Instead of yelling at me as I’d expected, Imani had leaned into me and said, “Thanks for caring so much, but the last thing I intend to do is die and leave you. Trust me to keep my word.” With that, she’d walked away, determination in every step. And I’d had no choice but to accept that there would be no talking her out of it.
As we came to a halt on the beach, having completed our tour of the island, Chico turned to Sam and Jared. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow night?”
Standing solidly, Jared replied, “One squad will remain at The Hollow to be ready if any dragons manage to get past us. The rest of the legion will be lying in wait on the island. That’s a lot of vamps, I know, but forty dragon shifters can cause a lot of damage and mayhem.”
“They’ll all be huge, strong, powerful, and covered in thick scales that act as seriously good armour—they can also bloody fly,” said Sam. “Hopefully my shield will stay in place because we can’t afford to let them pass this island and reach The Hollow.”
“When they realise the Grand High Pair are here,” began Max, “I don’t think they’ll bother trying to pass. You two are their main targets—as long as they end you both, they’ve completed their mission.”
“You could be right,” said Jared. “If they do pass, every squad will be teleported back to The Hollow and we’ll continue the fight there.”
Making strong eye contact with each of us, Sam slowly paced. “Whatever our location, the plan of attack will be the same: as you already know, our aim is to get them on the ground. That’s the priority. While they’re flying, they have an advantage.”
Brow wrinkled, Chico said, “I’m seriously doubting my darts are going to get through their scales.”
“That is an issue,” said Sam. “But Lazarus told us that it’s hard for these shifters to maintain their dragon form if they’re weak. If any are shot down and return to their human form, kill them.”
“Remember that they don’t just breathe heat, smoke, and fire,” Jared warned. “They can breathe air so cold it encases whatever their breath touches in ice.”
Denny rocked on his heels. “I have a feeling this will be the hardest battle we’ve ever fought.”
A small smile graced Sam’s mouth. “Are you sorry you wanted some action?”
“I will be if I become encased in ice.”
Harvey frowned at Denny. “If you’re encased in ice, you probably won’t think or feel shit.”
Denny snorted. “Whatever.”
“I doubt it’ll be easy to target them,” said Jared. “They probably fly pretty fast. We’ll have to—” He stopped as Sebastian appeared at his side with a blonde Pagori female who couldn’t have been much more than five foot tall. I instinctively moved closer to Imani. Unsurprisingly, Paige did the same.
Sam smiled at the newcomers. “Sebastian, I take it Keeley’s made up her mind.”
“Keeley?” echoed David, brow raised.
“Well, I knew that fire-breathing creatures were going to be a big problem,” said Sam. “And they say fight fire with fire, right? But that ain’t gonna work here. What we need is someone who can put out the fire. Those within the legion who can create or call on water will have to do our best to calm the flames, but there aren’t enough of us for that. So Mona and Cedric checked the register for any vampires with gifts that can help. Sebastian then tracked down Keeley for us.”
“You can create water?” Imani asked.
Sam’s smile widened. “She can do something even better. She can create rainstorms.”
It was hard to imagine that a little thing like her had that kind of power. “Storms powerful enough to put out a bushfire? Because it’s a big possibility that the dragon attack will have the same effect.”
Keeley’s voice was strong and confident as she replied, “I can create rain so heavy, it’ll feel more like rocks hitting your flesh.” Impressive. So impressive that all the females smiled.
“You must have some kind of limitation,” insisted Max.
“The rainstorms never last long,” Keeley reluctantly admitted. “It’s pretty tiring to keep them going.”
“But if Reuben amplifies her gift, we won’t have to worry about that,” Sam pointed out.
“Are you combat trained?” Chico asked her.
Keeley lifted her chin. “Enough to hold my own.”
“Does that mean you’re joining the battle?” Sam asked her. “If I didn’t need to concentrate on keeping up my shield, I could feed on the small amount of energy leaking from you and have your gift for a while. I’ve created a storm before, though it wasn’t a rainstorm. But I can’t concentrate on creating, sustaining, and containing a rainstorm when I have to focus on my shield.”
Keeley was silent for a moment. “I’ll join the battle.”
“You’ll have protection at all times,” Jared assured her.
I had one concern. “You can keep the storm under control?”
She nodded curtly.
“What happens if you’re hurt?” I asked. “Will it go out of control?” That would be seriously bad and possibly make a shit situation even worse.
“If I’m hurt or killed, it will quickly die off.”
Fair enough.
“When do you think the dragon shifters will come?” Sebastian asked Sam and Jared.
“As soon as The Order realises its members are being hunted,” Jared replied. “It will be the only way they can stop us from going after them.”
Ava kicked at the sand. “How will we know when they’ve figured it out?”
“When the squads can no longer find the members they’ve been assigned to kill,” said Salem. “It will mean they’re in hiding.”
“According to the register,” began Jared, “one of the vamps at the top of the list is a telepath. He’ll have psychically warned the others before he died. They’ll be angry, scared, and they’ll feel forced to move forward with their plans and kill all of us before we kill the rest of them. I’d say we have twenty-four hours at most before the dragons arrive.”
