Page 6 of Madness Behind the Mask
Siomecollapses to the ground, her howling whimper a cut I am defenseless to. Throwing my head back, I howl my own pain and give the rest of my pack, which is hanging back on the perimeter, the signal to attack.
Pivoting, I take a step towards Delunas he pulls back his whip, but anotherwitch gets between us, throwingredbolts of crackling magic at my chest. It hits and fizzles out, making my fur stand on end but doing no damage, my natural resistance to magic strong, even for my kind. The only thing I’ve come across so far that can hurt me is Delun’s fucking whip.
My sight on the head of the Shadow Domain, I charge at him, ignoring the little gnat witch completely until I’m passing him. Then my arm snaps out. My hand wraps around his face, my claws sinking into the back of his skull and my palm crushing bone beneath my grip. He’s dead by the time I lift his body and throw him at Delun.
He dodges to the right, away from me, rather thanchoosing tocreateablueshield. Although witches have an infinite amount of magic,to use it in great quantity or quality willleave them suffering the consequences. It is a tactic we use often – force them to use as much magic as possible in a short time and watch as it kills them for us.
A shadow ofredfur darts in from the right, aiming forone of the witches that have poured out of the wedding venue to join the fight.Although we wouldn’t normally be so bold as to travel in our wolf forms during the day, the whole area around the wedding venue has been cloaked from human eyes. Neither witches nor werewolves want tobe spotted by the humans, both of our kind having suffered for such visibility all throughout history.
A low whine rumbles from my throat, and my left ear twitches at Siome’s responding noise. Sheis in a lot of pain, and I want to go to her, but to turn my back on Delunwould bea death sentencefor both of us.
As my pack deals with the other witches, Delun and I assess each other witheyes that speak of all of our sins.I wanted peace. Ibeggedfor peace. I tried to set up a talk between Delun, Aleric (the vampire leader and head of the third gang, the Blood Fangs), and I in the hopes that we could finally overcome millennia of ancestral crimes.
I was ready to forgive him for killing my parents, his coven for all the other deaths they’vedealt. I was even ready to give up our claim to the portal(the only place in the U.S.A. where supernaturals can be smuggled into this world, coming fromBlódyrió,one of the Seven Planes the humans know nothing about),and talk about the splitting of territory.I wanted peace. I wanted the pups in Siome’s belly to grow up in a world so different to my own.
I wanted a foolish wish.
For the only way we can ever be at peace is with the witches and vampires all dead.
Lunging forward, Ikeep myself between him and my mate, ready to intercept any cracks of his whip. He raises his arm just as a little girl yells, “Dad!”
In my peripheral, I catch his daughterrunningout of the wedding venue, white magicfrom her handsmatching herbeautifulwhite dressbut contrasting to the shadows swirling around her feet. She pulls his attention for the barest of seconds, the quick flick of widening eyes,butthat’s all I need for my opening. With a burst of power, I close the gap between us.
His eyes fly back to me.
His whipswings down.
But he’s too late, too slow,and my teeth sink into his neck as I grab both his arms and pull.My muscles strain as he fights me with his magic, desperately trying to keep his body whole even as his life bleeds out between my gums.
“Let him go!”
A little fist hits me, and apleasurableheat flashes through my body, radiating out from myside. Thebrat’sa healer, and she’s unknowingly taking away the pain her father dealt with his whip earlier.
Ignoring her, Isnapmy headleft and right, trying to rip out Delun’s throat, but his magicpullsat me, holding my teeth to his skin,forcing them to act like morbid little dams. As soon as I let him go, he will bleed out quickly, nothing there to stop the flow.
Suddenly,I can feel magic seeping through his blood, feel it heating my mouth.Sau’sa strong little witch,and I glance down to see her with her hands wrapped around his arm, white power pulsing around her fingers.
Growling, I release my grip on Delun’s left arm, blood spraying as I pull my claws from his flesh and backhand her across the cheek. She flies back and slams into Siome, who just tried to rise to her feet. My mate catches her, but before she can sink her teeth intoDelun’s daughter, Saufullyfadesintoher shadows.
Siome growls her frustration.
And then she screams.
Stopping my heart in a moment of disbelief.
I wrenchbackaround so I can see what’s wrong,and my eyes instantlywiden with the force of my fear. I dropDelunasIrun for my mate, but Sau’s shadowsare alreadyenvelopingher,the monsters that lurk inside them eating away her flesh.
I whine as I barrel forward, an agonized plea to the gods that have long abandoned us.It goes unanswered, as it always does, and I watch, helpless, as Siome drops to theground, her legs gone. She reaches for me just as I reach her, and our fingers clasp around each other. Pain streaks down her face and erupts from her lungs as she places her other hand over her belly, a futile attempt to protect our pups.
There is nothing she can do to save them.
Nothing I can do tosave her.
The only hope I have is by dragging her away from here andprayingSau lets go in fear of being taken away from the protection of her Family.Howling the signal to retreat, I race away from the wedding venue, dragging my mate behind me on the ground.
Her whimpers cut harsher than any whip of Delun’s,and the feel of her weight decreases with every step. She’s so light to carry, about half her weight.No…
Panic overtaking me, I flee down the street, not caring when I near themagicshield hiding us from the humans.The air glistens up ahead, a shimmering wall that is barely noticeable, separating me from the crowd of peoplea bitfurther down the road. As soon as I pass through, they will see me, but they cannot hurt me any more than I am already hurting.
