Page 48 of Claws for Celebration
Lucien ended the call and shifted into a dead sprint that carried him through Hollow Oak's winding streets faster than human speed should have allowed. The sounds of battle grew louder as he approached the town center: the clash of supernatural abilities, the distinctive hiss of vampire movement followed by the chaotic pulse of uncontrolled magic that made his shifter senses scream with alarm.
The scene that greeted him outside the bookstore was worse than his worst fears. Viktor's coven had surrounded the building, their pale forms moving with predatory coordination as they tested the flickering barriers that protected Moira inside. But the golden dome of protective magic wasn't stable anymore. It pulsed and sparked with wild energy that spoke of power on the verge of complete breakdown.
"There," Viktor called out as he spotted Lucien's approach. "The mate arrives just in time to watch his beloved's magic consume her from the inside."
"Back away from her," Lucien snarled, claws extending as his panther pushed against his human control. "Last warning."
"Or what? You'll fight all of us while she destroys herself trying to maintain barriers she can't properly control?" Viktor'spale eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Your separation gambit has failed spectacularly, shifter. She's more vulnerable now than ever."
As if to prove his point, the protective dome around the bookstore flickered and nearly collapsed before surging back to unstable brightness. Through the chaotic golden light, Lucien could see Moira's silhouette, her hands pressed against the glass as she struggled to maintain defenses that were clearly beyond her current ability to sustain.
"She needs help," said Elena Ashford, who had appeared beside him with several other local witches. "The magical feedback is too much for one person to handle, especially in her emotional state."
"Then help her," Lucien replied, but even as he spoke, three vampires launched themselves toward the weakest point in Moira's barriers.
The protective dome shattered like glass.
Lucien's panther exploded into full control before his human mind could process the threat. The transformation took him mid-stride, human form melting into two hundred pounds of lethal black fur and righteous fury. His enhanced vision locked onto the vampire closest to the bookstore's entrance, and he launched himself through the air with claws extended and fangs bared.
The impact sent both him and his target crashing through the front window in a shower of glass and snarls. Lucien's panther wasted no time with tactical considerations, ripping through the vampire's throat with efficiency born of centuries of evolution as an apex predator.
But even as he dispatched the first threat, his enhanced hearing picked up sounds that made his blood freeze. More vampires had breached the bookstore's interior. Moira's voice,raised in what sounded like a spell but carried an edge of panic that made his territorial instincts scream.
Underneath it all, a new sound that didn't belong to vampire assault or magical defense. Something vast and hungry stirring in response to the chaos, as if the dimensional barriers were weakening with every surge of uncontrolled power.
"Lucien!" Moira's voice cut through the sounds of battle, tinged with relief and terror in equal measure. "The grimoire! It's responding to the magical instability. I can't control it anymore!"
He spun toward her voice, his panther form still locked in protective mode, just in time to see Viktor himself materialize behind her with inhuman speed. The vampire leader's fangs were extended, his pale hands reaching for her throat with predatory precision.
Lucien's roar of challenge echoed through the destroyed bookstore as he launched himself toward them, but even as he moved, he realized he might be too late. Viktor was faster, closer, and Moira's attention was divided between the grimoire's mental compulsions and the magical chaos surrounding them.
The vampire's hands closed around her shoulders just as something else began manifesting in the space above the open Shadowheart Codex. Something dark and terrible that spoke of ancient evil stirring in response to the perfect storm of uncontrolled magic, emotional trauma, and supernatural violence.
Malphas was awakening, and they were all about to discover exactly what three centuries of imprisoned rage could accomplish when given the opportunity for revenge.
28
MOIRA
Viktor's cold hands on her shoulders felt like death incarnate, his breath against her neck carrying the scent of centuries-old corruption. But even as terror flooded her system, Moira felt her blood magic respond with a fury that dwarfed anything she'd experienced before.
"Let go of me," she snarled, and power erupted from her skin like liquid fire.
The vampire leader shrieked as golden energy burned through his hands, forcing him to release her and stagger backward. But the magical release didn't stop there. Weeks of careful control shattered under the combined pressure of emotional trauma, mortal terror, and the grimoire's relentless mental compulsions.
Raw power poured out of her in waves that made the air itself catch fire.
"Moira, stop!" Elena's voice cut through the chaos from somewhere behind her, but stopping felt as impossible as holding back a tsunami with her bare hands.
The magic wasn't just flowing anymore. It was consuming everything in its path. Books burst into flames as her powerswept through the destroyed bookstore. Windows exploded outward in showers of superheated glass. The wooden floor beneath her feet began to smolder and crack.
"I can't control it," she gasped, watching in horror as golden flames spread across the ceiling like living things. "It's too much. There's too much power."
Three more vampires had entered through the shattered front window, but they stopped short when they saw the magical inferno building around her. Even their supernatural arrogance couldn't hide the fear that crossed their pale features.
"Incredible," Viktor breathed, his burned hands already healing as he studied her with renewed hunger. "The power level is beyond anything we anticipated. You could level this entire mountain if properly channeled."
"That's not helping," Moira said through gritted teeth, struggling to contain magic that felt like trying to wrestle a star into submission.
