Page 18 of Reign of The Beast (Immortal Passions #2)

18

~Ryker~

What a clusterfuck.

I pitied each and every one of them as I scanned the Great Hall situated in the center of the Guardian Compound.

We were all scattered around the circular amphitheater-style seating area. The current speaker giving his two-cents was in the center, turning around as he spoke to ensure he was addressing everyone.

So many of the members were ridiculously hung up on bureaucratic bullshit.

The rules and regulations that we were all used to abiding by didn’t have relevance now, though. We were at war and in a goddamn state of emergency.

Plus, with the six-hundred odd members I’d counted, we only had about sixty-percent of our members present. We couldn’t operate how we normally did when we had a skeleton staff.

We needed to take action now, instead of getting bogged down in procedural details.

They were even taking fucking meeting minutes like we usually did when issues were raised during these stupid hoity-toity gatherings.

Merek seemed to think he was in charge. He’d been one of Cornelius’ first Guardian recruits. A five-hundred-year-old magic-wielder who always wore his hooded robe, even when not in the field on mission. He was basically a living wizard stereotype, with his flowing long hair, the almost equally long beard, his holier-than-thou attitude.

His shock of white shoulder-length hair flew about his face as he gestured wildly about another load of inconsequential bullshit that I’d stopped paying attention to. I was just waiting for a break in his monologue, so I could sort this shit out.

Althalos was up next, an Ancient, just a century shy of Lucian’s age. His appearance was as opposite as could be of Lucian’s though. He had the whole biker look going on, with leather pants, a rock band t-shirt and a worn leather jacket. His hair was short and dirty-blond. And he was a massive hulk of a guy, like a damn bodybuilder.

As he started backing up what Merek was saying, going on about chain of command and the supposedly correct way to deal with things, I’d had enough.

Time was running out. Draco was fucking well coming!

I teleported into the speaker’s circle .

The surprise on the face of Althalos would’ve been comical if the situation wasn’t so dire.

He jerked back, majorly caught off guard. Yeah, few vamps, even Ancients, could sense someone during teleportation state.

“Enough!” I spoke, my voice echoing around the room, thanks to the acoustics of the perfectly arranged amphitheater seating. No wonder the Ancient Greeks had been such a huge fan of the design.

“What is the meaning of this?” Merek demanded, shooting from his seat. “You do not possess seniority, thus decision-making privileges do not extend to you, youngling.”

“This isn’t about seniority. It’s about power ,” I tossed back.

His eyes flashed, clearly taking it as a personal insult instead of the statement of fact it was intended as. “Just because you have bedded a sorceress of Mia Snow’s caliber, doesn’t mean you can match that power.”

Althalos smirked. “Not just her, according to rumors. The Ancient, Lucian Black, too.”

A chorus of gasps mixed in with some amused chuckles erupted around the room.

“You attempt to discredit me by using my personal life against me, but this is business. Plus, I was asked to come here to reinforce the protection barrier around the compound.”

Merek scoffed. “Those requests came from deluded fools, not those of us who believe in the sanctity of the Guardian Movement.” He added pointedly, “Those of us who understand it is vital to uphold our procedures and rules. You are a wildcard.”

“Your procedures and the rest of the high-handed bullshit won’t mean shit when Draco gets here and rips the place—and everyone in it—apart!” I challenged, my anger mounting.

This was the incompetence of bureaucracy at its finest.

“Cease this quarrel, Merek!” a deep male voice rumbled all of a sudden.

Its owner rose to his feet and I was stunned to see none other than Kalen, the ruler of the Light Fae Kingdom speaking up.

I cringed inwardly as I noticed his oldest daughter, Ella, sitting beside him. She was the faery I’d messed around with while I’d been off-realm helping out in his kingdom.

Wow, my sex life was really being thrown back in my face today.

Fae were not Guardian members, but, I figured in light of the huge threat we were facing, Kalen had forced his way here today, knowing that if we didn’t stop Draco here, in this Realm, then the threat would move to all others, including his.

