Witch's Fury (The Bone Coven Chronicles Book 4) Read online

  “Well, that’s what we came to ask you about,” I said. “There’s another shadow out there like me, isn’t there? One who has an illusion over her mark?”

  “I dare say there is more than just the one,” Oberon said, lifting his eyebrows to his perfect hairline. “Shadows have long had a history of duplicity in order to infiltrate other covens.”

  “That was many moons ago, Oberon,” Belzus said. “The mages of the Shadow Coven prefer isolation these days. It has been a long time since they were involved in inter-coven issues.”

  “A long time to the human realm is not a long time to the Unseelie Court,” Oberon said slowly, gazing across our group with the kind of disdain that suggested the fae felt themselves to be higher and better than those who lived in the human world. They had always felt that way, though they’d been more obvious about their disregard for mortal life in previous generations. At one point in the supernatural history books, the writers had believed the fae wanted to rule over humans and to take this land for their own. But the fae had decided it was too lacking in magic to interest them for long and had retreated back into their strange world instead.

  “Regardless,” Belzus continued, getting the conversation back on track—or at least I hoped he was. “There is a particular shadow mage who came to you, is there not? I believe it was several ages ago?”

  “Hmm.” Oberon rubbed his chin as if in deep thought. “Yes, I believe you’re right. A young girl who somehow found her way into the faerie realm and who begged for help. I almost didn’t want to help her. She reeked of shadows, and I’ll admit, I was tempted to devour her energy.”

  Alarmed, I glanced at Belzus. Devour her energy? I’d never heard of a faerie doing that to a mage, though the Unseelies had a penchant for violence at times.

  “Don’t worry,” Belzus said without turning my way, almost as if he could sense my unease. “Oberon won’t touch you as long as you are my guest. It’s only the unsuspecting innocents who wander in that he decides to hunt like prey. Only an animal would treat others like animals. Isn’t that right, Oberon?”

  Oberon narrowed his eyes. “I might not be your King, but you will treat me with respect when you stand there before my throne asking me for help. We may have been friends at one time, Belzus, but I will not take insults to my character.”

  “Forgive me, Oberon,” Belzus said as he bowed before the King, though there was something about his stance and his voice that came across as more mocking than deference. “I obviously have great respect for your current status. All I meant was to provide my dear friend here some comfort in this strange world she finds herself in.”

  “The woman you’re asking about was named Mabel Bennett,” Oberon said in a gruff voice as he crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s what you wanted to know, isn’t it? Now, get out of here and back into your precious human realm. Next time you visit, don’t bring any mages with you, or I’ll turn you away at the door after I eat their energy whole.”

  My heart hammered hard as Belzus put a hand to my elbow to escort me down the long stone hallway toward the front castle doors. But my feet were rooted to the spot, the blood roaring in my ears. Oberon had already turned away from us, but I stared up at his retreating back, desperate to clarify what he’d just said. Because there was no way in hell I’d heard him right.

  “Mabel Bennett?” I asked. “Are you sure the mage was named Mabel Bennett?”

  Oberon paused and turned my way with arched eyebrows. “Belzus, did I not dismiss you and your annoying mage friends?”

  “Just answer my question, and I’ll leave you alone,” I said.

  “Zoe, I think it’s best we—”

  “Just answer it,” I said, my voice going harsh. I didn’t care if he was a king or a pauper, I needed answers, and I wouldn’t leave until I had them.

  “Yes,” King Oberon replied, cocking his head to the side to stare at me like I was a glassed creature at a zoo. “Her name was Mabel Bennett.”

  “What kind of mark did she get over the shadow one?” I asked.

  “Do you want to know what we do with visitors who are not welcome in our court?” Oberon asked with a vicious smile. “It’s quite entertaining for me and my court, though not so entertaining for the ones who end up on the receiving end. Perhaps we should add you to the line-up for the next feast. It’s coming up in a week. I’m sure the court would love to see you dancing on strings.”

