KyriakisTriumph Read online

  You evil bastard. I’m going to enjoy killing you, her words entered his head.

  Gage laughed. “You may be a worthless dog but I have to admire your fortitude. But you’ve forgotten, I’m much stronger than you remember.” He amped up the power intending to cause as much pain as possible without killing her. If she were to die, he could steal her essence and increase his powers but if she lived, he could use her essence over and over again and become even more powerful. He’d never been the most patient of men but he’d learned his lesson from killing the first seraphim. Though its essence had enhanced Gage’s abilities, it had gradually worn off because he wasn’t born with powers. It was why having Anisa in his fold in the first place was invaluable to him. Now that he had her back, he didn’t intend to lose that asset any time soon. But he needed to teach her a lesson. One she wouldn’t soon forget. He wanted her to be as beaten and broken as her ally, Gaspard.

  She howled but it wasn’t the sound of complete agony. It was one of anger and defiance.

  “You think you can stand up to me, bitch?” He increased the power.

  This time her howl had a hint of pain. Gage chuckled. He was getting there. He’d have her begging him soon enough.

  Anisa drew on her anger to hold off Gage but she had to concentrate really hard. Once she thought of a shield, she lost communication with Sarah and Paris. Hearing their voices was enough to give her the strength to fight. She wouldn’t go out without a fight.

  She was aware that Gage wanted to break her and make her one of his mindless captives. If he had his way, she’d be even more broken than the rest of his followers. She couldn’t live that life. She’d rather die. But as she continued to hold him off, he increased the power and it was starting to hurt.

  Absorbing the pain the best that she could, she tried her best to ignore his taunts.

  “You think you can stand up to me, bitch?”

  Funny, I already am, she shot back telepathically.

  “You’re sure of yourself now, but you won’t be singing that tune for long. Especially when I capture the half-breed and make her my slave as well. And I’ll use you to track her. I’ll have an unlimited source of power.”

  No! She couldn’t allow that to happen. She’d do anything to keep Sarah safe even if it meant sacrificing herself. And if that’s what she had to do then so be it. But she realized that Gage’s end game wasn’t to kill her, at least not yet. She had to force his hand and make him angry to the point where he would lose control.

  What’s the matter, Gage? Are you upset because it’s taken you so long to find me? I guess you’re not as powerful as you think you are. You’re just a wannabe warlock. That’s why you hunt shifters because you can’t go head to head with a real warlock or witch. Your powers are nothing! Anisa taunted.

  “Shut up you, bitch!”

  The bolt of power he sent her way was even more painful the first few waves. She gritted her teeth. This was by far the most intense pain she’d ever experienced in her life. Even more painful than when he used to torture her when she was his captive. Anisa was certain the only reason she was able to endure this now was because of the power within her that she’d unlocked.

  Apparently, it wasn’t enough to kill her. She had to die in order to save Sarah. So Anisa went for the one thing she knew he was most sensitive about. She once heard the other Hunters discussing it. When Gage had learned they were discussing this personal matter about him, in a fit of rage, he had skinned them alive. When he was finished, he had his shifter slaves eat them. Anisa released a mental sigh knowing this may be her last moment on Earth.

  What’s the matter? Are you angry because you’re not a real warlock? Or are you mad that you’re not a real man? You’re incapable of pleasuring anyone, even yourself. Anisa had found out that Gage had been born into slavery and his cruel master had had all his male slaves fully castrated by removing their testicles and penises to make them more docile. Anisa had felt a little sorry for the Hunter when she’d heard this. It was mean-spirited and cruel of her to taunt Gage for something he couldn’t help and was obviously very sensitive about. But if this was what got the job done, then so be it. Besides, he’d perpetuated so much evil himself that any guilt she may have felt wasn’t lasting.

  Just as she expected, Gage’s eyes turned pitch black before he unleashed a power of the likes she’d never seen before. The shield Anisa had fought so hard to keep up was faltering as unbearable pain penetrated her very soul. She could literally feel herself being ripped apart. And a light so bright exploded throughout the room.

  Anisa was certain she was dying but it was okay, it would keep her loved ones safe. I love you, Sarah…and Paris was her last coherent thought.

  * * *

  Once the portal was opened, Paris couldn’t walk through it fast enough.

  “Everyone, hurry! I can’t hold this portal open longer than a minute because this spell is draining. Paris was the first one through, followed by Aries, Constantine, a handful of his pack’s best fighters, the Grimaldi brothers and finally Sasha and Steel.

  They were twenty-five strong against an army of Hunters but they have had more motivation, many of them were much older which meant they were stronger, and their powers were natural. The problem with black magic was that many of those who practiced it didn’t account for, was the fact that the dark arts were unpredictable and they had a very powerful witch and warlock on their side who could exploit that.

  The portal closed almost immediately when the last person came through.

  “Now, what?” Paris asked when he didn’t see anything but trees. They were standing in the middle of some dark forest where not much light penetrated.

  No sooner did the words come out than Paris was hit with a powerful bolt of energy. He fell backward and that’s when the chaos seemed to begin. A group of Hunters appeared out of nowhere and began to attack with magically enhanced weapons.

