Chapter 14 ∣ Blood Magic
-Locaine
"Evie! NO!" Lucca yells at my daughter with pain shrouding his voice. Evie removes herself from behind the protective form of Erebus, her eyes shifting to a black rose as she sets her sights on Kadessa. Erebus attempts to restrain her, his sudden grip on her upper arm halts her for a moment.
Kadessa's form is unmoving, held in place by unseen bonds chaining her in front of the leader she once followed. Orion clutches his heart, collapsing to his knees as he gasps in shock. I've seen this before...but there is nothing I can do, he's already a vampire and my blood can't heal his heart, neither can his blood magic. In fact, if it wasn't for his trace amounts of blood magic running through him, he'd already be dead.
Cristela's cry is the only sound that shatters the stunned silence as it carries over the wind to where we stand. She pushes past Kenzie and Kato, but Annika wraps her arms around her before she can get to the line of purebloods.
Evie's eyes flicker from Kadessa to glare at Erebus, snatching her arm back out of his hand with violent force. She moves faster than I've ever seen her before, the palm of her left-hand contacting his chest and sending him flying back toward the line of security. He's just as surprised as I am, catching himself before he hits the ground.
Lucca locks eyes with Killian, a silent message being sent to him.
What's going on? I don't understand.
Killian darts toward Evie, coming up behind her and grabbing both of her wrists securely. She hisses at him, her fangs elongating, her long white hair falling over her shoulders as she pulls forward rolling her wrists in his palms and locking her hands around his wrists. She hurls Killian over her head viciously, his body sailing in the air and in half a second, smashing against a tree on the outskirts of the open field.
Orion's breathing is ragged, his eyes fighting to stay open as he gazes up at Kadessa's still form. She's gritting her teeth and desperately trying to move her body. Not a single muscle will budge.
Evie...
Locaine, you must stop her...please.
What are you talking about? Why would I do that?
If she keeps her blood magic connection open, that unborn being is going to kill her!
My blood runs cold, my eyes glancing at Lucca and then to Evie. I breathe in deeply, calming myself before placing my right hand in my pocket, my fingers wrapping around the syringe. It's my last resort...if Orion attempted to use his blood magic to try to kill anyone.
If I stop Evie, Orion dies.
If I don't, I'll lose my daughter.
Forever.
Evie's footsteps come to a sudden stop beside Orion, kneeling beside him and placing her hand on his shoulder. It takes every ounce of his strength to lift his head up, his eyes meeting hers as she whispers, "You saved my life...twice. I owe you mine. Saving you...will seal the trust and bond between hunters and vampires."
Her voice is not completely normal, not her own. The words that came from her lips are laced with an echo, a slightly lower tone mimicking her words as they trail off. That voice...it must be coming from within her. The being within her.
My grip tightens slightly on the syringe.
I'll do whatever it takes to protect my family.
Before she can take another breath, I'm behind my daughter, the syringe flipping in my hand as I bring the needle into the side of her neck. My eyes widen in horror as I can't bring myself to press the plunger down with the pad of my thumb, dispensing the Lovenox to render her blood magic useless. In fact, I can't move any part of my body, Evie irritatingly reaching with her free hand to take the syringe from my frozen hand, pulling the needle out of her neck.
Not even turning around or standing up to face me, she spins the syringe in her hand, slamming the needle into the side of my leg and releasing the blood thinner into my bloodstream. Yes, it won't do anything to me, but now I have nothing to stop her...she made sure of this.
Lucca, the being is taking control of her. I can't move.
Lucca growls in frustration, taking a step toward his beloved but stops.
Fuck this! Now she has me. How the hell is she controlling ALL of us at the same time?
I don't know Lucca, but with Annika, she had to see the blood of another to control their blood. With Evie, and with the state she is in, it appears that the same rules do not apply to her.
After watching us being rooted to the spot, no one else makes a move toward my daughter, unease at the suddenly powerful aura that surrounds her. I observe in fascination as she lies Orion on his back against the field. She rips the top of his shirt to the sides of his body, the palm of her right-hand hovering above the open wound in his chest. The blood encircles her wrist in wisps, slowly descending into his body as her dark eyes never left his form, focusing her energy on him.
Evie is reconstructing his heart, using her left hand, she guides the blood that had spilled from his body, sending it through his heart and into his veins.
"Please don't die," Evie and Lucca both plead at the same time for very different reasons.
My heart hurts, watching as she weakens, her left-hand faltering and shaking before falling beside her. She keeps a firm connection to her right hand, touching the palm of it to his chest over the closed skin directly above his heart.
I try pulling toward her, my arms starting to return some control over to me.
She's about to release her control completely...Kadessa will be freed. Lucca, I'll get Evie away from her, kill that bitch of a ranger.
I know, I can already feel it as well. Her energy is spent...
I can hear the pulsation of Orion's heart, the beat coming to a steady rhythm. His eyes shift beneath his closed lids, his life had been restored. I notice Killian rising to his feet, Evie's control over us is losing its radius. Breathing out, Evie rises to her feet, standing just a few feet away from Kadessa.
Evie stop! Don't go after her.
