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This was too easy.
A diversionary tactic.
Jadis focused on me as she rushed forward and sliced her palm, blood dripping to the ground as she began to chant. The eyes of her witches glowed a bright fiery red as they dropped their glamour and transformed into hideous beasts with enormous black leathery wings that resembled those of giant bats, complete with talons. Their skin darkened to ash and hardened into a thick surface that appeared smooth and chiseled like volcanic rock.
Human/bat hybrids.
Damian hissed at my side. “Vampire. Our true form. This is a massacre.” His hand brushed the contour of my cheek so fast I almost missed his touch. “Protect her, Lycan. Ryder can’t handle my kind alone.”
“Shit,” Gabriel cursed as he moved closer to my side. “Go!”
Two of my Cosan were now engaged in combat. I had a feeling we hadn’t seen anything yet and couldn’t shake the idea that Jadis separated us on purpose.
A vicious howl let loose from the nearby trees before the leaves began to shake. The ground beneath my feet rumbled as a dozen creatures moved from their hiding spot. Tall, hulking beasts with long muzzles and rows of razor-sharp teeth stood upright on two legs. Saliva dripped from their oversized canines. They had been there all along, watching from the forest.
Lycan.Not the friendly kind either.
Gabriel growled as he pulled me against his side, whispering low in my ear. “I can’t fight in human form. I’ll have to shift.”
I nodded as he backed up a few feet, bones cracking and popping as he began the transformation. His face distorted as his bones elongated. Large teeth poked through a long, wide mouth as he snarled. Saliva pooled over his gums and slithered down his chiseled body.
Wide-eyed, I couldn’t tear my gaze away.
Claws developed on his hands, and his legs lengthened, gaining him another two feet in height. Pulsing flesh rearranged on his body. Feet and legs continued to twist and contort as Gabe’s clothes ripped apart on his massive frame. The muscles of his body rippled with strength as his skin grew a light gray fur, short but still obviously not human.
Gabriel growled loudly as the other Lycan moved forward in pack formation, ready to hunt. I didn’t know how these Lycan could transform without a full moon, but the only explanation was more of the same dark magic that Jadis used.Voodoo.
Damian’s words echoed in my mind.This is a massacre.He was right.
Gabe was seriously outnumbered. I only hoped Damian and Ryder would defeat their attackers and help him soon. The entire pack converged on Gabriel as I backed up several feet.
Jadis blasted me with a blinding spell, pulling my focus from the chaos my Cosan fought against.Smart.Reducing my sight would temporarily put me at a disadvantage if her hex contained more power than I currently possessed. It didn’t.
My sight restored with a simple chant; she stared incredulously and stomped her foot in fury. “You’re not strong enough to defeat me, Jadis,” I taunted, standing my ground in front of her.
“Have you forgotten my friend?” She held up the Voodoo doll. “We’re just getting started.”
Jadis squeezed the doll in her hand, fingers digging into the torso as my body curled inward with agonizing waves of pain. A groan of agony danced on my lips, but I fought the urge to cry out. She wouldn’t conquer me so easily.
I held out my arms and called to the ancestors, asking their power to fill me inwardly, gaining strength and potency. The extra boost almost immediately filled my body, and I resisted the urge to smile.
Falling to my knees, I gritted my teeth and took her punishment as she tossed the doll to the ground and stomped on it, laughing when I doubled over in pain.
This magic didn’t belong to her. She was nothing more than a pawn, used because of her simple mind and need for pandemonium. Whoever tore open the veil was the real threat. I knew this rogue witch was behind Jadis’s corruption and the evil, heavy aura I had fought off since the first night of Samhain. The true enemy. Male or female, I wasn’t sure, but I knew Jadis wouldn’t survive this night.
Speaking in a low tone, I conjured a spirit warrior. Past males associated with the Howe bloodline could be called upon to fight in a moment of need. These fighters were skilled and powerful with the advantage of Salem witch strength and immunity. As a bonus, they could be sent back to the ancestors, but they couldn’t be destroyed.
The spirit warrior that arrived was my cousin from marriage. A male that died in a freak accident ten years prior. Keith was tall and lanky with wavy blond hair, but he was strong as an ox. Not to mention that he’d become quite adept at using a sword.
“Hey, cousin,” he greeted, twirling his weapon. “What mess are we in this time?”
“Oh, the usual,” I admitted, my gaze never leaving Jadis.
“That bad, huh?” He chuckled lightly before running forward and slicing the sword through the air. The blade made a smooth cut across the arm holding the Voodoo doll, and Jadis screamed. Keith kicked the doll aside as I ran forward and snatched it up, calling down fire as it singed and destroyed the doll.
Glancing around the cemetery, I noticed my Cosan still locked in battle. Gabriel against the Lycan. Damian fighting the other vampires with Ryder and his zombies. Keith blocking each of Jadis’s attacks.
I considered who to help first when I heard my name softly whispered in an eerie, disembodied male voice.
