“No!” she screamed repeatedly as her distended stomach scraped along the sharp surfaces. Screaming, Willow threw herself on her side as they continued to ruthlessly drag her. She watched her belly in horror and saw little beads of red appear through her shirt.
They dropped her before the demon. Willow had never felt more helpless than she did right now. The demon’s massive hand raised, the size of a car door, and black, wispy energy came out. The dark energy swept around her body, covering her from head to foot with vile, dark magic. Willow could only watch as the black substance seeped into her body.
Willow was immobilized, paralyzed from her eyelids to her feet. She felt tears leaking out of her eyes but didn’t know if she was crying or her dry eyes were desperately trying to lubricate.
Think, think!
Her mind worked hard to figure out what she could do yet it felt like her mind was made up of cogs in a broken down clock slowly shutting down forever. All she wanted to do was shut everything out, curl into a ball and await whatever her fate was. But then she felt something...
She gasped, her heart soaring. The life inside her, her baby, moved.
My baby’s still alive!
She laughed, tears streaming down her face. Willow called upon all her strength and calmed herself. Somehow hope filled her chest and she knew, somehow, someway she could do this.
As if sensing her calm, the demon screeched. Garbled, demonic words came out of its fanged mouth. The young girl Stephanie, eyes dead and vacant, stepped forward.
“How dare you not fear me?” she said in a cold, monotone voice.
Willow blinked at her in confusion. Then she realized...the demon was speaking through her.
Danny, with the same vacant eyes, stiffened then turned and started walking. He disappeared through that same stone wall and reappeared a minute later carrying heavy metal manacles and a wicked looking dagger. The blade curved at the end like a miniature scimitar. It looked freshly sharpened and glinted in the grey light.
Willow started struggling then. Immobilized, she could do nothing mentally but physically try to move against the demon’s dark magic.
The demon’s dark, fathomless eyes looked down at her. Is it working? Willow wished she had her potion and dagger with her. But I have the spell! Hysterical laughter bubbled inside her.
Willow started to open her mouth—but nothing happened. She couldn’t move her lips to speak the spell. Hands grabbed her, putting the heavy manacles around her wrists and ankles. She was useless to do anything.
Then suddenly the paralysis was gone. The demon started speaking. From the rhythm of the tones it almost sounded like a song...or a chant. Willow sat there, unsure if the demon had released her from its magic or if she’d somehow freed herself from the spell. If that were the case then she’d use the element of surprise to her advantage.
Rachel stepped forward carrying a glass jar. Something squirmed inside of it that looked like green ooze. Willow didn’t know what it was but she didn’t want it anywhere near her. She started to mentally chant Lily’s spell faster in her mind, putting all of her energy and power into it.
Danny handed the silver dagger to Rachel. She raised the jar above Willow, held the dagger with the blade facing it.
The demon spoke faster. The room shook or maybe it was just the floor. Willow couldn’t tell. The demon stopped chanting then turned to Rachel; she repeated its words in that same monotone voice.
“Pour Karr’s blood on her.”
Willow realized now was the time to move. As Rachel swung the dagger at the jar with the intent on shattering it and letting all that green blood fall on her, Willow launched herself forward.
She didn’t make it far, the shackled ankles and hands didn’t give her enough movement, her injured leg throbbed, but she pushed off her feet with everything she had and slammed her shoulder into Rachel’s stomach. The glass jar went flying in the air.
The demon screeched madly with ear-piercing, garbled words that sounded a lot like orders. The glass landed against the rocks with a wonderful shattering sound. Willow smiled at her little victory as the green goop slowly slid into the rocky ground. That shit wouldn’t be touching her.
A shiny glint caught the corner of her eye. Stephanie and Danny ran to the goop, trying desperately to pick it up with their fingers; Rachel lay on the floor, dazed. Willow saw it then, the dagger sitting innocently on the floor in front of her.
With her hands bound in front of her, Willow dove forward.
Her fingers had just slid around the cold metal when she was hit with such force she heard her ribs crack a second before the searing, wrenching pain registered in her mind.
Then she was sailing through the air.
Chapter 39
Lyonis flung open the office door so hard it slammed the wall and shattered the glass window in it. His top lieutenants tore away from each other, breathing hard from a fresh batch of kissing.
“Now is hardly the time,” he said darkly.
Thane and Jackie squared instantly, jaws firming, eyes straight ahead. Lyonis nodded at them.
“Any news on Danny?”
“No, Sir. But all of the Atal Warriors have been set along the perimeter and streets. A total of 100 warriors,” Thane said.
“Alpha Lyonis, I still don’t think this is necessary. We don’t need vampires securing our defenses,” Jackie said.
Lyonis sat down only to stand again. He couldn’t stop moving in agitated jerks. Willow was driving him crazy. Why the hell was he feeling guilty? He was doing the right thing! It was his job to protect his mate and child dammit and that’s what he was going to do. But damn the sight of her hurting tore him up inside better than a chain saw could ever do.
In a distracted voice he said, “Sometimes we have to push aside our pride in order to be stronger. To take care of the ones we love.”
He didn’t see the intense look shared between Thane and Jackie at his words. Too focused was he on Willow. Willow, Willow, Willow. Why couldn’t she understand that this was necessary, that he was doing it to protect her?
“I hurt her.”
He didn’t realize he said the words aloud until Thane stepped forward and said, “These are difficult times. As long as you love her and tell her often she'll realize it’s the right thing.”
Lyonis stared at Thane in surprise. Had he ever told her he loved her? He thought he might have mentioned it in passing, but had he ever said the words to her? Hell, how could she not know it when his feelings radiated from his very pores?
“Of course she knows I love her,” he said softly, unsure.
Thane raised a dark eyebrow. “You don’t sound certain, Alpha. Maybe it’s time you tell her...as many times as it takes. Sometimes women need to hear it, a lot, before they’ll soften up.” The shapeshifter’s lips twitched like he wanted to laugh. Jackie’s hand shot out and slapped his arm almost too fast to see. Thane straightened again but a grin played at his lips.
Lyonis’ gaze slid over to Jackie’s exposed neck and there he saw the fresh, pink bite. The tension in his shoulders lessened.
“You two finally mated, huh? Congratulations.” Still the happy news didn’t fix his mood any.
“Yes, Alpha,” Jackie said, pink coloring her cheeks.
A guard ran into the room, panting from a sprint. “Sir, we have a problem!”
Lyonis stiffened, his heart pounding frantically. “What is it?” In his gut, he already knew.
“The Queen, Sir, she’s missing.”
Lyonis was out the door the next second. The cabin door was standing wide open as he entered it a minute later. He ran through the house, searching every door and closet. Under the bed he found her backpack, which previously had been empty in the corner of the room. His fist clenched over the packed bag. She was going to leave him but then why didn’t she take her bag?