  “Come on, Zoe,” Belzus said, tugging on my elbow. “He answered our question, and he’s asked us to leave. We cannot stay.”

  “I’m not leaving until I know about the mark,” I said, jerking my arm out of his grasp.

  “This is all very fascinating,” Oberon said. “Why is this so important to you? It’s ancient history according to your people. It happened a few fae ages ago, but it must be fifty in your years.”

  “She would have been twenty,” I murmured more to myself than anyone else. The timelines added up. If Grams had come to the fae to get an illusion to hide her mark, it would have been around the time she’d come into her powers, and twenty tended to be the age that happened for most of us.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel Dorian’s gaze locked on my face. He probably wondered what the hell I was up to. As far as I knew, he’d never heard Grams’s actual name, so he wouldn’t know that was who the King was speaking of.

  “You know this mage,” the King murmured with a nod. “Ah, it all makes sense now.”

  “That’s my grandmother’s name,” I said, deciding that being frank in here would get me much further than keeping the information to myself.

  “Your grandmother?” Oberon raised his eyebrows and barked out a laugh. “Well, well, well. It turns out the desire for illusions runs in the family.”

  “Zoe, is this true?” Belzus asked. For once, he actually looked surprised, as if these events had never been part of his cunning plan.

  I nodded. “I mean, I think it is. Her name is Mabel Bennett, and fifty years ago she would have been the right age to need a way to hide her mark from the world.” I turned back to Oberon. “But just to confirm, what kind of mark did she ask for?”

  “A bone mark,” he said with a smile. “Sounds like it was your grandmother after all.”

  Chapter 9

  We left the dim sunlight of the Unseelie Court behind and entered a new world of darkness—home. Hours had passed since we’d stepped through the veil and into the faerie realm, and shadows now clung to the graveyard, the moon blotted out by bloated clouds.

  “How long were we in there?” I asked when Belzus stepped through and brushed the dark coat that now hung from his wide shoulders.

  “Approximately twelve hours,” he said. “Time passes more quickly in the faerie realm. It’s why I rarely go there these days. If I get sidetracked too long, I might miss a night here. And it’s important I’m here each night to guard my graves.”

  “Right, well, thanks for the help,” I said with a frown. “Not that it actually helped. We’re still stuck at square one.”

  “Or maybe dear old Grams stole the blade,” Anastasia said.

  I narrowed my eyes and clenched my jaw. “How would you feel if I accused Christian Dogaru of trying to destroy life as we know it?”

  “My father usually has good reasons for everything he does,” Anastasia said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’d simply go and ask him why he was trying to do such a thing. And then listen to his explanation. Reasonably. He’s my father, after all. Without him, I wouldn’t be here.”

  Christian Dogaru wasn’t technically Anastasia’s father. As a member of his Clan, she was a direct descendent, but there would be many generations in between her birth and his. Still, every Dogaru vampire considered Christian their father. He was the oldest, the wisest, and the fiercest, and he led them all.

  “Well, I can’t very well go and ask her now, can I?” I snapped. “She’s out there somewhere looking for me. Not trying to cut holes in the veil and bring demon
s into this realm.”

  “Both of you. Stop your bickering,” Belzus said in a tight voice. “Something is wrong.”

  We turned toward him, and he pointed a long and slender finger toward the distant tree-line. Past it, lightning shot through the darkness and a boom shook the earth. Flashing red lights filled the sky along with the sound of distant screams. Through our bond, I felt a dash of alarm from Dorian, followed quickly by angry determination.

  “Could just be a car crash,” Laura said in a hopeful wobble. “That would explain the flashing lights and the screams. Right?”

  “That’s not a car crash,” Anastasia breathed quietly as she cocked her head to the side, listening to the distant chaos. “Underneath the screams, I heard a hiss. The kind of sound that only a demon can make.”

  I didn’t know where we were going, so I couldn’t use my travel spell to get us there. Instead, we ran. Our feet thundered on the concrete while buildings rushed by, the graveyard vanishing into a small point behind us. Belzus couldn’t come, but right now, the world didn’t need a fae. It needed me.

