Witch Fury

THIRTY-TWO

SARAFINA WIPED AWAY A TEAR, WATCHING ISABELLE stroke Micah’s hair. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose her power the way Micah had. Now so many of the Coven witches were dealing with it.

“Isabelle.”

Isabelle looked up from Micah’s side. “Mother?” Catalina stood in the doorway, propped up by Thomas. Her normally tanned face was pale, and she looked her age for once.

“She was hit,” said Thomas tightly.

“Oh, no.” Isabelle rose and went to her mother, allowing her to lean against her as she led her to the couch against one wall. “Damn it,” she whispered.

Thomas stepped into the room. His clothes were ripped and blood marked him. He had some nasty acid burns along one arm, but he was alive and he still had his magick.

“It’s over,” Thomas said. “The Cae and the Ytrayi have defeated the Atrika and are now taking them back to Eudae.” He smiled faintly. “We won.” But it had cost them all greatly. That was written all over his weary face. He didn’t need to say it.

“Where’s Theo?” Sarafina asked.

Thomas jerked his head toward the foyer. “You should all come.” Isabelle helped Catalina from the room with Thomas.

Sarafina went to Micah. “Would you rather stay here?” she asked softly. “I’ll stay with you, if you like.” Micah shook his head and rose. “I’m okay.” That was a lie.

Yet he glanced at her and a smile flickered over his mouth. For a moment he almost looked like the Micah she’d come to know. “I lost my magick, but I still have my life. I still have my freedom. That’s enough.” They walked side by side out to the foyer where the Atrika were being pushed and thrown unceremoniously through the doorway by very pissed-off Ytrayi. Thomas, Isabelle, and Catalina stood near them, watching. Some of the daaeman were unconscious, others dead. The rest wore collars around their necks. Sarafina guessed it was the same idea as hand-cuffs, since the Atrika who wore them looked utterly defeated.

It was a good look on them.

Theo stood near the doorway with Jack and Adam, a heap of something at his feet. It took her a moment to realize it was Stefan.

The last of the Atrika were sent through the doorway and the Ytrayi—some of them badly injured and others carrying unconscious or dead comrades — began to also step through.

Rue was across the room with Claire. Sarafina watched them hug, then come to stand near Thomas.

“Once I told you the day might come when we would need to form an alliance,” said the Cae.

Thomas nodded curtly. “You were right. That day did come.” “It’s time we truly open up the pathways of communication, don’t you agree?” A muscle worked in Thomas’s jaw. “Yes.” “I propose Claire to act as our liaison. I have devised a way to more easily open a doorway and can give Claire this ability as well. She will act as—” “Ambassador,” Claire volunteered.

Rue inclined his head. “And maybe she can just come for a visit now and then, too.” Sarafina met Claire’s eyes briefly and suppressed a smile.

“If she chooses,” answered Thomas.

Rue glanced around at the ruins of the Coven. “Do you require more diamonds to repair the damage?” Thomas shook his head and grinned very slightly. “What you gifted us with before has been well invested. We have enough to repair the Coven and run it for the next hundred years. Thank you for your offer.” Theo had thrown Stefan over his shoulder. He walked over with Adam and Jack. “I was tempted to kill Stefan, but I thought up something better than death, if Rue agrees.” “Tell me,” said Rue.

“Take the warlock back to Eudae with you. Lock him up, make him a slave, do whatever you want with him.” Theo paused, his expression growing dark. “Just make sure he’s miserable every damn second of his life and can never get back here.” “Do you want a pet warlock, Rue?” Thomas asked, with a brow raised and a smile playing around his lips.

Rue rubbed his chin. “I’m sure we can find something useful for him to do on Eudae.” Thomas put his hand on Micah’s shoulder. “Ultimately, it’s Micah’s call. What do you think we should do with him?” Micah’s face took on a brutal expression. He stared hard at Stefan before answering. His hand was white on the handle of his sword. “Lock him in Gribben, send him to Eudae, put him out with the trash — I don’t care.” He paused, a muscle working in his jaw. “Just make sure he’s got no magick before you do it. He should suffer the fate he’s inflicted on us.” Rue opened his hand and a blue orb popped to life above his palm. All of them took a step back. Fear clenched Sarafina’s stomach at the mere sight of it, and she was sure she wasn’t the only one.

