But it was too late.
Sierra lifted the cleaver and swung.
TORIN
The cleaver sliced through me like a scalpel made of ice, separating the Unconsecrated from my spirit with surgical precision. I felt it scream, felt my own scream, but nothing came from my lips as the blade passed through me then Riley, Enzo, and finally, Heath where it snagged.
Sierra worked quickly, as if her life depended on it, and I supposed it did. The Dark Ones tried to fight back, unwilling to leave their bodily hosts. She thrust a spectral hand through my chest and pulled.
“Do you repent?” she asked, and I didn’t know if she meant me, or the spirit. I said “Yes” at the same time the Unconsecrated said “Never” and sent another wave of crushing pain through my skull and chest.
Gasping, I tried to cling to the words my father had said. Focus on your love and devotion. If you are faithful to the girl, you will survive the Dark One’s possession until she can release you.
I tried to remember all that I admired about Sierra: her fighter’s spirit, her intelligence, her resilience, her kind heart that was willing to forgive so much pain. The joy she had brought all of us.
Agony grew as I fought against the Dark One with her, each nerve ending of my body on fire as she wrestled the spirit from my body. I began to accept that my release was coming in the form of my own death and dropped in a heap on the floor, the world going dark to the sounds of my coven brothers—my mates—echoing screams.
When I finally came to, Heath and Sierra were gone. Riley and Enzo began to stir with me as we each became aware of pounding at my bedroom door.
I rose and went to open it, a strange feeling of lightness within my entire being, as if I’d suddenly lost fifty pounds of weight off my body. I even did a quick check to see if I’d become emaciated, but I looked the same on the outside.
My parents stood in the doorway, their faces pale and drawn. My gut clenched. “What’s happened?”
They looked past me to Enzo and Riley.
“Is Heath with you?”
“He was.” My gaze flicked to the guys, and they looked as wary as I felt. We knew bad news was coming.
“What happened?” I repeated.
Dad looked at Enzo and Riley again, then back to me. “Harris escaped. Harold is dead, and so is Cordelia. We don’t know where Helene and Heath are.”
“And Sierra?” Enzo’s face tightened at their pained expressions.
Dad shook his head. “I was hoping she was with Torin.”
CHAPTER 13
ENZO
OUTSKIRTS OF RAVENSWOOD
My breath came in ragged gasps as I pushed forward, gaze darting between the dense trees and twisted vines. Torin’s tension was a living thing as we moved deeper into the heart of the forest. I couldn’t believe I got stuck doing reconnaissance and rescue with that fucking asshole, but his made it make the most sense for us to come, while he and Riley had gone looking for Sierra and Heath.
We’d silenced the crunch of fallen leaves under our boots as we marched forward in silence, listening for any indication that we weren’t alone. Our mission was clear: find out if Carlo Maroni and his goons were still at the school, prevent them from causing more harm. And for me, find out if my sister was back with him. Anger and pain fueled my steps, as well as guilt. I’d been so glad to see Sierra and so caught up in the crazed desire we’d all experienced at the return of our mate, that I’d let too much time pass before searching for my sister.
I’d gone to the safe house where I’d left her, tried to get there before the Warners, but it was too late. Either Maroni had found her again, or she’d escaped on her own. I desperately hoped it was the latter.
A sudden rustle in the brush caught my attention, and I held up my hand, signaling for Torin to stop. We froze, waiting for any sign of movement. But the woods remained still, the only sound was our heavy breathing and the whisper of wind through the treetops. I didn’t trust it though – not when Carlo was involved. He was a master of using his dirty magic to manipulate situations to his advantage.
We moved forward, wands drawn, ready for anything. The air felt thick, and the earthy scent of damp soil and decaying leaves threatened to make me sneeze. Up ahead, a flicker of light danced between the trunks of the trees. We crept closer, our presence hidden by invisibility spells that I hoped they hadn’t set traps for. The sound of movement in the woods sent us both whirling, preparing for battle. A few seconds later a deer wandered into sight, and a flash from Torin’s wand brought it down before it even had a chance to flee.
“What the fuck did you do that for?” I hissed.
“Better safe than sorry,” he hissed back, bristling. “It could have been a shifter setting a trap for idiots like you.”
I sent a slapping spell at his arrogant face. He retaliated with an electric shock across my chest – not enough to incapacitate, but enough to burn. Anger, fear, and adrenaline ratcheted the tension from zero to a thousand within seconds, and we forgot about wands as the confrontation became physical.
Fists flew, teeth gritted, and curses spilled from our lips, as the fight became more brutal than I had ever imagined – and I had imagined pulverizing that motherfucker many, many times. I landed a punch to his jaw and felt the satisfying crunch of bone against my knuckles before he countered with a roundhouse kick that sent me sprawling across the forest floor. I swept out a leg and knocked him off his feet as well.
It wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t make him understand how much he’d hurt me all these years.
Because of him, I’d spent most of my life denying my own desires, my own feelings, trying to be the better man. I fucking tried. But it had only left me angry and empty inside. And now, something within me snapped. Maybe it was Sierra missing. Maybe it was the absence of the Dark Ones within us, but I tackled him back down as he tried to stand, my teeth clenched as I landed hard on top of him.
“I wanted to love you,” I yelled into his face, my hands clenched into the material of the shirt by his throat. “I wanted to be your friend, and you shunned me like I was some kind of leper just because I was poor.”
“Seriously?! I kissed you! You rejected me first,” he bit out, anger and hurt mingling in his voice.
Neither of us even had to spell out what we’d meant. Our collective memories were clear. He’d snuck into my bed and kissed me during a sleepover at Warner’s when we were in our early teens. After he’d been a dick to me all day.
“You made it obvious you didn’t want anything to do with me,” Tor said.
A muscle ticked at the side of his perfect jaw, and I couldn’t look away. “Are you fucking kidding me? I wanted to be your friend, but you were jealous of Heath’s friendship with me. You were afraid he’d like me more than you, you couldn’t stand losing his attention, so you tried to make my living a hell long before you tried to kiss me.”
He didn’t say anything, but I saw the truth in his eyes. The regret. The admission of his weakness. My stomach churned with the knowledge that we’d both been too scared to admit the truth – the attraction had been there all along. How our one-upmanship had just been us trying to impress each other in our own fucked-up ways.
