Bucking against my binds as heat enveloped my whole body, I thrashed my head from side to side. Catching sight of the demons, I watched them briefly. They were circling their boundary cage, trying to find a crack in the entrapment spell. If they got free, they would be able to kill whoever they wanted, however they wanted.
“Get ready,” Xvair told Brianna. “It won't be long now.”
Going back to chanting, Xvair closed his eyes. I went still as the pain took over. I was going to die, right here, with demons to my right and enemies to my left.
“Stop!” A familiar voice echoed throughout the church.
Xvair's hand came away from my chest as he spun towards the door of the church. My own head slowly fell to the right, tears coming to my eyes as my gaze landed on Dave. My man, my saviour.
Maybe, just maybe, I would get the happy ending I deserved.
Chapter 12
“Take over!” Xvair instructed the priest as he turned to Brianna.
She untied the binds that held Florian, handing him the dagger. “You will kill her as soon as the priest has finished.”
My blood boiled as the priest forced his hand on my chest, pressing hard as he took up the same chanting as Xvair. It wasn't him doing the spell, it was the witches who currently used him as a conduit for magic. They could somehow see the scene that was unfolding.
Screaming as my body weakened, I tried to watch Dave through the haze that came over my eyes. He was skirting around the demons, Jake by his side.
Xvair and Brianna joined hands and started down the aisle, towards the demons. Surely, they wouldn't release them? That would be more foolish than anything anyone had ever done in the history of mankind.
“Dave!” I managed to shout. “Stop them!”
His gaze flew between me and the demons. The hesitation in his step could cause a mistake, so I kept silent as he nodded in my direction, quickly changing course. Jake followed, his body shifting into a werewolf as they tucked down an aisle of pews.
Letting my head roll back as my whole body became numb, I watched the priest. His lips moved, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I was dying, the link to the ley line leaving me. It had been a part of me for so long, I had no idea what it was like to live without it. It had made me one of the most powerful witches on Earth. And yet, I was useless, lying on a slab of stone, the epic Gemma Abbott. This was a battle I had lost, but at least the others would be able to keep the rest of the city safe.
“I don't think so!” I heard Dave shout.
A gunshot sounded before the priest slumped forward, blood spurting from his temple.
My breath sucked into me as the link re-enforced itself, although the magic still couldn't be used. Energy pulsated through me, bringing me back to life... well, as alive as I could be with the ley line keeping me breathing.
“Kill her!” Xvair shouted from where he hobbled down the aisle.
A gun came to my head as I tried to get free of my restraints. Florian's hand was shaking so violently, the barrel hit me a few times. If that son of a bitch attempted to kill me, I had no idea what would happen. I was technically dead already, so there was no telling how a gunshot wound to the head would affect me.
“You need to back off,” Kate's voice sounded nearby.
I couldn't see her from where I was trapped against the altar, but her voice was strong. Tears came to my eyes as I glanced at Dave and Jake, who had almost reached Xvair and Brianna.
The demons roared suddenly, thrusting against their cage. My father was the only evil being that stood still, watching me silently. Anger, hot and furious, burnt my skin as I stared at him, unable to look away.
“You need to put the gun down!” Kate shouted at Florian.
The barrel butted the back of my head again, causing me to spin and stare at him. “What are you doing?”
The witch's lower lip trembled as he glanced over at the demons.
A feminine scream wrenched the air, making us all look at Brianna. She fell to the ground, crying loudly as she clasped her leg. Well... what had been her leg. Jake's wolf head lifted, revealing the stump of her limb clasped between his jaws.
“If you don't drop the gun,” I said to Florian, “my friend will do the same to you. Do you want that?”
Sobbing hard, Florian lowered the gun. Someone must have released his binds without me noticing. A part of me wanted to punish him for being so stupid, but I knew that Xvair Harvey was a formidable ancient witch. Most would be petrified of him.
“Hold tight, Gemma,” Kate said, putting the gun down next to me as she rushed to unfasten the rope.
Keeping my eye on the scene down in the main church area, I clenched my teeth, frustrated that I couldn't do anything to help. Xvair cowered by the demons, a protection spell around him. Dave was trying to reach him, pushing at the barrier that surrounded the evil man.
The bonds around my ankles loosened as Kate released me. I kicked them off as she came to the top of the altar, smiling down at me when our gaze met. I had never been so relieved to see my seer friend.
“Thank you,” I murmured as she worked fast to free me completely.
“We're your team, we would never abandon you!”
Tears came to both our eyes as the last knot untied. Throwing off the
