Chapter 41
ADAM
“Get the gear off that truck! Hand out packs!” Owen barks as we set up a few blocks down from a giant mansion in Brooklyn.
Jake has been on the phone for the last several hours with the mayor, trying to ensure him that this will only affect the Vinelli property. He’s being road blocked.
“Mr. Mayor. If you need to talk to the human council, I can put you through, but we don’t have that time to waste. If we don’t take care of this, all your people are in danger.” Jake paces around as he talks.
I stop in and glare. “Jake.” I grit quietly. This is political bullshit that I couldn’t care less about.
He waves me away and I groan.
I walk away from the area and stare up at the moon. It’s coming. I feel it. It’s almost full and a deeper blue than last night.
I feel arms snake around my waist and I turn with a smile. I pull Astrid into my arms and hold her.
“Nervous?” She asks.
“No.” I shake my head. “I turned my emotions off. I just want to get to the fight. This is taking too long.” I hold her close and rest my head on her hair. “I can’t wait to stand under that with you.” I point up to the moon.
She looks up at me. “I can’t wait either.”
I glide my fingers onto her cheek and kiss her passionately. I lied a little bit. Not all of my emotions are turned off. I gave my shifter a little bit of leeway to feel this with Astrid. My Luna. My mate forever. I know she is.
Our kiss is interrupted by an explosion that rocked the neighborhood.
I look to Astrid with wide eyes then run down the street. I turn the corner and scan the street the Vinellis are on.
I see jet boots and a hover board in the air. Smoke and growls rise into the air as more explosions go off.
“Adam!”
I turn my head to Jake and my team. Pointing down the street, I tick my head. “Axelridge isn’t waiting for the mayor.”
Jake groans and turns. “ALRIGHT! DEPLOY!” He yells with a growl.
The PR will be a nightmare, but that’s not my problem.
I grab Astrid and we take off to the fight.
There’s guys in armor and sports equipment weapons all over the place fighting lycans. Some are shifted and the house has grey smoke coming out its broken windows.
We all rush through the broken gates and join the fight.
Oliver brought a team of ten dires with him and they immediately shifted, smelling the already spilled blood.
“LYCANS ONLY!! I MEAN IT!” He roars at them as they take off and launch themselves at the shifted lycans.
He looks at me. “Pups. What can ya do?” He shrugs with a smirk.
I raise a brow. “You brought pups?”
“They need their pound of flesh too.” He rips off his pack, shifts and runs into the battle as I shake my head.
Wes and Deacon shift and Graham helps Cass by teleporting him to the other side of the battle.
Cass starts shooting arrows like they’re going out of style. Lycans go down in pink, fiery explosions as the arrows hit their chests
Graham grabs and holds lycans then teleports them, one by one, to the mirror world, leaving them there.
Astrid pulls her sword and I smirk. “Let’s kill the fuckers.”
“Agreed.” She smirks back.
With a loud hissing growl, I leap into the air, drop my fangs and claws and land on the first Lycan I see.
I grab his hair, pull his head back and rip my fangs into his neck. I suck back some blood, then tear his throat out. He screams and bucks me off. Before I can retaliate, I’m grabbed from behind and thrown.
I land on my toes and hand and immediately leap at the one who threw me. I grab his arms and the force of my flight knocks him off balance. His wolf jaws bite and snap as my Vamp hisses in his face. My eyes glow bright green and my nails sink into his muzzle. I use all my strength to expose his neck.
He tries to fight me, but I use all my supernatural weight to pin him and tear his neck to pieces.
Astrid slices and dices her way through the fight. She grabs the arm of a lycan and her hand glows red hot. He screams and throws her just as his arm catches fire.
She lands on her back, but flips to her stomach. I watch as she pulled up to her feet by another lycan and she spins in his grasp. She grabs his arm and sinks her canines into his bicep. He drops her and holds his arm. He shifts as her icy poison flows through him and he freezes. Once complete, she growls loud, swings her sword and smashes him to pieces.
