Rage (Scarlet Dawson Book 3) Read online

  Vex hits Phoenix over the head, and his skull connects loudly with the wall behind him. He raises his hand again when a voice shouts out, “Stop.” Trenton and Jackson both materialise in front of Silas.

  Vex smiles, grabs Phoenix face with his hand and smashes his head against the bone wall again. Phoenix’s head drops forward as his body hangs limply from the chains.

  Tera inhales sharply behind me, her hand releases my neck as she takes a step back. “God killers,” she whispers.

  I don’t even get a chance to react to her words because Trenton begins throwing balls of fire at Vex. Vex just absorbs them into his body as if nothing is happening. Jackson raises his hand, lightning shoots from his palm but again Vex just absorbs it. As the twins begin to throw something else at Vex, he flexes his hand and makes a small flicking movement with his fingers. Several metal spears appear from nowhere and impale both twins.

  They said they can’t die, but as their bodies slump to the floor I wonder if Vex has the power to kill them. There must be at least ten spikes protruding from their necks and torsos. No one could survive that, surely?

  A tear slips down my cheek as Vex moves over to kick their lifeless forms. “Pathetic,” he says then stalks back to the altar.

  He moves up behind me and grabs my arms again, pulling them together at my front as he binds them in the same metal that he used to kill the twins. The metal is warm against my skin buts its rough edges cut into my wrists as I move.

  Vex grabs my arm then and spins me to face Bastian, his hand plunging into the top of my shirt. Bastian strains against the chains that bind him to the cross. Every muscle flexing as Vex’s hand slowly moves under my shirt to grasp the stone nestled between my breasts.

  He makes a show of it, slowly feeling around to taunt Bastian, then he pulls out the chain and snaps it from my neck. Grasping the stone in his hand, the metal falls away leaving the stone bare. He takes a hold of me and forces me to face Tera.

  “Hold the stone,” he tells me as he presses the stone into my palm.

  Tera smiles as she reaches to place her hand on top of my own, the stone sandwiched between us. It’s then that I feel the cold creep into my skin, the fear I once felt when I touched the stone is back.

  The veins in Tera’s hand turn black, the cold darkness saturating her body as it spreads from her hands to cover her entire body. She throws her head back as the dark web of lines crawl up her neck. When she brings her face back down her eyes are solid black.

  A creepy smile spreads across her lips as she plucks the death stone from my hand and crushes it in her fist, the dust sparkles slightly as it drifts slowly to the floor.

  My face once again betrays my confusion as Vex says, “The stone never contained Tera’s power. It contained her soul. Her true power passed through each generation until it found the one vessel that could contain it. A child born of death; a child with Vampyre blood running through its veins.”

  “My magic has been corrupting your own since your birth,” Tera says. “If I hadn’t shown Vex how to bind it to your Nymph power it would have consumed and killed you before the stone was ever found. It’s a shame that I need it back though, I truly would like to watch it turn you into a monster.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Vex and Tera’s voices suddenly become out of focus when I hear a faint voice whisper in my ear. I struggle to hear it over Tera’s voice that has dropped its sultry tone and is becoming shrill. Then I hear it again and I realise it’s not a sound I’m hearing its someone speaking inside my head.

  I block out the voices and concentrate, trying not to give myself away.

  “If you unleash Tera’s power it will kill everyone.” I almost suck in a breath when I recognise Jackson's voice.

  “But we can block it.” Trenton’s voice joins Jacksons as my heart begins to pound.

  “When we tell you to, you need to unleash everything you hold and turn it on him,” Jackson tells me.

  “Trust us, we can help you,” Trenton tells me as their voices in my head fade.

  I try to make sure my breathing remains steady, but adrenaline starts to flood my body and I start to breathe erratically.

  Vex eyes me but turns his attention back to Tera as he says, “Your one weakness has always been your foresight. While you see death you’ve never been able to see yours or that of your descendants.” Tera frowns at him but he carries on. “You actually believe I did all this for you.”

