Enthrall Me (The conclusion to Enchant Me) (11 page)

He sighed, and nodded in acceptence, then smiled wickedly.

“You’re going to enjoy this aren’t you?” I asked, my body tightening in expectation of pain.

“A little,” he replied. “This just never gets old.”

“ You won’t have much time to build your own army,” I warned.

“I know,” he said, and gave me another unnecessary smile.

I gave him credit for one thing. He’d gotten so good and fast at burning, that I didn’t even have time to scream in pain before I passed out.

CHAPTER 12

Hill of Ward, Ireland

The sun was setting fast on Samhain, and as one we moved forward. Nervously I glanced around me. I wondered if it was just paranoia that made me feel like I was being watched. All the trust I had worked so hard and sacrificed so many for, had been destroyed in a moment.

While being found unconscious with my powers destroyed gave me an alibi, I could tell the elders in my Grove had doubts. They knew the timing of my return, and his escape was too coincidental. I wasn’t sure they believed the story of Sebastion being taken hostage, either. Luckily after keeping a tight rein on my emotions so long, I could hide my real feelings even without my shield. But why they kept me around when they had doubts, I didn’t like to think. Every minute passed like it was a second, and sooner than I wanted, we stood on the Hill of Ward, under a starless sky. Even the moon hid behind the clouds, and then the rain started.

Alexis was brought forward. Using his powers, Ryker levitated her to the top of the hill, in front of Garron. Since Christian escaped, I hadn’t been able to see her; Garron didn’t trust me around his prize sacrifice. Still under the effects of the Druidic drink of oblivion, she slept on, unaware of her impeding death. She wouldn’t be easy to get to with the triplets, Leander, Lowell, and Lea stationing themselves around her.

I dreaded the moment they woke her just before the sacrifice. Would she be terrified, or ready to fight? Would she even have the strength to fight?

“Form a circle,” Garron intoned. “You,” he said, pointing at me, “can stand over there.” Because I was powerless I was useless in his mind, I had been reduced to lookout.

I took my designated place outside of the circle, and for a second everything slowed down in my mind. My Grove that had once been like family stood ready to change the world. I studied Tempest; I still didn’t know which side she would choose.

“Draw a circle of protection,” Garron ordered the fire starters.

Where the heck was Christian, and his army?

A firestarter carried a ball of fire clockwise around the hill. I glanced at Alexis who was starting to stir, when Lisette darted forward, protectively placing herself in front of Garron. She pointed at something in the distance, and yelled in alarm. A group of people smaller in force than our own, charged at us. Suddenly a ball of fire whizzed by me with a crackle, and slammed into the man that had been making the circle, he fell to the ground dead on contact. Chaos exploded on the Hill of Ward, shape shifters on both sides shifted immediately, and charged at each other. Everyone with powers raced into battle.

I ducked down as the Hill of Ward became a war zone; I was vulnerable now without my powers, and I didn’t like it. Hell had definitely arrived on earth. If this is what it would be like with the veil destroyed, stopping it would be worth dying for. I had to stop Garron. There was no point in looking for a clear path, there wasn’t any, and more importantly Garron had started to recite the spell that would destroy the veil.

I raced to Garron, still not sure how I would stop him, other than plain old fashion tackling him. I could see Alexis, still groggy but awake, fighting Ryker’s power that held her. Garron raised a dagger above Alexis’s heart. A roar of protest came from my left-- Christian. Suddenly Alexis dropped several feet to the ground, released from Ryker’s power, who now bent over in agony from Christian’s mind torture. I was only a couple feet away when a sharp pain pierced my side, a blade protruded from me. I collapsed to the ground, and looked up into Lisettes furious eyes.

“You betrayed us!” She screamed, her eyes lit with fury.

“No, I just don’t want to live in your world,” I said, breathing through the pain, the smell of my own blood, made me nauseous.

She sneered, and raised the dagger again. “You won’t.”

My mind exploded then with pain and sensation, I could feel my powers pulsating through me again, and I raised a sheild as the dagger came down again. She screamed with rage as it glanced off my power. Then a bolt of lightening struck her square in the chest, she was dead before she even hit the ground. Weakly I rolled over to see Tempest a couple of feet away, then I glanced back to where I had last seen Garron and Alexis.

