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Embry and Lucianna have their swords drawn and jump into the fight, knowing we can take care of ourselves among the factions of the underworld. The vampires clearly want to battle this out or they would seer the wolves’ hide with the heat of their rays and call it a day.
Raven and I stand guard, watching as the vampires go head-to-head with all of the shifters, battling the leaping and snarling creatures until more and more of the yellow-eyed creatures end up on the floor.
Four shifters split off, seeing us standing off to the side. They leap and paw the floor in front of us. No words are needed between the two of us, our wands float to our hands, and in one shake and a nod of our head the shifters are being squeezed by two of the biggest snakes ever put on this earth.
I glance up and Campania gives me a wink, before spinning to send a shifter slumping onto the floor. When over half the wolves are bested, looks pass between the rest of the mangy bastards. A growl from Descallia that rattles all of the glasses in the club sends the rest of the packs heading for the door without a backward glance.
When all sense of danger is gone, Campania says something quietly to two vampires who have joined their leaders. They walk quietly out the back door as he stalks toward me and takes my arm. “Come with me.”
Raven’s eyes go wide, but I have little time to see more than that as Campania guides me to the back of the club and into the ladies’ room. Campania locks the door; his hands cradle my face as he walks me backward until my back touches the wall. His powerful arms cage me in the prison of his strength.
He looks down at me with dark black, red rimmed eyes as his mouth captures mine with a passion that threatens to consume us both right here and now. He finally breaks our kiss and strokes my hair as he talks. “Didn’t I tell you to stay at the Descallia estate, where you were safe? Yet, when I look up from a heated battle, I see you right in the middle of it? You could have been harmed, Willow. Those wolf bastards don’t care who you are, only that you’re with us, which makes you their enemy.”
My heart beats hard, my blood still racing from the fear of the shifters and what they may do to Campania. “I can take care of myself. I was worried about you. Why didn’t you turn those bastards to ashes? Why toy with them and give them a chance to hurt you?”
Campania strokes my cheek. “You were worried about me?”
I swallow, because worried does not even begin to describe the fear running through my veins watching all those wolves trying to rip him to shreds while outnumbered by so many. “Yes. That’s why we came. Lucianna and Embry jumped in with swords. She told us to stay out of it, but the wolves started closing in on me and Raven. We were just defending ourselves. I would have stopped those shifters cold if Lucianna had allowed it.”
“Enchantress, you don’t owe me an explanation for protecting yourself.” He looks as though he’s going to say something else and then changes his mind. Instead, he looks down at the blood on his hands and walks to the paper towel dispenser on the other side of the room. He takes a few and wets them at the sink before returning and gently cleansing the blood of his battle from the side of my face. “I’ll be with the others while you get cleaned up. A couple of our men have followed the shifters, so we’ll be able to catch up to them. They have a better chance of not being detected if there are only a few, at least until they think they haven't been followed.”
He strides from the room, leaving me half dizzy with relief that he’s okay, reeling with hormones all over the place and confused by his sudden departure. The stone around my neck heats as I walk to the mirror and begin washing the streaks of blood from my cheeks.
A haze swirls around the room, and the mirror cracks before Devora’s face appears before me, her face snarled with anger. “Disgraceful! It’s not bad enough that you leave the sanctity of our coven, but now you and Raven have both taken up with vampires. Have we taught you absolutely nothing?” she screeches.
I push the fear that always wraps itself around me when she or one of the other head witches is giving us a lecture about what we’ve done wrong. I’m a grown woman, and I will not allow her or the other cackling biddies to harass me anymore. “It’s no longer your business. No disrespect intended, but, as you’ve stated, I’m no longer part of your coven or under your direction and control. We left for a reason, and I thought you intended to respect that decision as you have with Raven’s. And honestly, her love life, being your niece, may be your business, but mine is most certainly not. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other places to be.”
She cackles, but the sparks in her eyes tell me that she’s fuming inside. “Perhaps you don’t want my help, but I can’t simply forego my role of protecting you even if it’s from yourself. Perhaps you should take a look at this before you say any more, Willow. Take a good look, listen for yourself, and then tell me that the vampires have your best interest at heart, you silly girl.”
The mirror to the left of me turns hazy. Campania and a long-haired redhead with barely a scrap of clothes covering her more than exquisite body are speaking in low voices. The seductress with bright red lips slides a hand over the leather of his vest. “Thank you for the roses and breakfast you had sent up the other night. I needed the nourishment after a night with you. Why’d you leave so soon? I was hoping for another round before we left the hotel.” She tosses her hair aside, exposing white flower designed pasties, the only covering over her ample breasts.
Campania smiles down at the woman. “You’re welcome. I have some things to attend to right now. We’ll have to talk another time.”
Her lips turn up in a pout. “Promise?”
He laughs. “You better get up on the stage before you cause a riot in the crowd out there.”
She walks away atop at least four-inch silver heels, swaying her half bare ass back and forth as she goes. My chest tightens, and electricity zips from the ends of my fingernails. Try as I might, there is no way to control the jealousy in my heart. If she were right in front of me, she’d be walking up on that stage a bulging eyed toad with so many warts Campania wouldn’t ever want to touch her again.
But he’s not even looking at her; the exaggerated sway of her ass is all for naught. His mind is swirling in a completely different direction. Thinking about witches centuries ago. Familiar images begin floating through his mind, with some of the most horrendous battles between vampires and witches of all time. In almost every image Devora is at the helm, leading the witches, screeching orders to hex and maim the dark souled devils with our magic. A time when no one survived the scorches of hell, if you were a healer, or used even the slightest trick or spell. That would surely get you thrown into a burning pit of fire with the dark eyes always watching.
Devora cackles. “Keep watching, enchantress,” she says, exaggerating the pet name Campania has given me.
His mind floats between the witches burning at the stake to the shifters, and the ones with magic they’re trying to catch, but mine has a hard time keeping up to the reeling images. My heart still races with the fear of the evil from centuries ago, and the images brought back to the forefront relived through Campania’s mind.
I look to the mirror. Devora hasn’t changed at all. All she’s ever wanted is to get back at the vampires for the death of her loved one. Not that I blame her for wanting retribution years ago, but it’s been centuries, and so very much has changed. My mind swirls with confusion as to why she would help the vampires lately if she still hates them as she does. “I thought you made your peace with the vampires.”
Devora laughs. “As much as anyone ever does. If I help them, it’s to ensure the witches are safe from the dark souled devils, especially my niece. We try to remain neutral, but yet time and time we’re dragged into their power struggle with the rest of the underworld because of their greed. Every single time the rogues come, somehow Descallia manages to pull us into the mess along with the vampires. Now he has my niece brainwashed and defending them with magic and any of the other tricks and spells she’s been taught. My niece!” she shrieks.
I don’t know Raven that well, but I’ve spent time with her recently. “She loves Master Romano. They’re happy, Devora. She hasn’t forsaken the witches; she’s just found her mate. At least, if they accept her. She still has to be approved by the council.”
“I’ll burn in hell before they accept her! My niece was supposed to have a little fun, get bedding the powerful beast out of her system, not mate with him for life. I’ll not have it! So much betrayal! And the vampires are behind it all!”
Betrayal…
The vampires think the witches are behind giving the shifters magic. The witches think the vampires are behind everything that’s ever happened to them, especially now.
Yet, it’s clear, Campania has doubts about the witches and about me. His mind swirls with images of us burning at the stake. How can I put my trust that he has my best interests at heart or the other witches? My friends, how do I really know they’re okay or that they haven’t been tortured for what they know and sent down to the fiery gates of hell?