She continues biting and smashing as the Phoenix Alphas rip apart the incoming lycans.
I shred everything I come in contact with. More lycans pour out of the house and shift. The dires meet them head on with Quinn’s black lycan in the middle of it. His large arms wrap around necks and pull heads off as they try and bring him down.
The Phoenix Alphas are finishing those who may still be alive and I’m feeding lycans to the dires.
We get close to center of the battle and merge with Axelridge.
Jax, along with two leather clad bikers, are swinging maces and taking off heads. Finn and bunch of fighters in silver armor, swing sharp, metal hockey sticks, slicing the animals in half.
Eddie is on the ground, throwing knives and the other two Alphas are finishing them off.
I had just finished tearing off a head, when an explosion came from the house. I whip my head to it and my blood turns to raging fire.
Lefu steps out the door with a magic ball in hand.
Marcus runs at him, only to be subdued. He’s no match for him.
I was just about to help Marcus, when Abraxas slithers wildly under my skin.
I feel it too.
The sky went dark. The clouds moved in and the wind picked up. Lightning fired through the sky. Thunder boomed and my eyes went to the trees at the edge of the property.
“Astrid!” I call out and look for her.
“Here! What is…” She pants as she joins my side. Her eyes widen as she turns to where I’m looking.
The battle stops as what I suspected unfolds in front of me.
“What the hell is that?!”
“Damn it.” I growl as the demon smoke rises over the tops of the trees.
Lightning strikes the ground and explodes as it flies over the battle. Some lycans run to the house and plow through the broken door.
I follow the demonic snake as it coasts through the sky.
“COME TO ME!” Lefu raises his arms out and laughs.
The demon rears up then shoots straight for him.
“MARC, WE GOT THIS! GET SOPHIE!” I hear yelled just as the smoke hits Lefu and blacks him out almost completely. It lets out an electrified, rattling roar before invading Lefus body.
“Adam.” Astrid tugs on my arm.
“It’s over now.” I grit and drop my pack. I pull out my skull and hold it.
“No, please.” Astrid begs grabbing my arm.
I look into her eyes. “I love you.” I kiss her and stand.
“ADAM, WAIT!”
I turn and my dad runs up with a bag. He drops to my feet and pulls out a launcher. With it, an open missile casing.
“I just finished it. It’s not tested, but try it…please.” He holds the three pronged opening to me.
“You sure?” I say to him.
“It’s worth a shot.” He smiles.
The battle around us gets bloody fast as the Death demons combine in Lefus body.
I lift the skull and place it face out in the rockets teeth. It clamps down on it and it looks like a death missile.
“That’s pretty cool.” I smirk.
My dad takes it and loads it into the launcher. “Point and shoot. It should release the skull with enough force to drive it into his chest. Assuming you don’t have to be holding it, it should to the job for you.”
“Thanks.” I take the launcher and clap his shoulder.
“I’ll always have your back, no matter what.” He grins.
I nod and briefly feel the love I have for him.
Taking off, I run through the battle, targeting Lefu.
His head is lowered and his fists are balled as he fights the power within him. I can see him struggling to hold his humans body together. His skin ripples as the demons push and shove under it. He heaves breaths and growls. His body shakes as the demons fight for control.
I skid to a stop just as the Axelridge Alphas attack him. They’re thrown away by his magic and his eyes meet mine. One green, one yellow. His lips snarls. “Adam.”
“Miss me.” I tick my head and raise the launcher. I pull the trigger and the skull flies directly for him. I feel the heat. I see the hellish gate and the fires of hell in my eyes as I keep my eye on the missile.
My heart beats and worry fills me. Please let this work.
I hold my breath as it enters his zone. This is it.
He bellows out a growl and a red ball grows in his palm. He fires and it hits the skull. It flies to the side into the air.
I watch the missile and the skull separate and land in the battle.
