Storm of Shadows Ch. 14

As promised, you don't need to wait another four year for the next chapter :) A special thank you to Alli for proofing the chapter and pointing out my blinding errors LOL. #you rock!

Enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen

Loud screams and animalistic roars sounded further down the mountain, and Agony immediately scooped Natalia into his arms and sped the final distance back to the clearing where they were currently camped. When they got there everyone was on their feet glancing behind them, Dara in the process of terminating a call on her phone and pocketing the device.

"Keep your eyes ahead too," he growled, his tone laced with disgust as he set his mate on her feet beside Mila and Dante. He was sightly mollified to note that Dante and Mila were watching the treeline ahead when everyone else was focused behind them. At least someone had some basic common sense to keep an eye on all directions rather than focusing solely on the direction the screams and roars had come from.

"We were being tracked from behind," Dara announced as the group reorientated themselves and started to spread out on high alert. "Demetri and his team took out those following us. He'll be here momentarily with Nors and Joshua. Something's happened that's led to Freya and Dayton to stay behind but they may still join us." Her tone was clipped and informative, her focus completely on the task at hand.

Her brown gaze was hard as it connected with Agony's before she let her eyes wander over the assembled group. "There are two Ancient vampires about to arrive plus one of your own vampires. I strongly suggest that you do not attempt to get in their way or you will be hurt. They're here to help and if they tell you to jump you bloody jump immediately. And if Freya Eriksson does turn up to the party with her black wolf, stay the fuck away from that wolf or you'll be dead before you can blink." Her gaze came to a rest on Louis whose expression was looking slightly pained.

"My coven is well acquainted with Freya Eriksson," he said with a nod. "I didn't bring any fools with me."

Dara managed a small smile at his resigned tone, her gaze turning back to Agony. "I guess there goes our element of surprise, if we ever had any that is," she commented. Her adrenaline was flowing, knowing the battle was about to begin. She had to admit that she was relieved to know that Demetri and Nors would be joining them soon too.

Agony's gaze went to Natalia, his big body tense. "You will stay close to Mila at all times," he said, his tone brooking no argument.

She swallowed hard, fighting to hide the fear that was bubbling up inside her. "What if either of my gifts alert me to something that you urgently need to know?" She was aware that she was useless when it came to fighting but she did have other skills that could help in the coming battle.

"I will be close," Dante replied, his expression making it plain to everyone that they'd better not question his decision. He had no intention of being far from Mila. Their enemies wouldn't balk at trying to take out what they perceived to be the weaker of their attackers presuming that the males would be overly protective of the females. They'd learn quickly when it came to Dara, but Mila and Natalia would be targets.

"That will work," Agony agreed instantly, his gaze turning to stare down the mountain. "They're coming," he said and his gaze once more turned to peer up the mountain. "Dara, you're with me. Louis, I presume you can direct your own people?"

"I can," the coven leader replied and he was quickly motioning his remaining team to spread out, their gazes fixated on the treeline above them. He nodded once to Dante who nodded back, and then he took off, heading to the right and beginning to move upwards, his coven following him.

Dara turned to look behind her hearing the faint sounds of Demetri's group not too far away now. "Demetri will be here soon," she told Dante, Mila and Natalia. "Be prepared and for the love of all that's holy, don't attack them. We're going to be far too busy to iron out any misunderstandings."

She looked at Agony and smiled grimly. "Let's go recover our pack members."

With one final glance back at Natalia, Agony followed his fellow Vârcolac. He didn't want to leave her care to anyone else, but his parents were up there somewhere waiting for him, and their enemies were on their way down to meet them. He couldn't be distracted with anything else right now.

"Mother, Father, battle is beginning. If you can free yourselves from your current location then the time to act is now."

Rayne and Gard tensed the instant they heard muted sounds below. It sounded like screaming and an animal roaring but it was clearly far away because it was so muted to their enhanced hearing. What wasn't muted was the muttered cursing and shuffling from outside the cave they were in. They tried to count the number of footsteps to determine just how many were outside. The drugs they'd been given had worn off completely and their captors hadn't returned to re-dose them so they were alert and ready to act but they needed to know how many they were up against.

"Fuck!" Gard hissed, "I lost count at thirty two."

"I lost count at thirty nine," his mate replied, trepidation in her mental tone. "We can't take on that many, Gard. Not with our depleted strength."

He couldn't argue with her. At full strength even with their skills it would have been taxing to take on that many at the same time. After being drugged and starved for so long they'd be lucky if they could handle a dozen enemies. But he didn't like to hear the level of defeat or fear in his cat's tone.

"Do you remember when we first met, Kitty?" he asked, his mental tone full of love as well as amusement.

"You dropped me from the top of a bloody tree, " she snorted, her own love blazing through their bond.

"You were trying to detach my arm from my body at the time, Kitty cat. I claim mitigating circumstances."

Her soft laughter made his heart soar, it was so preferable to the fear he'd heard in her voice.

