Ivormantis (17 page)

He leaned over to speak quietly to her. “War is a bit like the game Chess. The white pawn moves first. We’re at the point where we wait to see who is white; who will be the one to break code and move first.”

A whistle wisped through the air, but it was not the whistle of a person. A split second latter, a silver stake was piercing through the right side of Elijah’s chest. Meldamiriel gasped, as she stood gapping at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He cocked an eyebrow down at the weapon sticking out of his chest, completely unamused, before forcefully ripping it back out. He turned to look down at her again.

“They’re white.” It was all he growled before throwing the stake at vamp speed back into the forest. A painful cry followed closely behind its disappearance.

Bodies burst from the trees, yelling as they came running and waving their weapons in the air. They seemed to be carrying at least one of every kind: crossbows, pistols, swords, knives, daggers, and even a machine gun. They were here for the kill and the blood of their enemies. Elijah was right, they were just pawns in a game of chess. The only ones that were here for the true fight of life and death were Hazellette, Clyde, and Bullock. The rest of the soldiers could care less whether she lived or died.

Meldamiriel readied herself to call upon her powers as she watched the first line of defense get hit hard with the intruding vampires. A second wave of them kept fighting their way forward, trying to get in as close as possible. She heard the roar of a dragon and looked up to see Ivormantis diving down to catch several vampires in his claws before flying them over the trees and dropping them, letting the branches skewer them in their decent. Sapphamire and Naquadus flew in quickly behind him. Sapphamire rained a hot blaze of fire down on several of their enemy, while Naquadus spat out fireballs, letting them roll on the ground and wrap the evil creatures up into their inferno. The amount of fighting vampires was quickly dwindling down to only a very few. The wolves had barely even gotten a taste of the fight with them. She looked all around them thinking,
There was no way that this
is it. This can’t be the end of the fight
. At least she didn’t think so. She would have thought that if she was wanted that badly, there would be more of a challenge. She hadn’t even needed her powers, but that didn’t stop her from keeping her guard up in case there was a round two.

“You think I would make things that easy, little girl? Ha! That was only the beginning. You will be mine,” a deep male voice boomed through the air.

“I know that voice,” Meldamiriel whispered. “It’s him.” Tears started to build up in her eyes as an ice-cold shiver snaked down her spine. He was back, as she had always known he would be. He was back for her.

Ivormantis dropped down directly in front of her, taking a protective stance. In his mind, he was thinking,
Anyone who wants to get to her have to go through me first
.

However, even she knew that after all these years, the wizard whom had murdered her family was now back to claim the ultimate prize.

“Clyde, show yourself, you fucking bastard!” Elijah roared into the sky. Neither Clyde nor Hazellette had yet to be spotted.

“As you wish!”

Thunder rumbled and dark angry clouds suddenly began to close in over them, droplets of rain hit Meldamiriel’s face as she looked up to the sky and watched Clyde’s building storm. He was her demon to face and she knew that the only way to end her constant fear was to face him head on. And then she remembered her training session just a few days prior. If the wizard thought that he was such a big shot with a light rainstorm, he had another thing coming.

“I’ll take care of Clyde,” she said, shocking the two men and dragon before her.

“Sweet mate, I…”

She held up her hand.

“Ivormantis, I know you are aware of what Dominic and I have talked about. And I know that it is your duty as my mate and loving dragon to be willing to lay down your life for me. However, I’m not going to have that murderer think I’m so small and weak anymore. I need to face my fears and demons. And today is that day.”

Ivormantis lowered his head down to eye level with her.

“And I respect that courage of yours that you have finally found. Know that I won’t be far. If you need me. I will be watching over you. Now go cook some wizard tushy,” he said, giving her a wink.

Meldamiriel smiled. Her big dragon had certainly gained a spot in her heart.

Taking a deep breath and setting her shoulders straight, she walked past Ivormantis and out onto the open land that lie before them. The castle guards and the wolves had cleared a nice opening, as they were quickly disposing of the dead corpses that lay all around them.

