Page 13 of Wicked Bite
The scent of magic filled the air. It was dark and pungent, matching the kind of power most of the warlocks had. They would be here in a moment, and I would take up arms like I vowed to do.
“Incoming?” Tabi turned to Zinnia.
She nodded. “Warlocks on the rise.”
As the Siphon Witch, Zinnia would feel their power a mile away. As a vampire, I, too, felt it crawl over my skin, like pins and needles. Vampires existed within the world of Evermore, but we didn’t engage the witches. We lived our lives and they lived theirs. But over the years, the world had gotten smaller, and with that came the need to forge alliances. Others may not have understood it, but I knew this was the way. Zinnia and her court were the future, and I would work among them for as long as it took. They had my respect and my friendship. Tonight, not one would die on my watch.
Tabi wiggled her fingers and streams of yellow magic flew from her fingertips into the ground. Vines sprang from the earth like poles, and I leapt from the shadows of the wall and darted to the other side of the courtyard as the vines covered the walls, like reinforced steel beams.
Tucker landed right next to Zinnia in a tornado of flames. The heat brushed at my face and scorched the grass around him. His feathers melted away, and he stood there in nothing but jeans and boots. Steam rose off his body in the cold November air. His chest heaved and puffs of smoke came from his mouth. “I didn’t see anything around the school.”
“Doesn’t mean they aren’t there.” She felt magic moving around the outside walls just like I did. “Kill the alarm.”
My lips pulled into a tight smile. Show time.
Tuck gave one sharp whistle, and the low hum of the alarm died, leaving us standing in silence. Even the normal noise of the city around us stopped. I could hear their pulses racing in their veins, smell the nervousness on their skin. And yet, I knew they’d stand strong. It was one thing I admired about the Witches. Even in the face of fear they showed tenacity, and that to me was courage at its best.
A few feet away, the air shimmered and the smell of our allied Warlocks filled my nose. I chuckled to myself. Oh, this was going to be a shit show. Of the best kind.
An explosion struck the ground right beside Zinnia. Her body jerked back from the force of it. I sprinted into action. Rocks and dirt soared through the air with her. And I turned toward the hallway she’d been thrown down. At the last second, I used my speed to grab her before she cracked her head against the wall. I wrapped my hand in her shirt and let the momentum of her take us both. From the corner of my eye, I saw another explosion, and Tabi was thrown off the second-floor balcony. I slowed Zinnia down and let her slide across the floor just as I took off toward Tabi.
“Zinnia! Zinnia, where are you?” Tuck sprinted back toward her, and I knew she would be okay, even as she staggered to her feet and the smell of blood filled the air.
I ran around the students like they were cones in an obstacle course. I wove my way through them like a hot knife through butter. Golden streams of magic flew from her hand as she fell toward the ground. Her arms pinwheeled, and I launched myself off the ground. We collided midair and I wrapped my arms around her. We plummeted toward the ground, and I twisted in midair. My feet hit the ground and I skidded for a few feet. I placed Tabi on the ground next to me.
She gave me a wink. “Thanks, Gray.”
I didn’t wait. I just turned and ran into the fray, shoving people away from death. Magic exploded like grenades, one after the other. Bright colored magic filled the air and pooled on the ground at my feet. I leapt over them, avoiding whatever the hell it was they were trying to kill each other with. The scent of blood lingered on the wind. It sent my body into overdrive. The need to fight and move faster coursed through my veins. Zinnia marched out into the middle of it all. Silvery magic exploded from her fingertips, catching the power bombs before they hit.
She threw out her hands, tossing those balls back over the front wall. Flashes of light lit up the sky like bolts of lightning during a storm as each of those energy balls crashed on the other side. Three Warlocks floated on the other side of the wall, high enough to look over. Their bodies were hidden in shadows, and bright orange flames danced within their hands. Fire spewed from their palms, shooting like flame throwers over the top of the wall, torching Tabi’s reinforcing vines. I threw my arm up, shielding my face from the heat. The vines caught fire, curling, and crumbling to dust.
A ball of fire flew through the shimmering air in the middle of the portal and those wicked Warlocks came charging through to take up arms with us. Ophelia, Queen of potions and the most deadly women I’d ever met, sprinted through with her daggers drawn. If Wednesday Addams had a twin, it would be O, with her long black hair and pale skin. Cross, her soulmate and crazed warrior Warlock, was hot on her heels. She froze only feet from Zinnia and her eyes widened. She pointed toward the blood on her sister’s face.
“They did that to you?” Though she was tiny, she was terrifying, with her long straight hair braided into a fauxhawk, her body strapped with leather holsters full of daggers, and a leather potion pouch hanging from her hip.
She swiped at the cut on her head and more blood coated the back of her hand. “Yeah.”
“Sons-a-bitches.” Ophelia gritted her teeth and pointed one of her daggers toward the front wall. “Cross! Up and over!”
Without missing a step, he pumped his arms, sprinting ahead of her, then turned to face her and gave his back to the gated wall. He cupped his hands in front of him, and Ophelia sprinted straight at him. She pumped her arms, moving faster, and at the last second, she leapt toward him and placed her foot in his cupped hands. Cross threw up his arms, tossing Ophelia high into the air. She flipped and twisted like they’d practiced this move a hundred times. She disappeared behind the towering front gate.
I hurried toward Tabi and muttered, “I’d hate to be the one who faces that wrath.”
“Are you insane!” Zinnia yelled toward him. “She’ll be hurt.”
Cross arched his eyebrow at her, giving her a “Yeah, right” kind of look. His gold eyes glinted like an animal’s in the dark and a wide, predatory smile spread across his face. “No, they will be.”
“Right you are, mate.” But he didn’t hear me.
As if on cue, screams sounded from the other side of that gate. Explosions of different colored power fired off like a rainbow, illuminating the building beyond. Cross chuckled. “See? Told ya.”
He turned from them and darted toward the corner of the courtyard where the gate and wall met. Like a freaking spider, he leapt up and grabbed hold of the wall then bounced off it, grabbing a piece of the gate then back to the wall and to the gate again. Within seconds, he’d scaled the wall and was over onto the other side.
Now, this I have got to see.
I ran toward the wall and leapt on top of it. When I looked down at the mayhem on the street, I chuckled. An army of Warlocks was there outside the walls firing magic as high into the air as they could. Tiny Ophelia was making her way through the crowd like a tidal wave. She reached into the pouch hanging from hip and threw a vial at the girl in front of her. Hot pink magic exploded, and the girl fell to the ground.
I stepped off the wall and dropped down on to the other side. Still, no one saw me, and I liked it that way. I sprinted in the opposite direction. When I got to the last few rows of the army, I grabbed one of the Warlocks by the back of his shirt and threw him down the street toward Ophelia and Cross.