"We were two lost souls, alone and searching for each other even though we didn't know it," he continued in the same soft, loving mental tone. "Millennia full of highs and impossible lows couldn't beat us, and this little escapade is certainly not going to beat us either. Because we've waited three thousand years to find each other and I have no intention of waiting all that time to spend a mere handful of decades with you, Sarayne."

"Nor I you, my love," she answered, steely termination entering her tone. "And our boy is out there and he needs us. There's no way in hell we're leaving him out there alone."

A low growl rumbled in Gard's chest and Rayne turned her head to meet his fierce gaze. "I love you, Gard," she whispered softly not caring if any of the vampires outside heard her or not.

"I love you, Sarayne," he whispered back reaching for her and pressing his lips tenderly to hers.

"Mother, Father, battle is beginning. If you can free yourselves from your current location then the time to act is now." Agony's words echoed through their minds and they moved as one, rising to their feet, their hands joined as they quickly stretched to loosen their tight muscles as much as they could.

"What about the wolf?" Rayne asked, her eyes alert as she watched the cave opening for any signs of someone noticing them.

"We'll come back for him later if we can," Gard replied. "The odds are against us as it is, Sarayne. We really won't stand a chance if we try to take him with us."

She nodded, her green eyes sad, and he noticed that the little silver rings that usually circled her pupils were more pronounced and had a tinge of red to them. His mate didn't need to drink blood as part of her hybrid nature, not to survive; but it appeared that going with no nourishment at all brought her hidden vampiric side more to the fore.

"Come on, let's show these bastards what it means to fuck with the Vârcolac," he growled and they took off running towards the entranceway, their steps silent as they streaked towards their captors.

Outside the cave, vampires were moving in tight formation, splitting into groups and slipping into the trees, heading down towards the threat moving towards them. They moved as a well-oiled machine, years of training turning them into an elite band of predatory killers. They had been waiting for this moment for over a decade, primed and ready to do their Master's bidding when they signalled the time was right. Finally, their moment had come and the sense of anticipation was thick in the air, their bloodlust driving them forward.

Half a dozen of them hung back to guard the captives and one of them looked towards the cave mouth, his green eyes going wide as he saw the two figures streaking towards them. "Blow the cave!" he screamed, taking off at a run towards the others a few feet away, diving to the ground as their leader depressed the handheld device that he kept beside him at all times.

