Release (The Protector Book 3) (42 page)

Rayna and Willy had been knocked unconscious, but when they came to and shifted back to their human counterparts, neither of them was badly injured.

Once we returned to the warehouse, Marcus, Rayna, and I discussed the events that had unfolded, especially the fire that had ripped through my eyes from a rage that had been oddly under my control. While Rayna added more of Grams’s ointment to my chest and arms and bandaged the wounds again, we tried to figure out exactly what was going on.

“You cannot go on like this,” Marcus said. “Your elements are a time bomb just waiting to be released. And when they do…”

“I know…”

“There has to be something we can do,” Rayna said. “A spell maybe?”

“Grams is looking into it, but I fear we’re running out of time. The magic is breaking down Chase’s body faster than it can heal. If at any point he surrenders to its will…” His voice trailed off.

“Boom,” I said.

Marcus nodded, but disappointment pulled at his dark skin. “We’ll find something, son.” He patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry.”

I gave Marcus a sincere smile, but it took all the energy I had to make it look genuine. We were running out of time to do everything. I knew I was falling apart. Although I wasn’t strictly mortal, the magic inside me was too much, and I wasn’t designed to carry it all.

Marcus closed the door to the small room that had become a bedroom, and Rayna slid across the bed towards me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and pulled herself against me.

Her body touching mine sent sparks of energy up from my soul, but they were quickly quelled by the pain of her pressing against the wound on my chest. I didn’t wince, or gasp, for fear she’d pull away. Right now it was quiet and I had the only person I wanted near me. If I could’ve paused time—even with the pain—this was one of the moments I would have frozen and reveled in.

“We
will
find a way,” she said, but her voice was muffled. Her face was buried in my neck.

I ran my hands through her soft, black hair. “I know…” I whispered.

Rayna pulled herself away and looked at me, her green eyes carrying a glossy film. “You don’t believe me,” she said, and it wasn’t a question.

“It’s not that. I just don’t know what we can do. The Triquerta and Grams have been around magic for centuries and their first reaction wasn’t very encouraging.”

Rayna grabbed both sides of my face, and locked her gaze with mine. “Listen, you are not allowed to leave me. I need you here, fighting with me.”

I smiled, and this time it was as true as any I’d ever had. “Until the end.”

Rayna stared back at me before leaning in and pressing her lips to mine. The kiss was soft and subtle. A single tear fell down her face and spilled across our cheeks. “We’ll be at the end together,” she said. “And we’ll walk away from all this together.”

I nodded and kissed her forehead, pulling her back against my chest. The pain was worth having her close, and I knew if I held her there, she couldn’t see the fear in my eyes.

Without a doubt, the end of all this was coming, but I wasn’t confident we’d be walking away together. What I did know was that I would die making sure she walked away from it. Riley could kill me, but Rayna, Willy, Tiki, and Marcus would all walk away from this. I would die before I let anything happen to them. They were all I had left; they were my family.

The word family made adrenaline spike through my veins, and my heartbeat increased. That’s what I was fighting for now. Not to save the worlds and all the creatures in them, but to keep the ones I loved safe. Riley and the Brothers had taken enough from me; I wouldn’t let them take any more.

******

My eyes opened to the concrete ceiling above me. Strangely, it was more comforting than the undamaged stucco of the condo. It felt more like home and reminded me of the life I’d had with Mom. It made me smile, which was ironic since I hadn’t felt very happy about my life then. It was only a few months ago but it felt like a lifetime. So much had changed that I didn’t even recognize it as my own life.

Rayna was gone. A knock came, and Tiki and Willy stepped into the room. They closed the door quietly behind them and shuffled to either side of the bed.

“How you making out?” Willy asked.

“I’m great.” I smiled.

“Liar,” Willy said, unsuccessfully hiding the sadness in his eyes. He wasn’t much for concealing his emotions. Come to think of it, I wasn’t as good as I thought either.

“I am proud of you, Chase Williams,” Tiki said.

“Proud? Why’s that?”

“I know you only agreed to help Vincent for me. You wanted to help me maintain my oath, but without me there, you still stood beside him and risked your life for his.”

“I started doing it for you, Tiki, but it wasn’t your oath that made me fight beside him. I don’t forgive his wrongdoings, but the very people who were
supposed
to stand beside him stole everything from him. They gave him a nightmare he’s never been able to escape. I couldn’t stand there and watch them do it to him anymore. If anyone should feel proud, it’s Willy.”

“Me?”

“You had no business in there. After what Vincent did to you, you—”

“I fought beside my friends. There’s nothing special about that.”

“Are you kidding me? Everything about that is special.”

Tiki smiled. “Willy, you may lack the Mark, but you and Chase are both true Protectors, my friend.”

Willy smiled and lowered his eyes. “Thanks…”

“Yeah, now if only we knew what that meant. I can’t even use my elements.”

“You don’t need to know what it means, and you don’t need magic,” Willy said. “You’re defining who the Protector is with the way you act. You don’t need a tattoo or special abilities to be that person.”

“I do if I want to stop Riley.”

“Chase, stop being stupid. When I met you, you didn’t have any of those things. You could’ve killed me, but you didn’t. Although sometimes I wish you would have, I—”

“What? Don’t you ever talk like that.”

“My point is—”

“No, you listen to me, Willy. I don’t want to hear that from you ever again. You’re better than that. You’re better than all of us. You’re right, you shouldn’t be here. You should be out living a life of freedom. You’re special, Willy, in so many ways you don’t even know.”

“I’m the Omega in a wolf pack, I killed my best friend, and half the time my words stumble out of my mouth. What’s there to feel special about?”

