I swallowed hard, my heart lurching as I watched Benedict shoot his way through a group of six Sons, firing and stalking, firing and stalking, until the cover of the battle took him from my sight.
I itched to move, to help, but I was under strict orders to wait for my moment. The element of surprise was our biggest weapon against my mother’s considerable powers, and if we had the slightest chance of ending her, I needed to stick to the damn plan.
Easier fucking said than done, when every fiber of my being screamed out to track Benedict and stand at my mate’s back, protecting him till the bitter end.
Power surged in my blood, thrashing and begging for release. My fangs lowered, aching to tear into the flesh of the monsters who stormed the lycans unprovoked. The ones who ganged up on a wolf and were stabbing and shooting at it, the whimpers reaching even my ears.
Anger rose in me like a tidal wave at the sight of the creature being overrun, and I raised my hands, aiming at the Sons who were brutally attacking it. Fuck hiding. That creature needed help, and the Hunters and Assassins were tied up with their own storms of Sons wielding weapons that could actually bring the vampires down.
With half a thought, I wielded my powers at the group hurting the wolf, and ran into the fray. I could feel the weight of their bodies through the strings of my power connecting to each of them, and by the time I reached the wolf? The Sons were already floating in the air. I gave them a wink before sending them soaring over the grassy terrain, their screams fuel to the wrath in my blood.
They would not survive the fall.
I knelt by the wolf who was whimpering on the ground, its blood coating its beautiful sandy coat. “It’s going to be okay,” I said, my heart lurching at the sight of the wounded creature.
I closed my eyes and laid my hands on its flank as I sent wave after wave of healing light over the wounds. Slowly, the gashes closed, but there was nothing I could do about the blood loss it had already suffered. I just had to hope closing the wounds would be enough to save the—
A half-snarl half-scream sounded above the noise of the battle, and my blood turned to ice.
Benedict.
I ran toward the sound, my vampire speed carrying me faster than ever before. Shoving Sons and wolves and vampires alike out of my way, I surged toward the high ground where my mate had roared from—
I skidded to a halt, my vision flashing red for a moment before clearing.
Benedict fired his last round toward my mother—toward Genevieve—and she deflected it with a too-easy shield of purple energy. He lowered the gun, his free hand fisting something as he bared his fangs at her.
“Who told you about this?” Genevieve asked as casually as if she were asking him what kind of tea he liked. She stalked toward him, confidence radiating from every step. Gemma and Norman were no longer at her side, having descended into the battle the second they realized they were outmatched with the aid of the Assassins.
“What was that?” Benedict asked, tilting his head as if he couldn’t hear her. Goddess, he wanted her closer.
“Don’t play games with me, little lie detector. Who leaked the information to you?” She stopped within an arm’s reach, and my heart halted.
This was our moment.
Our plan.
Come on, come on, come on. Do it. Do it so I can finish this.
My fingers ached, I was clenching them so hard, fighting every instinct roaring in my body to charge. That was my fucking mate facing down the most powerful witch in history.
“Call off your witches,” he said. “And maybe I’ll tell you.”
She rolled her eyes, and it was all Benedict needed.
He uncurled his fist and flung the ruby dust in her face with the same sharp shooter precision he used with guns. I wanted to whoop with joy at the shot, watching with wide eyes as my mother stumbled back a few feet, clawing at her face as she hissed.
“Asshole,” she snapped, and my blood ran cold at the strength in her voice.
I moved to step out of the shadows, ready to pounce, but she was faster, stronger.
With one hand, she speared lightning bolts of power straight through Benedict’s shoulders. He roared, dropping to his knees as he clawed at the power he couldn’t tear out.
I felt the agony down the bond, the sheer force of it freezing me in place for a few seconds.
Genevieve swiped at her face with a swirling whirl of power, the ruby dust disappearing. There were only a few red patches on her face from where it had burned her, and while she may have been weakened, it certainly wasn’t as much as we’d hoped.