“Face me, Clyde,” she said in almost a whisper.

A chuckle brushed across her ear, then a cloud of smoke formed before her. It slowly drifted away in the breeze to reveal a tall and lean man who looked like he was in his thirties, but she knew better. It was just his magic at work. But one couldn’t help but wonder, if he was putting that much effort into keeping his smokescreen up with his looks, what areas did that now make him weak in? His piercing blue eyes snaked across her body as if he could see her naked, giving her the creeps and chills. She pushed her feelings aside and stood strong and firm. She would not show any weakness before him today, not like she had all those years ago when she was a small helpless child.

“My, how you have grown. And into such a bewitching creature at that.” His silver tongue was coated in a lying venom, a poison most women would fall for. But not her.

“Funny, you don’t look like you’ve aged a day.”

He gave her a charming wicked smile. “Let’s cut the small talk here, shall we. Just turn back to your friends and convince them that you wish to go with me.”

Meldamiriel shook her head slightly. “You still think that I’m a child and will do as you say willingly. That’s quite pathetic, even for you.”

“Would you rather I put a spell over you?” It was more of a threat than a question.

“Ha, I’d love to see you try.”

Clyde put his hand out in front of her face, his brow furrowing as his gaze narrowed and became determined and mesmerized. She could hear the faint whispers of everyone behind her. Natasha and Blain were back on the ground and in their human forms. They were standing at the front of the line with Elijah, Edmond, and Gattlin. Ivormantis was pacing back and forth behind the group nervously as he worried over his mate. She kept her eyes locked with Clyde’s, humoring him as she let him play out his little magic trick. When he was satisfied and believed to have her completely trapped under his spell, he stood straight with an evil smile slowly crawling its way across his lips.

“Now try to disobey me.” A wicked glint flashed through his eyes, as he looked past her and spotted Ivormantis’ nervous behavior. “Show your mate that you do not belong to him,” he ordered her.

Meldamiriel took a hypnotic step forward until she stood directly in front of him, her head tilted back, gazing up at him, and stretched up on her tiptoes. She could sense that Ivormantis had stopped pacing. She felt his worried gaze, as it seemed to burn the flesh on her back, reaching inside of her, begging her not to do this.
No need to worry, baby. I will always be yours.
She hoped that somehow her thoughts would convey to him. Clyde grinned an evil grin as he knotted a fist into her hair and started to lean down toward her. His facial expression changed dramatically when he stopped only mere inches away from her lips. The sight before him shocked him down to his toes as he watched her own devilish smile curve her lips. Her eyes turned from a piercing blue to solid white glowing orbs.

Thunder cracked overhead, lightning now zipping through the clouds. He stumbled a step or two away from her. His eyes grew large as he watched the storm he had created grow stronger and choleric without his willing. The clouds moved to form a face, lightning lighting up the hollowed eyes and mouth as the thunder rumbled to resemble a mocking laugh toward him. Clyde narrowed his eyes in fury and shot Meldamiriel a look that could kill. She smirked back at him. Her white glowing orbs seemed to light up even more.

“What are you doing?” he boomed in demand.

“Oh come now, surely you’re not afraid of a little thunder, are you?” she teased mockingly. Narrowing her eyes, a bolt of lightning struck the ground nearby him, causing him jump in shock. “The tables are turned now, aren’t they? You see, I no longer fear you like I did when I was a small child. That’s not who I am anymore. I don’t fear you. You don’t rule me anymore. I am my own person and nobody controls me!” she yelled, the thunder roaring louder as her temper spiked.

“You are no match for me, you little bitch,” he growled, putting his hand out, palm up, creating a little whirlwind in it. He allowed it to fly off his hand and dance around them in a circle, closing them off from everyone else.

Meldamiriel simply cocked an eyebrow, slowly twisting her hand around and around beside her hip. A roar, not from a massive creature, shook the ground beneath Clyde’s feet. Looking around in the sudden darkness, he saw nothing at first. Then a crack of lightning lit up the vast tornado that was heading directly their way. He controlled his own skinny tornado and brought it up to face Meldamiriel’s in some sort of hope in stopping it. But he was sadly mistaken when the big terminator swallowed the skinny tornado whole.