  A quick look of shock passes over Tera as Vex materialises a long spike and pushes it easily into Tera’s chest, right where I assume her heart would be.

  “If you could see your own death, you would have realised that at this moment you don’t have the power to stop me stealing your soul,” Vex says then wriggles the spike violently.

  Tera’s mouth opens wide in shock and that’s when Vex leans in and sucks Tera’s soul from her body. The wisp that moves from Tera’s mouth to Vex’s glows brightly until it disappears down his throat. As Tera’s skin turns grey and the life slips from her body, I take a few steps back, putting as much distance as I can between me and him.

  Its only at that point that I realise what Vex planned, Tera was using him so that she could be alive once again, he was using her so that he could harness her power. Now he has her soul, all he needs is to kill me and he’ll have Tera’s magic.

  Tera’s body slumps to the floor then slowly crumbles until nothing remains but a pile of ash. Vex looks up from the pile of ash, the manic smile once again spreading across his face.

  “I see you finally figured it all out. I knew you would eventually. You're more like me than you think. You see I always knew you had the stone. Tera let me know that, without it, you couldn’t break the barrier that was holding you back from her power. I have to admit it’s been really hard to wait all these years for you to mature enough to access the magic you can wield,” Vex says as he sighs and kicks his foot through the dust that was once a God.

  “I’ve waited a long time for this, Scarlet, so long that I want to savour it,” Vex says as I back away further, looking around for a way out other than the heavy metal doors.

  Jared, Aylesbury, and Bastian all stare at me, their eyes wide. I can almost hear Bastian telling me to save myself, to run. When I glance to their side, I see the spikes are no longer impaling the twins and I know it’s almost time. There’s no point running anymore. I either die by Vex’s hand or I let the death magic rip me apart. Either way, the ending’s the same.

  Vex waves a hand in the air and four more cages appear suspended above the fire pits. Each one contains the Unseelie and Seelie team members that hadn’t yet been slaughtered.

  He watches me as I look at the cages swaying above the roaring fires and says, “All gods should have sacrifices, don’t you think.”

  Well if I was going to die, I might as well provoke the hell out him first, so I roll my eyes at him and say, “Seriously, who does that anymore?”

  “You’ll be the first,” Vex says, pinning me with a glare.

  Vex flicks his fingers and I begin to say, “What a surprise,” but something hits me on the head and as my mind clouds over and my vision darkens, I wonder If I ever actually said the words aloud.

  I don’t feel like I’ve been unconscious long, my quick healing only seemed to keep me out long enough for Vex to move me to the altar where I now lie with my back to the cold stone surface. My legs and arms are bound with what feels like rope.

  I pull at the bindings and struggle a bit as Vex looms over me, holding the same spike he used to kill Tera; he hasn’t even wiped it clean. Before I even blink or think about his intentions the spike is thrust into my stomach.

  I scream at the pain as the silver spike pierces my flesh. I try to reach for the magic within me but there is nothing there, I can only assume that the twins can block me from a distance and never actually needed to hold my hand.

  Before the pain even subsides Vex raises the spike and impales me repeatedly until I c
an feel the wetness of blood saturate me, the pain so intense I become numb. Or am I numb because I’m dying?

  I cough and spit blood as he finally draws away.

  I try to narrow my eyes and say, “Just get on with it,” but nothing comes out. Instead, I just spray blood all over a grinning Vex. He doesn’t look very happy as he wipes a hand down his face.

  “I’m so pleased you finally mated, the fact that you will keep on healing makes this all so much more fun,” Vex says as he takes a step away from the table.

  He flicks his hands and I can see that the masks covering everyone’s faces are all removed. No one speaks. Instead, they all watch Vex intently.

  “You now have a choice, you can either serve me or die,” Vex says, addressing the room.

  My body has begun to heal, and I manage to grate out, “That’s not much of a choice.”

  Vex then advances on me again and says, “Any last words before I claim your soul.”