Stefan roused on Theo’s shoulder, as if somehow knowing the fate that glowed so deceptively and innocently in Rue’s hand.

Theo tossed him to the floor.

Stefan exploded in a flurry of French cusswords. At least Sarafina was pretty sure they were French cusswords.

Theo stepped forward and pinned him to the floor with one booted foot on Stefan’s chest. “Watch your language.” “Fermes ta gueule et laisses moi me lever!” He shook his head in agitation and switched to English, since French wasn’t getting him very far. “Shut the fuck up and let me go.” Clearly, he had no fire left or he would have used it already.

“No.” Theo pressed down and smiled grimly. “And don’t make me charm you again.” Thomas stepped forward and looked down at the warlock. “You’re defeated, Stefan. This time you’re defeated forever.

The Atrika have been sent back to Eudae by the Ytrayi, and the warlocks you brought are either dead or in Gribben. The rest of the Duskoff. .” Thomas paused and a secret smile passed over his lips. “Well, the Duskoff are soon to be no more.” “What—” Stefan started.

“Shut up.”

Even Sarafina wondered about that last comment and the secret smile that had accompanied it.

“Your punishment for kidnapping Rue, allying with the Atrika, and attacking the Coven, for using daaeman magick against us is—” “Let me guess,” Stefan sneered. “Death.” “No, actually. Your punishment is to be divested of your magick and to live out the rest of your life on Eudae.” Thomas smiled again and this time it wasn’t so secret. “As a slave to the Ytrayi. Somehow I don’t think they’ll treat you as well as they did Claire.” “You’re being neutered,” Jack interjected.

“And banished,” added Isabelle.

“You can’t.” Stefan began to fight against Theo. “Just kill me. You can’t take away my power. You can’t!” “And yet you were ready to take away the power of others?” asked Thomas calmly.

Stefan’s countenance darkened. “You killed my father.” “I killed your father,” said Mira.

“You’re making it hard for the Duskoff to exist,” Stefan said. “You’re always in our way.” “I’m growing bored,” said Rue. The ball flamed in his palm and Stefan’s eyes widened.

“No!”

The ball left Rue’s hand and shot straight into Stefan’s chest. The warlock’s spine arched and his face twisted in agony. A keening sound erupted from Stefan’s throat. It was one she’d heard often during the last few hours, signaling the loss of something precious and beautiful. Something Stefan had misused, something he’d taken from others.

The world would be a safer place with Stefan magickless. The world would be a safer place without him in it at all.

All the people who looked down at Stefan did so with solemn expressions. This was no celebration.

Wordlessly, Rue scooped the warlock up and turned toward the doorway. Stefan fought and bellowed in outrage, but he had no hope of escaping an Ytrayi. The Cae just gripped him in strong hands, turned around once to meet Claire’s eyes, then stepped through.

The sound of Stefan calling, “No!” still rang through the silent foyer even after the doorway winked out of existence.

No one moved or said anything for several moments. Then the murmuring began, shuffling, talking. Stefan was gone and the Duskoff defeated — maybe permanently.

She raised her head and her gaze met Theo’s. He looked worse than she did. Burns from demon blood marked his clothes and, in places, his skin. His shirt and jeans were ripped. He had scratches, scrapes, and bruises all over his face and body. His lip was split.

Something in her chest clenched. What would happen between them now? The look on his face was cold, distant. It was the same look he’d worn when they first met.

Maybe it was the end of them, too.

She forced herself to hold his gaze and not look away, even though her heart was breaking and that’s all she wanted to do.

Well, at least Bai was dead. She could go home now, go back to her apartment to try to pick up the tatters of her life. She had some colorful pieces to weave in, too. Her magick. The Coven. Her new friends. Overall, her life was richer than it had been before.

