Broken Compass:Supernatural Prison Story 1(45)

A glance to my left told me that Braxton had wasted no time on Melly. The bear was in about eight pieces, scattered around him. My brother was standing there, fury radiating off him, and I knew he was pretty close to losing his shit.

Brax, I called through our bond, trying to bring him back to me. You got him, brother. Jess is gonna kick your ass for not letting her have that kill.

The mention of his mate brought a flicker of life in his eyes. "Yeah, she's already pissed at me. But at least she's safe, staying put."

I had been blocking Mischa out as much as possible, mainly because the moment I felt her soft energy caressing mine I wanted to run to her. I couldn't do that. My people needed me here, and she was safe in our house.

Still. You okay, gorgeous?

A slightly irritated tone was in her reply. I'm fine. I know you said you were going to shut the bond down, but I'd still like some updates. Ass.

I chuckled, out loud. Her fire  …  I was starting to crave it.

Sorry. As you can see, pretty much chaos. I let the images filter through my mind, and despite her upbringing she did not flinch at the carnage.

Stay safe, Max. And come back soon. Jess is about five minutes from escaping. It's taking all of my distracting skills to keep her here.

I'll bet. Love you, baby.

I love you too.

Those soft words were enough to send sparks of warmth through me.

The demon touched were pretty much the last of the bears left, a dozen male and female supes, standing motionless. Although, I could see that some of them were starting to move, very slowly. The magic users were losing them.

A step-through opened then in the space just beyond the forest, behind the demon bears. Only one person had the power and ability to open directly into Stratford without worry for the securities. Louis was back. The sorcerer strode free; he was decked out in a long black cloak and snow-covered boots. Clearly those ingredients he'd been collecting were in the arctic.

His face was scary as he walked without pause toward the immobilized group of bears. The magic users holding them were definitely starting to struggle, and the relief on their faces spoke volumes. Louis had the strap of a satchel bag strung across his shoulder, the pouch flapping against his legs. He reached into the bag and withdrew a large jar of something.

When he was about a yard from the demon touched, he smashed the jar on the ground and thrust both of his hands skyward.

"Cresta demonica turnitalia reform."

His words ignited a fire in the very space he'd smashed the spell. The flames were tinged with a green-yellow hue, and they were suddenly eight feet high. The magic users who'd been holding the demons started to chant the same words as Louis. Cresta demonica turnitalia reform. Over and over. Each time the flames grew higher, spreading in a circle around the bears.

Louis clasped his raised hands together, and the smacking of palms was much louder than I'd expected.

His next words were echoing and heavy with power. "You have broken the cardinal law of supernatural peace time. You have invoked powers beyond your ken and now you must pay the price. The demons will not stop coming now that they have a portal to this world. The only way to close it down is to send you back as tribute. You, bear shifters of the Tressa clan, are sentenced to an eternity in the demon realm. You'll know suffering unlike any other. You'll wish for death. You'll never return to our plane. May the gods take mercy on your souls."

Misty wisps of energy burst from Louis. The fire roared a hundred feet into the air, completely engulfing the dozen shifters on all sides.

The roar of the flame was almost deafening. The magic users continued chanting the spell; the area was thick with magic and energy. The power from Louis waned then, and the flames began to flicker and die off. By the time the yellow and green plume was gone, there was nothing left in the middle except a black ring on the ground.

Louis spoke with urgency, striding forward to his people. "We need to sanctify and seal this space. There's a weakness here now to the demon world, and that cannot be left untouched."   





 

The magic users scattered, most of them looking like two steps from death, but that didn't stop them jumping when Louis ordered it.

He crossed to us. "They're going to gather the ingredients we need. This should be all over soon."

Jacob and Tyson were by my side now. Braxton too. The four of us exchanged an uneasy stare.

"It's not really over, though," said Tyson. "Kristoff is still out there, probably creating more demon touched. What the hell was the point of this?" He sounded a little breathless, and I was glad that he'd been joined with us during the fight. Our strength as a unit of four had helped tremendously.

