Page 30 of Balor

She nodded, burying her face against me. “I’m scared, but fine. What the hell was that you sent to me?”

“Shadows. They won’t hurt you.”

She took a step back and eyed me up and down. I knew she noticed the changes, but I didn’t have time to tell her everything right now. We needed to destroy her father and the others as quickly as possible. The sooner they were gone, the better off everyone would be in Darkwood.

“Your mate here is jacked up on magick,” Jackson said. “New and improved Balor Hades.”

“So I see,” she murmured. I didn’t see disgust in her eyes, only intrigue. Looked like we’d have a long discussion about this at some point. Preferably after everyone else was dead, and we’d had some time to rest.

“Everyone ready to fight?” I asked.

Belladonna nodded. “Count me in! I want some payback.”

As much as I wanted to argue with her, I knew better. If she wanted to fight, I wouldn’t stand in her way.

“Everyone be careful,” I said, before striding forward and launching the first spell.

* * *

Belladonna

I’d nearly lost all hope when those weird shadows had approached me. At first, I’d thought they meant to hurt me, until I realized they were releasing me from my restraints. They’d clung to me, hiding me from everyone else, and helped me slip past my father and the guards he’d assigned. Then I’d seen him. My avenging angel. Although, angel might not be the right term. The Balor who I saw now wasn’t the same man I’d left when my father had kidnapped me. This one was darker, more sinister, and death followed in his wake.

The battle was chaos. Balor’s Saints MC and my father’s forces collided with a thunderous roar. Shouts filled the air, mingling with the crackle of supernatural energy. I stood back, watching with a critical eye, taking in every detail of the battlefield.

Balor was a force to be reckoned with. I’d seen him angry before, but never like this. His blue eyes glowed with an eerie light as he channeled his magic. He didn’t rush into battle, but waited, watching, calculating. I’d never been more glad he was on my side. Balor’s expression remained calm, detached. As if he were merely orchestrating a symphony of destruction.

My father was an imposing figure on the battlefield, his robes billowing around him as he shouted commands to his coven. The club wasn’t holding back as they engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the witches and warlocks. Men fought with fists and daggers, while others unleashed their own magic.

The metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air, and I shivered as dark magic swirled around me. Balor’s power was like a living thing, tendrils of shadow creeping along the ground. I’d known he was strong, but this… this was something else. I couldn’t have ever imagined it, no matter how hard I’d tried. I’d never seen anything like it before.

My father flung his hand out, and a burst of light and sound exploded toward Balor. My mate stood there, watching as it got closer and closer. At the last moment, he held up his hand, the shadows wrapping around him as they absorbed the attack. My father’s hands shook as he grabbed a potion from his belt and hurled it at Balor. The glass shattered, the contents spilling onto the ground and scorching the earth. A wall of fire shot up, creating a temporary barrier between the two men.

I could see the strain on my father’s face, the way his body trembled as he fought to keep the fire from going out. He was weakening. I didn’t know if it was from the power he’d expended, or if my father was an old man who didn’t have the strength to win this fight.

“Don’t just stand there!” he shouted at the coven. “Kill them! Kill them all!”

The coven members moved forward, but the bikers I’d observed in our few encounters over the last week or so didn’t back down. Collin and Ben remained with me, while the others stepped into the fray. They met the witches and warlocks head-on, fists and magic flying. Balor’s men were outnumbered, but none of them seemed worried.

“Did you really think you’d win?” Balor asked, his voice carrying over the sounds of battle. “That you’d take my woman, my child, and there would be no consequences?”

“You’re a fool,” my father said. “I’ll never let her go. She’s mine. My daughter will never be free of me. Not even in death.”

Balor’s jaw clenched. “We’ll see about that.”

I could see the tension in Balor’s shoulders, the rage simmering just beneath the surface. He’d been holding back, I realized. The club was protecting me, making sure none of the coven members could get close, creating a barrier between them and Balor. Because if he didn’t have to worry about me, he could use his full power.

The ground shook as more magic was unleashed, and I watched in horror as several coven members fell to the ground, lifeless. From what I’d heard of him, I knew Balor could be ruthless, but this… I hadn’t realized how dangerous he truly was. Hearing and seeing were two different things.

“Balor?” I called out, needing to know he was still in there, that he hadn’t been consumed by the darkness.

His gaze met mine, and I saw the man behind the power. The one who’d held me close, who’d made me feel safe. “Get her out of here. Take her to our home and don’t let anyone near her.”

“I’m not leaving you,” I said, my heart breaking at the thought of abandoning him.

“Now!” Balor snarled.

The bikers moved me behind them. Jackson’s eyes glowed with power, his hands outstretched as he muttered something under his breath. He stood still, his gaze fixed on the undead creatures clawing their way out of the ground. His expression remained calm, eerily so, as if commanding an army of the dead was a routine occurrence. His hands moved with precision, fingers twitching in a controlled dance. The air around him grew colder, and I saw his breath fog the air.

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