Garron had resumed his spell while some of his followers held down Alexis, and the rest had formed a wall between Garron’s army and Christian’s. Christian was taking one person out after another, but he wouldn’t make it in time to save Alexis, or stop Garron; a light from the hill was already piercing the sky, the Veil was opening.

In a split second I made a choice. A stupid one, but one I had to make. Instead of suffocating Garron with my shield, to save the Veil, I drew it protectively around Alexis. Even if Garron failed to kill her, the others might not. The hands on her immediately fell away and she stumbled to her feet.

A light filled portal appeared on the hill, a roar of voices and sounds emanated from it, and I watched helplessly as my Grove’s vast numbers overtook Christian’s army. With Tempest’s help, I struggled to my feet. “Tempest make a choice.”

She shook her head. “I won’t fight them.”

Just then Garron finished his spell, and the portal of light flickered, and began to creak open, when the little, blonde Asian girl ran up, glowing as brightly as the Veil, and threw herself against the portal gates. The gates rumbled and shook, but held. In a blind fury, Garron ran with the dagger raised towards the young girl. Abruptly I felt my powers ripped from me again, but it wasn’t Christian this time.

I saw Alexis with one hand facing me and the other towards the girl, she pulled my powers from me, and wrapped them around the girl, who still struggled to hold the portal together. Thwarted Garron turned his furious attention back to Alexis, who had given up her shield to save Mika. Out of the dark the old man named Grady tackled Garron to the ground, they rolled around, each trying to gain the upper hand as they struggled for control of the dagger.

I couldn’t stand here and do nothing. I took a step forward only to be jerked back by Tempest. “Let’s go. It’s not our fight anymore.”

“If you’re not going to help, get the hell out of here!” I yelled, and shook free of her hold.

I hadn’t even taken a step when I was slammed to the ground by Leander in his lion form, and Lowell in his wolf form. I heard Tempest scream in outrage as Lea’s tiger form pinned her down, but she transformed to fog, and disappeared right from underneath her, leaving me to deal with Leander and Lowell alone. One clamped down on my shoulder while the other seemed intent on gnawing off my leg. I screamed in pain, this was not how I wanted to die.

I heard the rumble of thunder, and felt the ground beneath me shake. Tempest was back. Two whirlwinds wrapped around my tormentors, and whisked them away. Lightheaded and shaky from blood loss, I looked up to see Tempest standing over me, looking very self satisfied. “You’re welcome,” she hinted.

I ignored her, and rolled over onto my stomach, and craned my neck to see the still ongoing battle. Christian finally made it into the inner circle and wrested the dagger from Garron, and with no hesitation plunged it into Garron’s chest. I closed my eyes for a second. The horror of helping to destroy my own Grove crashed down on me.

Then Christian ran to Alexis, and I could her her scream, “just do it!”

Gently he took her face in his hands, and a look of concentration crossed his face. Even from where I was, I could tell she was shaking. His eyes turned silver just before he released her, and stepped away. Her arms stretched out, she closed her eyes, and all around, Garron’s army faltered, and dropped to their knees in shock.

“Do you feel it?” Tempest whispered. “All their powers just disappeared.”

“They’re not gone,” I rasped. “Alexis has them.

Sensing the obvious change in fortune, Garron’s army spread out and attempted to escape, only to be hunted down by Alexis’s Grove. I lifted my one good hand up to Tempest. “Help me up.” She quirked a brow, but wrapped an arm around my waist, and awkwardly we made our way over to Alexis and Christian. I kept blacking out on the way over, and with an irritated huff, Tempest dumped me on the ground a few feet from everyone. I laid where she left me, at least I could see everything.

Christian was working with Alexis, his voice sounding strained from the effort to remain calm. “I’m going to build that wall to block off those powers. Just hang on.” Trustingly, she closed her eyes, and after a couple of tense minutes her expression relaxed, and I knew it had worked.

Mika collapsed next to her as the portal disappeared back into the hill. “The Veil’s been resealed,” she whispered.

And that was all the permission I needed to leave this world.