My daughter can't or won't listen to me as she takes another step toward the ranger that had almost caused Orion's death.
"He wanted nothing more than to bring us together!" Evie's voice falters, the undertone of the original voice starting to dissipate, taking with it, its strength, "Why can't you see this is a good thing...?"
Kadessa never answers Evie because her form was replaced with Enock.
No!
Enock had not been controlled by Evie and even though she still has a lock on Kadessa, she's now under the three purebloods that hold her to the ground in Enock's place. Enock's arm lashes out and his hand wraps around Evie's throat.
Evie's eyes shift back to the whitish-blue pools filled with shock and fear. Both of her hands fly up and pull hard on Enock's strong hand that slowly compresses around her throat. My control is restored the second he does this, along with Killian's and Lucca's.
"Step toward me and I will end your daughter's pathetic life," Enock's voice is equable.
**
-Lucca
Evie struggles in the ranger's iron grip on her neck, the being within her taking away her vampiric strength and blood magic, more than likely for the last time...
Even though I have control over my body once again, I can't come to rescue her without Enock killing her. What startles me more, is the rising sun creeping onto the horizon.
Locaine...give the order...it's our fight. I won't put their lives at risk.
Instantly I hear a gasp come from Kenzie, her eyes widening as she shakes her head. Another second later and she's trembling in fear, taking Locaine's command to get the coven out of the open and somewhere safe. They are going to hide in the thick forest around us, they still have just enough time to get out of sight.
Annika won't move, searching Locaine's face for any doubt. There is none. All he wants to do is protect the coven...protect her. His love knows no bounds when it comes to her, sacrificing himself to keep her safe. Annika nods silently, pulling Cristela as she whispers under her breath to the coven leaders, "Protect your covens...run into the trees."
"Release my sister," Enock's voice breaks the silence, carrying to the security line. The purebloods glance to Locaine and as he gives them the signal to release Kadessa, they do. Immediately, they take off to lead their covens to the safety of the shadows, away from the sun.
What is odd, the hunters who now side with us, stand their ground, watching Enock closely. They are going to stay and fight...our daylight guardians.
Kadessa is on her feet, but the weapons she had were taken away from her. Enock holds no weapons on his person either, their one bargaining chip is Evie. Kadessa moves cautiously around Locaine and past Orion's form, unconscious on the ground.
"Kill them," Enock orders the hunters that remain behind them. No one moves for a good minute, his voice dangerously commanding, "Kill the purebloods. NOW!"
This time, the hunters do move. All of them drop their weapons and walk right past Enock and Kadessa. The anger on their faces is evident, joining their companions. Not a single word leaves their lips.
"What the hell?!" Kadessa is fuming, not one hunter stands behind them, each one has joined the vampires.
"No, Kadessa," one of the hunters speaks, "it's over."
The sun comes up over the horizon, the rays threatening to touch our forms.
A painful and loud yelp comes from Enock, the blood trailing down from the puncture marks on his wrist, the trace amounts of blood still lingering on Evie's fangs.
She'd managed to bite him.
In his shock, he releases his hold on her neck, Locaine instantly scooping up her fragile form and sprinting toward the trees, Killian hastily picking Orion's body up from the ground, right behind Locaine. They head toward the pureblood coven leaders and the rest of the covens for protection.
It takes me a second too late, the stray sunlight hitting my arm and scorching the skin.
I grimace in pain before dashing after Locaine, Evie, and Killian, taking refuge from the sun's direct rays under the canopy of leaves. The hunters move away from Kadessa and Enock, standing in a protective line as the purebloods had, in front of each vampire that hides within the thick trees.
Enock clutches his hand to his chest, hissing in pain as Kadessa places a hand on his back, asking, "Ar-are you alright?"
"No..." Enock glowers in our direction and yells, "fucking show yourselves and fight... a bunch of fucking cowards."
"Oh...they're not cowards," it's Zak's voice that resonates within the group, stepping past the line of hunters, Rainier, and Janie at each of his sides.
"You're not vampires..." Kadessa glares at him as he challenges her.
Rainier chuckles, running a hand through his blonde hair as he sighs, "No, but we were accepted into Locaine's coven a long time ago. We are living proof hunters and vampires can coexist...I'm sorry you're blind to that."
"We fight not for the vampires," Janie's black and red hair is tied into a bun as she reaches for the compound bow that's strapped to her back, "but with them...we are their kin. Threaten them, and you threaten us."
She finally trained in a long-range weapon.
Zak crosses his arms in front of his waist, drawing his two medium length daggers and flipping them casually in his hands, the blades running the length of his arm. Rainier's hands take hold of the handles of his chain sickles, freeing them from behind his back and resting them on the ground at his sides.
"I-I k-k-knew-" Evie's voice is just above a whisper, held tightly in Locaine's arms.
"What? Knew what?" I ask, Locaine slowly transferring her to me, rising to his full height and gazing at the battle that is about to take place.
I hold Evie close to me, her heartbeat is faint, flickering in and out.
"Zak...w-w-would lea-lead my h-hunters," Evie smiles softly, her eyes closing slowly, her eyelashes kissing her cheeks.
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