Embrace the Magic (The Blood Rose Series Book 2) (25 page)

His first instinct was to break free, right now, and do battle with Ry. But his impulses had put him here in the web in the first place, so he remained still.

Again, what had changed?

Then, exactly how much had changed?

He ignored his rage at watching Ry drink from Samantha though even at that distance, he felt Ry’s personal frequency pounding against her faeness, demanding entrance and submission. If Ry wore her down and bound her to him, she’d be lost forever.

So would Bergisson because Ry would have the power he’d been seeking, in tandem with the ancient fae force, to do whatever he liked.

Except something wasn’t right, wasn’t working, and the shift had occurred the moment Ry began to feed. He suspected it meant that the ancient fae force had to work with a minion in order to hold her power over so many realm at once. And Ry was her minion, in servitude to her, and the vessel she used to carry out her expansive enthrallment.

But if he could move in the web, then what else could he do right now, while Ry’s attention was focused on Samantha?

He glanced at the Invictus and another question rose: With his entire Guard enthralled, why hadn’t the Invictus attacked them, unless they couldn’t. And that was the other part of the answer, that the enthrallment was universal and had encompassed the Invictus as much as his Guard.

There were limits, therefore, to the ancient fae’s power and apparently, in order to function at top levels, she needed her minion’s full attention.

She didn’t have that now, not with Ry lost in the sublime taste of Samantha’s blood, which meant he had a handful of minutes to organize a counter offensive. The fae’s enthrallment still operated, just not at full force.

He shifted his attention to Finn and attempted telepathy.
Finn?

His second-in-command lifted his chin slowly and met his gaze.
You feel it, as well, the release of the thrall, at least to a degree?

Enough for us to talk and to strategize. I know I could leave this web right now, for instance, but that would alert Ry and he’s the key. The fae force that has control of Sweet Gorge right now, must have his focus to do what she does.

I alerted the Guard to remain still until further ordered.

Good move. Smart.

I also got through to Quinlan. He arrives in three minutes. Where do you want him when he comes in? He’s got part of his Grochaire Guard with him.

Let me contact Samantha. Hold steady and keep pretending that you’re enthralled. Tell everyone.

Ethan shifted his focus back to his blood rose, ignoring his ever-present need to tear Ry apart. He remained calm and approached her mind.
Samantha, can you receive this?

Yes. Thank God. Ethan, ever since he started drinking a lot of my confusion has lessened, but I wasn’t sure what to do, whether contacting you would alert him, but everything has changed, hasn’t it?

Yes, for the moment, so long as he feeds from you.

Which means we have a shot. Ethan, just tell me what to do.

Can you access your fae vision again? Can you see the future?

Absolutely.

He took a moment to test the binding tendrils and when he moved his left hand the webbing gave way. He could still free himself if he wanted.

He closed his eyes forcing himself to hold back. How many times had he screwed up in the past because he was in such a hurry to take charge, not to let others lead?

So, he calmed himself once more and waited for Samantha, focusing on her.

He felt her settle into herself more deeply and after a moment she pathed,
On the other side of the gorge is a stretch of land that the ancient fae has kept hidden from view. I see barracks, maybe a training camp. But there are two hundred wraith-pairs ready to do battle, ready to slaughter your guard. Now I see Quinlan and his men attacking that group.

Ethan murmured,
Good, that’s good. Now what about the gorge itself, me, my Guard?

She tells him the rest of what she’s seen in the vision and he’s dumbfounded but he’ll also have to trust her and he’ll have to leave most of the fighting to others.

Can you do this, Ethan?
You’ll have to leave the battling to everyone else? Can you do that?

That’s when he understood the full breadth of what Samantha’s presence in his life had come to mean, that now he could do what had before been impossible.
Yes, I can turn the battle over to Finn and Quinlan; I trust each with my life.

Good.
But she sounded strained, her voice faint in his mind.
Because the time has almost come. I’m very weak right now and his personal frequency is pounding hard, demanding admittance.

