Coldstorm (Heart of a Vampire, Book 7) (22 page)

For the next couple hours, Matt stood at the edge of the clearing, the sheriff at his side. They stayed out of the way, unwelcome to help, watching Anca and Jezamine work.

The women were a contrast in age, but both emanated a huge rush a power.

In what appeared to be the exact center of the clearing, they laid out a thick, dark Council chain in a large circle. The women switched between chanting, and pouring herbs and other powders in symbols around the chain.

The air here was unnaturally still. Not even a hint of a breeze disturbed their patterns.

An hour before dawn, Jordan and the queen arrived with the promised sixteen guards.

Anca and Jezamine walked everyone through the plan one more time. The guards would hide, spread out and ready, in the shadows of the trees at the perimeter of the clearing. As soon as the siren crossed the outermost of three wards, the magic would spring up. A barrier to prevent anyone outside it from falling into the siren's song.

Like the townspeople—mortal and Arcaine alike.

Once the creature crossed the second ward, then the inner one, a chunk of its magic—and power—would be stripped away.

As dawn drew closer, Dalia helped Anca create some sort of frothy, bubbling potion. Matt joined Jordan, Shane and the others in an assembly line, filling darts and loading the rifles.

Anca and Jezamine armed each of the sixteen perimeter guards, then created individual wards for every vampire.

Feeling a little like he'd slipped into a trance, Matt trailed behind Anca, amazed at all she'd done in so little time. Again and again, he heard her repeat to each warrior, "Do not leave this circle unless our plan fails. Her magic will be able to take you in only a few minutes once you step out."

In addition to the women's magic, the guards were handed a set of ear plugs and thick, bulky, magically enhanced ear muffs.

Then it was time for Anca and Jezamine to ward the six of them who'd be facing the siren directly. He and Anca. Jezamine and Shane. Jordan and Dalia.

At first glance, Matt would think they were as overpowered as a hunting party lugging along cannons to take out rabbit-like prey. The magic of his King, the witch, the Keeper and Anca snapped through the air, almost visible, even to his mundane magical senses.

The hairs on his arms sprung up and refused to lie back down. The back of his neck twitched.

Though he might not have the magic to match them, it didn't leave Matt powerless.

Yet, even with all this preparation, the worry in Anca's eyes didn't fade. What the hell were they facing? A siren couldn't be that powerful.

Could it?

Avoiding Matt's gaze, Anca painted a thick dark paste in runes and other symbols over his face, arms, and t-shirt before handing over his own set of ear protection. "The protection will weaken the longer she calls."

He nodded.

She shot him a hard stare. "If you start to feel anything, dizzy, woozy, anything at all, get behind the outer wards."

"I've heard the plan multiple times now. I think I have it down." He grinned tightly, his adrenaline starting to build as dawn hinted at the horizon.

In the forest, animals began to stir at the new day.

His blood rushed with the need to keep Anca safe, as well as the others, those he considered
his
. His family. They all held a part of him.

And it seemed, this woman, Council investigator or not, was securing her own piece inside of Matt's soul.

A breeze drifted around him, once more bringing the words he'd heard earlier. This time, harder to deny.

Fate. Mate. Love.

He didn't know about all that, but he'd protect Anca through what was ahead. He'd help her stop this damned creature before it wreaked havoc on his clan, his home.

When the birds began to sing, a hush fell over the clearing. Without speaking they all took their assigned places.

Jezamine, claiming oldest, stood as bait in the center of the circular trap. Jordan arched a brow and shot his wife a dark look until she retreated far behind them.

Anca stopped at Matt's side. Dark thoughts flashed through her gray-blue eyes. "Ready?"

"I am."

"All right. Let's do this." She took a breath, then glanced over the others. "Remember why we're fighting. If the siren reaches the town or clan lands, her song will take every last one of your people. This is most likely our only chance to stop her."

A twist in Matt's gut reminded him of the plan's ending. Death.

Though he didn't like it, he knew and understood well that it was their only option.