  At the same moment, the Twins stand and yell, “Now, Scarlet.”

  I hesitate, watching Vex eye the twins. I can see him weighing up his options, calculating every outcome. He surprises me when he ignores them and rushes to me, slamming the spike into my chest. At the same time, I feel the rage that’s locked inside me bubble to the surface. This time I let it rise.

  As Vex twists the spike I shout, “If you want the power you can have it.”

  I no longer feel the pain that Vex tries to inflict on my body, but instead, all I feel is the fury at everything he’s done.

  Rage, fury, and wrath gather inside me, consuming me until I pull on the tether of magic. As it floods my body, I become aware of the thousands of dead. I know every one of them intimately, I feel each of their deaths as if it were my own. Each bone in this temple tells me a story, the injustice of their deaths fuelling my magic.

  Vex doesn’t understand the magic I hold; he’s made a mistake. I can see it clearly now as the magic demands control. Before I lose any control, I pull every soul I feel to me and release them.

  Around me, thousands of wisps of light rise in the air and dissipate. Vex’s body arches as a stream of glowing souls are pulled from his body to disappear in front of his face. He stumbles as he’s stripped of every last soul that he stole.

  He braces his hands against the altar and says, “What did you do?”

  I want to react, I want to tell him I took everything away from him, to laugh in his face but more souls flood my body making me arch off the table as they burst through me to be released.

  Through the pounding of voices in my head, I hear Vex laugh as he places a hand on my chest.

  “Do you always believe everything you're told.” He laughs again and starts pulling something dark from my chest. “I inherited the power to steal souls the first time I stole someone’s magic. It’s funny how things work out, isn’t it?”

  He pulls on the darkness at the centre of my chest and I can feel the well of power within me drain.

  “You may have stolen all my souls, but I still have the power to drain Tera’s magic from you,” Vex says, pulling his hand away, and leaving me completely empty.

  He takes a step back, smiling the entire time. But he doesn’t see or hear Bastian approach him. Bastian’s hands clasp his head as the twins grip his arms. Bastian twists Vex’s head to the side then tears it from his body, spraying blood in all directions.

  A part of me can’t understand what’s just happened.

  Is he actually gone?

  Was that really it?

  I expected so much more.

  I pull at my bonds as I stretch to watch Vex’s body fall to the floor. I expect him to reanimate, but instead, Trenton forms a ball of fire in his hand and sets his body alight. Bastian moves towards me and tosses Vex’s head at his burning body. It’s almost like he doesn’t care just how brutal tearing a head from a body actually is.

  Bastian and the twins untie the ropes that chafe at my ankles and wrist, but instead of moving, I continue to lie on the cold stone slab.

  “Are you okay?” Bastian asks as he checks that my wounds are closing.

  I don’t answer as I continue to lie there and stare at the ceiling.

  “Scarlet?” Bastian asks again, his voice concerned as his face hovers over mine.

  I push him away from me and slowly sit up, my head swimming with a little dizziness.

  “You killed him,” I say to Bastian as he helps me down from the altar.

  “He was hurting you, of course I killed him,” he replies as if that’s all the reasoning he needs.

  “But… I wanted to kill him,” I say, tilting my head up to look at him.

  “After everything we’ve just been through, you’re actually pissed at me because I killed the bad guy?”

  “Yeah, I am,” I say. Then I launch myself at him and crush my lips to his. It’s only a small kiss, but when I pull away, I say, “But I still love you.”

  Bastian grins at me and wraps his arms around my back pulling me close.

  “Seriously, Red! Some of us are still chained to the wall,” Aylesbury says while rattling his chains.

  I smile at Bastian and turn away just as the twins flick their fingers dramatically, freeing everyone that’s chained up. Even the fires die down and the cages lower, releasing their captives.

  Is there no end to their power?

  Jackson turns to me and says, “Secret Weapon.” With a mocking grin.

