Page 68 of Cry of Blood and Joy
But the fire-wielder was faster. The dark figure dove toward the cathedral with the speed of a striking hawk, wings folded tight against its body as it plummeted toward the ancient building. At the last possible moment, the massive double doors swung open as if controlled by invisible hands, and the figure disappeared inside like smoke being sucked into a vacuum.
The doors slammed shut with a resounding boom that echoed across the burning bayou, trapping Joy inside with yet another supernatural predator.
Without another thought, I drew on my vampire speed, every muscle coiled and ready to explode into motion. The world around me sharpened into crystal clarity as adrenaline flooded my system, my heart pounding against my ribs.
Chapter Forty-Four
Enzo
“Enzo! Rose! Get back here!” Angelo’s voice cut through the roar of magical flames. Raw panic replaced his usually controlled tone—a sound I’d never heard from my maker in all our centuries together. The knowledge that even Angelo was afraid fueled my desperation.
Overhead, the harpies circled like massive vultures, their leathery wings casting moving shadows across the burning landscape. Their piercing cries seemed to be calling to us, urging us to retreat to safety with the others. I could see the logic in it—regroup, plan, approach this strategically rather than rushing headlong into whatever trap awaited.
But logic meant nothing when Joy was in mortal danger.
I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached, every muscle in my body straining with the desperate need to act. I could make it back to Angelo’s position—my vampire speed would carry me through the flames faster than they could spread. It would be the smart play, the tactical choice that my enforcer training demanded.
But I was closer to the cathedral from where I stood. Where was Joy? She could be anywhere: loft, rectory, chapel.
That fire-throwing bastard had just flown into the building like a bat out of hell, and if he was the same creature responsible for burning Gloria and Maximo beyond recognition, I’d be damned before I let him get anywhere near the woman I loved.
The thought of those searing flames touching Joy’s skin, of her beautiful face twisted in agony as supernatural fire consumed her, sent such a surge of protective fury through me that I nearly charged the building immediately.
Rose stood beside me, one hand raised to shield her eyes from the intense heat and dancing flames that surrounded us. But she wasn’t looking toward the harpies or watching the spreading fire consume the old cypress trees. Instead, her blue gaze was fixed unwaveringly on the cathedral’s imposing facade, studying it with the focused intensity of someone who recognized a deadly threat.
She turned to look at me, her eyes gleaming with unease—the kind of wariness that came from sensing magic far beyond anything she’d encountered before. Her face was pale despite the orange glow of the flames, and she swallowed hard.
“There’s something very wrong with that place, Enzo,” she said quietly, her voice barely audible over the crackling inferno. “Something that goes beyond just dark magic.”
“Stay here,” I commanded Rose through gritted teeth. “I’ll get Joy and Valentin out. I promise you that.”
Rose’s blue eyes blazed with determination that matched the fires around us. She braced her shoulders like someone preparing for battle, her hands already glowing with the faint light of gathering magic. “I’m not staying here, Enzo,” she declared with fierce conviction. “Valentin’s my mate, just like Joy is yours. I’m not abandoning him to whatever hell is waiting in there.”
The heat from the magical flames was growing more intense, the temperature rising to levels that would have been unbearable for humans. Sweat beaded on my forehead despite my vampire constitution, the fire’s supernatural hunger was reaching for us like grasping fingers. The flames were spreading outward in all directions, consuming everything in their path with unnatural speed.
Staying here wasn’t going to be an option much longer. In minutes, we’d be surrounded by an inferno that even our supernatural abilities might not be able to survive.
I drew on every ounce of vampire speed I possessed as I sprinted toward the cathedral. My boots pounded against the marshy ground, each step sending up splashes of muddy water that hissed and steamed where it met the encroaching flames. Behind me, Rose’s footsteps kept pace, her determination matching my own as we raced toward whatever trap awaited us in that cursed place.
The cathedral loomed ahead like a monument to darkness; its century-old stones seeming to absorb the firelight rather than reflect it. Whatever was waiting for us inside, we were about to face it together.
I reached the cathedral first, my boots skidding slightly on the moss-slicked stones as I came to an abrupt halt. There was evil in this place—I could feel it in my bones, in the way the very air seemed to vibrate with malevolent energy. I glanced at Rose as she caught up, her face already pale with recognition. “Keir was right. There’s something seriously off about this place. Can you hear that? It’s humming.”
The sound was barely perceptible—more felt than heard—like standing too close to high-voltage power lines. The weathered stones seemed to pulse with dark magic, the scent of copper and sulfur thick in the humid air.
Rose stepped closer to the wall, her enhanced senses taking in details that would have been invisible to human perception. She studied the weathered stonework with growing alarm, her blue eyes widening “It’s under some kind of massive compulsion spell,” she whispered. “The whole building is one giant magical trap.”
Even as she spoke the words, an overwhelming feeling began to wash over me—a compulsion so powerful it felt like drowning in honey. My rational mind screamed warnings, but my body moved without my permission, my hand reaching out toward the cathedral wall as if pulled by invisible strings.
Rose’s hand moved in perfect synchronization with mine, her own will clearly hijacked by the same irresistible force. Our palms touched the cold stone simultaneously, and the world exploded into nightmare.
Black thorny veins erupted from the wall like living serpents, wrapping around my arms and torso with crushing force. The dark tendrils covered in needle-sharp thorns that bit deep into my flesh, tearing through clothing and skin with surgical precision. They squeezed tighter and tighter, constricting like pythons made of razor wire.
Unbearable pain shot through every nerve ending as the thorns found their mark, piercing muscle and scraping against bone. I called out in agony, the sound torn from my throat against my will. I thrashed desperately against the supernatural restraints, but my arms and legs were completely pinned, held fast by magic far older and more powerful than anything I’d encountered.
Beside me, Rose was caught in an identical prison, thorny vines wrapping around her like a spider’s web designed by a sadist. Her screams of pain and frustration echoed off the cathedral walls, harmonizing with my own cries in a symphony of suffering.
Suddenly, guards materialized from thin air as if stepping through invisible doorways, their forms solidifying from shadow and malice. Drawing on my vampire strength, I fought against the sadistic vines tearing at my flesh, but the more I struggled, the tighter they became. A growl of frustration tore from my throat and sweat soaked my body. The guards grabbed us with rough efficiency, dragging our thorn-wrapped bodies around the building and through a side entrance into the cathedral’s hollow interior.