Sam nodded her agreement. “All of you go have a long rest and tank yourselves up on NSTs. Or, in Imani’s case, have a little munch on Butch. Meet us outside the mansion at dusk.”
(Imani)
Later on, I was snuggled into Butch’s side while he lay in bed, his fingers brushing through my hair. Deliciously sated, I was on the verge of falling asleep when he spoke.
“It’s at times like this, when there’s a battle coming, that I wish we were officially mated.”
Instantly awake, I blinked. “What?”
“If I hadn’t messed up a year ago, we’d have been together long enough for you to feel secure and so sure of my commitment to you that you’d have agreed to Bind with me by now.”
I knew that part of the reason he was worrying so much was that Jared had ordered Butch to personally guard Sam throughout the battle. Vampirekind knew plenty about Sam’s abilities, and The Order will have passed on that knowledge to the dragons. That meant that as soon as an energy shield covered the island and trapped them, they would know that the shield was hers. They would do their best to get to her. Butch’s shield would keep her safe while she concentrated on maintaining her own shield.
His strategic mind would understand and agree with Jared’s decision. But the rest of Butch was no doubt balking at the thought of parting from me during the battle. I’d promised him I’d stay close enough for him to see me at all times—not just to placate him, but because I didn’t want him distracted, wondering where I was. He still wasn’t happy about it.
“I know that’s not a reason to Bind with someone, but we both know that’s not why I want to Bind with you. It’s just a plus.” He tapped my lower lip. “But you’re not quite there yet, baby.” There was no judgement in his tone.
“It’s just that—”
“You need a little time to be sure I’m not going anywhere. I don’t blame you for it. I understand.”
“That’s not what I was going to s
ay. It’s not that I doubt you. I trust you and I—”
“You don’t have to justify it, Imani, I’m not trying to pressure you. I walked away from you once before, so of course you’ll want to be sure it isn’t going to happen again.”
“That’s not it. If you’d let me speak, I could explain,” I said a little haughtily.
Lips twitching, he swept out a hand, inviting me to continue. Smart ass.
“Like I said, I don’t doubt you. I just find the thought of Binding a little...worrying.”
He blinked. “Worrying?”
“I’m not a full vampire anymore. I’m physically weaker than I was before. I bruise and I don’t heal as quickly. It’s why you and Paige are panicking about me being part of the battle. There’s really no such thing as immortality—anyone can die. And now that I’m a little vulnerable, I could die a lot easier. If I was mated to you and that happened to me, you’d die too.”
Eyes narrowed, jaw hard, he arched a brow. “Let’s get something straight. You are not rejecting the idea of Binding with me out of some misguided idea that it will protect me. No fucking way.”
“Butch—”
“If you want to make this about protecting me, let’s look at it another way. If we were officially mated, I’d be able to feel you through the connection; I’d know where you were, that you were alive, and I could help boost your strength. It would keep me sane in battle, which would mean I wasn’t distracted worrying about you.”
“Yeah, but—”
“And if we were mated, I’d fight harder, faster, and dirtier to keep you safe. And you would do the same, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course.”
His mouth curved smugly. “So your worries are pointless, baby.”
“It’s easy for you to say. If you thought mating with me would make me vulnerable, you would be just as hesitant as I am.”
“Yeah, I would,” he admitted instantly, not at all repentant. “And what would you say to me?”
That there was no way I’d let him refuse to Bind with me out of some stupid idea that it would help protect me. I’d be prepared to take the chance. I sighed, “Point taken.”
“Good.” He kissed me, his tongue licking into my mouth as his hand slid into my hair. “I hope you’re done fighting me on this. I want us to Bind. You’re it for me. There never has and never will be anyone who’s as important to me as you are. I know what it’s like to be without you. I know how much better my life is with you in it. Got no intention of letting you go again. As far as I’m concerned, you’re already mine. Binding would just solidify that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He lifted my hand. “I want to look at this finger and see a Binding knot that says you belong to me. I want a matching knot on my finger. Can’t say you’re getting a good deal here, but I’m not kidding, baby, I’m not letting you go again. Not ever.”
“Why would you think I’m not getting a good deal?”
“I’m a realist, Imani.”
Not when it came to himself, thanks to his past. “If you want, I can hunt Kylie and smack the bitch down.”
He chuckled, dragging me on top of him. “I’m not sure she’s even alive. If she is, she’ll be in her seventies by now. Anyway, she probably messed up her own life. But the gesture is appreciated.”
“I don’t think you realise that I’m completely serious.”
“What I think”—he flipped us so that I was beneath him—“is that we should forget about her.” He sucked at my pulse, making my inner muscles spasm. “And you should lie there like a good girl while I pound you into the mattress.”
“So romantic.”
“Ain’t it though?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
(Imani)
I’d spent years of my vampiric existence in hiding, so I was no stranger to it. But I’d never liked it. Never liked that feeling of not facing danger head-on. I supposed it went against a vampire’s predatory nature to hide. The only reason I wasn’t mentally bristling now was that this time I wasn’t running from the danger that was coming. I was simply tricking it.
