Astrid's Wish (22 page)

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“Astrid, my son, I have a surprise visitor for you.” Ivan laughed as he stepped aside to let a man come into the room.

He gasped, and his heart froze in fear. Even in the poor lighting of the room he would know that face anywhere. Lucian. Instinctively, he threw his hands up to block the blows from the man’s fist. His father and Lucian laughed at his apparent distress.

“Now, Astrid, is that any way to greet me?” Lucian asked as he knelt down in front of him.

His lips trembled along with his body. The sound of the material of his clothes grating against one another as he shook uncontrollably was the only sound in the room. His breath caught in his chest as helplessness and terror weaved their way through his body. Every bad memory came crashing back to him in fast succession.

“Don’t be afraid, love.” Lucian ran his knuckles down the side of his face. He flinched at the touch, and Lucian just laughed. “Now that I have you again, no one, and I mean no one, will take my pet away from me again.”

“I’m not your pet,” he whispered past his trembling lips. “And you will never have me. I love Klaus, and you can’t beat that out of me.”

The look in Lucian’s eyes grew dark, and his hand gripped Astrid by the chin. He bit down on his tongue to keep from crying out as Lucian’s nails dug into his tender flesh. He’d given enough tears and cries of despair to the man. He wasn’t giving him any more.

“Looks like in your time away from me, you forgot how to treat your master.” Lucian loosened his grip, and his eyes snapped to Ivan’s. “No worries, though. We have nothing but time to rectify that.”

“Lucian, do you mind giving me a moment alone with my son?”

A smiled graced Ivan’s lips as he asked Lucian for some privacy.

“Of course.” Lucian patted the side of Astrid’s cheek as he stood up. He smiled down at him then nodded toward Ivan then left the room.

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The breath Astrid had been holding came out in a rush. His lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. He knew there wasn’t any love for him where Ivan was concerned, but why, if they needed him, would they hand him over to Lucian? How could they expect him to want to help their cause when he was being abused by the man they gave him to?

“Why is he here?” he finally asked.

“Lucian? Because we need his assistance with our mission of taking out the CPB, and you were the bargaining chip. It seems he has grown quite attached to you for one reason or another.” The aloofness in his tone suggested that he couldn’t possibly fathom why anybody would want to be near him. It would have stung, but he didn’t care what Ivan thought.

“You’re crazy.” Astrid laughed hysterically. “The things that man has done and will do to me.” Tears spilled down his cheeks as he shook his head. “I will never help you.” Astrid fisted his fingers in his hair, tugging on the blond strands until his head ached.

“See, that is where you are wrong. If you want your precious Klaus to live, you will indeed help the dark warriors’ cause. Because if you don’t, your mate will meet the final death.”

Astrid couldn’t believe what Ivan said. He was blackmailing him to help them. What had he done in a previous life to garner such a shitty, unfair one now? He still wasn’t even sure what they wanted him to do.

Astrid jumped to his feet. “What is it exactly you need me for?”

he shouted. “I’m not even sure I can be of any use to you. I’m still learning.”

“Astrid.” Ivan turned slowly around to face him. “Remember what I said earlier about magic without consequence?” He nodded, still not understanding. “How easy would it be to simply wish away a council member or wish to bend a person’s will your way? With you, it will be so easy. Once we take care of all the leaders in charge, the council will crumble, and then the Warriors of the Dark can swoop in and
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take out the rest and any others not willing to bow to the new regime.

With the new following, we can do whatever we want. We can live the lives we were supposed to lead with the freedom to use magic as we see fit, not the pompous asses of the council.”

“You would kill innocent people just to get what you want?”

“Yes.” Ivan shrugged one shoulder in indifference. “I’ve done it before.” Without another word, Ivan left the room.

He slid down the wall until his ass hit the hard stone floor. The coldness from the ground seeped through his pants, causing him to shiver. It wasn’t just the falling temperature that caused the chill to run through his body but the utter uselessness he felt. Either way, he was fucked. If he helped Ivan, people would die, and if he didn’t, Klaus would die.