Samantha, just tell me, what is the signal for our forces to begin battling?

When I fall to the ground.

Oh, sweet Goddess. He didn’t know if he could bear the sight without reacting before he should.

You can do this, Ethan. Now, let everyone else know. It won’t be long. Maybe half-a-minute from now.

Ethan closed down the communication and sought Finn and Quinlan. He outlined what Samantha had related to him. Each was ready. Quinlan had brought a hundred-and-twenty-five of his Guard from Grochaire. This might just work.

He could only watch now and wait for the signal.

But nothing happened. Instead, Ry kept drinking like he couldn’t stop.

Ethan pathed to Samantha.
He won’t stop. Samantha, we have to do something together to break him right now.

So weak.

I’m going to send my personal frequency straight at you. Just turn and embrace me with your faeness, that’ll give you some strength. Once that happens, I’ll hit Ry with a jolt of my own. My guess is, his rage will fly off the charts and instead of reconnecting with the ancient fae, he’ll want to battle me. When he breaks free of you and turns in my direction, just drop to the ground as planned.

Okay.

Using his all the power he could muster, he focused on his personal frequency and sent it straight at Samantha. She responded and the moment her faeness touched him, he sent a stream of power through the pathway, found Ry’s frequency and sent a jolt straight toward him.

As predicted, Ry came off Samantha’s neck roaring his rage and turning at the same time toward Ethan, his eyes blood red.

Samantha dropped to the ground.

And all hell broke loose.

Finn and Kyle attacked Ry with short-swords so that he had to shift his attention away from Ethan, away from the dark fae, and toward to fellow Guardsmen holding nothing back.

At the same time, Ethan’s Guard turned on the Invictus and the battle was on, more visceral than usual since they didn’t have time to form the battle shield. The sound of metal weapons clashed in the night air.

Ethan used his dagger to release himself from the now powerless web-trap, doing the same for the Guardsmen next to him. He ordered both to engage in battle.

He heard a wailing sound and the stench of the ancient fae grew strong around him. She’d lost control. He tried to see her, to find her, but she had tremendous shielding capacity.

But apparently without Ry, she was incapable of action.

Ethan shot up the gorge, but instead of engaging in the fight, he picked Samantha up in his arms, and carried her away from the fighting.

She was very weak, but she pathed,
Fly me to the monolith. I’ve felt the crystals calling to me for the past few minutes. I can find strength there.

He took her to the eastern ridge and the rock outcropping that had once held the waterfall. He carried her to the ledge from which the water had once spilled and fed Sweet Gorge Stream.

But the ancient fae magic clung to the space and at the same time her stench grew stronger.

The fae is here.

He nodded.
Just ignore her. She can’t act apart from Ry, not in this form.

I can sense that as well.

She breathed deeply and smiled. He felt her strength return just as her blood-supply began renewing at light-speed.

Ethan looked at the cave-like opening from which the water had at one time emerged. “Samantha, did you see this in your vision?”

She shook her head, staring into the cave.

“But you can feel the crystals?”

“Yes, absolutely.” She stood straighter now, stronger.

Ethan turned her to face him. “What do you think would happen if you engaged these crystals right now, with me, with our joint power?”

Her lips parted. “Do you think we could break this apart? Remove the dam?”

“Maybe. Maybe that’s what we’re meant to do, but there’s something I need to say first.”

“What?” she looked startled.

“I love you. Just wanted to say it. But I love you, Samantha.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I love you, too.” She threw herself into his arms and he held her tight.

He wanted to prolong the moment, but they had a job to do first.

He nodded in three quick dips of his chin. “Good. We can talk later.”

She smiled, she even chuckled. Then she leaned her head against his chest, and he felt her open her faeness to the wealth of blue crystals inside the upper birth of the monolith that flattened to a long plain to the east, a place partially hidden all these years.

He felt the flow of her power begin and saw that the air surrounding her now filled with violet-silver light.

But nothing happened.

