Page 81 of Wicked Thirst
Breathe in, breathe out.The cord of the bowstring pressed into my fingertips as I held it tight. My arrow would strike true. I’d sharpened the point to perfection and carved the rest of the arrow myself. It would be quick. It would be painless . . . for him. My friend laughed with madness as he drew odd symbols over the ground in blood. I didn’t know what he was doing or why, but I knew this one shot would change it all. He would be no more, and once the King learned of what I’d done, I too would be no more. In fact, I was counting on that exact outcome. By using this bow, he’d know I killed Grayson from a distance. There would be no accident during capture. It would be known that I, Atlas Savage, killed the Prince of The House of Shade.
A blue portal opened a few feet from Grayson and Piper sprinted out, running between the two of us and blocking my shot. The others followed closely behind her, and they started to surround him. Grayson threw his arms up and blood magic exploded out of him and landed like fog over the symbols. The ground lit beneath his feet. It shined a brilliant white light and began to rumble under his feet. The crowd across the river cheered, thinking the light show would soon start.
New Year’s Eve . . . the end of one cycle and beginning of another . . . How fitting.
I kept my eye trained on Gray, yet Piper stood there blocking me. She gave her back to Grayson and whatever was happening to stare me down. She gave a shake of her head, warning me not to do this. But my vow tugged at me, pushing me toward the end. My only friend in the world would be no more simply because he asked me to do this for him.
Big Ben struck midnight, and the tolling of the clock blocked out the cheers of the crowd. Fireworks exploded all around us, filling the air with a sparkling display. Bright reds, swirling greens, and showering golds all dazzled the oblivious crowd of humans. They didn’t know how close they were to death. They were too busy celebrating their lives while a mad vampire unleashed hell on them.
The ground opened up around Grayson and demons flooded from it in all different directions. It was like watching fire ants swarm from their nest, ready to attack. Their grotesque bodies were shadows of whatever lifeforms they’d once been. They were slightly humanoid with longer legs and arms. Their faces were contorted into elongated shapes, like horses, but their mouths were full of jagged, sharp teeth. Drool and slime seeped from their mouths and dripped to the ground in big wads. Their skin was charred to black, and embers rose up around them as they charged out.
The others all leapt into battle. Silvery magic whipped through the demons, slicing them in half. Balls of fire flew from a guy with dark-red hair and lit them aflame, yet that didn’t seem to stop them one bit. It only angered them more. Then the guy who threw the fire leapt up into the air and his body transformed into a phoenix. He swooped into the fray, grabbing demons with his large talons and throwing them back into the pit. A guy with dark, inky hair and crystal eyes placed his hand on the ground and yelled something to another guy with blond hair and blue smoke seeping around him.
A moment later, the dark-haired guy let burgundy magic seep over the ground and fifty stone bullets suddenly lay at the feet of the one with the blue smoke. He smirked, then threw his arms out. The bullets shot from the ground and peppered the demons, turning them into Swiss cheese. My jaw dropped and I nearly lost aim at the display. When a tiger and giant pug frolicked side by side through the madness, taking turns ripping demons in half and throwing the parts to each other as if they were playing catch, I was tempted to join in their fight. But I had a duty to fulfill.
The fireworks exploded all around us, and scorching cinders fell to the ground and over me, burning my skin. I held fast, not moving from my position even as pain melted over my body. Grayson stood in the middle of it all, watching the demons fight his friends. But the Grayson I knew would’ve joined in this fight. He would’ve helped his friends defeat these hell demons. The Grayson I knew would not have stood there grinning and laughing at the chaos. I had to face the fact that this was no longer the Grayson I knew. I pulled the string tighter and straightened my arrow.
Piper jumped up and caught my eye. She didn’t turn to fight with her friends. No, she stood there offering her life for Grayson’s. Just as I was about to drop down and take up another position, a demon leapt from the pit at Gray’s feet and dove right for her. It tackled her to the ground and pressed her face to the cobblestones. A scream ripped up her throat as she shoved her hands to the stones and flipped over on her back. The demon crawled on top of her, pinning her to the ground and out of my way. It snapped its teeth in her face as she shoved her hands into its jowls, barely holding it from her face. It raised its claw over her neck, about to strike and take her head.
I had to do what was needed. Deafening fireworks boomed over our heads. The light was so bright it was like walking in midday. And when Grayson spread his arms wide and smiled at the falling sparks, I took aim.
“Forgive me, friend.” I let the arrow fly.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
PIPER
Iheld the demon off, but I’d never felt anything this strong before. The body weight alone stole the breath from my chest. I shoved my hand into its jowls, holding it back from biting my head off. Drool and slime ran down my hands and over my arms. The smell of decay seeped from its hot breath and I nearly choked on the stench. I tried to kick out, to use my blood magic on it, but it wouldn’t stop. Like a mindless animal, it raised its claws above me to take my head. I sucked in a sharp breath, bracing for the strike. The air whizzed and there was a wet thunk sound. The demon fell limply over my chest with an arrow jutting from its head.
Its dead body twitched on top of me, and I shoved my arms into its chest and threw it off me. That arrow was meant for Gray. I knew it was. When I glanced up to where Atlas had been perched, he gave a single nod and a small solute with the end of his bow. I turned toward Grayson to grab him but he was already running down the side of the riverbank. He glanced back at me with a hiss, then he leapt into the water. I ran to the edge to see if I could spot him, but the flashing lights and smoke from the fireworks made it impossible.
Just then Astrid lifted her arms and threw her magic out. It rolled over the ground like a thick fog. Zinnia joined in beside her and the two of them forced the ground to close up, trapping the demons left above ground. The demons were turned to dust by Tucker or shot to hell by Beckett and Kylian. Soon they were all dead and I was left standing there watching the water for any hint of Grayson.
When I looked up to where Atlas was, he leapt off his perch on The London Eye and took off running down the riverbank, searching for Grayson.
Kylian walked up to my side. “If we killed that one, this would be much easier.”
I shook my head. “He had the shot. He saved me instead.”
“So?” He shrugged.
“So I don’t think he actually wants to kill Grayson.” The others began to line up next to me one by one until we all looked out over the water. “This isn't working. We’re always two steps behind.”
Astrid gave a reluctant nod. “I agree. We have to go about this a different way.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, my hunting skills have got us there, but the execution is lacking.” Kylian plucked up a small stone from the stone wall and tossed it into the river.
“I’ve been thinking about this.” I paused to gather my thoughts. “When I was in Gray’s dreams the voice mentioned someone named Dracinda. Until we figure out who she is, we need to capture him and hold him. This curse is old as hell. We’re going at it with more current methods. What if . . . what if we need something old? Something as old as the curse.”
Zinnia turned to face me fully. “You might be onto something.”
In my bones I felt like I might be. “So where can we get old magic?”
“Beck, I have an idea. Bring us home.” Zinnia slid her hand into Tucker’s and let their fingers wind together.
“With pleasure.” Beckett waved his hand and opened a portal for us.
I hesitated for a moment, knowing we were leaving Grayson and London behind. But I knew this would be for the better. We needed to change tactics, otherwise we would always be chasing him and fighting demons. Whatever entity had a hold of Grayson, it was smart and we needed to fight fire with fire, so I would leave here only to come back stronger. I stepped through the portal and moved so quickly we were back in Evermore in an instant.