When Merek moved to retort, Kalen held up his hand stiffly and cut him off, “Before you tell me that I do not possess seniority, I advise you to check yourself. I exceed your age and level of experience ten times over. To me, you are a youngling.”

The affronted expression on Merek’s face was going to live rent-free in my mind for a long time.

“Mr. Morgan is here to help. My sources have discovered it is he and he alone who is safeguarding the Covenant, the key to stopping Draco for all time. Without him taking that heavy responsibility upon himself, we would all be in far direr straights. Furthermore, the Orb of Life that he repaired for my kingdom has swelled in power. It is now outputting an incredible power that indicates one thing.” His eyes strayed to mine and pride shone in his eyes. “Mr. Morgan’s magic has evolved. Astronomically.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Merek snapped.

Before Kalen could respond, the mammoth oak doors to the Great Hall flew open and the monster to end all monsters strode on in.

“Fools! Your egos and insufferable officialdom blind you to the obvious. You cannot sense it? Your youngling is the most powerful being among you.” He sneered. “Aside from me, of course.”

A deafening rumble erupted of shoes and boots charging across stone as everyone scrambled from their seats, heading toward Draco intending to fight.

Draco didn’t seem the least bit worried about the six hundred Guardians snapping into action. The odds were crazy.

But the Beast was no ordinary opponent.

“No! Retreat!” They couldn’t best him, not with a simple onslaught. They were running to their deaths.

The Guardian Movement needed to be protected.

We had to sacrifice the Compound in order to save lives.

Just like earlier, I was ignored, the older members charging Draco and ordering the others to do the same.

Merek directed the first wave, dozens of magic-wielders streaming their power at Draco like a damned multi-colored lightshow.

Draco swung his sword rapidly in an arc. Magic ricocheted off the hefty blade, firing into the amphitheater and blowing chunks out of it, decimating it piece by piece.

I sprinted forward into the fray, calling out warning after warning, telling them what Draco was capable of, that they couldn’t best him like this.

But their egos had my words falling on deaf ears.

Althalos and a group of Ancients ran at him, some slamming into Draco and trying to topple him, others grabbing at his hand wielding the sword, trying to dislodge it from his grip.

I fought to get through the throngs of Guardians blocking my way to Draco, but there were so many of them, all fighting on impulse, completely chaotically.

A ferocious roar from the Beast made it clear he’d had enough, mere moments before he started batting his assailants away with his sword .

I cringed as they went flying right through the stone walls of the compound, their bodies crushed and bloodied.

Bone-chilling screams echoed through the Great Hall as Draco shoved his fist through chests, tore heads from bodies and then sliced others in literal halves with effortless swings of his broadsword.

Jesus Christ.

It was a brutal fucking massacre.

If I didn’t take extreme action immediately, the Guardian Movement would be wiped out.

Trying to calm my raging thoughts, my emotions, and the adrenaline running rampant through my system, I focused on what needed to be done. Just the act itself, not the overall big picture chaos.

I sped forward, calling my magic forth in a sudden burst. The pressure of it had me dropping to one knee as I slammed my palms together and it exploded out of me, creating the equivalent of a magical EMP.

The green pulse swept through the room, cutting out everyone’s magic, causing mass disorientation, basically pausing the battle.

I pulled my palms apart and swept them backward, my magic doing the same, forcing back all the Guardians, erecting a shimmering wall to keep them at bay.

I ignored the protests and shouts of indignation and focused on what mattered.

The monster in front of me.

Draco twirled his sword idly in his right hand, his gaze fixed on mine.

He was smirking at me in a disturbing, all-knowing way.

“I told you months ago about your power.”

“If you’re expecting gratitude, it’s not coming,” I shot back .

“Gratitude is meaningless. I will settle for your cooperation.” He took a step forward, the attempt at intimidation not lost on me. “Remove the veil you have cast upon the Covenant and I will leave this place intact and spare the lives of those remaining.”

That was quite the offer.

And I wasn’t buying it.