Of course, it could be even richer.

Suppressing a wave of sadness for what she suspected she was about to lose, she reached out her hand to Theo. “Come on, let’s get you fixed up.”

“STOP IT,” SARAFINA SCOLDED HIM AS SHE APPLIED salve to a cut on his abdomen.

Pain burst through Theo anew. “It stings.” He growled, flinching away.

“Don’t be a baby. I want these wounds clean before the fire witches do a healing.” Sarafina still didn’t have any juice left and wouldn’t for a while, so she’d have Doctor Oliver’s nurses treat him. They were pretty busy at the moment, and he could wait. There were others with injuries a lot worse than his.

Sarafina, he’d learned, had been healed by Rue. Now she was showered and had changed her clothes. Aside from having her seat tapped, her wounds were minor.

She finished and threw the cotton swab onto the bathroom counter. He was leaning up against the sink. Sarafina halted for a moment and sighed. “Okay, I’ll pack my stuff and be out of your hair. No need to stay now that Bai is gone.” Theo studied her ferociously, a tangle of emotions twisting in his gut. He couldn’t get any words out.

She turned and walked to the doorway, then suddenly turned. Tears shone in her eyes. Fuck. Sarafina pointed a finger at him. “And no booty calls. I couldn’t stand to sleep with you again, knowing you—” She swallowed and shook her head. “Never mind.” Theo stared at the empty doorway for several moments, not really feeling the pain of his injuries anymore. He pushed away from the counter and caught his reflection in the mirror over the sink.

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t let her leave like this.

He turned and stalked out of the room, finding her in the hallway, headed toward the door.

“I can’t stay here another moment. I’ll come back for my stuff,” she said, not looking at him. She finally raised her gaze and there was anger there, a challenge. “Don’t think you’re chasing me away from the Coven completely. I’ll be here a lot, so you’d better get used to it.” And every time he saw her, it would be torture.

She pushed past him and made a beeline for the door. “Come on, Grosset. Let’s go.” Grosset jumped down from the couch and went to her side.

“Sarafina.”

She held a hand up. “I don’t want to hear it.” She turned, her eyes snapping with fire. “And if you ask me if we can be friends, the answer is no.” She swore. It was one of the few times he’d ever heard her use a cussword. “I can’t be friends with you when I. . I. .” She made a disgusted sound and opened the door.

“Sarafina, I have things to say. Sometimes love isn’t enough. You wouldn’t be happy with me. Eventually, I would ruin our relationship and make you miserable—” She whirled. “Oh, bullshit! Theo, that’s such a load of crap.” She stalked toward him, door ajar. “First off, don’t you think I know life with you wouldn’t be all cream and sugar? You’re stubborn and you’ve got a temper. You’re dark and uncommunicative and moody as hell. You’re not exactly puppies and sunshine.” “That’s why—”

She held up a hand. “Oh, you’d better stop right there and let me speak my piece.” Her slight Southern accent had grown thicker with her emotion. “You need to give me some credit for knowing my own mind and emotions. I’m much more familiar with them than you are, and it pisses me off that you presume to know what’s best for me.” “Sarafina.” He stopped, not knowing what else to say. She just didn’t understand.

A tear slipped down her cheek. “Anyway, all that is just more bull. The real reason you don’t want to stay with me is because you’re scared. Every time you’ve let yourself get close enough to trust someone, they’ve either let you down or they’ve died. Your parents, Colleen, Ingrid. You won’t even let the Coven witches in, right, Theo? You can’t even risk their friendship because it’s too much of an emotional investment. It’s just fear, that’s all it is.” She extended her hands. “I’m here and I love you. I would do anything for you, but you’re just going to let it all go, let me go, because you’re frightened.” Sarafina stood there for a moment as if willing him to deny it all, to say something — anything. But all the words were stuck in his throat. Finally, she turned and walked out the door, Grosset at her heels.