  Paris barely dodged an electrified whip coming his way. He rolled over and jumped to his feet and flashed toward the Hunter. He ducked another blow that came his way and wrapped his arm around the Hunter’s neck and ripped his head off. The Hunter’s face was still in mid-scream as he tossed the head to the ground.

  No sooner had that Hunter gone down, then another two came at him with more weapons. But Paris was quicker and stronger than them, even in his human form. He shifted his arms and his claws came out and his muscles popped. With one hand, he disemboweled one of the Hunters, yanking out his intestines before turning around and ripping out the other’s throat. Paris fought through several more allowing his rage to rip each of his attackers apart.

  He must have gone through at least 20 of them before he realized how easy this group of Hunters were to get through. Surely ages old Hunters would put up more of a fight. Paris had barely broken a sweat, although he was covered in blood and guts.

  Only when there were no more Hunters coming at him did he look around to see bodies on the ground. There had to be well over a hundred. Thankfully, none of them were from his group.

  “That was way too easy,” he muttered.

  “Yes, there were a lot of them but they didn’t seem to possess as much magic as I’d expect of a Hunter,” Aries responded.

  “That’s probably because they were low levels. They were the first line of Gage’s defense,” Steel added. “I’m reckoning that the closer we get to Gage, the stronger the Hunters become.”

  Paris frowned as he took in his surroundings. “But where is Gage’s lair?”

  “Beneath our feet. I can feel that this ground has been warded but the spell isn’t a very good one because we shouldn’t be able to notice it. That means it was either hastily done or it’s too fresh to have properly settled,” Sasha explained. “On the bright side, it should only take Steel and I a few minutes to break through the ward.”

  “You say that there’s some bad news as well,” Paris speculated.

  Sasha sighed. “Well, as you’ve all seen, we’ve gone thro
ugh the lower level Hunters. Once we go inside, there will be more powerful ones waiting.”

  “Well, you know what that means everyone. We’ll have to fight smarter and work together. When you see one of your teammates in trouble, help them to the best of your ability. We’re going against some old dark magic.”

  The group all nodded in agreement and everyone seemed ready for what was to come. As Paris waited for Sasha and Steel to lift the ward, he whispered, “Hold on Anisa. I’m coming.”

  * * *

  Barron, one of his higher ranking men burst into Gage’s throne room. Kyriakis and his pack members are outside the lair. They managed to get through all the lower levels. They’re going to make it inside!”

  Gage, who was still seething with rage from the seraphim’s taunts, turned around and blasted his man with a shock of lighting. “How dare you interrupt me when I’m in the middle of something!” he yelled.

  The Hunter hit the ground clutching his chest. “But…Lord Gage… they’re going to break through the ward. They’re going to get inside,” Barron wheezed.

  It finally registered what his man had told him. Kyriakis was here? When did that happen? How did they find this place so soon? He figured if they were smart they would use the half-breed to locate her mother but he didn’t think they’d find out how to find them so fast. That had been his intention. Even those dumb mutts would realize that the seraphim blood connected Anisa and her daughter and they would be able to find each other. That was why it had been important for him to have them both.

  Did that mean the half-breed was outside now? With Anisa dead, now more than ever he needed her. He glanced behind and saw Anisa’s lifeless body had shifted back to her human form and a moment of regret washed over him. He wished he wouldn’t have lost his temper because he could have feasted off her essence for years. Now, he’d have to drain her essence before it escaped.

  “Well, ready all the men. When they come in, we’ll be ready for them. Make sure no harm comes to the half-breed.”

  Barron shook his head. “My Lord... she’s not with them.”

  “What? Then how are they getting in.”

  “A witch and warlock are among their party. I believe the witch bears the mark of Hecate.”

  “What? Are you certain?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who else was with them?”

  “A group of vampires. They got through the lower levels fairly easy for them.”

  Gage screamed in rage. This wasn’t a part of the plan. It was bad enough there was a witch and a warlock on their side but a hectite witch would be a problem. They were said to be blessed by the original bearer of magic and had a reservoir of unimaginable power. But it didn’t matter. They could go through every single one of his men but they wouldn’t get to him because once he drained Anisa of her essence, he’d be all powerful and there would be no stopping him.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Paris grappled with a Hunter who was much stronger than the ones they battled before they got inside of this underground fortress. From the second his team entered, they were attacked from all sides. Paris had yet to fully shift but now he was definitely in mid-shift where he was half man, a half beast. His strength had increased and his canines were bared.

  The Hunter sent a power punch to his solar plexus making Paris double over but he quickly grabbed the villain by the crotch and dug in with his claws, pulling hard enough to rip his enemies’ balls off. The Hunter screamed in agony as Paris tore open the man’s throat with his teeth.

  He wasn’t allowed to rest because he was suddenly lifted in the air and thrown across the room by a black-eyed Hunter. Before he got a chance to recover, he was lifted and thrown again. Before it happened again, he saw a fist explode through the Hunter’s chest. As the Hunter fell to the ground, Paris saw Dante holding the man’s still-beating heart in the palm of his hand before crushing it. Just then, he saw another one of the black-eyed villains charge toward Dante. Paris raced toward him and fully shifted in mid-air as he pounced on the assailant before he could get to Dante.

