Page 41 of Fated Blood

I’m confused, but there’s no time to question further as zombies are now crawling over the growing pile of bodies before us. I gasp, pointing, as they begin to close in.

Dixie just smiles wider. “Ever, baby, give wifey something to play with?” They share a grin right before a fountain of silver explodes out of the marble floors. “Watch this!”

Dixie raises her hands and all the silver freezes. Then, like so many tentacles, they lash out at every zombie as it falls over the barrier of death. Silver slices and stabs at them, and as she’s laughing the rest of us stand back and watch in awe. Maybe a tiny bit of sheer terror on my end.

With a moment to breathe, Sebastian leaves my father’s side and cups my cheeks as he looks at me seriously. “You’re doing okay?” he asks, concerned.

I smile up at him. “Seems fighting is in my blood,” I grin, shrugging my shoulders.

“It would seem so!”

“This is fruitless!” Zarius roars. “Come, let us wait in the sunlight. Either we can burn this house of rot to the ground or they can come out and fry under the sun. We cannot keep facing them and still have strength to fight the Monroes!”

Slowly, we back out the door. Dixie continues laughing as she holds the onslaught back, but the moment the warmth of the sun hits her skin she drops the silver and turns with her hands on her hips.

“You’re…amazing…” I breathe.

“I’m glad I’m on your side now!” Sebastian says nervously.

Dixie perks an eyebrow at him. “Don’t jump the gun over there, slayer. We’re all still pretty mad at you!” she says, but there's a sparkle of mischief in her eyes.

I have no time to ask, because at that moment a tornado rips through behind us and wipes out half of the castle. The entryway we just fought in is ripped from the foundation. The screams of zombies as they burn to death almost overpowers the roaring of the storm rending the house to pieces.

“Where is my daughter?” the tornado screams.

I shield my eyes, looking up, and through the wind I can see a woman with blonde curly hair with her hands outstretched. She rips at the air and every sweep of her talons rips another layer off the castle.

“Xanthe!” Keira screams. She runs toward the tornado, battling the winds.

“I need her!” Xanthe screams.

“Look, Xanthe! See what happens to the creatures touched by the sun?” Kiera roars over the storm. “Mara is one of them, you must stop before you kill her as well!”

Xanthe’s body crumbles in on itself in midair, her wail of loss and sadness echoing off the land around us. She falls from the sky as her storm dissipates, and a man catches her before she hits the ground.

“Brec…they killed Mara!” Xanthe sobs, and even with tears in his own eyes, he holds her close to comfort her.

“We will find a way to save her, somehow…” Brec says, but the dark hopelessness in his eyes screams the same sadness that she’s lost to them.

For the first time since I was taken and locked away, I look around at where we are. The castle stands on the edge of an immense cliff. The ocean below crashes ruthlessly against the sheer wall of stone, battering it relentlessly. The scent of ocean water wafts over me so strongly that the inkling of the smell we had below is overshadowed tenfold. Rot, saltwater, and the pine trees around us dominate my senses and it takes everything in me not to brace my hands on my knees and heave.

I miss the delicate smells of my mother’s garden, the lilac and roses, rosemary and thyme. How I long for home, how I long to see my mother again. My gaze roams over the field of death, the flashing shadows of winged vampires above, and settles on my father standing still and alone. He stares up at the castle, his eyes set on the highest tower, and his gaze speaks of murder. I follow his line of sight and cold anger rips through my chest. There, hanging out the window of the tower, is my mother’s golden hair.

“Arria!” my father roars, but she’s too far away. Untouchable.

“Mother!” I cry, wishing I had wings like the Monroes to save her.

Angelica is leaning over her in the window, her hands wound around her neck as she pushes my mother further and further into nothingness.

“I killed her once, Zarius. This time it will stick!” Angelica roars, her voice carrying over the onslaught of battle beneath.

A flash of wings blocks out my view as a beautiful young woman lands in front of me. Her hands grasp my shoulders as a large, winged man takes flight from her side and shoots toward the tower.

“W-Who…?” I gasp.

The smiling winged vampire leans in and kisses me on the cheek before pulling me into a tight hug. “I’ll save her, little sister. It’s time my mother learned her place is in the ground…”

“Lilith, go!” Zarius pleads, and the woman takes a step back and smiles again. There are tortured tears in her eyes as she releases my shoulders and joins her man in the sky.

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