Page 107 of Blood Sacrifice

Anyone who saw us hobbling into the next chamber would believe the act we displayed, battle-weary and too exhausted to continue. My wolf howled in my head as they forced me to my knees, a spell binding my arms and legs to ensure I couldn’t move. My body floated in the air as the warlocks chatted about how their plan had worked, and we had been defeated.

What none of them knew, but what I bore witness to, was the vampires who clung to the ceiling like bats watching everything unfold. I hung in the air, staring straight up at Dominic, his eyes glowing in the dim light. I caught a flash of his fangs as he grinned, and part of me knew the vampire was enjoying the thrill of the chase.

My pendant heated against my flesh, and I felt the power of it infuse into me. We moved through the tunnels, and I scented fresh air, telling me we were outside. The cord that connected me to Luna pulsed stronger, alerting me that wherever we were was closer to Luna than we were before. She was supposed to be inside the volcano using secret passageways she remembered from her time here as a priestess.

Something had gone wrong if she was outside and exposed to our enemies. I struggled against the hold of the magicrestraining me, allowing the powerful enchantment of my pendant to loosen the bonds and allow me to start to wiggle my fingers and toes.

It was nighttime, which heightened the senses of my wolf, allowing me to scent Balor for the first time in centuries. He had hidden himself from the world, surrounding himself with an army who he happily allowed to die while he saved his own sorry ass.

My claws slowly descended from what had been my nails and my canines felt too large in my mouth. My wolf clawed his way up my spine, seeking to take control of our body as he sought vengeance against the man who had enslaved us and slaughtered innocent victims. We had both sworn an oath a long time ago to ensure that every drop of dire wolf blood that had been lost during this war would be avenged. The souls of our lost kin would only rest if the person who was responsible for their suffering and death was held to account.

I had lapsed into my own head, remembering long-dead wolves. I snapped back into the here and now when I heard the voice of my mate, even though I couldn’t make out the words, her scent reaching me. My fingers twitched as I tried to reach her, sensing danger in the air.

Waves of magic crashed into me, the bubble surrounding me taking most of the impact. I clenched my hands, my claws digging into my palms until they bled. I felt the magic holding me weaken as my wolf strengthened, my blood destroying the spell.

I landed in a crouch on the ground, Luna’s tortured tone reaching me. “I’m sorry,” she uttered, her beautiful face ashen, and tears escaping to run down her cheeks. “I’m so very sorry.”

Her dagger remained plunged into Aisha, and an explosion reverberated in energetic waves, smoke rising from the long dormant volcano.

“Shit!” Jethro appeared beside me. “We need to get out of here, because I swear this is a scene from some creepy horror film when the dead start to walk.”

“Evacuation helicopters are en route,” Paulo shouted, fighting his way toward us, but my entire focus was on the woman currently holding her sister as blood gurgled from her mouth.

“Balor is here,” I said to Jethro. “Don’t let him escape!”

Jethro’s eyes widened and he turned to scan the crowd. Balor had killed his brother, torturing him with magic, driving him insane, and then crushing him into oblivion.

“I’ll go with him,” Paulo said as he reached me. “Make sure he doesn’t lose himself.”

Dire wolves were wilder and more violent than normal lycans, the darkness threatening to take us until no humanity was left and we were unable to take our human forms. I had helped some of those wolves find their home in the rainforests.

I forged forward toward Luna, unaware of the danger stalking me until a head flew past me, Dominic’s sword almost nicking my cheek as he swung it.

“Sorry, I was a little delayed coming out of the tunnels,” the ancient vampire said, lowering his sword. “At least I made it in time to save your ass and witness the void opening.”

“The—” My gaze turned to the volcano.

“No time to waste, that doorway is open and none of us are old enough to know what is about to walk out of there.” Dominic pursed his lips together as he stared at the ever-increasing amount of smoke spiralling out of the volcano.

“Fuck this,” I muttered, shoving bodies out of my way as I fought to get to Luna.

She should never have had to commit the sin of killing a family member. I would have taken that burden from her and thrown Aisha into the heart of the volcano myself.

Luna’s huge, tear-filled eyes stared up at me. “The guardian demanded a sacrifice,” Luna said in a low, wobbly voice. “She wanted me to give the life of our child to open the doorway, and I refused. Then Aisha attacked me, and—” Her voice trailed off again, and she held up her hands covered in blood. Her ancestral blood since Aisha was her sister. That was a burden Luna would carry with her for the rest of her life.

I crouched low, feeling Aisha’s neck for a pulse. Her skin was still warm, but there was no response, my wolf didn’t detect a heartbeat with his sensitive hearing. The once-vibrant woman had a vacant expression in her eyes, her mouth still open in shock.

There was nothing left to do for her, because death was final, and anyone I had seen resurrected by magic were demented and evil creatures who were an abomination.

I dragged Aisha away from Luna, tugging my mate up into my arms, and cupping her face in my hands. “You okay?” Nothing else mattered except this woman.

She slowly nodded once, blinking and looking at the scene around her. The scent of blood hung heavily in the air, shouts of battle, grunts of pain. Magic being used made the hairs on my body overly sensitive, and my jaw hurt from grinding my back molars together.

“Then let’s sort this shit out and go home.” I pulled my gun with specially engraved bullets from the holster at the back of my jeans. “Don’t leave my side,” I instructed, and Luna nodded again. Her face was pale and her expression slightly dazed as she once again looked at the dead body of her sister.

“She stopped being your sister a long time ago,” I said, bringing her face up so I stared down at her, imprinting my emotions on her. “This is war and she had already nearly killed you. Save your regret for those who deserve it.”

Luna’s chest rose as she sucked in a breath, and I watched as she became the warrior I knew and loved. Her aura infused with magic, bright colours flashing in the dimness of the night. Her eyes met mine, and I saw her determination blazing brightly.

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