Beginning of the End

Ela

I wanted to sprint into the clearing… shift and tear into Devina with my claws… to feel her blood run down my paws and lap it up with my tongue… but I was frozen in place.

Ekon had completely fucked up everything! The drunken bastard ruined our only chance and in doing so, sealed our fate.

Would they be expecting me? If I were to sneak around the edge of the clearing like the rest, would it be possible to take them by surprise?

But it was Holly, and not Devina, who had stopped Bambi and the others straight in their tracks.

Ekon was still writhing on the ground like a wild beast shot in the flank, while Bambi and Max had already shifted back into their human forms.

I began to cry, watching their naked bodies stumble and fall as they tried to stand.

“This is not good,” Tyler whispered, taking me by surprise.

I jumped as her hand covered my mouth to prevent me from screaming.

“Your friend Holly is much stronger than I could’ve imagined.”

I nodded my head as I removed her hand.

“She used to be the sweetest young woman,” I whispered.

“I can believe that,” Tyler said, sorrowfully. “But we can’t let that stop us. Right now she is working for Devina and we need to treat her as such.”

“Well, our first plan didn’t go so smoothly. What do you suggest we do now?” I wondered.

Tyler thought for several moments, which worried me; we didn’t have much time. I was about to run out on my own and risk my own life alongside my friends, but Tyler held out a hand to stop me.

“Do you hear that?” she asked, looking at the sky.

I shook my head. “No. What is it?”

“Something’s coming…”

Devina

Alpha Ekon was writhing on the ground, growling and tearing at his head. Zillana had taught Holly well, and she’d proven her worth beyond a shadow of a doubt.

He would not be shifting back. His magical ability to transform back into a human was gone. He would be a beast from henceforth. Somehow, it suited him better.

The other two had already turned back into their human forms and continued to stumble pitifully in the grass.

“Holly!” Bambi screamed. “Don’t you recognize us?!”

Holly turned away from them, looking at me with large puppy dog eyes. A subordinate in awe of her mistress. She had been promised ultimate power, and as long as she stayed by my side, she would learn everything she would ever need.

First things first… her friends would need to be punished. They had almost taken me by surprise. Matthias was right; my increasing power had made me arrogant. Luckily, my new protégé wouldn’t let any harm come to me.

“This isn’t you, Holly… Devina is controlling your mind... You’re pure!” Max screamed.

I waved my hand and he flew back another few meters. These pesky werewolves talked too much. Soon I’d silence them for good.

My arms moved to my sides, palms turning a vicious red, casting an ominous glow on their faces.

“Don’t let her do this!” Bambi pleaded.

“Holly cannot listen to your cries anymore. She has chosen her fate. And it will be greater than anything you could have given her,” I yelled, feeling the fire burning in my palms.

Just a few more seconds and I would have enough power to blast them just like that idiot Fakari, melting their flesh and disintegrating their bones as if they’d never even been of this earth.

“Devina!”

Matthias’s scream tore my vision from the lowly beings at my feet.

Before I could comprehend what the bastard wanted, the earth beneath me exploded.

Bambi

The ground beneath Devina erupted like an active volcano, sending chunks of earth flying through the air. I shielded my eyes from the debris raining down on our heads. My instincts kicked in and I rolled along the ground as a massive rock crashed into the spot where I had just been lying.

I looked to the sky and tears began to fall onto my cheeks. The cavalry had arrived… without a moment to spare.

Wizards flew through the air, their wands glowing as bright as the beam had been. Bolts of lightning, fire, and ice flew through the air as they blasted towards their targets.

Vampires in sunglasses zoomed over the clearing at breakneck speeds. They took on the Rogues headfirst, teeth and claws gnashing out chunks of fur and flesh.

I crawled to Max, who was naked and covered in dirt. He was conscious, but Devina’s extra hit really knocked loose all his senses. My hands lifted his head gently out of the debris and his eyes met mine.

“Well, sis, it looks like this is it,” he said, slurring his words. I worried that he might have a concussion, but assumed he’d survived much harder blows to the head.

“You really need to pay attention to what’s happening,” I said with a weak smile.

Max slowly pushed himself up onto his arms and looked at the sight unfolding around us with stupefied wonder.

Matthias and his Rogues poured out of the forest, fighting tooth and nail with the vampires.

Witches, only now realizing the danger that surrounded them, spilled out of the cave. Some took flight to fend off the wizards while others scattered in fear, showing their true, cowardly natures.

Devina blasted massive beams of energy through the sky, taking out hordes of wizards and vampires, who fell to the earth like swatted flies.

She turned her seething anger toward us, but we were already gone!

I pulled Max deeper into the safety of the dense forest to stay out of sight.

Holly was nowhere to be seen and my heart went out to her. She had been the one this time to prevent our victory over Devina, but that didn’t mean she needed to have the same fate as the evil witch.