He turned to Meldamiriel as the tornado continued to approach him. “Stop this, now!” His face was taking on the look of a demented, raged bull. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he didn’t have control of the situation.

“What? You can’t play at this game anymore? Are you suddenly not the big, bad wizard that you claim to be?” she retorted back at him with a smirk.

He smirked back,
“You’ll wish you hadn’t played your little games, little girl.”

Suddenly there was an arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her own arms down to her side, a knife pressing against her throat. She gasped, losing her concentration. Her eyes faded back to blue, her tornado disappearing into thin air, and the storms above eased off.

“Hello again, pretty.”

Bullock.

“While I admit, you have picked up on a few tricks, don’t ever go up against the master,” Clyde stated.

Bullock turned her around to face her friends and mate, her eyes filling with tears as she noticed the concerned expressions on all their faces.

“Hello, Elijah. It’s been far too long,” a charming female voice sang as her delicate hand raked across the vampire’s chest.

Everyone turned away from the show between Meldamiriel and the wizard to see Hazellette, who had appeared out of nowhere, trying to cozy up to Elijah. Ivormantis growled and Blain narrowed his eyes at the witch.

“It’s good to see you too, Blain,” she said sweetly, blowing him a kiss.

Natasha’s hand was gripping the hilt to her dagger so tightly, her knuckles turned pure white.
That witch was going to die today, if nothing more than for flirting with her mate right in front of her! Talk about poor taste!

“You’re barking up the wrong tree, Hazellette,” Elijah stated coldly, gazing down into her chocolate brown eyes.

“Why must you always ruin my fun, dear Elijah?” She batted her eyelashes up at him while twirling a long lock of her blonde hair about her thin, long fingers. Her long, pointed red nails stuck out like splattered blood against the paleness.

“No one here will allow you to walk away with the elf.”

Ivormantis huffed his agreement with the vampire.

“Oh come now, tell me you haven’t dreamt of tasting her blood and the power it would give you,” she whispered in his ear. “I’m willing to share. The four of us could have so much fun together. And we would be untouchable immortals. All we need is her. Come with Clyde and me. Say that you want it, that you need it. Tell me that you want me.” She licked the shell of his ear, causing a shudder of revolution to travel down his spine. He knew she had slept with about every council member she’d been able to talk into her bed, save him. He had never trusted her. Now he knew why.

Elijah’s face was completely ridged and unreadable. He leaned down, putting his lips to her ear. She moaned in delight, knowing she would have him on her side momentarily. Then victory would be hers! But his words were not what she expected to hear. “You are a disgusting slut who craves nothing but power.” He pushed her away from him, disgusted to even touch her. “And you don’t care who you hurt or kill to get it.”

The look on her face was quite comical, at least to him, as he watched her too red, painted on lips fall open in shock.

“Leave, and take your filthy wizard with you,” Ivormantis ordered, stepping forth.

Hazellette turned to face him, determination in her eyes. “Dominic, how’s that spine of yours?” she questioned, not really caring to hear the answer as she threw her hand out toward him, her magic wrapping around his back. Even in dragon form, she was able to apply enough pressure around him to make him cry out in pain.

He managed to swing his neck, his head coming down to knock into her, forcing her spell to break and her to stumble to the ground. Pulling back, he took a deep breath ready to fry the bitch up for an afternoon snack. Just as the fire came bursting from his breath, she threw a force field up around him. His fire hit the force field and came circling back around him, encasing him in his own ball of fire. It singed the top layer of his scales and his wings. It was too much to take too quickly. He stepped back to deal with his pain and forced Dominic’s human form to the forefront. The force field held through the transformation, allowing the flames to catch hold and quickly take over Dominic’s naked body. He roared in pain, not able to see anything but flames surround him and burning his flesh.