Concealed among vine-covered trees with Butch and David on either side of me, I waited impatiently for the dragon shifters to arrive. We knew they were close because a certain member of the legion was able to sense when danger was approaching—he could even estimate how long it was before that danger arrived.
It seemed like hours ago that Jared had telepathically sent out a five minute warning, but it couldn’t have been longer than a few minutes.
Where were the fuckers?
I didn’t realise I’d said that aloud until Butch looked at me. “They’ll be here soon,” he whispered into my ear. “Remember, don’t go far. Be vigilant. I need you to stay alive for me.”
I kept my voice just as low. “I need the same from you, so watch your ass.”
His mouth kicked up in one corner. “I’d rather watch yours. It’s hotter than mine.”
I just snorted, not fooled by that smile. He was still brooding about having to leave my side during the battle. The fact that both David and Paige had sworn they would flank me throughout the entire fight only barely mollified him.
The majority of the legion was spread across the perimeter of the island. Sam, Jared, and our squads were in the centre, because that was where Butch’s shield needed to be. We wanted the dragons to fall smack bam in the middle of the island so that the legion could box them in the moment that Sam’s shield went over us.
She’d enlarged her shield many times in training, and I had every faith that she could do it here and now. As she’d once said herself, this had to work. We’d all be on Shit Street if it didn’t.
David’s impatient sigh seemed like a boom in the quiet of the night. The forest was unnaturally silent—no doubt Alora had ‘spoken’ to the wildlife and told them to keep quiet so that they didn’t make noise that would alert the dragons. She had probably also recruited the predators to join the battle. Good.
Since I didn’t have a gift that would help me bring the bastards down, my job was to take out the fallen. But I had no idea if my gift would help me with that. It was possible that they didn’t have blood-bonds. If that was the case, I’d have to rely on combat moves. I was good at combat—Jared wouldn’t have accepted anything less. But since the shifters could be just as competent at it, there was no saying that taking them out would be easy.
I rolled back my shoulders, trying to shake off the dread that snaked through me. It didn’t work. Tension and anticipation thickened the air until it was almost tangible. This waiting around shit headed into a whole new level of frustrating.
Discretely, I took in Butch’s scent on a long inhale. It was comforting. Reminded me of his strength; that he would be fine in this battle. The natural scents of the forest usually had the same calming effect on me, but not tonight. Not when so much depended on the outcome of the war.
Among all those scents was something else: the smell of ozone. Rain would be coming soon. It would seem that Keeley was preparing to unleash the storm. I could see a grey cloud beginning to form. Hopefully she was as in control of her power as her confident nature suggested. We were going to need her in a big way, especially since it—
They’re coming, Jared warned.
A shot of adrenalin pumped through me, and I squeezed Butch’s hand. This was it.
“If we hadn’t been watching out for them, we would never have known they were on their way,” whispered Butch.
As I stared up ahead, I understood what he meant. They were all dark and moving so silently it was eerie. Now I got why they had chosen to come at night—they could better conceal themselves in the dark.
They were flying directly toward the island, and they were huge. Fierce. Seriously scary looking with long curled horns and massive bat-like wings. And they were here to kill us.
Butch took a single step out of the trees, ready to do his part. As David and I moved with him, he cast us both a ‘stay back’ scowl.
We just stared at him.
Conscious that there was no time to argue, Butch planted his feet wide apart and raised his hands. I couldn’t see his shield. I couldn’t even sense it, since it didn’t buzz with energy like Sam’s did. But I knew that if I reached out, I’d feel it—hard and totally impenetrable.
His face was a mask of concentration as he enlarged the shield. Able to see the creatures and the formation they were traveling in, he would know just how far and high he’d need to extend the shield to prevent any from passing. If he was struggling at all, it didn’t show in his expression.
More adrenalin flooded my system as the dragons neared. Had they been moving at a slower pace, they might have scented us—we were positioned all over the island, after all. But the creatures were flying at such an admirable speed that they didn’t have a moment to sense us.
The five in the front slammed into the shield, causing it to glimmer much like sunlight reflecting off glass. I winced at their ear-splitting, harpy-like sounds of shock and pain. They might have bounced backwards if the others—moving too fast to avoid a collision—hadn’t crashed into them. Only the dragons at the rear managed to halt in time. Unfortunately none fell to the ground. Shit.
Before they could even think to act, a buzzing silvery-blue shield blanketed the island. With a roar of challenge, vampires came at the dragons from every angle.
Butch gave me a quick kiss. “Stay alive.” He darted to Sam’s side just before our squads formed a wide protective circle around him and the Grand High Pair.
Chaos then reigned.
Jared’s lightning bolts illuminated the sky, showing flashes of red-hot arrows, balls of ice, and ripples of psychic energy whooshing through the air toward the dragons. The creatures screeched and roared as they retaliated from above, breathing streams of fire; the responding agonised cries of my kind made my stomach roll.