Page 101 of Wicked Fate

"Handle this now," Queen Ambrosia hissed at Adara's mother, her voice cutting through the basement like a blade. "Cloak the vampires again. I don't care if it drains every last drop of your power."

The older witch's face paled, but she nodded and raised her trembling hands. The air around her began to shimmer, and my skin crawled as the pressure of magic increased.

I fell to my knees.

The rest of our group surged forward as one. There was no time for strategy or careful planning—if that witch completed her spell, we'd lose our advantage completely.

"Stop her!" I shouted, unable to move at all.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

My wolf surged forward, and my fae magic blazed inside me, but the pressure from the witches’ vile magic wouldn’t let me move faster. I raised my gun and tried to fire at Ambrosia, but our group got in the way.

Multiple footsteps stomping down the stairs had me glancing over my shoulder just as twenty vampires flooded in, guns raised, fangs bared.

“Vampires,” I yelled, but it wasn’t soon enough because they opened fire.

My ears rang as bullets tore through flesh and bone, and several of our people dropped. Blood pooled beneath their bodies, the metallic scent making the stench of blood stronger and mixing with gunpowder.

Adara’s mother tried to call her magic, but all I could see were faint whisps pulsing from her body before they faded once again.

Fear poured from Ryker, but I couldn’t see him. All I could see were vampires rushing past me as if I weren’t even there, and my people falling.

I’m coming, Ember,he vowed, panic urging him to locate me.

Pay attention and fight,I replied, not wanting him to be careless and be harmed.

Three wolf shifters dropped to all fours, bones cracking and reforming as they shifted. Their clothes shredded as massive wolf forms emerged, and they snarled and lunged at the nearest vampires.

The rest of the wolf shifters opened fire. The witches tried to use their magic, but it wasn’t nearly as strong as earlier. They hadn’t had time to recharge.

A silver flash caught my attention. Ryker leapt over a fallen body, his dagger slicing through a vampire's throat. Blood sprayed across the concrete as a witch with auburn hair moved with deadly precision toward the witch casting the spell on the royals.

A vampire took aim at her back, and I screamed, “Watch out!” But with all the noise, I couldn’t even hear my own words.

The distraction cost me. Cold fingers wrapped around my throat and yanked me backward with inhuman strength. The world blurred, and suddenly, Queen Ambrosia's face was inches from mine, her perfect features twisted with rage.

"You've been quite the thorn in my side," she hissed, her breath like winter frost against my skin. Her grip tightened, cutting off my air. "I’ve been trying to kill you ever since I realized you could see our hidden vampires."

This close, I could see how dark her soul had become. The humanity-cloaking magic blocked out her true eye color with black tendrils that covered her irises and smoked outward.

Black spots danced at the edges of my vision as I clawed at her fingers. My wolf thrashed beneath my skin, desperate to break free, and my magic burned as hot as a blue flame.

The magic from the witch spelling the royals continued to weigh on me like iron chains, pressing on my chest even as Ambrosia's fingers dug into my throat. My lungs burned, desperate for air that wouldn't come. I thrashed in her grip, my fingers scrabbling uselessly against her marble skin.

"You should have diedmonthsago," Ambrosia snarled, her fangs gleaming. "My shadows should have taken care of you. But at least I can watch your life fade in front of my eyes and know that you’re dead."

I summoned every ounce of my strength and drove my knee upward. It connected with her stomach, but all she did was flinch. Panic clawed at me as the edges of my vision darkened further.

My wolf howled inside me, the sound echoing through my mind even as my physical voice was silenced. The fae magic within me surged, crackling beneath my skin.

Ambrosia's claws sliced into my throat. My fingers tingled with numbness as I wrenched my arm upward, my hand aiming for Ambrosia's eyes.

She jerked her head back, but my nails scraped her perfect cheek, drawing four crimson lines. The vampire queen hissed, her grip faltering for a split second.

I gasped a shallow breath, not enough, but it was something. The chaos around us blurred—gunfire, snarls, screams—and I focused everything I had on survival.

"You're stronger than I thought," Ambrosia whispered, her tone almost admiring. “Too bad you’re not willing to be on the right side.” She moved so that one of her knees kept my arm down, and her free hand bound the other.

---