Chapter 36: Chapter 36

“Where do you think you’re going, mutt?” Lucien grunted, “Hold it right there.”

“Go, faster!” Indie screamed. My legs started to move, clumsily at first, then faster and faster, picking up speed. I heard the arrow leave the crossbow behind me and tried to run faster but there was nowhere to go. A powerful force hit me, knocking me tumbling down the corridor. The arrow had hit me in my upper back, burning pain flared through my shoulder blade as it lodged in my flesh. A silver tipped arrow. Shit. The pain spread quickly and seared through my limbs leaving a strange heavy feeling in each of them. it wasn’t the silver causing this. It must be something else.

“Wolfsbane,” said Indie desperately, “The arrow was dipped in wolfsbane. I can’t heal us, Penny.” She whined as she retreated to the back of my mind. She shifted us back to human, now too weak to maintain wolf form. I looked at my watch. Damn, it was past the time Melissa’s potions would protect us against silver and wolfsbane. The wolfsbane was poisoning me. I needed help. I tried to mind link Brad, but Indie wouldn’t answer me, she was already too weak. I laid on the floor unable to get up, looking around desperately for somebody, anybody. The corridor was empty and eerily silent, except for the sound of footsteps approaching again.

“Well, who do we have here?” he said, “If I recall correctly, mutt, you were sent on the siren mission. But, alas, you failed me.” He paused and inhaled deeply, standing over me. “But you are still alive. And you are no longer a rogue. How can that be?” He extended his foot and pushed me over onto my back, causing the arrow to snap off still in my flesh. I screamed, throwing my head back, pain searing through my shoulders making it hard to breathe.

“Ah, you found your mate I see,” he said, spotting my mark from Brad on my neck.

“Go to hell,” I spat at him. His laughter echoed down the empty corridor.

“I was going to put you out of your misery and kill you now. But now I think I will let you suffer the agony of a wolfsbane death. Enjoy!!,” he said sarcastically, “I have a siren to kill.” He stalked off down the corridor but stopped suddenly and turned back round towards me, slowly retrieving an arrow from his quiver on his back. He raised the crossbow once more and fired another arrow at me.

There was nothing I could do to avoid it, I could hardly move, and I grunted as it hit me in the thigh. He turned back around and continued on his mission. I reached down and tried to pull the rest of the arrow out to minimise the poison from it, but my movements were already limited, and I didn’t have enough strength. Moving was becoming impossible, but I still tried. I tried to get up to a crawling position. If I could do that then I might be able to crawl down the corridor where Allie went. But it was no use, I slumped back down on the ground, failing miserably. I was too weak. My vision was starting to blur, and everything seemed wobbly. All I could feel was pain, the burn of the silver and wolfsbane excruciating torture. My eyes fluttered open and shut, feeling heavy.

“Brad,” I whispered, struggling to open my eyes. Unable to open them again, the darkness enveloped me.

Allie.

“What’s the hurry, siren?” Lucien snarled.

I turned, slowly. Face to face with my parent’s killer. Face to face with Penny's captor. Lana snarled and growled in my head, equally displeased. He held a loaded crossbow, as if it weighed no more than a feather, in his outstretched hand, aimed straight at me.

“Put it down,” I growled.

“Now why would I want to do that?” he said, menacingly, “We’re just getting started. Soon your mate will be dead, and victory will me mine!”

“Orb him out, now” I mind linked Melissa.

“No, Allie! I will not leave you now!” she cried.

“You must! Now! He needs the antidote, now. You can come straight back once he’s got it. I’ll be fine, trust me,” I encouraged.

“Allie, please,” she begged.

“Go. NOW!” I yelled.

She started to orb Reece to the hospital.

“What!” he bellowed, “What is she doing?” Once the light had gone, he saw that Reece and Melissa were gone. “No,” he yelled, “Where is he?” He closed his eyes trying to mind link. I had a feeling I knew who he was trying to contact. Although she was a witch, she would still have been able to mind link through the mate bond with him.

“Trying to contact your mate?” I enquired. He opened his eyes and looked at me. His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“What do you know of my mate?” he demanded.

“I know she’s dead,” I blurted out triumphantly.

“Impossible,” he grunted, scowling.

“It’s true. Her dark magic is no more. Your army is no more,” I said smugly. His face contorted strangely, and anger flared in his features.

“You killed her!” he boomed, “I was right all along about sirens. You are a danger to the world!”

“Stop talking shit,” I said, “it was self defence. She was killed by her own dark magic in the end. It’s over.”

Quick as a flash, he shot an arrow out of the crossbow. I wasn’t quick enough, and it embedded itself in my upper arm. It stung as I pulled it out immediately, snapping it into two in front of me and tossing it to the ground. I stood there determinedly, watching him as he waited for the effect of the silver and the wolfsbane I could smell to take effect. When nothing happened, his scarred face twisted in confusion.

“Oh, yeah. Didn’t I mention? I’m immune to silver, and wolfsbane too it would seem.” I told him. The arrow wound had almost healed, and I saw him looking at it as it completely disappeared. He knew what I said was true and tossed the crossbow angrily at the wall. As it hit, it smashed into two, splintering wood shards through the air. He unclipped his quiver and tossed that too, meeting the same fate as the crossbow.

