Wicked(111)

"You're about to die," he said.

"So cliché," I retorted, then dipped down. I swept his legs right out from underneath him. The fae went down, and before he could retaliate, I went all Van Helsing on his ass.

I jumped up and started toward Ren. Two fae had him in their sights. I checked the door. The ancient who shot me was stealthily prowling toward it. I changed direction and was cut off by a fae I recognized from the club.

Roman.

He smiled at me. "Hello there."

As I rushed him, I caught sight of Val. She stalked forward with a purpose, darting around Miles, and at first, I thought she was going to help Ren, but she ran past him, the stake clutched tightly in her right hand. Dipping under Roman's arm, I grabbed him from the back and fell, bringing him down with me.

I rolled, bringing my knees up and planting them in Roman's back, flipping him off of me. Jumping to my feet, I slammed the iron stake in his chest as he rose. "Guess what? You failed."

Roman staggered back, but instead of a look of horror on his face, he smiled before exploding in a burst of sharp light. I turned, about to go to Ren's side, when I saw that Val had reached the ancient who'd shot me.

He was squared off with Dylan who was blocking the rattling door. Val would help him, so I started toward Ren, but out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Val grab the ancient's shoulder from behind. Oddly, he did nothing. He stood there as Val yanked his head back, exposing his throat.

I skidded to a stop, my boots sliding through a wetness I didn't want to think too hard about. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Val swung the stake around in a wide arc. Dylan lurched forward, trying to stop her.

"Val!" I shouted, my heart stopping. The blood of an ancient opened the door. She had to know that. The ancient was too close. "No!"

She didn't seem to hear me. Slicing the stake along the ancient's throat, blood sprayed. Droplets hit Dylan's face as Val let go of the ancient. Stunned, Dylan didn't move fast enough when the ancient swung his arm out, knocking the Order member aside.

Horror propelled me forward, but I couldn't move fast enough. There wasn't enough time in the world to stop what was about to happen. I heard a scream ringing in my ears and only dimly realized it was coming from me. The ancient lurched forward as he swept his hand across his bloodied neck then slammed his palm on the shaking door.

Bright blue light flared behind the door, shining out through the cracks. The ancient that shot me fell to his knees in front of the door, arms spread wide. A heartbeat passed, and then there was a clap of thunder, a sonic boom blasting from behind the door, throwing me off my feet. I hit the floor and air punched out of my lungs. Dazed, I sat up slowly and saw that everyone had been knocked down, and the ancient was gone, as if he'd never been there, but his bloody handprint burned on the door, an unholy blue.

My wild gaze found Ren on the other side of the room. He too was sitting up. Our eyes locked, and whatever relief we saw in each other's gazes faded away. A soft breeze swept over my skin, tossing the loose curls across my face. I turned slowly to the door, inhaling the sudden honeysuckle scent.

The blue light was gone. The door no longer rattled, but every hair on my body rose as an icy chill snaked down my spine. Carefully, I rose to my knees and stood up. I saw Val do the same thing, but she . . . she was backing away from the door and she was . . . smiling. I didn't understand, couldn't fathom it, even as she looked over her shoulder, her gaze finding me. The smile only faltered a little.

Oh no. No, no, no.

I couldn't be seeing this. It had to mean something else because there was no way—absolutely no way. They had to have gotten to her somehow, but I saw that she wore her bracelet, the one that held the clover in it. I'd never seen her without it.

A lock turned and clicked, the sound echoing through the room like a gunshot. Pulse pounding rapidly, I swallowed hard as another lock unclicked. The doorknob rattled once, twice, then turned slowly.

My heart stopped as I tightened my grip on the stake.

An unnatural hush settled over the room as Order members and fae alike rose to their feet, and then the door swung open.





Chapter Twenty Two





Darkness like I'd never seen before hovered inside the empty doorway. A shadow so deep and thick, it pulsed as it moved out from the entry, the thick edge of it latching on to the wall above the door. It moved, fluid like oil as it climbed the wall and seeped forward. The tin material popped under the weight as it slid over the ceiling. Tendrils of black smoke extended out, whipping into the air. The scent of honeysuckle grew.

"Oh, that's so not good," I murmured, taking a step back.

Wisps of black smoke funneled down from the ceiling, several columns forming at once. I lost count at ten. The shadows spun dizzyingly, revealing a bright blue light from the center. The light pulsed once and the shadows dissipated, as if a great wind had scattered the smoke.