He was at an impasse on what to do. Resting his forehead against his knees, he began to sob. The injustice of it all wasn’t fair. He was a weapon for evil, and his biological father would exploit his abilities in any way he saw fit.

He had to find a way to escape and get back to Klaus. Together, and with the fellow Warriors of the Light, they could come up with a way to stop Ivan. They just had to.

* * * *

“I’ve got five in view at my vantage point. What do you got?”

Ben asked Klaus through his earpiece.

He eased his way up and peeked through the broken window. He only counted five individuals, and two of them were Ivan and Lucian.

Easing back down, he answered Ben. “I can only make out five as well. But I didn’t see Astrid among the group.”

“Me either. They probably have him stashed away in one of those rooms on the far end of the building. Don’t worry, man. We’ll find your boy,” Ben promised.

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With the bomb set off, preventing any of the paranormals inside from using their magical capabilities, they had to move fast. Time ticked away, and their window of opportunity was dwindling by the second. They had to move now.

“Ben, time’s a-wasting. Let’s do this,” he said over the line.

“I agree. I say since we got the element of surprise on our side, we go in guns blazing. On the count of three, kick your door in and swarm those bastards.”

He agreed, and on three, he lifted his leg and kicked with all his might, sending the door shooting across the room. Even without his magic, he was one strong motherfucker. Years of training had prepared him for situations like this one. Sometimes magic wasn’t your best resource but your physical capabilities were. And he planned on getting extremely physical with Lucian. The bastard would pay for what he had done to Astrid.

As the doors came down, the five men in the center of the room turned toward them. Ivan didn’t seem the least bit surprised to have a gun aimed at his head.

“Oh, how sweet, the cavalry has come to save the little fairy,”

Lucian teased as his men laughed.

“Where is he, Ivan? If you want to survive this, give him to us now, and no one has to get hurt.” He tilted his head to look at Lucian.

“Except you. You will die for what you’ve done.”

Lucian’s soulless laugh echoed in the abandoned building. “You think so, do you?” He nudged Ivan in the arm. “I’m bored with this.

Twitch your nose, snap your fingers, do whatever it is that you witches do and get rid of them.”

“I’ll take care of them, son. Save your energy.”

Klaus blinked several times, not believing what he was seeing.

Constance Reznik, Ivan’s mother, came into view. Not good. If Ivan’s father ,Van, was a part of this mess, they were in for a world of hurt.

Van Reznik, a high-ranking official on the witches’ council, had allies all over the world. With his connections he could have
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orchestrated the whole thing, Astrid’s conception and the ultimate destruction of the Council of Paranormal Beings. But it didn’t make any sense. He’d known Van since he was a small child. He was friends with the man. Van never showed one ounce of doubt or dislike toward the council. Van fought for equality and justice in their world.

He had to be missing something.

“I see you brought your toys,” Constance said as she pointed at the rifle held firmly in his hand. “Silly boy, you of all these fools know the power of a witch, especially an elder like me.”

“Who’s she?” Carter asked as he pushed his way forward.

“I’m the mother of the man you’ve been fornicating with for the past several months, you twit.”

Abner growled behind him. Klaus took a gander he wasn’t happy to have Carter’s past relationship shoved in his face yet again. He couldn’t blame the man.

At Carter’s blank stare, Constance rolled her eyes. “Honestly, son, how did you endure such a simpleton for as long as you did?”

“I’m sorry.” Carter giggled. “I’m just surprised is all. I was for certain Ivan was hatched from something, but I guess I was wrong.”

Carter shrugged his shoulders, causing his rifle to lift. “After meeting you, I guess the old saying is true.”

“And what’s that?” She glared at Carter.

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and in your son’s case, that would be the bitch tree.”

Constance’s face pinched in anger at the comment. Klaus couldn’t stifle his giggle at the appalled look on her face, and he wasn’t the only one.

