Lovers Unchained (13 page)

She chanted every spell she knew, but the lock refused to open. There was only one spell left she could use,
but did she dare use it?
She heard Faede behind her chanting, she heard the sound of ghouls moaning in pain. She turned to look behind her and saw more ghouls running from the mansion. The men struggled with each new round of ghouls until Faede’s low chanting reached the ghouls’ ears, and they became enthralled with her.

Carissa turned back to the lock. The spell she was about use could possibly kill all of them, but she didn’t have a choice, not if she wanted to free them from Lana. If Lana recaptured them, she would kill them, they would die either way. Carissa turned to glance at Jude. She needed to see him one last time in case this spell destroyed the entire Dark Realm. She turned to stare at him when a large, winged creature flew from the rooftop of the prison and landed in front of her.

Carissa pressed her back to the gate and stared into the large, oval-shaped eyes of an eagle. The large bird towered over her, and she craned her neck to stare up at it.
Where did Lana get an eagle this size?
Slobber from the birds overlarge mouth dripped down on her.

Carissa closed her eyes and put her hands together, channeling the little energy left in her. A weapon would be nice to have for a moment like this. She was a great fighter, but spell caster…not so much. She heard Jude roaring her name, but couldn’t open her eyes. Carissa didn’t want to see him watch her die.

She chanted the last spell she may ever chant. As she uttered the words, she heard Jude coming for her. His roar grew closer and closer and she continued her chanting. The ground underneath her feet shook. Fear of what may happen seeped into her bones, she forgot the words of the spell when she felt a large claw at her neck. No life with a mate for her. She already missed Jude, but now, she would never get a chance to know what his favorite scent was, or his favorite meal. 

The claw grazed her skin, but the large bird removed its talons just as quickly as it put them there. Carissa opened her eyes to see Jude, in his full demon form–horns included, standing below the bird. The bird stared down at her mate.

“Run!” she screamed to him.

“Finish with the lock. I got this.” He swung at the powerful bird and Carissa was surprised when the bird bellowed in pain. Her protector…she now wanted to live, so she could be with him. She didn’t want to lose him this soon after finding him. Things were too screwed up right now for her to be turned on by her mate, her demon, her warrior, but she was. The eagle swiped at Jude, but he dodged. She pictured him naked, his muscles flexed every time he lunged. He swung at the large creature again, connecting with its stomach. The bird stumbled, but righted itself.

“I can only hold him off for so long,” her mate yelled to her. His voice sounded different, darker. He looked different taller, larger and stronger.

“Carissa, the lock,” he yelled, crouching underneath the large bird.

Oh
, right.
Carissa turned back to the lock. She put both hands on it and closed her eyes. The words she hated to say floated through her mind and she chanted the Spell of Destruction. Wind swirled around her. Approaching the end of the spell, the wind picked up speed. She held the lock and continued, while the sound of screeching reached her ears, nearly bursting her ear drums. She chanted on. Gravel flew up, stinging her skin as it connected with her flesh. She continued her chanting. When the last words left her mouth, she stood with her eyes closed and her hands gripping the lock tightly. She heard gravel falling back to the earth, and then silence surrounded her. Carissa opened her eyes and stared at the broken lock in her hands. While the lock was broken, the chain around the gate was still intact, keeping them from leaving. Carissa pushed against the gate. It wouldn’t open, but with the lock broken they would be able to squeeze through. “I got it, I broke the spell cast on the lock, and I used a forbidden spell to do it.” Carissa turned to her friends and saw smoke rising from the places where the ghouls once stood. The large eagle lay on the ground, blood and bones protruded from its body. Faede, Jude and her friends lay on the ground…not moving. What had she done?

* * * *

Jude opened his eyes and tried to move, but couldn’t, probably because there was a large bird on his chest.

“You’re not dead. I’m so happy, I thought I killed you.” Beside him, his mate rained kisses over his forehead.

“I would kiss you back, but I can’t move.”

“Oh.” His mate attempted to push the eagle off of him. “Give me a minute,” she said, standing up and trying to channel energy into her palms. He was too weak to move.
What happened?

“We can help,” he heard Cole say, but Jude couldn’t turn his head to look at the vampire.

“You’re up. All of you, I thought I killed you,” his mate said to Cole. Jealousy spread through his aching body. He didn’t like for his mate to talk to any other male, but him.

Cole and Bruce stepped forward and together they freed Jude from the large bird. Bruce helped him up, and then walked over to his own mate.

“I’m sorry you had to see this,” Faede said softly to her mate, her eyes still swirling.

 Jude saw she felt guilty about her ability to snatch souls, but to do so in front of her mate made her feel ashamed. Bruce gathered her into his arms and pressed his face into her hair murmuring ‘things will be okay, we are free now.’

“Everything is not okay,” a voice called down from the top of the mansion. Lana sat perched on her roof, her legs crossed and her red hair slung over her shoulder in one large braid.

“Did you really think you would be able to escape me so easily? Juju, you really planned to leave me and for her.”

 Lana shook her head in disapproval. “I am so disappointed in you. Bruce, you’re willing to leave me and my home after everything I’ve done for you? You both are breaking my heart, but since I love you in my own way, I will let you live. However, your women have to die.”

Bruce hissed and pushed Faede behind him while Jude growled teleporting in front of Carissa to protect her from Lana. He was glad he could teleport again. Once they were free, he would teleport him and his mate somewhere safe. Lana laughed at their efforts.

 “You protect in vain, but it’s okay. You may all die together.” Lana bared her fangs and disappeared.

 Everyone tensed waiting to see where she would reappear.

She didn’t show herself.

 “Where did she go?” Carissa asked Jude, turning her back to his and releasing energy into her fingertips. They all came together in a circle, staring up into the sky, looking for Lana.