Mercy wasn’t a part of his modus operandi.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His eyes narrowed. “Do not insult me. There is a barrier in place to the Alpha. It is not of Immortal magic, so I know it is not the sorceress’ doing. The Ancient possesses no magical ability. You are the clear culprit.”

“You’re all-powerful. Why do you need me to drop it? Can’t you just break through it?”

He took another step forward, spinning his sword idly at his side as he did, his agitation clearly growing. “You test my patience, Ryker.”

“Then why not just kill me?”

I heard gasps behind me from the Guardians at my near-goading of the maniac right in front of me who’d just murdered tens of the most powerful supernatural beings in existence in mere seconds without breaking so much as a sweat.

With an exaggerated shake of his head, evoking disappointment, he said, “You stand here ready to defy me in order to fulfill the wishes of a being who abhorred you? Don’t you recognize the absurdity?” He lowered his sword and regarded me curiously. “You understand now why the great Cornelius Martel levied such animosity upon you? He knew your potential also. And instead of embracing it as an asset, he saw it as a threat to his misguided belief in his indomitable standing as the most powerful and revered being in all the realms. ”

“You’re telling me he knew I could do this?”

“Indeed. From the moment you were birthed unto this plane, he sensed a being of not only great power, but a unique power.”

Son of a bitch.

I forced myself not to react, to swallow the bitter pill down for the time being. Any flare of intense emotion risked destabilizing my magic. Too much was at stake to fall victim to that.

“Is Cornelius still alive?”

Draco smirked. “Duty above all, yes? I am sure you care not yourself.”

“It’s a simple question.”

“He lives. For the time being.”

“An Immortal can’t kill another of their kind.”

His lip curled in a twisted smile. “A loophole exists to every rule supposedly set in stone. You should know that better than anyone. It is where your strength truly lies, is it not?”

Did that mean he was searching for the dagger Mia had told me about, the Wrath of Hades, as it was so aptly named?

I couldn’t ask without giving my knowledge of it away, which would open up a whole other slew of complications. Assuming the worst was always the safest bet anyway. Shit. That put us on more of a time crunch than we’d already been facing. He’d just confirmed what we’d suspected. The only reason Cornelius was still alive was because Draco was still searching for the one thing that could kill his sworn enemy.

That settled it then, whether Mia liked it or not, she had to track the damn thing. We had to find it before Draco did .

As much as I hated the old bastard, the indisputable fact was that he was needed.

Already we’d been struggling to contain the fallout of him being weakened, his magic collapsing and destabilizing vital aspects of the supernatural world. Right now he was only incapacitated, not dead. If that happened, far too much would be lost.

The world as we knew it would collapse upon itself, chaos would rein, unimaginable bloodshed would flow indefinitely.

The simple fact was that there was nobody else strong enough to counteract the loss of Cornelius Martel, the fucking almighty Silver Ghost.

Draco took a step toward me. “My patience wears thin, sorcerer. No more discussion.” He brandished his sword. “The offer is simple. Drop the ward concealing my descendent, or I will decimate this sacred place and your precious Guardians.”

A chorus of voices rang out, all trying to influence me.

It was deafening.

And, of course, all conflicting.

Some were commanding me to sacrifice whatever it took to protect the Covenant, our one shot at stopping Draco from overrunning the supernatural world.

Others were begging for their lives to be spared.

This kind of thing was exactly what happened when an organization was ruled with an iron fist by a megalomaniac dictator like Cornelius. Without him, it was left in disarray, a decision unable to be made. Worse than that, the right decision unable to be made.

Fortunately, I’d never been one to toe the line.

I was all about out-of-the-box thinking and the strength and influence of the individual .

As Draco took another step forward, I called my power forth, my lightning.

“Never,” I seethed.

His facial features contorted with rage. “Insolent fool. You’ve condemned them all.” He moved closer. “You will suffer immeasurably for your defiance. I will break you.”

I stood my ground. “Then fucking well break me, demon.”

My insolence and my blatant disrespect did what I’d hoped, enraging him.

I knew well from my interactions with Cornelius that Immortals hated lesser beings challenging them. They just couldn’t swallow down the shot to their egos.