She looked up at him, a question in her eyes, then she drew back.

“We need to be bonded,” he said. “Is that what you’re sensing? In order for this to happen?”

“Yes.” Then she smiled. “I’m ready, but I’ll only do this if you are as well.”

Peace flowed through him like nothing he’d ever known before. “I want to bond with your more than I’ve wanted anything in my long-lived life. Will you have me, Samantha, as deeply flawed as I am, impulsive and stubborn, will you have me?”

“I will. But will you have me? I’ve not been the easiest person to be around over the last few days and I’m stubborn, too.”

He stared into light blue eyes and knew he’d never forget this moment, of love passing back and forth between them, the sweetest vibration he’d ever known. “Without question.”

“I love you, Ethan with all my heart.”

He nodded and pulled her into his arms. He let her feel his answering love as he opened his personal frequency to her. At the same time, her faeness became a vast world for him to explore as she held nothing back. His frequency passed inside and she embraced him fully.

I willingly bind myself to you, Mastyr Ethan of Bergisson.

And I with you, Samantha of Shreveport and now my realm.

The bond clicked in place, and sent a responding vibration back through his frequency and up and out. The same happened for Samantha as she drew back and arched her neck.

Their combined energy flowed around them expanding more and more.

Suddenly the ancient fae cried out a long, shrill, ‘no’ a plaintive cry that faded as did her smell.

At the same time, he heard rumblings from deep in the earth.

I have to path you into the air. Things are about to explode.

Do it!

Ethan whipped her off the ledge and up into the night air. He kept rising, which was a damn good thing because a wall of blue crystals suddenly shot out of the opening, a beautiful spray that would have cut both of them to ribbons. Following close behind the crystal, a rush of water plummeted down the steep stone face of the ridge, falling sixty feet to the bottom of the gorge below.

And Sweet Gorge Stream was reborn.

Ethan kept rising, however, holding Samantha close, turning in a slow half-circle. His forces along the south ridge had overcome the Invictus during that time, while Kyle and Finn, fighting shoulder-to-shoulder, forced Ry down the side of the gorge, half-levitating as each struck, half-stumbling on the earth.

Ry might have gained more power from Samantha’s blood, and as a mastyr he was more powerful generally, but Finn and Kyle were both powerful Guardsmen and together they were able to keep pushing him back until he finally took of flying west, as water began pouring down the stream.

Ethan needed to go after him, but not until Samantha was safe.

“I see Quinlan,” she called out. “There, flying above the east ridge, just like in the vision. He has his Guard with him.”

He pivoted and sure enough, Quinlan flew, his dark eyes on fire, his fangs half-emerged, a sure sign he’d been in battle. He held his short-sword aloft and let out a battle cry.

When he reached Ethan, he levitated next to him, a breeze whipping his long black hair in strands over his face. “We’ve got them, all of them. There were two-hundred pairs but we subdued them and saved as many as we could.” He glanced at Samantha. “I’m hoping you’ll be able to rescue more of our enslaved realm-folk.”

“Of course.”

Ethan felt different, changed. He’d crossed a final bridge and he wouldn’t go back. He’d bonded with Samantha and maybe for that reason alone he was able to address Quinlan, another mastyr vampire, as he said, “Would you look after her? I can’t let Ry get away this time.”

“Absolutely.”

While in midair, he passed her over, and though a quiver of possessiveness swept through him at the sight of Samantha’s arm around Quinlan’s neck, he ignored the sensation and whipped around to fly, as he had never flown before, west, after Ry. He couldn’t let Ry reconnect with the ancient fae again.

But because of the new bond with Samantha, he had speed now, greater than before. He flew faster and faster and soon found Ry flying over La Fourche Lake.

A few seconds more, he grabbed for Ry, catching his shoulder strap and giving a sharp tug, which sent him into a downward spin toward the water.

But Ry caught himself and when he flew upward toward Ethan, he had his short-sword in his left hand and in his right he gathered power.