Gard screeched to a halt grabbing Rayne as she went to fly past him. The vampire's words echoed in his mind and he had a split second to react. Picking up his mate he spun around and threw her back the way they'd just come, sending her crashing against the back wall to fall limply to the floor. He sprinted after her at supernatural speed, diving on top of her prone body just as there was a large boom and blinding flash of light, and then thousands of tons of sharp, jagged rocks exploded around them, slamming into Gard's back, burying them alive.

~~~~

The vampires exploded out of the treeline. Wave after wave of vampires of both sexes, some Younglings but most Elders. They had been expecting them but not in the sheer numbers.

"There has to be at least forty, maybe fifty of them!" Dara yelled over the resounding noise of boots thundering against rocks and dried tree branches.

"Twenty each then?" Agony yelled back. His laughter was on the manic side but with this amount of enemies, Dara was kind of glad to hear it. "We can let Louis and Dante deal with the other ten or so. Come on, Dara. Let's dance!"

She shouldn't have laughed. There was nothing remotely humorous about the situation, and yet some of Agony's gleeful anticipation appeared to be rubbing off on her because she was instantly itching to dive in and start paying back these enemies for the hurt they'd done to her pack and her best friend. Dara was a pack Beta and that meant protecting those she loved was second nature to her, but she was also a formidable wolf and a Vârcolac, and whilst her feral side was kept firmly in check most of the time, right now was the time to let it out.

Some of the vampires changed direction as they took in the number of vampires heading to their lair. A wave of them focused solely on Louis and his small coven team and they came together in a clash of snarls and slashing talons.

Dara barely had a moment to register that fact before they hit their first layer of attackers, and Agony began scything through them, blood splashing everywhere, heads rolling. She remained in her human form, knowing her wolf form would be more of a hindrance in this kind of fight. She ducked talons flying towards her head, kicking the vampire and sending him flying backwards, allowing sharp claws to spring from her fingertips and slashing through the next vampire's neck. As his severed his head fell to the ground, she was already turning to her next adversary.

"Hiding more skills, Dara?" Agony asked, tossing a dead vampire into the next group that launched an attack their way.

"Rayne didn't show you how to use your panther's claws in human form?" Her tone was surprised that his mother wouldn't have taught her son this skillset when she'd taught all the rest of them it when they were old enough to be trusted not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

His talons cut through the throat of the next vampire ripping the female's head from her body easily. "I guess she figured that I didn't need to know when I have these vicious talons," he laughed, the glee in his laughter chilling to the vampires he was calmly scything through.

They split apart, taking on three vampires each, cutting, kicking and even biting as they took them apart in a display of calm efficiency, leaving none alive as they continued up the mountain.

Behind them Dante flowed over the dead body at his feet and dispatched the female who had been standing behind her fallen comrade. It felt as if every time he killed one of them, another five were lined up to take their place. Louis and his coven were equally as inundated. They were holding their own but they were taking some damage and Dara and Agony were tied up with their own large band of attackers so wouldn't be able to offer any assistance.

Whilst the Vârcolac dispatched their enemies relatively easily, the vampires were well trained and could even be classed as highly skilled. They'd clearly been training for this fight and if the promised reinforcements didn't arrived soon they were going to start losing allies soon.

He took a moment to spare a glance back at Mila and Natalia. Mila was alertly watching everything that was going on, her body shielding the fragile human girl who only had eyes for Agony in the far distance. For the moment none of the vampires had managed to breach their line of defence and get anywhere close to the two females, but no matter how good they were, it was only a matter of time before exhaustion started to kick in and someone slipped past them. The thought made his blood go cold and he hardened his resolve, turning back to the oncoming hoard of vampires. He had to be stronger and faster and better than anyone who came at him. He was Mila and Natalia's last line of defence.

Demetri, Nors and Joshua burst out of the treeline and stopped abruptly as they almost barrelled into a small female vampire who was hissing loudly, talons drawn as she backed up against a young human girl who was staring at them wide-eyed.

"Tali!" the vampire hissed, and they stayed still, waiting to see what they female would do.

"It's okay, Mila. I think they're the cavalry," the girl answered, her body relaxing a little as she watched them intently. "I don't want to throw up or scream for Kothari so they must be his expected friends."

Demetri's cold green eyes searched off into the distance, sighting Agony and Dara fighting together. The Vârcolac appeared to be trying to take on the bulk of the hordes of vampires coming their way, leaving the stragglers to a group of four vampires further to the right and the lone vampire who appeared to be closer to the females as if to protect them.

The lone vampire turned once more after having dispatched another two vampires since they'd arrived and he scowled darkly. "A little bloody help here would be good, Joshua!" he roared before he had to refocus back on his attackers.

"I'll join Dara and Kothari," Demetri growled, speeding off in the direction of the two Vârcolac.

"I'll head over to meet this Louis character," Nors sighed, flexing his big arms. "It's about time I met the mighty coven leader who had the misapprehension that he could keep my wayward sister in check." He nodded at Mila and Natalia and then he took off towards the battle.

Joshua stayed long enough to give the females a reassuring smile. "Call us if you need us," he said and then he too disappeared into the fray, reaching Dante quickly and backing him up as the next line of vampires tried to get past him.

"Why does it feel as if things have just improved on our side?" Natalia whispered, a note of hope in her voice.

"Because we have two of the most powerful Ancients helping us along with another equally powerful Elder," Mila answered, her gaze following each grouping. "We just need to remain vigilant, Tali."

Demetri flew into the battle, his feral side exulting as he quickly started slashing his talons through flesh and bone, separating three heads in less than ten seconds. It had been so long since he'd be able to let go of his humanity, to be the true predator that he truly was. He tossed a corpse into the treeline and grinned at the younger male beside him.

"You're in deep shit when you get home, boy," he laughed softly.

Agony met his gaze unflinchingly and shrugged one shoulder. "If that's the case then I will deal with it when we return home, Demetri. But for now, the only thing that matters is bringing my parents home. Everything else is just white noise."

The darkhaired Ancient gave him a stern glare for a long moment and then his grin widened. "Caleb will likely be displeased with me, but I will back you one hundred percent when we return home, young one. Sometimes doing wrong is the only way you can feel right." He knew that from personal experience. He'd destroyed an entire coven once because they'd murdered someone he'd cared about. It had been wrong. But it had been the only thing that had made him feel right.

"Seriously?" Dara muttered, ducking a talon slicing through the air and then rolling to the side as Demetri took the offending vampire's head. "Rafe's not going to like it if you get in his pack business, Demetri." She was smiling as she said it, because they all loved the volatile vampire and knew that he'd willingly lay down his life for all of them, even when he pretended to be all snarly and unapproachable.

"That's where my special friendship with Annie comes in," he grinned back at her. "If he gives me a hard time then I'll sic her onto him. Everyone caves to that redhead, vampire, wolf or hybrid." Demetri wasn't afraid of the wolf Alpha, and he understood that he probably shouldn't get involved in the way Rafe ran his pack, but he felt a kinship with Kothari. He understood what it was like to have a volatile, feral side that sometimes just had to come out and take dominance.

"Be it on your head," Dara laughed softly, her expression turning resigned as another wave of vampires started coming towards them. "This lot are like the bloody mythical Hydra," she sighed. "Kill one and two more take their place."

"Then you just need to kill them faster," Agony grinned shooting them both a quick glance. "If you can't keep up with me, just say so." He ran at three males as he finished speaking and Demetri rolled his eyes.

"Fuck knows how Gard and Rayne birthed a child more insane than I am," he muttered with a short laugh, and then he joined Agony, Dara quickly on his other side and they began carving their way through the oncoming wave with deadly precision.

~~~~~

Gard groaned and tried to move, but there was a heavy weight on his back and he could feel blood running down his temple from a deep wound to his head. For a moment he was disorientated and then memories of what had happened sprang back to life, and his heartbeat stilled for a second, his eyes trying to focus and pierce the darkness.