His face turned red as his rage bubbled over and he charged towards me, his claws elongated. I was quick enough this time and dodged his attack, jumping to the side. He lunged past me and quickly turned and kicked him at the base of his spine, sending him barrelling into the wall, face first. He grunted in pain as he scrambled to his feet. An angry red graze stretched down one cheek. He approached again, slower this time. He towered over me, easily taller than Reece, and his wide shoulders made him seem like a giant compared to my size.

He stood in front of me, so close I could feel his stagnant breath drifting down on me.

“Time to die, siren,” he growled. He started throwing punches, and I started blocking them. He was strong and fast. He managed to land a kick to my upper thigh which sent me stumbling backwards. I recovered just in time to block another kick. He was relentless in his attack. But I kept going and kept blocking him as we moved around the room.

But somehow, he faked a move left, but went right and caught my neck with his huge hand. I felt his tight grip around my neck and tried to pry his hand away. But he lifted me up off the ground until my legs were dangling in the air, choking me.

“Where are your infamous powers, siren?” he chuckled, his hand tightening even more around my neck.

Breathing became almost impossible as he crushed my windpipe.

“Lana, I need help,” I said to her, “I can’t use my powers like this. Can you try and shift us?”

“I can’t!” she cried, “He’s making me weak; I can’t breathe! I’m sorry, Allie”

Damn it. I had to think of something, I was starting to panic. I tried kicking him, but the lack of oxygen was making it impossible. I was freaking out now. Oh man, this was really bad.

I closed my eyes and thought of Reece and our pup. I had to fight harder, or me and the pup would die. I felt the mate bond strengthen. That meant that Reece was getting stronger. I smiled.

“What are you smiling for, siren?” he boomed, sounding pissed.

That was it! Reece had the answer. I thought back to the relaxation exercises he had taught me all those weeks ago. I focused hard on him, and it helped me calm down. I focused on summoning a force field and I felt the energy swirling inside me. I opened my eyes and found that the room was filled with bright light, almost blinding. I kept concentrating and the room started to shake.

“What are you doing? What is this magic?” Lucien demanded, as dust started to filter down from the ceiling. The light got more intense, and I could feel the energy building up inside me. I felt slightly out of control, like I might set off the force field at any moment without wanting to, and if I did that, the people I love could get hurt. I thought about how I created a shield earlier and I had an idea.

The room was still shaking. It was enough to spook Lucien into letting go of my neck. As soon as he did, I scrambled to my feet and instantly summoned a force field in my hand instead and the room stopped shaking. I held the force field out in front of me and moved it closer to him. He stepped backwards away from it, trying to dodge it. I pushed it closer and closer to him until his back was up against the wall, caging him in. He had nowhere to go and couldn’t escape.

The force field was now dangerously close to his face. One more inch and it would be touching his scarred skin. If I released it now, he would certainly die. I wanted to kill him. I should kill him for what he has done. But killing him out of revenge was something I couldn’t do. And it would go against every intention of the Moon Goddess.

Melissa orbed in behind me, reminding me of everything I had in my life. She slid her hand into mine.

“Reece is fine,” she said. I found myself smiling. “Allie, what’s going on?” I heard the concern in her voice.

“Time to finish this,” I said, “You are done hurting people I love,” I told him. I was shocked by the venom I heard in my voice. I had to calm down. Everything would be ok now, I told myself. Reece was ok, and the Council would deal with Lucien.

I took a deep breath and took a step back and drew the force field away slightly from him. Then I held my other hand out in front of me and fanned out my fingers. As I did, the glowing ball started to do the same. It started to change shape. At first it stretched into an oval, getting wider and wider, and then it started to flatten out as it got bigger. It started to look like the shield I had generated earlier. Soon it had stretched to the edges of the room, to each of the opposite walls, dividing it in two, with Lucien standing behind it and Melissa and I in front of it.

Next, I tried something I had never tried before. I slowly curved my finger over like I was holding a tennis ball in my hand. I watched intently as the shield followed my action, curving above Lucien’s head and bending around both sides of him. It looked like it was swallowing him up, like something from a horror movie, but the shield never touched him. The ends met up and Lucien was now totally encased in it.

“Wow,” I heard Melissa say behind me.

“What is this magic you use? Are you a witch?” Lucien asked, bewildered. He looked stunned, like he couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. “Sirens have only one power. What are you?”

“I am a pure blood siren,” I said, proudly, “Now shut the fuck up.”

“What happens if he touches the shield,” I asked Melissa, worried that it could hurt him, or someone else.

“I am positive that it is just a dormant force field, nothing more than a protective shield,” she replied, “There is no danger of it being released. He will get a shock, similar to an electric shock, if he touches it.”

He had been listening to our conversation because, at that very moment, a small bolt of electricity sparked out of the shield, and we heard a grunt coming from inside. He had tested Melissa's theory! I looked at Melissa and we both giggled.

“Let me out of here now!” he demanded.

“No can do,” I told him, “You are now property of the Elder Council, who will be here shortly to decide your fate.”

Now I knew he wasn't going anywhere; I mind linked Brad to let him know.

"I've got Lucien held in a room somewhere towards the back of the building." I said. It occurred to me that I had no idea where I was in the building.

Melissa lent a solution, "I will send a light to guide him here," she said. I nodded.