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Against my better judgment, I turned my head. Ryder stood in front of us. Behind him, dozens of zombies gathered, unmoving. In fact, they seemed to be watching Ryder’s every move. He lifted his right arm and twirled his finger in a circle. The zombies spun and copied the movement. He hopped on one foot, and they followed. He began flapping his arms and legs in jumping jacks; they jerked about like drunken sailors eager to please him.
My jaw popped open.
For a few seconds, I expected the zombies to start dancing and Michael Jackson’s Thriller to play in the background. Maybe Negan would show up from The Walking Dead. I mean, come on. This couldn’t possibly be any more surreal!
Ryder’s enthusiastic grin widened. To my relief, no flesh or veins were stuck in his teeth anymore. “They’ll follow whatever I command.”
‘I really like this guy.’
Damian would, the sicko.
For the first time, I smiled. “Let’s go hunting.” Impressed, I winked at the ghoul. “You did good, Ryder.”
A zombie horde fought on our side.
Even better, we dressed up for Samhain and wore skull makeup.
Maybe we wouldn’t all die tonight.
‘You need to be more optimistic.’
“Shut up.” I may be snarky, but I wasn’t upset. Actually, I couldn’t help feeling amused.
‘Well, now I’ve seen everything. The special witch has a sense of humor.’
“Don’t push it,” I admonished.
“Cassie, do you sense that?”
Gabriel’s voice reminded me that I should pay attention. Closing my eyes, I reached out with my magic and searched the cemetery. At first, I sensed nothing. Then a subtle shift in the air revealed the one presence we’d been waiting for tonight.
The powerful dark aura of the rogue witch.
And Jadis.The bitch.
She walked uphill toward us. I knew she wasn’t alone, but I never expected her treachery to run so deep. She recruited other witches in her nefarious plot. A line of spellcasters stood behind her, but none were from the original thirteen families. Maybe this was about revenge for Jadis. I wasn’t sure, but her little group of witches was no match for the Salem bloodlines.
They’d all be destroyed.
No mercy. They attacked me, and they died.
“Hi, Cassie,” Jadis greeted, her haughty smile far too arrogant.
“Leave Mystic Hallows tonight, and I’ll let you live if you promise never to return.”
‘She’s not going to leave.’
No shit. I glared at Damian. Didn’t he understand I had to offer her a way out? It was the right thing to do. She was an original.
He shook his head.‘They aren’t what they seem.’
“Last chance,” I warned.
Jadis laughed as she leaned forward. “No one leaves this cemetery alive.” Once she gave her order, the witches rushed forward and began to cast spells, lighting up the night with fireballs, bolts of lightning, and gusts of mighty wind. A storm brewed overhead as dark gray clouds swirled. Thunder crackled while the sky boomed with resounding aftershocks. Tree roots sprang up from the ground and rushed forward to entangle their prey, limbs twisted in a macabre display of nature’s wrath.
As intense as it was, this was an amateur display. Almost any practiced witch could call to the elements and conjure from nature, fire, water, and air. They weren’t casting actual spells. Maybe Jadis and her witches weren’t much of a threat.
Ryder rushed forward to battle the witches. His zombies followed, attacking, snarling, and chomping their teeth as they lunged for their victims. Damian and Gabe stayed by my side. Both immortals frowned. We all thought the same thing.