“You’ll be sorry you said that.” She pointed her boney finger at Carter. “Through time and space take these cretins out of my space.”

This time Klaus rolled his eyes at the woman. Constance was an old witch, and she still believed the old ways that words held the power, not the person, but one’s power was what made the magic work, not some fancy rhyming words.

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When her spell didn’t work, she repeated it. Still, nothing. She stomped her foot and turned toward Ivan. “What is going on here?”

“I don’t know,” Ivan said as he glowered at Carter. He was obviously trying to tap into his own magic and had Carter as his target.

“Oh, we forgot to tell you.” Carter took another step forward and smiled at Ivan. “We cast our own little spell.”

“What does that mean?” Ivan growled at the young witch.

“It means your bitch asses are powerless,” Ben said as he shifted his attention to Lucian. “You, too, fang. As of now, you are all mere mortals. So we will ask again. Where is Astrid?”

The sound of screeching tires and slamming doors had everyone turning toward the main entrance. The sliding metal door creaked open, and at least fifty different types of paranormals stood before them. Some Klaus knew from council meetings, and some he had never seen before. No magic would help them, but they were still outnumbered. Benedict needed to get there quick, or they were all doomed.

“So, who wants to play?” Lucian snapped his fingers, and his men descended on them.

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He looked up at the sound of Klaus’s voice. At first he thought he was hearing things, only imagining what he wanted to hear. But then he heard Ben’s and Carter’s voices and knew they had come for him.

How they found him he had no clue, but he was grateful nevertheless.

He jumped to his feet and ran to the door. The knob wouldn’t budge in his hand. Throwing his shoulder into the door, Astrid tried to break it open. All he managed to do was bruise up his arm.

The sound of shots rang out through building, and he dropped to his belly and covered his head. Voices shouting followed the shots.

He felt the same tingles of panic he always did when bad things happened. He lay motionless on the floor, not even able to cry out for help.

Mindlessly, he began to tug on the leather thong around his neck, and to his surprise it broke loose. He sat up and stared at the thin piece of leather that had held him prisoner.

“I’m free.”

Courage and hope bubbled up inside him. He had a weapon he could use against his father and Lucian, himself. He crawled toward the door, staying low. With bullets whizzing around outside, he didn’t want to get hit by a stray. It wouldn’t kill him but still would hurt like the dickens.

“I wish the door would open.” He waited, but nothing happened.

So he tried again, and still nothing. Grabbing the knob, he began to shake it and cry out for help. Someone would hear him and come save him. They had to.

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* * * *

It seemed once they shot down one paranormal, three more appeared from the mist. Klaus and the other men were able to shoot their way out of the center of the room and back into a corner where old machinery lay about. They used it to help deflect the bullets Lucian’s men aimed their way.

“Ben, where the fuck is your father?” Klaus shouted above the noise.

As if on cue, the sound of propellers wafted through the broken windows of the hangar, sending dirt and debris flying into the air.

Benedict had arrived with more warriors, and gunfire rang out beyond the building.

“We just might make it out of this,” Klaus said as he shot off a few more rounds at the advancing enemy.

“We better. My mate and I have a child to plan for, and you and Astrid are an important part in that factor.” Ben got shoulder-to-shoulder with him as they took turns shooting at the enemy. “We do not die today, my friend, not today.”

He looked down when he felt a tugging at his pant leg, to see Miles staring up at him. “Cover Carter and I.”

“What, are you insane?” he whispered.

“The offices are just right there.” Miles pointed to a small gap that led to a hallway. “If you guys cover us, we can get Astrid out of there.

Please, Klaus,” Miles pleaded.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Ben shouted at Miles. “Did you forget that you’re human right now? Your abilities aren’t heightened. Which means you’re not as strong or as fast as you are when a vampire.”

“Ben, time is running out before we all have our magical components back. This may be our only shot. Our son said not to worry and to have faith in me.” Miles smiled sheepishly up at Ben. “I added the last part, but it’s true. I can do this. Now cover us.”

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