Draco reacted emotionally, wildly , thrusting his palm out, black fire shooting my way.

Lucian’s warning about him being able to move faster than an Ancient became null and void, as the demon gave away his intent in the midst of his rage, affording me time enough to prepare.

As his magic hit, mine was already firing back at him.

For the first time, I was able to truly see the effect that my next-level power had on somebody else’s streaming magic in battle.

Gasps of surprise and awe from the Guardians behind me echoed my own as I watched my green lightning cut into and basically disintegrate Draco’s magic at the point where it made contact with mine.

He roared, utterly incensed.

As he kept streaming, my magic continued to destroy.

I watched him shift his grip with his free hand on his sword. “There’s a disadvantage to having this unique access to two forms of magic,” he rumbled.

I tensed at his ominous tone and the knowing glint in his eyes .

“You require time to switch between your defensive lightning and your offensive power.”

In the next moment, he tossed his sword like a spear.

His ridiculous speed finally bit me in the ass.

The brutal weapon cut through the air so fucking quickly that it was barely even a discernible blur before it was right upon me.

It drove into my right shoulder, tearing through my flesh all the way out to the other side, running me through.

I choked, my magic snuffing out at the intense agony that beset me.

I collapsed hard onto my knees.

“That wouldn’t be so much of an issue if my speed didn’t completely eclipse yours,” he went on.

“Missed the heart, asshole,” I rasped.

“Don’t worry, sorcerer, your death is imminent. For your insolence, however, some additional suffering is required first.”

I reached up with my left hand and closed my hand around the sword, supporting it. The bitching weight of it was worsening the wound, driving deeper into my flesh, and causing even more damage.

I managed to stabilize it.

But it would all be for nothing soon.

He took his time walking over to me, allowing himself to enjoy his handiwork, wanting to prolong my suffering too by leaving his brutal weapon imbedded in my flesh.

My pulse was pounding.

Sweat was breaking out all over me.

I spluttered, blood spewing from my mouth, down my shirt.

Eyeing my hand, I saw the mark of being struck by an Immortal weapon already taking root, black veins spreading rapidly over my hand, up my arm. As soon as they reached my heart, I’d be no more.

No, I couldn’t die.

Not like this.

Not yet.

My right hand was hanging limply at my side, the sword buried in my corresponding shoulder taking it out of play, screwing with the nerves.

But there was a temporary way to override that, to transcend biology.

As Draco sauntered over to me, spouting off more reprimands and threats about what he was going to do when I was gone, I let it fade to the wayside, and took advantage of him being distracted by the sound of his own voice, thinking he’d already won without a shadow of a doubt.

I strained like never before to call my power forth.

Come on. Come on!

The familiar warmth surged.

It was coming.

It happened, my green fire sparking within my closed hand, concealed from Draco.

I only had one shot here.

I had to do it right.

Grunting at the effort, I managed to shift my weight enough to see behind me at the Guardians.

Through the crowds of stunned onlookers, I managed to lock eyes with Kalen.

He was the only one of them who I could trust, the only one who saw things the way I did.

“Portal,” I mouthed to him.

I had to get the Guardians out of here. Bricks and mortar could be rebuilt, but lives couldn’t.

He lifted his chin discreetly, then gestured at my barrier, my green lightning sparking wildly and keeping them protected, but at a price, disabling any of them from being able to ignite their magic. It was the only thing powerful enough to prevent Draco from entering. One conjured with my regular green fire couldn’t hold against him for long.

But that was what had to happen now.

A mass exodus was required and Kalen was the only being strong enough to pull that off.

He could create portals that could transport hundreds of beings in one shot. Not to mention, he resided in the Light Fae Realm, and an off-realm location was the only place safe from Draco. For the time being at least. His focus was on this realm right now and it would be until he’d conquered every square inch of it.

I gave Kalen a nod, letting him know to be prepared to act any moment now.

Taking a beat to shore up what limited strength I had left as the deathly infection wracked my body, I gritted my teeth, then I opened my hand.

