Firefight in Darkness (31 page)

“Blythe!” Liam grabbed her as she reached the entrance, pulling her close and hugging her. He held her for a brief moment, then pushed her back so he could look at her. “What are you doing here? Did Rian call you?”

“No, no.” She fought to control the adrenaline rushing through her, causing her hands to tremble with sheer lust for the fight to come. “I confronted Dante in the same alley that he had left Capri in fifteen years ago. He told me a lot of creepy things, most of which isn’t important now. But he managed to tie me up and drug me, and made me watch as he and his demon buddies left for Euphora. Liam, it was Nyxa who helped them. Nyxa wants Dante to kill Serendipity, and anyone else who Dante wants to. We have to stop her.”

“We knew all that already.” Liam told her with a grin. Beyond them in the courtyard, an explosion rocked the entire grounds, followed by insane laughter and cheers from the demons.

“How the hell did you know about it?” Blythe sputtered, eyebrows raised.

“I told you before that Rhiannon’s been keeping an eye on Nyxa lately, and she figured it out.” Liam said proudly, and the look on his face had Blythe rolling her eyes. “And when she saw Nyxa sneak away tonight, she followed her and heard her mumbling about Richmond and Serendipity. So she waited until Nyxa had left Euphora, and she ran and told Thea and the rest of us. We prepared ourselves and waited, and low and behold, barely twenty minutes later Dante and his cronies were here.”

Blythe couldn’t hold back the resentment she felt for Rhiannon for having gotten to it first, but at the same time she knew she should be grateful. Because Rhiannon had been perceptive enough to notice Nyxa’s behavior, her family had been warned that this was coming. And she would bet the breath out of her own lungs that Dante was pissed. She couldn’t wait to confront him again, she just had to find him first.

Thinking of him had her remembering Jax, and as she did so she whirled around, looking at those who were crowded around the entrance with her. It was less people than she had thought, only the Muses, the two remaining Fates, Thea and Sebastian.

“Where are the others? Capri?” Blythe asked Liam, her eyes now searching the courtyard in desperation. And, damnit, where the hell had Jax gone?

Liam simply smiled again and pointed upwards. Her eyes followed as she tilted her head back, and she saw Capri and Clynn in one of the top windows, creating a massive storm system over the courtyard that was already pulsating and shivering with lightning. A loud rumbling thunder echoed out and shook the ground, causing a few of the demons to gaze up at the storm in alarm.

“Oh, shit.” Blythe choked out a manic laugh as she grinned back at Liam. “I like what I’m seeing. What about Lucian and Rian, Brogan?”

“At the back end of the castle. Rian had a sneaking suspicion that Nyxa would lead Dante there, that the other demons were here to distract us. Rohan and Brock are with them, too. Your dad figured maybe he could talk some sense into Nyxa.”

“Unlikely. She’s crazy.” Blythe said pointedly as she glanced back at the courtyard. Thea and Sebastian were now confronting the demon with the fiery whip, and seeing the sheer power they held mystified her. She had rarely seen the two of them in action; they were simply magnificent.

Thea had thick vines of ivy sprouting from the ground all around the demon, rising up to wrap themselves around his bulky human body. Razor sharp thorns emerged from the vines to puncture his skin as he buckled against the bonds, trying to thrust himself free. Sebastian was busy pulling lightning bolts down from the storm system that Capri and Clynn were busy creating, each one landing to jolt the demon. He hadn’t even stood a chance, Blythe thought as the whip fell out of his hand and he crumbled bodily to the ground. The demon spurted out of the human’s mouth and weakly tried to slither away, but Sebastian was there with a crossbow he’d unsheathed from a holder on his back. The tip of the arrow glowed bright, hot silver, just like the contents of the liquid nitrogen rounds she had in her own pistol. He aimed and shot the arrow straight into the serpent, and Blythe watched with wide eyes as the demon shuddered once and then froze, it’s body now solid as though encased in ice. All practical efficiency, Thea stepped forward and swiftly pulled a gleaming sword out of a hilt on her side and rammed it through the frozen demon’s body, shattering it into a million, glittering pieces. As she did so, her long mane of dark curls seemed to float around her, surrounding her gypsy face of golden skin and gloriously dark eyes. Then she sheathed her sword and turned to smile at Sebastian, who pulled her in for a quick kiss.