My jaw drops and I turn back to Lefu. He lowers his head to me and locks with my eyes. “Cheap trick, Regenerator.” His dark demented voice hits my chest.
“I’ll show you cheap.” I clench and explode to my lycan. I double my size and run at him. He shifts and we both clash.
Lycans and fighters get out of the way as we hit the ground, trying to claw each other. Our wolf heads scream and roar with anger as we try to best each other.
I stand and he leaps on my back. I flip myself forward and he flies over my head, landing on his back.
Abraxas surfaces in my lycan. “You think you have power? You’re time is up.”
My Lycan reaches down, grabs him by the throat. He throws him up and back down into the ground.
Lefu yells in pain and rolls. His eyes meet mine and his muzzle snarls. He flips back up to his feet and swings his claws at me.
I block his throws as I back up. My lycan challenges with a roar and back hands Lefu across the face. He rushes me and we hit like two out of control trains. I wrap my arms around his neck and he has me by the waist. He growls snaps and bites as I try to separate his head from his body. He calls his demon magic and we are blasted apart. I land on my back and shift.
He gets up to his knee and raises his head. His lycan opens his mouth and his drooling canines grow. His eyes glow and he runs at me with pure fury.
I look to my side and see my pack. I scramble to open it and pull out the cross. I rush to my feet and hold the long end in my hands at my side as Lefu invades my space. With a loud scream, I stab Lefu in the heart with the end of it.
He arches back with a roaring scream as my face twists in pure rage.
He falls onto his back and I fall on top of him.
The ground shakes and I raise my head.
The fights around us pause and retreat when they feel what’s coming.
Just behind us the earth splits open and an iron cage covered in black crosses rises from the dirt.
I look back down and Lefu grabs my arms.
“We will meet again.” He grinds, knowing his fate.
I stare into his soul. “I’ll be waiting.” I clench as I push the cross deeper into his chest. He looks behind him as the door to the prison opens.
Men start to panic and run as the area fills with powerful cosmic forces. It starts to suck Lefu in and I’m not letting go.
He digs his claws into the ground and tries to stop himself from being sucked into the prison.
I twist the cross in his chest and he yelps in agony. His demons surface. “Forget waiting. You’re coming with me.”
He grabs my arms again and his claws impale my skin. I throw my head back and scream.
The Cosmic forces pull even harder. I’m riding Lefu like a sideways surfboard to the awaiting prison. The wind whips my hair and I clench my teeth as I try to pull him off me, but he grips tighter.
“ADAM! MOVE!”
I whip my head around and see Astrid running to me.
“Astrid! Stay back!” I yell.
But it was too late.
She leaps into the air and raises her hand. I see my skull in her fingers and watch her come down. She cries out as she slams the bottom of the skull onto the top of the cross to drive it into his chest more.
For a brief moment, my eyes meet hers and we’re blown back by brilliant white heat that blasts out as the skull and cross explode into Lefu.
I land on my back and cough it out. My ears pick up a growing high pitched whine. I sit up and look around. Astrid is slowly lifting herself up.
“Astrid!” I crawl to her and protect her in my arms as the whine gets louder.
Lefu levitates off the ground and he bellows out in pain. His arms and legs dangle limply off his body as he throws his head back and roars.
I wince as the whine gets even louder. The prison behind him glows yellow and starts to shake.
The ground shakes so hard, a lot of the fighters fall over.
I cover Astrid’s head as I watch the prison bars start to crack. It starts to vibrate to almost a blur.
Lefu is screaming as he’s lifted five feet into the air.
He’s laid out on his back just as the prison implodes to its tiniest molecule, making us all flinch and the shockwave rocks the surrounding houses.
The earth quakes even harder and I hold Astrid tighter. Lightning cracks, thunder rolls across the sky and Astrid buries herself into me. “What’s happening?”
I watch the ground split beneath Lefu. Hell fire and demon calls rise from the crack. The howls of hellhounds float from the hole and I see the gate open.
“Lucifer's come to collect.”