I thrust it behind me.

My green fire burst forth, slamming into the barrier.

The sparking lightning diminished, replaced instead with a muted green glow.

Kalen’s magic sparked in the next moment, a mammoth twenty-foot-wide swirling golden vortex erupting before him. He eased his daughter on through, then began ushering the Guardians too.

Before I could take in Draco’s reaction, the asshole showed me.

In a burst of speed, he stood before me.

He grabbed hold of the hilt of his sword and wrenched it out of my flesh, twisting it for good measure on the way out .

“Fuck!” I bellowed.

He thrust his boot into my side, knocking me onto my back with a jarring thud.

“Ryker!” Kalen cried.

I looked out to see him and still a good half of the Guardians hesitating on my behalf.

“Go,” I croaked.

Surprisingly, Marek snapped into action, forcefully ushering them all through quickly.

He gave Kalen a push, then turned back just before he stepped into the portal. “I’m sorry, Ryker,” he told me, pain and no small amount of humility coming off him. “Thank you.”

I smiled weakly and watched in relief as he followed the others through the portal, and it sealed behind them, then blinked out of sight.

The Guardian Movement had survived.

I’d done it.

A hand fisting in my shirt had my focus shifting back to my dangerous predicament.

Draco jerked me to him as he stood looming over me, snarling down at me.

I could barely see his expression now, my vision was blurring more with every passing second.

The pain in my shoulder was searing, making my entire body shudder uncontrollably.

It just wouldn’t stop.

I tasted blood in my mouth, felt it leaking from my nose.

I could feel my heartbeat in my ears.

And I was straining to draw in my next breath.

I was dying.

Being who I was, I couldn’t go out without the last word .

Sputtering and struggling, I managed to push out a croak at Draco. “You… failed.”

With a roar, he tossed me across the room.

I grunted as I skidded helplessly into a stone wall with a bone-jarring thud.

I tried to roll onto my side, but my body was so beyond done. I couldn’t move a muscle.

All I could do was watch in horror as Draco raised his sword, that creepy-ass gem swirling with power.

He was calling his Hellfire forth.

“This place deserves to burn.” His eyes flashed at me. “As do you. Hellfire is an unimaginably painful way to die, sorcerer. I will enjoy watching you suffer.”

He thrust his sword up toward the ceiling, seconds away from the Hellfire erupting from it.

But then he abruptly stilled.

He spun, searching, his eyes darting all over the place, sensing something.

What?

Dark-blue lightning exploded through the room, firing every which way.

Someone emerged from its epicenter.

Terror gripped me as soon as she came into view.

Mia!

What was she doing here?

Draco reacted, firing his sword at her, the Hellfire sparking.

But she was ready for him.

Her right fist blazed with that ominous dark-blue power she’d been so afraid of tapping into. She thrust it at the floor, sending a violent path of lightning toward Draco.

He roared as it struck him, taking hold, encompassing him wholly.

He clawed at it, struggling wildly .

“Be gone, demon!” Mia yelled, groaning with the effort of a final push that had her magic swallowing Draco whole.

What the hell?

She rose to her feet and sucked in a trembling breath as she called her power back with some struggle. Shit.

Her eyes went wide with terror when she was able to turn her attention my way.

“Ryker!” she shrieked, running toward me, her heels clacking wildly.

“Where… did… he go?”

“I banished him,” she said, distractedly, not really giving me much. “Temporarily, at least.”

“Go,” I told her, reaching out a shaking hand.

She knelt down beside me and took my hand in hers. “Oh my God!” she cried when she noticed the veins. “He struck you with his sword?”

Even as she asked the question, her eyes were scanning me frantically.

And then she zeroed in on the wound in my shoulder. “My love,” she breathed, pain all over her, her voice cracking with it.

“Need you… safe… before I… go,” I croaked, my hand going limp in hers.

“I’m not losing you,” I heard her say.

Her magic erupted around us and I felt the pull of teleportation.

Good. She was leaving the Guardian Compound.

Relief coursed through me.

It was the last thing I felt before the world slipped away.