“We’ve always made such a good team, my love.” She told him, her eyes glowing with power.

“The best.” Sebastian replied, enjoying her for a moment before stepping away. The Muses rushed forward and pulled the unconscious human left behind to safety inside the Atrium, where they could hold him until the others could be rescued as well. Later, they would have to erase the humans memories and send them back to Richmond, wounded but alive.

Sebastian nodded in Blythe’s direction, his smile and eyes vivid as his long blonde hair, free from bonds, shifted and flowed with the movement. He looked more like some Nordic warrior with his bow and arrow than the soft, ethereal man she’d known her whole life. “Our Fire Dryad has returned, my sweet, in case you did not notice.”

“Indeed I did notice.” Thea replied, briefly looking over her shoulder to smirk at Blythe. “I do hope you’re ready to battle, my dear. We are, as they say, in the fray.”

“I’m always ready for a fight, Thea.” Blythe grinned as she approached, Liam at her side. The two Fates beside them were armed with swords, looking apprehensive as they awaited Thea’s orders. The Muses held back, ready to rescue the next human.

“Good, because there are more approaching, and I’m getting tired of them destroying my gardens.” Unbridled power flashed over Thea’s face then as she turned away and faced the three demons who had now dared to come closer. She and Sebastian faced the demon in the center, while the Fates took the demon to the right.

Blythe stood her ground and raised her arms, focusing on the first demon on the far left. He was a big, brawling Italian looking guy with hairy arms and a mean scowl on his face and a giant steel mallet that glowed bright orange in his hands. His eyes flashed red as they met hers, reminding her of the evil she was about to destroy.

She turned her head and nodded to Liam, who acknowledged her with a grin. It was time to prove that they made just as good a team as Thea and Sebastian did.

Hands held out, she shot a stream of fire directly at the demon’s eyes. He growled and swung out with the mallet blindly, only to drop it and cover his face with his hands, stopping midstep. Liam then shot out a stream of water that rushed towards the demon, freezing as it swirled around him, forming an icy tomb that reached up to his chest, pinning his arms. Blythe stopped spewing fire at the demon as Liam polished off the ice, and both of them stood and watched as the demon struggled to free itself. Realizing its host body was trapped, the demon released itself and tried to flee, only to have Blythe whip out Jax’s revolver and aim it gleefully.

“Oh, no you don’t, you bastard.” She announced as she cocked it and fired off a shot. She could see the blast from the bullet and could almost see it coursing through the air before it made contact with the dark, shadowy demon. As it had with Sebastian’s arrow, the liquid nitrogen bullet froze the demon’s body from the inside out, encasing it in ice. With a wicked grin, Blythe glanced over at Liam. “Go ahead, give it a good kick.”

Though he looked puzzled at first, Liam followed her order and stepped towards the ice-covered serpent. With a primal yell, he swung his foot forward and smashed it into the demon, which burst into pieces that sparkled like glass as they exploded into the air. Triumphant, he whirled around to smile at her, but she wasn’t looking. Instead, she was watching with horror something that was happening off to the opposite side of the castle.

Lucian and Brock appeared, both looking worse for wear, battling back the same demon, who was armed with what looked like a flame thrower that was emitting bluish flames. The demon was backing his way towards the front of the castle, with Lucian and Brock keeping back just out of reach of the flames.

Seeing her chance, Blythe flew towards them and jumped onto the back of the demon, clawing at his eyes with her fingers. He howled with pain and tried to buck her off of him, meanwhile the flame thrower shot fire in every direction, scorching the grass and just missing the Fates, who were nearby destroying the demon they’d been fighting.

Brock and Lucian watched in terror and shock as the demon threw Blythe over his head and onto the ground, where she landed on her back. He shifted to aim the flamethrower at her, but she spun around and kicked hard with her right foot and knocked it out of his hands. Agile as a cat, she leapt to her feet and punched his shocked face square in the jaw. Even though it more stunned him than hurt him, he was confused just long enough for Lucian to step forward and incase his head in a bubble filled with water. The sudden lack of oxygen had the demon pulling frantically at the bubble, only to find it had hardened to ice on the outside. In a last act of desperation, he started smacking his head against the ground, which only rattled the human’s brain and did nothing to break the ice. With the human body now unconscious, the demon had no choice but to vacate the body and pass through the ice. The moment he did so Blythe pulled out her gun, only to be stopped short as her father pulled out his own and maliciously fired at the demon, freezing it. Her eyes met his as they both stood, weapons aimed, identical grins on their faces.

