Castine steps forward, ending the only chance of reasoning with the woman we've loved. But the crazy gleam in Aunt Hilly's eyes leads me to believe there was never going to be any chance of resolving this without resorting to measures that can only end in bloodshed.
"We're going to need Drackus," I whisper, still battling my panic as my eyes fall on the dark user with hopelessness and guilt in his eyes.
Kane releases me as he starts strategizing with Deke and Zee, keeping his voice so low that not even I can hear him.
I can see the light
s of the eyes of all their followers as they start stepping out from the circle, their numbers multiplying. We are so outnumbered.
Mom's lips tighten as she looks behind her. Shay walks up, apparently just as shocked as we are, but she shakes her head to answer my mother's silent question. Mom sighs out hard, and then she turns back to me.
"He'll be here. Soon, I hope. I should have just brought him as he was. I didn't know what was going on until we got back and the hexer filled us in. She saw this, but not in detail. All I knew was Pine Shore was the center."
"Go get him," I whisper.
"I can't leave you here."
Before I can argue, sparks fly, powers unleash, and hell descends upon us in the form of Castine's attack.
I scream as a burst of power hits me and knocks me backward. My breath becomes rasp, and I actually beg myself to lose it so I can hit her just as fucking hard.
Ignoring my bleeding torso and the tang of blood in my mouth, I throw my hand out, ready to counter. But I'm met with nothing but a small fleck of power that is barely up to my normal degree of strength. What. The. Hell?
"Keep her back!" Kane yells to Zee, pointing at me.
I yell for him as he charges Castine. He's no match. She'll destroy him.
I try to shake Zee off, but apparently he's learned to subdue my powers. I struggle, calling him a string of horrible names as everyone else dives in, facing off with the dark forces that are seconds from bringing the world to its knees.
"Zee! Let me go! They need help!"
"Then fucking use your powers from here!"
Amari strikes Deke and sends him sailing backwards. Seconds later, she hits Dray just as hard, but he vanishes and reappears at her side, catching her off guard in his haze of smoky air.
Frankie finds himself surrounded by dark users, and he fights to dodge their attacks while flinging out his own. There are too damn many for him.
"Stop subduing me so I can use my powers!"
"I'm not."
I look down, wondering why my orbs refuse to form. I've never had a problem summoning them. Of all the times—
"Alyssa!" Thad's impersonator yells, interrupting my panic attack. "Take off the—"
A hard punch across his face from my enemy night stalker shuts him up and drops him to the ground completely. Those glowing blues fall on me, and I lose sight of the rest of the fight.
"Zee. How good are you?" I ask, gasping as the night stalker blurs toward us.
"Good enough," he says, stepping in front of me, but the blow he takes before he can even see the attacker has to crunch some bones.
A hand clasps my throat, and I scramble to get free as the hold becomes painful. We're outnumbered, outmatched, and outdone right now. And I can't do a damn thing about it.
"Alyssa!" I hear Kane yell, and then I hear a cry of pain coming from him.
All I can do is shed tears. I can't see what's going on past the night stalker blues terrorizing me to my core.
"I told you I'd finish this," he whispers with his fangs bared.