“I should slap the words out of your mouth right now,” I snapped, and anger throbbed inside me. Willy’s eyes locked with mine and I shook my head. “You have unwavering faith. That alone is enough. But regardless of how unsure of yourself you might be, you
always
do what’s right. You stand beside your friends through everything, even when you shouldn’t. You’re brave and loyal, Willy. Those are two traits nothing in the world can replace.”

Willy laughed. “I’m not brave, that’s just the wolf. The real me is scared of everything.”

“That’s exactly why you are,” Tiki said. “Even in fear, you fight for what you believe in. You may be scared but you don’t let that fear stop you. That’s what bravery is, Willy. That’s what you are.”

“My point was,” Willy said, “you had nothing when we met. No magic, no mark. You were just a guy trying to survive in a world full of monsters. Brock and those hunters would’ve tortured me that night. They might’ve even killed me. You stopped them without any elements. You risked yourself because it was the right thing to do.”

“And how did that turn out again? Oh right, I got knocked out and couldn’t even help you.” I laughed.

“But it gave us something else, Chase—friendship. Friendship I never thought I’d have.”

“But look what’s happened to you since then. You’ve been beaten up time and time again, you nearly died from a werewolf bite, and I forced you to fight for a vampire you hate. That doesn’t make me sound like much of a friend.”

“Look at how far I’ve come. Not as a werewolf, but as a person. I feel like somebody now, Chase. Before all this, I was a shadow on the wall. I didn’t exist. Your courage gave me the confidence to stand up for what’s right. Just like you did for me.”

“Then why do you seem so sad?”

Willy shook his head and didn’t answer.

“I know it’s not Vincent anymore. You’ve made that clear. Is it the Shadowpack?”

“No…even at the bottom I’m happy to belong. They make me feel like I’m part of something.”

“You are. You’re a part of them, and you’re a part of us. We all need you, Willy. I only wish it wasn’t under these circumstances. I wish you could go off and live a life where you were happy. You’re not happy right now. You haven’t been for a while, so what gives?”

Willy looked at Tiki, who only shrugged, and then back to me.

“Willy, if we’re really friends, talk to me.”

“I…I don’t want to lose you guys.”

“What?”

“The only family I’ve ever had is Grams. I love her, but she’s…Grams.” Willy smirked. “And Duncan was the only friend I had before you guys. First it was Rayna, we thought she was going to die because of the shift, now you can’t even use your magic without falling apart, and…”

“And what?” Tiki asked.

“I’m scared I’m going to lose the only people who matter to me again. Vincent made me take Duncan away and now Riley’s going to take you. This should be my chance for redemption—to fight for what happened to Duncan. After him, I didn’t think I’d find a friend ever again, and now I have more than I ever dreamed of. But all I can do is sit on the sidelines and occasionally bite a vampire. I’m sad because I feel helpless.”

“Willy, I don’t want this for you. I want you to be happy. You belong in a life where you can have that.”

“I don’t want that life. I want this one, but I want you guys to be in it!” Willy kicked the bedpost and turned away.

“And we will be,” I said. “I’ll never be able to truly pay you back for all you’ve done here, Willy. But I know, without a doubt, that we’ll make it through this.”

“Don’t lie to me, Chase. You don’t even think we can win.”

“Is it going to be hard? Absolutely. But know this—we
will
win. One way or another, I will make sure that you all make it out of this alive, and that Riley and the Dark Brothers go down in flames.”

Willy looked at me and I put every ounce of sincerity that I could in my face. I didn’t want to see Willy like this anymore. He needed to believe that I believed that.

“You got me?” I said, holding out my hand.

A long moment passed and Willy nodded. “I got you.” He gripped my hand and gave me a solid shake.

“Good. Now stop thinking like that. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and if you insist on sticking around, I need you on your A game.”

“I’m there,” Willy said.

I nodded. Tiki sat quietly on the other side of the bed smiling.

“What?” I asked.

Tiki shrugged. “You guys make me happy. Family…I like that.”

“You want to hug, don’t you?” Willy asked.

Tiki looked between us both and nodded. “I really do.”

Willy and Tiki gripped one another in a tight hug and patted each other’s backs before they turned to me. Both their arms grabbed me and I groaned in pain.

“Oh crap, sorry.” Willy winced.

“Don’t be, I’m fine.”

“Liar.”

I couldn’t help but smile, and for the first time in weeks, a glint of happiness shone in Willy’s eyes.

“Tiki and I are going down to Revelations. I think we all need a little time to decompress before we dive into hell. I thing Grayson is even going to come.”

“Finally getting him out of the books?” I laughed. “I think you’re right. Decompression, at this point, is needed.”

“You don’t want to come?”

“No, I think I’m going to stay here and rest. Whatever happened to me back there took a lot out of me.”

“Be well, my friend,” Tiki said. “We will fight together again, and soon we will end all of this.”

“Damn straight.” I nodded.

Rai fluttered into the room as Tiki and Willy left and landed on my leg. Her gentle blue eyes peered up at me, small bursts of white light flashing inside them. She sang a soft melody and walked up my shirt, her claws gentle along the edges of my wound. Her head tilted to the side and she sang a short burst of notes before pressing her beak against my nose.

“Hey girl,” I whispered, running fingers down her back. She raised her tail as my fingers neared the end. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” I touched her distorted wing and her feathers ruffled.

She leaned in and buried her tiny head into my neck, chirping the soft melody again. “I’m not going to lie I’m not feeling so great.” I continued to stroke her feathers and she pulled away from me. Her eyes stared into mine and her head cocked to the other side. “Things aren’t looking good for us, Rai. But I’ve got to be strong. Everyone out there is counting on me.”

She chirped a few times and flapped her wings. The air gusting over my face made me smile. “I’m trying,” I said, scratching under her beak. She lifted her head and pushed it into my hand. “But I’m scared we can’t win.”