“Nice work, dad.” Blythe told him, tilting her head up in a nod. He simply nodded in return, then stalked over to smash the demon to pieces with his foot.

Lucian turned to Blythe, his hands on her shoulders, releasing a shuddering breath in relief. “What in the world were you thinking, Blythe?” He asked, his eyes wet with unshed tears. “Jumping on his back like that?”

She grinned shakily, hating the fact that her actions had put that terror in his eyes. But she was alright now, wasn’t she? “It was a split second decision.” She decided, shrugging her shoulders. “Besides, it worked, didn’t it?”

“Maybe you should go inside, help the Muses or help Rhiannon bring out extra weapons and ammo from the Furies storage.”

Disappointment and anger blazed through her in one brutal swipe. “Lucian, I’m not going to go inside like a child. I’m going to fight.”

“Let her go, Lucian. She’s a tough girl. Hasn’t she just proved that?” Brock cut in, placing a hand on Blythe’s shoulder. She stared down at his hand, her heart torn viciously in two as she warred between siding with the father who shared her blood, and the father who had always been there for her.

“Brock, I don’t think you understand just how dangerous this is. How will you feel when she gets hurt, or worse, killed? She has no training in fighting demons, and should not be doing so.” Lucian rounded on Brock, poking an indignant finger in the larger man’s chest. Even though they were the same height, Brock’s build was much heftier to Lucian’s lean and lanky frame.

“I don’t think you have any say, Lucian. This is my daughter.” Brock countered, temper sparking as his fists clenched at his sides.

“And what a great father you have been.” Lucian snapped, all the anger he felt on Blythe’s behalf emerging to boil up on him. He was rarely angry, and even rarer did he let temper get in the way of common sense. But at this moment, he could care less if it came to blows. He loved Blythe like a daughter, and he would do what he thought was best, regardless of what Brock thought.

Brock’s eyes narrowed to angry slits as he reached up to grab Lucian’s shirt, pulling him close enough until the two were eye to eye. When he spoke, his voice was low and dangerous.

“I couldn’t control what happened all those years ago, and I lost fifteen years of being her father because of it. And yeah, I made a mistake recently that may have cost me more time with her, but, goddamnit I’m going to make it up to her if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Then you can start by ensuring she survives this raid.” Lucian muttered, frowning as Brock released him.

In any other circumstance, it may have amused her to see them square off with each other, simply because they were polar opposites. It doesn’t get much different than fire and ice. But in this case, they were fighting over her, and seeing it only gave her pain. She didn’t want them to be at odds because of her, she had never wanted that. What she wanted was to have both of them, equally, in her heart.

Knowing this, she stepped between them, pushing them apart with her hands and glaring back and forth, meeting each man’s eyes.

“Are you done?” She asked, one eyebrow arched skeptically. Both men nodded, and so she stepped back and faced them together. “While I respect both of you for wanting to do what is in my best interest, I’m afraid I have to remind you that I am no longer a child, and therefore am capable of deciding for myself. And, because of that convenient fact, I’m going to go ahead and kill some more demons, because that is what I do. I fight; I do not cower in the background like a child. I would encourage you both to respect that.”

With that, she stalked away, leaving them both gaping like fools, intent on finding out where Jax had gone. She wondered if he had found Dante yet, and if so, if he had managed to destroy him.

Her thoughts evaporated into nothing when she heard the scream. Panic tore through her as she rounded the side of the castle towards the sound and found Nyxa cornering Serendipity, one of the demons at her side with an axe. Serendipity, defenseless without a weapon, was staring wide eyed at Nyxa, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Please, Nyxa, it’s over between Brock and I. You have to believe me. It was a mistake, I promise it’s over.” Serendipity pleaded, stumbling as she backed against the stone wall of the castle, fear in her eyes.

“Couldn’t just be happy with the man you married, could you, you little minx?” Nyxa’s hands reached out, eager to wrap around Serendipity’s throat, who let out a faint squeak of terror and shut her eyes tight.