So why did a twisting, churning in his stomach whisper that perhaps there were other ways?

Perhaps, Anca had chosen this route like all Council investigators did. The easy path of cutting a swath of destruction and death through whatever got in their way.

Except she wasn't like all the others. She'd shown him that, multiple times.

His attention snapped back to the clearing as the forest around them fell silent.

Sunlight brightened the mountain peaks.

Anca shot him a rare smile, one that matched true glee—pumping adrenaline in anticipation of a fight, of their lives on the line—in her gaze. "Let's do this."

Inside the chain circle, Jezamine called, "Now."

An easy, gentle brush of magic blew over them.

Everyone disappeared behind the old witch's glamour.

Immense magic exploded from the center of the chain circle. The old witch baiting the trap.

A long scream shredded the silence. Wood snapped with resounding cracks like gunshots. Something huge crashed deep in the forest. Heading their way.

Jezamine's magic pulsed intensely.

The sounds rushed toward them faster, as if the creature scented a divine buffet ready and waiting. Behind the approaching beast, the furthest outer ring of magic snapped shut with a thunderous boom.

"Get ready," Anca called.

The old witch sent more power through the circles, making Matt's scalp prickle.

From the opposite side of the clearing strode one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. Her blue eyes, the color of a sunny spring day, were limpid pools of eternal bliss.

Her gaze zeroed in on the old witch. She opened her mouth.

Though Matt heard nothing, sharp biting power danced over him as she began her song.

Jezamine chanted, also unheard. Magic crashed together. Pulsed harder.

As if made of nothing but dust, the woman across the clearing disappeared in a shower of glinting light.

Deeper in the forest, more trees toppled. The snapping of wood echoed. From the same place the woman had stood emerged a creature out of someone's twisted nightmares, and nothing like Matt had imagined.

A cross between a prehistoric megalodon and a killer whale, with four legs each thicker than him, the giant thing was the size of a semi-truck on steroids. Swirling patterns of black streaked with white covered its greasy, spiny skin. Large blue-black eyes, the color of deep ocean, peered at the old witch. It opened its mouth as if yawning, exposing a mouthful of sharp triangular shark teeth. It's long thick body undulated snakelike as it moved, far too gracefully for its size, toward the old witch. And invisibly hidden behind Jezamine, the rest of them.

A thought flashed through Matt's mind. Could the creature sense them? Did it know they were there? They needed the beast to keep coming.

Matt held his breath, pent up anticipation inside him, as the siren continued to come closer.

Once free of the trees, long silvery gossamer fins stretched out on both sides of its body, floating back and forth as if it propelled through the air.

As cautioned, the sharpshooters waited. Both for the creature to assume it's more delicate—and less defended—human form, and for the signal from Anca or Jezamine.

The siren reached the chain circle, then stopped, as if ramming against a wall. It's jaws opened impossibly wide. It screamed soundlessly.

Hot rancid air blew over the clearing.

In a shimmer of magic, it's head and front legs crossed the chain.

Jezamine leapt out of the chains. At the same instant, the veil hiding Matt and the others dropped.

The siren's dark eyes widened. Not with fear.

With anticipation.

In a flash, the creature shifted into a human woman who looked exactly like the earlier, angelic lure.

And she was outside of the entrapping Council chains.

The siren looked at them all and grinned hungrily.

T
he siren screamed again.

Hot wind shoved over Anca, blew back loose strands of her hair, making it float up into air statically. The power of her wards dimmed. Soft sounds made it through the protective magic.

"Now," Anca whispered the command, sending the alert through the webs of earth magic and into the others' wards.

The guards around the clearing began to fire.

Most of the darts struck the creature harmlessly, falling away from hard scales beneath its human skin. But some found their mark, sliding in and pumping the potion into its blood. And driving it further into the trap.

Feeling the burn, the siren swatted at the darts, threw them to the ground and stomped on the glass.

Anca raised a brow at the show of temper. The tantrum succeeded only in allowing more of the potion into its bloodstream, through the wounds on its feet. Still, the creature wasn't completely contained by the magic chain on the ground.