"Sarayne!" Her name was a tortured cry, both verbally and telepathically. There was no response and his chest tightened, his heart refusing to beat.

"Sarayne!"

A faint groan reached his ears, and his heart started to beat again.

"Stop shouting," she muttered, her voice sounding weak but clear to understand. "First you drop me from a tree and then you throw me into a cave wall? We're seriously going to have a chat about your idea of how to protect me." She was deliberately injecting some humour into her tone, feeling his terror through their mate bond. Now that her head was beginning to clear, she was filling in the blanks and understanding what had happened.

The cave had been rigged with explosives in case they had been able to withstand their drugging. Why neither of them had considered that possibility was likely because it was not the type of tactic they would have used stateside. They didn't use guns and explosives to fight their battles, but it appeared the European vampires were not so averse to using human technology to achieve their goals.

"Are you okay?" Gard's voice was hoarse and still fearful, and Rayne struggled to bring one of her hands up to graze his cheek lightly.

"Apart from having a great big lump on top of me, I think I'm fine all things considered," she mumbled softly, injecting more humour into her tone. It appeared to work when she felt his huge frame relax a little and he let out a small laugh.

"You don't usually complain when I'm lying on top of you, mate," he quipped back. "You're usually making those breathy little moans that make my cock impossibly hard and push me to the edge of my control."

"Hold onto that thought, lover, and we can discuss it further after we get out of here, go find our son, and get the fuck back home. I used to love visiting Europe, but if I don't come back here for another couple of centuries, I'll be more than happy."

That settled Gard more and he sent his gaze around them, a slow smile crossing his face when he saw a streak of daylight not too far away. "If I can manage to raise myself up a bit will you be able to inch your yourself out from underneath me? There's a break in the cave wall not too far from your head."

Rayne twisted her head a little and saw what he meant. She looked back at Gard and let out a low sigh. "How about I try to get my arms out from beneath you and see if I can dislodge some of those boulders from your back first? Then perhaps it won't be so bloody awkward for either of us?" She was aware that her mate was in considerable pain from the boulders crushing his back. She certainly had no intention of getting out of the cave and leaving him behind.

"One of us has to reach Kothari, Sarayne. There's no telling what he's going to do or how much help he's going to need with all those vampires descending on him. If you can get out then go. I'll find a way to follow you."

Rayne stared at him for a long moment and then sent a mental thread out to her son. "Are you okay, Agony? Are you able to cope with the number of vampires coming your way? Your father and I are slightly delayed. He's being a tad difficult because he's concerned you need our help."

She could tell by his response that whilst he was being taxed, he wasn't concerned. "Demetri and Nors have arrived with an Elder vampire called Joshua. Freya and Dayton may appear shortly too. We're holding our own, Mother. Do whatever it is you need to do and join us when you can."

Their son had sent his answer to both of them and Gard growled his disapproval. "That was sneaky, Sarayne," he muttered under his breath.

In reply, she raised her head so she could brush her lips against his. "I'm not leaving my mate buried under tons of rock, Gard. You wouldn't either so stop being so grouchy and let's work together to get out of this bloody cave so we can help our son and go home."

"Fine, Kitty," he growled softly. "We'll do things your way, but if you get hurt because of this we're going to have a very long conversation about it when we get home."

Rayne laughed and started wriggling until there was enough room for her to reach around Gard and feel the rocks on his back. There were a lot and most of them huge, but she wouldn't let that deter her. She started with the ones she could reach that were farthest away, and carefully dislodged them one at a time, pushing them away to the side, allowing the next one to slowly lower onto Gard's back. She was aware that it hurt when she moved each one, but her mate stoically gritted his teeth and motioned with his head for her to continue.

It felt like it took an age before suddenly there were no more boulders taking the place of the ones she'd moved, but it probably hadn't been as long as they both thought. Rayne breathed a sigh of relief when Gard suddenly reared up, and the last of the boulders dislodged and fell to the side. His face was dripping in sweat, his eyes pained though he hadn't uttered a single sound. She couldn't have felt prouder of her gorgeous mate and she leaned up to capture his mouth in a kiss that held all the love she felt for her beautiful man.

Gard kissed her back, his touch bordering on desperation as he gently ran his hands down her body checking for any signs of injuries. Rayne had healed long ago from whatever injuries she'd initially sustained, but she allowed him this moment because she knew he needed to reassure himself.

"We can go now," she breathed against his lips, tenderly stroking her hands against his cheeks. "That's if you're healed enough to move?"

In answer, he rose, pulling her up and cradling her against his chest in a tight hug. "I'm healed enough to get out of here, Kitty. The rest will heal as we head towards the others."

Gard took the lead, pushing aside boulders until they reached the sliver of light that denoted the crack in the cave wall. His lavender gaze checked the roof above the crack and he frowned as he took in how loose some of the ceiling appeared. "Stay back, love. If the roof comes down it's better if one of us isn't buried beneath it."