  When the blaring sirens grew louder, we turned the corner to find a scene of chaos on a busy street that cut through the heart of South Boston. Cars were lined up on each side of the road, doors flung open and lights flashing. A few people were scattered through the sea of cars, hunkering down between stalled metal. And, at the front of the line, two giant shapes flapped their wings, sending gusts of soot streaming over the neighborhood. Their bodies rippled as they moved along the top of the cars, eyes cast on the pavement. They were looking for survivors. For what? I didn’t know. And I didn’t want to wait to find out.

  “There are some survivors over there,” I said, pointing my finger at a young couple whose backs were pressed hard against the door of a red Porsche before turning my gaze to a mother and two sons cowering at the rear bumper of a pickup truck. “And some more over there. You three go get them while I take down those demons.”

  “They’re corporeal, Zoe,” Laura said, reaching out to pull me back before I could rush into danger. “We won’t be able to banish them now.”

  “I have some Nosferatu fangs on me,” Dorian said, patting his pocket. “Picked them up when we got attacked in Scotland. Figured they might come in handy at some point, and it looks like I was right. So, I’ll go with Zoe. You two tend to the survivors.”

  “They might be bleeding,” Anastasia said with a shake of her head. “No way in hell should I be the one to help those people.”

  “No time to argue,” Dorian said. “Just do it, Anastasia. Come on, Zo.”

  The demons still hadn’t noticed our arrival, their focus too intent on the graveyard of cars. Dorian and I ducked low and began to thread our way through the maze, making sure to keep our heads below the top of the vehicles. As I passed car after car, I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened here. Clearly, there’d been an attack, but we hadn’t passed any bodies. Were these two of Wagner’s demons? Or had the veil been cut open, allowing fully corporeal creatures to fly into our realm?

  Whatever reason they’d come here, they were clearly on the hunt for something—or someone.

  Dorian grabbed my arm and pulled me down as the demon’s gazes swept our way. We landed on the ground, our knees knocking as I wrapped my arms around his neck to prevent myself from falling on my face. His breath whooshed into my ear, and his hands kept me steady. There was something so right in the way our bodies fit together, my chin slotting perfectly onto his shoulder. And his hand was just the right size to wrap around my waist. The buzz from our connection took my breath away, temporarily distracting me from the task at hand.

  “Careful,” he murmured into my ear. “We’re supposed to be destroying life-sucking demons, remember?”

  Swallowing hard, I pulled away, but my body yearned to yank him right back. And even though we were closer than ever before, there was still something so uncertain about where I stood with him. We were bonded, yes. He’d claimed me as his, and I’d claimed him as mine. But the question that remained caused a gulf to yawn between us. How long could this last?

  “How do you want to handle this?” I asked. “The demons, I mean.”

  He smiled, but his expression turned serious in an instant. “There are only two of them, luckily. You distract them with your shadow powers. Do that binding thing you like to do. I’ll rush in and stab the with the fangs. We’ll be in and out in less than ten minutes.”

  With a deep breath, I gave him a nod and rose from my crouched position behind the car. The gazes of the two demons immediately locked onto where I stood, and I gave Dorian a silent ‘go ahead’ signal through our bond. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him begin to weave through the cars. I held my position until he edged closer to the demons’ winged forms, holding my breath as the creatures began to stalk my way.

  And then I felt the unmistakable sensation of Dorian urging me on. With a smile, I lifted my curled hands high in the air and threw my power toward the creatures. Darkness exploded from my palms in a black and twisting energy, shooting straight toward the massive winged forms. The demons watched the strands of my magic with wide eyes, and within moments, my power sliced around them. The black ribbons of darkness curled around their bodies, squeezing tight around their limbs and their wings. In an instant, they were trapped and pieces of their scaly forms began to crash onto the ground. Now was the perfect chance for Dorian to take them out with the fangs.

