Vengeance of a Queen: The Resurrection of Queens, Book 2
Vengeance of a Queen: Chapter 22

Several things happen at once.

As though I’m watching all of this in slow motion, I observe as my magic slices cleanly through the magical defenses. At least, it appears to. In the same moment, I feel Ayla’s shout down our bond as well as the demons closing in on us.

A shockwave blasts out from my magic’s contact with the weapon’s defenses. It sends us hurtling either back into the tunnel or into the chamber’s walls. Malcolm and Darcy stay in the chamber, but I’m thrust into the tunnel, right at the feet of Malick and a cloaked figure.

I’m envisioning that Lego Batman clip again.

“Malcolm!” My shout rings in my head. I’m not sure if I’m shouting loud enough to get Malcolm’s attention or not since my ears are ringing.

Malick and the cloaked being glance down at me. Malick’s face is oddly blank. Any time we engaged him in the past, he always had a very expressive face, so to see him like this now is creeping me the fuck out. Big time.

I can’t see the face of the person next to him. They are not only covered by a large hooded cloak, they are also using magic to keep their identity secret. I remember Ayla telling me that those who worked with demons felt…fuzzy? Off? And I can feel it now myself. I don’t see this person in a blurry way, instead the sound of their magic rings completely off tune.

Scrambling to my feet, I thrust up a magical shield and glance behind me. Darcy is at the mouth of the chamber and Malcolm is just moving into sight. My feet start to slowly inch back toward my friends as my gaze shoots to the wonderful horde of demons currently barring our exit. We already faced the daunting task of trying to figure out a way to get the weapon, now we need to keep it safe and fight our way out.

Once I stand with Darcy and Malcolm, my shield fitted into the opening, I reached out to Ayla through our bond.

Buzz Lightyear to Star Command. Come in, Star Command. Over.

Seriously?

Just making sure you’re listening.

There’s a whole swarm of demons up here. A few slipped through. Kelly and I can’t hold the tunnels open much longer, we need to help Caleb, Dante, and Connor. She sounds frantic and worried.

Malick and a new mage are down here with friends. The weapon is protected by some weird defensive magic. We didn’t even get a chance to get close before they came down here.

“Motherforking shirtballs.”

I chuckle at her The Good Place reference.

Okay… Here’s what we’ll do. Kelly and I are going to close the tunnel. We’ll help take care of the demons topside, then open the tunnel again and send help down. Do you think you can hold them off?

Do we have a choice?

Not really, no.

If you let us die down here, I’m going to haunt your sorry ass for all eternity.

Noted.

The ground rumbles, signaling that we’ve been cut off from the surface. Now we just need to not die. Totally fine. Just a normal day really.

I had kept the bond open with Darcy and Malcolm so they could hear what was going on without tipping the demons off. Neither of them look too thrilled that we’re down here on our own. We’re going to need to head back home to the infirmary once this is over.

Casting a quick glance at the weapon, I firm up my stance and brace my shield. Malick and the mage haven’t moved yet, but I know they won’t stay still forever.

“Malcolm, you need to work on getting that weapon. Darcy and I will hold the demons off.” I flick my gaze to his. I can tell he wants to argue, but he nods and inches back toward the platform. “Darcy, I’m going to try to make it so the shield will let you, and only you, come and go. We can pick them off and defend.”

Her eyes bleed to black, and she sends me a chilling smile. I’m really glad I’m on the receiving end of her wrath right now. She steps out of the shield and then leans back in. Thankfully, she’s able to do both.

“You’ve been cut off from the surface,” the mage remarks. I’m having a hard time determining if the person under the hood is male or female. “Your friends won’t be able to stand against the army we brought. Neither can you, for that matter.”

Darcy starts laughing. Full-on, psycho belly laughing. Okay. Alright. We have an unhinged vampire, witch, demon hybrid on our hands. Cool. Totally fine.

“Liv,” Malcolm calls. “I think I’m going to need you to help me with this.”

“Seriously?” I hiss.

“It might take both of us working together to break through,” he tries to reason.

“Go,” Darcy commands without even a glance over her shoulder.

If we’re going to do this, we’re going to need to do it fast. Otherwise, Darcy is dead and then we’re dead. I inhale deeply and start to pull in as much magic as I can. We’re going to need as much firepower as possible.

With a nod, we all move as one. The last thing I see before I focus on Malcolm and the platform are the demons rushing around Malick and the mage as they head for Darcy.

I step over to Malcolm and grab his hand. “Let’s do this as fast as possible.”

The echoes of the fight start ringing through the chamber, and our leading vampire doesn’t seem to be struggling…yet. Malcolm squeezes my hand.

“I need you to funnel your magic into me. I know we haven’t worked on this yet, but picture a river as the magic flows its way from you and into me. I’ll channel it, give it direction.” He sounds far calmer than I feel, but I need to center myself if this is going to work.

I shake out the hand that isn’t clasped in Malcolm’s before I close my eyes. I focus on the river metaphor Malcolm used, picturing my magic as a flowing stream of amethyst, then I concentrate on our joined hands. The river runs from my center, down my arm, and then from my hand and into Malcolm. I think it’s working, because it actually feels as though energy is leaving me and pouring into my mate.

“Good, keep it up, kitten.” His voice sounds strained. I don’t crack my eyes open out of fear I’ll lose my concentration.

I continue to power my magic into Malcolm until there’s hardly any left. It feels as though all of the energy has been completely sapped from my body. My legs tremble, and I need to lock my knees to keep me standing upright. Once I’ve given him all I can, I open my eyes.

Gasping, I try to understand what I’m seeing. Malcolm’s face is creased in pain and sweat pours from his forehead. It looks as though he’s also having difficulty standing. His entire body is shuddering.

He raises a wobbly hand, his breathing rough and choppy—it’s far too labored for my liking. Energy starts to form in his palm. It’s a stunning mixture of amethyst and deep forest green. It builds until it’s almost the same size as Malcolm.

Just as he’s releasing the magic, I hear Darcy scream, “Liv! Watch out!”

Once again, my life moves in slow motion. A sense of dread surges through me as I turn toward Darcy’s warning, but it’s already too late. Gods. No. My heart slams inside my chest. My lungs freeze.

Someone is screaming. It’s a heartbroken sound that, if it continues, will make my ears bleed. My legs give out, and I sink to my knees. My arms fly up.

Malcolm has been skewered with a wicked, black lance. As I watch Malcolm take a single step forward before he sinks to his knees, the magic we made together slams into the platform. That’s when I realize I’m the person screaming.

I can still feel Malcolm through our bond, but it’s growing weaker. My fury gives me the strength I need to climb to my feet again. It fuels me with more magic and feeds my need for vengeance.

As much as I want to rush to Malcolm’s side, I need to destroy the threat. Even if I could heal him, it wouldn’t matter if the demons were still around. Darcy is outside the chamber, but Malick and the mage are now in here with us. We are separated by several feet, but I close the distance in a blink.

Malick still has that odd, blank look on his face. He’s not the real threat right now. The mage at his side, however…

That motherfucker is going down.

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