“Maybe, we should leave,” Faede said, her eyes swirled as she prepared to fight for the one she loved.

 “Head to the gate,” Bruce said. “Once we are outside of the gate, I can teleport us to a spot I know where we’ll be safe.” The group made their way to the gate, but stopped when they heard laughter off in the distance.

“She’s playing with us.” Jude pulled at the chain on the gate, but it wouldn’t come off. He lifted the chain and let his mate squeeze through the opening and he slid out after her. Next, Faede slid out and stood by Jude, while her mate squeezed his big body through the gate. The sound of laughter drew nearer.

“Let’s say a protection spell, so she can’t follow us,” Faede said to Carissa.

“She will find a powerful witch to break it.” 

“She would have to find a witch first and this will give us time to get far away. Come on, Carissa, I can’t do this without you.”

“Okay, let’s do this. First, we need for Cole to make it to this side of the gate.” 

 “Hurry up, Cole,” Faede cried, when the vampire put one leg through the opening. Faede and Carissa chanted. Once Cole was through, they all could disappear.

“Cole,” Carissa yelled when Lana appeared behind him.

Carissa and Faede screamed racing towards him. Jude and Bruce disappeared and reappeared outside of the gate. “Take my hand!” Jude yelled, putting his hand through the gate. Cole made the mistake of turning around to see what it was they were looking at.

* * * *

Behind him, Lana stood with both wrists slit and blood dripping to the ground. Cole’s mouth watered. Seeing so much sweet blood going to waste made him slide his body back into the gate. Jude grabbed his shoulder and tried to pull him back out, but he shook the demon off him and walked towards Lana. Beside Lana stood a ghoul with blood dripping from its claw; Cole knew he needed to leave; Lana’s blood was spilled. Yet, her blood called to him and he must answer.

“Come, my pet,” Lana called to him. “Your friends will return; they will have to in order to try and free you. They are noble Immortals. Even the bitch I mistook for a mortal will return to try and free you. So, don’t fret, they will join you soon.”

She smiled at him seductively while she walked backward, leading him back into the prison she called home. Cole followed her, the sweet scent of her blood called to him. He heard his friends screaming for him to stop, but their words didn’t penetrate the fog surrounding his brain. All of his energy and thought focused on one thing, Lana’s blood.

His fangs escaped his gums and itched with the need to pierce her skin. He hungered for only one drop of the life fluid leaving her body. He heard the pulse in her veins. So thirsty, friends didn’t matter; his thirst was all that mattered. He followed her all the way to the front door and inside. Dropping to his knees in front of her, the door closed behind him, he was her prisoner again.

* * * *

“Cole!” Jude screamed, watching the doors slam shut behind his new friend.

“We have to go in and get him,” Faede said. “We can’t leave him here.”

“We have to get you two to safety.” Jude looked from his mate to Faede.

“Then, Bruce and I will come back for Cole.” Jude didn’t want to say
if
Cole was still alive, but it was exactly what he was thinking.

 “We have to go, her blood was spilled and her brother will be here soon,” Bruce said. The group came closer to him and they all held hands, letting Bruce teleport them to safety.

He teleported them to an abandoned cabin. “We can rest here until we figure out what we need to do next.”

 Bruce closed all of the blinds. Jude heard screams of agony, some louder than others. He didn’t know exactly where they were coming from, but he sensed they were near the Pit, the center of the Dark Realm where condemned souls spent eternity.

“Does Lana know about this place?” Jude walked from room to room, making sure no one else was here.

“No, this is where I lived before Lana and her brother captured me.”

Jude heard the shame in the vampire’s voice, so he didn’t ask any more questions.

“It’s not much. There are only two rooms. We’ll take one, you two take the other,” Bruce said to Jude and Carissa.

 Jude walked up behind Carissa and wrapped his hands around her waist.

 “This escape is bitter sweet,” she said.

Jude nodded his head.

Faede wiped a tear from her eye. “We will get him back. I know it. I can feel it. I think he is part of the bigger picture.” 

Jude had no idea what she meant, but he trusted her. Somehow, they would get him back before it was too late. Carissa laid her head back against his chest. 

“I think I need to rest,” she said.

 “I think we all need to rest,” Jude said, escorting his mate to a bedroom.

“See you in the morning,” Faede yelled.

“You, too,” his mate replied.

“What’s wrong?” He asked her once he closed the door.

Carissa looked around the dusty room; there was no furniture, no bed for her to lie down. Jude kicked a torn teddy bear out the way, and then sat down on the floor. Carissa sat in between his legs and rested against his chest.

“I’ll help you find Cole, but I have a coven in turmoil I must return to. I can’t stay away from them long.” 

“I go wherever you go,” he said and Carissa released her pent up breath. She lay back against him. Jude rubbed his hands up and down her arms. They sat that way for a while, not talking; both of them mentally replaying what took place at the prison. He would help free Cole, then he would help his mate, and then he would help his cursed friends.

Jude tensed when he heard a door opening and closing.

 “What is it?” Carissa straddled him and unbuttoned his pants. “I hope I don’t seem to forward, but I need to do something to get my mind off everything.”

“Nothing,” Jude replied, helping her get his pants unbuttoned. “It was Bruce and Faede entering the other room.”

“I didn’t hear a sound,” Carissa said, sliding him into her body.

 “That’s what I’m here for,” Jude moaned, while she rode him slowly, lifting her body up then sliding back down.

“I’m here to protect you,” he moaned. She put her hands on the wall behind his head. Jude gripped both of her breasts, licking one then the other. Carissa groaned, increasing her speed. They both needed this form of comfort. Jude massaged her breast and licked the valley in between them.

 Carissa shivered. “Do you think we are going to get Cole out alive?”