but leave the ones that lead to the water open. The water will help hem them in. The goal is to keep the demons from fleeing, but, first and foremost, we canna allow feral skirm to get out and attack humans.”
Music blared into the night as the door to a bar on Yesler Street opened and several humans stumbled out. Collectively, the group of supernaturals tensed, and no one uttered a word.
“It would be nice if you had the power to order everyone out of the area, Zander,” Gerrick mumbled. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and took in a lungful of acrid urine with a backdrop of briny sea. It was enough to make him gag and nearly lose his dinner.
“You guys are overthinking this,” Mack piped up. “It’s two a.m. and any people who are walking around right now are probably drunk and certainly not paying attention to us. Besides, we aren’t near a residential area. Just minimize the risk these bastards will pose and let’s get in there.” Gerrick liked the feisty female and smiled when he saw her latest t-shirt that said ‘I love my bloodsucker.’ She was always referring to her mate as a bloodsucker, or leech, or some other smartass term and Gerrick had no doubt that Kyran must have given her the tee.
“Make sure to stay by my side, Firecracker. I doona want you running in their thinking you can take on the whole lair. You may be immortal now, but you’re no’ invincible,” Kyran told her, tugging on a strand of her spiky, black hair. The vampire prince had undergone a drastic attitude change when he had been stuck in the dragon realm with his mate, and was no longer the unhappy, distant warrior that he used to be. Gerrick acknowledged the new Kyran was definitely a change for the better.
“Ok, we’re done. You guys are up.” Pema’s voice jolted Gerrick’s thoughts, making his pulse leap. They were one step closer to going in and it was none too soon.
“Thanks,” Gerrick nodded and checked to make sure Jace was ready. Jace was the healer of their group, but also a kick-ass fighter and the most powerful sorcerer in the realm and Gerrick was glad to have the male fighting by his side. Jace met his gaze and they began chanting in the old language.
Green, blue and purple lights of Jace and Gerrick’s magic were added to the reds and pinks of the witches. Gerrick locked in on the ten-block boundary the witches had cast around Pioneer Square and wove his enchantments with theirs. When the last word of the spell left his lips, he was sweating and breathing hard, but the flash of white light signaled that they had been successful.
Gerrick turned to Zander, “It’s done, Liege,” he informed. Sorcerers had the ability to see magic whereas the other supernaturals could only feel it. Only the sorcerers had seen the flash of white indicating the spell was completed.
Zander shifted his stance, his authoritative tone grabbing everyone’s attention. “Hayden, take your shifters and wait by your entrance. Kyran, take your group to your spot. The rest of you, follow me. Everyone sync the time, we enter in five. Remember, our mission here is to get in and rescue the females and take oot the archdemons if we can.”
“Stay alert,” Gerrick told the witches and their mates, who would all be remaining behind. “The females may be feral and try to escape. We have to be prepared for the worst case scenarios.” He shuddered to think about what horrors they had been suffering at the hands of such evil. It hadn’t sat well with him to delay the rescue after Elsie had her premonition, but they all knew better than to dismiss the warning so they had waited.
He adjusted his black leather jacket and returned his staff, wishing he’d chosen a heavier coat since the weather was decidedly cold in December in Seattle, especially so close to the water. But leather offered more protection against knives and teeth, so everyone was dressed in leather from head to toe.
“What do we do if we encounter them?” Suvi asked, pursing her lips and stomping her impossibly high heels on the pavement. How the witch managed to stand, much less run or fight, was a mystery to him, but she didn’t seem fazed by them one bit.
“Contain them, but doona harm them unless there is no choice. Jessie is proof that females are no’