  Paris made quick work of tearing him apart with his teeth and claws. In this form, he was swifter and even stronger. He worked in tandem with his vampire friend. Dante would immobilize one of Gage’s men while Paris tore them to shreds. They worked tirelessly taking hits and fighting as hard as they could.

  What made things so tricky was the fact that there were shifters among the Hunters who were working for Gage. They attacked viciously, and one had even managed to sink his teeth into Paris’s flank. But Dante had his back and managed to grab the rogue shifter by the tail and slam it on the ground over and over again, bashing its brains in.

  Once the mindless shifters were all dead, it was easier to focus on the Hunters.

  It helped that most of the Hunters couldn’t match the Romanov magic. And the vampires moved so quickly, they were almost undetected by the untrained eye. His team worked together like a well-oiled machine even though they were outnumbered.

  Paris observed Romeo and Niccolo Grimaldi each taking the arm of one Hunter and ripping them off as the man screamed in agony. His pack members fought hard and dirty, tearing and clawing their way through these dark minions.

  Sasha and Steel seemed to have no problem going through each of these villains in a battle of magic. Sasha actually made a Hunter’s head explode when it looked as if he was about to attack her mate, Niccolo.

  They all fought hard but Anisa had to be somewhere in this lair and he needed to find her.

  He shot a message into Dante’s mind. Do you think the group can handle these guys?

  Dante nodded. “I think so. Why?”

  “I need to find Anisa.”

  “I’ll come with you. You shouldn’t face Gage alone.”

  Fine but remember, he’s mine to kill.

  Certain his team could handle the rest of the Hunters, Paris took off in search of Anisa. He called out to her mind but there was no response. Frustrated as they searched through this labyrinth, Paris was starting to lose hope when he caught a familiar scent.

  It was Anisa’s! He raced toward it with Dante on his heels until they came a set of ornate double doors, he instinctively knew Anisa was behind them.

  Paris would have rammed his body against it when none other than Gaspard Fortier stepped out of the shadows.

  “It seems we meet again, Kyriakis. You took something precious from me so now you’re going to have to pay.” And then, the warlock’s eyes began to glow.

  * * *

  Anisa was almost certain she was dead as she felt a floating sensation. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw her lifeless body lying on the ground. Gage stood over her body and placed his hands on her head and began to chant. She watched the scene unfold before her as if she were watching a movie. He started to chant over her body but Gage stopped with a frown.

  He then repeated the chant. This time when he shouted in frustration his hand punched her still body. Anisa winced as she watched the scene unfold before her even though she didn’t feel the pain of the blow.

  What was happening? Was she really dead? How was she watching this happen? Was she a spirit?

  “No, you’re not a spirit, Anisa.”

  Anisa looked over her shoulder to a see a point golden light floating next to her. It was where the voice was coming from. She looked below her to see Gage cursing and raging. He was now shaking her unconscious body. If she wasn’t dead, then she’d certainly feel those wounds when she woke up.

  “What are you? Why can’t Gage see you?”

  “Because he’s not one of us. You can see me because we’re connected. When a seraphim dies, there’s still a part of us that’s left behind. We’re all joined as one and you live through me, Anisa.”

  She stared at the ball of light. “What are you? Who are you?”

  “I used to go by many names until I fell in love with this beautiful shifter. I took the form of a shifter so that I could be with her. And a beautiful child ca
me from that union.”

  Anisa didn’t have to ask because in her heart she knew the answer to her unspoken question. “You’re my father.”

  “Yes. I may not have had the honor to raise you but I was always with you.”

  Anisa had only learned that the Nkrumah Alpha and her mate had not been her biological parents after she was captured by Gage but knowing they had taken her in and raised her would forever make them special in her heart. However, meeting her father or what used to be her father touched something deep inside of her.

  “Why am I only seeing now?”

  “Because you’re on another physical plane. You’ve reached a state of nirvana. It’s when your body has suffered a pain so acute that it’s on the brink of death and your soul flees. You have a limited amount of time to decide whether your soul moves on or if you return to your body.”

  Anisa looked down at the scene beneath her and a newly frustrated Gage raging and screaming because apparently, something wasn’t going according to his plan.

  “What’s happening down there?” she asked the light.

  “He can’t extract your essence when you’re in this state.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing, right? If I go back, he’ll use me until the day I die.”

  “This is true but he’ll still have you if you move on, he’ll be able to take all of your essence at once.”

  “Then, I won’t go. I’ll stay here.”

  “If you choose to stay in this state, you will cease to be in all planes.”

  “But then he won’t get my essence, correct?”

  “No.”

  “Then so be it. This is where I’ll stay.”

  “But, is it really a sacrifice when you don’t choose? When he came for me, I fought with all my heart to make sure you and your mother got away safely. Yes, he took my essence but I fought for you and I don’t regret it. If I didn’t fight, you wouldn’t exist and neither would your daughter or the child she’s carrying. Are you saying they aren’t worth fighting for?”