She wanted to argue with him but found she couldn't when he was talking sense. There was no way he would agree to being the one to stand back while she tried to widen the crack in the wall, so she took a couple of steps back, ready to drag him clear if the roof caved in.

A few loose rocks did tumble down as Gard used his feet to kick at the wall. They were mere irritants though, and not the deluge both of them had been expecting. After a few strong kicks the hole was wide enough for Gard to enlarge it by punching holes in the sides. Five minutes later it was wide enough for both of them to slip through with only a few cuts and grazes, the bright sunlight blinding them for a moment after spending so long in darkness.

They stepped out onto a small ledge, the ground uneven as it flowed down mountainside. There was a large canopy of trees in front of them and Gard examined them intently for a moment as he gauged the distance from the ledge to the nearest tree. "Do you think you can make that jump?" he asked, turning to search her face with equal intentness.

Rayne judged the distance thoughtfully and then looked down at the rocky terrain below. If she jumped and missed it was going to hurt like a bitch if she landed on those rocks. But then, the last week, possibly two weeks hadn't been a walk in the park so she'd take whatever knocks were still to come as she could. Finding their son and friends and getting the hell off of this mountain was her only goal right now.

"I can make it," she answered slowly. "The question is, are you healed enough to make it, vampire?"

He snorted, the first hint of amusement crossing his face as he touched her cheek in a gentle caress, his eyes shining with the pride he felt for her, and his love. "Just try to keep up, Kitty," he growled back before he kissed her hard and turned back to the trees.

"Gard, wait," Rayne suddenly called, her gaze going back to the cave. "Shouldn't we try to free the wolf from the cave-in? It would at least give him a chance." She felt bad about not being able to do anything for the poor male who had been treated so terribly by the vampires.

Her mate's expression turned sombre as he too looked inside the cave. "There's little chance that he would have survived the cave-in, love," he sighed softly. "Weres don't have our healing abilities. He would have been crushed to death when the explosion happened."

He knew his mate was tender-hearted and wanted to save everyone. It was how they had met after all, when she had formed a friendship with Dayton Alexander. She had been drawn to the wolf's pain, her empathic nature driving her need to fix him. That had led to a fifty year friendship which had ultimately culminated in Dayton coming home to the Armand-Hanlon pack and bringing her into his life. He knew that same empathy was now clawing at her insides, her need to try to help this other wolf riding her hard. But there was no help for the other male, and he knew that even if she likely wasn't willing to accept it.

"We have to go, Sarayne. Kothari needs us." He said the only words that he knew would refocus his mate, hating himself because he knew he was being manipulative and she would know it. But after everything they'd been through he wouldn't feel right until his mate and his son were safely back with the pack. They had to be his priority.

Rayne's sad green eyes met his and she studied his expression intently for a long moment and then she slowly nodded. "I know," she finally admitted, casting one last sorrowful glance back at the cave. Then she turned her back to the exit and squared her shoulders. "I'm ready when you are, love." The air around her rippled and she shifted into her sleek, black panther, the animal's green eyes twinkling as she scrutinised the distance in this form. Then her powerful hind legs tensed and she leapt from the ledge, sailing gracefully through the air.

Gard held his breath as he watched her soar towards the tree, his heart only beginning to beat once more when the panther landed gracefully on a thick branch, Rayne shifting back to her human form in an instant and scrambling down a couple of branches so he could reach the same branch when he launched himself after her.

