at her. She wasn’t afraid. She had no feelings whatsoever.

“Power is not greed,” Emma argued.

“That just goes to show how naïve you are. You really think you can kill all of us, store our power and not pay any consequences?” Abigail sneered.

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“Then watch and learn, sister. You will pay for your actions and I’ll be there to see you fall.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll be dead.”

* * * *

Katie didn’t need to see any more. She knew what she had to do.

“You messed up. You killed Abigail, thinking that was the end of your line. That you would have all the family magic destined for generations to come. You hadn’t anticipated me. Abigail had already given birth and, through the years, the female line was protected.” Katie knew why, now.

“And now I have you, and to think it took my old mate’s help for me to find you.” Emma smiled maliciously at William.

“Why?” William asked. Katie could see that he was hurting.

“Oh, shut up. The Valentine with the lost soul. The lost cause. I didn’t want you and I was tired of playing the good girl.” Emma blasted him across the room with a simple twitch of her fingers.

Katie cried out and went to him. He lay gasping, clutching his chest.

“What the hell did you do?” Katie screamed. Then she was blasted away, out of the corridor to the top of the stairs.

The pain was excruciating, spreading through her entire body, stopping her from breathing. She coughed, choking on nothing.

“Painful, isn’t it?” Emma spread her palm, then squeezed her hand into a fist.

Katie howled as the agony intensified.

Never before had she been in so much pain.

Her mind was being pulled, dragged away from the scene before her. She closed her eyes, begging and praying for help.

* * * *

“Katie,” a voice whispered.

Katie opened her eyes, surprised by the lack of pain. She glanced around a room filled with hundreds of women.

“Am I dead?” she asked.

“Not yet, but you will be if you don’t deflect her power.” A woman stepped forward. Older than the others.

Katie felt the love she was emanating. 

“I don’t know how,” Katie cried.

“Yes you do, my dear.” The woman reached out and took her hand. Katie could feel her bloodline, the power and strength of it running through her veins. She sensed the elements and the love, the wonderful beauty of her magic.

“Now you know.” 

* * * *

“Scream for me,” Emma shouted.

Katie opened her eyes with new knowledge. She glanced over at Emma and knew what to do.

She thought of a shield; an impenetrable shield of magic. A special protection.

“No,” she said, her voice calm and clear.

The pain was deflected, crashing in a wave of useless magic around her.

Emma blinked, giving Katie enough time to get to her feet.

“They took you to the realm of witches?” she asked, clearly upset.

Katie shrugged, still unsteady on her feet. “Don’t know where it was, just know it felt good.”

“Don’t attack, just deflect.”

Katie made no noise to acknowledge the voice whispering in her ear.

“Cocky now you think they’re on your side.”

“Nope, but I can tell you they like me better than they like you.”

Her anger getting the better of her, Emma sent a blast of magic Katie’s way. With her palm out, Katie threw it off with ease.

“Sloppy,” Katie couldn’t help herself taunting.

“You think you’re better than me, little girl?” Emma asked.

Katie chuckled. “Well, you are my great-great-great-great-great-great auntie. I guess at least I’m younger.”

Katie had no clue where her confidence was coming from. She couldn’t seem to stop the words tumbling out of her mouth.

“Well, let’s get this started.”

The battle began, Emma throwing magic at her, each wave more powerful than the last.

There was only one way tonight was going to end.

William needed to get to Katie. She was in danger and she had no clue how powerful Emma was. Decades of practice and the power of hundreds of witches. He couldn’t believe he’d wasted years mourning such a spiteful bitch.

His head pounded from his being flung across the room. It had been years since a witch had done that to him. He staggered to his feet, using the wall for support, and started to make his way down the hall. He could hear the screams and cries of the two women.

His heart stopped as he thought about Katie going into battle. The fear he felt for her had him moving faster. He coughed, bringing up blood.

A few more feet and he was out on the top landing, in time to see Katie flung down the stairs with Emma bearing down on top of her.

William watched, unable to stop it from happening. He could see Katie fighting back, pushing Emma away, using her magic to destroy evil.