ALEXIS

CHAPTER 13

I didn’t even attempt to open my eyes until the painful whirlwind of sensation, and knowledge disappeared. When I opened my eyes to see Christian kneeling in front of me, tears filled up my eyes, and I threw myself at him, tumbling us both to the ground. In the inky dark night I could barely make out his features, but it was enough. “For awhile there, I thought I would never see you again,” I choked out.

“I know,” he responded, tucking my hair behind my ear.

There was so much to say, but now wasn’t the time. I kissed him, before I levered myself up with his help, and looked around. I saw Nicolas lying unconscious in a growing pool of blood, and I ran over to him, only to be snatched back by Christian. “Before you do anything, you need to know, he helped us. Actually,” he looked over at Nicolas, and the black haired girl kneeling next to him, “they both did.”

“I know,” I answered, and pulled away. “Even while I slept I still had visions.” I dropped down onto the grass next to Nicolas.

Mika kneeled down next to me, lightly laying her hand over his. “He won’t last much longer.”

After all that he had gone through he deserved to be saved. I looked up at Christian, “we need to get him to Ward House, now.”

“No!” The dark haired girl said, standing up. “He won’t survive without a healer, and our Grove is the only place that has them.” She waved us all back, and between her hands she created a whirlwind, and grew it until it encapsulated both her and Nicolas.

“Thank you,” I yelled over the winds, and then they were gone. For a moment I just stared at the spot they had left. Nicolas had gone from boyfriend, to enemy, to savior, and I honestly hoped they were safe to return to their Grove for healing, but if nothing else, I did know they were survivors.

I wrapped an arm around Christian’s waist, and turned us away. Mika stood nearby with Grady and Neila. Fear shook the calm that I had just started to feel. “Where is everyone?”

Grady walked over and put a hand on my shoulder. “Most of the injured have been taken to Ward House. Liam’s hurt but Ciara’s taking care of him, he should be fine. Come on,” he encouraged, nudging us forward, “you need to clean up and have a good rest.”

“All I’ve done is sleep,” I grumbled, but obediently followed.

After a long hot shower, I put on some warm pajamas, and snuck down to Christian’s room. As soon as the door opened he jerked me into his arms, and shut the door behind me. “Are you really o.k.?” he asked. I nodded, and burrowed deeper into his embrace.

“Seeing you like that…I feel like I already died a hundred times.”

I held him tighter. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” he asked, pulling away, so he could look down at me.

“I feel like you’ve gone through so much since you met me.”

“You’re right,” he teased.

I peeked up innocently at him, then stomped on his foot in retaliation.

“Ow!” He burst out in surprise, and hopped around on one foot. I took advantage of the situation, and shoved him until he toppled onto his bed. I yelped in surprise when he grabbed my arms, and pulled me with him. I gave him the evil eye while he arranged us so that we were touching from head to toe. “Much better,” he praised himself.

I pressed little happy kisses all over his wonderful face, then leaned back to look at him. “You’ve lost weight,” I said, studying him worriedly.

“I know,” he replied, his expression becoming serious. “So have you.”

“Hey, it’s the perfect excuse for eating lots of cake and ice cream.”

He snickered, but he still looked worried. “You know, I wouldn’t mind things being boring for awhile. Well, at least after we distribute those powers that are in that brain of yours, to those within the Groves.”

I shrugged in disinterest, I refused to think about anything but us right now. I leaned down and nibbled on his lush lower lip. “Really? You want boring?” I teased. His laugh in response was so light hearted and warm, I felt that same enthrallment from the first time we met, but now we were so much more. Not only had I found my partner for life, but also my best friend. “Christian?”

“Yeah?”

“I want to see your eyes turn silver again.”

He smiled. “What my brown eyes aren’t good enough for you now?”

“I didn’t say that. It just looks kind of cool,” I finished sheepishly.

He rolled his eyes, then closed his lids, concentrating. I tried to imagine what it was like to open to the Otherworld, to see everything on a magical level, but I was sure my imagination wouldn’t do it justice.

When he opened his eyes again, they were that glowing molten silver color. “I love your brown eyes, really I do, but wow…”

“Thanks. Now do something for me.”

“What?”

“It’s pretty dark in here, light up for me.” Smiling I called up my power, and lifted us both from the bed. I brought us up until he begged me to stop. “That’s enough, you glow any brighter and I’ll go blind.”