He pulled her into a tight embrace as they balanced precariously on the same branch for a moment and then their eyes turned to further down the mountain, towards the sounds of screams and fighting. Without speaking, they moved as one, sliding from branch to branch as they made their way towards the battle, towards their son.

~~~~~

The two vampires must have kept to the treeline. That could only be the reason that they managed to skirt around Agony and the others and come out a matter of feet from Natalia. Mila scented them instantly and pulled the girl behind her, her talons flashing out at the first of the males that launched himself towards the human. Her talons sank deep into his stomach, just as his pierced her chest, drawing a pained moan from her startled lips.

The vampire's legs buckled, as did Mila's. The two fell to their knees and then crashed to the ground, talons still firmly embedded in each other.

Natalia stood frozen for a second, her chest tight as terror clawed itself up inside her. Then the second vampire launched himself forward and a guttural scream erupted from her lips as her flight instincts kicked in and she tried to run. But she was no match for a vampire and the male's talons dug into her stomach before she had a chance to run. Another scream wrenched from her throat, pain flooding her body as her legs began to buckle and she knew she was about to die. Tears of pain and sorrow streaked down her face.

Her death would destroy Agony. He was just beginning to accept that they were meant to be together and now it was all about to be taken away from him.

She waited for the killing blow, her tears flowing faster as the vampire's other hand rose high in the air, and then something huge and black erupted out of the trees behind her and leapt over her to sink its powerful jaws deep into the vampire's throat. Its attack loosened the talons inside her body and she fell backwards. Only she didn't fall against the hard ground. Strong arms halted her fall and she was laid gently to the ground.

Above her was a stranger, a female vampire with piercing green eyes and auburn hair flecked with streaks of red and gold. "See what you can do, Day. Leave the vampires to me!" the woman said, and then she was gone and a large darkhaired naked male was leaning over her, a silver lock falling across his forehead. She knew instinctively he had been the black shape protecting her and he was most likely one of the remaining friends of Kothari's newly arrived.

"Mila," she managed to choke out, fear for her friend flooding her mind as her own pain threatened to drag her into unconsciousness.

"She will heal, young one," Dayton answered in a soothing tone, his eyes running over her wound quickly before he pressed his large hand against it to try to stem the blood. She could see the concern in his expression and knew she was hurt badly.

She didn't need to see his expression to know that. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to keep her eyes open. She wanted to close her eyes and let nature take its course but Mila's words of the prophecy she had about the Justice Seeker resounded in her mind. If Europe would run in rivers of blood if Kothari's parents died, what would happen if his newly acknowledged mate did? She couldn't give in. Somehow she had to stay strong and live for him.

"Kothari..." she breathed his name and saw the wolf's expression turn troubled. This man loved her mate, it was obvious by his expression. "If I die don't let him hurt himself. Don't let him blame himself. Help him... please." Her voice was barely a whisper and Dayton had to lean closer to hear her.

"Just keep breathing, young one. Just concentrate on staying with us," he answered, looking around frantically as he heard her heart beat erratically. Dayton was no medic. None of those who had come with him were. The girl was dying as each moment passed, and there was nothing he could do about.

Natalia's screams ripped through the air and Agony's blood ran cold. His head swivelled around just in time to see Dayton crash into a vampire as Freya caught the girl and lowered her to the floor. Mila was down, impaled on a vampire's talons. Dante was screaming her name a second later, leaving Joshua alone to fend off their attackers and moving at supernatural speed to reach Mila's side.

Freya quickly swapped places with Dayton who was now in his man form, killing the vampire who had attacked Natalia with cold efficiency before she pulled Mila from the vampire still skewering her, and handing her off to Dante who had just reached them.

He didn't see Freya kill the male Mila had wounded. He didn't pay any attention to Dante cradling Mila in his arms or the fact that her face was ashen and her eyes closed. The only thing he could register was Natalia's prone body on the ground and the scent of her blood overriding all other scents of blood on the battlefield. And the stricken expression on Dayton's face as he looked frantically around as if searching for someone to help him.

The coldness in his soul reached freezing point as the reason for his pack Beta's expression sunk in. Natalia was either dead or close to death. Pain crashed through him and he forgot how to breathe. His fragile, beautiful woman was dying and it was all the fault of these fucking vermin who thought they had the right to destroy everything he loved. His eyes began to burn red, his rage now a block of ice filling his soul. He would make them pay. He would make them all pay.

Demetri and Dara turned to look at him, and Dara crashed into the darkhaired vampire taking him to the ground. "Down!" she screamed at the top of her voice, and Agony was aware of the confusion on their attackers' faces as every one of his team automatically dropped to the ground, making themselves as small as possible.

He laughed loudly, a foreboding, chilling sound. And then his rage exploded as it had back in the wolf pack earlier, and narrow streams of white hot fire exploded from his red eyes, sweeping across the battlefield, incinerating every vampire who remained standing.

Screams resounded in the air, the sounds of agony music to his ears. The scent of burnt flesh filled his nostrils and he laughed delightedly as his enemies burned in hell for what they had taken from him. Those that had still lurked inside the treeline tried to run but he caught them too with his white fire. None of them deserved any mercy. They all deserved to die.

Vampires burned. Trees and bushes burned. Agony didn't care. They had taken his parents from him. They had hurt his mate. The whole fucking world would burn by the time he was finished with them. And then he would find their Master and when he did, they would die a thousand panful deaths before he ended them for good. No one would be spared his wrath. He owed that to his fragile little human mate.