  Dorian jumped up from behind his hidden spot near one of the demon’s thick legs, and I clutched the shirt by my heart. Fear battled with the trust I held in him. I knew he could take them on like this, and I knew he would win. But it didn’t stop the terror from shooting through my veins. If anything happened to Dorian, I didn’t think I could bear to go on.

  In the distance, sirens blared through the dark city streets while bright spotlights shone down on us from above. Shit, I thought, glancing up as a helicopter flew past, cameras focused on us from a man hanging half out of the door. Frowning, I glanced back at the demons. The helicopter had caught their attention as well, and they stared at it with an intense curiosity of creatures who had never seen one before.

  Dorian took the moment for what it was—the best and worst distraction in the world. He slammed the fangs into both of their skins at once. Instantly, the demons shrieked and swiped their hands at the ground. Dorian jogged back, pumping his fists in the air. I couldn’t help it. I smiled, watching him celebrate like this. It was a solid win, one we rarely got.

  With a victorious smile, Dorian shot through the maze of cars to join me where I stood waiting, keeping an eye on the demons as they collapsed into flecks of dark dust. Within moments, they were gone. But the humans overhead had seen it all, and the helicopter had us in their sights, watching the remnants of dark magic sizzling on my skin.

  Chapter 10

  “Well, I think the cat might be out of the bag about magic,” I muttered to Dorian as we ducked between the cars. But it was too late. The helicopter had already spotted us and had most likely gotten the whole thing on film. Hell, they were probably broadcasting this entire thing live for the world to see. In the last war, the covens had managed to keep most of the fighting clustered in areas without large human populations, so we were able to keep our powers under wraps.

  Things were different now. The demons were drawing us out of the shadows and smack dab into the middle of helicopter spotlights.

  Anastasia and Laura jogged to us with the human couple just behind them.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Laura shouted over the whir of the blades overhead. “Do your travel spell!”

  I took one glance at the humans and decided I might as well. They’d seen far worse things tonight.

  Two seconds later, we were in the Bone Coven conference room, and I flicked on the lights to try to chase away the darkness that the humans had seen. But they’d probably take tonight’s events with them to their graves judging by the bleached white of their
faces and the fear in their eyes. They still clung tight together, their knuckles going pink.

  “Hi,” I said with a smile. “I’m really sorry about what you just saw. I’m sure it was pretty terrifying and confusing. We can do our best to explain if you’d like. Or if you want to sit down, we can grab you something to drink. Though we probably only have water on hand right now…”

  The man and woman merely blinked at me.

  “I totally understand. You’re probably in shock,” I continued. “That’s normal. You’ve lived your entire lives not knowing that magic exists in this world, and the way you’ve found out is—”

  “Zoe, they’re mages,” Laura cut in before I could finish my rambling thought. “Bone mages. The others we found were, too, but they ran off before you were done banishing the demon. They were all there because they were trying to help. And they did. They managed to get all of the humans off the street before anyone got hurt.”

  “Oh.” Surprised, I dropped into a chair. That changed things. Yes, the humans of the world would still hear the news, but it made this particular conversation a little easier to handle. And I hadn’t had easy thrown at me for a long-ass time. “Well, in that case, welcome to your coven’s headquarters. I’m Zoe, an Enforcer-in-training, and this is my partner Dorian. Also an Enforcer. Thanks for helping out. I know it’s tough to face down a demon, especially one who is corporeal.”

  “We heard the Magister is dead. That the whole council has been wiped out. That the Bone Coven doesn’t exist anymore.” The woman’s voice wobbled as she stared at me. “Is this true? Are we all alone?”

  A deep sense of dread settled into my bones. I’d hoped to avoid this discussion until after the demons and the veil and the blade had been taken care of. One thing at a time, I’d thought. But I should have known there was no avoiding it. The bone mages needed to feel as if their coven still existed. They needed to be assured that their world as they knew it hadn’t been ripped apart. And they needed to know there was someone out there taking care of things. Instead, they’d found themselves smack dab in the middle of a demon attack that went far beyond their powers.