The siren slowed, but bare3ly appeared affected at all by the toxic potion invading its blood.

The siren continued toward the
vrăjitoare
, and behind Jezamine, the rest of them.

Jezamine grinned back with a wave of her hand.

In a circle outside of the visible chains on the ground, and completely containing the siren, a wall of light blazed from dirt to sky. The trap had been an illusion, the actual chain far larger than it had appeared.

"Now!" Anca sent the second signal.

Both the clan King and the Keeper of the Peace rushed to Jezamine's side to fight the creature if she managed to escape. The vampire queen remained far behind them, her presence bringing a magic that strengthened them all.

Matt stopped midway between Anca and the siren.

Ignoring his disregard for the plans to protect the old
vrăjitoare
, Anca raised her arms, her palms out. She tested the spiderweb of magic, and shot her power through the wards, infusing them with the strength of the Council.

The wall of light around the siren filled with Anca's magic, grew stronger. Thicker.

Deadlier.

The magic brightened blindingly. In a blink, it compressed around the creature, holding her immobile. The light flickered smoky black, then white, then gray, white, back to black.

Another flicker of white quickly darkened.

Each wave of white light should have incinerated the creature.

The siren didn't appear to notice other than its struggle to break free, driven by a singular need—its hunger, the craving devour them.

Anca strode closer, scowling at Matt as she passed him. He swung in alongside her and kept pace until they reached the others.

Weakness from using so much of her power made Jezamine tremble a little. The old woman met Anca's gaze.

Stomach twisting, Anca turned from the glimpse of fear in the
vrăjitoare's
dark eyes. Something she'd never before seen from the witch.

After a deep breath to collect her thoughts Anca muttered, "Like the wolf lieutenant earlier, this creature is also somehow resistant to the power of the Magic Council."

Impossible as it sounded.

"We'll be lucky to hold her for another few minutes." The admission left a bitter taste on Anca's tongue.

"I be at limits untested," Jezamine said softly.

Anca waved a hand. "Shane, get her over to Dalia. The Queen can help."

He hurried to do her bidding, against Jezamine's loud protests. Shane stared the witch down. "You don't like it? All your magic and you can't get away from little ol' me?"

The witch harrumphed, but allowed herself to be taken to Dalia. The women's auras swirled around each other. Jezamine's color perked a bit, enough for Anca to push back her worry and focus on the problem at hand.

She told Jordan and Matt, "If the siren is not dealt with before the spell breaks, we may not be able to defeat her."

They nodded, and followed Anca to the edge of the chain.

She didn't enjoy killing, but she also didn't back away from duty. Repressing a sigh, she drew her
saif
and strode across the now ordinary looking chains, into the circle.

She held up a hand, asking Matt and Jordan to stop, as she slowly approached the siren.

The creature met Anca's gaze with dark, wet eyes. The faux angelic face was eerily blank of emotion. Her drowning gaze held only eager hunger.

Knowing it useless, Anca still had to try. She leaned close. "Allow me to bind your powers. The Magic Council will take you back to whatever island you were stolen from and release you to the freedom of your home."

The siren blinked slowly.

In a split second, it managed to loosen Anca's holding spell. It darted forward an inch, snapping a perfect set of pearly white shark teeth completely out of place in a human mouth.

Anca's magic dimmed, weakening even more. Her powers were near drained after everything given to the wards and the trap. All she'd give to the others. And from the burning song trying to break her barriers and take control of her mind, body and soul.

Time was slipping away, nearly gone.

Matt and Jordan reached Anca. Without hesitation, they stepped between her and the creature. With a hard glare at their backs, she shoved between them.

Matt demanded, "If the magic's not working, how do we stop this thing?"

"Let me think." Once the siren broke free—and there was no doubt in Anca's mind it would, and soon—they wouldn't be able to defeat the creature. Not without losing the lives of many.

Whether the creature's attack was forced or of its own will, Anca couldn't let it go and wreak havoc.