Gard and Rayne broke the treeline, their expressions horrified as they saw the mass of bodies and scented so much blood. It looked like hundreds had died on this battlefield, and their son was in the process of destroying everything left standing. The destruction was horrifying just as the sight of seeing Kothari devolved of all humanity. It would only be a matter of moments before he turned his fury onto the bodies on the ground. They had next to no time to save their friends and packmates who would be caught up in the carnage where they hunkered down.

"Go," Gard breathed softly and Rayne nodded. In the past Kothari would often listen to his mother when he was struggling with his darkness. They had to believe that he wasn't so far gone that he wouldn't listen to her this time.

"Agony." Rayne spoke aloud but also telepathically. "You can stop now, son. They're all dead."

He screamed and directed more fire into the treeline, laughing as more vampires were incinerated on the spot.

Rayne swallowed hard and slowly inched her way towards her son. He could turn and kill her in a moment of insanity, but she had to believe that there was some part of him that recognised her voice, her scent, and the overwhelming love she was pouring down their familial bond as Gard was pouring his too.

"Agony, my beautiful boy. It's over. They're all dead." She reinforced her mental touch, reaching her son and placing a gentle hand on his back. For a moment she thought he wouldn't respond, but then his head tilted slightly to the side. Fire still blazed from his eyes but he kept them averted and Rayne let out a slow breath because she knew he not only heard her, but recognised her, and was doing his best not to inadvertently hurt her.

"They hurt her," he breathed out, his tone furious but also anguished. "I can smell and taste her blood, Mother. She is mine and they've murdered her. Everyone must die."

"The girl lives, boy," Freya said in a stern tone from behind Rayne and the deadly fire in Agony's eyes flickered slightly. "Though not for much longer if you intend to piss around with this juvenile temper tantrum. Do you think you're the only one who has known loss, stupid boy? Your mother spent three thousand years lost and alone as did your father. Dayton grieved for half a century when he lost his Faith, until he found me. Alexei had to all but kill Cedar so they could become mates. And you're having a bloody tantrum when your girl is still breathing. Take it from one fuckup to another. There's a time and place for your insanity and this isn't one of them. So, switch off those bloody laser eyes and get over there to see if you can save your human."

Everyone froze as Freya Eriksson tore Agony a new one and then calmy turned around and walked back the way she came. For a long moment there was only dead silence in the clearing and then the fire died in Agony's eyes and he pulled out a pair of sunglasses from somewhere on his person and slowly covered his eyes.

"She's lucky I like her," he muttered darkly and then he turned slowly to look at his parents. They were covered in dust and looked a little worse for wear, but they were standing before him, and so very real and not a figment of his imagination that a part of him wanted to weep with relief, only he didn't have time for that.

"I'm glad you're safe and I will show that in time, but for now Natalia's need is greater," he said quietly and then took off, running towards the one person in the world that he now understood he simply could not live without.

Gard stared after his son in astonishment and then looked at Rayne whose expression was equally as astonished. "Have we been doing it wrong all these years, love?" he asked, totally astounded at how easily Freya had managed to refocus their volatile boy. True, Rayne had managed to get through to him in the first place, but it had been the vampire's disgusted tone that had helped Kothari to rebalance quicker.

Rayne tracked her boy as he reached the group surrounding the fallen girl, aware that the remaining vampires who had made up Kothari's team were slowly standing up now that it appeared the danger had passed. "No," she answered, knowing that the only reason she was able to get through to her son was because she gave him, they gave him, the warmth and love that he craved so desperately. "I think that sometimes it's just easier for him to relate to someone who has struggled as much as he has with their darkness. Love got him to listen. The hard truth got him to refocus."

She gave Gard a small smile and then held out her hand. "Come, let's go see if there is anything we can do to help this human girl our boy has become attached to. I have a feeling that she might be the one that can finally heal his tortured soul."

Agony fell to his knees beside Natalia, fury and terror fighting for dominance as he saw the blood seeping through Dayton's fingers from the wound in her stomach. A feeling of utter helplessness overwhelmed him and he could only stare at Natalia's ashen face, her pretty brown eyes full of pain as they tried to focus in his.

"Kothari," she breathed out, trying to lift one small hand covered in blood, but she was too weak so he took her wrist gently in his hand and raised her hand to press it again his cheek. He didn't care that it was covered in blood. His Natalia wanted to touch him and he would give her what she wanted.

"I'm sorry." The words came out on a strangled whisper, self-loathing in his tone. He was supposed to protect her. He was supposed to have kept her safe.

"Not your fault," she whispered, a trail of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. He gently wiped it away, his fingers trembling as he fought for control.

She grimaced and let out a low moan and the sound of her pain was a dagger to his heart. She was slowly dying in front of him and there was nothing he could do to help her.

"Kothi... Kothi," Natalia's panicked gaze turned frantic as pain rocked through her body and she coughed up blood.

It was more than he could bear, and he pulled her against him, pressing his hand against her stomach as Dayton moved away, his expression fierce as he stared down into her too pale face. "You cannot die, Natalia. You will not die! Fight, Tali. Fight!"

Her head dropped back limply, her breath rattling in her chest as if blood was filling her lungs. Agony stared wildly around the people surrounding them, latching onto his parents, true fear now on his expression. "What do I do? How do I save her?"

"Turn her."

It was Freya who spoke and he stared at her as if she'd just told him to kill Natalia. The vampire rolled her eyes and snorted. "She's lost too much blood and there are no humans around that could donate any. We have no medics amongst us therefore you need to decide if she transitions to either a vampire or a wolf."

When he growled at her, his arms tightening on the girl, Freya looked at Gard and Rayne and quirked an eyebrow as if to ask them to step in and teach their child to stop being a fool.

