Page 47 of Retribution

I fought against the chill that ran up my spine and released my energy only seconds after she released hers, calling every bird I could find to me, promising them a feast in exchange for their help. And they came, they came barreling through the hole in the wall in waves, cawing and flapping their wings as they dove down. They scooped up as many bugs as they could before pulling away and flying off to the corner of the room and out onto the lawn to eat.

Then, when all the bugs had been consumed, I begged and asked those birds to support me in the arguably dumb decision I was about to make. I raised my hand, lifting every tiny pebble in the vicinity, and hurled them in Greta’s direction. It was a distraction, one to take away from the fact that in moments, thousands of birds would be plowing in her direction. But she saw it coming, knew my intent, probably before I did, and the moment the birds charged toward her, she swiped her hand snapping all their necks in one motion.

Before I could blink, she turned her energy on Sterling and me. Her left hand shot out, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Lacy’s tiny body being dragged across the floor as she kicked and screamed. Her fingers were digging into the ground as she tried to halt the process. Greta snapped her wrist, and the girl flung forward, her body jolting as she hit mine.

“If I’m going to end you, I might as well do away with both my threats at the same time.”

Our bodies lifted in the air, and the three of us struggled, her hold on us tight. We clawed at the invisible force, trying to free ourselves, but though the pressure at our throats was very much real, it wasn’t a presence we could physically grasp. I felt the blood trickle down, knowing that it would be the end if I didn’t think of something. Even if I couldn’t save myself, I could leave this world happy if I saved the ones I loved.

The last remaining energy balled inside of me, and I pushed out, forcing her to drop Lacy and Sterling, forcing her to concentrate on me. I was the one she wanted, after all. They tumbled to the ground, their bodies thumping into the floor, and the moment her magic was fully released, I used all that was left to form a dome of protection. Sterling was on his feet in a second, pounding his fist against the dome, burning his hand on the energy field I built around them.

But I wouldn’t release it.

It was me she wanted. I reminded myself again as the pressure increased and spots of grey began to dance in my vision. It was me she wanted.

Chapter 27

LENIN

My hands searedas I gripped the silver chains around me, ripping them in two like a fragile piece of rice paper. The strength of the chains should have been able to restrain me, but never before had my anger and fear overruled my logic. The snarls of my mate as he fought the chains filtered into the background noise as a roar left my throat. I was not an animal, though the blood of beasts ran through my veins, and it was that blood that propelled me forward. It was the blood of the beast clouding my vision with a desire for retribution for what had been done, the lives lost, and our home that was destroyed.

Through the bond, I felt my mate’s energy fading, the strands divided as she fought to keep those she loved safe while her own life wilted away. She was a martyr, but I refused to let her sacrifice take her from me, from us. I lost the time from when my chains broke until I was standing in front of Greta; one moment, I was bound, the next, my fingers gripped her throat as she dangled in the air.

Behind me, my mate fell to the floor, gasping air into her lungs, and that sound, the sound of her gasps as she fought for breath, enraged me more. I squeezed, my fingers digging into Greta’s skin as she clawed at my forearm. I felt nothing. Her hand gripped my skin, pushing magic into me. I absorbed the energy happily, taking all she was willing to give so I could return it tenfold.

I let my grip loosen as I flung her body, letting it hit the tree trunk with a sickening thud. For a moment, her magic flickered, the funnel within the cavity that Liberty built seized before it violently began to churn again as magic snapped back into her. But I didn’t let her gather it. I didn’t let her use it; I used it to my advantage. Used my knowledge of magic and spells and captured it, allowing the power to radiate inside of her, searing her organs from the inside out, making her scream a sound that pierced my eardrums in the most deliciously painful ways.

My fingers laced her grimy hair, hair so unlike the luscious locks of my mate, and I pulled her body up. “You threatened my family.” The growl that came from my throat was feral, and I had a brief thought that perhaps Justice had a greater impact on me than I had initially realized.

“This is hardly a family.” The words were dripping with repulsing, even as she dangled from my grip.

And that was where she was wrong. We were a mismatched bunch, that was for sure. We had different beliefs, different ways, but we were family all the same. They were my family regardless of all the differences, and that was her weakness. She didn’t have the love of others that drove her to be a better being. She took what little love she received and spoiled it with her desire for power. Love or lack thereof was the weakness that would be her undoing, and perhaps if once in her life she had given herself a chance to savor what love was given to her, things would be different. But she rejected love in the most gruesome and horrifying ways, and now – now she rendered her heart incapable.

Behind me, I felt Liberty’s pain and knew that time was short. Her bouts of discomfort had become more intense, closer in timing, and I would not let my daughter be born with the threat of this witch looming over her head. I picked up a sliver of bone that lay at my feet, the sharp shard cutting into my skin as I held it against her body. Everything in me wanted her to suffer, suffer for everything she had done to us. Suffer for the peace she had unfairly stolen from Liberty. Suffer for the time that Justice could never get back.

The bone gouged into her skin as I ran it down her cheek, and for a moment, I was almost shocked that this witch's blood ran red when it was clear that everything in her was black. I watched the blood drip and pool before it absorbed into her clothing. Then I brought the bone to the other cheek, touching the point to her skin, letting it pierce her flesh and bead on the surface. A small hand touched my skin, and without looking, I knew it was Liberty.

“You’re not a killer.”

I didn’t tear my eyes away from the blood. “I have resigned to my baser instincts.” I didn’t let my voice reflect the emotion I was feeling, for it was vast. “She is a threat.”

“She is.” Liberty agreed. “We can trap her in her dungeon in Lucerne; no one will find her.”

Her hand was so gentle, and I couldn’t understand why she would care. Not when this monster had stolen so much from her in so little time and continued to steal with her every breath. But then, she laid a gentle kiss on my bicep, and I understood. Because her humanity hadn’t been lost into this world; to live with beasts, she learned to exist with them. It was not one or the other. She did not give up her humanity the moment she became a hybrid. She was not born a beast like I was. She was Liberty. The human. The vampire. The witch.Our queen.

I dropped to my knees where I stood, bowing my head. “I will honor your wishes, my queen.” I buried my head against Liberty’s stomach, feeling the movement under her skin. Soon. “We will let her live.”

“Weak,” Greta cackled, and before I could think, she had a dagger fly into her fingers, the blade at my mate’s heart. “Oh, so weak.”

I did not want to go against Liberty’s wishes, but I will never regret disobeying them. I flexed my fingers in the air before closing them into a tight ball, letting my power stream into her body and turn to acid as it infiltrated her organs. The dagger fell from her hands as they went limp and landed skewed at Liberty’s feet. Her body shook as it disintegrated from the inside out, and I felt no remorse when she fell to her knees, gasping for air as her own body’s fluids dripped from her mouth.

Behind me, I heard my mate’s snarl as the chains that held him fell to the ground, clattering with a sense of finality. The sound of paws and nails hitting the ground as he ran toward us echoing through the room. Around us, the funnel stopped moving, the bones once formed by the magic created by the life in front of me faded to dust before scattering.

Another snarl was followed by a howl, one from the depth of Justice’s beast’s soul. One that spoke of the hurt and anger he held, a testament to all he opted not to share. Then his beast was on the witch, his jaw wrapped around her throat as he tore at the skin and ripped out the muscles.

Chapter 28

JUSTICE

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