ARTEMISIA
I’m holding my pups to my chest, wrapping my arms around them in the hopes of warming them up with my own body heat as I’m sitting in a bathtub filled with ice.
Their screams rip my heart to pieces, but I can’t give up, it doesn’t matter how much I feel my strength glide from my limbs, I won’t let go of my babies.
Looking through the room made entirely out of ice and mirrors with my blurred vision, I see Matthew standing in the middle of the room, staring at me.
The fact that I can’t seem to make out an exit doesn’t trouble me as much as it should as I have other problems at hand.
Obviously.
His eyes are fully red, and I don’t know why, but I know exactly that he is just waiting for me to let my pups go before he will pull me out of the water.
And I also know that this isn’t Matthew.
Hugging my pups closer, I hush them, trying to get them to calm down, and to re-establish their heat waves they had been bugging me with these three past months.
“Please,” I beg him. “You have to get us out of here.”
I gulp as he just remains standing there unmoved, staring at me with a cold expression. “Make it stop, please! Matthew, I’ll never forgive you if you hurt my pups!”
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, stabilising on the cold ground of the tub that is starting to burn into my skin.
I tighten the grip of my numb hands on the clothes I have wrapped around my pups’ small bodies as I try to hold them closer, but I can’t feel if I’m actually succeeding.
Just as I’m sinking deeper into the cold water, I feel an excruciating pain passing through me.
Screaming in pain and desperation, I fight against the ice swallowing me.
I’m just about to give up with a sob as Fynn practically materialises next to my bath of ice. I gasp as I look into his fully black eyes, and try to get away from him instantaneously.
Matthew growls, finally moving to attack Fynn, only to get punched in his chest and catapulted back through the room.
Fynn grabs my neck, pushing me underwater and I hold my babies closer. My last scream uses up all the air I had left stored in my lungs and I slowly black out.
Begging my pups for forgiveness for not having been able to protect them, I feel myself losing consciousness just as Fynn gets ripped off me by Matthew, and I resurface, taking a deep breath, filling my lungs back up with air.
I realize quickly why Fynn, or whatever acts being him, wants to get rid of me as I’m the last thing that stands between him and getting Drake’s soul.
As he frees himself from Matthew’s grip, I realize that this is my chance. “Son, now is the time to show what you can do!”
Reacting quickly, I take my pups in one arm and as soon as he is close enough, I let my hand dart up, clawing down on his throat.
With a growl, I pull him closer, finally concentrating as much power in me as I can to set him on fire.
The violet flames dance from my arm to his throat and envelop him in it, getting him to rip himself off me with a roar.
Wrapping my arms around my sons, I watch Fynn’s demonic double growl enraged and as Matthew’s creature attacks him, they are both soon covered in flames as they continue to fight each other. I watch them while sobbing, my mind running like crazy, thinking about a way to get out before they find a way to extinguish the flames, or even worse, Matthew’s demon finally wins over Fynn’s.
“I’ll get you out of here, princess,” Fynn’s voice rumbles through the cold room, making me take a shaky breath.
“Fynn!” I whisper before I get up onto my feet, stabilising onto the slippery ground of the tub to shout again, “Fynn!”
Suddenly, another Fynn appears next to my ice bath, grinning at me. His eyes are a bit more reassuring as just the irides shining in a fiery red.
“Drake!” I shout happily and he climbs over the edge of the tub, to charge towards me and envelop me into a bear hug.
I screech as I fall backwards, bracing for the impact but it never comes.
Fire streams back through my body, feeling awfully comfortable now as it warms up my blood, making my nerves buzz and reawaken my skin with a sizzling sensation.
I feel sparks erupting on my skin as I open my eyes as Fynn is holding my face as he looks at me with a worried expression.
‘Oh, how I hate this expression on him,’ Cassy groans, making me giggle.
It takes me a few seconds to feel the stinging pain in my shoulder which actually feels incredibly pleasurable.
I feel a smile spreading on my cold lips as I realise that he must have marked me, pushing back the devastating effect Matthew’s mark was having on me.
‘I don’t know,’ I whisper back to Cassy. ‘I love every one of his expressions. All that matters is that he has them directed to me.’
Finally feeling my arms again, I lift them, wrapping my hand behind his head. My fingers drive through his hair, and I get his eyes that he had turned towards Hendrick back on me.
‘True, he is kinda cute. Always playing the tough guy,’ Cassy purrs as he looks at me wide-eyed. Shock and relief weighing on his features.
Pulling myself up to him with my last strength, I reciprocate his mark, sinking my teeth into his skin.
His hiss streams through me, making my body burn up as I finally let go of him, sealing my mark with my tongue.
He catches me as I slump back down, keeping me from hitting my head on the rocky ground.
“Goddess, thank you,” he breathes out, and Hendrick inches closer, looking at me happily.
“How are you feeling?”
I smile tired, laying my hands on my belly. “We are all alright. Thanks to you.”
A single sob escapes Fynn’s throat as he hugs me tight, risking crushing my spine to dust.
“Fynn,” I squeal with laughter, hitting his arm with my fist repeatedly. “I can’t breathe!”
Pushing out a deep breath, he lets go of me, inspecting me thoroughly. “I’m fine! Perfectly fine. But I don’t think your brothers are. So, let’s go and stop Matthew.”
“Can you stand?” he asks me as he pulls me to my feet carefully, but Hendrick picks me up into his arms as he gestures to him with his head.
“I’ll carry her and catch up with you. Hurry up or he will kill them.”
Fynn kisses my cheek, grinning slyly before he practically disappears in front of our eyes.
“Seems to have worked out for the best. He seems even to be faster than me now,” Hendrick sighs, and I lean my head against his chest.
“Bummer,” he adds lowly, making me giggle as I close my eyes exhausted.
We reach the field where I was just standing a few moments ago with Matthew in a matter of seconds and as we get there it already seems like a battlefield where two armies have been fighting each other for hours.
Deep craters grace the now muddy ground, making me gasp as I see Matthew and Fynn both surrounded by flames as they charge against each other.
Fynn has shifted into his wolf, his fur dancing in the flames unbothered as he tries to snatch Matthew into two repeatedly. Matthew is fighting against his enormous mouth, keeping him from biting down and hurting him badly.
I force my eyes off him, running towards Cayden, Logan and Giorgio who are waiting for their wolves to heal their bad injuries.
“I’ll help you get to the doctor,” I say out of breath, wanting to pick Cayden up, but he grabs my wrist, keeping me from touching him.
“Run,” he snarls at me, groaning as he tries to pull himself up. “Get away, we will be alright in a few more seconds. But you have to get out of here.”
He has barely finished his phrase as Hendrick reaches out to get me.
But he is too slow.
His wide-eyed stare is the last thing I see as I suddenly feel myself getting enveloped by black smoke, tearing me away from my mates.