“How in the hell did they find us?” Max asked, dumbfounded.

“I have no idea,” I said, unsure.

But then it hit me!

“I think we might have our headmaster friend at the university to thank. He seemed intent on getting us in trouble with the Supernatural Parliament. I guess he told them we were here!”

“Well then, thanks, asshole.”

“Stay here. I’m going back out.”

Max grabbed my arm, holding me in place.

“Don’t, Bambi,” he pleaded. “It’s not worth it.”

“Ekon’s still out there. And I need to find Ela and Tyler!” I said, jerking my arm free.

I quickly moved to the edge of the forest and watched the battle continue to unfold. The sun was beginning to set, which meant the vampires would gain a major advantage.

I’d never been so glad to see a group of vampires in my entire life!

~ROAR!~

My attention turned to the massive wolf ripping up everything in its path.

~Ekon!~

I shifted into my wolf form and charged onto the battlefield, avoiding destructive spells and dodging wayward claws.

As I approached Ekon’s wolf, something didn’t feel right. He was fighting Rogues and vampires alike, not differentiating between the two. He was drunk, but that shouldn’t stop him from sticking on the side of the beings trying to help our cause.

He was fully shifted, which meant he was uncontrollable. But there was something else happening here. A disconnect that could not be overridden.

~Ekon, it’s me! We need to leave!~

I screamed out via mind-link, but it wasn’t going through. Something was definitely wrong.

With cautious steps, I approached my mate, this raving beast, hoping my presence would snap him out of his fury.

He turned to me, eyes ablaze, and bared his enormous fangs, dripping with blood.

I crouched into a defensive stance. This wasn’t good at all.

What happened? Had Holly’s spell knocked every last memory from his brain?

Ekon crouched as well and then launched off his powerful hind legs high into the air. His eyes were like fire; claws and teeth ready to tear the skin and fur from my bones.

Ekon

It didn’t make any sense! I could see the battle raging on around me and knew the Rogues from the vampires and wizards. My claws should be slashing at Matthias’s followers, but for some reason, my body did the opposite of every command I gave.

With a quick punch, my paw blasted through a vampire’s chest and ripped its heart clean out. I smashed it to a pulp in my monstrous paws.

I could feel an approaching presence, something familiar yet foreign all the same. I turned quickly and saw a beautiful wolf approaching with caution.

Didn’t I know this wolf? Had I somehow been acquainted with it in another life?

I searched the wolf’s eyes and finally, it hit me…

~Bambi…~

I tried to send signals to my body that this wolf was friendly, that there was no need to fight. But the ravenous beast I’d become ignored every command and instead readied for the attack.

Crouching down, my hind legs quickly sprung through the air and aimed straight for the head of my mate.

As I fell, something smashed me from the side, knocking me off my path and sending me into a world of darkness.

Tyler

“Don’t you dare fucking touch her!”

I blasted Ekon out of the sky moments before he descended on Bambi. I knew his madness was the work of Devina and Holly; Zillana had talked about how her precious pet learned too easily to trap a being inside its own body.

But that didn’t matter to me now. He revealed his true colors earlier by acting like a brute.

Bambi was my friend. I wouldn’t let the only one who showed me true kindness be taken from this world so easily.

I floated to the ground and immediately summoned a protection spell, sealing those in my immediate vicinity from harm. Ela’s wolf form ran up beside Bambi and nudged her with her snout.

Bambi looked at Ela and I could see the tears in her eyes.

“We need to leave!” I warned.

Bambi shook her head and I watched as her gaze floated to Ekon. Ela nudged her again and let out a deep growl.

I had pinpointed their location from our vantage point on the hill. I teleported Hunter’s body to rest beside Max. Why did it always seem to be the men that needed the most help?

They were safe for now, but we needed to leave this place, or I feared we would be lost in the fray.

My attention shifted to a beautiful blonde witch hovering over the battlefield, the mirror image of Devina. It was Holly, and something inside told me she was searching for us.

I focused on my protection shield. It wouldn’t last much longer. My powers were starting to wane, even with the Fairy Slipper coursing through my body.

“Bambi!” I screamed, drawing her attention to me. “Don’t make me force you! We have to go ~NOW~!”

Bambi gave one last look at her fallen mate and then returned her gaze to me. She nodded her head and that was all I needed.

Closing my eyes, I envisioned a portal opening up in the air around us. A gust of wind began to circulate, blowing hair out of my face. I envisioned Max and Hunter, who would be sucked into the portal with us.

“Kill them!” Devina screamed somewhere above.

I refused to let that hinder my attention. With one final pulse of magic, we disappeared into a world of blackness.

The battle was gone; our enemies and allies were left to fight it out.

Ekon was still a beast, but there was no other choice. If we stayed, we would surely have perished.

War had begun, and as of now, there looked to be no end in sight…