Chapter 115
I left Kasa to watch Landers, while Eric and I searched for something to use to tie Landers down, but a new concern was growing within me, where had Hyacinth gone? She should have returned to the meeting, but the cottage was quiet and there was no sign of anyone, no staff, no creaks, nothing, and it was worrying me. I took the west side of the property, while Eric looked on the East, I walked down the corridor, opening doors, looking for a sign there was something I could use. I didn’t realise I had gone as far as Hyacinth’s personal library until I opened the door, and found her, with Aine and two other women I had briefly seen around the property but hadn’t spoken to. All four women were gathered around a circular table, with several open books and a very large crystal of some kind in the centre. The women were holding hands, Hyacinth was panting, energy rolled off her in waves, while the other three were oddly still, their eyes closed, but their breathing steady.
“Hyacinth? What’s going on?” I cried, she was obviously in pain, and using a phenomenal amount of power.
“There’s too many! The barrier will fall, they’ll get through, I can’t hold them back much longer!” She whimpered, and I realised she was using the women’s energy and the crystal to channel all of her powers into her protections.
“From where? Can we evacuate?” I tried moving closer, but the energy she was emitting kept pushing me back.
“No, but I can borrow your mind link, warn everyone to take shelter with a witch that can form protections!” She groaned as she pulled the energy back so I could get near her. “Touch me, and I will be able to borrow your link and power, but you have to let go before I take too much!” I fought against the energy until I reached her, and without thinking, placed my hand on her arm. I was immediately transported to the edge of the town, it looked like hundreds of vampires, were attacking the barrier Hyacinth had created, their claws making pink sparks fly as they scratched at it. Some were just charging it, their deformed, elongated bodies made them appear especially sinister, as they clamoured over each other to resume their assault on the town’s defences. Hyacinth’s voice boomed all around me, echoing slightly, it made the whole thing feel like a nightmare. “We are under attack; they do not want you. Take shelter within any home or building with protections, the vampires will come for me, you’ll be safe, and protect each other.” She said in a voice that conveyed she was really saying goodbye, she didn’t expect to survive. I started looking around me for a way back to the cottage, I wasn’t sure exactly where I was, or how to get back, and there was nothing around me to indicate which way I should go. I tried to shift, use my wolf’s smell or speed to get back to Hyacinth, but I couldn’t, I couldn’t reach my wolf, and I couldn’t shift. I felt panic unlike anything I had ever experienced before, as the barrier started flashing in the same soft pink, like it was failing, and I was stuck. “Daniel, you have to let go, I can’t maintain the spell any longer, and if I take any more from you... you won’t survive. Let go, if you don’t, my people won’t have the time to set up their own protections, let go, Daniel, give Dermot the time to protect Charlie!” Hyacinth’s voice pleaded, not as loud and echoing as before. At the mention of Charlie’s name, something changed, I was back in the cottage with a blink of my eye, and almost in slow motion, as I raised my hand off Hyacinth’s arm, I was flung violently backwards and into a bookcase. The expensive mahogany wood splintered under the force of my body colliding with it, and paper pages rained down slowly around me as I slid to the floor, my ribs bruised, but thankfully not broken. Hyacinth was still frozen to the spot, her vibrant red hair, grew dull and faded, until it was all the white of the streak I had come so associate with the striking woman.
“Hyacinth? What’s happening?” I called to her, as I attempted and failed to get up off of the floor, the power kept me pinned in place.
“I need to buy them as much time as possible to protect themselves! What if I’m wrong? What if they sent so many so they could wipe us off the map?” She wheezed, and despite her magic appearing to drain her, the energy was just as thunderous as when I entered.
“Then we will fight with you, the witches and the Lycans, just like we said! But we need you! Stop before it’s too late!” I tried to reason with her, but I could tell from the determined scowl on her face, she was going to fight until she used what remained of her life force to give her people as long as possible. I struggled to my feet as I was beaten back and prepared myself to tackle her, if necessary, to save her life when I heard Aine’s voice.
“Your people need you to live my queen, do not sacrifice yourself and leave them in their darkest hour.” She said softly to Hyacinth, I watched a tear slip down the younger woman’s cheek, and she tore her hands away from her fellow witches, breaking the connection. The resulting explosion sent the other women hurtling backwards from the table, as Aine screamed in pain, the remaining energy for the spell taken from her. I watched in horror as she appeared to burn from the inside out, her eyes melted as her body jerked, her scream died out, and her body made one final spasm before it fell, as if hollowed, to the floor with a dull thud. The energy in the room had dissipated, all I could hear was Hyacinth’s anguished sobs, as she crawled to Aine’s lifeless body.
“I’m sorry Hyacinth. I’m so, so, sorry.” I said as I gently lifted her off of the corpse of her friend. “But we have to go. The vampires will be here any minute, I’m sorry.” I murmured into her now brilliantly white hair as she wailed into my chest, her grief overwhelmed her, for a moment, before she pulled herself together and straightened her spine with a nod.
“Cara, Shannon, go to the panic room upstairs and lock yourselves inside, it will stay locked for twenty-four hours, or until I input my security code, but there is more than enough food and water for a couple of weeks in there. If the vampires haven’t left before the door is set to unlock, use the override code onyx sunflower, all one word, it will keep the door locked until you type the code in again.” She instructed the other women from the spell as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, and after a brief hug, we parted ways, they headed upstairs, while we went in search of the other Alphas.
“A panic room?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“I am a single woman, who lives alone.” She stated emotionlessly. “And I’m smart enough to know that a room with not only every protection humans can create, but also magical warding and protection spells, should the outer defences fail, is never a bad idea. At least Cara and Shannon will survive this, even if we don’t.” She said ruefully, as we headed back to the meeting room.
“Oh, we need rope or something to tie Lander up with, should he be half feral like he was earlier!” I explained with a sigh.
“Rope? Please? And what on earth happened? I only left you alone for half an hour!” Hyacinth exclaimed with a huff as she opened the doors. “Kasa, how are you? Are you aware we are about to be under attack?” Hyacinth breezed by an astounded-looking Kasa and a thankfully still unconscious Lander.
“Lander came in crazed, almost out of control, convinced that Eric had kidnapped his mate and pup, and was watching the boy being beaten on his phone. But Kasa searched the phone, but couldn’t find anything, not even suspicious gaps in the data. The most important piece of information we got from Lander is that the vampires are involved in his family’s abduction and that they want me dead. He was supposed to kill me at their signal, which I think we can all agree was the attack, that will be here any moment. We need to block up the windows, and doors before they...” My sentence died on my lips.
“You really think I would live anywhere I hadn’t put protections on? It won’t last long, but it’ll be longer than we would get if we barred the doors and windows with the furniture!” Hyacinth replied with a snort.
“Fine, Kasa, go find Eric, Hyacinth with immobilise Lander, and we will put him somewhere before the vampires get here, hopefully, the protections will last long enough for us to come up with a plan,” I ordered, my fear for Charlie made me short-tempered, and gruff. “Will she be safe?” I whispered to Hyacinth once we were alone, I needed someone to tell me she would be alright. She nodded, went back to her spell over Lander's body, and seemingly ignored me. I breathed a small sigh of relief before I opened the link to Charlie.
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