  As soon as the words leave his mouth, I realise they’ve mirrored some of Vex’s powers, if not all of them. I know they already controlled some of Tera’s death power. If they weren’t so likeable, I’d be afraid of what they could potentially do.

  Epilogue

  Once Vex’s body was reduced to a pile of ashes, we finally left the temple to begin our journey back to reality. This time we traversed the city of Luin as one team, the remaining members of both the Unseelie teams and Seelie teams working with us so that we could finally leave The Fae Games behind.

  The Unseelie lost another team member before we made it to the portal to take us back. The poor guy triggered a mine that held some sort of flesh-eating insect. I was thankful I was trailing behind and didn’t see it happen. I’d been having enough nightmares as it is.

  Unfortunately, once we made it back through the portal to the Fae Guild, we found we had to remain in Faerie for a few more weeks so that an inquiry could be held. We each told our version of the events that led up to Vex’s death. Bastian even convinced the Fae council that because Vex had targeted me, his mate, then it was within Lycan law for him to deal with Vex as he wished.

  Luckily for us, Zeke was a member of the council, representing the Unseelie, and having witnessed a lot of what happened, he happily corroborated our story.

  Exactly one month after we left the lost city of Luin, we are finally walking through the Vale on our way home. Lykos disappeared at some point a week ago and I can only assume he went back to his home, the one hidden away from the rest of the world. It probably didn’t help that Trenton and Jackson had started dancing around him at regular intervals chanting, “God Killers.”

  Jared also stayed behind. He was offered a position in The Guilds Internal Affairs Division. The last he’d told me was he had been tasked with rooting out the corruption in not only The Council but the Guild too. I was delighted that he was happy with the career progression, but I really wanted him to come home, we still had a lot of catching up to do. He promised he’d be by to visit as soon as he was settled in his new job.

  As we emerge from the Vale, I watch Silas come to a stop, staring blankly at the room. She’d been quiet when she had finally woken from being smashed against a wall. Thankfully she had miraculously escaped with only a few cuts and bruises. I’m pretty sure that was because of Adam’s potential bond.

  She had mostly kept to herself no matter how hard the others had tried to engage her. Vex may have manipulated my life but other than the last few months I couldn’t really complain. Silas’
s life has been totally ruined by Vex and she’d also lost everything in the process.

  I still can’t believe I’d hated her all those years ago. Now, I wanted nothing more than to help her get her life and family back.

  I walk over to her and touch her elbow to get her attention.

  “I don’t know what to do anymore,” she says to me, her voice quiet, her eyes void of emotion.

  “Now we find your sisters,” I say to her.

  I’d already offered her my apartment and a job with Scarlet James Investigations, she had mumbled her thanks, but I don’t know if she’d really thought about it yet.

  “Trust me, Silas, I will do everything in my power to help you. Whatever you need I’ll be there to help.”

  “Me too, Pixie. After all, I am going to be your boss and your neighbour,” Aylesbury says to her, slinging an arm around her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you home and settled in. Tomorrow is just another day.”

  Aylesbury begins to steer her past a glowering Adam when I say, “If you don’t keep fighting then he’s won, we survived for nothing.”

  She offers me the first smile I’ve seen in weeks before turning back to the door.

  As they leave, I walk over to Adam who watches Silas leave, huddled closely to Aylesbury. He finally notices me watching him and arches an eyebrow.

  “Did you know if you leave a mating bond open for too long it’ll begin to drive you insane?” I say with a smirk.

  “And you're telling me, because?” Adam replies, showing no hint of emotion.

  “I’d be surprised if you didn’t already know,” I say, smiling up at him.

  Adam sighs and says, “See you later, Scarlet.”

  “Don’t forget I need a new sword,” I shout to his retreating back.

  I had no idea what Adam’s plan was now that he was free of the Guild; I only know that he planned to stay here for a while so he could figure things out.

  Bastian grabs my hand and begins to pull me to the exit, trailing behind Trenton and Jackson who both look like they’re trying their hardest to give Phoenix a headache.