"Freya's right, Kothari," Gard said, surprised to find himself agreeing with the volatile vampire. "If you don't want her to die then she needs to be healed by vampiric blood. That will stave off death long enough for her to transition to either a vampire or a wolf. I can do it or Demetri or Nors can. The girl lived in a wolf pack didn't she? If you think she would prefer to transition into a wolf then it appears that Freya is comfortable enough with allowing Dayton to bite her seeing as he is the only wolf here."

Agony stared at them, denial rushing through him and yet something was clawing at him inside, an inner voice calling to him, the voice that was Kothari. He tried to push the boy down, Kothari wasn't strong enough to deal with this. But his other side refused to be deterred, pushing back against his control.

"We have to save her, Agony. You can't let her die, she's our mate. You promised me you would listen to me! That's the only reason I agreed to let your take dominance."

"What about consent, Kothari? What if she doesn't want this? There's no way in hell I will allow anyone other than myself to give Natalia blood. If we do this then we will be mating with her when she has not had the chance to agree to it." Agony was aware that it was unlike him to consider another's wishes before he performed an action. But Natalia wasn't just another person. She was the other half of his... of their soul.

"Ask her. Ask her before it's too late and we lose her. Don't let her die, Agony. Please don't destroy us all."

His internal communication lasted but a second and yet it felt as if he'd just run a thousand miles. Natalia's heartbeat was weaker and she was running out of time. He had to make a decision but he was so afraid deep inside. It was hamstringing and making him unable to act, and he wasn't used to being so helpless.

"Kothi," Natalia's eyes remained closed but his name was a quiet breath coming out of her mouth. "Don't want to die."

He groaned and pressed his forehead to her, uncaring of the blood on her face, his heartbeat ratcheting up as he felt how cold and damp her skin was. "I'm afraid, Tali," he whispered. "I will need to cauterise your wound first and I don't know if I have the control to regulate my fire to do that. I've only ever used it to destroy. I've never wanted to use it to heal, but it's the quickest way to stop you losing blood."

Her eyes fluttered open weakly, her breath catching as she tried to speak. "Trust yourself as I trust you." Her eyes closed once more and she drew another long rattling breath. He knew if he didn't act now it would be too late. Her faith in him was all he had to go on because he sure as hell didn't have that level of faith in himself.

"Listen to her, Kothari. She believes in you as your father and I do. You can do this. You just need to believe in yourself," Rayne said softly placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at his Mother and saw her love and belief in him shining in her eyes, and he knew that no matter what happened after this, he would sit down with his parents and talk to them about his birth, and the shame he felt in himself for hurting this wonderful woman who had never blamed him and only ever loved him unconditionally.

He looked back at Natalia's ashen face and deep inside he felt his panther prowl up to stand beside him, Kothari on his other side. He felt their belief in him too, and their fear as they stared down at their dying mate. Because Natalia belonged to all of them, because they were one and the same. In that instant he heard her voice inside her head, her words reverberating through his mind. 'Your mother gave birth to one child...'

Agony leaned down and kissed Natalia's cold lips, noting a tinge of blue starting to creep into the corners of her mouth. When he raised his head he laid her gently on the ground, his panther and human side fading in his consciousness to blend into his very soul. He removed his glasses and tossed them aside, pushing up Natalia's top to bare her wound to his gaze. He was glad that she was unconscious, because this was going to hurt.

His talons entered her body, spreading apart her skin and muscle so he could detect the arteries that were severed and spilling her lifeblood. He found two major ruptures that needed to be knit back together, otherwise no amount of his blood would be enough to save her.

Kothari took a deep breath, because he was Kothari now and understood that he had always been Kothari. He pressed two ends of a damaged artery together and with trepidation he carefully let the thinnest sliver of fire come from his eyes to seal the two ends together. As soon as the artery melded, he cut off the flow of his power. Natalia remained unresponsive, and he turned to the next artery and repeated the action that would mend the damage inflicted.

There was other damage to her organs, but those he could heal with his blood. Ripping open his fingers with his fangs, he caressed her organs gently, allowing his blood to coat as much of the damage as he could, before he withdrew from her body and used his blood to close the terrible rents in her skin.

Kothari gathered Natalia back into his arms again and ripped his wrist open and pressed it to her open mouth. His blood dripped into her mouth and she swallowed weakly by reflex rather than by desire to drink. He kept reopening his wound when it healed, focused entirely on feeding her as much blood as she would accept. When he went to do so again, his mother placed a hand gently on his shoulder to halt him.

"It's working, son," she said soothingly, and she was smiling when he shot her a quizzical gaze. "Colour is returning to her face, Kothari. Look."

His eyes searched for the signs his mother saw, and his heart kicked hard in his chest when he saw it was true. The tinge of blue was gone from Natalia's lips and her skin felt warmer when he touched her cheek. Her breathing sounded so much healthier and even though she was covered in blood there was a glow about her and he felt the first ray of hope.

"Natalia," he whispered resting his forehead against her. "Natalia."

Her eyelashes flickered and then her eyes slowly opened. Deep brown eyes stared at him unfocused for a moment, and then they cleared and his beautiful mate traced his features intently, a slow smile gracing her lips as her gaze met his once more.

"Hello, Kothari," Natalia breathed out, and he could tell that she knew that he had finally accepted the truth she had been trying so hard to tell him but he had been too stubborn to acknowledge. And despite where they were, despite all the death and destruction, he knew that he would treasure this moment until the end of days.

He brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face and leaned down to kiss her gently. And then he grinned smugly and uttered the word he never thought would ever leave his lips.

"Mine."