"Those demons were all upper level," Louis said. "Not as strong as Kristoff's, but I would say they were in his army of souls. I had to use most of the spell and energy I had to return them. That's why you all had so much trouble holding them." His flat eyes met Tyson's. "If you hadn't been here, and been able to tap into the quad bond, they would have overrun you. It was a good plan. I've never seen so many upper level demons on this plane."

A sense of unease was stealing along my spine. "So where is Kristoff then? Why wasn't he here adding his energy to the collective. With his demon they'd have succeeded. I mean, he couldn't have thought the bear clan stood a chance against us, so what was the point?"

For probably the first time in my life I saw Louis look uneasy. "I don't like it either. It was almost as if this entire thing was a distraction. But to what end?"

My own unease intensified, and with a start I reached through my bond to check on Mischa.

Misch. Everything okay?

My words shattered at the end of the connection, unable to reach her. I should have realized earlier, when the weakness first started invading my body, that it wasn't just about Tyson, it was also about Mischa. She was being blocked from me by a thick darkness.

I jerked my head to find Braxton. He stood with his eyes closed, small growls rocking from him.

"Jessa?"

He shook his head.

"Me either." I was growling too.

The vampire inside of me roared to life. I was already moving before another word was spoken. Looked like Kristoff had been using the bears as a distraction to get to the girls.

This time I knew he'd stop at nothing until they were dead. He hated us and wanted our suffering more than anything else, and targeting our mates was the worst punishment he could inflict on us.

We had to stop him before it was too late.





Mischa Lebron



I was starting to agree with Jessa, being left behind while others went off to the battlefield really sucked the big one. Especially when it was our pack and they were facing an unknown enemy.

I'd just finished checking in on Maximus, and he was doing okay. Said the battle was wrapping up, but still there was some uneasiness in my body. I was sprawled back on the couch, television on, some movie playing in the background. Jessa was pacing the floor in front of me.

"You getting anything from Braxton?" I asked her. Maximus had me locked out again, although thankfully I could tell he was okay  –  a few bumps and scratches but nothing life threatening.

"He just killed Melly and now they're dealing with the demon-touched." She growled a little as she paced, one hand pressed against her belly, the other waving in the air. "That slimy asshole was supposed to be mine to torture, but no, Braxton had to go all dragon on him and rip his body into a dozen pieces."

The mental images of that set off a faint churning in my stomach. The damn thing had been upset since I woke. "He loves you, Jess. That's his way of showing you."

She snorted. "Reminds me of this cat which somehow stowed away and got in through the securities here. It used to leave dead birds on my doorstep. Presents for me. At times it feels a little like Braxton learned about love from that cat."

I burst into laughter at the thought of Braxton in dragon form leaving dead supes on her doorstep. Jessa must have picked up on the image too, and she lost it with me, both of us clutching our stomachs and hoping not to go into early labor. "Don't give him any ideas," she finally gasped through her laughter. "He would love to round up everyone who's ever hurt me and make them suffer. The man in him cannot stand my pain, and the dragon wants to inflict similar back.

It was really sweet, in a sociopathic kinda way. Truth be told, I felt that way about Maximus now. I wanted to kill Kristoff and Cardia  –  if she'd still been alive  –  for the parts they played in causing him pain.

Jessa froze in her pacing, and a beat later I felt a fissure go across the house. Our eyes locked, both of us still and patient, waiting to see what this change was from. Something powerful was close to us, and I knew by instinct it wasn't the boys.   





 

I reached for Maximus, hoping he would tell me what was coming, but the bond between us was gone. Or not exactly gone, but completely muted so I could barely feel him.

"Jess, what could mute a true mate bond?"

Her blue eyes were wide and glassy. "Nothing that I know of. But I can't feel Braxton, so again, it seems as if the school texts need to be rewritten."

I swallowed hard, trying to calm the fear brewing in my chest. "Could a high level demon do it?"

I could feel him coming now, that same dark, oily energy from when he had held me captive. Kristoff had somehow figured out where we were. He was going to attack while our pack was busy with the bears.